I enjoyed this book but it didn't wow me. I think this was solidly a me thing and nothing wrong with the book. Just wasn't for me at this moment. Excited to read more from Julie Tieu.

Once again, I am duped by a synopsis. Even though this a workplace romance, it's a bit light on the romance, especially the promise of fake dating. I thought Matt and Cadence's banter was cute, but that was really all they had going for them. However, I did think the discussions of family and remembrance, and how everyone handles grief differently were very interesting. Circling Back to You was a nice story, but just not quite the workplace fake-dating romance that I was looking for.

Sadly, I am DNFing this. I have nothing against the author or the contents of this book, but I was under the impression that this would be a rom-com romance story, but it sadly feels more like literary fiction to me and I am having a hard time connecting with the main character since her personality is very stoic and impersonal (there is nothing wrong with that, I just was expecting her to have more depth). If this sounds like something you’re interested in, please give it a shot!

I think at the end of the day, all I wished was that this book gave me more. More romance, more substance, more chemistry. And it didn't. Yes, I did love the Chinese rep in this book, being Chinese myself, and it was an easy read to get through, but I just wanted a lot more from it that I didn't get.

Cadence Lim and Matt Escanilla both work for Prism Realty as an analyst and realtor, respectively. Matt is Filipino, gregarious, and good with his family. Cadence is none of those things and has a thing for him. She has no idea he also has a thing for her, and so she pretends to be immune to his charm. After all, he’ll probably be transferred to LA soon, to head up the new office. Unfortunately for her, Matt has decided to launch a campaign to befriend-and-maybe-more her. An enormous potential sale in danger of falling through sees the two of them rooming together in LA, and then things get complicated.

There’s a lot that I like about this book. All at once: yay(!!!) for main characters in their 30s, disliking terms like “work husband/wife,” knowing their own worth, and standing up to microaggressions! And also for a female who isn’t thrilled at the possibility of taking on a caregiving role for someone she resents. And who doesn’t come from a tight, in-your-business family and finds it a bit off-putting and overwhelming to be thrust into the middle of someone else’s, even with warning and preparation. And she calls him on not being willing to upend his whole life for her but asking her to do that for him. This is what relationships look like for adults. As you can see, I really liked Cadence. Though I wish she’d stuck to her guns and refused to work for/with Matt in LA. It is not good work policy to work for/with partners. But I also like Matt, supportive and charming as he is, though I have less to say about him overall. I also like their relationship. Or, their dynamic at any rate. The yearning and banter is charming. And the author doesn’t make them waste a lot of time when they kiss on wondering whether the other one thought it was a mistake. In fact, there’s some very pleasant sex shortly after.

This is an ARC, so I expect the typos and missing words I noticed will be dealt with before publication, but with Chapter 15 I feel like I missed a whole lot of something. Both Matt and Cadence allude to things that simply were not in the text, like the rules Cadence made for their relationship.

Circling Back to You is a dual POV, friends to lovers, workplace romance, and fake dating! Yes that's a lot of tropes and keywords, but I immediately wanted to put it on your radar if you were interested! Being dual POV is a fantastic choice because you can see Cadence's crush developing, while also seeing the ways Matt starts to see her in a different light. Those moments of recognition are truly some of my favorite moments! Plus their chemistry and the ways in which they are sort of opposites on paper? So fun!

And throughout Circling Back to You, seeing them get to know each other as people is fabulous. The pacing is wonderful because it never feels rushed or like there aren't enough moments of them together. We can see the ways they unfold around each other, start to open up about those real insecurities and doubts. While Cadence is my favorite - because we gotta love an organized heroine - I adored Matt's commitment and flair.

A sweet and family-centric contemporary romance!

Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu is a lovely book! I love the main characters and feel their familial loyalty is very relatable, especially as a reader of Filipino descent. All the equally wonderful and frustrating parts of coming from a large, nosy, but highly loyal family are done so well in this book. You can't help but root for Cadence and Matt's struggles. While I do enjoy reading about them and how they are navigating their issues, I'm not as invested in their romance. I don't feel the chemistry in their banter as much as I hoped when starting this book. But overall, still an excellent book I'm glad I read.

Thank you, NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, for the eARC.

Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu is a fun, heartwarming read that features an office romance, as well as the fake dating trope and the friends-to-lovers trope.

Longtime friends Cadence and Matt work together at Prism Realty. Cadence is the resident number cruncher behind the scenes, while Matt works in sales. When the two of them are tasked with traveling to L.A. to close the deal with a wealthy client, their relationship starts to change.

I really liked both Cadence and Matt and couldn't wait to see how their feelings for one another evolved as they finally saw each other in a different light away from the office. It was also a lot of fun to watch Cadence and Matt, interact with Matt's large close knit family while also pretending to be a couple so that Matt's family doesn't nag him about his love life.

