Sadly, I am DNFing this. I have nothing against the author or the contents of this book, but I was under the impression that this would be a rom-com romance story, but it sadly feels more like literary fiction to me and I am having a hard time connecting with the main character since her personality is very stoic and impersonal (there is nothing wrong with that, I just was expecting her to have more depth). If this sounds like something you’re interested in, please give it a shot!

I think at the end of the day, all I wished was that this book gave me more. More romance, more substance, more chemistry. And it didn't. Yes, I did love the Chinese rep in this book, being Chinese myself, and it was an easy read to get through, but I just wanted a lot more from it that I didn't get.

Cadence Lim and Matt Escanilla both work for Prism Realty as an analyst and realtor, respectively. Matt is Filipino, gregarious, and good with his family. Cadence is none of those things and has a thing for him. She has no idea he also has a thing for her, and so she pretends to be immune to his charm. After all, he’ll probably be transferred to LA soon, to head up the new office. Unfortunately for her, Matt has decided to launch a campaign to befriend-and-maybe-more her. An enormous potential sale in danger of falling through sees the two of them rooming together in LA, and then things get complicated.

There’s a lot that I like about this book. All at once: yay(!!!) for main characters in their 30s, disliking terms like “work husband/wife,” knowing their own worth, and standing up to microaggressions! And also for a female who isn’t thrilled at the possibility of taking on a caregiving role for someone she resents. And who doesn’t come from a tight, in-your-business family and finds it a bit off-putting and overwhelming to be thrust into the middle of someone else’s, even with warning and preparation. And she calls him on not being willing to upend his whole life for her but asking her to do that for him. This is what relationships look like for adults. As you can see, I really liked Cadence. Though I wish she’d stuck to her guns and refused to work for/with Matt in LA. It is not good work policy to work for/with partners. But I also like Matt, supportive and charming as he is, though I have less to say about him overall. I also like their relationship. Or, their dynamic at any rate. The yearning and banter is charming. And the author doesn’t make them waste a lot of time when they kiss on wondering whether the other one thought it was a mistake. In fact, there’s some very pleasant sex shortly after.

This is an ARC, so I expect the typos and missing words I noticed will be dealt with before publication, but with Chapter 15 I feel like I missed a whole lot of something. Both Matt and Cadence allude to things that simply were not in the text, like the rules Cadence made for their relationship.

Circling Back to You is a dual POV, friends to lovers, workplace romance, and fake dating! Yes that's a lot of tropes and keywords, but I immediately wanted to put it on your radar if you were interested! Being dual POV is a fantastic choice because you can see Cadence's crush developing, while also seeing the ways Matt starts to see her in a different light. Those moments of recognition are truly some of my favorite moments! Plus their chemistry and the ways in which they are sort of opposites on paper? So fun!

And throughout Circling Back to You, seeing them get to know each other as people is fabulous. The pacing is wonderful because it never feels rushed or like there aren't enough moments of them together. We can see the ways they unfold around each other, start to open up about those real insecurities and doubts. While Cadence is my favorite - because we gotta love an organized heroine - I adored Matt's commitment and flair.

A sweet and family-centric contemporary romance!

Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu is a lovely book! I love the main characters and feel their familial loyalty is very relatable, especially as a reader of Filipino descent. All the equally wonderful and frustrating parts of coming from a large, nosy, but highly loyal family are done so well in this book. You can't help but root for Cadence and Matt's struggles. While I do enjoy reading about them and how they are navigating their issues, I'm not as invested in their romance. I don't feel the chemistry in their banter as much as I hoped when starting this book. But overall, still an excellent book I'm glad I read.

Thank you, NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, for the eARC.

Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu is a fun, heartwarming read that features an office romance, as well as the fake dating trope and the friends-to-lovers trope.

Longtime friends Cadence and Matt work together at Prism Realty. Cadence is the resident number cruncher behind the scenes, while Matt works in sales. When the two of them are tasked with traveling to L.A. to close the deal with a wealthy client, their relationship starts to change.

