First, I want to congratulate the author on her second novel release! I read her previous work, THE DONUT TRAP, and while delicious, I was left a little wanting in the depth department. I did not have those same qualms here and I can see the growth in maturity to the character depth!

The AAPI representation was wonderful in this, with two different Asian characters, households, and cultures. I very much enjoyed and appreciated the diversity in this novel, and how those complexities contributed to how they navigate their lives. I also appreciated feeling as though I had more conclusion to the situations and circumstances throughout the story, something I didn't entirely feel by the end of THE DONUT TRAP. I can absolutely see the growth of the author's writing and approach to story and character development.

Most of my quibbles are superficial in nature, like reading a perfect January read in the blistering heat of June. I do, however, wish that the relationship of the two main characters had felt more consistent. As the story goes on, readers are hearing about their work-wife/-husband relationship and the little things they've always done for each other, how they have this solid basis of friendship. However, the introduction of the characters don't truly portray this kind of familiarity, so it caused some bumps of believability to me.

On the whole, a solid Romance title and significant improvement from the author's previous work!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for an advanced copy for review! I voluntarily read and reviewed this title, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing an ARC.

This is about Cadence & Matt, who are co-workers turned friends turned lovers (but starting with fake dating).

I desperately wanted to love this book, and I did indeed love parts of it! I loved the setting, mostly the Bay Area because I am from there. (I recognize that is bias but at least I'm self-aware). I loved the references to Karl the Fog, Jabbawockeez, Filipino heritage/words, and the AAPI representation in general. I also found some sentences to be so beautifully crafted and fun to read. I also appreciated Tieu highlighting the struggles Cadence navigated with her family, as that felt very relatable.

However, the pacing felt a bit too slow at some points and it sometimes felt like I couldn't fully grasp the author's authentic tone/voice. I believe you should write what you know, in a way that is true to your own voice. I think if some of the writing was less ~*~verbose~*~ that I would have enjoyed the book more. I think the writing just felt too inconsistent.

I didn't really understand their friendship build-up in the beginning. I felt like I had to re-read the beginning chapters to gauge what their professional relationship was like and when/why it turned friendlier?

I enjoyed reading about Cadence & Matt but was left wanting a bit more in terms of actual romance & consistent writing.

This is a workplace romance with an office setting, that reminded me a lot of Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly from the tv show, The Office. It’s a coworkers to friends to lovers romance, with some fake dating. The AAPI rep is amazing, I loved the diversity in characters, and the dual point of view was on point. I also really enjoyed the reverse sunshine/grump trope, as well as the meddling family dynamics. I would’ve loved more romance build up, & chemistry between the characters.

Matt & Cadence are known as being each others work husband & work wife, but their relationship didn’t take a turn (in a romantic way) until they went on a work trip together to Southern California. Will the attraction they have for eachother be strong enough to become more than coworkers, Or will the promotion they’re both competing for push them apart.

If you enjoy workplace romance with an office setting and low spice, then this one is for you!

You can expect:
* Workplace Romance
* AAPI Rep
* Real Estate Office Setting
* Low Spice
* Based in California
* Friends to Lovers
* Witty Banter
* Reverse Sunshine + Grump
* Fake Dating
* Meddling Families

I loooved the Asian representation in this book (a good chunk of it takes place in San Gabriel, CA), and I really enjoyed the nuanced discussion surrounding immigrant household experiences. The workplace romance was fun, but I think at its core, this is a story about Asian American families (with a little bit of friends-to-lovers romance sprinkled in). As a romance lover, I wish there had been more of Cadence and Matt!! We're told that they've sat next to and worked with each other for years at the start of the book, but we aren't really shown examples of what the foundation of their friendship looked like. They become "best friends" super fast and end up dating with no real buildup. I also struggled a bit with Cadence's character – she was so... mean? Especially compared to the jovial Matt who gets along with everyone. I wish we could have seen a little more growth from both of them as individuals. Overall, I thought this was a fun and quick read, but I personally didn't connect with the main characters so it wasn't a standout for me.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Circling Back to You is a grumpy/sunshine workplace romance that somehow manages to be both friends to lovers and an enemies to lovers. Although I really liked the characters and the premace, it never really came together for me. Cadence and Matt seemed to be fighting themselves more than anything else. Matt knew what he wanted in both his relationship with Cadence and his career, but he just couldn’t act on it and Cadence was letting her perceived obligations stop her from even knowing what she really wanted.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

