Oh my this book was so fun to read. The main characters Henley and Graeme had never met except through teleconferencing and emails. Henley really didn't like Graeme because of a misunderstanding and she really wasn't happy when she finds they must compete for the same job position. This is a slow burn and really was kinda sweet when they finally get together. Having them stuck on a cruise ship around the Galápagos Islands was fun to read about. Really cute ending. Really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from this author.

Shipped is officially a new favorite romance for me! I'm pretty picky when it comes to romances, but here were a few of the things that I loved:
Enemies-to-lovers, without the conflict being completely drawn out
The setting; after a year of no travel, I loved being transported to a cruise in the Galapagos
Henley and Graeme's chemistry
The additional storylines

If you enjoy enemies to lovers, miss traveling, are picky about your romances, or you just want a cute read, then I recommend this one. Steam level is low.

CW: emotional abuse, death of a parent

I read a lot of thrillers. I also love reading historical fiction and lately have been enjoying fantasy reads. However, I love reading some cute romances in between. Nothing lightens the mood and brings a big smile to the face like a good cutesy romance and 'Shipped' is one such one.

First of all, the cover. How absolutely adorable it is! I requested the ARC based on just the cover. Ofcourse, reading the blurb after just the cherry on my delicious chocolate cake.

This book is everything. It's cute and such a fun read. It has everything - a vacation romance, amazing banter, the chemistry is so adorable, enemies to lovers and the author has been so descriptive. It made me feel like I'm right there. Loved it.

Loved both the characters. Fiesty Henley and Graeme are just adorable and I loved them.

I definitely recommend this book to all.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shipped was an interesting story. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down.

Henley and Graeme were great together. The dynamic between Henley and her sister was believable

If you are looking for a fun, well-written beach read, Angie Hockman's Shipped is for you. When marketing wunderkind Henley Rose tangles with broody Graeme Crawford-Collins, sparks fly and words get creative. With plenty of colorful characters, fabulous locales and a story line that is anything but expected, Shipped is a book worth reading more than once.

rating: 3.5/5
An enemies-to-lovers romcom that takes place in the Galapagos Islands? SIGN ME UP.

Shipped by Angie Hockman is a sweet romance between Henley and her co-worker Graeme, while simultaneously tackling being a woman in today’s working world. As a millennial in a fast-paced working environment, I could relate to Henley’s struggle of balancing work and life responsibilities. I appreciated seeing how Graeme helped her open up to new experiences, and find the RIGHT balance for her.

And can we just talk about Graeme for a minute?! He was the SWEETEST. Helping Henley overcome her fears, opening up to her about his relationship with his mom and subsequent grief, and his adventurous spirit. He was a great fit for Henley - the perfect balance for her never-ending nervous energy. This made him an incredibly likable character, which I always appreciate in a romance novel.

Heat sizzles through my veins when he reaches up to run his knuckles along my cheek. “And staff meeting Thursdays? They became my favorite day of the week…”

Another highlight was the friendships woven throughout the story. Henley’s work friends and sister were the best kind of support system a girl can ask for. Doing whatever they could to help a co-worker out is truly how it should be in the workplace, and I think it was a nice juxtaposition for the tension created with her boss. That we cannot do everything on our own - that we all need people in our corner to cheer us on and to ask for help when we need it.

I did feel like I wanted to more tension between Henley and Graeme - I thought they wrapped up their “enemy” status and jumped to “I like you” pretty quickly. One of the reasons I love this trope so much is because of the banter, and it just fell a bit flat for me. And to be honest, I was hoping for a bit more steam; this book is closed-door, and I think a bit of steam (if done well) can give a story a bit more depth. The ending is also a bit too focused on the work aspect of this story, and I just wanted more swoony moments with our two MCs.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun beach read! It also just really made me want to travel to the Galapagos Islands 😊

I really enjoyed this book! There was a satisfying amount of banter, build-up, and swooney moments between Henley and Graeme. Being Ecuadorian, I loved how the author incorporated the Galapagos Island into this hate-to-love story. Definitely recommend this book for lovers of The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners!!

A thoroughly enjoyable enemies-to-lovers romance, if not quite outstanding. Pluses are a lively pace, and the growth arc of Henley. It's interesting to see how her own personal growth parallels the development of the romance.

Not quite as good was the fact that the enemies portion was based on a misunderstanding that an adult could have cleared up with five minutes of talk. Less than five minutes. Perpetuating misunderstanding is a trope that seldom works well, as it's a negative motivation, and so it proves here.

Also, many of the side characters were more one-dimensional caricatures than characters.

But still it's a light-hearted read, and that's to be treasured these tense, anxious days.

3;5 rounded up to 4

Shipped by Angie Hockman has me shipping enemies-to-potential-lovers and lead characters Henley Evans and Graeme Crawford-Collins. This is a perfect book for fans of The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners.

I've had the blues because 1) it's winter 2) travel just isn't safely happening right now and 3) basically everything else about the state of the world. Hockman, however, gave me the perfect antidote in this book, which whisked me away to the Galapagos Islands as I enjoyed watching Henley and Graeme battle for their promotion and their hearts.

