I liked this book but its a very slow start and a super slow burn. For a third of the book, barely any interaction between the MCS which made it kinda boring. There was almost no interaction between the two MCs for over a quarter of the book, plus how many people Nic gets involved with prior to meeting Lee. The rest of the story was good though. I liked that both characters had flaws and it made it feel more real.

They went from animosity to barely tolerating each other to eventually more. You could see fairly early into it that Nic's feelings of anger and resentment are more one-sided than she thinks. I was a little worried about Nic's believability about falling for someone she almost hated...but the author showed Nic dealing with her emotions and coming to an understanding with Lee. It was nice to see them work through how Lee treated Nic and why. It wasn't instant forgiveness and sweep it under the rug, there were serious hangups that make sense.

There is no third act breakup. I fully expected one and was braced for it. Right when it looked like it was going to happen...Boom! Communication and adulting happened. It was good

Kimberly Cooper Griffin wrote a great enemies to lovers book. I loved the angst that the MCs had and watching how the walls slowly break down. Their chemistry is vibrant. I loved how the third act angst was handled and resolved immediately.
The common thing I find in Griffin's books is how she protrays feelings of the MC, and you feel what the MC is going through. The emotions are real, and you are right there along with the MC.
I look forward to more books by this author and will continue to follow her.

I didn’t connect with the love interest, so my interest waned.
I knew from the blurb that was main would be laid off, it was almost 20% in to the book before that happened. I kept waiting for it to happen, so the plot could move on.
I was a bit impatient waiting for things to move on. When they did I wasn’t really invested. When reasons for behaviour were gone in to and the mains whose p.o.v we don’t see made it all about her I didn’t like it. She did apologise for making it all about her but, to me it wasn’t enough.
I enjoyed when the mains started warming up to each other but once they actually did, I discovered I wasn’t that bothered.
One barrier is that one main isn’t out at work, naturally they are spotted by a colleague so slink away. I found the whole kiss you up against a wall, I’ll make it up to you passion manipulative. (since I was also feeling that about the whole “tears, upset cos I’d to treat you so badly at work so no one would suspect” manipulation earlier, I suspect this pairing is not likely to grow on me.
My feeling of manipulation continues when the other main blames the mains look of delight when she said she would be open at work. I didn’t like the other main and I think there is possibly very little she could have done that would change that.

I have read most of the authors books this one is a sweet book. It follows Nic and lee who work at same organisation. Nic gets made 'redundant' and Lee continues working for the company but realising it isnt exactly what she wants as she has witnessed homophobia hence why she is scared to tell anyone about herself.
Nic has started to enjoy sorting out her home and volunteering when she meets a Lee again they realise they are attracted to one another abd Lee also reveals what she is really like by caring for her disabled sister.
A lovely book with thought provoking storyline. Thank you for advanced copy.

I liked to read about Nic and Lee and the enemies to lovers story. It was easy to relate to how Nic felt with all the workplace issues with no credit given despite doing an excellent job. Worst of all is of course the extremely cold shoulder given by Lee. Then when Nic is made redundant she gets a chance to re-evaluate her life and meets Lee outside the job situation and she starts to see a completely different person from the ice queen she saw there. The chemistry is there so will they make it is the big question.

I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley.

Nic, a project management team leader, feels under-appreciated at her job, and what's worse, her team's supervision is switched to Lee, the VP of Sales who often criticizes Nic in meetings. Then Nic is laid off and blames Lee. Now unemployed but with savings, Nic begins volunteering in her community, but also keeps seeing Lee everywhere she goes. Then the two start running together in the morning. Is this the same person who treated Nic so badly at work?

This is a low angst romance, mostly well written with very good dialogue. Slowly, we come to better understand Lee and her background. The author does a good job with this main character. One small criticism is with the opening chapters before Nic is laid off. We don't really get to know much about her and it takes a while to begin to like and root for her.

This is a slow-burn romance that some might not like, but it allows for a very organic and naturally healthy relationship to develop.

Nic has grown tired of the toxicity, homophobia, and barely repressed racism at her job. A job that had been amazing at the start, including meeting Lee, who had been in the same induction group.

But then, not only had Lee turned out to be a complete ice queen, but the politics and reshuffling within the company meant that Nic now reported to Lee.

Before Nic can hate her employers anymore, she's let go... which turns out to be the best thing to happen to Nic as she reclaims her happiness and sheds everything toxic.

So why is it that now she's free, that Lee seems to be everywhere? A Lee that doesn't seem to be the ice queen she portrayed at work? Who really is Lee?