• Friends to Lovers
• Workplace Romance
• Family Dynamics / Expectations
• Forced Proximity

Circling Back To You was a fast, easy and satisfying friends to lovers, workplace romance romcom read that really hit the spot in terms of what I needed in a read. Some books you pick up and it just feels effortless to read – that was the case for me here, I picked it up and was caught up in the story and enjoying the escape it provided.

In this case Cadence and Matt both work for Prism a real estate company. Cadence is a very talented (and underappreciated) analyst and Matt is a fairly charismatic and ambitious, broker. An unexpected snag with a client leads to an extended work trip to Los Angeles for the two, where forced proximity kicks in for their work arrangement / extended stay arrangement. In addition, both Cadence and Matt’s families are based in the LA area – so worlds are colliding as the two navigate work, familial expectations and obligations and seeing each other in a new light.

I love a good romcom and while friends to lovers isn’t always my trope – apparently, I’m a sucker for the friends to lovers via office romance (a la Jim and Pam in The Office and the like). So needless to say, this was really working for me. I liked both Cadence and Matt – I thought they were interesting and complex characters, they felt very real because as in real life they had multiple facets to them and not all of them were ‘polished’ or pretty. I liked that they felt like relatable human beings who had flaws, struggles, differences and things to work through. I also appreciated the author’s ability to add this layer in to her characters without taking away the levity and heart of the story.

I enjoyed the Dual POV – it gave so much insight into each character and where their head was at throughout. I loved that though neither was perfect, this gave them both room to grow and adapt – and to get to know one another. I loved the forced proximity situation and the fact that it lent itself to easily fitting in time in both families.

My one wish is not integral to the story itself, but I would have been happy for some real comeuppance and consequences for Bill and Hunter. I know that wasn’t the focus, and unfortunately all too often in real life these things don’t have satisfying closure, but in a ‘perfect world’ I wanted both to be held accountable for their rude and disgusting behaviors.

Overall, I found this to be a fun, satisfying romcom read and I look forward to more from Julie Tieu in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and freely given.

I really loved The Donut Trap by Julie Tieu, her writing style is fun and I have a similar sense of humor. This book wasn't quite as enjoyable to me as TDT. I was initially confused because the MC acted like she never interacted with the male protagonist, but then they were suddenly very close at work and people were always thinking they were together and work wife/husband, so this was confusing. The steam and spice was really fun and I enjoyed that this was more present in this book compared to her previous work. I do think the characters were a tad too dramatic and it was unnecessary at times.

Below review will be posted on Goodreads and my instagram (centralparkreader) on 6/17.


“Emotions didn’t neatly follow an “if x, then y” logic. They were immeasurable, amorphous. At times, insurmountable.”

Circling back to you by Julie Tieu
Pub Date: 7/12/2022
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟💫 (3.5/5)
Spice: 🌶🌶 (2/5)

Tensions are high with Cadence and her family. Matt is stressed trying to get a promotion. These work friends end up in their hometown LA for 2 weeks working on a real estate deal but family and emotions get in the way.

This book was initially hard for me to get into. Cadence starts cold to her family and friends. She’s clearly struggling with the loss of her mother but is unable to talk about it. But as her and Matt’s romance buds she opens up and becomes more likable. I love how Julie so seamlessly blended Chinese and Filipino cultures. She also addresses workplace harassment in a way most romance novels don’t. Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s a great casual read


If you like:
- Workplace romance
- Asian and Filipino families
- Old people coming around

Thank you to Net Galley and Avon/Harper Collins for proving me with an eARC of this novel.

