Shipped by Angie Hockman is such a fun, cute book. I love stories like this, which reminded me of The Unhoneymooners, that sweeps me away into another place and are just sweet and entertaining and light. I really enjoyed the setting of the Galapagos islands. At times I wanted to smack Henley for being so mean to Graeme but she redeemed herself!

Take a look:

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?

Perfect for fans of The Hating Game and books by Christina Lauren. I could easily imagine this as a rom-com and if it’s one thing we need it’s funny movies and this would be perfect for the big screen with the backdrop of the Galapagos.

Coming in January! Pre-order here.

When a tag line mentions The Hating Game ad The Unhoneymooners, I am 100% sold on reading that book. The work tension coupled with a tropical vacation? I'm here for it. Overall, Shipped was a cute and surprisingly serious book that I enjoyed.

The main character, Henley, is looking to get a promotion at her cruise line company when she finds out Graeme, her work nemesis, is also up for the promotion. They've never met, but she knows he has been trying to steal her work and undermine her since he arrived at the company. When their boss insists they take one of the company's cruise ships to better market the experience, Henley realizes she will finally meet, but also be trapped with, her nemesis.

Overall, I enjoyed the premise and it was a solid romance read. I was surprised by the serious feminist tone it took at the ending, but not in a bad way. I thought it brought a new level to the book, but would have liked it to be more a part of the whole book instead of the ending. I also found the romance between Henley and Graeme a little off. I think it happened far too quickly and should have been given more time to develop. However, there is a cast of solid supporting characters that really add to the story line.

I do agree with the Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne comparisons, but it missed a bit of the mark for me, so it is a 4 star read instead of 5.

**Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Henley is a busy marketing manager for a cruise line. After years of dedicated work, she's shortlisted for a promotion. Her competition is none other than her most hated coworker, Graeme, who shortly after starting with the company claimed one of her projects as his own to further his own career. The two have never even met since Graeme works remotely from home. But now their boss is determined to send them on one of their own cruise ships. After all, how can you truly promote a product you've never tried yourself. And the creator of the best marketing campaign wins the promotion.
This is a feel good, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that takes you away to sun and relaxation where sparks fly, where sometimes it's best to lose in order to win.
Thank you to Angie Hockman and Gallery books for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

What a fun book! Not only did I enjoy the romance, I loved the supporting characters and most of all, the travel and the Galapagos descriptions were awesome. I learned quite a bit about the challenges faced in that area, but I was glad it wasn't heavy handed. The workplace competition and office politics were well done and the enemies-to-friends pacing was good as well. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments and the beach scenes were so realistic I could almost smell the salt water.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book. I enjoyed it.

I have to admit that both Henley and Walsh irritated me in the beginning because they were so stereotypical! Walsh took a backseat and got better by the end. Henley.... stereotypical through the ENTIRE book! She only “changed” toward the end, as usual! Why couldn’t she have been different sooner?! Other than my gripes, I liked it. Honestly the end of the book was the best part and there should have been more of it.

I saw this described as The Unhoneymooners meets the Hating Game, and I definitely agree with that sentiment. This is, to be clear, much more chaste/closed door and decidedly less steamy than either of those, but the general storyline fits. Henley is a workaholic marketing director for a cruise line headquartered in Seattle, and Graeme works remotely for the same company as the social media marketing person. They have only ever met through video during meetings, and Henley hates Graeme's attitude and communication style. They are pitted against one another to compete for a major promotion, and assigned to go together on one of their cruise line's signature trips to the Galapagos in order to inspire their pitches and presentations for the promotion. They're super attracted to each other physically, but Henley has major trust issues because of a past work relationship that led to her boyfriend stealing her ideas and presenting them as her own. Graeme seems to really want to try for a relationship, but Henley is ultimately too suspicious about his motives. I found Henley very relatable - her trust issues make a lot of sense, she's a workaholic but basically gets no credit from her boss - something that young professional women will certainly understand. The ending was really satisfying for the characters on personal and professional levels, and I really enjoyed the ride overall.

