I received an ARC and I’m leaving an honest review.

They're coworkers and one of them is a secret fangirl? When I read that I had to request an ARC because it reminded me of the korean drama "her private life" (which I loved).

This manga is extremely fast-paced, which threw me off a little, but it's pretty interesting and I'm curious to see how the story develops. Also, Kazama is really cute.

There's one thing that bothered me, but it wasn't a problem of the story itself. The pdf copy provided by Netgalley had a terrible quality and sometimes the images were so grained that it was hard to read. It was my first time receiving an ARC of a manga from them so I don't know if this is "normal", but I hope they fix it for future ARCs.

This manga will be published on the 11th of April 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the mangaka Mushiro for providing me with a free arc in return for
an honest review.

This manga was definitely more on the cheesy side than romance side since it is still the first volume but I loved
every second of it! The situation in this manga sounds so unrealistic that it just makes it even better. The art
style was really appropriate to this manga and I think this was the first time I had ever seen such an art style in
a manga, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I will definitely be looking out for the second volume on NetGalley because I just need to know how the story
continues forward after all that had happened in the first volume.

I definitely recommend this manga for any beginners who want to start reading Shoujo or anyone who wants a funny and light hearted manga to read!

Cute light-hearted manga with a fun premise. I enjoyed the fan-girl aspect to the female main character and the expressive artwork throughout the volume. I will definitely be picking up the next volume.

Thank you to Netgalley and LOVE x LOVE for the ARC

This was such a fun read! It was nice to see character growth from the main character and not having the whole story revolving around fan-girling. The drawing style is really pretty and it has a nice softness to it even with the funny expressions. I really loved the little stories after the ending, they really added to the plot!

One thing that I think should be worked on is the scene transitions. Sometimes the scene would change in an awkward way giving the story a sort of break.

This was really cute! I probably wouldn't have picked this one up if I didn't get it as an ARC, but I'm glad I did. The illustrations are pretty, and the story is fun in the typical shoujo way. I liked both of the main characters instantly, especially Akari. She has such intense emotions, and I like how much of a nerd she is.

Review to come early April on blog/goodreads/etc..

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review~

I was so excited to see more new manga up on Netgalley! I just love it when new stuff appears! And this one just sounded so much fun and was even more fun in the end than I even had expected.

Meet Akari, a girl who is a BIG BIG BIG fangirl for an idol/actor named Ren-Ren. I really liked Akari for a lot of the book, I mean, I found it adorable how much she loved Ren-Ren, I loved how big her love for food was (then again given that she barely has anything it may just be that), I loved how she can just chat for ours about something she love (which I totally recognise from hobbies I have). I loved how sweet and kind she was. I loved her click with Kazama and I loved it when a friend of Kazama popped over (Rin) and how she connected with them. HOWEVER, at times I thought the MC was 15-17 based on how she handled money and life. At one point she gets kicked out of her house because apparently she never checked the notice board. She barely has any money because she spends it all on Ren-Ren, apparently she just has enough to at least eat some ramen or bread stuff and pay rent, but that is it. It was just sad. I mean, adulting is hard, I know, at times I am just tired of it all, but still I was frustrated with her that she just couldn't seem to grasp that you need to eat healthy, you need to check things to make sure that there are no surprises, you need to step up. You can still have fun and buy stuff, no need to go fully frugal.

Kazama was just adorable. He was really, as Akari called him, a Rocky given that at times he just doesn't seem to get some basic ideas. Like smartphones or his gigantic apartment. But I loved how he kept Akari's secret and even loved making all the food for her. I loved that his one condition to keep it a secret was that he wanted to make lunch for her, sorry, but that is adorable. I love that he just listens to her rambling on, I mean, I would have just cut her off at one point because DANG girl. But he doesn't mind. And I love that under that sweet demeanour and a bit ditzy-ness that he was smart and did seem to understand more than what you at times thought he would. I do want to know how he got that reputation at work though. XD

And I LOVED how these two grew together. At first I was definitely happy with them just being friends being there for each other, but as the story went on I just felt that something was shifting and you know what? I am there for it! It is going to be fun. Kazama is just really discovering the feels he has and Akari is both a bit ditzy and seems to understand that something is going on. The ending though? YOU CANNOT FREAKING END IT THERE. I need book 2, STAT. NOW.

I am still not sure about Ren-Ren, I get the appeal at points, but those snarky comments? Not my thing. A real turn-off.

The art was really fun! I love the style~

All in all, this was just oodles of fun and I am so happy I got the chance to read it~ Recommended!

This manga has a really cute and pleasing art style which is always a big bonus for me!

I think the story has a lot of room to grow. Our MC is down on her luck and has fallen in to unhealthy spending habits and lacks self-care in every way. Our male lead Kazama is just the saving grace she needs but they both seem to have plenty to teach one another about life and much more.

This was a super quick read with a lot of funny moments that I think plenty of people will enjoy!

