Title: Shipped
Author: Angie Hockman
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication date: January 19th, 2021
336 pages
4/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
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?
Review
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.
Happy reading, folks!
Baltimore Bibliophile 