Review: Shipped by Angie Hockman
I was really looked forward to reading Shipped by Angie Hockman because I had seen it compared to The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, which is a book I loved when I read it in 2019! An island setting, an enemies to lovers romance, work place romance, all good things in my romance requirements.
I liked this book. I think my romance preferences have shifted cause I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. It was super cute but I wish it had a little more oomf. But if you are a fan of closed door romance, this might work for you!
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?'“ —From the publisher
What I Liked:
The Setting—The Galapagos will always make me think of Ted and Alexis on Schitt’s Creek! It was a fun setting, one I didn’t know a lot about and I appreciated the effort made on conservation.
The Character Names—This is so odd and specific I know, but I just thought all the characters were given such good names throughout this book!
The Side Characters—I really enjoyed getting to know everyone in this book! I thought everyone was funny and quirky, a good cruise crew.
What Didn’t Work:
The Romance—I really wasn’t invested in Henley and Graeme. I felt like it was really unbalanced and wouldn’t have labeled it was enemies to lovers. We also didn’t get to spend too much time with them. I just didn’t bu it.
The Conflict—It felt like a usual work place romance conflict with lots of miscommunication. Kind of just felt like Henley was a caricature of the woman in the office not taken seriously.
TW/CW: loss of a parent, power conflict at work
Character Authenticity: 2.5 Steam Rating: 0.3/5—totally closed door. Overall Rating: 3/5