Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery Books, for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Wow. Shipped blew me away - I can't believe this is a debut novel!

Henley and Graeme work for the corporate office of an international cruise line company and are both candidates for the same promotion at work. Although they've never met in person, these two DO NOT get along, and now their boss has ordered them to go on a cruise together. Amazing. This gave me rivals to lovers, forced proximity, and an adorable slow-burn romance that kept me smiling chapter after chapter.

I really related to Henley and her ambition. Hockman absolutely nailed what it can feel like to be a woman in a corporate setting. And Graeme... whew he's my new book boyfriend. Their banter was so flirty and fun! I also really appreciate how fully-formed the secondary characters are. Everyone from Henley's sister to the quirky cruise customers felt so real to me.

Characters and plot aside, what really makes this book so special is Hockman's passion for travel, nature, wildlife, and ecotourism. Yes, this story is about Henley and Graeme's rivalry, but the setting is so tropical and immersive that I didn't want the cruise to end! I'm replaying it in my head like a movie just thinking back on it now.

5 stars! I can't wait to see what Angie Hockman writes next!

This isn’t the usual type of book I read but when I read what it was about, I couldn’t help but request a copy. Thank you NetGalley . This is my honest review. Henley was a lovable character. I loved all the characters. Graeme is more hunky that she thought. There’s so much humor in this read. Not as much romance as I would’ve liked but it was still perfect. I especially loved the one scene before the cruise where she drunk dialed him but had him on FaceTime, or whatever it was called. You can tell I don’t use that lol. But that was hilarious. She was mortified. This was one of those books you can feel yourself being in their group of friends. I feel like I know them all. You can feel what Henley feels throughout the book. And the cruise was like an adventure for the reader with the descriptions of the wildlife. Superb!

Yes, I know this book is all over Insta but there's a good reason - it.is.fantastic!

Ambitious Henley is gunning for a promotion at the cruise company where she works but she's got competition in Graeme, a co-worker she's never met in person but loathes nonetheless. Their boss decides to give the job to whomever writes a better proposal for how to boost bookings on their Galápgos cruises and sends them off to check one out - together. Once on the ship, Henley realizes Graeme is nothing like she thought and soon their attraction to one another threatens to derail everything she's worked for.

I like romcoms but I get frustrated when there are huge story leaps to keep the characters apart or convenient things happen with no explanation. What I loved most about Shipped is that not only is there a why for everything, the whys actually make sense. Even Henley's wacky first name is explained (her parents named her after The Eagles' Don Henley). Please tell me I'm not the only reader who gets completely distracted by characters with random (and totally ridiculous) names!

Hockman's writing is sharp and often hysterical like when Henley gets a whiff of Graeme and says "I resist the overwhelming urge to grab him by the collar, shove my nose in the crook of his neck, and snort like a politician doing a line of coke off a prostitute's cleavage." D-E-A-D! Her descriptions of the cruise will make you feel like you're in the Galápagos (I will be moving that trip up to the top of my list of must-dos) and I loved all of the characters and their personality quirks - Henley is a lovable mess of a workaholic, Graeme is truly swoon-worthy and I'd totally read a spinoff about the secondary characters. The plot was also much more layered than I expected - it's not just an enemies-to-lovers story. Henley's relationships with her younger sister and friends come into play, as does sexism in the workplace, grief and loss, protecting the environment, and abusive relationships. I'm sure you're thinking "Really? In a romcom about a cruise?" but yes, and all of these plot points work and culminate in a satisfying ending that goes beyond just getting the guy.

Do yourself a favor - grab a drink, curl up on the couch and read this book. You won't regret it.

Thanks to Gallery Books ad NetGalley for a copy to review.

Shipped was utterly delightful and a perfect escape for these cold January days. Two marketing coworkers, and enemies, are sent away to the Galapagos on a cruise for a work assignment and to "compete" for their next promotion. It is refreshing, clever, funny and an absolutely relatable story of second chances. An added bonus is the interesting tidbits about the Galapagos scattered throughout the story - the geography, ecology and history.       
Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for an advanced copy of this book..

This was such a fun book! I requested it from Netgalley since it was compared to The Hating Game and The Unhonemooners, and I loved both of those stories.

Henley is focused on her career with a travel agency, with plans for a promotion along with going to school for her MBA and there’s just no time for fun or dating. She ‘meets’ Graeme Crawford-Collins through their weekly office meetings when he logs in from out of state. She notices his good looks but when there is a misunderstanding on credit for her idea, the good looks no longer matter – much.

Their email interactions are so funny especially since she is not happy that he doesn’t move on her ideas for social media quick enough. When they are both suggested for the same promotion and have to travel together to come up with the best marketing plan, you know all types of things will go wrong.

