A review by tdotrenae
Out of Office by A.H. Cunningham

emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I really wanted to like this one more. It was just okay. I feel like everything in this book was just alright. The main characters, the story, the writing - everything was just like “eh okay.” 
 
I did really like the overall premise and conflict within the main female character. As someone who has been going through the same internal struggle of having the career of a lifetime, and starting to pivot to have more of a life outside of my job has been interesting. I feel like that and Gen’s struggles with balancing wanting to expand her career and being a potential contributor to gentrification was interesting. I loved, loved, loved, the queer BIPOC representation in the book, and I liked most of the side characters. 
 
I also liked some of the writing. Now, the author definitely can write some beautiful scenes, at the same time, I felt like there were parts of the story that were disjointed from other parts of the book. I wish it was consistently, the beautiful writing of the spicy scenes, IN some of the more mundane parts of the story. There are also just whole plot points that we just skim over, such as Adrian’s immigration story, and the resolution of the conflict between Gen and her mother. I feel like the book starts in the middle, when I would’ve loved to feel and experience some of the build-up between Adrian and Gen. 
 
I feel like I might recommend this book to someone who is looking for a steamy, low angst, quick-moving, story that just works if you’re going off vibes ONLY. There are some larger themes at play that make the story interesting, but the point is really a steamy romance - just focus on that. LOL. 
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