A fantastic novel that will make you laugh, think and feel

“No mimes were injured in the making of this queer, workplace Rom-com” Who can resist that warning label? This book promised to be up my alley and I’m really happy I gave this story a chance as it exceeded my expectations.

Clare Kolikov is a successful HR manager for a matchmaking startup, W;nkdIn. Clare has no time or inclination for dating but is forced to volunteer as an LGBTQ beta date tester for her company. Julia Dawes is Clare’s hot coworker who’s organizing her dates. When they meet, sparks fly but mixing work with pleasure will get them both in trouble…

This is a very entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny, workplace Rom-com. I really loved the sense of humor in this novel, it’s smart, sarcastic, and sometimes critical:

“… why not just ask her out the old-fashioned way?”
“You mean, swiping 8,000 times on apps until I find her, messaging back and forth for months, and then never meeting?”

Many books have described the woes of dating in the times of social media and matchmaking apps but I liked the fresh approach of this novel. The date experiences are absolutely hilarious. My favorite was the plant healing workshop in which Clare is asked to commune with a cactus. Priceless…

However, this novel isn’t just a compilation of funny scenes, it’s also a journey of transformation for both main characters who have to deal with bereavement, complex family relationships, lack of self-esteem and, in the middle of all that, determine what’s really important in life. Despite the heaviness of some issues, everything is balanced with a heavy dose of humor and self-deprecation.

All the cast of characters, mains and secondary, family or coworkers, are absolutely amazing. Every single one has a distinct personality quirk but not ridiculously so. From Rodrigo the drag queen to Claire’s therapist Luca, they all have something inherently human about them which provides depth to the story.

In her bio, the author says that Love Where You Work is her first (published) novel and originally started off as an erotica story. It’s a curious origin but I’m not surprised that it eventually became a rom-com with the level of imagination that Ms. Pulley has. Order muppets vs. chaos muppets, Kristen Stewart haiku film reviews, and pole dancing meet n’ greet, among other disparate elements, all make sense in the context of the story. Not only that, the result is a fantastic novel that will make you laugh, think and feel. Highly recommended. 5 stars.

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review