The Shippers by Katherine Center

Narrated by Patti Murin

Standalone RomCom

Releases May 19, 2026

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the early audiobook copy. All reviews are my own honest opinions. This post contains affiliate links.

“There is no universe where you call me for help and I don’t come running.”

The Shippers is my fourth Katherine Center book, and another hit in my eyes. I actually found it interesting that I loved this one as much as the others, because in this case I liked the hero more than the heroine, and I usually need to love the heroine to love the book. Don’t get me wrong, I liked her, but I also wanted to wring her neck.

The story starts with JoJo Burton already in the middle of a panic attack at her own wedding when her childhood best friend Cooper walks in after years overseas. He doesn’t cause the chaos, he rescues her from it, stepping in just when she needs an out and saving her from what would have been the worst decision of her life. And then, almost as quickly as he appears, he heads back to London.

“There’s always a way out, remember that.”

A few months later, JoJo heads onto a cruise ship for her sister’s wedding, which includes a full week of events leading up to the big day. She ends up stuck sharing a room with her cousin, who basically keeps a sock on the door the entire time, until Cooper shows up again and offers her his cabin. That’s when JoJo ropes him into helping with a little project her sister dreamed up, Operation Get Finn to Fall for JoJo. Finn was JoJo’s childhood crush and first kiss, and she and her sister are convinced that this lingering crush is the reason her love life has been such a mess.

I loved Cooper so, so much. He absolutely made this book for me. But I have to admit, I was frustrated with both main characters for a good part of the book. Not enough to ruin it, because I still loved it, but definitely enough to feel it. I was frustrated with Cooper for playing along and never even hinting that he felt more for JoJo, and JoJo and her sister drove me crazy continuing to chase Finn (ew) while ignoring the amazing guy right in front of her.

Still, all the shenanigans of them trying to get Finn were funny. The whole book was funny, actually. I think it’s the funniest of Katherine’s books that I’ve read so far. But since JoJo is supposed to be a genius mathematician, I did expect it to feel a little smarter or a bit more quirky because of that. It seems like each book I read of hers feels a little less mature, but maybe that’s part of what made this one so funny.

Likes:

The author’s note in the beginning.
Loved the cruise ship setting.
All of the shipboard antics and wedding events.
Cooper…OMG Cooper. I loved him so much!
JoJo had real human flaws, in fact she was a hot mess.
I laughed out loud several times, but also teared up.
I loved her parents’ side story almost as much as the main story.
So much great banter.

Dislikes:

JoJo was so oblivious that the smart mathematician part didn’t always make sense.
I wanted to wring both of their necks a few times. She was so frustrating sometimes, but he also could have been a lot more obvious that he was into her.

The Narration:

Patti Murin was great as the sole narrator. Not once did I wish there was a second voice actor. She did both parts really well and brought the story to life.

Note: The Shippers has no spice and minimal bad language, but honestly I had to look it up to be sure, because I didn’t even notice it missing.

The Down & Dirty:

The Shippers was such a fun listen. Once I started, I didn’t want it to end. I actually slowed myself down and made myself watch TV just so I wouldn’t finish it so fast. Yes, I got frustrated with the FMC, but I think that was the point. And the MMC was just so swoony and amazing. I loved Cooper so much. We also got a really great secondary story with the heroine’s parents that I loved almost as much as the main story, which made it feel like getting two stories in one. The Shippers by Katherine Center was such a fun listen and definitely one to add to your May TBR.