We all need Shipped right now. All of us!

Shipped takes us on a cruise to the Galápagos Islands where we follow the story the love-hate story of colleagues Henley and Graeme. Both are fighting for the same promotion within their cruise company and their boss sends them on this cruise to help them develop their proposals to build business..

Shipped is filled with tons of humor (courtesy of Henley’s sister Walsh, and Henley herself), character development, and of course some romance to complete this exciting debut novel by Angie Hockman.

I finished this fun rom-com in two days, and now I have added the Galapagos to my list of places to go once global travel is safe.

Ok so hands down I want to go to the Galapagos badly now thanks to this book. Lol

This book was so damn funny!! Henley is perfect and her need to be excel is admirable, but to what extent?? Until she meets Graeme who is also her nemesis for this promotion that she wants so bad. Then she finally meets him in person and I know she’s in love because he’s a hottie! GAME ON!!

Their love story is something that I knew would be an amazing journey, not only does Henley learn to let go and have fun, Graeme was also inspired to let go of his old life and come out of his comfort zone as well. In these times of not traveling for almost a year this was a great trip to someplace warm, I felt like I was there, lol.

OH YEA, and I was rooting for Henley she’s awesome and for sure a rockstar!!

"Take a chance on me. That's all I ask of you, honey. Take a chance on me."
- ABBA

Shipped is so much more than the it divulges on the cover, so take a chance in the frenemies romance. Embark for enchantment, hilarity and a spectacular location as Henley and Graeme drift through the waves toward love.

The tides of resentment fill Henley's niceties toward Graeme due to work incident that occurred that he is unaware as he works remotely in Michigan and she is in Seattle. Henley's laden in "To Do's" and metamorphoses into a box checker to her list. When a big promotion opens up, she find herself in competition with the one person she loathes at the travel company they work.

Off they sail to Galapagos for 2-weeks to develop a top-notch presentation to anchor the job. The crew of Shipped is brimming with side characters full-on for added playfulness. This love boat is fun, romantic and the destination is my favorite happily-ever after I've read in a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This book was so fun! A hate to love, funny, sweet, wholesome, couldn’t put down kind of book. Definitely had a Unhoneymooners vibe in the best way possible. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends.

This cover is so colorful and fun!
The description of being a mix between the Unhoneymooners and the Hating Game was definitely a draw for me.

Henley Rose Evans is a hard-working marketing manager for a cruise line. She finds out she is up for promotion along with the social media manager Graeme. The office is in Seattle but he works remotely from Michigan. They seem to be at odds with eachother and don't get along at all. 

I find Henley to be a very details oriented person, hardworking, altruistic, empathetic but very busy like we all get. Focused on the next rung of the ladder and not the people in her life.

Their boss told them to go on cruise to the Galapagos and drum up a proposal for the digital marketing platform. 

Henley brings along her sister, Walsh who shows up before the cruise and so many funny things happen once they step foot in the ship.

I don't want to give too much away but I love Graeme's openness and the way he expresses his story and how he healed after what happened to him. I love when male characters can talk about emotions!!

The connection that happens when Graeme and Henley see eachother in person for the first time in person on the cruise ship is also electric. There are a few moments that she caught him staring that I love lol. 

Then once they get back to the decision of the promotion there a big twist that I didn't see coming. 

I could not put this book down!! I'm going to regret this in the morning! My daughter finally slept in her own bed. (Yep I'm regretting it! Theres a virtual dance recital today!)

I liked how at the end of the book there were resources on how to support conservation efforts. The Galapagos islands are a treasure and need to be conserved along with our oceans, forests, animals, ecosystems, planet!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Steam 🔥🔥

Thank you Net Galley and Gallery Books for the ARC copy for my honest review.

This was fun! I was hooked by the description of this. I mean, I really enjoyed The Unhoneymooners and The Hating Game and this was touted to be a perfect blend of those two. I think it really did a fine job of living up to that discription. I enjoyed it, it was a fast read with plenty of romance and fun locations to warm up this cold winter.

