First and foremost, I absolutely commend this author on her research of the Galapagos Islands. These islands are amazing and do not always get the love they deserve, even though they are extremely famous. The scenery, the atmosphere, and the wildlife are all highlighted and the conservation efforts are highlighted. It’s nice that this location takes center stage as it not only provides the backdrop of the story, but also brings awareness to the threats facing this gem (I encourage any reader to read up on conserving these islands as many species, including the marine wildlife, face many threats).

The immediate connection to two novels that I enjoyed: The Unhoneymooners and The Hating Game created a need for me to get my hands on this novel to read. It takes the idea of two rival co-workers who are up for the same promotion like The Hating Game and places the two of them together on a destination vacation where they constantly have to interact with each other a la The Unhoneymooners. Even though it has similar aspects to both novels, this book makes the storyline its own and can stand on its own two feet.

Henley Rose Evans is a marketing manager for the cruise company, Seaquest. While working full-time, she is also getting her MBA with night classes. She’s incredibly busy and barely has time to keep up with her personal life, or lack thereof, and to take care of herself. When she’s called into the Chief Marketing Officer’s office, her boss James, she is informed that she up for a promotion for the new Director of Digital Marketing position. Unfortunately, she finds that her rival is also up for the same promotion and with him being James’ favorite; Henley has to now work twice as hard to prove she’s the best one for the job.

Graeme Crawford-Collins is the remote social media manager for Seaquest. He and Henley are both informed by James that they will be competing for the promotion. Their task is to go on their first Seaquest cruise to the Galapagos Islands and create a proposal for promoting this region when they return. Not only are they both tasked with going on the cruise, but they both happen to be going on the same one due to their schedules. How will they survive being together on the cruise and who will ultimately get the promotion – read the novel to find out in this fun and entertaining novel.

As the novel is told from Henley’s point of view, you get to experience her ups and downs as she navigates everything. She admits to herself that she had an attraction to Graeme early on in the novel and she constantly has to battle her feelings as he is not only her competition, but he’s not a good person in her eyes. However, maybe all this time together trapped on the same cruise could open her mind to the possibility that Graeme may not be as bad as she originally thought.

My first thoughts with Henley as a character are that she is very relatable to someone trying to balance working a full time demanding career while moving through a demanding graduate program. It was nice to read a character that’s working hard to move ahead in her career and it shows that it’s a ton of work to do both. She’s a bright woman who works hard for what she has which was refreshing. There are moments that happen to her that are very far-fetched, but it didn’t take away from my reading as it wouldn’t be a work of fiction otherwise.

It was hard sometimes though to remember that this was a rom-com novel as the characters go on daily excursions while on the cruise and the scenery seems to be the focus rather than developing the love the story. The two characters interacted and we get brief reminders of their work rivalry and the stakes they are facing to receive the promotion, but it was not centralized like I thought it was going to be. If the reader was Earth, the Galapagos was the Sun and the romance was the moon. Sure they all interact, but the romance was attached to the story rather than being the story itself. It was still extremely enjoyable – it just wasn’t what I expected from the description.

Graeme and Henley don’t quite fit into the enemies to lovers troupe as Henley definitely had her reasons to dislike Graeme, but you never quite felt that Graeme disliked Henley for any reason. He was a very nice and understanding individual so you never quite felt tension between them as it was more one-sided dislike. The chemistry between them was heart-warming and they shared a lot of sweet moments. The background characters of her co-workers Barbara, Christina, and Tory, and of course cruise passenger Nikolai were fantastic additions and was all enjoyable in their own way. Nikolai was the perfect addition as he was extremely entertaining and his scenes definitely stole the show. Henley’s sister Walsh comes along on the cruise as well, but she was not enjoyable to me. She was a very spoiled character who didn’t live up to her one obligation to Henley when it came to the cruise. Her one job was to help Henley gain a new perspective and she was brought along to act as Henley’s support system. She was annoying to me and I just couldn’t get behind her as a character from beginning to end.

Overall, the novel was a very entertaining and light-hearted read. It was enjoyable and I would easily read another novel from this author. My main disappointment was Henley’s career and the cruise itself were more main plot-points than the romance. I wish more development was done to build up the will they-won’t they romantic aspect of the story. The idea of going on a free cruise for the purposes of a promotion sounded fun and almost makes me want to go work for a smaller cruise company for those types of perks. It’s a great and easy read that’s perfect escapism especially for those that miss traveling and want a feel-good story along the way.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for ARC and a chance to experience this great novel. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Shipped by Angie Hockman tells the story of Henley Rose Evans, a marketing manager for a cruise company. When she is shortlisted for a promotion and sent on a cruise with her competition things start to change for her.

The story has a little enemies-to-lovers trope happening, but that changes pretty quickly. The other protagonist, Graeme is really nice! He's this handsome, suave man, with little hints of vulnerability that appear throughout the story! I love the way he's considerate and appreciative of Henley all through the book!

I always love a romance novel that takes place over a vacation! For a debut novel, this book was pretty amazing! It had a good mix of plot and romance, with both serious and sweet moments. Unlike most romance novels, the book didn't just end with a HEA. There was still a couple of chapters after the HEA that tackled some more serious issues. These chapters really enhanced parts of the story for me and helped to flesh out the characters more.

