The Shippers by Katherine Center was a fun, lighthearted, friends to lovers romance which was both truly enjoyable, and extremely aggravating at times.
We open with the main character, Joey (Jojo/Josephine), about to walk down the aisle, when her childhood best friend, Cooper, unexpectedly shows up and encourages her to listen to the instincts telling her that the man standing at the altar is not the man for her. And from there, the scene is set for the rollercoaster ride that is The Shippers.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I truly loved it, except for one thing, the main character Joey. She was so self centered and oblivious to the feelings of others, it was aggravating. There were times I just wanted to throw the book across the room because she was so oblivious (yes I said it again, I can’t think of another word that is as appropriate as oblivious) to the feelings of anyone who wasn’t her.
On the other side of the romance was Cooper, who was so obviously in love with Joey that it was unbelievable that she didn’t realize it. And it was obvious that he had been in love with her for a very, very long time. Why he didn’t confront her with his feelings many years earlier is probably his one major flaw, but other than that he was almost too perfect. Really, he deserved better than Joey in my opinion.
As you can imagine, her obliviousness, and his obvious (to everyone but Joey) devotion made for some really funny (and again, aggravating) moments, as Joey tried to attract the attention of her high school crush, a guy so awful it was cringey watching her throwing herself at him while Cooper was right there in front of her.
If Joey had been just slightly less unobservant, and uncaring of other people’s feelings, I probably would have rated this book 5 stars, but she just irritated me to the point that it lessened my enjoyment of the story. That said, it was still a super fun read so if you’re looking for a lighthearted, quick read that will have you laughing at some of the antics the heroine will try to attract a man who is obviously not right for her, then pick up The Shippers.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Shippers will be available on May 19 2026.
Life, Tea, and Everything 