A review by mandikaye
Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Never Been Shipped was written specifically to delight me. Like, I’m suspicious of how deeply this book understood my love language: creative passion, messy band dynamics, second chances, cruises, and a supernatural-adjacent fandom that felt like coming home. I mean. Come on. 

 

Micah’s complicated history with music and heartbreak had me hooked from page one. She’s raw and real and kind of a disaster in the best way. The band breakup? The bad solo choices? The burned bridges? Delicious. And John—soft boy John—is the kind of quietly pining, guitar-playing sweetheart who made me want to shake him and hug him in equal measure. 

 

The whole setup is just chef’s kiss: a reunion on a themed cruise for fans of Nightshifters (which I would die to watch, let’s be honest), complete with cast appearances and a band performance that’s basically a time bomb of unresolved tension. It’s nostalgia, forced proximity, and mutual pining all rolled into one glorious five-day emotional pressure cooker. And yes, I did grin like an idiot through most of it. 

 

Also, can we talk about how Alicia Thompson writes creative longing? The music scenes are visceral. The stage tension is everything. You can feel what it means to lose yourself in the thing you love—and the terrifying vulnerability of choosing it again anyway. 

 

If you’re into second chance romance, band drama, nerdy fan conventions, or kissing your best friend, then this one’s for you. 

 

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review—though let’s be real, I would’ve sold my soul to read this early anyway.