This book was a really light, fun, read! It had a beautiful romance, in a really great location! The secondary characters added to the plot and had really nice storylines of their own! Overall this book was a really good read and I recommend it if you're looking for a feel good romance!

I loved Henley and Graeme so so much! The romance between these two was perfect! I love a good enemies to lovers book and this one fit that to a T! The setting was great for the romance and descriptions were amazing. I would love to read more by this author. I would recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this incredible ARC with me in exchange my honest review!

If a book takes place on a cruise, I’m there. That was a huge “selling point” for me with this book. I enjoyed reading about Henley and Graeme. I actually read this in two sittings. Henley definitely has a dream job of mine! This was a super fun read and I’ll definitely be Che king out future books but Angie Hockman.

Take a cruise to the Galapagos to see if you can come up with a winning slogan that will guarantee a promotion, and do with with your handsome competitor for the same position. Then, fall in love with that competitor. A marvelous cruise with wonderful descriptions. This novel gives you a feeling of the area and may even convince you to travel there.

3.5 stars

This novel was marketed as the lovechild of two of my favorite romance novels so it seemed like it was going to be right up my alley. While this book definitely delivered on its promise of being a mix between the two books, I just couldn’t find myself falling in love with it.

The story itself was cute and I was definitely giggling when the two love interests flirted and ultimately was rooting for them to get together, I had a difficult time getting invested in some of the characters individually. I loved Graeme and felt that his character was well developed but it was hard for me to relate to Henley, whose actions bordered in childish a lot of the time. Her sister, Walsh, also seemed underdeveloped and her storylines fell to the side as distraction from the actual love story. The ending of the novel felt like it was being tied up a bit too neatly and conveniently and made the entire thing seem unbelievable, pulling me out of the story.

Despite this, I still really enjoyed reading Shipped and had a lot of fun following Graeme and Henley’s story. I would without a doubt recommend this novel to fans of romance looking for a fun, light read in the same vein as The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the advance review copy! All opinions are my own.

Billed as The Hating Game meets The Unhoneymooners, I found Shipped definitely hit some similar notes but unlike these comp titles, pumped the brakes heavily on the hate side of things. The pacing is more leisurely, the enmity ends sooner, and in that way, I wonder if this billing sends a bit of a mixed message. The story certainly has forced proximity and an island destination (Unhoneymoooners) and our love interests start off at workplace odds vying for the same position (The Hating Game), but beyond that, this read like a gentler narrative that seemed to bail on its main trope's full arc a bit early. All in all, this was sweet and swoony and a lovely island escape for my imagination!

If you're going to have a "hate to love"/"enemies to lovers" book, you really need to focus on the hate/dislike with a strong buildup to the sexual tension. It's a pretty basic formula, but it was lacking here. It seems like the two barely knew each other, let alone knew each other well enough to hate each other, and they started liking each other pretty quickly, with none of the tension you typically see. It was cute, but not as good as others of its genre.

Outstanding Escapist Read!

This book completely knocked it out of the park for me, and has me dreaming of my own beach/cruise getaway.

Graeme and Henley have undeniable chemistry, it literally sizzles off the pages *fans self* This is a closed door romance, and I feel like I didn't miss a thing!

I devoured this book in less than a day, it was that captivating. Smart, strong, female driven character going after what she believes in, always earns extra love from me. Graeme and Henley's story not only have an enemies to lovers trope, but forced proximity on a cruise, equals some fantastic banter and sizzling chemistry.

The amount of research that went into this book regarding the Galapagos island is astounding in this book, and has definitely made me add this amazing island to my bucked list.

I genuinely loved the supporting characters in this book. They were fleshed out with robust back stories that made them truly feel real. You couldn't help but love them.

Shipped is a fun and exhilarating read. Henley Evans has been working her butt off to meet her career goals and rise the corporate ladder. Graeme Crawford-Collins is her office arch-nemesis, vying for the same promotion as well. The only issue is that she doesn't know Graeme as well as she thought. These two rivals must go on a company cruise together. The person with the best marketing proposal to boost company bookings will win the promotion.

These characters were so adorable. Henley and Graeme's antics were so amusing and I loved their unique names. Henley is ambitious, intelligent, and strong-headed. I love that the author discussed the ways in which women are constantly undermined and overshadowed in workplaces. I really resonated with that. Graeme's character reminded me a lot of Beach Read by Emily Henry. He's not what Henley thinks he is. He's very sweet, funny, smart, and genuine, and of course, very attracted to Henley (something she is so clueless of). He is the perfect book boyfriend, very swoon-worthy.

I really adored this book. It was a fast read that keeps you hooked. I felt that the Galápagos vacationing was very well researched. Hockman's descriptions were so wonderful, you can vividly visualize these places in your head. I can only imagine how remarkably beautiful the views would be in real life. What a spectacular place to set the scene of a romance novel.

This is a wonderful debut novel for Angie Hockman. We have a mesmerizing and exotic backdrop for our lovers. A story about romance, self-discovery, female empowerment, and sisterhood. I will definitely be tuning into Hockman's future releases.

