What a BEAUTIFUL story, this is peak YA - a contemporary romance but with a plot focused on a love of fantasy, which gave the book itself a lovely blend of the two. Lovely characters, classic (but well done) miscommunication trope, just overall really sweet and enjoyable!

It was fairly good and enjoyable, however i wish the characters (mainly cerys) were less confusing and i found them irritating sometimes. I don't know, I just think that this book just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

This is an easy read if you're looking for a palette cleanser between heavier books. Our main character is Cerys, a 16-year-old girl in South Wales who has a big crush on her best friend, Jake. Unfortuantely for her, Jake has moved and now goes to a different college, alongside being further away from her. To keep their friendship alive and hopefully ignite a relationship, Cerys goes with Jake to a convention for his favourite TV/book series, Of Wrath and Rune. Cerys thinks all that kind of stuff is dumb and weird, but she's desperate to get Jake's attention.

At the convention, she meets Max - Jake's new best friend, whom he met on his new football team and who goes to his new college. Cerys is immediately threatened by Max, not only has he taken her coveted spot as best friend, but he's intruding on what could be the best romance ever between her and Jake.

What follows is Cerys trying to get Jake's attention and get him to ask her to be his girlfriend by pretending to like OWAR and getting increasingly annoyed that Max is always involved. Despite her best attempts and her initial disdain, Cerys ends up becoming enamoured with OWAR as well, particularly the art.

As well as this, we also get Cerys trying to cope with her life in college, where she has no friends and is desperate to not be a loner. She integrates herself into a group of girls who give off a definite mean vibe, but she moulds herself to fit their standards as well.

For a large portion of this book, I found myself annoyed at how shallow and bitchy Cerys was. She has an awful opinion of people liking pop culture despite not appearing to have any real interests of her own, and she's pretty awful to Max and Anissa in her head. Despite this, I also understood that it's a pretty realistic view of a 16-year-old girl who has never been in that environment and who just wants to belong. Her home life is tough, with her parents being on the verge of divorce for years, and now she no longer has Jake to herself.

Her character growth is great to see, and seeing her accept herself and grow to have interests that she genuinely loves was great. The side characters were also great - her female friend group proved to be surprising, and not just shallow one-dimensional girls. I knew what would happen with Jake almost from the off, and Max was just a shy, awkward sweetheart.

Possibly my only real actual complaint is that the book is set in South Wales, and there's not really any use of Welsh? This might sound odd, but I only bring it up because there's one Welsh word that randomly gets used - cwtch, for hug/embrace. But it's not consistent, because then sometimes it'll say hug instead. I'm not Welsh, so I can't speak much about it, but I would've liked to see a few more Welsh words used. Unless this is the extent to how much it's used in South Wales?

Either way, it was a fun book delving into the world of fandom and friendship!

Screaming. Crying. Kicking my feet and giggling.

This book is a true love letter to fandom. The main romance in this book (and believe me… it really is like…romcom good) is almost secondary to the absolute pleasure of watching someone find fandom, find the community and find themselves along the way.

Cerys is a flawed FMC but I love that, she is such a real character that I feel like I know her personally. I’ve met Cerys, I’ve been Cerys, and honestly may we all find the same closure as Cerys!

Now the romance plot… I knew what was coming… then I didn’t.. then I did… then I was still blindsided. Honestly a train wreck of stress and joy that literally had me kicking my feet and screaming. Beth Reekles truly knows how to write a swoon worthy hero.

Such a fun look at the fandom world with a bit of romance thrown in as well! I love Beth Reekles her novels are always my favorites with their fun easy writing style and light tone. Who hasn’t gone to extreme measures at least once in their lives to impress someone? very enjoyable

Beth Reekles’ Do You Ship It is a charming and heartfelt young adult romance that celebrates fandom culture, friendship, and the messy, often hilarious journey of young love. With her signature warmth and relatable storytelling, Reekles delivers a tale that will resonate with readers of all ages, especially those who have ever found themselves lost in the world of fandoms or navigating the complexities of teenage relationships.

