Another really fun one! Loving all the vacation set rom coms for the summer and can’t get enough of them! One of my favs for the year so far!

This was more than just an office rivalry romance, hate-to-love kind of story. The setting captured such a beautiful back drop that added more to the story. I felt connected to the MC & her drive, but I was also weary of the decisions she had to make. I appreciated this story as something different, even if it was a bit predictable.

I can’t say enough how much I loved this damn book! Tore through it in day. The characters were loveable and the romance was endearing. Also- can I go to the galapagos now?

I read this this book in one day. I didn't not like the heroine. She was a whiney baby for the entire book. I did like like her sister, and the hero, but it still didn't quite make the book palatable.

This book opens with the incredible premise of enemies-to-lovers mixed with a tropical weather cruise ship. It included wonderful descriptions of wild life and vacation-esque activities that had me jealous of anyone that's seen the ocean in the last year. You can absolutely tell the author has experience in eco-tourism and I loved that aspect of it.

The characters just sadly fell flat for me. Henley's attitude and general lack of attention to other people in her life left me confused as to how she had so many people clamoring to hang with her. It didn't appear as if she had a ton of growth and was hard to find likable. There were some true second-hand embarrassment moments while reading, made worse as I believe they were supposed to be seen as romantic. The ending really pushed me over the edge, it was unrealistic and felt so ridiculous that I struggled to even finish this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

The setting for this book was AMAZING - I adored reading so much about the Galápagos Islands and all the conservancy issues raised throughout the story. And yes, this is a romance, but that’s definitely not the only storyline and the romance is more of a will they won’t they thing than the main focus. I’d argue that the main theme of the book is overcoming sexism in the workplace, and finding oneself professionally. This was a fun read!

I received this book from NetGalley as an eARC in exchange for a review.

This book was everything I needed to get me out of a reading slump. It is a face paced, enemies to lovers romance set on a cruise ship and its the perfect rainy day OR summer beach read. Loved the sub plots and side character plots too. Will definitely be keeping my eyes out for more from Angie Hockman in the future.

This book was so unexpected. I thought I was getting a cute enemies-to-lovers romance. What I got was a cute enemies-to-lovers romance with a feminist twist. The comparisons to The Unhoneymooners and The Hating Game are well deserved. The characters were complex and lovable, despite their flaws. There were so many scenes that had me smiling from ear to ear. Overall, I loved this book.

Shipped By Angie Hockman
Publisher - Gallery Books
Publish Date- 19 January 2021
Rating - 3/5 Stars

***Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery Books, and of course, Angie Hackman for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was…cute! It was for sure not what I expected, mainly because I found the romance to be very..vanilla? how do i explain this? It is more of romance and cut chick lit than a steamy romance. a censored love story if you will. But is well written! I loved the travel scenes and the beautiful landscapes described. I’ve always wanted to go to the Galapagos Islands. I also loved Henley’s proposal in the end. Her growth as well is incredible and I LOVED how it ended etc. I wish we could have seen a bit more growth with Graeme, maybe even double perspective? Nicholi was hilariously weird and I ended up loving him after not really liking in the beginning. I also loved Welsh and her arc and of course, NOODLES, such an academy award-winning cat.

Now for the cons. I absolutely DESPISE the spelling of Graeme. Every single time I read his name it bothered me, and I don’t know why? It is a me thing for sure and shouldn’t deter from the book! I really wanted more backstory and writing from Greame’s perspective.

Other than that, I do recommend it!

This was a great debut romance book from Angie Hockman! I loved the setting and had major travel envy at the characters getting to explore all these amazing parts of the world. I also loved the hate to love plot line. It gave me major "The Hating Game" vibes so if you enjoyed this book you will definitely enjoy this one - though I enjoyed the characters of "The Hating Game" just a tiny bit more. I really liked these characters and the supporting characters. I wish there would have been just one more chapter or an epilogue to tie things up or peak into the future but I guess I will just have to use my own imagination. I am looking forward to reading more of Angie Hockman's books in the future.

I absolutely LOVED this novel! I could completely relate to the protagonist Henley’s core belief that you could get anything you wanted if you worked hard enough for it, and I liked how the author made Henley a smart career woman rather than someone you wanted to shake by the shoulders. I loved the developing romance, and even though I expected it, there were still some twists and turns that kept me guessing. While this genre is often so light and fluffy I find myself rolling my eyes at times, I thought Hockman delivered a really smart twist on the enemies to lovers trope, and I couldn’t put this down. Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley, Gallery Books, and Angie Hockman for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've seen Shipped described as the Hating Game plus the Unhoneymooners. I agree with this, but I think it was better than the Hating Game. If you disliked the Hating Game, please give Shipped a try!

Shipped is definitely a new favorite book! Graeme and Henley work for the same small cruise company. She is a marketing manager and he manages the social media. She is not a fan of him because she thinks he took credit for her idea on a team meeting. Graeme is currently a remote employee so they've never met in person, but only on video calls. A digital director position becomes available and Henley is perfect for the job. There's only one problem, Graeme is up for it too. Their boss James insists they go on a company cruise to learn more about what they do and create a proposal. The best proposal will get the promotion.

Of course all kinds of chaos occurs on their joint cruise as they get to know one another and Henley realizes Graeme isn't really who she thinks he is.