I really enjoyed this book! A enemies to lovers story set in a tropical destination, what more do you need! I love romances where you are rooting for the characters to get/stay together and that is exactly how this book was! Great great great read!

Such a fun read! I loved it so much thank you to the publisher. The book was well written and the characters were amazing

Rating: 2.75 ⭐️

This is marketed as The Hating Game meets The Unhoneymooners, and I couldn’t agree more... unfortunately, this is nowhere near as good as either of those books.

Y’all!! I was so excited about this one!! It was one of my most hyped books of 2021. Sadly it fell flat. It started off great!....but the more I read, the less and less I liked it.

I think my main problem with this was that it incorporated a lot of overused tropes and plot lines that I hate in books... well, that and the fact that it’s soooo cheesy!

It wasn’t all bad though. I’ll give it props for discussing deeper subjects like sexism in business and abusive relationships.

If you’re interested in an enemies to lovers that’s pretty light on the steam and you don’t mind some cheesiness, you should check it out!

This book comes out on January 19. Thank you to @gallerybooks and @netgalley for sending this my way in exchange for an honest review.

This was fantastic! Henley was the most hilarious main character I’ve ever read. I couldn’t stop laughing! The romance was fabulous, the drama was juicy and the sexism in the workplace was very relatable! The cruise trip was a nice experience for someone such as myself that has never stepped foot on a ship before. I have found a new favorite author!

Henley is a hard working, no-nonsense marketing manager at SeaQuest Adventures, Seattle. With a goal of becoming a director before 30, she's willing to work herself to the bone to achieve her dream. However, this dream is threatened when her slimy boss informs her that she's up for a promotion, but so is Graeme--the rude, credit-taking social media manager who works remotely from Michigan. When the two of them are assigned to embark upon a cruise and battle for the best marketing idea to win the promotion, Henley has to reckon with the fact that maybe Graeme isn't the man she thought he was. But is any man worth her career?

Like many others, I was drawn in by the comparison of Shipped to The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners, two of the best romances I've read this year. While the inspiration of the two books can be clearly felt, Shipped ultimately falls short of the mark. The tension between the main characters is stated rather than demonstrated, which made a confusing premise for a hate-turned-to-love novel. The narrative was also distracted at times with the plot swaying the reader from the main path to discuss other modern-world issues that didn't necessarily come up as organically as I would have preferred.

However, I would still recommend this book to someone looking for women's fiction, and let me tell you why: the author acknowledges that this book is more than just the romance between the two main characters--it's about developing sisterhood, recovering from trauma, taking environmental action, and toppling the patriarchy one slimeball at a time.

All in all, I hope that Angie Hockman continues to write more novels in the future. It is clear that she has a vision for bettering the world through her writing, and that's something I can always get behind! 

 Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

I was in the biggest rom com slump for over a month until I read this one. Shipped is the CUTEST story about a girl and a guy who are work enemies who have never met. When they are forced to go on a cruise ship together for work, they realize they may not actually hate each other. There are so many witty moments in this one and the banter back and forth between the two main characters is just precious. Highly, highly recommend this one!

This was such a treat! I loved the concept and it reminded me a little of Christina Lauren whom I love. It was charming without being syrupy and I think we all need a little of this type of vacation right now. Henley and Graham were both interesting characters who I became invested in. I loved the bits about the Galapagos and felt this novel was well researched. Looking forward to even more from this author.

Shipped has all the hallmarks of a beloved contemporary workplace romance. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, witty, steamy, endearing and empowering—but it’s more than that. It’s deeply contemplative at its core and doesn’t shy away from difficult themes. It’s about confronting preconceptions and admitting mistakes. It’s about re-defining success and finding that ever-elusive balance between work and life. It’s about believing in something bigger than yourself. It’s about respect, knowing your worth and fighting for it—being underestimated, overlooked, demoralized and still having the courage to stand up for yourself. Plus, it’s about ABBA. What’s not to love?

The main characters were relatable and well-written, if a bit one-note, and the cast of successful, supportive secondary female characters was delightful. Hockman’s love for the Galapagos, conservation and humanity is obvious and commendable, and in many ways, the author’s note is one of the best parts of the book because it took Shipped from being a modern romance to a modern romance with meaning. Who says romance can’t be entertaining and educational? I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from Angie Hockman.

Take a chance on Shipped—you won’t regret it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

It’s a cute story. It had its funny moments which I appreciate in contemporary romances. It’s said to be a cross between The Unhoneymooners and The Hating Game. I loved The Unhoneymooners and I do see their similarities. I haven’t read The Hating Game so I can’t say anything about that. As far as books go, it doesn’t really stand out for me. It was a good read, don’t get me wrong. I feel like the ending was a bit rushed. Everything that needed to happen happened and the people who needed to make it happen was somehow there. Does that make any sense?

Anyway, if you enjoyed The Unhoneymooners and The Hating Game, it wouldn’t hurt to give this a try.

Thanks for the ARC. The book is available now!

This book was middle of the road for me. There was nothing to the plot that made me sit up or have to read more but at the same time it was well written and the characters didn't drive me off.