4.5 STARS!! 🎸🎸🎸🎸

Let it be known that I will ALWAYS love a man who YEARNS!

If you're a fan of music, second chances, and heartfelt romance, this is the perfect book for you. When two ex-bandmates reunite to perform on a cruise ship, sparks fly! Micah's relationship to music is… complicated. Her band took off after being featured on a teen TV show, but the group broke up in no small part thanks to Micah's ex, the band's guitarist.

The premise alone makes for an intriguing setup: two musicians, each with their own set of wounds, returning to perform together in a themed cruise after years apart. The emotional depth of their reunion feels authentic, as the author expertly weaves together themes of regret, healing, and rediscovery of love that never quite went away.

The chemistry between the two is ELECTRIC! And their long-standing history of friendship makes their love and pining even more sweet! The pacing is just right—plenty of heart-pounding moments alongside quieter, more introspective ones. There's also a perfect balance of drama, humor, and vulnerability that makes the book feel both fun and meaningful.

If you’re looking for a fun romance read, this book hits all the right notes and will leave you believing in the power of love and music to heal even the deepest wounds. (Where can I find a John for myself IRL? 🥹)

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Romance for providing me with an e-arc to read in exchange for my honest review!

I've always had a soft spot for books about music and bands, and this book really hit the spot for me! Alicia Thompson writes characters that are delightfully diverse and real and Micah and John are no exception. Both of them have imperfections but their love is just amazing to read

I think 2025 is the year of rockstar romances because this book was an absolute blast! How have I not read Alicia Thompson before?

All I really knew going in was that this was a nostalgia plot and either a second chance romance or a one-that-got away. Thank goodness it was the second option, because her ex was an absolute ass.

Micah is having a rough go of it, its been a number of years since her band fell apart and she tried to go it alone, but the spotlight has a way of spitting you out. Now she hides out in her cute apartment avoiding the world. Until the offer comes in to bring the band back together for a fandom cruise, in honour of a tv-show that gives teen wolf/vampire diaries vibes. Reuniting with the band is everything she thought it would be, painful. Except for John. The best friend from childhood that got lost along the way.

I shipped these two immediately. Talk about a man that fell hard and never had the chance to do anything about it. These two get right to it though as the sparks fly. Suddenly the cruise is a break in life that gives these two a second chance, and I loved it. From the mental health rep, lgbtq rep (fmc is bi and one of the band members is non-binary) to all the feel good cute moments that made me giggle, this is a book that is going to be added to my shelf once it releases

This was so cute. Made me want to go on a cruise. It made me think of Daisy Jones and the Six. I loved the characters and loved that there wasn’t a second act breakup.

This was SUCH a satisfying companion novel—I loved returning to old familiar characters through new lenses, getting a deep dive into John's story!!! The themes around art and vulnerability hit me right in the heart, and seeing this couple stand up to their own internalized fears and external bullies was SO satisfying. Romantic, redemptive, and absolutely delightful.

This was an easy quick read. I am a sucker for romances involving former friends/ childhood friends to lovers. Would be a perfect beach read

OBSESSED

if this flops i stg!!!!!

this is my second book of alicia’s and ive been really hoping for John’s book after meeting him in with love from cold world, i was high key obsessed with him and his little cameos and my god his story did not disappoint 🤭

i was hooked on this book from the moment i started it till i finished, i actually had to force myself to stop reading it at 9:30 last night because i knew that if i didnt stop then id stay up and binge read the thing in one go 😂

john and micah had off the charts chemistry so much so that it made me feel like i wanted to explode from the second these two were finally in the same room as one another after a decade of being not talking or seeing each other. i really enjoyed that they didnt beat around the bush in getting together, there were the obvious few little hiccups that come with a second chance but nothing major and it was such a nice change of pace from what i feel im used to in other books.

(also these two are just fucking hot as hell ok, the smut had me foaming at the mouth)

i saw another reviewer say that alicia writes romances for the anxious girlies and i wholeheartedly agree, there was something just so comforting about reading this the entire time, it was like even though i KNOW theres high stakes involved here i also knew that everything was gonna be totally fine.

im seriously looking forward to when i can get my hands on the audiobook of this bc hearing john & micah come to life?!?! itll be such an insane experience 🤭

I really enjoyed this book! The story was engaging, the characters were well-developed, and the writing kept me hooked. It was a great read from start to finish, and I’d definitely recommend it to others!

This is my first Alicia Thompson novel, and she is officially on my auto-read author list! I absolutely loved this book!