What an absolutely perfect enemies to lovers, office romance (of sorts). Shipped from Angie Hockman was a fresh, delightfully funny and touching read.

A solid angsty romance with a swoon-worthy male love interest; a real stand up guy who I envisioned as Armie Hammer with those rolled-at-the-cuff linen pants and the shirts unbuttoned at the chest... With strong notes of women empowerment in the work place...

When Henley, who works for a company called Seaquest Adventures, is up for the same promotion as her nemesis, the two must embark on a cruise so they have actual experience selling the product and services to their consumers. She has never actually met the man, but she and Graeme consult each other via email and the regular Thursday conference meeting (he works from home in Michigan while she works on site in Seattle). And let me tell you, the banter is off the charts fun. There is a real chemistry there, though it is hidden under the illusion of dislike and competition.

When the two of them (along with Henley's younger sister, Walsh) embark on their Galapagos cruise experience, they both must come up with their own business pitches to win this promotion. But, Henley is quickly learning that Graeme may not be as bad as she always assumed. The connection is strong and getting stronger. Can they manage their feud and their growing closeness at the same time?

This was take you out at the knees adorable. I loved Henley and Graeme so much. I love how he empowers her from the beginning even when she refuses to admit it. I loved the array of other guests on the cruise and how their antics get in the way of Henley and Graeme. The relationship between Henley and her baby sister, Walsh was a really key point of the book as well, creating both a friction and a softness.

This is 100% worth the read if you love a good enemies to lovers romance that focuses around the workplace and the breaking of typical roles that pertain to men and women in a business setting. SO FREAKING GOOD!!

I fell in love with this romance from Angie Hockman, centering around the driven Henley Evans as she competes for a dream promotion against her work nemesis, Graeme. (We all have one, but mine isn't nearly as hot he is though!)

This book has a little bit of everything I love. I was immersed in the Galápagos--a very welcome distraction from the quarantine life of 2020. I rooted for Hanley and Graeme and adored the interaction between them. Hell, even the supporting cast was memorable and endearing. But it also gave me more than I bargained for from a typical destination or enemies-to-lovers romance, it has something to say about women in the workplace and I loved both the recognition of the challenges for women in the corporate world and the empowering narrative Hockman delivers.

I read this in one day and truly enjoyed my mini-vacation! This book made me want to book a trip AND polish up my resume! And for that, I highly recommend Shipped by Angie Hockman.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun, light read that was perfect for dreaming that you’re on the beach relaxing. The expected unexpected challenges the heroine faced were lighthearted and realistic without being obnoxious. The author made you want to root for love and understanding. The ending felt rushed, but the rest of the story made up for it.

Shipped is being marketed as The Hating Game meets The Unhoneymooners. If those two had a book baby, it really would be Shipped. In this story two dueling coworkers are sent on a Galapagos cruise to compete for a director position.
⁣
I read this book in one day, so I clearly enjoyed it! I have been struggling finding romances that I’ve really enjoyed this year for whatever reason, but this was such a win for me. I liked the unique Galapagos setting and that the story naturally incorporates eco tourism, which I found really interesting. Henley, our female MC, got on my nerves a bit at first, but then as the story progresses you really understand where she’s coming from and I grew to love her. Graeme, our male MC, is dreamy and I appreciated that the “hate” part of this hate to love story never came from him, which made for a fun change on a popular trope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read Shipped!

What a darling gem of a debut by @ Angie Hockman! 5 stars to this fun, flirty and fresh novel. Shipped is the story of Henley and Graeme, two co-workers vying for the same promotion, sent by their boss on a company cruise through the gorgeous Galápagos Islands. Henley and Graeme have never met before as he works remotely but they have a tenuous working relationship- filled with lots of snark and passive aggressive emails. When they meet on the cruise, sparks fly and the competition for the promotion heats up in more than one way as they start catching feelings for one another! I felt the chemistry between these two immediately and loved their flirty, witty banter. I also loved watching their relationship grow from workplace enemies to lovers...Both have experienced heartbreak in the past and one is more open to love than the other initially. The story is full of well developed supporting characters including quirky fellow travelers on the cruise, Henley’s misfit but well intentioned baby sister, and her work friends. There were so many laugh out loud moments and the author’s detailed description of the tropical islands gave me incredible wanderlust. Many of the characters experienced significant growth throughout the course of the story and the ending left me happy for everyone. If you’re a fan of the Unhoneymooners, The Hating Game or the Honey Don’t List, check this book out! Such a wholesome, sweet and heartwarming escape! Thank you to Gallery Publishing for the advanced reader copy!