What follows is an adorable romantic journey as Lee's secrets are revealed, and the reason for her treatment of Nic is shared: hiding her sexuality from the toxic environment had made Lee overcompensate in her dealings with Nic.

As they admit they accidentally fell in love almost at first sight, can they work through everything they should really have discussed and sorted before their hearts became involved?

This was a hot romance that built gradually and pulled at all the heartstrings. Nic and Lee fitting together and working through everything in a supportive and loving maturity was truly lovely.

A definite recommendation to anyone who loves F/F romances.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

Nic y Lee comenzaron a trabajar en la misma empresa al mismo tiempo y se llevaron bien desde el principio. Sin embargo, cuando Lee empezó a ascender, su actitud cambió por completo. Años después, no queda nada de la amistad que compartieron; ahora son empleada y jefa.

Nic se siente descontenta con su vida y decide hacer cosas nuevas. En cada una de estas actividades se encuentra con Lee, y a pesar de sus intentos por alejarse, algo las atrae. A medida que pasan más tiempo juntas, deben convivir, hablar y aclarar los malos entendidos.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Lee and Nic both work at the same company. Nic a project manager and Lee is VP as they work together after the company downside Nic doesn’t get why Lee is critical of her but as we learn that Lee cares for a sibling that her family tries to use against her had made her a ice queen and the fact she isn’t out as Nic is, Nic being laid off have her feeling adrift as she finds new passions while continually bumps into Lee as they grow closer they start to fall for each other I like how they both communicate and to understand each other and how they tried to fix workplace issues.

This book was sooo cute !

It took me a while to really get into it at first. While it’s helpful to understand how their company works, I felt there was a bit too much information at the beginning. I would have preferred more interactions between Nic and Lee early on. But after that intro, I definitely got hooked and enjoyed the book as a whole.

The way both MC's talk with each other felt fresh and very cute. I was a bit worried there might be some miscommunication or a third act breakup later, but thankfully, that didn’t happen. I also loved that I could easily relate to both characters at different points.

It's always a pleasure to see an ice queen melt for the person they love. All the side characters were so lovable, and the bit of angst was just perfect.

Overall, if you like sweet, slow-burn romance with healthy communication, lovable characters, and low angst, you’ll definitely love this book. So give it a try ;)

I really liked this book.
2 women started work at a company at the same time. Nic becomes a project manager and is out a work. Lee is a VP and is not out at work (thus no one but her knows she is gay). Their employer is supposed to be progressive and forward thinking.
Nic can't work out why Lee is always critical of her. When Nic is laid off it appears they were not as progressive as she thought.
She keeps running into Lee - and that as thy say is that. Cue them accidentally falling in love.
And of course the staff that made the firm non progressive all get caught out and sacked.
Things work out for them.

There is of course an epilogue.
It is 2 years later and they are doing building work

I enjoyed this book for a number of reasons.
1 - Lee is a mini ice queen at work
2 - Lee spent her childhood 'caring' for a sibling with a complex learning disability - this impacted on her childhood and stretched into her adulthood when her parents tried to use her sibling against her. It all worked out well in the end but it was bumpy.
3 - They lived by the ocean
4 - The number of characters that have long red hair amuses me - Lee has long read hair usually work in a braid

This story started out with such relatable workplace stress that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get past it. Once we get out of the workplace, we get some amazing slow burn, melting ice queen, no-longer enemies to lovers, emotionally driven drama that drives the latter half of the book.

Both main characters were realistic, relatable, and people I may like to be friends with in real life, as were the side characters (I hope we haven’t seen the last of some of them!). Plus a cute dog. I would recommend this novel to someone looking for a realistic low stakes slow burn or workplace romance story.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

I enjoyed the book, it was well written and a great plot, I don’t have much to say about it in all honesty it was a classic enemies to lovers story.

Love that it spoke about workplace homophobia and racism, there’s too many companies who seem accepting up front but inside that’s not the case or employees who seem like they accept you but don’t.

The ending was lovely, I was really happy it talked about what happened with Hannah because I did wander about that towards the end.

I hope for another book from either Simone or Rachel’s lives

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

I liked this book a lot more than I initially thought I would. It starts off a little slow as far as the romance goes. There was almost no interaction between the two MCs for over a quarter of the book. Honestly could have shaved off the first few chapters about work and just given a summary of how bad the work culture and stuff was and gotten the same results story-wise. I was also a little put off by how many people Nic gets involved with before she even interacts with Lee in a meaningful, romantic way. The rest of the story was good though. I liked that both characters had hangups and they actually tripped up the relationship a little. It made it feel more real.