Contrary to the title, I was shipping Micah and John HARD. John won my heart fairly quickly; there's something so endearing about a man pining after his best friend for years. It was understandable that John didn't want to risk his friendship with Micah, and her relationship with another band member added more concrete evidence for why he held his feelings back. Micah's free-spirited personality was charming, and her character arc drew me in as a reader. She grew as a person and singer, and I was rooting for her the whole time. John's patience with Micah was also attractive.

The spice?! Alicia had me SWEATING, it was SO hot! I am still thinking about their first hook-up... and the stage hook-up... and the alcove make-out. Be right back, need to go fan myself.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group, for my e-ARC! Per your guidelines, I plan to publish my full review on Goodreads ( review linked below) a week before the release date on June 10. I have rated the book five stars on Goodreads and let my audience know the full review is coming. Please feel free to email me at karentalksbooks@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7228846955

It's so middle of the road I don't even know how to talk about it. No stand outs. None. So, I guess I'll settle for being satisfied with the fact of nothing standing out for unpleasant reasons either.

To me...This one was just alright. I was pretty excited about the idea of a cruise and while certain aspects of it really lived up for me, others totally missed the mark. Cute story overall!

3.5/5.0

thank you berkley publishing & netgalley for a copy of this arc <3

2/5 ⭐️

i had such high hopes for this one ): i hate to say it but i don’t think i cared for these characters at all. it was hard to stay invested in their story given that i wasn’t really rooting for them to begin with. i feel like a past & present pov would’ve taken the storyline to a whole other level. i was 53% of the way through and still didn’t understand the history of what had happened between the band and them. like it was being hinted at but i thought the fall out was going to be more dramatic?? am i the problem?? their connection felt more lust than love and i think that’s my main issue. it felt like a whole lot of filler and not a lot of plot.

again thank you to berkley & netgalley for this arc!

This was friends to lovers, dual POV, former bandmates, second chance, forced proximity perfection, featuring John and Micah who find themselves on a reunion anniversary tour cruise for five days. Tensions run hot, the mutual pining was ELECTRIC and I just couldn't get enough!! There was some cameos from With love, from Cold world that I enjoyed SO MUCH and the found family, rockstar vibes were the absolute BEST!!! HIGHLY recommended for fans of books like Luck and last resorts by Sarah Grunder Ruiz or For one night only by Jessica James. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!!!!!

Never Been Shipped was the band reunion book of my dreams! I had such high hopes for this book, and boy did Alicia Thompson deliver.

If you asked Micah Presley, former lead singer of ElectricOh! where she sees herself, it definitely wasn’t on a cruise in the middle of the ocean with her estranged bandmates. But that’s where she finds herself when an opportunity arises to get the band back together for a special cruise. The band didn’t leave on the best of terms, but the most heartbreaking part was losing her childhood best friend and the band’s guitar player, John Populin. Fulfilling the obligations required of the band keeps thrusting everyone together, drudging up emotions and reopening old wounds. But it also has Micah looking at John in a new way, or perhaps how she’s always seen him but never wanted to admit to herself. Is this cruise a chance to explore their feelings, or has that ship sailed?

What a book! I am a big fan of Alicia Thompson, but she truly outdid herself with Never Been Shipped. In fact, I loved the story so much, I’ve already marked my calendar for when it comes out so I can snag a physical copy for my bookshelf.

The angst and tension between Micah and John were off the charts! I loved that this book had the “he falls first trope” (which is highly underrated in my opinion) and featured a very unique take on forced proximity with the cruise ship. I also really enjoyed the little cameos from all my favorite With Love, From Cold World characters! I have a feeling, this is going to be THE book to read this summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

DNF @35%

Romance in the third person should be illegal. This is so shallow. I don't even care to know anything about the characters.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

I've heard so many good reviews about this author let's hope I love it. Received the eARC from Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group 🫶🏻

🌊 All aboard the nostalgia cruise! This electric romance takes us back to the world of band breakups, second chances, and five days at sea where anything can happen.

🎶 Micah’s rules:
1️ Don’t lose herself in the music again.
2️ Don’t fall for anyone, especially not John.

…..But the thing about old flames? They tend to reignite when you least expect it.

🎸 John’s dilemma:
He’s never been one to steal the spotlight—on stage or in love. But now that Micah is back, his heart is strumming a different tune.

✨ What to Expect:
• Band reunion drama 🎵
• Long-overdue confessions 💬
• Heart-pounding chemistry ❤️‍🔥
• Tension-packed rehearsals 🎤
• Gorgeous ocean views 🌅

💔 Can they turn their reunion into a love story that lasts, or is this just a one-hit wonder?