Before I get to the review, I have to say a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers at Gallery Books--through Simon & Schuster--for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Shipped is about two marketing directors who are up for a big promotion and get sent on a cruise to find something to make a proposal on that will help the bosses make the final decision. Only problem going on a cruise with someone you’re up against for a promotion? The fact that these two can’t stand each other. Graeme is all things Henley hates about men in the work place; Henley gets on Graeme’s last nerve. But as they sail around the Galápagos they realize there might be more to the other than meets the eye. Shipped will be released on January 19th and is available for pre-order now.

I asked for a copy of this one because I love hate to love romances. I love the shocking moment when the main character realizes that they might, maybe, possibly be wrong about the object of their hatred. And I feel like the book did a great job giving that to me. I also really enjoyed watching these two sailing around some warm islands while I snuggled up with a blanket and my tablet. I think this book is the perfect getaway for anyone not loving the chill settling into their bones this time of year.

I like how both main characters had their own flaws but were generally good people. And the miscommunications that caused their hate at first were solid reasons to not like someone--especially given their histories--but it still made sense that it all melted away in the end. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Henley and her sister. At first I thought they were going to try to pull a “I’m not like other girls” moment on Henley when her sister first showed up, but the author takes care to point out that the things people compare between them is on the person doing the comparison, not on them.

The two small issues I had that caused the rating were more to do with what I like and don’t like in books. The first thing is that the last third of the novel includes more of the political picture in the office than I expected. Of course, we had to find out who gets the promotion and the fall out from that. But this book took it a few steps further and I didn’t love it. I felt excited for our characters, but it felt like a lot. And the second thing that I didn’t really like is the couple of scenes where the two main characters get physical. I normally don’t like physical scenes, I hate sex scenes, and I normally like when it fades to black. But it felt less like closing the curtain on the scene and more like the author slamming the door closed there. It felt a little inexperienced when it came to writing those types of scenes. This is the author’s debut novel so it’s not surprising.

Overall, I think this is a good book for anyone needing a little summer fun and romance this winter season.

This book combines dynamics of The Hating Game (two characters competing for a promotion) with the setting of The Unhoneymooners (except Shipped is the Galápagos Islands instead of Hawaii). I’m giving it 4 stars because it is a great beach read, or winter escape - a cute and quick read! The hate to love and workplace romance tropes are well done and work with the story.

It was nice to see a female character that was so confident in her abilities - Often times in this genre the woman gets lost behind the antics of an alpha male.

As I sit at home for the 9th month, trapped inside this Covid nightmare, it was fun to get to experience this trip through these characters.

Thanks to Gallery Books and Net Galley for proving me with the ARC of this book.

When I saw this book was compared to 'The Unhoneymooners' and 'The Hating Game' I was a little nervous. I mean. those are some big shoes to fill. After reading, I've got to say... it's accurate. If The Hating Game (my favorite enemies to lovers romance) and The Unhoneymooners had a love child, Shipped would be it! It was an exceptional enemies to lovers/work place romance that had that destination aspect.

Henley has never met Graeme in person, but she knows she can't stand him. And they're up for the same promotion at work. She works for a travel company and when she finds out she has to take one of their cruises... with Graeme... she doesn't know how to feel. She quickly finds out that Graeme is nothing like she expected him to be.

To get the job of her dreams, she has to have a better idea than Graeme. She has to best him. The problem? The more time she spends with him, the more she realized that he isn't quite the villain she's made him out to be. In fact, he's pretty amazing.

The chemistry and banter between Henley and Graeme- off the charts. Henley was a little headstrong and stubborn, but she had her reasons for being the way she was. Being a woman in her workplace wasn't easy. And Graeme- sigh. What an amazing hero. I couldn't have loved the guy more. He was a true sweetheart and he really liked and respected Hadley and wanted what was best for her.

I cannot believe that this is a debut novel. It's so well written, fun, witty, and was a blast to read. There is nothing I love more than falling head over heels with a new author. This is a book I'll highly recommend to all lovers of romance. Take a chance on Shipped. You won't regret it!

