Who doesn't love an office romance? The Office, Parks and Recreation, or my latest romance obsession, Business Proposal. In this grumpy-meets-sunshine and unrequited friends-to-lovers romance, Tieu takes us back to those classic office rom-coms with awkward Christmas parties, close proximity romance mishaps, and a meddling family. Cadence keeps her unrequited relationship with Matt at a distance. Emotionally withdrawn since her mother’s death, she finds it difficult to open up to him or anyone else in the office. When Matt is up for a promotion at work, Cadence joins him on a trip to LA. But their close proximity leads to them confessing feelings for each other. Like many disrespected employees, Cadence feels like she’s stuck in a role without any promise of a promotion. But when Matt introduces her to his meddling family as his fake girlfriend, the antics of his large family of aunties and cousins change things. Matt’s sweet, sunshine attitude balances well with Cadence’s grumpy quietness.

Circling Back to You is one of those books that i finished and simply thought, "yup," because it just hit the spot! this is a fast-paced office romance between coworkers (work spouses! work buds!) cadence and matt. they each have little crush on the other at the beginning of the book, but neither knows it!! then, they are repeatedly brought together at work -- including with a 2 person business trip!!

this is the first straight, cis romance i have read in a while that i enjoyed! this was most likely because nothing about their relationship felt forced by comp het as stuff so often is from my perspective. while the first chapter wobbled a bit, and there were places that could've used more polish throughout, these were minor issues in comparison to the entire book. i loved cadence because she stands up for herself and always comments on how infuriating the patriarchy is, in ways i found were intelligent and relatable. matt was sometimes a bit silly/stupid, but cadence always called him out. ALSO! the communication seriously slaps in this book. there just is so little miscommunication. the main problem makes sense - they are going to have jobs in different cities. and they literally talk about this like normal people!!!!!!! ugh so nice. so so nice. the ending was also. ADORABLE. there is also an exploration of family dynamics that i felt was well done in this book, though TW for major financial struggles (past) and death of a parent (past).

while occasionally i didn't understand a character's reaction or something felt slightly clunky, this is an ARC and i can see those issues being ironed out pretty easily. they also were very minor. i am looking forward to more from this author, no doubt!

(thank you to netgalley, avon and harper voyager for providing me with this free eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

This was such a cute romance book. I don't know why but I am always drawn to fake dating romance books But I keep reading them and loving them. I think part of the reason is because I know they will always get together in the end. I also loved all of the Asian representation in this book. This book did seem similar to other books that I have read. But I still liked it and I would suggest.

Read This If:
•Enjoyed The Hating Game
•Work Place romances

Thoughts:
I thought this was a cute story/premise. If you liked The Hating Game, I recommend reading this one. I unfortunately was not feeling the chemistry between the main characters. They def had a connection/friendship, but romantic? I wasn’t feeling it. I still really enjoyed reading this one.

This book is a ton of fun. If you like co-workers romance then this is the book for you. I loved the last book Julie Tory wrote and I’m so happy that I got to read an ARC of her newest novel.

thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was a lighthearted, enjoyable office romance. It has dual perspective mutual pining, which I of course loved. There are great family dynamics, as well as a woman who stands up for herself and her abilities in the workplace. Throughout this story, there were lots of cute moments that gave you what you need from a rom com.

One thing I will say is that I didn’t feel as though Cadence and Matt’s friendship was super believable in the sense that I did not get the feeling that they were “best friends”. I know a lot of their context is lost because of where the story starts, but at the beginning of the book their relationship felt more like office acquaintances than an established friendship. However, their chemistry and love later on is very convincing to me.

Overall, I found this book very enjoyable and perfect for and easy sweet read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF'd this book at 50%. I'm disappointed because the premise to this book sounded so good, fake dating workplace romance but it really just fell flat. The relationship pacing was super weird. The fmc wanted to take things slow and then they literally had sex the next day it was just not good. I didn't really like the fmc much she was cold and kinda mean to the mmc and they just didn't have any chemistry. Overall this was just not for me.

