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The Very Nice Box
Ava Simon designs storage boxes for STÄDA, a slick Brooklyn-based furniture company. She’s hard-working, obsessive, and heartbroken from a tragedy that killed her girlfriend and upended her life. It’s been years since she’s let anyone in.
But when Ava’s new boss—the young and magnetic Mat Putnam—offers Ava a ride home one afternoon, an unlikely relationship blossoms. Ava remembers how rewarding it can be to open up—and, despite her instincts, she becomes enamored. But Mat isn’t who he claims to be, and the romance takes a sharp turn.
The Very Nice Box is a wryly funny, suspenseful debut—with a shocking twist. It’s at once a send-up of male entitlement and a big-hearted account of grief, friendship, and trust.
But when Ava’s new boss—the young and magnetic Mat Putnam—offers Ava a ride home one afternoon, an unlikely relationship blossoms. Ava remembers how rewarding it can be to open up—and, despite her instincts, she becomes enamored. But Mat isn’t who he claims to be, and the romance takes a sharp turn.
The Very Nice Box is a wryly funny, suspenseful debut—with a shocking twist. It’s at once a send-up of male entitlement and a big-hearted account of grief, friendship, and trust.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published July 6, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,020 reviews
November 22, 2024
This is a very clever story which pokes fun at the Millennial workforce lifestyle trend. For example, authors Laura Blackett and Eve Gleichman uses a digital psychotherapy app service, similar to the new and trendy Woebot app (google it!) and spoofs the app in this story, “The Very Nice Box”. These authors have created one of the funniest workplace stories. This story is about a furniture company creating functional household items with fun, New-Agey names like: the tranquil clock; the studious backpack; the peaceful headphones; the cozy nesting tables. And the storage metaphors…..too funny! These beauties are peppered throughout the story, making me smile or guffaw. The New-Agey doesn’t end there. There are spirit staffers, a Wellness Kitchen, Positivity Mandates, and self-care directives.
So, it’s a silly, quirky story with an eccentric main character. Ava Simon is a highly regarded design engineer. She’s known for her designs of storage boxes. Ava is diligent, hardworking, and laser focused. She is charged with designing the Very Nice Box. And it’s a box…not a bin. Ava is struggling with anxiety and depression after enduring a fatal car accident, killing her parents and her girlfriend. She lives under a cloud of grief.
Soon after the story begins, Ava gets a new boss who is much younger than her. His name is Mathew Putnam and he is the antithesis of Ava. He’s loud and gregarious. From the start, he decides he’s going to get Ava out of her shell.
It flies into a silly rom-com story of Ava and Mat’s work ethics colliding. Hidden in the comedy are themes such as overcoming trauma, heart versus intellect, form vs function, corporate environmental greed, and friendship and trust.
A major plot twist makes this into a thriller. All in all, it’s a gloriously fun story.
I listened to the audio narrated by Rebecca Lowman. She is outstanding.
So, it’s a silly, quirky story with an eccentric main character. Ava Simon is a highly regarded design engineer. She’s known for her designs of storage boxes. Ava is diligent, hardworking, and laser focused. She is charged with designing the Very Nice Box. And it’s a box…not a bin. Ava is struggling with anxiety and depression after enduring a fatal car accident, killing her parents and her girlfriend. She lives under a cloud of grief.
Soon after the story begins, Ava gets a new boss who is much younger than her. His name is Mathew Putnam and he is the antithesis of Ava. He’s loud and gregarious. From the start, he decides he’s going to get Ava out of her shell.
It flies into a silly rom-com story of Ava and Mat’s work ethics colliding. Hidden in the comedy are themes such as overcoming trauma, heart versus intellect, form vs function, corporate environmental greed, and friendship and trust.
A major plot twist makes this into a thriller. All in all, it’s a gloriously fun story.
I listened to the audio narrated by Rebecca Lowman. She is outstanding.
