Angie HockmanRezensionen

Low 3.

A fun little chick-lit novel to read on a plane or in the park. The setting made it (Galapagos!), not so much the characters (esp. the main character). It is a very formulaic breezy summer romance. But it was short and very feel-good (unlike the other stuff I've read this year).

Marketed as a cross between two books I liked, setting in the Galápagos Islands got it a point for originality, and seeing a tweet from a friend about how much they enjoyed it put it right at the top of my list.

Totally enjoyable but not overly compelling. Worth reading but not anything I’d tell you to rush out to buy. Solid library book.

Mostly writing a review for myself, so I can avoid sequels. This was no The Hating Game. The main character was unlikeable, and her conflict with Graham was clearly one-sided. Her relationship with her sister was bad, and seemed to be largely her fault. She was also obsessed with "getting ahead" at work solely for the sake of a title. These are my main three triggers for disliking books, so I'm amazed that I finished it. I kept reading to get to the unnecessarily dramatic ending that some reviews mentioned, and that was my favorite part.

I did enjoy the Galapagos sightseeing information, as well as the environmental messages.

2.5 stars
A tropical vacation being exactly what is on my wish list right now, Shipped blurb was right up my alley. The Galápagos Islands did not disappoint and I wished I was there as the author had done a really good job of researching. I also really liked Henley and her work ethics and all. The actual romance however was a little less exciting. The greatest sticking point to the relationship between Henley and Graeme was that it ultimately lacked tension and subsequently felt a bit flat. In a romance novel, the OTP journey is the most important and one should be very invested and sadly I was not in this book.

I will describe it as an average beach read. Nothing bad, but equally nothing that stands out.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

My problem with enemies-to-lovers storylines tends to be that I don't buy the change, whether it's the reason for it or that I don't believe either the enemies part or the lovers part. But Hockman nailed the plot. I bought it all. And I shipped it all so hard because of it.

The work dynamic was fascinating, even if at the end it felt a little bit too neatly wrapped up. I loved how Hockman demonstrated Henley's relationships with her colleagues and how they manifested outside work. And of course her sister was an absolute delight, with many nuances to her.

And our Russian lover-boy was absolutely hilarious!

After finishing the Bar Exam, Cassidy Walker is in a car accident and stays in a coma for 6 days. When she wakes up, she has a memory of a man named Devin that she had been in a relationship with for three months. The catch is that there is no man named Devin in her life and no relationship. During her recovery, Cass continues to sketch the man she thought she knew as Devin until one night, she actually runs into him at a local flower shop owned by his brother, Perry. Cass arranges a meeting with Devin and begins to date him, but Devin isn't exactly as she remembers him.

Dream On opens strongly with a unique idea for the beginning of a relationship, but goes downhill quickly as Cass begins to have doubts about Devin and a love triangle ensues. As an audience, we are forced to switch allegiances midstream and somehow, that just doesn't work. Also, the reason given for Cass's memories seems weak. In addition, the foreshadowing of events and coincidences in the book are very loud, but the character's motivations are way too quiet. There are some strengths to the story including Cass's realization about her life's goals, but overall, Dream On begins with a promise that it simply doesn't fulfill.

Wonderful Debut

This was the first book in a long time that I’ve read and forgot that I was actually reading, simply because I became so engrossed in the story! It made me want to drop everything and book a trip to the Galapagos. I very much look forward to reading more from Ms. Hockman!

Wonderful Debut

This was the first book in a long time that I’ve read and forgot that I was actually reading, simply because I became so engrossed in the story! It made me want to drop everything and book a trip to the Galapagos. I very much look forward to reading more from Ms. Hockman!

Wonderful Debut

This was the first book in a long time that I’ve read and forgot that I was actually reading, simply because I became so engrossed in the story! It made me want to drop everything and book a trip to the Galapagos. I very much look forward to reading more from Ms. Hockman!

Not since ‘You Deserve Each Other’ did any book ever come to par with ‘The Hating Game’ and when the blurb of ‘Shipped’ was released, I was like YAAAAAAAAAAAAAS! This might be the next big thing but… yes there is a but—it didn’t live up to the hype and now all the hopes and dreams I had had for this love child is now shattered and blown to smithereens.

Sure, it’s justifiable as to why this book is marketed for fans of ‘The Unhoneymooners’ by Christina Lauren and ‘The Hating Game’ by Sally Throne. They all share the same elements: enemies turned lovers/arch-nemesis, bitter rivalry, misunderstandings, family drama, and yada yada yada. And what set this novel apart was the fact that it failed to deliver.

It was easy to follow, straightforward and had all the elements I usually gravitate towards. What essentially makes or breaks a novel are the characters and the romance which is what killed this read for me. It lacked depth, there was little to no build-up and the tension was laughable at best. And lets talk about how there were pretty much zero interactions between Graeme and Henley (unique names I give it that) besides the generic work meeting that happened once a week (with the hero tuning in remotely) prior to the cruise. How would anyone consider them ‘bitter rivals’? It just didn’t do it for me and though I wouldn’t say it was terrible (it was cute to some degree), I will probably forget everything that happened in this book within a week.

