I got this as an eARC through NetGalley!!

This book was absolutely adorable!! It was a fun enemies to lovers story that I needed. It made me laugh, cry, and fall in love.

Henley is an employee at Seaquest Adventure Cruises who works for the marketing team. She is a hard worker and loves her job but wants a promotion. When her suggestion for a digital marketing director gets approved she is ecstatic! Only one problem, she has to compete for the job with Graham Crawford-Collins, her worst enemy at the company.

Graham Crawford-Collins is a social media coordinator for Seaquest. He works from his home in Michigan and doesn’t seem overly enthusiastic about his job, at least it doesn’t seem that way through his one word answers in work emails to Henley. When a digital marketing director position comes up Graham is excited! It is his dream job!! Only problem is he has to spend a week on a cruise in the Galapagos with Henely to compete for the promotion.

When they both arrive on the cruise, tensions arise. Both of them want to ace their proposals and get the job but how far are they willing to go to get it. And what will they do when these tensions turn into more than just competitive fury?

This book has witty banter and love that will make everyone swoon. If you love a cute story with enemies to lovers romance you should definitely check out this book!

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like Angie Hockman did a good job developing the characters & story. Very fun & different kind of romance novel. Highly recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for honest review

This is a new author for me. I loved it. It’s about a woman strong enough to stand tall in a mans world. It starts on a cruise. Ends when she gets the man and a promotion. Wonderful book. Henley is who I want to be when I grow up.

This certainly had an interesting premise, being a hate to love in a paradise vacation setting. I overall enjoyed the story. I liked that Henley, our female lead, was very driven career wise, and this was a story about how men and women should be treated equally in the workplace. I enjoyed the setting. It was just a cute, fun story.

I didn't particularly fall in love with the romance. It's not a true hate to love. It's based off a misunderstanding, which is not my favorite. I also found myself just not caring about what happened to these characters. I felt like their could have been more development. I also did not like the spelling of Graeme. It bugged me to no end.

This is for someone who does not like steamy scenes, as there were none in the story. Overall, I gave this a 3 star. My connection with the characters just wasn't quite a strong as I would have hoped.

Romances aren't really a go-to-genre for me, but I do enjoy a fun one every now and again. And this definitely fits the bill - I genuinely had fun reading it! It's light-hearted and Henley makes for a good heroine. And while office romances can sometimes be slightly off-putting, this one didn't bother me as much as others. I think that this is in part because Graeme is a colleague and I enjoyed the competition between them both as they both strive for the same promotion. I like the enemies to lovers trope, and this is. a fun example of it. The supporting cast of characters adds to the fun (there's even a Tory, though I disagree with the spelling). The Galapagos setting makes for a great backdrop and I like the focus on career goals. The overall office plot works well here too - it's a fun and fast read. And I especially liked getting the feel of a bit of a vacation, even if it was only in my head, as the snow falls here in the Chicago area. I hadn't really thought of traveling to the Galapagos again, but I certainly am thinking of it now! It's a strong debut novel - and I would definitely read more from Hockman in the future! I also appreciated that this wasn't a graphically steamy romance (though I am sure that this would disappoint some readers), and I think that this would have been fun on audio as well. I laughed and bit and just really enjoyed this!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and I am so glad I did. Angie Hockman will be added to my list of favorite authors. I can't believe this is her first novel and I eagerly await her next book.
Although this is a light and fun book that took me away on a dream cruise through the Galapagos islands, the characters deal with some weightier issues such as systemic bias against women in the workplace, gaslighting, abuse and grief. These are lingering in the background of the characters' lives and the book is written so that instead of being defeated by what's going on, the characters' confront them and grow from them.

Henley Rose, named because her parents were Eagles' fans and her sister Walsh are at a tipping point in their lives. Their lives aren't on track at all until they get the opportunity to take a work cruise for Henley's employer SeaQuest Adventures, a boutique cruise line. Little does Henley know that her long-distance colleague -the handsome and seemingly all-together Mr. Graeme Crawford-Collins - is equally off track. When all three lives collide in the captivity of the ship and the beauty of the Galapagos, sparks fly on several levels. The combustion that occurs is both personal and professional and is fueled by several funny and memorable minor characters that complement and help paint the story of the main characters.

