3.5 Stars/5 Stars. This was a cute romance from Julie Tieu. I loved The Donut Trap but Circling Back to You was just okay. I was not a huge fan of the romance and wanted more about our main characters family and lives. I like Julie Tieu's writing style and will be reading more from her in the future.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is my second Julie Tieu book and I have to say that “Circling Back to You” cemented her status (at least in my eyes) as one of the best contemporary romance authors I’ve read from. The story had a good mix of lighthearted moments and heartfelt tearjerking moments. The dialogue was full of witty banter between the two characters and the scenarios were well written. The setting was split between San Francisco and Los Angeles which added to my enjoyment because I have previously lived in both places.

Some important things to note:
1. Family was an important aspect of this story, and it really made this contemporary romance standout from some others I’ve read. It didn’t solely focus on the romance and made it much more realistic and interesting to read.
2. The steam/spice level was very tame and short lived so this is a perfect introductory book for potential romance readers. I would have preferred more spice myself though.
3. There is quite a bit of “shop talk” since this is a work place rom com so some of those moments were a little dull for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend this to romance readers and fiction readers alike. It’s easy to read and an all around good time.

A rom-com for the books! Circling Back to You was such a fun, feel-good read! Genuinely enjoyed the characters and romance and felt the story was very well told. Would definitely recommend!

I loved Julie Tieu's debut so much that I immediately reread it after I finished it, so no one is more disappointed than I am that her sophomore novel is not a book I'll be circling back to.

Circling Back to You reminds me of the box of Sees Candies' "Hot Red Swamp Goo" one of my patients gave us. In theory, it had everything I like: dark chocolate, marshmallows, and a Jello-like gummy, but when they were combined with the artificial cinnamon flavor of Red Hots, the whole thing lost its appeal. Similarly, the pitch for Circling Back to You had the ingredients for a five star (at least from me) review; unfortunately, the actual product didn't quite live up to the advertising. I was promised pining dummies, SF rep and fake dating. Instead I got way more kissing than pining, a story still predominantly set in SoCal and a watered down version of fake dating that didn't play as big of a part in the overall story as the synopsis would suggest.

I wanted to like this so badly. Circling Back to You had all the elements of a great book--relatable protagonist, cute banter, and the grumpy-sunshine trope--but the story never came together for me. Candice: a slightly snarky Asian American with a wry sense of humor and a love for free food, good deals and comfy clothes. Unfortunately, you need more than an amusing character to carry a story.

I had a major issue with the alternating POVs. It's not my favorite to begin with, and it just wasn't used well here. Candice had a strong, distinct voice, but Matt's POV didn't add anything to the story. He was basically used for plot point reveals, but he needed a lot more development and a personality injection to justify getting his own chapters.

It didn't help that the story was all over the place, either. The mutual pining rapidly escalated into "we can't keep our hands off each other," a random fake dating scene is thrown in, and at some point, Candice's character lost any semblance of consistency. The plot was already kind of shaky to begin with, and there wasn't really any convincing tension in the story. It just didn't really feel like there one main problem driving the story. I guess it was supposed the potential for issues when transitioning from coworkers-to-lovers and the threat of long distance, but it mostly just felt a series of mini "conflicts" that weren't nearly strong enough to carry the story.

The best part of the book the familial moments. I love complex family dynamics, and Tieu did not disappoint, giving us not one, but two Asian families. Candice's is small little trio torn even further apart by grief. In contrast, Matt has a giant Filipino family who've mastered the art of killing with kindness and a Lola who just wants to see all her grandbabies get married and
make their own babies. Real relationships are complex and messy, and Tieu captures that perfectly. She deals with issues like familial expectation, aging parents, and cultural differences in a way that's honest and genuine.

I received an eARC from Avon/HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely coworkers to friends to lovers romance! Funnily enough, I enjoyed reading about an office romance, life in a pandemic has changed everything about how we work, so getting to escape into this book where these co workers spent time everyday together, building a rapport and trust amongst each other was so much fun to read.