When Henley thinks ‘Graham Cracker’ instead of his correct name, I just laughed out loud. As they are on the cruise through the Galapagos, Henley is always suspicious if Graeme is nice to her. That got a little old after a while, but she had a previous bad work experience that understandably affected her interactions with Graeme. Graeme really wants the promotion so he can move to Seattle and as bits and pieces of his life and work experience are shared throughout the book, I just fell in love with him.

Graeme and Henley had such great chemistry but then Henley would think about the promotion and back off, not trusting herself or Graeme. The more time they spend together, it became more difficult for Henley to think of him as the enemy.

Between her sister and the cruise-mates, there were plenty to laugh about and yet you see the caring side of both Henley and Graeme in their interactions with almost everyone.

The cruise and the description of the various islands, the landscape, the animals and marine life, ecology and so much more, made this trip sound like a top five bucket list item.

The story ended with a several surprises that I really enjoyed. There were common female workplace issues along with Henley’s strong female friendships. I would have loved just a bit more romance, but this was a sweet, hilarious story with the perfect mix of angst.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this new work.

Henley and Graeme are both up for the same position, it is a big opportunity for a promotion in their luxury liner cruise business. So when their boss decides to send them both on one of their cruises for them to experience the business and use it to come up with a digital marketing proposal to be considered for the promotion.

Henley is dreading it, feeling like Graeme has been undermining her ideas, and their emails have been nothing but short and to the point. The backdrop of Galápagos, and all the local wildlife was a nice setting. She sees a new side to him on this trip, the part that helps her when she's sick, sticks up for her, and helps her snorkeling when she admits to being afraid of deep water. However her ambition for this promotion, gets in the way and she tries to remind herself that he is her competition even when she wants to give in.

Overall this story was adorable, with lots of sweet moments, and plenty of tension, even though it is a closed door romance. The ending was empowering and a win, for all involved. It was unexpected but loved how they came together to rally around each other.

•Office “frenemy” romance on the sea
•Slow burn
•Beautiful setting of Galapagos

This was fun and I can definitely see the comparison of The Unhoneymooners. Since this book has an enemies to lovers trope, I thought there needed to be a little more tension and banter in the relationship. I would recommend for someone who wants a light, summer-y women’s fiction book.

Shipped by Angie Hockman was a fabulous read. This is such a fun and happy read. I haven't been on a tropical vacation in the longest time, so it was such a fun escape to read about Henley and her adventure in the Galapagos Islands.

Henley is consumed by her job as a marketing manager for a cruise ship during the day and her night classes in the evening. She has no time for herself let alone dating. When she is put on the shortlist for her dream promotion, she can see all her hard work paying off. There is only one problem. Graeme, the remote worker. He’s also up for the promotion and a thorn in Henley’s plan. Henley and Graeme haven’t met in person, so when their boss decides to send them on a cruise to draft a proposal to boost bookings, things get interesting. As they spend more time together Henley notices her feeling about Graeme might be changing but will it mess up her dream job?

Angie Hockman certainly made a splash with her first novel! SHIPPED is FANTASTIC! Described as "The Hating Game" meetings "The Unhoneymooners" and that pretty much sums it up. It's Enemies to Lovers, workplace romance, on a vacation cruise ship!

Henley is a great lead female. She is smart, driven, kind, and relatable. It is sometimes hard to stomach her allowing herself to be steamrolled at work by her slimy misogynist boss, but as hard as that is to READ I think it is very true to real life. It's so easy to get mad at book characters and say "SPEAK UP!", but so many women (myself included) have stayed silent in similar work situations to "keep the peace".

Henley also is surrounded by a wonderful group of supportive girlfriends and female colleagues, which I always love to read in Romances. Female friendships FOR THE WIN! This book also included some great family relationships that are complex and filled with love, even among misunderstanding.

Graeme is a super-sweet lead character. We see a lot of his kindness, but also his internal struggles as the book progresses. He's so swoony! *feminine sigh*

This book was humorous, but not laugh out loud funny to me (but everyone's humor is different). I also wished there was a bit more hate-banter between these two. The "hate" portion of their Enemies to Lovers is pretty light and fairly one-sided. It's also cleared up fairly quickly.

Overall this is a GREAT read and a wonderful first book for an author I can't wait to read more from!

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 STARS
STEAM LEVEL: Rated PG-13
TRIGGERS: Workplace inequality, mention of domestic abuse, gas-lighting, fatal ALS, death of parent

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Happy pub day to this cute little romcom! Shipped is described as The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game and I’d say that’s an accurate description of it (swipe to see the official synopsis). It features my favorite romance trope.. enemies to lovers 😍, a tropical setting, and a strong female lead character. I really loved Henley! Even though she’s a work-a-holic and has a little trouble cutting loose, there was so much to admire about her. Now let’s talk about the love interest, Graeme. What an absolute sweetheart! I’m so glad my initial feelings about him were wrong. The chemistry between him and Henley was on point! All the sexual tension between them on the cruise had me dyingggg 🥵
Speaking of the cruise, I never knew I wanted to visit the Galápagos Islands until I read this book. Hockman does such a great job describing their surroundings and it seems so beautiful. I all around loved this one and recommend it if you’re looking for something light and funny.

** ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review **

This book was so much fun! I adored all the characters and loved the tropical setting. This is a fun romance taking place on a cruise ship to the Galapagos. Its an enemies to lover/office romance with a tropical twist.

The plot was perfection and the character growth was superbly done. I loved the family aspect of this too. Each character, even the minor ones, had so much depth to them. This story sucked me in from page one and I couldn't put it down!

Definitely a must read for any contemporary romance lover!

I loved this book so much, it was one of those books that you read to escape, and get exactly what you think you’re going to get.

I am a big fan of the enemies to lovers trope so the story of Henley ( named for Don Henley of the Eagles, and has a sister named Walsh ) and Graeme and their fight to win a prized job position they were competing for was absolutely perfect and the read I needed to get out of a bit of a slump.

They are sent on a company cruise to the Galapagos Island, whoever comes back with the best marketing idea for the cruise, which is in a bit of a slump, will be handed the coveted position. Let the hilarity begin…

Graeme is charming, and he is good looking and he quickly has everyone, including me, enamored with him. Everyone that is except Henley who has never met him except on zoom calls, and dislikes him for his arrogance. Henley is a hard worker, and she is loyal and out to achieve the goals she has set for herself, but it isn’t easy for her in a business that is dominated by men. She is easily likable to the reader and you will find yourself rooting for her.

The banter between Henley and Graeme is ideal. Graeme’s snarky remarks will have you easily laughing. He is sweet, and underneath he is deeply emotional, intact he is the perfect book boyfriend despite the arrogance. The chemistry and tension between the two are incredible and you will soon be wanting them to kiss, and maybe to start tearing off some clothing. It is sweet and just steamy enough without going overboard.

The secondary characters I enjoyed are Walsh, Henley’s sister who comes on the cruise with her to help give her an outsider's view of what could be improved. She is flighty, going from one job to another, flirty, and probably a bit spoiled, but she looks up to her big sister and truly wants to help her. And then there was Nikoli, truly one of my favorite characters of the book, and I feel he brings so much humor to the story, it would be lacking without him. A big hurley Russian with the hots for Henley, he will have you laughing out loud at his awkwardness. Trust me when I tell you he is unforgettable.

Y’all this is Angie Hockman's debut novel. It is easy to forget that as you read, it is well written, the characters, all of them are memorable, the descriptions are so good you can see the places in your mind as you read along and most of all it is fun.

Remember that tropical vacation we all dreamed about taking or were missing when we were locked down? No worries, grab you a tropical drink ( don’t forget the umbrella ) and a copy of Shipped, and it will almost have you thinking you were there.

Title: Shipped
Author: Angie Hockman
Publisher: Gallery Books
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Shipped" by Angie Hockman

My Opinion:

'Shipped' was an enjoyable read that was about female empowerment that goes on in the workplace. Definitely, in the end, the jerk gets what's coming to him. I loved how this author puts this story together, featuring Henley working as a cruise line market manager and Graeme as a social media manager.

What will happen when their boss decides to send them on a cruise together to come up with the best digital marketing campaign? Why did Henley hate Graeme so much? When it's all said and done between these two, Henley and Graeme, who will get the promotion? What's up with the chemistry between these two? This is where I say you will have to pick up 'Shipped' to see how this story will turn out.

Be ready for a fun read with an enjoyable journey to the Galapagos Islands while on the cruise, along with some romantic comedy, which was beautifully told.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for a vacation romance, and when I was promised an enemies to lovers, workplace romance IN PARADISE I knew I had to check it out.

This adorable romance definitely fits the bill for a beach read, but you’d be missing out if you wait that long to pick it up. It drew me in right away!

This book is centered on Henley, a hardworking and dedicated employee, hellbent on getting the promotion she deserves. One little hiccup? She’s not the only one in the running. She and her charming(ly insufferable) colleague Graeme compete for this promotion while on a dream vacation to the Galapagos. And wouldn’t you know it…romantic shenanigans ensue.

Although this book severely lacks steam, the build up for the relationship is done nicely with more of a focus on how knowing each other makes them better people.

Beyond the jealously inducing vacation and cute office romance, I really liked the promotion/work storyline. There were definitely some maddening parts that felt true to being a woman in the corporate workplace, and I thought the self advocacy was handled deftly.

I really enjoyed this flirty, fun read and am excited to learn more about the Galapagos archipelago and the conservation efforts being taken to protect the endemic nature and wildlife.