There are many quotable lines and I highlighted a lot of passages in the e-book version I received. I appreciated the authors' notes at the end explaining about the Galapagos and how readers could support or explore them just like Henley and Graeme. Well thought out ending and perfect balance of escapism and healing that makes this a great pleasurable read for these times.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this advanced copy of Shipped by Angie Hockman!

Shipped was SUCH a feel good book!!! If you love enemies to lovers and closed door rom coms - this book is for you!!

I love close friendships where people truly go to bat for one another. There was such a sense of this strong unbreakable bond with the women in this book. They were always rooting and supportive of each other and as a reader, I love that feeling knowing that there are other characters that your main character can truly count on. They were all strong independent women in their own right and it made me so proud.

I also REALLY felt like I was on a cruise. The descriptions of the Galápagos Islands and the cruise ship were really spot on! And that’s from someone who has never been on a cruise before!

Also, with Henley and Graeme - their chemistry was so cute. There were definitely times where I wanted to shake Henley for getting inside of her own head, but I still really enjoyed their playful banter.

Henley and Graeme work on the marketing team for an adventure cruise company, and they're both candidates for a coveted promotion. To prep plans for evaluation, they both go on the company's Galapagos Islands cruise. Henley is convinced that Graeme is the enemy and is not pleased to be stuck on a boat with him. But as the trip goes on (including lots of activities and visits to beautiful locations with local wildlife), Henley sees that Graeme is actually a nice guy, and she struggles with it.
Henley and Graeme are both really likeable, and they have great chemistry, even when they're bickering. I hesitated to get to the end of the book because I didn't want either of them to lose on the promotion.
This is a great book to live vicariously through their cruise and a fun enemies to lovers coworker romance. Very enjoyable read.

I want to start with what I liked the most. The friendships and sibling relationships were adorable and so refreshing to see. Henley was a good “boss.” I was smiling like crazy at the end. It was so perfect and I wish there was more of that throughout the book. Instead, for most of the book Henley is pictures as a neurotic workaholic caricature of a person.

I never understood the attraction to Graeme Crawford-Collins. I swear for all the times their full names were mentioned in this book you’d think I’d remember them. They are mentioned so much. I also love the whole cruise thing and new ideas. I love these new books taking care of the environment and ecotourism. It gives me hope for a better future. I want these ideas to be real and make a difference in the world we live in not just in books.

This novel follows Henley and Graeme who work for the same company and are up for the same promotion. I think I liked Henley so much because I could relate to her on a deep level 😅 She’s a hardworking woman in her late 20s with type A personality. She loves checklists, cats, and furthering her education (go MBA graduates!) In order to compete for their promotion, Henley and Graeme are put aboard a cruise ship where they must draft the best marketing proposal. May the best man (or woman) win.

This is an enemies to lovers novel similar to The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners. Let me tell you, those are some tough books to be compared to, but it certainly lived up to it!

I loved the setting in the Galapagos island. It helped me escape the cold Michigan winter for a while.

I highly recommend purchasing this novel if you’re looking for a cute, funny, quirky romance. It certainly put a smile on my face!

This book has me dreaming of a cruise through the Galapagos Islands
As a person who said they’d never go on a cruise, it’s a testament to Angie Hockman’s story-telling that I’m now adding a Galapagos cruise to my bucket list. Hockman captures the beauty of the islands from her own personal travel of the area.

Shipped is so much more than a cute “chick-lit” romance.
Readers can expect a fun and flirty romance between our main characters Henley and Graeme (Graham). What is a little surprising is their depth and relatable natures. It’s easy to find yourself rooting for both Henley and Graeme to win the promotion their competing for. Prior to meeting Graeme, he appears to be a pompous man with rude email etiquette. She’s blown away to hear that she has to compete with him for a job she is more than qualified for, and for which she was next-in-line.

