Home Office Romance is a super cute one shot romance story. The story starts at the beginning of the pandemic lockdown when Nokoru finally has more free time to spend at home doing his hobbies, such as creating a balcony garden inspired by his favorite fantasy manga. Spending time at home means he also has the chance to meet Natsu, his cute neighbor who's working on her graduate degree in archaeology. The story follows the two as Nokoru tries to figure out whether or not Natsu has feelings for him, ultimately leading to a happy ending for the couple.

This was a very sweet story and I appreciate that it is a standalone. Both characters were really unique. I liked how Nokoru was so serious and logical and that Natsu was more adventurous and outgoing. The two complimented each other really well and it made their romance feel very realistic. I know that a lot of people don't like to read about things set during the pandemic, but it didn't focus too much on the actual pandemic and the overall feeling was very cozy. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a cute, quick read.

I originally thought I was going to like this but just didn’t. The MMC I just could not connect with

From the same creator as 'Sweat and Soap', sweet and somewhat awkward adult romances are to be expected. This one shot manga follows Nokoru, an exhausted systems engineer who must rethink his at home set up after his job switches to remote work. While making changes for the better of his new work agenda, he accidently strikes up a rapport with his friendly neighbor Natsu, a graduate student studying archeology. What follows is a charming and lovely story of two very different people falling in love naturally though time spent together eating, reading and realizing that they truly miss each other while they are away. Much of the conflict comes from them both being adults with jobs and obligations, and things are resolved nicely as they are able to easily communicate with one another and come to realize that the attraction between the two is mutual.

The only downside I felt is that it is a one-shot manga, because I would have liked to spend more time with these characters and see them travel to other places. As it stands, it is still a good read for a quick, cute romance between adults.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review.

A really enjoyable read. This book was wholesome and cute and a really great manga.

i managed to read on a cold wet day with a cuppa.

this was actually such a cute and wholesome manga with some awkward laughable moments.

i love when mangas are just a standalone, i feel like thats so rare to find.

highly recommend if you want to have something quick and interesting

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It is so cute and heartfelt! It was hilarious! I love the refocusing of a salaryman into the type of person who now has time for love.

The story is very cute but short. I really liked it 🩷

**Thank you for accepting my request to read your book in advance ☺️

I ended up loving this one! At first I was kind of iffy about it...it was a bit of a slow start and I just wasn't sure how I felt about the hero....but this book is from his POV and it's sooooo cute watching him fall. Their opposites attract personalities were too adorable. This one really wrapped around my heart!

Home Office Romance is seinen and thus romance for men. So, my kind of romance, haha. These two neighbors meet and start talking. Early on we know they will be married, because Nokoru tells us this. The two live in tiny apartments and Nokuru works as a systems engineer of sorts. Thanks to the pandemic lockdown he gets to work from home. Natsu then is a graduate student in archaeology. Their relationship is great, realistic and full of talking. Natsu is an actual woman and not a blushing maiden and the two have sex too (we don't get to see it). The manga starts nicely and the rhythm is good too, but halfway through everything kind of falls apart. Natsu leaving for her work trip kind of ends everything good and realistic and then it's just aimless traveling and mostly not even together.

The art is great though and works well with the story. I liked the facial expressions and the realistic approach a lot. Sadly so the ending eats (too) much of the pleasure, but this is still nice and it's wonderful that this is a standalone. Realistic stories rock my boat!

This was so cute! I adored these characters and loved seeing their love blossom. It was such a sweet story. I wish there was a bit more to it because it felt like we could have explored even more with them, but overall it was super freaking cute.

Thank you netgalley and kodansha comics for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I got to read this as an ARC from NetGalley. I was really excited about this manga since the main characters love interest is a graduate student studying archaeology, however this was not delved into as much as I wish it was. There were small things that annoyed me about the portrayal of studying archaeology, such as when talking about the tools used during excavations. I think during that discussion she could have talked about where she was mainly doing research and the specific tools they used. We never found out what her dissertation was about and that just felt like something the author decided to mention to add more details about her being a graduate student, but it was never really talked about much. Also, I did not know that the main character would be breaking the fourth wall so frequently so that really threw me off. Also the portrayal of the love interest was very disappointing, she never asked for consent and was basically just made into a pixie dream girl. I did not really feel like the romance between the two characters was believable since it felt really rushed. The artwork was pretty, I just wish more focus was on the plot line. It was a decent read but definitely nothing memorable.

