An excellent book written by Angie Hockman! This book is said to be The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game, and it definitely plays up to that! A fast read that follows Henley and Graeme who both work for a cruise company and are up for a promotion. Neither have been on a cruise with their company so their boss sends them to the Galápagos Islands and the one who can draft the best proposal on how to boost bookings gets the job. The ending is perfect, not expected and made my heart happy.

Throughout the book I was hoping for more romance between the characters while on the cruise. Knowing they wanted to keep it as professional as they could I understand why more didn’t happen between them. This book was very focused on their company, the promotion and working that it took away from some of the romance it could have been. This book goes deeper into how women have to work ten times harder than men for the same benefits. It also touches on how the things we are doing today is going to affect the pollution and earth of tomorrow which is very important.

Overall this book was entertaining and a quick read, it showed romance, friendship, sisterhood and so much more, it makes me want to go on a cruise or vacation, specifically to the Galápagos Islands one day.

Special thanks to NetGalley for sharing this wonderful ARC for my honest options.

It has been a long time since a book gripped my attention so tightly I needed to stay up until 12:30 am to finish it! Shipped was an excellent debut by Angie Hockman —I loved it! The characters were well developed and continued to reveal pieces of their lives that shaped their decisions. I agree this book compares well with “The Unhoneymooners” and “The Hating Game.” The workplace enemies-to-lovers type of romance has always been a favorite of mine. I enjoyed the tropical escape to the Galapagos islands and how this book felt like it could happen in real life. Shipped is now in my top five romances of 2020!

Thank you to Angie Hockman, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for this advanced copy for my honest review.

Shipped was such a treat! It was an escape to beautiful islands, a enemies-to-lovers trope and all around fun!

Henley has been working hard at her job on a cruise and adventure company when a big promotion comes up and she knows it should be hers. To bad she has to go up against her work enemy, a hottie named Graeme.

The two are sent on a cruise to the Galapagos as part of research for their company. After learning more about each other there's no denying the chemistry.

I loved the cast of characters and the setting of this book. It was the perfect escape on a grey, winter day. Definitely for fans of Christina Lauren, Helena Hunting but who don't want a lot of steam.

CW: abusive relationship, loss of parent

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun read. Typical enemies turn out to be lovers plot, but in a unique setting: the Galapagos. It is cleverly written and keeps you interested. I liked that conservation was woven into the plot.

Shipped, by Angie Hockman, is a bright, sunny light in a dreary winter!

Shining star Henley (she was named for Don Henley of the Eagles), works for a cruise company, but when she and her nemesis are both up for the same promotion, they are ordered to go on a cruise together and put together their own presentation ideas for the boss. The best idea wins the job.

So, off to the Galapagos Islands they go.

This book is filled with quirky, lovable characters, including Henley's sister who goes along on the cruise in order to pitch her fresh outsider perspective to her sister. Henley is relatable, smart, funny, and very real. Her nemisis/love-interest Graeme is handsome, of course, and as much as she tries to hate him, she just can't. I liked Graeme because he's not like that "too-good-to-be-true" leading man that we so often get in these types of books; he comes across as someone pretty realistic who just happens to be really good looking and nice.

I loved the island history and scenery; I loved the environmental angle that Henley develops as she works on her proposal. I felt like that really added to the book and make a light romance novel a bit more relevant.

The ending, which I won't reveal, was perfectly wonderful and satsifying!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Shipped
Angie Hockman
January 19, 2021


Henley Rose Evans works for Seaquest Adventures out of Seattle. The company is a cruise line that explores venturous ports around the world. Her sector being marketing manager of North and Central America.. She manages advertising for the shipline via social media and print. She is also attending grad school to get a Master’s degree in technical management hoping that it will help her rise upward in the business. As our story begins she finds Graeme Crawford-Collins, the social media director for the company has not posted any of her photos and cruise adverts as yet and deadlines are approaching. She’s been texting back and forth with no success. He complains of the time zones and due to his heavy schedule no breaks to get them in. He is a smooth talking guy that seems to attract the populace by his wit and wisdom. Henley is a fast paced talker who spends way too much time working, studying or writing papers for class. She depends on getting many things accomplished in the shortest amount of time. When the job position of Digital Marketing Manager opens up with Seaquest she believes that she should have first dibs. After all she is based out of Seattle, the home port and she has the most experience after all. When called to her boss, Jame’s office for a meeting she is thinking that he must be focusing on her for the position. At the meeting after he rambles about what that would entail, he starts talking to his speaker phone to another person. When she realizes that the voice is that of Graeme, her least favorite person, she has to grit her teeth. James tells her that the two have been selected to compete for Digital Director. They will both be passengers on the December cruise. They will be booked to travel and assimilate with the other tourists aboard the ship. After the cruise each of them will submit a study of the many programs incorporated while aboard the ship.
Angie Hockman’s Galapagos journal became very involved in the cruise journey, almost too much conversation and activity were in the manuscript. I found parts of Henley and Graeme’s competition humorous but it tended to get somewhat bickersome. Yes, they were a couple due to develop a love interest but getting there seemed tedious.
Angie Hockman’s Shipped will be published on January 19, 2021 by Simon and Schuster. I appreciate their giving me a copy of the Shipped ARC to read and review. This being a romantic comedy many readers will appreciate the humor. I have recently read another Christmas book taking place on a cruise ship with the plot being similar. Give this one a chance, it may just lighten your day.