I devoured this story about two cruise line employees competing for a new job opportunity while working onboard a ship! I work as a travel agent, and I enjoyed the cruise ship setting and this adorable romance. This book is being marketed as a cross between The Hating Game and the Unhoneymooners. I have not read The Hating Game, but I did find that it had a lot in common with the Unhoneymooners, another book that I enjoyed.

I tend to enjoy a good "enemies to lovers" story, and I thought both Henley and Graeme were great characters. They had great chemistry and the banter between them was so much fun to read. It was a cute romance, and just the kind of book I was looking for to knock me out of my reading slump.

One thing I didn't love was the ending. I enjoyed the parts when they were on the ship the most, and when they came back home at the end, I though it was a little drawn out and just meh. I also had similar feelings about The Unhoneymooners...in that book, I didn't love it as much once they came back from the honeymoon.

But overall, it was a fun and cute read. Nothing too serious or deep, but the kind of book you can sit down and read in one sitting!

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for sending me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available on January 19.

When I found out that this book was described as a mixture of The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners, I was instantly sold. I love those two stories SO incredibly much and I was excited that Shipped was going to combine those too -- and it did just that. It took my favorite parts of each book (the romance from the hating game and the scenery from the unhoneymooners) and perfectly mashed them together.

We follow our main character Henley Evans as she's working at a travel company primarily focused on the cruise industry. She's up for a promotion to be a digital marketing manager (which greatly excites her because she's in debt and feels like she's at the age to be moving forward in life). However, she's not the only one that is up for this promotion! Enter our next character, Graeme Crawford-Collins (or more perfectly named Graeme Cracker-Collins!) The two of them are tasked to take a cruise to the Galapagos Islands and create proposals on how to raise tourism in those areas in order to obtain the promotion. I LOVED THEIR TENSION! It was incredibly written and I felt that their storylines independently and together were just as strong. I'm a huge fan of the enemies to lovers trope, especially when it's done correctly. And this was executed beautifully! I also just want to point out that often times many contemporary romance novels do not take the time to build their characters and give them personalities but I felt that Henley and Graeme were actually real.

I love in the author's note how Angie Hockman explained her journey on writing about the Galapagos Islands and what it meant to her to write a book about them. I felt that each scene was well-researched and included fictional but also real places she had seen and researched. I felt the passion behind the writing and I really loved that. I felt that her writing was excellent and this did not feel like a debut novel. I can't wait to read whatever she writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley for this e-arc copy!

When a book is slotted to have Hating Game and Unhoneymooners feels...I am there.

This was my first book by this author, I didn't do my research to see if she has others, and I quite enjoyed it.

Henley is a workaholic who is on a short list for a promotion. The competition is someone she hasn't met before, but he drives her bananas.

You see where this is going. He surely isn't going to be a lanky dough-bellied man, of course as these things go...he is gorgeous.

They both get roped into going on one of the cruises their company runs. You can guess where it goes from here. While it was a bit predictable I was happy to read on and find some nuggets of amazing-ness. I loved how the ending stuck it to the big man.

Hockman's note at the end made my heart so so happy. It was such a great way to end the book.

Thank you Gallery Books and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 rounded up to four.

Who else loves cruising with a passion? Who else is still mourning her canceled cruise that was supposed to depart March 13, 2020?!?

I’m not saying this book cured my massive case of Wanderlust, but it did help a little bit! Shipped is an adorable, slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance.

Henley and Graeme are coworkers at a cruise line in competition for the same promotion. Their boss decides to send them on a cruise to the Galapagos Islands. Afterwards, they will both submit proposals and the best one wins the promotion.