Super sweet and adorable! This manga follows 25 year old Akari, super obsessed fangirl, who has found herself broke and hungry. She befriends a stranger who was kind and shared his lunch with her after a pigeon stole her lunch one day, confessing to him how she got into her current situation. Little did she know that he was her new co-worker Kazama, and more surprising to her, he's kept her situation secret. The story follows these characters as their lives become intertwined in and out of the workplace. Akari's otaku life is a little exaggerated but in a fun way! I loved this manga and finished it in one sitting. Definitely a fast-paced read once you get sucked in. I cannot wait for Volume 2!

Firstly, let me state how absolutely ecstatic I am about the new Love x Love imprint from Tokyopop! As an adult fan girl and manga reader, I knew I would immediately be able to relate to our female protagonist Akari. Dedicating oneself to an idol can be a costly endeavor, as seen by Akari's dire straights in the beginning of the volume. Thankful she stumbles upon her unknown yet but soon-to-be coworker Kazama who will end up saving the day more than once. Though the tropes present are pretty common, I honestly love the pacing for this first volume, as it solidly lays the ground work for future plotlines to come. I am definitely looking forward to volume 2!

tl;dr
A cute easy read with a relatable heroine and a sweet potential love interest.

Thoughts
There's a certain subgenre of shoujo manga that I consider to be like cotton candy. Tastes great going down, very little substance, and when I crave it nothing else will do. "My Coworker Has a Secret!" very neatly slots into this cotton candy category. Cute uncomplicated artwork, a lively relatable heroine, and lightweight drama that goes down easy. While I've never fallen as hard as Akari, I definitely understand the panic of trying to hide my fandom from coworkers along with the warmth of having someone accept it, even if they don't understand it. Kazama is a sweet character as well - soft spoken and a great cook. Sounds like a great deal to me.

This manga was absolutely ridiculous and I loved every minute of it 😂

Sejima Akari is a 25-year old office worker. She lives in a cheap apartment, doesn’t go out for lunch with her coworkers and is relatively quiet about her hobbies. Why? She is a hardcore fangirl of Ren-Ren, the snarky musical actor. Akari spends all her time and money on him and, after her friend comments on embarrassing fangirl behaviour, keeps it a secret from all. She meets Kazama Ritsu by chance one day after her lunch is stolen by a crow and confesses her secrets to him while wolfing down his lunch. And when a new coworker appears in the office Akari is surprised to see it’s Kazama! Add in her apartment complex being demolished and her moving in with Kazama and you’ve got a recipe for a very amusing manga!

So like I said this manga was ridiculous. Akari is chatty and charming and obsessed with Ren-Ren! Like OBSESSED. It’s pretty funny but also kinda cute to see how much she loves him. I also like that he’s not the typical idol. He stands out with his snarkiness. Kazama on the other hand is a bit aloof but sweet and very thoughtful. They balance each other out really well. I appreciate that Kazama takes time to develop an interest in Akari’s fandom and he just seems like a genuinely good guy.

The storyline is so over the top but so entertaining. I found myself laughing a lot while reading this and I cannot wait to read book 2! The art style is quite nice and definitely has a shoujo romance vibe. If you want a funny, OTT romance manga this is definitely the one for you!

Thanks very much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

"My Coworker Has a Secret" Follows Akari, who secretly obsesses over an Idol, Ren-Ren. Because of this, she's broke. Due to a series of unfortunate circumstances she meets a man who first gives her lunch and then she finds out he's her new coworker. Embarrassed, she asks him to keep her Idol fangirlness a secret, and their relationship goes on from there.

This was super cute!! I liked both main characters and if definitely had a golden retriever black cat type relationship vibe. The plot is simple yet effective and it's a solid romance manga! Definitely recommend.

4 star!
This was a fast paced cute read!
As a fan of idols as well, I absolutely finished this manga in one sitting!
This book is about Akari, who is a 25 year old who is a fan girl for Ren-Ren (an idol). When her food was stolen by the pigeon, a stranger shares his lunch with her and she accidentally spills her secret identity of being a fan girl. She never thought she would meet him again, but she encounters him at her work place. He is the new employee and now they are coworkers.

This manga got me smiling and is funny. There are some aspects that were added for dramatic effects but I loved the rom-com in this!

Thank you TokyoPop and net galley in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and LOVE x LOVE for allowing me to read and review this title! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My Coworker Has a Secret! volume 1 is super, super cute!

Akari is an office worker with a tiny secret: she is a fan-girl for her favorite theater actor. She decides to hide this secret because she doesn't want to lose any of her friends after hearing what they think of "older" fangirls. Deciding to not tell the truth of what she does during her lunch breaks, Akari lets her co-workers believe that she has a boyfriend and takes her lunches alone to talk with him. That is definitely not the case. Akari sits alone and watches her favorite actor Ren-Ren do live videos, on her phone. When a bird steals and ruins her lunch, she is introduced to Kazama who lets her eat his left over lunch. Not thinking anything would happen, she tells him about her fangirling tendencies and her money-saving ways. Later, she finds out there is a new worker at her job and she is very surprised to see that it's Kazama! Will he be able to keep her secret?...