An office rom-com full of banter and sexual tension? Uh yeah, I'm in. This book is written at a lightning fast pace, which can lead to having to reread the pages a couple times. For me, I felt like I was being thrust through the story, rather than getting to enjoy it leisurely. But I loved Cadence and Matt together, so it was worth it. Apart from the lightly steamy romance, you also get a fun workplace dynamic at PRISM. And on top of all of that, you also get to experience the cultures of Cadence and Matt's families! I wanted to hang with Matt's cousins and drag race in Tristan's car Fast & the Furious style.

*Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This was a cute workplace romance between Cadence, an analyst, and Matt, a broker at a commercial real estate firm in San Francisco. They've been into each other for a while but don't admit it until a series of events ends with them staying together in a hotel suite in LA while they try to land a huge deal. They both have family in the LA area, and Matt wants to get back to his - a big boisterous Filipino clan with lots of very close cousins who are leaving Matt behind as they get married and have kids. Cadence has a small family, just her father and older brother, and she's mostly been avoiding them for years, except when she visits on the anniversary of her mother's death. I really liked the contrast between the two characters and the way that their playful work marriage turns into a real relationship. A cute and pretty quick read with a great cast of characters.

A friends to lovers office romance. What more can we ask for!

Circling back to you follows Cadence and Matt, coworkers that are friends. THEN we find out that these friends have liked each other since they started working. *AHHH insert gushing here* The pining, caring, and true friendship is what drew me to this book. The writing and plot are interesting and will keep you reading.

There were only two things that I did not like about this book. The first was the unnecessary third act break up, I feel as if it was very forced and prolonged. Then them getting back together was very short and we did not see enough of them being together. The second was the smut or spicy scene. The buildup was great but the actual scene wasn't. I wish the smut would have been written a little better or just not put in at all.

Some people say that the main character was mean but I believe that a lot of her behavior was a result of her grief. Cadence was not able to fully process her mother's death, which is why I believe that she behaved and said some of the things she did. (Not a spoiler, her mother's death was mentioned early on in the book)

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review*

3.5 stars!

Circling Back to You was cute, but didn’t quite work for me. Cadence and Matt’s story starts off strong, but kind of flailed and then flopped. This is dubbed as an office romance/best friends to lovers/fake dating romance, and while I definitely saw a lot of the besties to lovers going on, we barely get a glimpse into their working relationship.

Cadence and Matt’s relationship was also a bit off… Don’t get me wrong they had so many cute moments, but the pacing was weird. Cadence went from wanting to take things slow to legit having a drunken hook up the following day, and then the whole thing was Matt at the end… Idk…

Overall cute, just some execution errors that got in the way for me

Cute friends to lovers fake dating. Loved the POC characters and overall enjoyed the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Circling Back To You is a contemporary office rom com that started off strong but personally fell flat for me as I was reading the book. Even though this was a cute read, it didn't deliver on the best friends to lovers and fake dating trope.

We have our two main characters Matt and Candence who both work at Prism Realty in cubicles right next to each other. Matt is a broker and Cadence is an analyst for the company. Cadence has had a crush on Matt for awhile but never acted on it because seems to be a ladies man in the office. A lot of people in the office are placing bets on when they would get together and jokingly call Matt Cadence’s work husband.

Through a deal with a potential client that seems like it won’t go through for Matt. Their boss orders them to go to their hometown for the new office and to solidify the deal with a potential client. Even though I feel that everything that Cadence can be done remotely, she was ordered to go to as well. On her vacation time which I personally would have said no to. Especially since she is complaining about her low pay and the lack of a bonus. Also she was dealing with the anniversary of her mom's death. But there she goes to work on her vacation. I don’t understand why she needed to go, all the work she did. Could have been remote work like I said.

First off, the chemistry felt off between our two main characters Matt and Cadence. Other than their personal struggles with their family, you don’t get to see what really bonds the two other than they work cubicles next to each other in the beginning. When they finally hooked, the impression I got was. Okay, that happened.

Secondly, there essentially was supposed to be a fake dating trope. But all we got was Matt not really being straightforward with his Lola about the girlfriend situation. When he was boarding the flight, he just asked a favor if Cadence could just come with him to the family party. In return, he will give her the crossword puzzle answer and of course she agreed. There wasn’t really anything about Cadence agreeing to be a fake girlfriend to Matt's family's birthday party. Unless I missed it, they literally hooked up way before they went to the party so is this really technically a fake dating trope?