While I enjoyed them in this environment, it did start to feel like the visit was taking up too much of the book so I found myself eager for them to leave so we could get back to the rest of the story.

I think one of the author's biggest strengths is in how she depicts the challenges of navigating a workplace romance. It all felt very realistic and something I could easily imagine playing out for a real life couple.

Even though I did have that one issue with the parental visit feeling too long, overall I still quite enjoyed this lighthearted office romance. I think it would be a perfect read for a day at the beach.

Picked this one up because I adored Julie’s debut novel The Donut Trap!
Work-place romance with a little bit of comedy. Laughed so hard at the Office references in the novel (being my favorite show). Themes of grief/loss and dating in 30s.
I did feel like the romance was secondary to the work. I felt at times I was reading about their work rather than a romance. There were parts of the romance I just didn’t buy into or understand. If it’s a I loved you since day one vibe, I need back story I need more than just telling.
Easy & fun read but wanted more.

I looooove this book! It was tender, heartfelt, and just so endearing. Matta and Cadence are so good together first as work spouses, then fake dating to lovers. The storytelling of working hard, family expectations, grief, reconciliation, and love are prominent. And can I say I'm not sure if it was supposed to be on undertone but what working hard contextually for immigrant children look different but it stuck out to me. I also appreciated the on display in terms of cultural differences between Filipino and Chinese families.

My only critique was the pacing at the beginning. To me the story picked up once they left for San Diego which is about 28% other than that it was so good.

I enjoyed this workplace romance with mutual pining. There's some complex issues with their family relationships, pressure from them being single at 30, major competition at work, the usual life issues getting in the way of relationships.

They feel like grumpy sunshine where she is the grump just cause she's so serious and analytical. Those characters always feel like the most vulnerable and complex to me. They usually are hiding a lot from those around them.

Rating⭐⭐⭐💫

Circling Back to You is a workplace romance set in a realtor’s office following Cadence who is a marketing guru and Matt, a realtor on the way up. They get paired together to try and land a big deal as they both head back to their home city of LA which of course means they have to share a hotel right??

When reading this book it felt a bit like reading the second book in a series without having read the first book. Characters are name dropped at the very beginning and not given an explanation of their relationship to the main characters. The side characters are one sided and flat and Cadence’s relationship to her family is really sad which is not what I expected out of a romance book.

What I did enjoy was the subtle calls to the character’s heritages such as Cadence’s father’s former shop, Matt and his lola and all the delicious sounding food. While this wasn’t my culture I really liked reading about other character’s cultures!

I also would have appreciated more spice in the time of Matt and Cadence getting together. I know they have history with working with one another, but when they finally DID get together it felt rushed and all of the sudden without the build up. I wished there was more backstory or quick little insights to their history together instead of everything being assumed.

Overall it took some getting into but by the end I enjoyed reading their story but I don’t think I would reread it again.

Such a cute work place romcom featuring an Asian American love story. Enjoyed the banter between Matt and Cadence. The family fielty is front and center in Cadence’s relationship with her father and brother, as well as Matt’s relationship with his extended and immediate family

This sweet romance had a heavy focus on family, found family and life as adults. I enjoyed the the cultural representation of this story, Matt's family was a joy to read.

The banter between Matt and Cadence kept the story moving for me, although parts did drag a bit for me. The San Francisco setting was so fun and different from other books I have read recently. I appreciated how everything came together and would recommend this to friends of friends to lovers/ workplace friends to lovers.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for a digital copy to review.

Such a fun story! I'm not typically a fan of romance novels or the fake dating trope in general, but this one brings a fresh perspective to the genre!

This is a wonderful romance that addresses 2 very difficult topics, navigating workplace romance and fundamental family dynamics. That sounds pretty heavy, but Julie Tieu makes it fun and delivers the messages. Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel.

I really liked the Chinese and Filipino representation in this book, as it’s not often we see Asian MCs in romance books, I thought this was a cute story, but it did fall a bit flat for me in the middle, I really liked Matt and his character!

Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu

I was initially interested in this book because I had been reading quite a few office romances that I enjoyed and thought this one sounded good. I tried reading it, put it down, picked it up, put it down, and just couldn't get into it. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I just didn't connect with the characters and their story. I was bored and found myself skimming. Maybe It wasn't the right time for me to read it. The writing was fine, so I will still rate this book 3 stars although it was probably a little lower for me personally. I think there will be plenty of readers who may like it, so be encouraged to give it a try.

My thanks to Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my opinion of it.

This one gave me extreme feels and some. It was a fast easy and satisfying friends to lovers in the workplace trope which are some of my favorites. Julie Tieu is engaging and has a firm hand on her characters which makes her characters alot more relatable. I can't wait for her next novel.

This book was so cute and well written. I loved it and enjoyed reading it. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing chance to read and review. I'll also try to post on blog sometime in future.