Circling Back to You is an adorable name for a workplace romance and hooked me into reading this book because I love a good workplace romance. Unfortunately, the chemistry between Candace and Matt fell flat. From the get-go the reader can tell that Matt is taken with Candace. Candace seems only fixated on Matt's exterior hung up on his dating history. While I desperately tried to find affection for these characters and their story, I found myself skimming huge chucks of pages to get on with it.

I wish I had a better review to write, but sometimes there are books that just don't resonate with a person and that happens to be me this go around.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon & Harper Boyager for the opportunity to read and review before publishing. This book comes out on July 12, 2022!

A workplace romance and fake dating? Yessssssss. Perfect story, loved the romance. Love Julie Tieu!

Watch my Amazon Live interview with Julie: https://amazon.com/live/broadcast/cbc3838c-9e5e-4486-b0dc-4041b99fe6dc?tag=erinmbransco-20&linkCode=ilv&ref_=social

Honestly I did not enjoy this book. The premise sounded cute but the execution just didn’t work. It’s super clear that Matt has real feelings for Cadence and wants to be her best friend (and date her), but even in Cadence’s POV’s she just seemed shallow and only seemed attracted to Matt’s body. It didn’t even seem like she liked him so their relationship felt forced. When they decided to date and “go slow”, they literally hooked up the next day. The pacing - of their relationship and really the pacing of the book - felt really off. Overall their relationship never hooked me and Cadence always came off as harsh and sort of selfish. The ending also didn’t really work for the characters and what they said to each other throughout the book, IMO. Not a huge fan, I don’t think I’ll read much more from the author.

First off, thank you to Avon & Harper Boyager for the opportunity to read and review this title before publishing!

Unfortunately, I am very disappointed by this book. The biggest thing is this: the main two characters have no chemistry at all. Additionally, I think there are a lot of poor writing quality points that contributed to this.

The premise of this book has potential, and there seems to be a grumpy-sunshine thing going on. Matt is lively and kind and inviting, and Cadence is quite the opposite. I usually enjoy this dynamic but I’m finding that here, there feels like there’s nothing actually drawing these two together. The author relies heavily on telling rather than showing, it’s mostly “he stuck his younger out and she could think of more things she would like him to do with that tongue…” (and similar sentiments) but then the two characters going on to have maybe a stunted conversation with forced tension at most. There also isn’t much “comedy” in this rom-com, enough so to say that… I haven’t laughed (literally or inwardly) at all.

I also found that Cadence & Matt’s friendship is also utterly unbelievable. They refer to each other as friends, “work spouses,” and Matt even jokes that they are “best friends” but they never spend pleasant time together or talk about anything aside from work. Frankly, Cadence is quite rude to Matt.

I appreciate what this author was trying to do here with exploring some complex family dynamics in Cadence’s family after her Mother’s death, but I don’t find it to have been explored deeply enough to explain Cadence’s behavior being so cold. All it seemed to bring to the story ultimately was giving Cadence & Matt some forces distance and “tension” from one another.

I think some of this may be either a writing quality problem, or at the very least a preference for me. This author seems to just not be my cup of tea.

This book really exceeded my expectations. Work place romances are not often done well but this was genuinely cute. I also don’t usually like the male love interest very much but Matt is an absolute gem!! We Stan considerate, non toxic love interests!! But also give me fake dating and I am in!

I really enjoyed this one, Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Circling Back to You sadly did not deliver for me. I thought there would be more of a fake dating element to it than there actually was. And even for the workplace romance, it just left me wanting more.

Cadence and Matt’s relationship felt so surface level to me. We meet them at a volunteer event for work, where Cadence says to others that they are “just friends” but even then their relationship just comes off as work colleagues; the kind that are close only in work settings and about work-related things at least that’s how it read to me. I get that both characters have an interest in the other (thank you dual pov) they are both cautious about crossing any lines that could take their relationship further, but it just made their relationship feel so hot and cold, especially on Cadence’s side. And I just never felt drawn or connected to either of them as individual characters and a couple.