April 6, 2023
WHAT WAS THIS.
i picked this up with a very clear idea of this book was, and that idea was only cemented by the fact that for roughly 75 pages it was exactly that, and also because my idea of it was what i wanted it to be and i tend to think that my every opinion is a wish sent directly sent into the heart of the universe. but then it changed. a lot.
in short, i thought i knew what book this was and it turns out i absolutely did not. what i thought it was is actually what i wanted it to be. but this was fine, too.
you know?
it was a lot more dramatic and thrilly and high-stakes than i was led to believe by that cover and synopsis...but not in a bad way.
even though, again, everything i want should be fated. don't get it twisted.
bottom line: not what i wanted but good anyway! like eating vegetables, or something.
review to come / 3.5 stars
------------------
tbr review
1 day ago i had never even heard of this book and now i physically need to read it
i picked this up with a very clear idea of this book was, and that idea was only cemented by the fact that for roughly 75 pages it was exactly that, and also because my idea of it was what i wanted it to be and i tend to think that my every opinion is a wish sent directly sent into the heart of the universe. but then it changed. a lot.
in short, i thought i knew what book this was and it turns out i absolutely did not. what i thought it was is actually what i wanted it to be. but this was fine, too.
you know?
it was a lot more dramatic and thrilly and high-stakes than i was led to believe by that cover and synopsis...but not in a bad way.
even though, again, everything i want should be fated. don't get it twisted.
bottom line: not what i wanted but good anyway! like eating vegetables, or something.
review to come / 3.5 stars
------------------
tbr review
1 day ago i had never even heard of this book and now i physically need to read it
April 21, 2021
The Very Nice Box is—weird? I'm not totally sure how to categorize this book, which is half unbelievable office romance and half semi-unhinged psychological thriller. The story revolves around Ava Simon, a product engineer at an Ikea-esque furniture company whose dedication to her work masks her persistent grief after the death of her partner. Ava reminds me of Eleanor Oliphant: practical, competent, and impatient with social norms. Where Eleanor remains essentially herself throughout that novel, though, Ava makes a somewhat startling shift in personality after meeting Mat, the new marketing director. Mat is, in the words of the book's blurb, not what he seems, which is only true if you aren't inherently suspicious of young, entitled white men who speak in self help platitudes and crumble at the first sign of criticism. If you, like me, do not believe Mat's act for one solitary second, then you will likely read the first part of the book, ostensibly the beginning of their romance, with the theme song from "Jaws" blaring in the background.
Perhaps because I was unable to buy into their relationship, the first half of the book felt interminably long. I knew something bad would happen, so I wasn't invested in growing to like Mat, no matter how charming Ava found his spontaneity and confidence. The book picked up in the second half when Mat's issues become more clear, but even then I found myself wanting to shake Ava, whose last relationship was good and healthy and queer and clearly superior to this one. Grief makes you do strange things, I get it, but this strange?
I did like The Very Nice Box's skewering of corporate culture, and I would definitely watch a show that was just Ava and Jaime gossiping about the characters at Strada. I also wanted more of the Good Guys—not because they are actually good guys, but because they make excellent, believable villains. Gleichman and Blackett are onto something with their depiction of the dangers of a self help culture that provides the language of social responsibility without any of the accountability.
Overall, though, this was a tough read for me. Too slow at the beginning, too much information too quickly at the end, and too much time spent with the kind of manchild I avoid in my everyday life. Nevertheless, thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC!
Perhaps because I was unable to buy into their relationship, the first half of the book felt interminably long. I knew something bad would happen, so I wasn't invested in growing to like Mat, no matter how charming Ava found his spontaneity and confidence. The book picked up in the second half when Mat's issues become more clear, but even then I found myself wanting to shake Ava, whose last relationship was good and healthy and queer and clearly superior to this one. Grief makes you do strange things, I get it, but this strange?
I did like The Very Nice Box's skewering of corporate culture, and I would definitely watch a show that was just Ava and Jaime gossiping about the characters at Strada. I also wanted more of the Good Guys—not because they are actually good guys, but because they make excellent, believable villains. Gleichman and Blackett are onto something with their depiction of the dangers of a self help culture that provides the language of social responsibility without any of the accountability.
Overall, though, this was a tough read for me. Too slow at the beginning, too much information too quickly at the end, and too much time spent with the kind of manchild I avoid in my everyday life. Nevertheless, thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC!
September 20, 2020
I was lucky to read this book as a manuscript and it is incredible. I read it in one sitting! It's a compulsive read: a thriller that is also a bitingly funny satire about office culture and well-intentioned men. Read it for the twisty plot, stay for the queerness, and share it for the elegant, clever writing.
Read
June 14, 2022Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: none
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.
