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.

I appreciated the plot of this story but the pacing fell a little short for me. I think that it was really slow in the beginning and picked up halfway through. Circling Back to You is a refreshing story about two co-workers secretly harboring crushes on each other that are put together on a work trip. Within that work trip they learn more about each other and finally confess their attraction. A lot happens in that two weeks that could either bring them closer or further apart.

I liked the writing style. There was comedic relief but the serious portions were well done as well. I loved where we left Matt and Cadence at the end. I will admit that Cadence was a little frustrating at times but she came around. Also really appreciated the cultural representation present in the story.

CIRCLING BACK TO YOU – Julie Tieu
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-306984-8
July 12, 2022
Romantic Comedy

San Francisco & Los Angeles, California – Present Day

Cadence Lim and Matt Escanilla are competitive co-workers at a real estate firm in San Francisco and are undecided if they are friends or foes. She is about to leave on a two-week vacation to visit her elderly father and brother as they honor the four-year anniversary of her mother’s death. But Cadence’s employer insists that while she is in Los Angeles, she must work with Matt on wooing a rich investor to hire their company to help him purchase a piece of property. Since Matt has relatives in Los Angeles also, it will be a working vacation for both as they scout potential real estate locations and meet with the investor. They were supposed to have separate hotel rooms, but instead, they’re sharing a two-bedroom suite. Will the closeness bring the two together?

Cadence has a complicated relationship with her father and brother. She went away to school and later settled in San Francisco with a job she loves. Her mother had worked hard to support the family, and it eventually killed her, leaving a grieving family behind. Her father needs someone there to keep an eye on him, and it’s her brother who has taken on the responsibility. Cadence doesn’t feel like she is even wanted in her own family. Matt has a big family that includes lots of cousins. He feels sort of like an outlier because he isn’t married. But right now his big goal is to win this deal because it will lead to him being the favorite to land the chance of a lifetime: manage a new branch of the real estate company as they expand to Los Angeles.

Matt has always teased Cadence because she is serious about things. She is all work, though Matt himself has worked hard himself, she seems to be putting pressure on herself to succeed. The chance to work together on securing the contract of the rich investor wasn’t something either expected. Matt soon learns about a property at a good location, which would be perfect for what the man wants, but there’s a complication involved that involves Cadence and her father. How will he approach her and what will her reaction be? Meanwhile, living together in a hotel suite and sharing so much leads to an attraction they didn’t expect—nor can resist.

CIRCLING BACK TO YOU is a fun and enjoyable tale of co-workers finding out how much they’re attracted to each other while working together. Yet, much like life, things are complicated between them. Matt really wants the job in Los Angeles, and for Cadence, it seems like it could be a good fit for her too if she wanted to transfer, but what about her relationship with her family? Along the way, she begins to see her father in a different light, even as she navigates their complicated relationship. As for Matt, he is still feeling pressure from his family to marry and settle down. How will they react when he shows up for a party with Cadence by his side? It was certainly one of the funniest scenes in this tale.

If you love a cute and funny tale taking place between co-workers, then CIRCLING BACK TO YOU will tickle your funny bone. Matt and Cadence are likable characters and readers will soon be rooting for them to make it to a happily-ever-after. Don’t miss this enjoyable tale.

Patti Fischer

I'll start by saying this book was SO cute; it was the perfect workplace romcom! It has so much heart and I loved Cadence and Matt together. Their banter was adorable! I liked that this book had realistic adult problems (i.e. jobs/career, family). The different family dynamics were wonderful to see. The differences between Cadence's family and Matt's family were so interesting and important to showcase.
The way that Tieu was able to make me nostalgic for a place I've never lived in (San Gabriel) was amazing. The sense of community she was able to describe in this book made me feel so at home. And of course, the Asian American representation was so great!
This was overall such a fun, lighthearted read and I can't wait to see what's next for Julie Tieu!

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the ARC of this!

A cute workplace rom-com with a diverse cast and a meddling Grandma, this was such a fun read. I loved the character’s chemistry and the pacing of their relationship. I did have one small issue, I won’t quote in case it’s not in the final publication, but there is a queer couple who want to adopt as side characters, and the couple discussions had about it made me cringe. Adoption is so that children who need families can find them, not for families who need children, and the focus on how horrible it would be for them if the birth parents were reunified/changed their mind (unclear) or wanted to be in the baby’s life was so uncomfortable to me. Since it was a very minor plot point I didn’t take off any stars for it, but thought it deserved mentioning. Overall, I thought this was very entertaining, like The Hating Game with less, well, hating.

This is a charming friends to lovers, fake dating, office romcom. It didn’t really deliver, I thought the chemistry between the two main characters felt forced. The ending was good, but the book lagged in the middle. I still enjoyed it but I was expecting a little more. 3.5 stars.

Synopsis:
Julie Tieu, an exciting new and diverse voice in contemporary romance, returns with a hilarious and sexy new novel about colleagues who decide to take their relationship outside the office.

