Shipped Rating: 3/5
Shipped Synopsis: Henley is balancing getting her MBA and a full time job as a marketing manager for a cruise line. She has her eyes on a new position opening up that’s another notch up the corporate ladder with pay to match it. The issue? Her rude coworker (one she’s never met in person) Graeme is up for the promotion as well. They’re sent off on cruise to the Galápagos Islands on a competition to see who can garner the most online hype for the company. But the Graeme that Henley thought she had figured out is nothing like the actual Graeme. All is fair in love and war, right?
Review:
Can I go on a free trip to the Galápagos Islands? Please?
This was a cute romance. Enemies to lovers on a cruise fighting for the same promotion, you know the drill. Did I love it? No. Was it easy to get through? Yes. Did I skim some of it because I was sorta bored? Also, yes.
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy reading this. It’s a very clean romance. The setting of a cruise ship was fun and made me completely envious. I loved the themes in the novel, especially the ecotourism aspect. The end was good. I love when sexism is addressed and conquered. I liked that Graeme was not like other leads in workplace romances. He didn’t hate her because she was beautiful and he didn’t know how else to act (like seriously people GROW UP from that, ugh). I liked that Graeme was about clearing the air and conversing like actual adult humans!
What I didn’t like was Henley is very wishy-washy. She has one thought and then completely goes against it in the next scene. She can’t make up her mind on anything. All she does is work & is boring, which same here, but I never really felt connected to her in any way.
I honestly didn’t care if she got a HEA. I couldn’t get myself to even feel bad for her at the end when everything goes to hell. Maybe because I didn’t see her suffer. Maybe because she was a kinda shallow character. Which brings me to the point that this book suffered from lack of characterization. There was little growth from anyone.
Also Graeme’s speech to Henley was creepy AF and while she thought it was swoon worthy I did not.
Long Story Short:
Do I recommend this book? Eh. If you liked Ten Rules for Faking It (my review) or The Unhoneymooners (my review) go for it. I can’t really say which way I lean on it.
This isn’t to dissuade you from reading it though! If you like clean, cute, Hallmark fiction GO FOR IT! It’s just not my cup of tea. There are several saccharine sweet moments that are swoon worthy💕
I purchased my own copy from my local bookstore.
Here is the Amazon Link (I am NOT affiliated with Amazon)
Have you read Shipped? What did you think? Am I being too critical?
All opinions are of my own are not reflective of anyone else. I buy/loan all of the books I review unless specified and I only give my 100% true opinion on them.