Henley represents the story of many career women. She’s working long hours, and making great efforts to impress her boss. The uphill struggle that many women experience in the corporate world. Her nemesis, Graeme, stands a few steps ahead of her in their boss’ favor. What some call the “old boys club” works for Graeme. They engage in friendly banter, talk sports, and the like after their company meetings. Graeme and Henley both have very good reasons to want/deserve the job.

How can one of them win the promotion without hurting their chance at true love?
I don’t know how to fully express the greatness of this sweet romance. It’s so much more than a girl meets boy love story. Henley is a great role model for readers. She struggles and doubts herself, yet pushes herself harder. Despite the niggling doubt she feels she also knows her worth. Henley won’t allow a corporate boss nor a drool-worthy co-worker to hold her back. The attraction and subsequent romance with Graeme is fulfilling, but it doesn’t define her. It also doesn’t define the whole book.

This was a perfect “have your cake and eat it too” kind of book.
In Shipped, Angie Hockman has given readers a cute and funny love story in a very realistic setting of the Galápagos Islands. The cruise line and preservation efforts were fictional, but based on real life issues of the area. Part of what was so magical feeling about this book was the visual scapes and the other characters that Henley meets aboard the ship. Shipped gave me all the feels!

When I first heard that Shipped was for fans of The Unhoneymooners and The Hating Game, I knew I had to read it. I'm so glad that I did because this book was amazing.

Henley- She's the MC and the book in her POV. I liked being in her head. Some people might dislike her because she can be serious, doesn't always stand up for herself, and has trust issues but that was the point. She changed a lot from the first page to the last. I hate reading books where there is no character development. There will be times where you want to hit her and say "what are you doing?" But overall she an enjoyable character. I also like how much she cared for her sister and the people in her life.

Graeme- He's Henley's love interest and I loved him. Like most romance novels he set the bar incredibly high for the men of the real world. He's sweet to everyone he meets and can charm all the old ladies. Instead of calling Heley out on her bullshit, he is patient.

What I liked:
-The romance. Henley and Graeme's relationship was delightful. I never get bored reading about them.
-All characters expect James.
-How the author showed what it's like to be a female in the workplace.

What I did not like:
-We never learned why Graeme hates crowds

Thank you so much @GalleryBooks & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 19 January 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Henley Evans works as a Marketing Manager at an adventure cruise line & is shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams (the one that she has been tirelessly working towards for the past 3 years) however the other candidate is Graeme Crawford-Collins (her work nemesis). They are both tasked with going on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands with the purpose of creating a killer marketing plan for the region.

WHAT I LIKED:
- hooked from the first couple of chapters
- slow burn was on point *swoon*
- the side characters were equally flushed out
- If The Unhoneymooners & The Hating Game had a baby, this book would be it

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I wanted more conflict storyline with her boss. The issue was identified very quickly, wrapped up very neatly & I think there was an opportunity for a more worthwhile conversation to be had there.

Shipped is pitched as "The Unhoneymooners" meets "The Hating Game". With one of my favorite romance tropes in enemies to lovers at the core of this novel, and having read and enjoyed both of those novels in 2020, I quickly became excited about the premise of this book.

This was my first read of 2021, and I must say it is a cute romantic comedy that allows you to escape reality and dive into the atmosphere of the Galapagos islands. The backdrop of the novel is beautiful, and I commend the author for her obvious research in trying to showcase a realistic depiction of the location. The romance between Henley and Graeme evolves from a hate to love banter as they traverse adventures together including snorkeling, kayaking, boat rides, hiking and a very cute post card premise which turns out is real to the Galapagos.

There were surprising themes to this novel, such as the idea of Imposter syndrome. The author clearly depicts the importance of equality for women in the workplace through a strong female main character in Henley who fights for her position with integrity. Another surprising theme, was the depiction and importance of ecofriendly living from the author. I did appreciate the emphasis the author placed on real life issues, and topics she was passionate about.

Another thing that did surprise me was the ending, and how it seemed to stray away from the romance with the focus more on Henley's career path. I will be curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this ending choice.

I don't know that this novel showcased my favorite enemies to lovers banter and relationship, but I do think it's a cute, fun read with surprising themes that many will enjoy! I would recommend this book to fans of romcoms, especially those looking for an escapism read!

