Review: Circling Back to You by Julie Tieu

Rating: 4/5 PoP:48% 

Cadence Lim thinks she knows what she needs to do in life and it does not include a romantic relationship, actually it does not involve many relationships at all. Matt Escanilla has been working, working, and a little playing for the past few years but now it seems as if life is leaving him behind. He just needs to close this large deal with a tech giant to gain his promotion in the new Prism Realty LA office. Then he can finally settle down and spend more time with his family. When Cadence shines as an integral part of making that happen, Matt is more than happy to have her along. 

I enjoyed this book for several reasons but mostly because of Cadence. She is an AAIP character that grew up in a home that was trying hard to assimilate. At least it seems her father wished that for her and her brother. When her mother passed several years ago, Cadence pulled back from her relationships with her family and threw herself into work. She is at the top of her game and goes above and beyond without the recognition she deserves. She can be brutally honest and somewhat off putting but it is a defense to shield herself from personal involvement. If people do not like her, they will not want to get to know her. Matt has always appreciated Cadence’s dedication and respects her abilities, but as they spend more time together he realizes he knows nothing about her. As a Filipino American, Matt can understand Cadence’s struggles of balancing a family life with a rich culture and expectations. The expectations for him are to get married and start making babies, ekk. He knows if he is going to do that it needs to be soon. 

These characters have a good foundation to work with as they have been co workers for years but they quickly realize that does not mean you know a person. I think Matt and Cadence both had to deal with some realistic insecurities to get to an HEA. I thought the way things ended worked well as the characters did not change their personalities, just their goals.