Ship Mates

by Megan Becker

Gwen is looking for a dose of vitamin sea.
Sawyer’s trying to find his life’s porpoise.
They’ll need to reel in the pain from their pasts if they’re going to get hooked on each other.

When Gwendolyn Pierce agrees to join her grandmother on a Caribbean cruise, she’s looking forward to rest, relaxation, and working through the writer’s block that followed her best-selling romance debut… and her break-up. But Gwen waves goodbye to the idea of an easy, stress-free vacation when she realizes that Gram has an ulterior motive: set Gwen up with Sawyer Dawson, the very sexy, very single grandson of Gram’s pen pal, Nancy.

Gwen has no desire to jump into the deep end with a stranger, especially when there are so many other fish in the sea that don’t constantly make her want to throw herself overboard. Despite Sawyer making a terrible first—and second—impression, Gwen promises Gram that she’ll come out of her shell and play nice for ten days. After all, there’s no way he could turn out to be the catch his grandmother says he is. Right?

Ship Mates takes readers on an aquatic adventure to beautiful beaches while exploring what love—and life—could look like if we’re brave enough to dive in, heart first.

Genres: Forced Proximity, Romance, He Falls First, Contemporary Romance

337 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2024

About the author

The list of dream careers Megan had in elementary school goes something like this:

*mail carrier
*tooth fairy
*writer

After writing bad poetry and The Famous Jett Jackson fanfic throughout her teens, Megan took a break from writing after college to start a family and pursue a career. She drafted her first novel (yet to be released) over the span of six years. When she should have been editing that, she fell in love with the romance genre and wrote Coffee Dates. She's excited to share joy and love and happily ever afters with the world through Coffee Dates, Ship Mates and her upcoming novels.

Megan received an Honorable Mention in the NYCMidnight 100 Word Microfiction Challenge, placing in the top 20 writers out of a starting field of more than 6,000. Her short story "Going for the Gold" was also published as the Contest Winner in Elegant Literature's All That Glitters edition.

Reviews

[Nee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book warmed up to my heart!! Such A Cute Story!! I was all teary eyes by the end of it, i love, love, loved it! A perfect 5 star read!

First of all, a big thanks to Megan for having me on her ARC & Street team for Ship Mates! This was such an incredible read, i cant even find the correct words to describe it.

Isn’t Sawyer just the goldenest golden retriever I’ve read this month? I loved both Gram and Nan equally plus the FMC, Gwendolyn!! Always love a level headed(mostly;) protagonist!

The story is spicy build of tension alongside witty bantering and a lovely story of heart broken strangers finding love and comfort in eachother. I love how the story gave off ‘the amount of time you know someone doesn’t hold a candle to the quality of time you’ve known someone’ message!!

I can’t wait to read more of Megan’s works!
Absofuckinglutely Recommend 🫶🏻✨

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a heartwarming story about meddling grandmothers and trusting love. It takes place on a 10 day cruise and boy did it make me want to be on a cruise ship! Sawyer is such a golden retriever MMC and I was here for it. Gwen & Sawyer started off on the wrong foot but then after wanting to appease their grandmothers they formed a genuine connection and got to know each other. This was just a sweet, feel good story and I really enjoyed it. It's definitely a perfect summer, beach read.

Thank you Megan for the ARC. This is my honest review.

[Jessie S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute, fun read. It would make the perfect beach read. There were several times I literally laughed out loud while reading it. The characters are lovable and I am a sucker for a dual POV RomCom. Sometimes you need a feel-good love story and this was exactly that.

[Laura Feeser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly an adorable contemporary romance. It’s an easy, relaxing read and you attach to the characters quickly. Becker ups the spice level a notch for her second book and I for one appreciate it! And who doesn’t love meddling Grandma’s? Absolutely put this on your TBR.

[Brenda Conkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment I picked up Ship Mates, I couldn’t put it down. My eyes were glued to every word I read. With every page, my interest spiked and I fell further in love with the characters who made the book feel so real. If you ever have downtime, Ship Mates won’t disappoint.

[K. Iwancio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the author’s voice and enjoyed the overall aspect of the story. She has a great was of explaining and describing things so I really liked that aspect. But for some reason the interactions and conversations between Gwen and Sawyer were awkward and flat for me. Borderline unbelievable. It had such great story/relationship potential and then it kept warbling back towards awkward. The formal scene was going to be utter perfection and then the uncomfortableness came in at the very end. Overall fun summer/vacay read!