It was a little maddening to read this and KNOW that both Cadence and Matt REALLY LIKED EACH OTHER from the get go but both of them thought the other one didn’t. It definitely hit the “everybody can see it trope” because other people in the office would ask about them and if they were dating lol. As the person looking in I wanted to shake them!!!! reading from each perspective its what calmed me down cause they both had valid reasons for fearing it was just them…so I would just huff and shout out “MAKE OUT ALREADY” a million times before they finally listened to me.

Another aspect that is truly WONDERFUL about this novel aside from the romance, was the family dynamics for both characters. I enjoyed reading it so much. The loud and rambunctious Escanilla family (belonging to Matt) was so similar to my own, I felt so seen and especially related to Matt’s wants and desires. The Lim family was vastly different yet still equally compelling.

A fantastic read and I’m so happy I got an arc for it.

𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘛𝘰 𝘠𝘰𝘶 is a delightful read, perfect for fans of Gloria Chao's Rent A Boyfriend.
It's a light, heart warming workplace romance wherein we've got Cadence, an analyst at her real estate firm in San Francisco and we have Matt, the top selling broker at Prism Realty, who's also her work husband. Both have spent years claiming to be just friends but what happens when they spend a week in each other's proximity and year's worth of denied feelings finally spill?
- ~ -
I won't lie I was halfway in love with the protagonists as soon as they were introduced, I mean how can you not love a strong, determined someone who's also not afraid to stand up for herself, that's our Cadence. Oh and also, we've got our sweet, flirtatious, and charismatic love interest, Matt.

𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙟𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙧𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙖-𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚.

The banter between Cadence and Matt was supreme and just as the author wrote, they were great characters, both as a couple and individually. The romance was loads of fun and felt very genuine considering the characters faced many *realistic* hurdles on their path to HEA but weren't deterred because their love stood strong. The dual POVs also added a delightful bit of dimension.

The moment I read Matt's POV wherein the cousins' group chat was introduced I knew I was going to love the big family dynamic. The chaos that was bound to be created was very well appreciated and I loved how the multitude of cousins created a hilarious atmosphere.

"𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙖 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙧. 𝘼 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙧."

I also found Cadence's dad quite fun to read, I was looking forward to the minimal interactions he had with his daughter which were very tense and awkward but I could relate. Although, I did wish we got to witness some more development between the father-daughter duo, so I was a tad disappointed on that front.
- ~ -
However, the main issue I had with this book was that the romance, the chemistry the characters had, was really undermined in the bedroom? I mean all I'm saying is that particular aspect fell short for me because the mutual pining, the angst the characters portrayed in the earlier scenes seemed like it had the potential for some groundbreaking, earth shattering steamy scenes.
And the other issue was that this book was marketed as a fake dating trope but there was none of that, which didn't matter in the end because I quite liked how the story was presented to us but that false claim might be misleading for some.

3.78/5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘝𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 & 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

This book blew me away! The rep! The food! The adorable chemistry between Cadence and Matt! Tieu paints their lives with so much loving realism--the family dynamics, pop culture references, comfort foods...everything! As someone whose family originates from southern China through Cambodia, Cadence and her family felt like cousins (down to the brand of sweetened condensed milk, exact same funeral rites, etc.), and Matt's family felt just like the families of my Fillipinx friends. I've never seen this depth of representation before, especially for folks like me and my fam, and was astounded and touched at every familiar reference. Circling Back to You reminded me of Helen Hoang's books, and we all know that Helen Hoang is a queen! It's clear that Tieu is also intimately familiar with both the Bay Area and LA--she accurately captures so much (good and bad) about both. This cute office romance kept me chuckling and turning pages right up until the end. Can't wait to see what Tieu releases next!

I just couldn't get into this book at all. There was some cute quippy banter and inside jokes that kept it from being be a DNF but I never connected with the book.

I understand that the relationship started way before what we saw on the pages, but I felt like we were missing something. I enjoyed the scene with the party at Matt's family and the banter and dynamics there, however a lot of the office and work stuff felt drab and slowed down the book. I was excited for the spicy scenes and they started off great but ultimately felt rushed.

