CWW: The Shippers

 

This week's book is.... The Shippers

Author: Katherine Center

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: May 19th, 2026

Series: n/a

Blurb:

One of the hottest, fastest-rising rom-com stars delivers her latest swoon-worthy novel about a destination wedding on a cruise ship.

After a whole lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo Burton decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. With the help of a little pop psychology, she diagnoses herself with a fixation on the neighborhood guy who was her her first crush and first kiss (and who just happens to be a newly-divorced wedding guest ), and she decides to woo him during the cruise for some long-delayed closure. Only problem is, her sister’s a little busy being a bride at the moment—so JoJo ropes in her childhood bestie, Cooper Watts, to be her wing man. Cooper: who RSVPed no, but then showed up, anyway. Cooper: who left town without a word four years earlier and moved to London. Cooper: who was, if she’s honest, the worst heartbreak of JoJo’s life. It’s bliss for her to see him again, and it’s agony, too—and the more they team up for Project Conquest, the more she obsesses over questions she can’t bring herself to ask.

Shipboard antics ensue in this witty, heart-tugging, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance—as JoJo and Cooper fake flirt, slow dance, share a cabin, sing duets, treat sunburns, get jealous, rescue each other over and over, and finally, at last, figure it all out in the most blissful, swoony, romantic way.

No one does summer romance quite like Katherine Center. THE SHIPPERS will take readers on the cruise of a lifetime in a story awash with romantic longing, top-notch banter, long-held secrets... and true love rediscovered.

Explanation:

This will actually be my "make or break" book for this author. There was one of hers I really liked, and one of which I read that was not for me. I want to see if she will be an author for me to keep up with or not so much.

I have an ALC for this one, so you will see my review soon!

T10T: My Latest 5-Star Reads

        

Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday, following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As I missed last week, I will be throwing back to it this week.

This week's prompt is..... my latest 5-star reads

These are from most to least recent

1. Cambria by A.R. Tyler
2. The Weight of Ashes by Erin FitzGerald
3. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
4. Everything is Spiritual by Rob Bell
5. Ain't Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackmann
6. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
7. Better Not Pout by Maren Moore
8. Half-Light Harbor by Samantha Young
9. Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations by Alton Brown
10. Burning Down the House by Dani Galliaro

I am actually quite picky with my 5-star reads. They are likely what some people would consider 6-star reads. My 5-stars are only books I know will stick with me forever. As such, only the first three are from 2026.

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic as always

How picky are you with your 5-star reads? Please share your 5-star recs as I am due for one! See you tomorrow for some gushing!

Wonderland Pride Spotlight 2026 Author FAQ

Thank you for your interest in my Wonderland Pride Spotlight project for 2026! I am as always excited to champion LGBTQ+ voices and stories with fantastic and much needed representation!

What is the WPS?

WPS is an event/project that I do every Pride month. Each day of pride I (and other participants) feature an author who is LGBTQ+ or writes books with LGBTQ+ rep. 

Does this cost money?

It is totally free to participate. I just want to share the love and champion marginalized voices. The only "cost" is a bit of your time to fill out the form and do the interview via email.

How does it work?

Every day, I (and other participants) will feature an indie author and their LGBTQ+ release[s]. They will be featured here on my blog, my Instagram, and my Bluesky. 

The posts will tag the author (if they are on that platform), include their cover images, hype the rep in the book[s] (if applicable), and my blog post will include a short interview if that author signed up for that. 

TDLR: It is a fun, themed way of getting free promo for indie authors

How do I sign up?

Fill out the Google form with your author information and keep an eye out for an email from me (readintowonderland@yahoo.com) if you are selected. 

When does the event run?

It is from June 1st to June 30th!

What is your policy on AI?

My platform is staunchly anti-AI. As such, I am taking the utmost precaution to ensure everyone involved does not use it. Anyone seriously suspected or proven to use AI will be barred from participation and is ineligible for a feature on my platform.

Who can participate?

Any indie author who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community or includes LGBTQ+ rep in books. Priority will be given to LGBTQ+ authors and early sign-ups. Authors must also not use AI to write, create, or promote your books. You must have at least one published book by June 1st, 2026 (otherwise I can't help get you sales).

Anyone is welcome to be a poster if you are interested in uplifting others.

What counts as indie?

For the purposes of WPS, an indie author is any author who self-publishes or is part of an indie press. The main thing is to not be backed by a major publisher. The goal here is to uplift smaller publications.

What do you need from authors?

I need all of the responses to the questions in the Google form, along with highly quality cover images of all of your LGBTQ+ releases. These can be added to the form or sent to me via email (readintowonderland@yahoo.com).

For a brief author interview, I will send those questions to you via email so I do not fight being called a bot by social media and to help keep things organized.

FFAF: I Love Spring Book Tag

      

Intro

I am in the woes of spring allergies so I have to remind myself why spring is my favorite season. As such, this challenge is the perfect choice! I found it from Alli the Book Giraffe. It originated from helenthebookowl over on YouTube.

The Prompts and My Picks

How is spring where you live?

It is full of pretty blooms, the full scale of weather, and too much pollen

Most anticipated book release this spring?

Dangerously Ours by Krista & Becca Ritchie

I totally adored the first two books in the series so I am hyped to finish the trilogy!

Show us a book cover that reminds you of spring

The flowers are the most springy thing to me of this cover

What are you going to read this spring?

A lot of ARCs and trying to pick up some non-romance books as well

Find a cover with the sun on it

It took me a while to find one with the actual sun in it and not just sunlight. I read this one last year.

What are your favorite spring reads?

When spring rolls around, I tend to get very excited for the summer and want to dive into those. Books that involve the characters going outside match the vibe.

Find a book with many different colors in it

How about the whole rainbow?

Outro

This was a fun and quick time which I am always appreciate of. How is the spring going for you? See ya next week!

   

Spell the Month in Books: April 2026

Intro

This is a fun challenge that I am going to try for 2026. This is inspired by Mehsi-Hime! You can check out their picks here!

This month I decided to pull from my shelves to spell the month

The Books

A - Addicted to You by Krista & Becca Ritchie

P- Papercut by Rachel Taff

R - Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

I - I Thought My Father Was God by Paul Auster (borrowed from my roommates' shelf, as I have no I books)

L - Lineups & Lyrics by Tina Gallagher

Outro

Well, I was almost able to do it. I am truly shocked I have no books that start with I on my shelves. Clearly I need to fix that at some point. If you have any recs with books that start with the letter I, let me know! See ya next month where I will probably go back to books I've read.