There were definitely promising moment to this novel, somewhat relatable with an anxious and overthinking protagonist but this wasn't enough to keep me entertained all the way through.

I love a quiet, plotless novel but unfortunately this one was just too slow.

Here we follow an unnamed customer service assistant as she tries to track down a missing parcel, navigates office life, overthinks everything, is allergic to over exertion (literally) and…falls in love with her printer.

Throughout we also have parts in italics that shed light on her background and past which were the parts I found most interesting.

I really related to this extremely anxious, socially awkward main character but the book as a whole just felt a little underwhelming.

Will definitely check out more from this author in the future if their work is translated into english though!

If you like socially awkward protagonists who are a bit bonkers, which I do, and also novels that are set in the workplace, then Hard Copy by Fien Veldman is an enjoyable read.

There are flashes of fun in this book, in which an anxious, ‘stress-allergic’ young worker develops an obsession with her workplace printer.
Unfortunately, despite some promising moments it didn’t really do anything for me; I did enjoy a change of perspective in the third act, and flashbacks to a dark moment in the protagonist’s childhood worked to provide a welcome shift from the monotony of the workplace.
Otherwise, it was all a little too disjointed and odd to be any more than ‘OK’, with certain threads left hanging, unexplored