The story follows Cerys, a lovable yet slightly unreliable narrator, who is head-over-heels for her best friend, Jake. But as Jake drifts away, distracted by the pressures of college and university preparations, Cerys hatches a plan to win him back. Her strategy? Pretend to be a die-hard fan of the fantasy show Jake and his new friend Max are obsessed with. What starts as a ploy to prove she’s the perfect girlfriend quickly spirals into a whirlwind of miscommunication, jealousy, and self-discovery.

Reekles’ writing is fresh, witty, and full of the kind of wisdom that feels like advice from an older sister. The pacing is spot-on, keeping readers hooked from start to finish. One of the standout elements of the story is the clever parallel between the dynamics of the characters in the fantasy show and the real-life relationships between Cerys, Jake, and Max. This adds a layer of depth and humour to the narrative, making it even more engaging.

While Cerys’ antics and determination to “get rid of Max” provide plenty of laughs, the story also delves into the complexities of friendship and self-worth. Jake’s behaviour often leaves much to be desired, making him a frustrating but realistic character. On the other hand, Max and Cerys’ friend Anissa bring warmth and balance to the story, with Anissa being a particular standout for her relatability and charm.

Though the miscommunication trope might not appeal to everyone, it’s executed in a way that will keep younger readers on the edge of their seats, rooting for Cerys to figure things out. At its core, Do You Ship It is a love letter to fandom culture, capturing the passion, creativity, and sense of community that comes with being a fan. It’s a story about finding yourself, embracing your quirks, and realizing that love—whether romantic or platonic—is worth the effort.

I really struggled with this in the beginning. Having gone to a separate college to my best friend (other side of the country separate) I thought Cerys was totally over reacting and she needed to get over herself. If I hadn’t had an ARC I probably would’ve DNF-ed, but I’m so, so, so glad I pushed through.

Eight or so chapters in I actually really started enjoying it. I totally called who Cerys would end up with and what would be the reason she wouldn’t be with the other person and I was so excited when I realised that I was right. I feel sorry for my parents who are both going to have to listen to me talking about how I got it right all day tomorrow.

Omegaverse? Mentioned in traditionally published media? I was not expecting that. The whole book was such an interesting take on getting into fandom. For most people it’s just the natural next step of being a fan and you don’t even notice you’re in a fandom until the fandom memes start coming up in your Pinterest feed. I would love a spin off that’s just Of Wrath and Ruin. Reading the fanfiction of it has made me DESPERATE for the canon.

I loved the formatting of the fanfiction and The Plan. The way everything was wrapped up was so good. The love confession had my jaw dropped. Consider me shook.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Beth Reekles for approving me for this ARC! Releasing 27th March!!

Tropes: mistaken identity, opposites attract and enemies to lovers! there’s also ao3 fics mentioned (i need OWAR to be real guys it sound so cool 😔)

5⭐️ all the way!! I LOVED THIS BOOK SOOOO MUCH, going ahead to read everything Beth writes ASAP

our girl Cerys is delusional about her crush with Jake (i mean who wouldn’t be?) so she comes up with The Plan. It’s the seemingly perfect guide to get her into his heart! After all, watching all the rom coms had to give her expertise somehow right?

Our FMC decides that the key to success with Jake is to get herself into the fantasy fandom that Jake is obsessed with ‘Of Wrath and Rune’ aka OWAR for short. One small thing, Jake introduces Cerys to Max: an avid cosplayer who throws a wrench into her perfectly crafted plan.

Can Cerys make Jake realise that she’s The One for him and get her ship sailing? Or will he be able to see through her fangirl cosplay? Find out by preordering your own copy!

As a person who is near-phobic of the miscommunication trope, this book has that in spades and it goes on for a loooong time! But, this book is cute the way it interweaves the fandom, and the characters are able to find their places and the courage to both find themselves and actually reveal that self to your loved ones. Definitely connected with my teenage issues, and the requisite cringe at points was VERY real.

