Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this advanced copy!

I was a little hesitant about reading something set during the heaviest period of COVID, but this was such a sweet read! With how my year has been lately, I've found that the only books I can get through lately are graphic novels and manga, so this was a great pick. The artwork, character interactions were some of my favorite things about this and the ending was just great. I'm looking forward to buying this when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this Arc. This did not influence my review.

This was very very cute! This manga follows the Covid lockdowns in a Japanese apartment building and the romance between two neighbors. We have the stoic Nokoru and the quirky archeology student Natsu. They bond over Nokoru’s garden that's inspired by ancient civilization and slowly the love blossoms.

Basically a slice of life short story that shows the mundane life of the Covid era. Extremely cute but surprisingly not slow paced. Not much to say other than a solid short and sweet romance!

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the arc in exchange for an honest review! ✨

The story follows Nokuro and Natsu. Nokuro has been putting in lots of extra hours in his demanding job, and the pandemic lockdown gives him a chance to slow down, sort out his home set up and work from home. He rediscovers old passions and finds new hobbies, including a new balcony garden.

This garden attracts the attention of his neighbour, Natsu, an archaeology grad student, and the two strike up an unlikely friendship. Spending more time together as the lockdown rules ease, they share hobbies and interests with one another, and begin to grow quite attached.

This was such a sweet read! I'm more interested to try Sweat and Soap after this!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc, in exchange for my honest opinions.

Sweet, adorable and heartwarming!!!

When I saw that this was by the same mangaka as Sweat and Soap, and was available to request on NetGalley, I immediately knew that I had to read it!! It's been a few years since I read Sweat and Soap, and it's one of my fav mangas of all time. And this didn't disappoint as well.

This one's set during the covid and we follow Nokoru, a software engineer who now has to get all his work done from his house, and it seems like a blessing to his introverted nature. He meets his neighbour, the extroverted Natsu, a graduate student in archaeology, and they slowly become more than acquaintances.

I loved this so much, and it's an added bonus that the story gets resolved within a single volume, but it did leave me wanting for more cuz it's that good😮‍💨 The way they share similar interests and get closer to one another through that was so sweet to witness!!! Definitely a good neighbours to lovers romance, and I highly recommend you guys check it out!

P.s. Would love to have a reading nook like Natsu's and a balcony garden like Nokoru's!!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a very cute manga about a pandemic romance. The two main characters are neighbors and very different personalities. I loved the internal dialog expressed and the development of this somewhat unlikely couple. Being neighbors really does make it easier to communicate regularly!

I think relationship communication is a huge theme for the story, besides the romance development. You see the main character struggle when there’s no communication and the internal tension when he isn’t sure where she is. He’s very vulnerable as he expresses is feelings to the reader. I liked it all around!

A great quick read. I love one volume stories and this was a light and enjoyable romance with a satisfying ending.

Was this the pick-me-up I needed today? A resounding HECK YES!

This super cute one-shot, romance manga is about two adults who have to work from home during the start of quarantine. They are next door neighbors in the same apartment building and slowly form a friendship that becomes something more by the end of the manga.

The romance in this story was very sweet and not too spicy, which I very much enjoy. The characters themselves were pleasantly fleshed out for a one-shot and I enjoyed both of them individually. I also enjoyed how their personalities meshed as the story went on. This is a definite buy for my collection when it comes out!

Give me more! This was so cute and wholesome. I love, love Nokoru. Not only is he relatable, he’s also such an intriguing character. The Covid lockdown has hit him hard and his only escape from his nightmarish routine of work, work… and more work… is his little garden. That’s where he meets Natsu—his bright neighbour to whom he’s never spoken. Suddenly, he can’t stop thinking about her, but what is an awkward and shy guy to do? The story is a bit slow, but I think the pacing is perfect for the limited pages we get.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Maybe because I was expecting the giddiness I felt while reading Sweat and Soap that made this a disappointment for me. I found the characters to be bland and they didn’t have chemistry or any reason to be together. I liked the realness of the pandemic being shown, but not much else.

I was looking forward to a graphic novel, it's been a while since I read one. It took me back to the lockdown period, reminding me of both the good and bad sides, especially on working from home.
The story follows Nokoru, a hardworking office worker who finds relief from his demanding job during the lockdown, allowing him to rediscover the joy of gardening on his apartment balcony. He catches the attention of his neighbor, Natsu, a graduate student in archaeology. What follows is an unconventional romance that blooms across their shared balcony space.
This manga combines a gentle, slow-burn romance with the unique challenges of pandemic life, showing how connection can be found even in times of isolation.
The artwork perfectly complements the story’s tender, cozy atmosphere. Each panel is drawn with care, from the intricate details of Nokoru’s lush balcony garden to the expressive faces that capture every subtle emotion and the growing attraction between the characters.
'Home Office Romance' is a perfect read for fans of gentle, slice-of-life romance.
Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc.