Overall, it was a meh and unmemorable read.

Dream On by Angie Hockman
Contemporary romance.
After waking from a coma, Cass remembers a relationship that never actually happened. Resigning herself to recovery, she restarts a Summer Associate job hoping for a job offer and moves in with a long time friend. An impulsive flower purchase sparks a flirty conversation and a shocking meeting of the man from her false memories.

Cass and Devin start a relationship based on attraction and her memories. She becomes involved with work and community.
I loved this story. But it’s hard to review without spoilers.
I felt that first spark of attraction and interest. I felt the lack of depth and connection in the relationship with Devon. I admired Cass and her ultimate decisions. I figured out the Sadie connection long before the reveal.
One of those sigh worthy romance endings.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I can’t wait to share this with romance bookclubs.

"Fate is the excuse people use to justify when life-altering things happen, when in reality it's the results of the decisions they make - and maybe a dash of pure dumb luck."

When Cass wakes up after being in a coma for 6 days, she has memories of her boyfriend Devin that (to everyone's knowledge) does not actually exist. Fast-forward a year later, after healing from her accident, she is ready to kick butt and take names in the lawyer world. But her life gets turned upside down when she runs into Devin - in real life. What's a girl to do?

This was such a cute rom-com. I could 100% picture this as a movie, it had everything I could ask for. And even some things I didn't know I wanted.

I loved it all.

Spoilers (with no context): Gaslight. Gatekeep. Girlboss.

~ARC received through GoodReads Giveaways~

This is light fare! It's a long time since I've whizzed through such a light insubstantial book - nevertheless, whizz I did as it is readable and fast. Too much of it is her focus on her promotion - the one she feels is due to her. Fortunately, the setting of the Galapagos Islands makes up for this rather boring obsession as the major topic of a novel. And then there's Graham, who admires Henley and sees her good points, luckily. He's this near silent love struck colleague. Who even she admits would also be a very worthy recipient of the promotion. So there's these underwhelming, unoriginal tension devices offset by some delicious humour when describing the other tourists and the Galapagos.

I see below now, that it is compared with Christina Lauren's The Unhoneymooners - a good comparison! A bit too much snarkiness saved by some well written humour. Oh, and I agree with Jynell, for a contemporary romance, it's strange how there is no writing that fogs up the porthole! It's very tame, which is odd because you would not predict it from the forthright language and references.½

Henley is up for an office promotion when she learns that her rival Graham is the other person up for the same spot. She works in Seattle. Graham works remotely in Michigan. Their boss decides to send them on a cruise to the Galapagos so they can work up separate social media campaigns to promote this cruise for the company. The winner gets the promotion.

This debut is getting compared a lot to THE HATING GAME and THE UNHONEYMOONERS and I definitely felt a similar vibe while reading SHIPPED! I loved the snarky voice. Henley and Graham have never met in person before the cruise, and in fact have barely even talked, so it doesn’t *quite* have the same arch-nemesis feel of THG. But I liked the dynamic between Henley and her slightly flakey younger sister, the secondary characters were fun, and sometimes you just want a light beach read, so I found myself kicking back and enjoying this one. I like books that take me on a trip somewhere and getting to go to the Galapagos with a fun romance was a nice escape read.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.

What a cute, enjoyable read. I sailed through this with my bookclub! The characters kept us laughing and gave us much to discuss.

I wished it had a bit more steam and romance in it, but it was definitely fun to read.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinions.

dnf @ 36%

it's not you, it's me

DNF less that 25% in. Henley is just unpleasant. It's romance, I need to like the character I am supposed to relate to.

After all the work Henley Evans has done, she's finally up for the promotion she thinks she deserves, but there is a catch. The man that she has been working with online, Graeme Crawford-Collins, is up for the same promotion. Henley is sure she is more qualified than he is and after working with him for so long, she also believes him to be a jerk. Henley and Graeme are assigned to go on one of the company cruises to the Galapagos Islands. Upon their return, they are each to present their proposal to decide who will win the new position. When Henley's sister shows up unexpectedly and pushes her way onto the cruise also, Henley has her hands full.

Shipped's biggest strength is in the descriptions of plant and animal life on The Galapagos Islands as this has obviously been well researched. There is some chemistry between the two protagonists, but nothing between them ever feels urgent or necessary. They both have backstories that make them sympathetic characters, but some of their choices are questionable, especially Henley's. Themes of harassment and abuse are touched on briefly, but are not major parts of the story. Overall, Shipped is a light, well-researched romance that would make it a good beach read. 3 1/2 stars.

⭐⭐⭐3.5 but Rounding up to 4⭐⭐⭐



I LOVED the first fifty percent of the book and if it continued that funny vibe throughout the book, it would've been a 5 but still I liked a great deal.

PROS:

⭐ The idea: A vacation in an Galapagos cruise, I mean which romcom lover won't love it?

