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Olivia has a very clear plan for her (near) future: improve her nearly perfect score on the SAT to a perfect score; get into Brown University’s combined undergrad and med school program, and be a doctor by 30. Going on a cruise during spring break does not fit the plan. Try as she might, however, she can’t get her parents to leave her at home as they and her little twin brothers vacation.
So she’s stuck with going on a cheesy New York City-themed ship for a week. But she’s bringing everything she needs to still work on a project with her best friend. Winning the science research fair could give her a boost to get into that Brown program.
Once she gets on the ship, Olivia is not thrilled, either, to be thrown together with a girl she hasn’t seen in five years. Their moms were college roommates, and Olivia and Jules went to camp together when they were younger. It turns out, Jules is a party girl, and she drags Olivia along with her to find the cute boys on the cruise. Olivia does the minimum initially to appease her parents, but then she meets Sebastian. He’s cute and fun and loves musical theater and running. Soon, she’s in an insta-relationship onboard.
But the time she spends with him, Jules, her parents and little brothers on the cruise actually brings up a lot of opportunities for her to think about her older brother, Logan, who died five years earlier. Memories and feelings she’s kept at a distance come back to the forefront and make her question things she thought were certainties.
We Ship It has some moments of fun romance and lightheartedness, but on the whole it’s a serious story about a teen girl who tries to control every bit of her life and then runs up against things that make her feel completely out of control. Olivia has little experience with boys and any kind of a “teen party life,” and she is thrown into it without much guidance. Honestly, as a parent, it made me nervous. It does all come together for good for her, but it’s not at all what I expected from the story. Those looking for a fluffy romance should look elsewhere. But it’s mostly a solid story about a family coming to terms with grief.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 23 uses of strong language, about a dozen instances of moderate profanity, 18 uses of mild language, and fewer than 10 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes a LOT of talk (a fair amount crude and detailed) about sex among the teen characters, references to it happening, and some scenes of kissing and making out. Teens drink frequently and get drunk.
*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
