Thank you to NetGalley, Kintetsu Yamada and Kodansha Comics for the E-ARC!

When I saw the art on the cover of this manga, I knew it was something I wanted to read. On-top of that, a romance between two characters who were neighbours sounded absolutely adorable, and I'm so glad to say that it was as cute as it seemed!

When the pandemic hits, Nokoro, an introverted office worker, has to begin doing his work from home. This means making his dull apartment that he's barely unpacked a place where he can comfortably work and live. One day when he goes onto his newly decorated patio to admire it, a friendly neighbour, Natsu, peaks her head over to speak with him. Thus begins the story of how Nokoro and Natsu fall in love, as told by Nokoro in the future.

I just want to start by praising the artwork in this manga. The character design, facial expressions, environments, absolutely everything about the art is amazing. It's drawn so cleanly and prettily, it's hard not to admire the work that the author put into it.

As for the story, I don't want to say much because I feel like everyone should be able to experience it for themselves, but I think it was really lovely. Seeing the relationship between Nokoro and Natsu naturally develop was so enjoyable, they were extremely cute together. Plus, they were both such good characters individually, both being very different from the other, but in such complimentary ways.

Manga is always such a quick to read, but somehow this felt even faster. I never checked my clock or even looked away while reading it, completely enraptured by the story and characters. I highly recommend you pick this up if you like a cute romance!

This was such a cute love story. Different from the ones ive read so far. Nokoru-san's character as a software Engineer was intriguing. I loved how we could see his thoughts and how he approached his once in a lifetime love. As an inroverted character myself i could relate to a lot of how his brain worked. Natsu san was also soo cute and i loved her extrovert energy.

There were some laugh-out-loud moments which i really enjoyed. A love story with a lot of everyday scenes and a pinch of humor. This was soo good. Will definitely keep an eye out for more of this author's work in the future!

NetGalley ARC

This was such a cute read! A nerdy guy working 9/5 got his world shaken a little by a grad student in archeology. Working from home due to lockdown with some balcony interactions and finding excuses to talk to each other.

I didn’t know I needed more nerdy romance in my life! Actions will always speak louder than words