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was an enjoyable read for the most part! I definitely liked Circling Back to You more than The Donut Trap, especially because it was marketed properly as a romance this time and because it was dual-POV. That being said, I still definitely feel like there were places for improvement, with the plot and its pace, as well as the character development. The story starts off smack dab in the middle of Cadence and Matt's relationship, with them already having known each other/being work friends and already having secret feelings for each other. I think it would have been nice to see the progression of how they got there instead of having the story start later on in their relationship.

I also agree with other reviewers that the middle chunk could have been more fast paced. While I enjoyed seeing the dynamic between Cadence, Tristan, and their Dad (Julie Tieu once again nails the discussion of being the child of Asian immigrant parents & the responsibilities that typically come along with it), I think the real estate plot was dragging on a bit. I would liked a little more actions or events to make that section of the story more engaging. Also, the explicit scenes between Matt and Cadence felt super rushed and underwhelming.

Some of my highlights of this novel were Matt's POV chapters, which were so fun to read. I also appreciate how open Matt and Cadence were with each other, which prevented any miscommunication. The reconciliation scene in the last 1/5 of the novel was also super sweet too. Overall, I'd give this about 3.5 stars, rounded up!

I love a good grump and sunshine trope, in this case it’s the reverse where the guy is all happy and positive while the girl is a bit of a grump! Cadence and Matt are adorable co-workers who you can tell both want more (and yes we get dual points of view) but aren’t sure about the other’s feelings. We follow their journey of trying to figure out their own relationship while also trying to move up in their careers. Will they be able to do both? What about when some family drama happens? Check out this adorable romantic comedy when it releases July 12th, 2022!

The Donut Trap was one of my favorite releases of 2021, so I was unbelievably excited for Julie Tieu’s next book! After reading the summary for it, I was even more excited for it, and I loved it. Circling Back to You was a hot romance outside of the office that also explored complex family dynamics.

Matt Escanilla is up for a big promotion that’ll allow him to move to L.A. to be closer to his family, like he’s always wanted—but only if he makes this huge sale. Cadence Lim is ready to move on from their company but is unsure of her next steps; she’s roped into helping Matt when the client mistakenly dials her extension, and he takes a liking to her. They end up taking a business trip to L.A. that also coincides with both of their plans to visit family, and along the way, they must decide whether or not to give into the intense attraction that’s been lingering between them for years.

Not to compare them, but this book was a bit tonally different from The Donut Trap. For one thing, I would say Circling Back to You is more of a romance in the way you expect, especially with both Matt’s and Cadence’s points-of-view. Also, there were a lot steamier scenes; while the sex scene in The Donut Trap was closed-door/fadeaway, that’s not the case in this book.

The romance was amazing! Matt and Cadence were so great together; they’ve been work husband and wife for years, with their co-workers banking on them hooking up, but both of them has been unwilling to breach their friendship in case the other person didn’t like them. However, the L.A. business trip reveals a new side to both of them, and they can’t help but give into their attraction. I liked how supportive and caring they were of each other!

I really loved the characters! Cadence is willful and knows what she wants; I loved reading of her certainty and ability to achieve her goals. Matt also is working hard toward his promotion, and I liked how family-oriented he was. They really made a great couple, wanting to help the other succeed.

It was interesting seeing Cadence’s and Matt’s family dynamics juxtaposed. Cadence is fairly estranged from her family. Her mother died five years ago, and since then, her older brother Tristan has been living with and taking care of their father. She feels guilty for not being present in their lives but also doesn’t know how to bond with her dad, especially since she feels he didn’t properly care for her throughout her life. I liked reading about her navigating her relationship with Tristan and her dad while she’s in L.A.

Meanwhile, Matt has a large family who are all very close with each other. He loves them but is upset by the fact that all they care about is his love life, or rather, lack thereof. Even when he brings Cadence along (they’re together at this point), he’s annoyed that they immediately dig into when they’re getting married and when they’re having children. As much as a close family is nice, it’s also a bit irritating constantly being inspected. Even though he and Cadence have different dynamics with their respective families, it’s clear that they both hold a lot of love for them.

Cadence is Chinese American and Matt is Filipino American. I liked seeing both of their cultures casually being shown throughout the book! We always need more Asian representation, especially Southeast Asian representation, in the adult romance genre.