This book has some real catnip for me: enemies to lovers, a hardworking heroine, an emotionally intelligent hero, excellent side characters, and forced proximity. It's tagged as a mashup of The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners, and that's pretty accurate. I will say knowing that going in slightly lessened the reading experience for me, because I found myself comparing Shipped to those two books. It was also way less steamy than I was expecting, but that actually worked for this book. Overall, a very enjoyable and fun read.

Shipped by Angie Hockman was a delightful read through and through! The cover screams "FUN" and that's exactly how the plot of Shipped made me feel. The book features an enemies-to-lovers office romance between Henley, a work-obsessed heroine and Graeme A.K.A Mr. Charming as Hell. (title given by yours truly) Falling in love with your nemesis after discovering that he "isn't anything like you imagined him to be" is definitely one of the most cliched storylines out there ~ but Angie Hockman added a refreshing touch to this trope by giving the book a very unique cast of characters. Henley and Graeme were very different people, but as the story went on, they gradually realize that they were, surprisingly, on the same wavelength. I love how they connected through their backstories and shared an intense level of compassion for each other. They helped each other grow throughout the story, which I really appreciated. The witty banter in G&H's conversations made me swoon uncountable times too. 😭😭😭

As individual characters, Henley and Graeme were well-written too. I loved how the author highlighted their flaws, because those made H and G very real to me. Henley’s determination was very inspiring, and I loved how she transformed from being a person with deeply-rooted trust issues to finding the faith to be free while having a successful career at the same time. She won my heart with how loyal she was to the people she cared about. :’)

AND THE SUPPORTING CAST OMG. Walsh, Nikolai, Christina, Barbara and Tory were such fun and quirky characters! They made reading Shipped so, so much better. The description of the scenic sights in the Galapagos Islands took me on a fictional tour too, which was such a bonus!

It’s very rare to find a book where you can laugh your heart out in almost every single chapter, which is why I highly recommend adding Shipped to your 2021 tbr pile.

There are so many things that I adore about this wonderful book. "Shipped" by Angie Hockman, is a romantic comedy that made me smile endlessly, laugh out loud often, and cheer for the growing love story throughout. The characters are endearing and lovable, the plot is quick, smart and fun, and the ending is exactly what we need in these trying (ie..Covid) times. Henley is a self-professed work-a-holic who is vying for a huge company promotion against her arch nemesis, Graeme. In order to come up with their proposals for why they should be promoted, they are both forced to take a weeklong trip to the Galapagos Islands aboard the cruise ship that their company represents. Of course trouble ensues, as do a host of interesting excursions and encounters with delightful, albeit quirky, characters. This is a light read, perfect as an escape, but also unexpectedly informative and educational about parts of life in the Galapagos. I particularly appreciated Ms. Hockman's "epilogue" in which she took the time to raise awareness about climate change and educate the reader about ways to help these islands and other parts of the world. Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books and Angie Hockman for this advanced eARC in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will recommend it to all.

Ugh. How many times have you fallen for the marketing blurb? "Perfect for fans of The Hating Game..." and then you read it and you're like, The Hating Game is sooo much better.

My challenge here was Henley. When you don't like the main character, you are fighting to get through this book. With plenty of false start and stops to will they/won't they, but you know the heroine is not ready to drop her "hate" and take her HEA when we're half way through... you are just exhausted swimming against the tide.

It was work to get through this book, especially when we're not off to a nice start liking our heroine. I wish it was more effortless, less frustrating and more fun to get through.

Okay, when this was billed as "The Hating Game" meets 'The Unhoneymooners" I was skeptical since I love both those books... but this blew them both out of the water (pun intended)! I loved learning about Henley, Graeme, and their friends and careers. The author's focus on ecotourism and conservation was a lovely message that didn't feel too heavy-handed, but rather heartfelt and for the true purpose of spreading awareness. The activism meshed perfectly with the story, plot, and pacing.

I saw a lot of myself in Henley - her work problems and situations made the story all the better. She is one of the best main characters I've read in the multitude of romcoms that have gotten me through the wild year that is 2020.

