Shipped | ARC Review

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

I LOOOOOOOVED this book!!! I immediately became obsessed with the characters, the plot, and everything else this book had to offer. Just in case this is the only part of this review you read, here's the part of my opinion that counts. *clears throat* READ THIS BOOK...NOW. please.

This story and plot were very well balanced. That was one of the first things I noticed about it. The book started with enough introduction for things to make sense, but it didn't feel like an information dump or too vague. As well, we got a good sense of all the major and side characters right off the bat without it being overwhelming. And then the book continued to deliver a story that was well-thought-out and completely entertaining.

Speaking of entertaining, this adventure to the Galapagos was so much fun! I loved getting to learn more about this part of the world through the eyes of our main character, Henley. She was eager to learn and absorb all the interesting information which made me feel eager and curious in return. It was just a great adventure that I was so happy I was able to be apart of.

Now, onto my favorite part. The romance!! Graeme...Oh, that man. I feel in love with him right off the bat. He's presented as an enemy at the beginning since he's competing for the same promotion as Henley, but that only jump-started my love for him. He continued to prove how amazing he was throughout the book as I got to know his backstory and who he was really was. As well, it was nice to see some misunderstandings cleared up so his future with Henley could be possible. All I could think of was that Disney song that goes "So this is love..."

Lastly, (I promise this is the last thing), I was so happy things with the side characters were resolved or they were given a happy direction for their future. Hockman weaved the stories of these side characters so intricately into the story that I was just as eager to know how their stories would end as I was about Henley's.

Overall, this book was funny, maddening (slow burn central!!), and made me fall in love over and over again. I've officially turned into an Angie Hockman fan!!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Angie Hockman, go to her Goodreads profile or her website.

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