The relationship between Lee and Nic was a slower burn without taking the entire book. They went from animosity to barely tolerating each other to eventually more. You could see fairly early into it that Nic's feelings of anger and resentment are more one-sided than she thinks. I was a little worried about Nic's believability about falling for someone she almost hated...but the author showed Nic dealing with her emotions and coming to an understanding with Lee. It was nice to see them work through how Lee treated Nic and why. It wasn't instant forgiveness and sweep it under the rug, there were serious hangups that make sense.

There is no third act breakup. I fully expected one and was braced for it. Right when it looked like it was going to happen...Boom! communication and adulting happened. It was great. One of my only real complaints is that the title doesn't really reflect what happens in the book. There is nothing accidental about the romance. But all of my criticisms feel pretty nitpicky, it was a good book overall.

Kimberly does an amazing job calling out those supposedly supportive employers. It is not easy to be an openly queer person at work - a struggle I have experienced for years. I cannot imagine being a person of color. This book addresses the hypocrisy found in many "supportive" work environments.
Lee - classic ice queen I loved. Warm and sweet wrapped tightly in professional suit wear,
Nic pulls hard for her team - to be laid off and finding herself adrift. Quickly finding her own passions - volunteering brings her so much joy, very inspiring and great reminder to give to our communities.
Also no third act breakup - Thank You! Nic and Lee attempt to resolve workplace toxic environments.

This was a cute book! A sapphic romance with a queer group of characters, it was refreshing to get to read a story with so many LGBTQIAP+ characters!
I really liked Nic and getting to follow her journey. I'd also love to have a friend like Rachel!
To be honest, i did find the story was a little choppy/bland - I was interested enough in the characters to read the whole thing, but it left a little to be desired.
Still, this was a great read!!

I’m a sucker for workplace romance, but when one of them gets laid off and the other is the extremely attractive former boss? Count me in!

I loved the story between Nic and Lee. The character development of Lee and the all-too-relatable struggle of keeping a professional face at work but being kind and gentle outside of that… perfect. I resonated with Nic’s constant honesty and how she embraced who she was, but Lee’s insecurities and hesitance to jump into something new was also something I sat with.

Both of them were so real and relatable, while keeping the spark we all love in a romance novel. The real-life struggles of a new couple with underlying resentment, as well as the ongoing difficulties of being openly gay in the world today, made this book one that I couldn’t put down. I rooted for these characters and loved the supporting characters all along.

100% recommend. (Peep the spice dropped in too?! 🌶️🥵)

4.25 stars. I haven't read novels by the author before so I had no expectations beforehand. The book turned out to be great! It was a classic rivals/enemies to lovers romance but there were a few extra steps. Accidentally in Love is enemies to tolerance to friends to lovers. The story is sweet, spicy and at times also heart-aching.

Both characters felt real and, although there's only Nic's POV, I feel like I got to know Lee quite well, too. Like in any romance, there were some predictability and convenient turns of events. But the author wrote those well and used them to build their story. Both characters learnt a lot especially about themselves and especially Lee showed vulnerability. Nic and Lee were good communicators which is a bit unrealistic for a romance but it was also refreshing. Bonus points for skipping the 3rd act breakup. I also liked that side characters didn't stir up any drama between the main couple.

My only real complaint is that the "final boss encounter" towards the end of the book was too long. It was sort of predictable and it wasn't really relevant to the romance so it could have been shorter scene or left out completely.

This book left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it has all the ingredients of a classic ice-queen/sensitive intelligent girl romance. There's an age gap and a bit of power play, which I usually find really interesting. But despite all that, I felt like the author forced some situations, making them seem unrealistic and unbelievable. Plus, there were a bunch of convenient plot points about the protagonists' pasts that were used to justify some of their bad behavior, especially Lee's.

Also, the character of Nic is built up to be too perfect, like she's always made the right choices and her surroundings, both family and friends, are ideal. She's just too perfect.

There's a point in the story where everything else takes a backseat. Their stressful jobs and activities, even Nic's dog, Jet, who's always around at the beginning, gets completely ignored. It just doesn't feel real.

I think it could have used a little less of perfection.

This love story was disgustingly sweet, and the love interests actually have good communication skills (which NEVER happens in romance books, and I'm HERE FOR IT). The author created very lovable and relatable MCs, and I found myself angry right along with them at their losses and injustices and rooting for them at their wins. I looooooved the corporate environment that this story was set in, and loved reading about office politics and how real-world issues were discussed and handled. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!