Shipped made me laugh out loud, giving me perma-grin and warm fuzzies while reading the back and forth banter between Henley and Graeme. I adored Henley’s character, a strong and independent woman, and the underlying message of women feeling unequal or under-valued in the workplace. If you love a strong female lead, this book will not disappoint. The two main characters are so well developed, with empathetic backstories, which will make you love them even more.

Hockman’s witty writing created a heartfelt, hysterical romance and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future!

This is my kind of romance! Take a badass woman with goals, a hot rival in her field, and pop them on a ship where they have to constantly interact? That’s a recipe for romantic gold. But on top of that, the book also discusses important topics like gaslighting, impostor syndrome, and conservation. I loved Henley as a character and how she grew throughout the book. The romance scenes were steamy, but still tame enough to keep me interested. I’d love to see a follow-up book about Walsh!

What a fun and enjoyable read. I'm not much for romance books but this caught my eye because of the simple title and the eye catching cover.

What I loved most about this book was that it brought real life situations into a funny, romantic book.

Henley and Graeme are a great team together, although they started out as enemies up for the same promotion, love conquers all. I loved their chemistry with each other , it was sizzling. The easy way they banter back and forth, was so swoon worthy! Wish it was that easy in real life.

My only complaint and it is minor and didn't interfere with my five star, was that the ending focused a lot on their careers which was great, but ignored the romance part of it. Yes it's minor, but overall, a fantastic book!

Thank you so much Angie Hockman for send me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I feel like I really needed this book at this time in my life. I've been at a bit of a low lately, but this book really brought me some joy. It made me burst out laughing at parts. It made me squeal. It was just everything I needed.

Can I just say, I really wish I had a Graeme in my life. He is not only hot. He is also incredibly sweet. I love me a mans with a soft side.

There were times when I just screamed at Henley; "WHYY???". But, I completely understood why. I got to know so much about her and her personality. I really love the way she developed. I'm so happy for her.

I highly recommend this to anyone that needs an escape. It's worth it and you won't be able to even put it down.

When a book is called "the perfect mix between The Unhoneymooners and The Hating Game" it has my full attention. And this book DELIVERED!! We see Henley and Graeme compete for the same promotion at a cruise company, so in turn they get sent on a vacation as research. This haters to lovers romance (my favorite kind) shows the power of family relationships, girl boss power and the happy balance of life along with featuring the romantic aspect of the novel. I absolutely adored the plot, all the characters of Henley and Graeme, the side characters of her sister, coworkers and cruise guests, and the writing was well done with great pacing, intension and romance. I will be recommending this book to all my romance loving friends on release day! 10/10

ARC from NetGalley. Slow start with awkward first-person narrative turned into a fun romp through the Galapagos with light touches on some heavier topics, including women's experiences in the workplace, female empowerment, conservation, and more. The star, though, is the description of the Galapagos, and made this light women's fiction extra captivating.

Title: Shipped
Author: Angie Hockman
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when she’s shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it.

The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although they’ve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend.

Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos—best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands...together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard.

With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because what’s the point of working all the time if you never actually live?

This was a quick, fun read. I loved the ecotourism aspects and the descriptions of the Galápagos, although the two main characters were just kind of “meh” for me. I thought they were both fairly predictable, but that may just be me. Solid writing and a fun premise made up for some of this, so this would be a fun vacation read.
Angie Hockman lives in Ohio. Shipped is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 1/13.)

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Gallery books for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the way this book shines a light on the way women are often treated in the workplace—microaggressions and subtle sexism. The way James treats Henley is typical for a lot of professional women, and the author did a good job representing how frustrating and complicated these situations can be. I loved how Henley handled the situation with James in the end.

I really loved all the descriptions of the Galapagos Islands. It made me want to visit and explore even though I am a bit afraid of the sneezing sea iguanas. So many great details.