Circling Back to You was a heartfelt workplace romance. I loved the characters and watching them navigate their relationships with their families. This book is one of my favorites of 2022 already (I’m writing this review in 2021); if you’re looking for a great co-workers romance with great character arcs, I definitely recommend Circling Back to You!

Thank you to Avon, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu is an amazing #ownvoices rom-com perfect for fans of Helen Hoang and Lauren Ho. The story revolves around Cadence Lim and co-worker Matt Escanilla. When Matt's Filipino family keeps encouraging him to settle down, Cadence agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend for a family gathering in their hometown. Will the pair catch feels for each other?

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Cadence's point of view:

"Had she offended him? She was about to apologize when she caught Matt assessing her all-black outfit, down to her boots. Cadence pulled her coat over her polo, muttering, “I didn’t know I was supposed to wear an ugly Christmas sweater.”
If Matt wasn’t offended before, he was now. “What are you calling ugly?”
Cadence took another sip, avoiding the question because nothing about Matt was ugly. Sure, he had confidence in spades, affording him to wear this foolish getup with ease. But unlike the other brokers in the office, Matt never felt entitled to Cadence’s time and politely asked whenever he needed a favor. Unlike her, Matt always took his family’s calls, especially if it was his lola, patiently listening while she spoke in long stretches. Cadence didn’t mean to listen in on their conversations, but it wasn’t hard to catch the staccato of his lola’s Tagalog accent when their cubicles were right next to each other."

Overall, Circling Back to You is an adorable rom-com for anyone looking for a coworkers-to-lovers romance. One highlight of this book is that it is an #ownvoices romance. As a reader of Asian descent, I am so happy to support an author of Asian descent. Asian characters are very underrepresented in the romance genre, and I have never read a book with a Filipino male lead before. I hope that more books like this can be published in the future. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of rom-coms in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in July!

(4.5). Such a fun, real romance. I loved the MCs and the semi grumpy/sunshine trope vibes. It was such a great mash of romance and real life. I enjoyed reading about Cadence’s family dynamic and how it grew and evolved over the course of the story. The dynamic between her and Matt was so great and I loved being able to read from both their POVs. Their banter was so fun and made me love them so much. This would make for a great movie! I truly enjoyed it from start to finish.

Cadence is a hardworking woman who, despite her family’s wishes, spends the majority of her time focused on her career and away from them. Her family dynamic is something she battles with constantly but isn’t sure what to do about it. While she is busy working hard, she is kept company by her favorite coworker Matt, who's horrible jokes and constant talking keep her entertained. When she decides to take time off to go be with her family, she is tasked with helping Matt prepare some things for their new office and try to nail their latest pitch. What she isn’t prepared for is having to share a hotel suite with him and to be working hours on end. She isn’t sure she is ready and willing to open up to Matt but he is there for her in more ways than one. It seems they’ve both been keeping things from one another and the close proximity is about to bring everything to the surface.


Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance, fake dating

Cadence Lim is an analyst and an integral part of the operations at Prism reality. Matt, her coworker-next-door has sat next to her for years as both of them hustled and climbed the ladder, secretly liking one another but never acting on it. One thing led to another and now you have a typical office romance on your hands. A+ for diversity and positive Asian rep, and this was a cute fluffy romance. Matt is a solid male love interest, he isn't toxic or possessive and he's written as generally a good guy all around and I appreciate this in a male love interest.

Cadence is a grumpy numbers cruncher, and very practical and grounded. Both of them have their families push and pulling them in different directions and I think the struggle with these expectations is portrayed nicely.

Now, for everything else. Where's the tension? Where's the angst? Even in a cute fluffy romance, you need some tension for it to not be a total snooze fest. I just didn't love it. I was bored and I had a hard time really connecting to either of the characters. Office romance isn't my thing so this might just be a case of good book, wrong audience. I had a really hard time getting into it and I felt like the move from friends to something more was so quick, like both of the characters were disregarding everything they were worried about.

All around if you're looking for a cute fluffy romance and some seriously light reading, I would give this a try.

Circling Back to You
Rating : 3.75 stars

Synopsis:

Cadence Lim is a by the book person, who is an integral part of the sales team at Prism Realty. Despite a successful career she is estranged from her family and has a rather complicated relationship with both her father and her brother.