Overall I do think it was a quick easy read but not one that will likely stick with me.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Julie Tieu for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Workplace romance, friends-to-lovers, fake dating, and forced proximity all in one? I’m automatically all in! There wasn’t as much fake dating as I anticipated and much more family drama than I anticipated, but honestly that didn’t really bother me. This was still such a cute book with a lot of heart!
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Matt and Cadence officially becoming friends and having work dates was the cutest thing ever. I could have read more pages about their friendship alone. Cadence threw me off occasionally. I felt like she was very hot and cold towards Matt, both as friends and once they were romantically involved. It makes sense when you learn more about who she is and why she is that way, but it still made me a little sad for Matt. Their big reunion was so fucking cute though. And that ending? Ugh, my heart! I loved it so much.
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I will say that if you’re looking for extra spice, you won’t find it here! It’s smack in the middle between full spice and fade to black. This doesn’t detract from the story whatsoever though.
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I think my favorite thing about this book was watching them interact with their families who are so drastically different but equally as valid and real. I also loved how much of their respective cultures we get to see. The food, the nicknames, the customs. Chinese Americans and Filipino Americans will likely see some of themselves mirrored here. This was so refreshing in comparison to other books with BIPOC characters who feel interchangeable with white characters.
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Circling Back to You is available for pre-order now and will officially be released on July 12, 2022.

Cadence and Matt work together. But not only that, they also share a cubicle. Everyone in the office makes jokes about them being each other’s “work wife” and “work husband.” Their relationship takes a turn when they take a business trip and share a suite…but sadly there’s two beds. 😂

I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews for this one and honestly went in with low expectations. BUT I enjoyed it. It was cute and sweet and there were a lot of moments that had me grinning from ear-to-ear (a certain dating pitch and HR proposal come to mind!) It’s not a romance that will stick with me, but it’s perfect for a cute, light read.

Circling Back to You is a cute workplace romance between two MCs who start off as coworkers, become besties, and then go for more. I appreciated the diversity that this book brings to the rom com sphere where that’s definitely needed. Cadence and Matt go really well together and I enjoyed their relationship and also everything that went on in their careers. I will say I find that Julie Tieu’s books feel more on the YA side to me, but it works to create a sweet romance.

Thanks to Avon for the copy of this book!

I love a workplace romance, so this book had a lot of potential, but it ended up leaving me wanting. The romance was disappointing because I felt like the main characters didn't have a lot of chemistry, so it was hard to root for them throughout the story.

Additionally, I didn't feel there was any real conflict in the book until about 50%, which is way too long to expect someone to wait to feel engaged in the story. It just felt like nothing much was happening.

Overall, an average three-star read, but mostly forgettable.

This book was a fun read for those who love fun “should we, or should we not?” romances. I loved the way the author showed both of the main characters personal lives while also diving into the lives of the secondary characters. Without them; you wouldn’t be able to tell a great story.

I loved Cadence’s personality. She’s super serious at work; but flirty fun outside of it. Matt was also great; and seeing his progression was nice as well. Their relationship was very much a truth for a lot of people in this day in age. Trying to work things out and figure out what is best for everyone.

Everyone at Prism Realty has suspected that there's something going on between Cadence and Matt, however, even though both of them secretly want a relationship, they've never pursued one. When work and family take Cadence and Matt home, they're forced to confront their feelings for each other, and what their new career moves might mean for their new romance. There are many things to love about this book, Cadence's and Matt's families, office romances, the happy ending. I didn't feel that the synopsis of the book matched the actual plot very well, but overall this is a feel-good book that is worth the read!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I love workplace romances so when I heard about this one I was honestly really excited. In the end it was okay/meh. I’m not a super big fan of friends to lovers which might be another reason I didn’t like this book that much. But overall this book was super cute and I really liked the ending.