⭐ The characters: I liked both the main leads: Greame, especially, he came off sweet to me from the very start. Henley was nice but got angry quite fast in situations.

⭐The funny scenes: A lot of scenes were embarrassment and I mean, you gotta have them in fluffy romances and the ones in this book were funny as hell.

CONS:

⚫ The ending was flat. I needed something more.

⚫The second half wasn't as funny as the first one, good but that great.

***
Alas, it was a really nice book that I would totally recommend to Romcom lovers.

****

Henley and Graeme's story is not so much enemies as competitors to lovers as they compete for the digital marketing job at Sea Quest Adventures, a boutique cruise line. Their boss sends them both on the Galapagos cruise to have their chance at pitching ideas for the business. The boat is a perfect set up for proximity and Henley's eco idea sounds fantastic. I also like the relationship with Henley's sister Walsh and found that side story really enriched things overall.

Shipped is such an adorable novel that will give you that "Calgon, take me away" feeling as you bask beach side with this cute-as-pie read.

Henley and Graeme, office rivals, are pitted against each other by their boss to duke it out over a promotion at work - winner take all. Their proving ground? The Galapagos Islands (rough life, eh? - ha ha).

Henley, who is, shall we say, a little tightly wound is slowly coming to realize that Graeme isn't as awful as she'd thought. And that maybe, just maybe, she's working so hard for a living that she's not really living at all.

A sweet story, with a great moral to be told about life. I hope you'll enjoy this one too!

Still not sure? Read an excerpt of the tale at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shipped/Angie-Hockman/9781982151591

A big thank you to Angie Hockman, GalleryBooks, and NetGalley for providing an Advance Reader Copy of Shipped in exchange for this honest review.

Get your copy of Shipped today, on https://bookshop.org/lists/best-fiction-of-2021 - the online bookstore that gives 75% of the books' profit margin back to indie bookshops.

Summer is for fun and frothy books. And what's more fun and frothy than an enemies to lovers rom com novel? Angie Hockman's Shipped is the perfect book to tuck into your beach bag to enjoy when your toes are pushed into the sand.

Henley Evans is working full time for a cruise line and going to school for her MBA. She is incredibly hard working and between all of her actual work and her school work, she has no social life at all. Her biggest thrill is in the email zingers she sends off to the company's remote social media manager, Graeme Crawford-Collins. Graeme frustrates Henley no end but she's also a little intrigued by this man she's only met over the phone, a man who seems to skate by through ingratiating himself with their boss and taking credit for one of Henley's brilliant ideas. So it's particularly galling to Henley when the company creates a new position and she and Graeme are both up for the promotion, a promotion that is, by all rights, hers. They'll have to take a Galapagos cruise, together, and create a proposal to entice more travelers to this particular vacation package. The one with the best proposal earns the promotion. Complicating matters is Henley's sister Walsh, who Henley takes with her on the cruise to help her get an outsider's perspective on the trip, and who is having personal problems of her own. Can Henley fight her growing attraction to Graeme, help her sister, and create a homerun of a proposal all at the same time?

The entire novel is told from Henley's point of view, allowing the reader to see the reasoning behind her misunderstanding of Graeme and her confusion as she adjusts her picture of him. There is no similar insight into Graeme so the reader learns about him and his motivations at the same pace as Henley. Interestingly, she is the character who blows hot and cold while he is more consistent, if she just wanted to open her eyes to that fact. The plot is sweet and the light touch of the importance of conservation and the issue of misogyny in the work place help give the novel a bit more depth. The reader roots for both Henley and Graeme so the ending is both endearing and so beyond unrealistic that it almost works. At the very least it leaves the reader satisfied.

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 meets 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?

Thank you, Goodreads and Gallery Books for the chance to read Shipped!

“{A rush of excitement fills y head and my lungs with pure, unbridled bliss. I’m soaring like a sparrow above an eagle. I’m swimming with the sharks. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve earned my namesake.}”

“{I feel like a rock star.}”

Shipped was a nice refreshing read! It has a little bit of everything. It’s funny! It has likeable characters! It has some romance. And yes, Henley and Graeme are supposed to fall in love but, the romance isn't thrown in your face where it over powers the other good parts of this book. It is beautifully written! I have not read The Un honeymooners or The Hating Game so I can't say for sure if the comparison is correct. But from everything that I have seen about this book says they are. This would be a nice beach read or on a really cold night bundle up and get comfy and crack open this book and let in some warmth in your life! Happy reading everyone!

Henley Evans is driven. She wants to be the best at everything. She works extremely hard at her job at a cruise company, she is trying to get her masters degree, she dives into everything with 110% effort. But there is only one problem- Graeme, who is competing for the same promotion at work. Their boss decides to send both of them on a cruise to the Galápagos Islands so they can develop their proposal pitch for digital marketing director. While there, the spark between them is unmistakable. However, Graeme is an obstacle to Henley getting the promotion.
Shipped is a delightful story of two people finding their way and their voice, of standing up for what you believe, and of recognizing who has your back. Shipped also spotlights conservation efforts. I look forward to reading more from this author.