Review by Booklist Review
In her second foray into contemporary romance, award-winning fantasy author Cho (Spirits Abroad and Other Stories, 2021) takes us into the high-pressure world of Asian expat attorneys in London. When Malaysian Kriya Rajasekar breaks a heel and falls in front of a prestigious law firm where she has an interview, she meets gorgeous, reserved, and decidedly unfriendly East Asian Charles Goh for the first time. But not the last. A decade later, Kriya moves law firms with her mentor to discover she's sharing a firm with rival Goh. Charles and Kriya have wildly erroneous preconceptions of each other, and both have intense family issues, supporting their families in Asia. Charles is sharing an apartment with his cousin who is planning an anime-themed wedding; Kriya was recently dumped by a boyfriend who took advantage of her for years. When she starts getting hit on by her new boss, the two enter a fake-dating scheme to get him to leave her alone. This enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance is sweetly satisfying with characters dedicated to ethics, the law, their families, and friends.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Cho (The Friend Zone Experiment) charms in this sparkling tale of contentious coworkers discovering unexpected love. Londoner Kriya Rajasekar believes she and fellow lawyer Charles Goh are "bound together by an evil fate." He's been there to witness every one of her professional missteps, from misspeaking during a conference to literally falling flat on her face. When Kriya follows her boss, Arthur, to new firm Swithin Watkins, she's distraught to learn that she and Charles, who also works there, will be sharing an office. The vibe is tense at first, but Kriya soon learns that Charles's standoffishness stems from awkwardness rather than malice. As the two grow closer, Kriya uncovers Charles's heart of gold--and his gifts in the bedroom. Her personal life is on an upswing, but escalating sexual harassment from one of Swithin Watkins's partners puts Kriya's professional life in jeopardy. Add in Kriya and Charles's mutual inability to admit what they're feeling, and their budding romance may well be doomed. Readers will have no trouble rooting for these two to overcome the obstacles to their relationship, and Cho makes her villains just as detestable as her protagonists are lovable. Several cute subplots, including the anime-themed wedding of Charlie's cousin, Loretta, to her American fiancée, Hayley, add to the fun. This is a joy. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In an effort to avoid sexual harassment at her new firm, a London lawyer seeks out her workplace rival for a fake relationship. Looking for a new start after her long-term boyfriend moved to California and she was passed up for several promotions, Kriya Rajasekar accepts her boss Arthur's invitation to follow him to a new firm, Swithin Watkins. Her optimism about the new job is short-lived, though, as she soon discovers that she's sharing an office with none other than Charles Goh, a fellow lawyer she views as her personal bad luck charm. Whenever things go wrong for Kriya, Charles always seems to be present. Not wanting to make waves at the new firm on her first day, she makes do with the working arrangements, though she and Charles are like oil and water. Charles is very much a by-the-book type, adorably awkward and stuffy. Kriya exudes much more confidence and she quickly makes an impression on her colleagues, jeopardizing Charles' potential rise to partner. As Kriya settles in, it becomes clear that Arthur's suggestion that she join him at Swithin Watkins was motivated by more than just professional courtesy. Asking Charles to pretend to be her boyfriend seems like the ideal temporary solution. Charles doesn't mind; he's been harboring a crush on Kriya for years. When they start spending more time together, they connect over their Asian cultures--Kriya is Indian and Charles is Chinese, and both have familial and formative ties to Malaysia. They both have experiences being othered in their profession, while also navigating complex family dynamics where they don't feel fully seen or heard. This is a sweet, delightful romance that never feels saccharine due to deep issues the lovers deal with including workplace harassment and family debt. Kriya and Charles feel evenly matched and truly perfect for one another. A wonderfully balanced modern romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