One issue I had was that I didn’t really like Henley’s first initial interaction with Graeme because I found his comment about the boyfriend super off-putting. Then after the meeting with James he says she shouldn’t let James talk to her in an unprofessional way, but he was just super unprofessional with her over chat. Then she’s a bit insensitive to her sister who shows up. This might be well-deserved irritation but I don’t have a framework to understand the full story. I got an “In Her Shoes” vibe from the dynamic with the sisters which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I found Henley to be a little unlikeable at first. Walsh seemed a little over-the-top. I liked that by the end, Henley was realizing that her sister was going through something serious and tried to be there for her.

Overall, to me, it didn’t feel like a romantic comedy. It felt a bit more like women’s fiction. I didn’t super connect to the story or many of the characters. I loved Unhoneymooners and have loved other enemies-to-lovers rom-coms, but this one just might not be for me. I did like Graeme and how kind he was with the snorkeling and the lip syncing. I understood why he found Henley’s intensity to be attractive. There were definitely some good moments of chemistry in there!

I wasn’t expecting to fall so hard for this story and its characters. But I did, and this book is now one of my top favorites. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC for me in exchange for an honest review.

Henley is such a relatable female character. I loved her wittiness and sheer determination to achieve her goals whenever she puts her mind to it. Especially when she has to work twice as hard as a woman in a male-dominant work place. And with a close-knit circle of friends and family for support she comes out like a queen on top.

And Graeme, gosh, everyone needs a man like Graeme in their life. ;)

Shipped is an incredibly heart-warming book that is a perfect feel-good read. Angie Hockman did an incredible job of developing the characters in the book and I felt like I was right there with Henley, Graeme, and Walsh throughout the book. Even though Shipped is categorized as a romance novel, it addresses important topics such as wildlife research/conservation and unhealthy work environments. The incorporation of these elements, along with the character development, made this book stand out to me and is why I rated it 5 stars. Overall, I highly recommend Shipped and I can’t wait for others to enjoy this book as much as I did. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this e-book to read and review.

Shipped is advertised as perfect for fans of The Un-Honeymooners and The Hating Game and boy it did not disappoint! Hockman perfectly captures the fiery workplace frenemy banter from the Hating Game and pairs it beautifully with the exotic setting and fun vacation adventures from The Un-Honeymooners in the fun and fresh romantic comedy. Shipped follows marketing manager Henley as she juggles her MBA classes, her demanding job, her sisterly drama, and her proposal for the new promotion at work with her intense hatred of Graeme, her co-worker and only competition for the promotion at work. With her sights set on climbing the corporate ladder and success just on the horizon, Henley (reluctantly) agrees to go on a corporate mandated cruise to finish drafting her proposal. The only problem with spending a week in the Galapagos? Graeme is going to be there. But, everything is not as it seems and perhaps Graeme is more friend than foe…? Maybe what these two have been feeling isn’t hate after all, but another 4 letter word-- but they will have to get past old demons and past mistakes to find out!
I loved Shipped! It was the perfect read for all us stuck at home during the pandemic because it allows the reader to travel through the vivid imagery describing Henley and Graeme’s journey. I am definitely adding the Galapagos to my bucket list after reading this one. Shipped is the perfect modern day rom com-- from a yoga instructor sister to campaigns to save the environment to open discussion about how isolating it is to work remotely. Fans of Christina Lauren, Sally Thorne, and Nicole Macaulay will adore this beautiful story.

Shipped was a fun, quick read. The marketing for this book pitched it as The Honeymooners meets The Hating Game, and that is a pretty accurate description. The vacation plot is nice since there have been no vacations for most of us for quite some time, and there was a bit of the love-hate office romance of The Hating Game that was enjoyable enough. I didn’t love it, but it was a nice escape and certainly worth a read. I will have to look to see what Angie Hockman does next.

I REALLY enjoyed this. It was sweet, it was atmospheric and beautiful and islandy haha and the romance was just what I needed after a long long week. One of those books you can’t put down because you love the characters so much and are rooting for them from the first page!!

3.5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery books for sending me this arc, All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Shipped tells the tale of two rival co-workers who are desperately working for a badly wanted promotion. Competition forms as they are forced to go onto a work cruise and form proposals together.

This started strong and I was dearly excited although in the middle I found it to be slow and got bored. And I was looking for the enemies to lovers they had marketed but saw it more as miscommunication trope, although, the author did a lot of research on the islands they visited and it made it very enjoyable.

Overall, I still enjoyed this book. The beginning and middle were a little bit slow but at the end I still found myself enjoying it and being entertained.