Shipped was a perfect quarantine life read. I could imagine being on a little cruise ship visiting the Galapagos islands. Henley was relatable protagonist. I loved how strong, hardworking and determined she was. I thought the enemies to lovers trope was done very well. Although they had challenges I thought Graeme and Henley had a much healthier relationship than books like the Hating Game. I love how honest they were with each other and how they brought out the best in the other person. I loved the ending and how Henley fought for what she'd worked for and what she deserved.

After this book, Angie Hockman is a new favorite and I can't wait for her next book.

Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, Thank you NetGalley!!

I really enjoyed this book it did remind me in comparison with the UnHoneymooners.

It's a love/hate relationship.

Shipped is about Henley and Graeme who work together, have never met in person before, but are now running for the same position.

Shipped, is a fun, emotional, enemies-to-lovers rom-com. I think you will enjoy it!

Henley and Graeme are coworkers at a travel company being sent on a Galápagos cruise together for work while competing against each other for a promotion. There's rivals to lovers, plenty of forced proximity, and gorgeous tropical settings.

I think this book delivers exactly what it promised when it says it's "The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game." If you've read and loved either of those or are just a fan of low steam contemporary rom-coms, then definitely give this one a shot.

Thanks to Gallery and Netgalley for my ARC to review.

This book was pitched to me as “if Christina Lauren’s The Unhoneymooners and Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game had a baby” and…that was surprisingly accurate. I loved both of those books (reviews to come during future Flashback Friday reviews), so I loved this one as well.

Henley is a very driven, very ambitious young woman who is dedicated to her job, even if it’s to her own detriment. She’s been trying to climb the corporate ladder for so long that she’s forgotten what the prize is at the top, and her constant hustle has cost her relationships with friends and family. But as long as she achieves her goals, it’s all worth it…right? I related heavily to some parts of Henley. I, too, have fallen victim to the perception of always having to strive for “more,” even if I’m not entirely sure of what “more” is or what “more” would demand of me. In her case, the only thing she sees standing in the way of “more” is her work nemesis, Graeme.

Graeme is a bit of a cipher to me, honestly. Perhaps it’s because we spend so much time in Henley’s brain that we don’t get to truly understand Graeme until much later in the book, but he’s just a disembodied voice on a Zoom call (which, let’s be honest, hit a little too close to home during a stay-at-home advisory in a global pandemic) until he’s suddenly not. And then he’s just “insert strong jawline, hot body, and tragic backstory here.” But since I can be a basic bitch when it comes to reading romance, that’s honestly all I really needed? I personally wouldn’t have found prickly Henley to be a compelling reason to upend my life to move halfway across the country after a family tragedy, but to each their own? I mean, I’m sure that if someone read the story of my life, they would judge me hardcore for choosing the delivery guy from the local Thai food joint as my saving grace in a pandemic rather than, y’know, healthcare professionals or essential frontline workers or the developers of any of the vaccines, so who am I to judge?

In any case, these wayward lovebirds are brought together as they compete for a digital marketing gig while doing a research project on a cruise to the Galapagos. While Henley has next to no direct experience, she has the pedigree, the education, and determination to spare. She assumes that Graeme is only benefiting from being a man because he once took credit for one of her ideas during a video conference call during his first week on the job, earning praise from her (admittedly misogynistic) boss and her undying enmity. Color Henley surprised when she discovers that not only is Graeme incredibly talented at his job, but also ridiculously attractive and prone to giving her heart palpitations.

From there, this becomes a comedy of errors, as Henley strives at every turn to best Graeme, who seems to succeed without even really trying. Add to that the complication of an amorous passenger who can’t seem to take a hint and of Henley’s wayward sister trying to help in the only ways she can, and you have a recipe for disaster (and hilarity).

This was a good fluffy read, but not one that really evokes heavy thought. Relatively low angst, although there are subplots that are quite weighty and may be triggering to some (see my content warnings). if you’re into a light enemies-to-lovers workplace romance with some fun forced proximity on a sunny cruise, this is your jam.

This was such a delightful read! I loved the characters and cheered for their relationship. A thoroughly good story with a surprise ending.
Many thanks to Gallery Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was okay. I didn't connect with the romance as much as I hoped I would. I just didn't feel much heat from the two of them, and I kept tripping over both of the main character's names. They had some cute moments, but I didn't quite buy into their conflict/reasons the main character thought they couldn't be together.

The work drama at the end took me by surprise in the best way, though. I loved how the main character worked together with her work friends to go over her shitty boss's head and *spoiler alert* get him fired. I was here for the drama, and for the main character getting the job position she deserves.

I might try another book by this author, but my main issue is that I wanted more from the romance. This sort of felt more like women's fiction to me.

What a fun concept. After reading Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren I've just been in the mood for tropical set stories. While I didn't like this one as much as I was hoping, it was still good!

I really enjoyed this book. It was boasted to be similar to the Unhoneymooners which is an easy favorite of mine and so it had big shoes to fill. What I found was a good rom-com. It was the perfect balance of sweet and steamy, and characters you can't help but fall in love with.

It had me laughing out loud. With a great travel setting when we can't get out ourselves. I really want to visit the Galapagos Islands now!

If you like the enemy to lover trope check this out.

This one definitely had some promise and bright spots, but ultimately just fell flat for me. It seemed stilted and at times so awkward it was painful--not funny. I think Hockman is a great writer and I'm interested to see what she does in the future but I also think that labeling this as a readalike for The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners is doing it a disservice because it's just not on the same level as those.