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A review by xabbeylongx
Shipped by Angie Hockman
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Spoilers Ahead:
Wow. Another book that I finished in a day - I couldn’t stop reading it. When I saw it at the library, I felt compelled to read it, like it was fate that I had to read it, and I’m so glad that I did.
The story follows Henley Evans, and she’s up against her nemesis, Graeme Crawford-Collins (or Graham Cracker-Collins, as she loves to call him) for the same promotion. James, their manager, decides to send them on one of their cruises, to try and figure out how they can improve sales in their company. Henley brings her sister along, Walsh, to try and appeal to James and show him how a younger audience can enjoy the cruise too.
Upon seeing him for the first time in person, Henley is attracted to Graeme. There seems to be a flirty vibe between the two, though Henley harbours a hatred for him after he stole her idea when he first started working with her. Unfortunately for her, she starts to grow feelings towards him, and the attraction is definitely reciprocated. She’s scared of getting with him though, as she’s worried about her job, but she can’t think of anything else besides him. She pushes him away before it can go too far.
She finally finds a fantastic idea at how she can help out conservation, and she pitches it to James. He shoots her down, and gives the position to Graeme. Henley is shocked, because she worked so hard, but James had never seemed keen on her anyway. She decides to go over his head to Marlen, James’ boss. However, before she can, James steals her idea and intends to use it as his own, which he’s being doing for years, to so many people. He’s rightfully fired, Graeme and Henley make up, and Henley is promoted to an executive position, finally doing something she feels is right.
I can’t even describe how much this book has made my heart soar. Genuinely what I needed. Firstly, the trope?? Enemies to lovers? *chefs kiss*. And it was written with just the right balance, and they didn’t ab*se each other either, they had such a beautiful relationship, and it had such elegant pacing. Secondly, the characters are beautifully written. Flawed but funny, and just beautiful. Graeme is possibly one of my most favourite fictional boyfriends ever. Henley is just a badass, and so we’re all the other beautiful women in the story. I wasn’t sure about Walsh at first, but she grew on me a lot. I think all of the main characters had a fantastic character arc, and it really made my heart burst. There were a few spicy scenes, but nothing over the top, but the chemistry between Henley and Graeme is so evident and beautiful.
There were also a lot of really important topics discussed in this book. Firstly, ab*se. I think that maybe it could have been touched on a little more, as I’m sure people who are that narcissistic will not stop even after you block someone, but I’m going to stay in a bubble and pretend he just left her alone, for my own sake. Next, we have the blatant sexism. Now, all of my girlies in this book are feminists, so strong and powerful, which I love. Nikolai infuriated me, especially when he didn’t ever listen to Henley, but it was nothing compared to the loathing I felt for James, his obvious hatred for Henley left me so upset, and even though James was fired, part of me wishes she got rid of the company, because she deserved so much better. It’s a shame that that still happens today, but I’m glad Henley persevered.
Overall, a fantastic read, and would definitely recommend this to everyone! I will definitely be looking into Angie Hockman more often.
Wow. Another book that I finished in a day - I couldn’t stop reading it. When I saw it at the library, I felt compelled to read it, like it was fate that I had to read it, and I’m so glad that I did.
The story follows Henley Evans, and she’s up against her nemesis, Graeme Crawford-Collins (or Graham Cracker-Collins, as she loves to call him) for the same promotion. James, their manager, decides to send them on one of their cruises, to try and figure out how they can improve sales in their company. Henley brings her sister along, Walsh, to try and appeal to James and show him how a younger audience can enjoy the cruise too.
Upon seeing him for the first time in person, Henley is attracted to Graeme. There seems to be a flirty vibe between the two, though Henley harbours a hatred for him after he stole her idea when he first started working with her. Unfortunately for her, she starts to grow feelings towards him, and the attraction is definitely reciprocated. She’s scared of getting with him though, as she’s worried about her job, but she can’t think of anything else besides him. She pushes him away before it can go too far.
She finally finds a fantastic idea at how she can help out conservation, and she pitches it to James. He shoots her down, and gives the position to Graeme. Henley is shocked, because she worked so hard, but James had never seemed keen on her anyway. She decides to go over his head to Marlen, James’ boss. However, before she can, James steals her idea and intends to use it as his own, which he’s being doing for years, to so many people. He’s rightfully fired, Graeme and Henley make up, and Henley is promoted to an executive position, finally doing something she feels is right.
I can’t even describe how much this book has made my heart soar. Genuinely what I needed. Firstly, the trope?? Enemies to lovers? *chefs kiss*. And it was written with just the right balance, and they didn’t ab*se each other either, they had such a beautiful relationship, and it had such elegant pacing. Secondly, the characters are beautifully written. Flawed but funny, and just beautiful. Graeme is possibly one of my most favourite fictional boyfriends ever. Henley is just a badass, and so we’re all the other beautiful women in the story. I wasn’t sure about Walsh at first, but she grew on me a lot. I think all of the main characters had a fantastic character arc, and it really made my heart burst. There were a few spicy scenes, but nothing over the top, but the chemistry between Henley and Graeme is so evident and beautiful.
There were also a lot of really important topics discussed in this book. Firstly, ab*se. I think that maybe it could have been touched on a little more, as I’m sure people who are that narcissistic will not stop even after you block someone, but I’m going to stay in a bubble and pretend he just left her alone, for my own sake. Next, we have the blatant sexism. Now, all of my girlies in this book are feminists, so strong and powerful, which I love. Nikolai infuriated me, especially when he didn’t ever listen to Henley, but it was nothing compared to the loathing I felt for James, his obvious hatred for Henley left me so upset, and even though James was fired, part of me wishes she got rid of the company, because she deserved so much better. It’s a shame that that still happens today, but I’m glad Henley persevered.
Overall, a fantastic read, and would definitely recommend this to everyone! I will definitely be looking into Angie Hockman more often.