I really liked both Cadence and Matt and couldn't wait to see how their feelings for one another evolved as they finally saw each other in a different light away from the office. It was also a lot of fun to watch Cadence and Matt, interact with Matt's large close knit family while also pretending to be a couple so that Matt's family doesn't nag him about his love life.

While I enjoyed them in this environment, it did start to feel like the visit was taking up too much of the book so I found myself eager for them to leave so we could get back to the rest of the story.

I think one of the author's biggest strengths is in how she depicts the challenges of navigating a workplace romance. It all felt very realistic and something I could easily imagine playing out for a real life couple.

Even though I did have that one issue with the parental visit feeling too long, overall I still quite enjoyed this lighthearted office romance. I think it would be a perfect read for a day at the beach.

Picked this one up because I adored Julie’s debut novel The Donut Trap!
Work-place romance with a little bit of comedy. Laughed so hard at the Office references in the novel (being my favorite show). Themes of grief/loss and dating in 30s.
I did feel like the romance was secondary to the work. I felt at times I was reading about their work rather than a romance. There were parts of the romance I just didn’t buy into or understand. If it’s a I loved you since day one vibe, I need back story I need more than just telling.
Easy & fun read but wanted more.

I looooove this book! It was tender, heartfelt, and just so endearing. Matta and Cadence are so good together first as work spouses, then fake dating to lovers. The storytelling of working hard, family expectations, grief, reconciliation, and love are prominent. And can I say I'm not sure if it was supposed to be on undertone but what working hard contextually for immigrant children look different but it stuck out to me. I also appreciated the on display in terms of cultural differences between Filipino and Chinese families.

My only critique was the pacing at the beginning. To me the story picked up once they left for San Diego which is about 28% other than that it was so good.

I enjoyed this workplace romance with mutual pining. There's some complex issues with their family relationships, pressure from them being single at 30, major competition at work, the usual life issues getting in the way of relationships.

They feel like grumpy sunshine where she is the grump just cause she's so serious and analytical. Those characters always feel like the most vulnerable and complex to me. They usually are hiding a lot from those around them.

Rating⭐⭐⭐💫

Circling Back to You is a workplace romance set in a realtor’s office following Cadence who is a marketing guru and Matt, a realtor on the way up. They get paired together to try and land a big deal as they both head back to their home city of LA which of course means they have to share a hotel right??

When reading this book it felt a bit like reading the second book in a series without having read the first book. Characters are name dropped at the very beginning and not given an explanation of their relationship to the main characters. The side characters are one sided and flat and Cadence’s relationship to her family is really sad which is not what I expected out of a romance book.

What I did enjoy was the subtle calls to the character’s heritages such as Cadence’s father’s former shop, Matt and his lola and all the delicious sounding food. While this wasn’t my culture I really liked reading about other character’s cultures!

I also would have appreciated more spice in the time of Matt and Cadence getting together. I know they have history with working with one another, but when they finally DID get together it felt rushed and all of the sudden without the build up. I wished there was more backstory or quick little insights to their history together instead of everything being assumed.

Overall it took some getting into but by the end I enjoyed reading their story but I don’t think I would reread it again.

Such a cute work place romcom featuring an Asian American love story. Enjoyed the banter between Matt and Cadence. The family fielty is front and center in Cadence’s relationship with her father and brother, as well as Matt’s relationship with his extended and immediate family

This sweet romance had a heavy focus on family, found family and life as adults. I enjoyed the the cultural representation of this story, Matt's family was a joy to read.

The banter between Matt and Cadence kept the story moving for me, although parts did drag a bit for me. The San Francisco setting was so fun and different from other books I have read recently. I appreciated how everything came together and would recommend this to friends of friends to lovers/ workplace friends to lovers.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for a digital copy to review.

Such a fun story! I'm not typically a fan of romance novels or the fake dating trope in general, but this one brings a fresh perspective to the genre!

This is a wonderful romance that addresses 2 very difficult topics, navigating workplace romance and fundamental family dynamics. That sounds pretty heavy, but Julie Tieu makes it fun and delivers the messages. Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel.

I really liked the Chinese and Filipino representation in this book, as it’s not often we see Asian MCs in romance books, I thought this was a cute story, but it did fall a bit flat for me in the middle, I really liked Matt and his character!

Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu

I was initially interested in this book because I had been reading quite a few office romances that I enjoyed and thought this one sounded good. I tried reading it, put it down, picked it up, put it down, and just couldn't get into it. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I just didn't connect with the characters and their story. I was bored and found myself skimming. Maybe It wasn't the right time for me to read it. The writing was fine, so I will still rate this book 3 stars although it was probably a little lower for me personally. I think there will be plenty of readers who may like it, so be encouraged to give it a try.

My thanks to Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my opinion of it.

This one gave me extreme feels and some. It was a fast easy and satisfying friends to lovers in the workplace trope which are some of my favorites. Julie Tieu is engaging and has a firm hand on her characters which makes her characters alot more relatable. I can't wait for her next novel.

This book was so cute and well written. I loved it and enjoyed reading it. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing chance to read and review. I'll also try to post on blog sometime in future.

I appreciated the plot of this story but the pacing fell a little short for me. I think that it was really slow in the beginning and picked up halfway through. Circling Back to You is a refreshing story about two co-workers secretly harboring crushes on each other that are put together on a work trip. Within that work trip they learn more about each other and finally confess their attraction. A lot happens in that two weeks that could either bring them closer or further apart.

I liked the writing style. There was comedic relief but the serious portions were well done as well. I loved where we left Matt and Cadence at the end. I will admit that Cadence was a little frustrating at times but she came around. Also really appreciated the cultural representation present in the story.

CIRCLING BACK TO YOU – Julie Tieu
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-306984-8
July 12, 2022
Romantic Comedy

San Francisco & Los Angeles, California – Present Day

Cadence Lim and Matt Escanilla are competitive co-workers at a real estate firm in San Francisco and are undecided if they are friends or foes. She is about to leave on a two-week vacation to visit her elderly father and brother as they honor the four-year anniversary of her mother’s death. But Cadence’s employer insists that while she is in Los Angeles, she must work with Matt on wooing a rich investor to hire their company to help him purchase a piece of property. Since Matt has relatives in Los Angeles also, it will be a working vacation for both as they scout potential real estate locations and meet with the investor. They were supposed to have separate hotel rooms, but instead, they’re sharing a two-bedroom suite. Will the closeness bring the two together?

Cadence has a complicated relationship with her father and brother. She went away to school and later settled in San Francisco with a job she loves. Her mother had worked hard to support the family, and it eventually killed her, leaving a grieving family behind. Her father needs someone there to keep an eye on him, and it’s her brother who has taken on the responsibility. Cadence doesn’t feel like she is even wanted in her own family. Matt has a big family that includes lots of cousins. He feels sort of like an outlier because he isn’t married. But right now his big goal is to win this deal because it will lead to him being the favorite to land the chance of a lifetime: manage a new branch of the real estate company as they expand to Los Angeles.

Matt has always teased Cadence because she is serious about things. She is all work, though Matt himself has worked hard himself, she seems to be putting pressure on herself to succeed. The chance to work together on securing the contract of the rich investor wasn’t something either expected. Matt soon learns about a property at a good location, which would be perfect for what the man wants, but there’s a complication involved that involves Cadence and her father. How will he approach her and what will her reaction be? Meanwhile, living together in a hotel suite and sharing so much leads to an attraction they didn’t expect—nor can resist.

CIRCLING BACK TO YOU is a fun and enjoyable tale of co-workers finding out how much they’re attracted to each other while working together. Yet, much like life, things are complicated between them. Matt really wants the job in Los Angeles, and for Cadence, it seems like it could be a good fit for her too if she wanted to transfer, but what about her relationship with her family? Along the way, she begins to see her father in a different light, even as she navigates their complicated relationship. As for Matt, he is still feeling pressure from his family to marry and settle down. How will they react when he shows up for a party with Cadence by his side? It was certainly one of the funniest scenes in this tale.

If you love a cute and funny tale taking place between co-workers, then CIRCLING BACK TO YOU will tickle your funny bone. Matt and Cadence are likable characters and readers will soon be rooting for them to make it to a happily-ever-after. Don’t miss this enjoyable tale.

Patti Fischer