I even went back and reread the second half because I wanted to have that "wow this is a great book" feeling again! Plan to read this! Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing an advance copy of this book, it brought me joy.

Henley Evans has been marketing manager for a cruise line offering exciting sea expeditions around the globe. No-one in the office exerts more energy or puts in longer hours. Her nemesis Graeme works remotely, replies to her emails in obnoxious one-word responses and has recently become a little too friendly with her male chauvinist boss James. While Henley and Graeme battle for the latest director position, their boss decides to send the duo on the Galapagos cruise to brainstorm a genius campaign and winner takes all. Henley is out for blood, prepared to take her competitor down but when she lays eyes on this gorgeous hunk in person for the first time all her resolve melts away. As hard as Henley tries she cannot resist this charming foe. Through a series of laugh out loud mishaps and loads of steamy chemistry, the young marketing gurus make the most of this very cool adventure and unexpectedly learn the truth of their own desires. Pack your bags and set sail with this delightful romcom! Releases January 2021.

When I saw this was a combination of The Hating Game and Unhoneymooners plus this super cute cover, I knew I had to read it. This was a super cute read with a strong female and a nice male. I loved the travel and the ideas Henley came up with. It was super cute, and I enjoyed it!

I was drawn to this book because of the comparisons to The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners, two books I love. I don’t think I loved this one as much, but I really enjoyed it!

I knew going into this book that the resolution to the conflict of the two protagonists competing for the same promotion was going to have to be creative and different from the resolution of the same conflict in the comp titles. Personally, I think this novel does it better! The way Henley has to race against time with her talented (and funny!) group of girl friends to come up with a kick-ass proposal was super gripping! Also, romance novels don’t usually have as great a focus on the female protagonist’s work-ethic, so Henley’s drive and determination was refreshing! Henley’s a true boss bitch. I really enjoyed that Henley thinks bigger when she finds out that she didn’t get the promotion. In the end, the resolution satisfies both Henley and Graeme, which I really liked.

I don’t totally enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope because I think that the enemies bit sometimes drags on unnecessarily long, but I found that Henley and Graeme didn’t remain enemies for very long. The pace was good.

Definitely recommend!

This book was such a pleasant surprise. Through the first few chapters I thought this might turn out to be a generic tale of rivals turned lovers but I was so excited about the story as I read on.

This book turned out be completely unique with an immense amount of heart. The characters are well developed and I love how real they felt. By the end they could have my real group of friends. This book was well researched and although it is a work of fiction there are many real elements included. I appreciated the details of locations in the Galapagos as well specific scientific information included.

A superb enemies to lovers tale set in an amazing location! Three cheers for strong women in the workplace. I expect this will be a hit when it hits the shelves!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: January 19, 2021

This book was touted as being similar to The Hating Game, a book I recently enjoyed. I thought Shipped started slower, and I was getting a little frustrated. Then, the ending was so much more satisfying! A fun, romantic tale with a dash of eco-conservation and a great big dollop of female empowerment! Henley is a bad-ass. This book will leave you smiling!

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital review copy in return for an honest review!

Take one ambitious marketing manager and toss her on a cruise ship with her competition for a big promotion at work - a gorgeous social media manager - and hijinks are sure to ensue. Henley has a grudge against Graeme for various slights at the office, but, as Graeme works remote, she has never set eyes on him in person. Their boss has sent them on one of the company's cruises to work on presentations as part of the promotion decision. Sparks fly with every encounter on the ship but gradually Henley starts to recognize Graeme isn't the villain she had thought. The setting in the Galapagos is wonderful and makes me now want to visit for myself.

As with most enemy to lovers stories, there are plenty of moments when you want to smack one or both of the characters for poor decisions or assumptions. This book is being compared to The Unhoneymooners (enemies sent on vacation together) and The Hating Game (workplace enemies to lovers). Those are two of my favorite romances so I think it's unfair to compare this one to them. There are similar themes, and it's a quick read. Nothing groundbreaking, but in this time where we are all looking for a little escape it's a good way to indulge.