Interested in taking a tour around the Galápagos Islands in your PJs? 🙋🏻‍♀️ That is exactly what I did last weekend.

This was a fun read! It was not only a cute romcom with some really funny quips but it also felt like being transported on an island vacation!

Henley Evans and Graeme Crawford are on the short list for a new promotion, digital marketing director for a cruise line. Their boss sends them on a cruise to the Galápagos island for market research and they have to come back with a proposal on how to increase bookings. Henley is a workaholic that is entirely career driven and she has preconceived ideas of Graeme that fuels her hostility towards him. On the cruise they are competitors but their rivalry is tested when they begin to reveal their true colors and their attraction is undeniable.

Loathing to love. One of my favorite tropes. But It didn’t appear to me like Graeme ever disliked Henley. It seemed to me that he liked her from the beginning. Their chemistry was so good and I could not get enough of their banter. Henley’s sister comes along for the cruise to assist her in her market research. She added another dimension of humor in all her misguided attempts to help the situation between Henley and Graeme.
I liked that Henley was smart and ambitious. The book also addresses inequality in the work place which I felt very relevant. I love when there is more than just a love story in a romcom.

There was also a lot of focus on nature and the natural wonders of the Galápagos. Angie Hockman’s appreciation of nature and wildlife I found so apparent in all the details describing the setting. It really got me wanting to embark on an island vacay! If you are looking for light hearted book that offers a nice escape this is a your book!

This book was so cute! I read this book in two sittings because I truly did not want to put it down. It reminded me of The Unhoneymooners and Dating You Hating you by Christina Lauren; which are two books that I loved! I loved the writing style, it was such a fun read but I also liked how it covered some heavier topics such as sexism in the workplace.

I enjoyed the dynamic between Henley and Graeme. I loved how when they met; they had very different ideas of each other. Graeme really liked Henley and enjoyed talking to her via email and seeing her in their weekly meetings. Meanwhile, Henley did not like Graeme and thought the worst of him. But I loved that she was able to change her mind by the end.

A witty enemies to lovers romance about two co-workers boarding a cruise ship and competing for the same job promotion whilst adventuring around the Galápagos Islands. An adorable and refreshing summer read with “The Unhoneymooners” vibes.

Henley has been working hard to improve her career, so when her boss says she’s up for a promotion, she jumps at the chance to prove her worth. Little does she know she’s about to go head to head with her nemesis Graeme for the same promotion. The two get sent on a cruise to help them create marketing campaigns, but end up creating chemistry between each other more than anything else.

I loved the location, all the crazy mishaps with Henley, and the build up with the job promotion, but I needed more banter and steam from these two. They both had a lot of issues to work out, but I felt like the book focused mainly on the setting and the rivalry. The ending more than made up for any mediocre parts. The conclusion gave me angst, drama, and female empowerment and I ended up loving the wrap-up most of all. This is the perfect vacation read with a beautiful setting.

This was such a fun book, I loved how well the story flowed. I loved the idea of two characters up for the same position that already have a bumpy history. The fact that it mostly took place on a ship, made me immediately want to pick it up.

Henley was a strong , career driven, female character and that always seems to draw me in. I fell in love with Graeme almost immediately when we finally got to meet him. I can definitely see where the comparison of this book and The Homeymooners came to be, especially with the characterization. I could see a lot of similarities between the two that I loved.

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a quick, fun, romantic read. The fact that the plot was amazing is definitely a plus. I agree with others who are saying you will like this one if you liked The Honeymooners!

A fun, light, romcom with some serious topics to tackle, "Shipped" is a story of first impressions and how to get over them- and the plans you make for your life. Because what if that isn't really what you want? Forced to take a cruise with her work nemesis so they can make pitches for a promotion only one of them can get, Henley goes into the cruise planning for war. A promotion she wants, a salary increase she could really use, and besting a man who she thinks took credit for some of her great ideas at work and enjoys driving her insane with cryptic emails, Henley is determined to come up with great promotional material. But as her sister, fellow passengers, and work nemesis Graeme, begin to force her to actually participate in the Galapagos adventure of a lifetime, Henley is forced to reevaluate her life- and Graeme. The chemistry between them heats up, but can it lead where they want it to?

A classic tale of poor first impressions and misunderstandings, "Shipped" reminds us all that working so hard to reach goals that we don't enjoy the journey comes with consequences. And that plans we made at one point in our lives don't have to be set in stone. Take time to appreciate the friends and family we have, the beauty of nature, and find your passion along the way. And when toxic men at work need to be dealt with, go in fully loaded- even if some of the ammo surprises you.

Fans of Christina Laurens and contemporary romantic comedies will enjoy the journey they find in "Shipped"

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This seemed like a cute book, but I just couldn't get invested in the story line. I thought it was going to be more of a rom com and it did not give off that vibe at all once I stated reading it.