Cadence Lim has transformed from behind-the-scenes number cruncher to an integral part of the sales team at Prism Realty. But despite moving up the corporate ladder, her complicated relationship with her estranged elderly father weighs heavily and she can't seem to shake the desire for a new beginning.

At least Cadence can always lean on her favorite co-worker and co-conspirator, Matt Escanilla. A top broker with an unsuccessful love life, the forever single Matt is constantly being nagged by his loving Filipino family to settle down.

Their relationship takes a turn when a business trip lands them both in their hometown and Matt enlists Cadence as a pretend girlfriend for a family gathering. The new after-hours setting forces the two friends to see each other in a new light, and their previously buried feelings rise quickly to the surface. When competing promotions threaten to separate Cadence and Matt, these office besties must work together to round up their ambitions and families to pursue their overdue romance.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Cadence is Matt's work wife, with just a partition separating them. Cadence is an analyst with mad excel skills, and Matt is a master at closing a sale. Matt is looking to make a move to LA to be closer to family, but in order to do that he needs to win over a big account.

They travel back to their hometown to get the deal back on track. Cadence earns not only Matt's respect but the respect of the big client. I loved how much Matt not only stuck up for her with some of the toxic male colleagues but also supported her when she won over the client.

While in town they strike up a deal to fake a relationship to his overbearing family who want him to settle down. However the act starts to feel a little too real.

Cadence is also struggling to deal with her relationship with her father and brother. Since her mother passed she hasn't really been back. However the need to repair their family is important to them all.

When the trip ends, they have to decide where they want their relationship will go.

A fun friends to lovers, office romance with some heavy moments that were handled so well.

~ Workplace setting
~ Friends to Lovers
~ Grumpy/Sunshine
~ Fake Dating
~ Amazing Banter
~ Hilarious meddling family


I absolutely loved this book!
Circling Back to You follows two workmates Cadence and Matt and their relationship as it grows outside of work when they are on a work trip near their families and may have to fake date for a little bit 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Their conversations, the banter, Matt and Cadence teasing each other. They were so funny and real and I loved every seen where they were interacting with each other.
I enjoyed seeing their relationships with their family. Also, this book dealt with grief and how that effects the family dynamic. I felt like the serious things in this book were talked about well and didn't over power the lighter moments. I really liked how at different parts of the story, the main characters relationship wasn't quickly changing or facing immediate problems. They were able to just be. Their relationship felt real. Something believable in real life and I really appreciated that. This was a light and sweet contemporary romance that made me smile and laugh so many times! I really enjoyed Julie Tieu’s writing style and storytelling and would totally read more from her in the future.


Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Love this book just as much as the donut trap it's a fun friends to lovers work place story and it was fun to see how Matt and cadence romance started to bloom and take off I loved this book and I will read again

I was really excited for this read! I love a good rom com, and was hoping this would be a unique new take on the work romance ploy. However I had a really hard time getting through it. The two main characters had their cute moments but felt like the book involved too much about their work, and too little about their romance. Overall, it was okay as romance books go.

Cadence and Matt are co-workers who have always been friends, despite their coworkers thinking they might have a romantic relationship. When a work trip takes them to their hometown, they each have to deal with family events, and their extra time together leads to some feelings between the two.

There was a lot happening in this book - not only was their relationship a major part of the story, but there was a plotline dealing with a work project, and both Cadence and Matt had some family drama going on. This led to a lot of side characters and subplots that were sometimes distracting and hard to keep track of. It also felt that some pieces of the story progressed a bit too quickly. While there was nothing I disliked about this book, I was not as engaged with it as I expected to be.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I always love a fake dating trope, and this one was a workplace romance paired with fake dating.

The best way for me to describe this one is grumpy Jim and Pam go to California.

There were things about this book I liked and things that didn’t land for me. Cadence’s personality was often a turn off as she did things I didn’t agree with and didn’t understand at times.

I did enjoy reading about the moments where Cadence and Matt were together. The way they ended up in California together was also kind of not believable for me (if any employer wants you to work on vacation, run), but the time in CA and family dynamics were interesting. Plus, I must say I enjoyed their banter and forced proximity.

I couldn’t relate to Cadence well, but her reactions to things also felt like they too held a purpose as she dealt with her own struggles.

I recommend this one to those who love workplace rom coms!

Thank you to Harper/Avon and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The corporate lingo as a title is what drew me in, but the books itself kept me going. I enjoyed this book and appreciate the tropes ranging from office romance, friends to lovers, and fake dating!

It was a refreshing change how the characters were analysts instead of working in literature/journalism. The progression of the relationship between Cadence and Matt was enjoyable and I appreciated the differing family dynamics, though I did hit a point 50% through that I needed to take a break because the plot seemed to slow down. Once I got back into it though, the plot stayed lively and it was easy to finish.

This was fine - I found the protagonist to be a little too rough around the edges, but I enjoyed the office friends to something more approach. I just wish our mc hadn't been so abrasive. Especially when the hero is such a golden retriever/puppy dog.