YES to Asian representation! I loved that we have 2 Asian MCs and that we got a good glimpse into their lives as such. Matt's Filipino family was totally relatable! The cousins who are basically like siblings, the group texts, the meddling Lola, the FOOD! In the Filipino culture your extended family is basically treated like your immediate family. I loved that we got that here. On the other hand, with Cadance's family, we are shown the responsibility of being a children of immigrants. Sometimes maybe even self-imposed responsibility? I feel like that's such a relatable thing in Asian families- the sense of duty children feel. Another plus for me was this book was partially set in San Francisco and I really appreciated all the nods. Karl? Lol. Oh and Bi-Rite Creamery which is a real place and you should definitely go and have a scoop or two if/when you find yourself in SF!

Now let's talk about the romance aspect. I am a fan of both a good office romance and of the friends-to-lovers trope! However...I didn't feel like there was much romancing going on? I guess I felt like Matt and Cadence's relationship confused me. Are they close? Just professional colleagues? Best friends? 🤷‍♀️ Cadence crushed on Matt but always kept him at arms length (even a being a little mean at times). Matt has always been attracted to Cadence but never really did anything about it cause she never showed any interest in him in that way, at all. Then all of a sudden they both have feelings for each other out of nowhere? I guess I would have wanted to watch their relationship develop.

Circling Back to You comes out on July 12th!

Overall it was an enjoyable read for me! Thank you Julie Tieu, Avonbooks, Harper Voyager US and NetGalley for the ARC 🙂

QOTD: What's your favorite workplace Romance?
My A: There's I many good ones! The Hating Game, of course, The Love Hypothesis, Faking Ms. Right by Claire Kingsley and Faking Under The Mistletoe by Ashley Shepherd to name a few!
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Based on the blurb & cover alone, this book has been one of my most anticipated reads for this summer. Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to the hype I created in my own mind. As a HUGE lover of all things friends to romance, I was looking forward to a workplace friendship featuring BIPOC main characters with a fake dating twist. I'm not sure that's quite what we got. This felt a little rushed, but also slow? Like they know each other deeply, but they didn't feel connected on a romantic level to me. I don't think this couple would have lasted. And that's okay! 🥰 .
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BLURB:
Cadence Lim has transformed from behind-the-scenes number cruncher to an integral part of the sales team at Prism Realty. But despite moving up the corporate ladder, her complicated relationship with her estranged elderly father weighs heavily and she can't seem to shake the desire for a new beginning.

At least Cadence can always lean on her favorite co-worker and co-conspirator, Matt Escanilla. A top broker with an unsuccessful love life, the forever single Matt is constantly being nagged by his loving Filipino family to settle down.

Their relationship takes a turn when a business trip lands them both in their hometown and Matt enlists Cadence as a pretend girlfriend for a family gathering. The new after-hours setting forces the two friends to see each other in a new light, and their previously buried feelings rise quickly to the surface. When competing promotions threaten to separate Cadence and Matt, these office besties must work together to round up their ambitions and families to pursue their overdue romance.

Let’s be honest, the fake dating trope is everyone’s favorite. Mine included. This book is so well written. It’s light hearted, fun, the characters are wonderful. It was the true definition of a romcom book and done so well!

DNF at 20%.

I was very confused by this book. Cadence would be achingly shy one minute, and then sassy and firey the next, surprising even those around her, even though it happened over and over again. I didn’t understand her relationship with Matt. The author said they had been pining for a while, but we are never shown any of this and they both have stupid reasons for ignoring it. Overall, the writing of this book was not cohesive and it did not make sense to me.

This workplace romance might have been a little “too much work, not enough play,” and never quite took off for me.
I liked the characters, Matt and Cadence, individually and as friends, but I felt any extra romantic spark was missing. A lot of the book seemed to focus on what they each want professionally, but not out of a relationship or what they loved about each other.
I did like the San Francisco/L.A. settings, and the bits added in with Matt and Cadence’s families.
I feel like this particular storyline just missed the mark for me, but I’d still like to read more from this author in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The romance is this book was ok. It really felt like the characters had no chemistry which kind of rein d the immersion of the whole thing for me. When reading Matt’s early chapters it doesn’t really seem like he likes Cadence in any romantic way at all which really threw me. I also really didn’t find this book super funny really. The fake dating aspect that is in the blurb isn’t really as prevalent as I thought it would be but it’s cute nonetheless.

Despite some of its flaws I did really like Cadence and Matt together I just wish their romance was a bit more of a focus point.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Circling Back to You is a contemporary workplace romance and I absolutely adored this story and these characters. The banter between the two of them was great and fun to read. Highly recommend. 5/5

Do you wish to submerge yourself into a life long dream rom-com? Well, do I have the book for you.