Nakoru Mitsuhashi and Natsu Izumi are neighbors. He is an engineer; she is a graduate student in archaeology.
They get to know each other during the lockdown period due to COVID. In this one-volume manga, it is precisely told how they get to know each other and how they fall in love.
I love manga; however, I have lost the "ride,” and when I go into the bookstore and see some, I can't get my bearings. I would get all of them, but also none.
This manga has a cute story. He is the classic engineer who is a bit square but also a bit of a nerd, like when they start dating he comes up with his own method that makes them laugh; she, on the other hand, is a bit of an artist: you never know what to expect.
The story, not a true story, is simple, cute, and funny. Even a little spicy, but funny.

This cute manga was the perfect distraction from life. The characters are both lovable and relatable. I really needed this lockdown love story today. Noroku is so logical, he needs to know the answers to his questions. Whereas Natsu is bubbly and forward. Meaning she speaks her mind but has a deep kindness. There were so many cute moments that just made me smile. I really liked this book.

When I saw the cover, I just knew I would enjoy this one-shot. And I wasn't wrong. This love story unfolds so beautifully and naturally between two neighboors that are locked in because of pandemic. They progressively get closer to each other.

I really appreciated the way women were represented in this romance, and how the themes were tackled openly and without hesitation. It's a straightforward, adult romance. There were moments when I wished things would move quicker, but at the same time, I cherished every little interaction between them. Gradually, I too found myself falling in love with their relationship.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🗺️Archaeologist Female MC
🖥️Software Engineer Male MC
👨🏻Introvert that panics at social interaction
🤣Rom-Com

What I Liked
1) Nokoru was so relatable if you're an introvert who doesn't go out too much

2) I related to Nokoru's desire for travel and I loved how Natsu perfectly complimented that with her job

3) Nokoru using speadsheets to make sense of things in his mind was hilarious!

4) Them using discord to communicate is so 2020

Favourite Quotes
1) 'To me home was just a place to sleep'

2) 'When I learned as a child, that these often had real-world inspirations... I dreamed of visiting places after I grew up. I'd forgotten that too'

3) 'What exactly is going through your head when you propose to casually to enter my domain?'

This was such a sweet romance that managed to feel slow-burn even though it is a standalone manga. I would highly recommend this if you like the elements I listed above.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGallery and Kodansha for allowing me early access to this manga!! I rated it 4 stars overall, this short 1 volume manga is about Nokoru who is a software engineer and his neighbour Natsu who is a graduate student in archeology. They start interacting over their balconies finding common interests with each other which soon blossoms in to a romance, I’m a sucker for neighbours to lovers trope I love how shy Nokoru is and that Natsu really brings his personality out as the chapters proceed. This is my first manga where it’s set around covid times and I love how the mangaka showed how lonely and isolated the world was at this time.

There were so many kicking and shrieking moments like when Natsu makes the first move to which we were all waiting for!! it’s nice to see a strong female lead who knows what she wants and likes.

I’ve loved this mangaka since Sweat & Soap which is one of my favourite Josei mangas of all time, I really wish this manga had more volumes and showed the couple during their married lives as we only get a little hint of this when Nokoru mentions their married.

An enjoyable read detailing the relationship of two working adults. Satisfying romance for readers who need a quick romance fix.

I loved Sweat & Soap, so when I saw this on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I thought the characters looked really similar to the main characters in Sweat & Soap (or at least you can tell that it's the same art style), but that's where the similarities end. The main characters are working from home and start a sweet romance as neighbors. I thought the romance was really short, but sweet and enjoyed reading this manga. It was really nice to delve into another world by the same mangaka as Sweat & Soap.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for an eARC in exchange for an honest review - I had a really good time with this! I can't believe we're in a place right now mentally where we can be reading pandemic lockdown romances and not feel traumatized by it... But that's what it was! Cute and realistic and very relatable because the experience of it seems so recent. An enjoyable quick read.

Absolutely loved this. Super cute, funny, and heartwarming. The romance between the characters is believable, and it definitely highlights the awkwardness, giddiness, and beauty of falling in love with someone unexpectedly.