REVIEW: The Very Nice Box by Laura Blackett & Eve Gleichman

Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Romance | LGBT+

Release Date: 26th July 2022

Publisher: VERVE Books

Even if Ava Simon didn't work as a box engineer for STÄDA, she'd probably still have her apartment furnished with their products. They're simple, functional and no more what they say. And that's exactly what she needs, especially as she tries to recover from the tragic loss of her girlfriend and parents and throws herself into work and designing her passion project - The Very Nice Box.

Ava likes everything to be exactly like it says on the box and nothing more. So when a relationship starts to grow between her and her new charismatic and categorically handsome boss, Mat, she doesn't know what to do when she discovers he isn't exactly what he appears to. Their relationship is about to take a sharp turn into unknown territory along with everything else in her perfectly engineered life.

"Falling in love with Mat was the feeling of jumping from a very high perch, yet somehow it was also the feeling of safety; of a key sliding into a lock; of gears meeting precisely."

This is searing tale of despair and recovery. A hilarious parody of modern corporate culture. A reflection on male privilege and ignorance. A testament to the power of human connection. A witty observation about contemporary life and it's unique pressures. A love story.

And a very nice book.

This easily readable, fast-moving story has enough breakneck twists to leave you with a very sore neck and an aching heart. You'd think that prose littered with ikea-esque language would get old and awkward, but this refreshingly unique take on corporate language was addictively engrossing and created an encompassing world building that was simply amazing.

The characters were affecting and moving - full of quirk and charm, with questions and insecurities rooted deeply in the curiousness of modern life. We see our characters reflect on the fluidity of sexuality and identity, and explore the many facets of what makes us human.

The authors manage to bring a gripping witty humour and provoke a deeply evocative response throughout - full of romance, intrigue and just a bit of mystery all wrapped up in a very nice box.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.

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