I actually loved this. I like that it is a standalone, it doesn’t feel like the kind of story that needs multiple volumes. I really believed in Mitsuhashi and Natsu’s romance, it felt so natural and like something that could happen in real life. I also just really liked both of them individually, Mitsuhashi was very relatable (as an introvert, I get him lol), but I love how Natsu balanced that out being more extroverted. I don’t usually love reading about COVID, but I feel like it was tastefully done here. The ending made me smile so much. It was such a good easy, lighthearted romance.

This story seems to be based on the Covid time, when everyone started working from home more. I loved this story because it had such a cute story between two people who would have never met if it wasn't for the fact that they had to stay home more. As their lives were so different even though they lived next door to each other. This had a lot of great aspects to it, and I just loved getting to see the two of them interact and get to know each other.

Cute and quick read. I wish it was more than just the one volume. I’d love to get to know the characters deeper and hear more about their experiences. But I’ll settle for the story we did get.

His life consumed by work, Nokoru is rocked by a single night of good sleep. And it’s this paradoxical freedom that finally alerts Natsu to her neighbour’s existence. I’ve been wary of the inevitable turn to pandemic stories but romance’s willingness to tackle it makes perfect sense. Romance is about discovery, about growth and the grounding and rooting of its characters. Nokoru’s rediscovery of his childhood loves – forgotten not because they stopped mattering, but because he was forced to prioritise other things overtop of them until they were lost. How fitting that he falls in love with an archaeologist!

I really enjoyed Natsu from the moment she swept in and upended his world with her cheer and friendliness. How could you forget someone saying your name ‘sounded tasty’? But without falling into quirky, manic pixie dream girl territory. In one of my favourite moments Nokoru apologises, sensing he’s said something that has hurt her. It’s sweet on his part but it also gives her an air of mystery that is followed through on. Nevertheless I do wish that we were allowed to get to know Natsu more.

Their courtship is so lovely. The reason I love his apology so much is because they have a great awareness of one another but it’s so hard to choose a favourite aspect of their relationship. There’s this wonderful little flow of gifts back and forth that shows they’re thinking of each other. I love fantasy and romcoms but once the great threat or the wacky shenanigans end, it can be hard to imagine what they’re like day-to-day but their relationship is so sweetly domestic. That said, there is an in-between of that and a first date being a visit to a grocery store, but to me this is perfect.

I believe she calls him proper at one point and it’s great for comedy. He can be totally wrecked by something innocuous and it’s as funny as it is sweet. I would call it a cosy read. Despite being a pandemic book its limited setting doesn’t come across as claustrophobic – though it does have its moments. The ability to mute and rage and an incompetent coworker is so satisfying. The way it makes you dwell on the little things. However that can just as easily be read as romance reasons.

Unfortunately, despite some good uses, when it does decide to engage with the pandemic is when it’s at its weakest. I loved its atmosphere dearly so the sudden pivot to higher stakes thrown in at the end did take me by surprise. It was an abrupt shift in tone and it also sped up the pace so it came across like a race to the end. But it ended in the perfect place. I still have it five stars and it’s one of my favourite reads this year.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for this review copy. I leave this review voluntarily.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advance copy.

This was so cute! A nice, standalone slice of life romance between two neighbors dealing with the pandemic. I read a lot of heavier stuff, so this was a breath of drama-free, cozy fresh air!

A cute romance happened during pandemi. Quite relateable to me bcs I met and married my husband during pandemi too, but ofc we didn't live at the same building as this book 😅

I enjoy this book a lot—how awkward the guy that I found it's cute, especially when he wanted to visit her girlfriend even though had to fly for hours across multi continents. It's warming bcs showing how big his love to her. So does with the female main character who never shy to clearly state her feeling since the beginning to the guy, which I think many women should do it too if we want to be close to the men we are interested to 😁

How simple things connected and made closer also felt sweet: talking about statue in the guy's house, sharing snack and books

I like this book! Thank you for making me read it!

I thought this was a lovely slice-of-life story about a guy falling for his neighbor circa the pandemic/social distancing period. While it was nice seeing him shoot his shot little by little with his neighbor and it working, I also laughed at the moments with his job and coworkers (short though they were, they were very relateable lol).

Very nice and quick read!

3.75 stars

This was such a cute read!

It takes place during the panini and I loved seeing their relationship grow from their small interactions. It was adorable and they were perfect for each other. Plus it remained drama free and sometimes you need a less chaotic book to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

This manga was soooo cute. I love the art style and the story was very sweet! I loved this author's other series Sweat and Soap as well.