I liked both leading characters and enjoyed their banter. Neither was super obnoxious or mean to each other which made their relationship more believable. The cruise setting was fun— especially the stunning Galapagos Islands. And I need to visit ASAP!

This was totally a slow burn romance, but it worked for me here. I think there first kiss might have been at 50% and the real action was even later… I’d give this about a 2/5 on the spiciness scale and would totally recommend it to an older relative without blushing! Ha.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read! Four stars!

Thank you Angie Hockman, Gallery Books and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

Fans of The Unhoneymooners and The Hating Game listen up… this book was a decent blend of those books. Work nemesis find themselves on a tropical, exotic, vacation… sounds great, right?
I enjoyed the banter between Henley and Graeme but everything else was pretty lackluster. There were cartoonish side characters that just didn’t jive with me. The thing that really put me off to this story was the unnecessary jealousy between the Henley and her sister Walsh. The drama between these two didn’t make sense to the story and seemed really petty and immature. I was super irked by this irrelevant subplot and don’t like reading about sister pitted against each other unless it’s done in a way that is vital to the growth of the characters and the story.

While this wasn’t my favorite, I could see it being a fun read to those who enjoy enemies to lovers, forced proximities, office romance

I've read a few romances recently where I loved the setting of the book but didn't necessarily love the romance, and Shipped is one of those books. The best thing about Shipped was the Galapagos Islands setting. I loved reading about the unique place and its inhabitants, the animals, and conservation efforts. It made me want to visit and learn more about it. But the love story was left to be desired.

My favorite romance books are emotional stories that give me all the feels and make my heart flutter, but Henley and Graeme's love story left me cold, unfortunately. I just wasn't invested in their relationship. Shipped is not a bad romance by any means, but it's not a standout either. Also, I am in the minority, so maybe, I am missing something!

Have you ever met someone and instantly disliked them? Henley's co-worker, Graeme, took credit for her idea during an online meeting and she's never gotten over it. Now they're pitted against each other to earn a promotion. What's even worse is that they're both sent on the same cruise ship to determine a marketing strategy. Winner gets the job. Is Graeme really as bad as she thinks or is it all a big misunderstanding? It's a cute story and a nice escape from reality.

I LOOOOOOOVED this book!!! I immediately became obsessed with the characters, the plot, and everything else this book had to offer. Just in case this is the only part of this review you read, here's the part of my opinion that counts. *clears throat* READ THIS BOOK...NOW. please.

This story and plot were very well balanced. That was one of the first things I noticed about it. The book started with enough introduction for things to make sense, but it didn't feel like an information dump or too vague. As well, we got a good sense of all the major and side characters right off the bat without it being overwhelming. And then the book continued to deliver a story that was well-thought-out and completely entertaining.

Speaking of entertaining, this adventure to the Galapagos was so much fun! I loved getting to learn more about this part of the world through the eyes of our main character, Henley. She was eager to learn and absorb all the interesting information which made me feel eager and curious in return. It was just a great adventure that I was so happy I was able to be apart of.

Now, onto my favorite part. The romance!! Graeme...Oh, that man. I feel in love with him right off the bat. He's presented as an enemy at the beginning since he's competing for the same promotion as Henley, but that only jump-started my love for him. He continued to prove how amazing he was throughout the book as I got to know his backstory and who he was really was. As well, it was nice to see some misunderstandings cleared up so his future with Henley could be possible. All I could think of was that Disney song that goes "So this is love..."

Lastly, (I promise this is the last thing), I was so happy things with the side characters were resolved or they were given a happy direction for their future. Hockman weaved the stories of these side characters so intricately into the story that I was just as eager to know how their stories would end as I was about Henley's.

Overall, this book was funny, maddening (slow burn central!!), and made me fall in love over and over again. I've officially turned into an Angie Hockman fan!!

While there's nothing ultimately wrong with this book, I had a hard time connecting with it. Graeme and Henley had a fun back and forth, but I never really felt invested in their relationship. It made the story drag at times and lose my interest, though I think people who love enemies-to-lovers and workplace romances will absolutely adore this one!