First and foremost, I love Julie Tieu's writing. I read her previous book and it is just as much a masterpiece as this one.

The friends-to-lovers trope has never been one of my favorite ... until this book came along. Cadence and Matt had so much chemistry it was suffocating the air I breathed.

Cheers Julie Tieu and to more office romances!

Best friends at work, and essentially work wife and work husband. Cadence Lim and Matt Escanilly are about to take their relationship out of the office and into reality. Cadence Lim is the number cruncher and an integral member of the Prism Reality team, but after years of hard work... she wants more. To make matters complicated her complicated relationship with her family, particularly her father, weighs on her and it makes it her want a new beginning. Cue, Matt Scanilla, her best friend and coworker. Matt is the top broker, everything in his life is coming together, everything except his love life. Matt is the exact opposite of Cadence, he’s super close to his family and they are constantly texting, seeing each other, and when they nag him to bring his girlfriend home for a family gathering... he thinks its the perfect opportunity to ask the girl he’s had a crush on since forever, Cadence. When competing promotion threatens to separate Cadence and Matt and a work trip brings all their feelings out into the open they’ll both have to figure out where they want their relationship to go and if they can make it work. This was a cute rom-com and I really liked how sweet both of them were! Definitely give it a go if you’re looking for a cute romance read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I DNFed this book because I didn't like it :( I was excited to read a romance but the connection between the two main characters just wasn't there and instead felt off-kilter and awkward to me. I don't know exactly what I was expecting but it wasn't this sadly - it just didn't work for me.

I love a workplace romance and this one did not disappoint. I was charmed by Cadence and Matt's mutual pining, their opposites attract energy, work-marriage, and their back-and-forth. Their work trip was a perfect forced proximity set up, pushing them to acknowledge their feelings.

I also appreciated their separate family dynamics. Cadence and her family were dealing with grief and how to feel connected post her mom's death. And Matt, feeling left out for living in another city, was trying to figure out how he can be closer to his family. it was all very emotionally satisfying.

I highly recommend. Thank you, Avon, for this egalley!

It was really hard for me to get into this book, which really sucked because I was looking forward to it. Not the biggest fan of fake dating but a good office romance is good for the soul. This is also marked as friends to lovers but I don't consider that to be the case at all, or maybe it's just because I really couldn't get myself to like the main character and how rude she was to Matt with little to no justification? I'm all about women being unapologetically themselves and not owing anyone anything but this was just so forced. The plot was confusing and the unnecessary details the author adds just makes the story drag. I finished it in a couple hours but I'm not a fan. I'm interested in giving the author another chance but this just was not the book for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Good story premise, but disappointed with overall execution. It gave me more of a high school romance vibe, than rom-com. The book is advertised as friends to lovers, but I didn't even think Matt was the love interest at first because Cadence and Matt's friendship felt forced and awkward. I also felt like Cadence was often mean or short tempered with Matt for no reason - hence why I didn't even think he was going to be the love interest.
The plot seemed to jump in multiple directions, which made it hard for me to build background and connections with the characters.

*Thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager via NetGalley for the ARC*

Circling Back to You follows Cadence, an analyst at a realty firm who is facing some big life decisions and her coworker Matt, a hot shot broker working his way up to a big promotion. Cadence must decide where she sees herself in the future, back home helping to care for her aging dad or continuing to work herself to the bone only to be under appreciated yet overworked by her direct supervisor.

There was a lot to like about this book. Front and center was the Asian representation. From the adorable cover to all the yummy food mentioned (seriously, don’t read this while hungry), but also traditions, routines, and themes other Asians might recognize from their own upbringing: familial piety, humble deference, sweatshop experiences, “home clothes”, and even getting your arm gently squeezed by an “auntie”. There were lots of little details sprinkled throughout the book that made me smile when I recognized them from personal experience or even witnessing while visiting Filipino friends and their family. I really liked that these details weren’t brought up to highlight anything or to frame a narrative, but merely as part of everyday life for the characters.

I also enjoyed the contrasts between Cadence’s and Matt’s family life (one came from a doting, almost over bearing family bursting with extended family members while the other came from a more detached, even resentful, small family circle) and how they navigated those types of differing social interactions as a couple.

The book hits on certain favorite tropes of mine: grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance, forced proximity, as well as secret dating. I especially enjoyed Cadence and Matt’s cheeky double entendres.