I am so thankful to have received this ARC. Thank you Netgalley, Angie Hockman and Gallery Books for my gifted copy!

Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Any book that is compared to “The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne is an automatic go-to for me. When I saw that this book was a blend of that as well as “The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren, well, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Perhaps I set my expectations for this one a bit high before starting. I can see the connections between the books for sure. There was a hate-to-love story and corporate world competition. I just could not connect with the main character. She explained her reasons for disliking Graeme so much, but the rudeness she showed towards him throughout most of the book was a bit too much, especially with Graeme never getting a chance to defend himself until late in the story. Graeme was a great guy, and his backstory was heartbreaking, and despite his reasons, I couldn’t figure out why he would continue to pursue Henley with how she treated him for much of the book. It made it much harder for me to buy their love story. Not a bad read, just not what I was expecting.

Well, the thing I most took away from this book was that I need a tropical vacation like now. I need to go snorkeling and see all the incredible sea animals like Graeme and Henley did! But really though, I loved this book. It was the perfect escape for me especially since I started in the day we got snow in Austin!

What Did I Love?
🐢I loved the ending. It was totally girl power and I just couldn’t get enough of it.
🐢I was worried about another office romance/enemies to lovers type book because I disliked the hating game so much. But this one was written so well. Henley and Graeme were enemies but were mostly still respectful of each other.
🐢The descriptions of the Galapagos. How could you not love that?
🐢Graeme. Shocker, I have a crush on another book boyfriend. His back story tugged on my heart strings and I just wanted to give him a big hug.

What I Disliked?
- To be honest, I cannot really think of anything.

Mylanta, it's been awhile since I read a book that made me laugh out loud and stay up wayyyyyy past my bedtime to finish. While I found Henley a bit much at times, I adored Graeme and their banter. The plot twist at the end came as a surprise and the book was such a delight to read. PICK THIS ONE UP!!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3773694158

Shipped by Angie Hickman

A workaholic marketing manager is forced to go on a cruise with her arch-nemesis when they are both up fir the same promotion.

This was an entertaining, light romance. Two people competing for the same position. They take the same cruise. Friendly characters, much competition, Talks about corporate companies and their injustices. Much enjoyable information about foreign ports and exotic animals.

Shipped is a sweet, enjoyable quick read about Henley and Graeme, two members of the marketing team for Seaquest Adventures, a top cruise line company. The book is definitely a romance filled with sexual tension, but it’s also full of epiphanies for powerful, ambitious Henley. She learns a ton about herself, the world around her, work-life balance, and Graeme of course. I really enjoyed this one! A major bonus was the description of the Galapagos, it gave me a serious travel bug!

I would give this 3.5/5 but rounded up.

I can see why there are comparisons to "The Hating Game" and "The Unhoneymooners" However, Shipped is not as good as either of those books. It was still a quick, escapist read with a fabulous setting on the Galapagos Islands, but the characters and romance weren't quite there for me.

Can we talk about the character names? What is up with sisters Henley and Walsh? And why is Graeme spelled that way, but his nickname is spelled Graham Cracker? I get trying to find unique names to make characters stand out or be memorable, but that should be for good reasons. Not because your MC can have the nickname of "Miss Shirt".. It detracted from the story, for me.

I did enjoy Henley's drive and ambition. But she seemed to be really hot and cold throughout the book, with everyone. It was like you would never know which side of her to expect. Graeme was a total marshmallow. His speech about Henley waking him up to the world was pretty great. I appreciated that he was not threatened by Henley's strength.

I felt like there were just too many details that didn't make sense and decreased my enjoyment of the story. Like, how the initial premise of Graeme and Henley going on the cruise is to get the client perspective, then they are immediately outed as being employees of Seaquest. Also, most of the stuff with Nikolai- I feel like Henley would have shut that down much more quickly if it was against the rules for her to fraternize with guests.

This would be a good beach read this summer, and does offer a nice escape. But I think the publicist who compared it to two such amazing books did it a disservice.. I think simply leaving it as an enemies to lovers trope set on a tropical cruise would be more fitting.