📖 For fans of:
• Second-chance romance
• Slow-burn relationships 🔥
• Music-themed love stories 🎼
• Cruises with a side of drama 🌊

#NeverBeenShipped #AliciaThompson #SecondChanceRomance #BandReunionLove #CruiseRomance #SlowBurn #MusicAndLove #OneHitWonderOrForever #RomComReads #BerkleyPublishing #NetGalley

oh this was so much fun to read! the characters were amazing to follow on with and the story had me hooked from the beginning. one thing about me is that i'll always be a sucker for a good romcom with a musician!

Alicia Thompson writes delightful romance novels that I absolutely love! Her latest book, “Never Been Shipped,” revolves around estranged best friends and bandmates who haven't seen each other in years since their band fell apart. Micah and John find themselves reuniting when their band agrees to perform on a themed cruise. Although Micah feels apprehensive about getting the band back together, she is grateful to see her childhood best friend, John. They have always shared a deep friendship, but could there be the potential for something more?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish! The chemistry between John and Micah was palpable, and I appreciated their organic journey together. As someone who is drawn to music-based romances, I found their story particularly captivating. Alicia did a fantastic job with this 5-star gem! I look forward to reading anything and everything Alicia Thompson publishes in the future!

This was hands down one of my favorite reads I’ve had the pleasure of reading in months. When I go into a book the best things to look for are a compelling story, captivating writing and characters I can stand behind and see the layers they have. And this book not only had that all but completely knocked it out of the park for me. I felt the plot was one of the most unique I have read in awhile. A reunion on a cruise ship with the tension and gag of an exhorted, an ex best friend and what years of regret can do to you. Each character is this story was so complex and I found myself completely falling for them each time one layer got pulled back and I got know more about them. The story that somehow had you living in both the past and the present along side the characters without getting side tracked in the history is hard to do but I found myself wanting 200 more pages of just them. I love the diversity in this book and how every character had a backstory you couldn’t help but adore. Micah was such a beautiful character who has been dealt a hard hand in life that she sunk into a less version of herself and how in discovering and opening up about the past helps her grow again in the future. John has such a beautifully quiet personality but when you spoke you hung onto every word he said because you knew he spoke with such feelings. The tension and easy banter between these two had me rooting for them to get it together and info their way back to each other but I love how easily they made sure their friendship was their first foundation to their relationship. Absolutely wonderful book. This is my first read by this author and now I need to go back and read all their work.

Could this book be described as Daisy Jones & The Six meets Titanic? Wait, scratch that! At least the ship doesn’t hit an iceberg, and Jack—pardon me, John—doesn’t freeze to death because his partner is too selfish to share her space. Okay, let’s stop comparing this book to other works and let me tell you how it made me feel.

I wanted to wrap John in a cocoon and protect him. From the beginning, I was firmly on his team. Micah, on the other hand, made some significant mistakes. She felt like the Yoko Ono of the group, tearing them apart a decade ago when they were rising stars at 17. She cut ties with everyone, released a solo album, and then disappeared from the music industry entirely. For years, she focused on living in Silver Lake (my personal opinion about that neighborhood aside) and helping her sister’s beauty salon while resting on her music industry fame.

Now, Micah’s father—also her manager—pushes her to accept a reunion gig, which involves performing on a cruise ship as part of a big TV show panel featuring their hit song. This means she must face her old bandmates, some of whom still hold grudges over the group’s breakup. Among them is Ryder, her ex-boyfriend, with whom she had a messy breakup. But the silver lining? She also gets to reunite with John, her former best friend, whom she hasn’t heard from in nearly a decade. Is John angry at her for ghosting him?

From John’s perspective, he’s been struggling to make a name for himself in the music industry. He shares a house with a large group of roommates who have become his makeshift family. John has quietly harbored feelings for Micah since they were kids. When she started dating Ryder, he kept those feelings bottled up and acted like nothing was wrong. Now, seeing Micah again and playing alongside her on the cruise reignites those old emotions. Can they still be friends after ten years of silence and exclusion? Or could they start over? The chemistry and tension between them are undeniable—so strong it feels like they might tear each other’s clothes off. But is this just chemistry, or is there something deeper that could change their futures forever? Should they take a chance on love again, even if it means risking everything?

Overall: I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 for my love of band romances and second-chance romances! The cruise ship setting adds a fun and fresh dynamic. Once again, Alicia Thompson didn’t disappoint!

A very big thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing this lovely romance’s digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.