📢 Despite my long review and all the things I have to say about Cerys 😤, the book itself wasn’t bad! I’d totally tell people to give it a shot 📖✨—just because I think something doesn’t mean you will! Every book has good, bad, and neutral reviews, and this is just my take 🤷‍♀️. Despite everything the story itself it good. Not🚫 all characters in a book are perfect, that's just how the author has written them to be.

💭 The amount of notes I have on this book is CRAZY. There better be character development because I NEED it.

🚨 There are no spoilers.🚨 When Cerys joined the Discord, I was 100% sure that RunicRascal was Max. 🧐🔎 But then things started happening, and now I don’t know what to think! The book really tried to throw me off.

🎭 Cerys is SO SINGLE-MINDED. She thinks every problem has the same solution, and I just know she’s about to make a mess of things.

👀 The way she felt like she had to change herself for Jake? Nope. 🚫 Not a fan. Girl, if you have to pretend to like something for a guy, he’s not the one. 💔

😤 She’s delusional. OF COURSE, he doesn’t see that you’re “meant to be.” BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT.

📝 WHY would you write the plan down in a notebook?! Have we learned nothing?!? ✍️🚫

🎶 Jake’s world does not revolve around you, Cerys. He doesn’t have to tell you he suddenly likes a band. People hear one song, love it, and then deep dive—this is NORMAL. Or maybe Max didn't want to go alone. 😑

🤡 And you don’t like Max “on principle” because he was reluctant to invite you to things? Maybe it’s because YOU don’t like HIM. What do you expect? And the real reason you don’t like him is because he’s Jake’s new best friend. Messy.

🤔 “Max being his usual awful self” ??? What book are YOU reading, Cerys??? 📚💀

😳 And suddenly, she’s thinking about Max, who she 100% does not deserve.

🔥 AHHHHHHH YOU PUT MAX IN HIS PLACE? HIS ATTITUDE??? WHAT ATTITUDE??? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??? HE AND EVERYONE ELSE HAVE BEEN PUTTING UP WITH YOUR ATTITUDE AND SELF-CENTEREDNESS THIS WHOLE TIME. 🤬 Clearly, every bad thing she says about other people is actually about herself. (Not always true in life, but DEFINITELY true here.) I’M SO ANNOYED.

📌 Also, the cover says she cosplays as his perfect girlfriend… but she never actually cosplayed???

🧐 Okay, so Max has been judgmental, but it’s NOTHING compared to how Cerys judges him and everyone else. Like, who are you to judge???

😕 Jake replacing her was kinda awful, though. If they naturally drifted apart, that’d be one thing. But the way he just switched her out… ouch.

💡 I still think RunicRascal is Max, but the book keeps making things seem like it’s Jake, and I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE ANYMORE. 🧩😵

🤷‍♂️ Max apologized for lying, but TECHNICALLY… he wasn’t really lying.

Thanks Netgalley and the author, I had alot of fun with this one actually. 👏🏼🤪⭐

Bjg thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Cerys is crushing big-time on her best friend Jake, the only problem is that he now attends a different college and has begun to drift away with the pressure of preparing for university. Cerys is willing to do anything to show Jake that they're meant to be together, even if it means pretending to fangirl over some silly fantasy show. Soon, though, Cerys realises she's becoming the third wheel between Jake and his new friend Max, a real hard-core fan. The plan? Show Jake that she's perfect girlfriend material and Get. Rid. Of. Max!!!

I'm definitely not the intended audience here, but I always enjoy a new release from Beth Reekles. The way Reekles writes feels like an older sister passing down her wisdom. I found the storyline similar to 'Spoiler Alert' by Olivia Dade, which is another great read for fans of this one (though definitely intended for older readers).

The pacing of the story works really well, I was hooked for every line! I particularly enjoyed that the dynamics between the characters in rhe show paralleled the one between the three main characters of rhe story. Although, aside from the fact that Cerys isn't much of a reliable narrator, I felt like Jake was a bit of a shitty friend throughout the book. I absolutely adored Anissa, seeing a bit of myself in her. I'm not a big fan of the miscommunication trope but I think it'll have the younger audience perched on the edge of their seats!

Overall the book is beautiful love letter to fandom culture and I think romance lovers of all ages will find something to connect with in the story.