About the book
Eight years ago, he fell in love with a stranger he couldn’t have—today, she’s back in his life and the sparks between them threaten to set her career on fire.
Pearl Harris has learned the hard way to be careful in work and in love. She has the chance to make lasting change at OurCode—a nonprofit aimed at inspiring high schoolers to code—but a recent scandal puts its reputation at risk. Further complicating things, Pearl didn’t expect the one man she never stopped thinking about to join as the newest member of her board of directors.
Cord Matthews fell for Pearl when they met in an elevator eight years ago. She’s just his type: smart, capable, and makes him laugh, but when she broke his heart, he decided love wasn’t for him. When they reconnect after years with no contact, Cord is tempted to consider breaking his ban on serious relationships. But going public with a romance between them might derail Pearl’s career and the progress she’s made at OurCode.
While Pearl and Cord are both hesitant to trust their feelings and take a risk, it soon becomes impossible to keep ignoring the electricity between them. Cord is a skilled programmer, but a workplace romance might spell disaster for both of them–and love isn’t easily debugged.
My Review
A second chance for romance is in the cards when Pearl and Cord find each other years post-breakup. Pearl was always the one who got away, so when Cord starts working with her company, OurCode, he wonders if fate is stepping in to bring them together again. Pearl is a hard-working, determined woman, and while she has feelings for Cord, she refuses to let them get in the way of her career. A workplace romance isn’t the right option, but the two still struggle to keep apart. I appreciated the wide variety of topics that are touched on – from Pearl being a black woman working in STEM, non-binary struggles of fitting in, and knowing when to follow your heart, this modern rom com really delivered in so many facets. While the romance was a little slow for me at times, it picked up toward the end. I was really rooting for Pearl and Cord to figure out their own issues so they could finally enjoy their time together. Plenty of scenes to make you smile or giggle, and a handful that will have you thinking more seriously made for a great pairing and a good choice for a late summer read.