However, as much as there is to praise about this book, it did suffer from some issues. Being that this is a romance (specifically new adult romance), the blossoming relationship part felt sorely lacking. Maybe I expect too much to be wooed as a reader while the leads are falling for each other, but I refuse to just simply be told that feelings are being felt.
I can suspend my disbelief for a romance that developed quickly, but it’s hard for me to completely disregard that their relationship, née friendship even, started from an almost throw-away comment. After being referred to as “love birds” by a colleague, the main characters were in a “are they or aren’t they?” dating scenario. The fact that it didn’t stem from really anything completely baffled me. I’m glad that as the story progressed, there was more depth to their romantic storyline but the catalyst was too rushed and muddled between the influx of character/coworker descriptions.

With that being said, my rating for Circling Back to You is a 3.5/5 stars. It was wonderful reading a book that embraces so many nuances of Asian life and one where a simple conversation couldn’t just solve all the characters problems. I appreciated that Cadence and Matt had individual, external conflicts as well as struggles within their relationship that wasn’t just due to a simple misunderstanding. I just wish the beginning wasn’t so confusing since the rest of the story is a lot more fleshed out and detailed.

I haven’t read Tieu’s first book (yet!) but I can definitely see Circling Back to You being a popular choice for fans of new adult romance.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
5/5 Stars

This book was so amazing. I honestly forgot multiply times while reading this that I was reviewing it. This book has so many tropes such as fake dating, office romance, and only one room. The banter begun at the beginning of the book and never ended. The tension was also everything any romance reader could want. I can’t wait to pick this up in stores.

The cover art is probably the only thing I've come to like about the book. I really gave this book a chance even after the description didn't really intrigue me but I've seen this author in my store before so i decided to give it a chance. I got through about three chapters and had to put it on DR because I could just not really get into it. The author adds unnecessary scenes and details that dont really add to the story. I think they also called this a friends to lovers but the main heroine is like kind of rude to her love interest? He did not even provoke her to be rude to him she kind of just had an attitude that I didn't like. I would say more about the three chapters I indulged but I don't remember much of what I did read through.

I really wanted to love this and while there were moments that were really sweet, I struggled to finish this one. Around the 60% mark I just did not see where this story was going to perk up. Cadance and Matt’s relationship felt like it was steeped with so much history and yet, it felt like they didn’t really know each other. I wish we would have gotten more of their romantic relationship development.

I do love this cover though! I’m a sucker for romance novels with covers like this one.

~Special thanks to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love it. The first few chapters felt choppy and not cohesive. I felt my attention wandering and I didn’t feel connected to the characters

Unfortunately, I felt like this book was in desperate need of an editor, so much so that I was unable to finish it. I DNF'd it at around the 25% mark. I liked the characters, Matt and Cadence, and felt like they were really well represented throughout the 25% that I read, but the story seemed to start very abruptly, with little to no exposition or inner dialogue to explain what was happening. I had a hard time understanding what was going on, why characters felt the way they did, and what the relationship between everyone was. Overall, a 2/5 for Circling Back to You. I would try to read this again if an editor worked on it a little more, because I like the characters, but as is, I would not read this again.

This is a story about expectations.  Cadence Lim and Matt Escanilla both work at Prism Realty, a commercial real estate firm in the Bay Area.  Cadence is behind the scenes, the data analyst that is key to many of the firm's deals.  Matt is the outgoing, successful broker, who relies on Cadence’s expertise to close deals -- and for a laugh across their cubicle walls. 

Both are at a crossroads professionally.  Cadence has a sexist and unsupportive immediate boss and is not sure she has room to advance at the company.  Matt is hoping to be appointed the director of the company's new Los Angeles office in order to move closer to his tight knit family -- but he is in a tight competition for the promotion with a well-connected fellow broker.  

Cadence and Matt are each other's' "work spouse" -- both look forward to the time they spend together at the office.  But despite a mutual attraction that is obvious to everyone at their office but them, their relationship goes no further.  That is, until a business trip forces them both to be in LA and in the same hotel suite.  As Cadence and Matt spend all their time together, they are no longer able to deny their strong feelings for each other.  But as comfortable as finally being together feels when they are alone, where they can avoid the family pressures and career dynamics that test their newfound connection, they soon must face whether their relationship can survive the confrontation with "real life."

This book was terrific!  I really enjoyed the author's previous novel, The Donut Trap, so I was eager to read her new book, and Circling Back to You lived up to my high expectations. 

The two books share some qualities, including richly developed main characters and an insightful exploration of navigating careers and family expectations. I thought this book also offered one of the most realistic depictions of the modern workplace that I’ve read, and I appreciated how seriously both Cadence and Matt's professional ambitions were treated.  It also offered a deft examination of grief -- its long reach and how it can continue to impact you in unexpected ways.  All of this was wrapped in a truly delightful romance which often had me laughing out loud.

Strongly recommended!