Matt Escanilla, a successful and top broker at Prism Reality, is a charming, fun personality who is a family man and his career is only growing from here. Due to his unsuccessful love life, Matt is feeling the pressure from his family to settle down and start a family.

Cadence is rather fond of her favorite co-worker, Matt Escanilla. Their friendship/relationship begins to develop further when a business trips sends them both in their hometown. While on the trip, Matt asks Cadence to pose as his pretend girlfriend for a family gathering. While spending hours together and a bit of forced proximity it allows the two coworkers to see each other in a new light. However, when contending job opportunities arise the threat their budding relationship is high.

Overall this book was very cute. This was an easy read and it was a nice pace. The two main characters were intriguing and it was nice to see both the culture and representation. This was a work place romance and I thought it was done in a way that made it believable and relatable. I really enjoyed Matt’s character, he was charming and funny . This book was a tad bit slow at times but it kept me interested and wanting to see how their relationship progressed. I also really enjoyed the dual POV structure.

*Thanks to Julie Tieu, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

New review: Circling Back To You
Thank you @netgalley @avonbooks and @julietieuwrites for the ARC of this witty Rom-Com. I absolutely loved the banter between Candace and Matt.
Release date: July 2022
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-Matt and Cadence are co-workers who secretly both have feeling for each other.
-A nice slow burn romance evolves
-Both characters have family dilemmas that they are dealing with and how important family means to each of them.
-Cadence sense of humor throughout the story 😅
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I did not get a chance to read The Donut Trap yet but I know I’ll picking it up. But I recommend this story to anyone who loves a light hearted rom-com.
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This book really exceeded my expectations. Work place romances are not often done well but this was genuinely cute. I also don’t usually like the male love interest very much but Matt is an absolute gem!! We Stan considerate, non toxic love interests!! But also give me fake dating and I am IN!!

Circling Back to You is a workplace romance following Cadence and Matt. Cadence and Matt work together at a realty firm and aren’t much more than acquaintances at the beginning of the story. When Matt and Cadence go on a “work trip” together, their relationship takes an interesting turn. Matt is working his butt off to get a promotion and follow his career dreams. Cadence is an absolute genius with numbers and the key to Matt’s success.

The only problem is that Cadence is still grieving the loss of her mother and some messy family dynamics. Her heart is just not in it. But she’s willing to play along to help Matt out with both his sales pitch and his family. Cadence has agreed to pretend to be Matt’s girlfriend for a family event.

Circling Back to You focuses on loss, advocating for yourself, and unexpected relationships. This book is a perfect mix of tropes I love and a darn good romance!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I have a soft spot for workplace romances, so requested this as soon as I saw it pop up.

Unfortunately, while Matt was a sweety and aspects of the story were charming, I didn't find the romance between him and Candace believable, it was more like the author was telling me they fell in love then making me feel it.

Just finished this eARC of Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu and it was a fun workplace romance. The characters had good chemistry and there were some genuinely funny moments. It did drag a bit in the middle, but I liked that the characters each had their own flaws and issues to work through before they could make things work together. Wasn't the best I've ever read, but it was a fun read for fans of the genre.

I think this story had all the potential, but I think the overall execution fell flat. I wanted so badly to love this story because of the representation and as a fellow Filipino, I want to adore any book that has any representation in their story, but I just had a hard time connecting with Matt and Cadence's love story. Alone Matt stole my heart, but it was hard to see a match with Cadence.

The one saving grace of this story was Matt. Give me a Filipino male with his meddling Lola any day of the week. He was genuine and the kind of character that is easy to fall for becuase he is the perfect mixture of sexy, sweet, and charming. Cadence was a bit harder to crack for me. She was a bit stand-offish and very hard to read. She had exterior armor that made it hard to connect with her. I didn’t feel any growth in her development throughout the story and I felt her actions were the opposite of her character.

The writing style does feel distant and feel like you are reading a story more so than experiencing it along with the characters. There is a dry tone that makes it hard to stay focused on the book. Though this book didn’t work out for me, I think it’s worth giving it a chance. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.