I love the artwork and the story is very adorable so far. I like the friendship between Kazama and Akari. Both are well-developed and they have completely different personalities, making for a fun read. I plan on picking up volume 2 as soon as it comes out.

4 stars

Akari is a 25 year old office worker who is obsessed with an idol named Ren-Ren. She keeps it a secret from her fellow office workers but accidently spills her secret to a new hire. She ends up getting further involved with him more and more as the story progresses. The budding romance between them is cute, but she's such a ditz and misunderstands things very frequently. It makes her character really annoying to me, but I don't think it deters me from being interested in reading the next volume.

La protagonista di questo manga è stata lasciata dal suo ragazzo (che le ha anche rubato tutti i risparmi) e l'unica cosa che è riuscita a farla andare avanti è stato scoprire questo attore teatrale di cui è diventata assolutamente succube, finendo per spendere ogni centesimo in spettacoli, gadget e incontri con l'attore.
Ovviamente è costretta a nasconderlo al lavoro, dove non sarebbe ben vista per questo.
La mancanza di fondi ovviamente la porta anche a non mangiare quasi mai con regolarità.
Un giorno però per puro caso trova il pranzo al sacco di qualcuno su una panchina e quando il proprietario torna le permette gentilmente di rimpinzarsi. Lei finisce per raccontargli tutte le sue disavventure per poi scoprire che è un nuovo collega appena trasferitosi nell'azienda dove lei lavora.
Le sue sfortune ovviamente non termineranno qui, perchè la casa dove viveva verrà demolita e lei si ritroverà senza casa da un giorno all'altro...e (ovviamente) il suo nuovo collega (che fortunatamente ha accettato di non tradire il suo segreto) la ospiterà nel suo mega appartamento.

Trovo la protagonista una assoluta irresponsabile e la storia decisamente troppo prevedibile e irrealistica.
I disegni son abbastanza carini, ma non abbastanza. I chibi utilizzati son alquanto brutti.
Se non fosse per questa sua ossessione per l'attore, la storia sarebbe anche carina, e renderebbe la protagonista meno stupida.
E' stata una lettura piacevole, ma non mi ha coinvolta particolarmente.

Grazie Netgalley per avermi permesso di leggerlo in anteprima.

-----------------------

The protagonist of this manga was left by her boyfriend (who also stole all her savings) and the only thing that managed to keep her going was to discover this theater actor of whom she became absolutely dominated by, ending up spending every penny in shows, gadgets and meetings with the actor.
Of course she's forced to hide it at work, where she wouldn't be well regarded for it.
The lack of funds obviously leads her too to hardly ever eat regularly.
One day, however, by pure chance she finds someone's packed lunch on a bench and when the owner comes back, he kindly allows her to suit herself with it. She ends up telling him all of her misadventures only to discover that he is a new colleague who has just moved into the company where she works.
Her misfortunes obviously won't end there, because the house where she lived will be demolished and she will find herself homeless from one day to the next... and (of course) her new colleague (who luckily has agreed not to betray her secret) will host her in his mega apartment.

I find the protagonist absolutely irresponsible and the story far too predictable and unrealistic.
The drawings are nice enough, but not for my standards. The chibi used are pretty ugly.
If it weren't for her obsession with the actor, the story would be nice, and it would make the protagonist less stupid.
It was a pleasant read, but it didn't involve me particularly.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me read the preview.

Try this if you like:
Romantic comedy
Forced proximity
Opposites attract
Unequal social status
Work colleagues romance
Damsel in distress

I've always loved comics and have been reading webcomics for many, many years, and for some reason moved away from reading as much manga as I used to. I'm sure availability had a lot to do with that, but I'm glad to have stumbled back into it again!

My Coworker Has a Secret! is fun, cute, and will have you wanting more. Akari is a bit much at first, but just like someone with that personality type in real life, she grows on you as you keep reading. I was drawn to Kazama right away, as I always am with the quiet ones because I know there must be a lot hidden underneath! I loved watching as he started opening up more and smiling and even blushing as the story progresses. I can't wait to dive into the second volume to see how things progress between these two!

4.5 stars

At first, I thought I might not care for the female main character, Akari, because her situation is a bit over the top ridiculous. But she shows other facets of her character pretty quickly, which can be hard to do in a single volume of a manga.

The male main character, Kazama, charmed me immediately despite being somewhat reserved. They also have quite good chemistry together and look forward to watching their relationship grow.

Recommended for a cute romance manga.

This was such a fun quick read. I need more of this story!!!!!

So mostly its about a girl who is a fangirl and keeps it hidden from her coworkers, until she meets a guy who is now the new employee in her department. He know she secret and they get closer as time goes on, he obsessed falls in love with her first.

Thank you s o much netgalley for the arc of this book.

I was fully expecting to love this manga and, of course, I was happily correct. I'm a sucker for this type of pairing (they're both so adorable). I can't wait to read the other volumes.