Published by Kodansha and available November 12, 2024, Home Office Romance follows two housebound neighbors falling in love during the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm not a romance fan but I was interested in this since I heard about it in a webinar held by Kodansha and I'll admit I found it cute. There's been some nostalgia for the pandemic, which at once does and doesn't make sense to me-- the time was traumatic, deadly, and in my home country of the United States, stupidly controversial, so why would you miss it? At the same time, we have a tendency to romanticize traumatic things as a way of coping with and making sense of them. For many people working remotely was a revelation that work doesn't need to be conducted the way we've always been told it must. Home Office Romance gives us the chance to explore our contradictory feelings in the safe environment of fiction. My two issues with this book were 1) the male lead, Nokoru, didn't seem to be falling in love with the female lead, Natsu, as much as she was with him, but this might be because, as I stated at the beginning, I'm not a romance reader so I may not have picked up on things as much as a more seasoned reader would; and 2) I felt there could have been more pandemic content. To me it at times didn't seem to evoke much of the atmosphere of 2020, but that could be chalked up to cultural differences. I don't know how Japan handled the pandemic (probably better than America did if just for Japan's common courtesy of wearing masks when sick being an ingrained thing in society). So I really can't say how well it handles the pandemic. Overall, if you'd like a cute work romance that's complete in one volume, Home Office Romance is a good bet.

Nothing much happened in this graphic novel except a typical cute love story with a tiny predictable twist. It wasn't all bad but my personal preference, I am not a fan of such books. When I saw the description I thought it would be a little, teensy little different.

The art was okay, messy as usual.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

This manga was adorable and cute! I love how there was a HEA, and that the characters worked through their struggles on their own before coming together. <3

adorable romance that happened during COVID, narrated from the man's POV. he worked from home and she's his next-door neighbor. their brief encounters soon turned into friendship then turned into something more. i love that the story concludes in one volume. perfect for a quick read.

I am in love with this story! It feels real and close to home to all of us who felt alone when the pandemic hit in 2020... except that it's adorable and optimistic. A real gem for me.

2.5⭐️ I was given the opportunity to read the ARC. I enjoyed the artwork and it was a nice little cleanser, but not much happened. I wish the romance was highlighted a little more.

Home Office Romance tells a beautiful story of a young computer programmer and aspiring archeologist who happen to be neighbors who meet on an adjoining apartment balcony they share during the COVID lockdown. While they navigate being in lockdown and at home more than usual, the two begin to woo one another and quickly fall in love. I truly enjoyed the emotional depth of the male character and found the narrative to be quite refreshing. The artwork is also very high quality and complements the storyline quite well.

This was so adorable! I loved the way their relationship progressed. I would have loved to see a little more build up once they start dating seeing as it’s a standalone but in general I enjoyed it :)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Kodansha for providing me with an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this manga, it was so easy to fly through, I was completely absorbed reading this. The pages had so many sweet moments from a not so sweet time in the world 😷

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review

This story was so well executed and wholesome. The author really did a great job in establishing our characters and their personalities and then building their relationship. It felt real and so absolutely tender. I totally reccomend this quick manga.

From the end of the first chapter I knew I'd be hooked (and then finished it in one sitting).

This is a complete story that follows two neighbors who discover each other during the COVID-19 lockdown. Finally spending time at home, they meet and they slowly and sweetly fall in love.

The art was lovely and I loved Nokoru's many expressions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha comics for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Feat: neighbors-to-lovers, HEA, becoming-your-best-selves-together

The story feels so real. I love how the writer build the character. It gives the actual image of how introvert fell in love. I wish it can be series because I definitely will enjoy their love stories.

This was a cute story but it was not really my cup of tea. I like slow burn romance but this was too slow for me. I didn't find there to be a lot of chemistry between the two main characters so their relationship didn't excite me much.

This was a super cute short romance story between two neighbours!
I loved how they connected over small relatable things and how slowly their relationship built first to being friends and then a couple. This story made me feel so cozy and wholesome and the adorable art and dialogue just added to this. I thoroughly recommend this if you want a light and heartwarming read with characters that feel real and form an authentic connection.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the E-arc.

What a fun, cozy read! The romance was a beautifully slow, believable build too. So cute!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advance copy.

4 ⭐️

Super cute story about two people who live next door and slowly connect with each other. They connected in very simple ways and did small things to make each other happy.

The story between Natsu and Nokoru is very short but a complete story. The story felt relateable. I do wish it was longer to let them connect more. I would have liked if Natsu's job didn't take her away at the end. Would have preferred the time she was away to at least have more communication. Still, the story hit on all the important parts of their relationship from beginning to happy ending. It is a simple story but shouldn't be overlooked.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for providing the book for my own thoughts and opinions.

So cute! A light-hearted story of two neighbors working from home and meeting during the pandemic. While quarantine was the setting it didn't make this a difficult story to enjoy; it focused on the silly aspects of working virtually and the fun of meeting new people during that strange time. I loved these characters and this sweet meet cute story. Well paced and a satisfying ending for a one shot manga!

☆ARC REVIEW☆
Publication date: November 12, 2024


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This was my first Manga book, and I absolutely loved it... once I figured out you have to read right to left (thanks to the help of my brother, who's a manga fanatic). 'Home Office Romance' takes place during the 'vid times and watching the quirkiness of both the FMC and MMC wad so adorable. The grumpy x sunshine was such a good touch, too, as it's one of my favorite tropes. I loved that the whole story was wrapped up in one book!

Thank you, NetGalley, Kintetsu Yamada, and Kodansha Comics, for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a super cute, quick, and easy read. I loved the development between the characters and how they went from neighbors to friends to lovers. I also really loved the art style of this manga!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kintetsu Yamada and Kodansha Comics for the gifted copy!

I don’t read manga often as I tend to fly through them so quickly. I loved home office romance by Kintetsu Yamada. It was so wholesome and captures the timeline perfectly. I highly recommend this, just don’t read it as quickly as I did 😅