[Kayla Croyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megan Becker does it again! This book made me laugh out loud and cry at the same time. It gave me all the feels!

[Mia Reads Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sometimes feel like I have read every romance setting possible and then I find a new one! I don't think I have ever read a romance set on a cruise ship before! However, it provided a really fun forced proximity aspect.

I really enjoyed Sawyer and Gwen's relationship! Sawyer is a total cinnamon roll but I liked that he stood up for himself and his needs while still being his incredibly supportive self. I loved their banter and there was some super excellent longing going on here!

Also, no review would be complete without discussing the wonderfulness that is the best meddling grandmothers. I loved their scheming and continued commitment to their goal. I also loved how supportive they were of each other. I hope I have a friend like that when I'm older!

🌶️🌶️ - This story has one door mostly open scene. We see a lot of what's going on but some parts are skimmed over.

Thanks to Megan Becker for providing me with an ARC! All opinions are my own.

[Shanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really loved the cruise ship setting of this book. I’d wanted to read this as I was on a cruise and it followed my theme. I’d never seen it done and it really captured a cruise well. So I liked that part. And the love story was cute, even if it gave me a LOT of cringe and truly unbelievable moments. However, I feel SO bamboozled at the ending. The hero was so sweet throughout the book then turned into a controlling nightmare at the end. It was still meant to be sweet and cute. But gross.

[Steve Straley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I generally don’t read romance novels. More of a mystery / thriller type reader. But let me just say that I am very impressed by this book and the author. The author knows how to keep you interested in what is going on in the story line. I sometimes ad a hard time putting it down.
Great job again!!!

[Melanie Bitting · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first read of Megan Becker's and I must say NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR!!!! She knocked this book out of the park with Gwen and Sawyer's characters. Their banter and fun conversations were so sweet and witty. I super loved the short chapters and flew through this fun read.
I can't wait to read Band Mates and Coffee Dates.

[Deb Diem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ship Mates was my first book by this author. I totally enjoyed it. Ms. Becker has provided readers with a well-written book loaded with fantastic characters, humor, spice and a touch of sadness. Gwen and Sawyer's story is a boatload of fun. Ship Mates is a complete book, not a cliffhanger.

I read a print copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kate Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ship Mates is a lovely romance set on a cruise ship! When two grandmothers meddle in their grandkids' lives, romantic encounters abound. Sawyer and Gwen have plenty of fun banter and chemistry and lots of adventures on their ship and exploring at various stops along the way.

[E'Who'Reads'a'Thousand'Mysteries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny

This light and easy read is funny and lovely, with the feel of an adventure diary. The dialogue is very well done and sounds quite natural.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so happy to have found this at my local bookshop!! This book was excellent with strong characters, great pacing and laugh out loud moments!! 🍍great read!!

[Cassandra Moll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely the perfect feel-good summer read! Some parts were cheesy and some made me laugh out loud. Definitely look forward to grabbing Megan Becker’s first novel!

[Beth Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was super sweet! I loved the ending❤️

[Allison Van Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Becker does a great job at bringing her characters alive. With a lot of comedy and a little spice - this book was a perfect read. I am a huge fan of Becker’s first book (Coffee Dates) and this book exceeded all of my wildest dreams. I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next! A must read! I connected with Gwen immediately and loved Nan and Gram's friendship.

[Kimberly (Kimsbookaddiction) · Rating 4 out of 5]

💕ARC Review💕

This book had me feeling all of the feels. As an educator, I was hooked the moment Gwen takes time to thank all teachers for the impact they make on students lives. Also, Sawyer put in so much self work! We love a man who is willing to reflect and put in the work. Props to him for not letting sex be a coping mechanism for their relationship👏🏽

Overall, I loved this book! I want to go on a cruise ASAP and hope that other Gwens and Sawyers on the ship are using terrible puns and falling in love. 🥰

I would definitely recommend this book to others and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Ali Aiken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ship Mates is a double scoop of ice cream. Seeing it from two points of view makes it all the more delicious. Everything you could want from a Rom-Com, easy to fall into and fall in love with! A must read for lovers of Chick-lit.

[Crystal Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ship Mates was a fun and light hearted read. I became so immersed in the story that I could feel the sun on my face, the ocean breeze in my hair, and occasionally found myself talking out loud to the characters! Great book for the beach or when you need to put hope back into your heart.