I know this one is going to be loved by others too,

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Enjoyed this one from start to finish. Think Dating You/Hating You meets The Unhoneymooners in terms of themes. Shipped delivered the cuteness and the romantic tension that I wanted. There's so much goofiness in here, with a bit more depth than I initially expected. The book, while being thoroughly fluffy and comical, addresses sexism in the workplace and ecotourism effectively. I also adore that Graeme communicates so well and genuinely understands Henley's fears, even if he's frustrated by them sometimes. This book delivers fun and travel at a time where those are minimally available.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

Shipped is the story of Henley Evans and the promotion of her dreams, kind of... There is a major obstacle to her dreams by the name of Graeme Crawford-Collins (aka Graham Cracker-Collins). Both are up for the same promotion with the cruise line, so to find the best candidate, both characters have to take a cruise to the Galápagos and come up with a proposal on how to boost bookings for the company. Of course it wouldn't be a romance if feelings weren't brewing between the two rivals.

The plot is quite literally The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book, although it is not-quite a romance for me. I feel like the main character arc for Henley was focused on personal growth, acknowledging mistakes, standing up for herself, and yes, improving her relationships with others. Those others being her sister, her friends, and then her romantic interest. It is almost as if the romance was working as a catalyst for her personal growth. Additionally, I think the ending was super satisfying, even if it wasn't exactly romance heavy.

All that being said, there were a few things I didn't like. In the beginning, Henley is an obnoxious character to be following and I don't really start to care about her until about 30% of the way into the book (when she starts realizing she may have jumped to conclusions about a few things). I feel like many of the side characters were one-dimensional and only served to further the plot, rather than actually have their own motivations (cough cough, the cruise manager dude on the ship). And as per the norm with romance books, several issues could've been solved with simple communication skills.

So, overall a 3.5, and I would market this as a contemporary with a romance plot, rather than a romance.

I'm giving it 3⭐ because at the end of the day, it's a cute mindless love story and who doesn't need one of those. Also, i learned about Galapagos, so that was pretty cool. I liked the story line...a career minded female up for a promotion against a male counterpart. The problem was Henley. She just was not a likeable character. I think if she was, i would have rated it higher.

okay, now I want to travel to the Galapagos right away! I mostly enjoyed this book though with the pandemic all the working for a travel company has me concerned that all these characters are going to loose their jobs? and then I start thinking that and it's hard to divorce the 2020 reality from the story.

Shipped is a fresh and fun take on the enemies to lovers trope. The chemistry between Graeme and Henley practically leapt off the pages and I thoroughly enjoyed the witty banter between them. Add in a stellar supporting cast because every woman needs her own girl squad and this is without a doubt one of my favorite books of the year.

Such a wonderful romantic comedy with a sweet blend of woman empowerment and environmental conservation. It truly has a little of everything.

I heard about this book from an author I follow on Instagram. The description sounded cute, so I requested (and received!) an ARC. This book was so cute!! I loved learning about the Galápagos Islands. I was looking up the animals mentioned while I read. The story line was enjoyable and it definitely was hard to put down. Just when I thought the storyline was wrapping up, it took a turn that made me want to keep reading until the end! I would definitely recommend this book!

As soon as I heard that Shipped by Angie Hockman was being hailed as a cross between The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners, I had to see for myself. 

And it's true! 

Shipped tells the story of marketing manager/MBA student Henley and her coworker Graeme as they essentially have to compete for the same marketing position at their company (which is a cruise line). The twist? The two of them have to go on a cruise for research to help each of them prep for a proposal for this new position. 

This book has all the typical romance tropes we love, enemies-to-lovers, kinda forced proximity, misunderstandings, etc. However, it definitely holds up as a stand alone from the books it's compared to. Graeme is such a well written love interest, where you're wanting him to win as much as you want Henley to have her HEA. I also loved the career focused aspect of it, and how Henley's friends (and Graeme) ultimately come to help her in her job at the end. In a sense, It's not a typical HEA, which I thought was so refreshing! 

My only issue was that I wanted more steam! There was DEFINITELY sexual tension, which I loved, but we almost got some steam and then it was ripped away from us. This definitely wasn't a closed door situation, but I wanted more!

"The Hating Game" goes on vacation. Truly, this book will make you miss the ability to travel, and it might even have you reevaluating what you want in life. Often we are so focused on a goal, we forget why we set that goal to begin with. Easy breezy read.

This was a really good story, I felt like I was on the cruise ship in the Galapagos with Henley and Graeme enjoying the fun and sun right along with them. The rivalry between them and how it progressed was fun to read. The explanation on how the scientists work to save the wildlife was very interesting. All in all this is a book worth reading! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars
What I loved:
- The career driven protagonist who learned overtime what was truly important in life – people; and that you can prioritize your career while still having healthy work/life balance.
- The relationship between Henley and her sister, how they opened up to each other, found deeper friendship in each other and learned how to help one another in a productive way.
- The growth of the friendship between Henley and Graeme, how they start as adversaries but Graeme quickly squashed it and revealed his feelings. I also really appreciated how supportive and uplifting Graeme was of Henley.
- Adventure! The scenery and descriptions of the Galapagos was so enticing.
- Side characters: I loved Henley’s friends and how they supported her as well as the characters on the trip and how they all were very involved in the plot and how it all came together in the end.

What I thought could be better:
- Lacking the banter I love from couples
- Almost veers too closely to women’s fiction instead of romance with how much it focuses on the career/job promotion aspect. I would have liked more romance