When they finally hooked up, there wasn’t really any angst about them finally getting together. Cadence claims that she wanted to take it slow but it was literally the next day they hooked up after she kinda got drunk. So there was no build up to the situation when two people in rom coms finally get together.

This book wasn’t totally terrible but it fell flat for me. I wish there was more to the fake dating and the best friends to lovers trope.

I absolutely loved The Donut Trap so I was super excited to read Julie Tieu’s next release. I loved Circling Back to You! The coworkers to friends to lovers was so great and I loved the characters banter. They were also just hot together. The story was a good mix of feels and funny. Absolutely would recommend and will definitely read any future releases from this author.

I couldn't really get into the book. I don't really know what the issue was--it probably had something to do with the writing, which made it hard for me to read it coherently, but I'm sure there are other factors.

Finishing this book I sighed and thought meh. There are funny moments in this workplace romance but the main couple didn’t win me over. Cadence Lim is a fantastic numbers crunching analyst for Prism Realty in San Francisco. Her cubicle neighbor is Matt Escanilla, an ambitiously driven top broker. She crushes on him but never shows it. Matt is up for a large promotion and to clinch it he must close a big deal. It requires him to go to Southern California. Cadence is also going to SoCA for her mom’s death anniversary and to visit her brother and aging father. Matt says he needs Cadence numbers crunching skills so Prism agrees to pay for her hotel and work time while there.

Sharing a hotel suite (forced proximity) allows them to have conversations and get to know each other more than they have before. There are cultural experiences and expectations as they meet each others families too. But even though romance heats up I’m not sure they really know or understand each other very well. Matt doesn’t always come off as a nice guy and Cadence can be harsh.

The story to me was a little all over the place. Cadence work and family issues gets overshadowed by Matt’s story. I’m still not sure I understand why she wouldn’t really consider taking the job that Percy offers her. I didn’t see this as a fake dating troupe either as they were actually being intimate. And Matt even annoyed me when they were being close when he complained about her underwear. Superficial much?

I found it disappointing that it took a client to complain about the Cadence’s misogynistic co-worker. Sadie tells Matt to write up the episode and send it to HR. Why didn’t he do that in the first place? Also nothing happens to Cadence boss that dumps all his work on her. I want comeuppance if you’re in the position to get it.

I enjoyed the author’s debut book The Donut Trap and like learning cultural traditions that are less familiar to me. But for a romance I want to be more invested in the couple and cheer for their HEA. In this case I’m still at meh. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re a fan of office romance, friends/coworkers to lovers, and forced proximity, this is the book for you! This book follows Matt and Cadence as they navigate their growing feelings for each other while dealing with office gossip, difficult clients, and competitive coworkers!
I thought this book was a very wholesome read! You could see the connection between Cadence and Matt from the first pages and their relationship grew in a very healthy way as they discovered more about each other’s “out of office” lives. It was great to see Cadence take down some of her emotional walls for Matt and overcome her family troubles. It also had a dual pov which I loved! Because the reader saw both of their perspectives, it allows you to see Matt and Cadence’s emotional connection grow from both sides.
I rated 4 stars because while I liked the overall plot and the characters, there were times in the middle of the book where the story kind of dragged. It felt like a lot of the same thing happening and getting discussed over and over again.
Overall, this was a cute, quick read for romance lovers. Cadence and Matt served coworkers to lovers excellence. I loved to see Matt go from Cadence’s “work husband” to her potential actual husband lol.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this eArc in exchange for my honest review!

An office place friends to lovers romance you will not want to miss. The characters are fun and the story enjoyable. Definitely recommended.
Thank you Julie Tieu, Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

This was a workplace romance, friends to lovers delight with a lot of good content. I normally don’t like friends to lovers but this was such a feel good that I couldn’t resist falling for them. I think the story could have been executed a bit better in terms of characterization of our MC’s.