Further disclaimer: Readers, please stop accusing me of trying to take down “my competition” because I wrote a review you didn’t like. This is complete nonsense. Firstly, writing isn’t a competitive sport. Secondly, I only publish reviews of books in the subgenre where I’m best known (queer romcom) if they’re glowing. And finally: taking time out of my life to read an entire book, then write a detailed review about it that some people on GR will look at would be a profoundly inefficient and ineffective way to damage the careers of other authors. If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them, at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain.
*******************************************
MUCH SPOILER.
This book is odd, and I’m vexed it’s being advertised as a romcom. Because it is definitely not a romcom. This isn’t the book’s fault, of course, or indeed the authors’ fault but I’m kind of a low ebb, right now, for being told things are a thing just become they have some elements in common with the thing I’m being told it is. Yes, there’s some rom in this book, and also some com, but that doesn’t make it a romcom any more than the fact Emma Bovary has a few love affairs makes Madame Bovary a romance either. It is the strong element of the heroine NOT drinking arsenic and dying that makes a romance a romance. Not that I’m saying anyone drinks arsenic and dies in The Very Nice Box. But, while it has a genuinely positive ending, it also contains the romcom equivalent of “drinking arsenic and dying” – which is to say it is fundamentally not a romcom. And I don’t just say this as an aggrieved writer of, y’know, romcoms.
I guess I’d probably say The Very Nice Box is basically a slowburn office thriller. The heroine, Ava Simon, works for STÄDA, an IKEA-like, Scandinavian furniture company based in Brooklyn. Despite relatively humble beginnings, STÄDA is now something of a glass-tower inhabiting corporate giant: one that is trying very hard to pretend to not be evil, but is so very clearly evil. Ava, who is an engineer specialising in storage solutions, keeps herself mostly shielded from the corporate and marketing aspects of the company, burying herself in work and routine, and distancing herself as much as possible from the people around her. We quickly learn (seriously, this comes out in the first 10% of the book, do not whinge at me about spoilers in comments) that this is partially a response to trauma, Ava having lost her girlfriend and parents in a horrific car crash some years earlier, although there’s also implications that Ava might be independently neurodivergent. Enter Mat Putman, the new head of product and marketing. Initially dismissed by Ava as a “douchebag bro” he is young, handsome, dynamic, and charismatic, and Ava finds herself to drawn to him and opening up to him. Slowly, he encourages her to expand the boundaries of her life. To begin, in fact, to live again.
All of which would be good and fine if Mat wasn’t, like, so covered in red flags as to be a walking red flag. And, honestly, I’m not sure if he was meant to be otherwise but it the fact there is so blatantly something up with him unbalanced the novel for me. I mean, having to read about 50-60% of a relationship you can tell is not remotely what it appears to be is just … kind of … gruelling and water-threading? Plus I kind of twigged the main twist at 20%, which is not an amazing piece of narrative deduction on my part: there’s an entire Netflix show with the same premise.
So basically I think I liked this … thematically, but not so much practically? I mean, I appreciated the way the story fit together, well, like a very nice box? The way the heroine, in her grief, has boxed up her life, oh d’you see? The skewering of a particular type of corporate culture is also amusing if obvious, though I think I ended up wanting STÄDA furniture than perhaps I was meant to? Probably the book did not want my first act on finishing it to swing over to the IKEA website to see if I needed any more elegant, minimal storage solutions (the answer is: I always need elegant, minimal storage solutions). It’s just Mat was … not necessarily implausibly awful but, I guess, very transparently awful. But then, I guess fuckwittery is always more easily seen from the outside. Although the plot unfolding in the way it does sort of requires Ava to actively ignore/reject/maintain a lack of curiosity over quite a lot direct information she’s being given regarding Mat. I recognise that this is partially a response to trauma, needing Mat to be good in the way she also needs STÄDA to be good, even if that means blocking out large swathes of who they both are, but it was another example of the book working better for me thematically than in terms of how it was … heh … constructed. Or, to put it another way, A Very Nice Box sometimes felt over-engineered.
The ending, similarly, fell afoul of this for me. BIG SPOILER HERE.
Anyway, I did appreciate, however, the portrayal of Ava’s queerness. Most of her previous relationships have been largely with women, but she does have some attraction towards men sometimes, and the only label she really uses for herself is “queer”. I felt this was all refreshingly complex and realistic, as we tend to assume sexually fluid identities are very much 50/50 and I don’t think I’ve read anything about someone who is a Kinsey-Whatever-The-Number-Is-That-Means-You’re-Mostly-But-Not-Completely-One-Way that wasn’t also problematically framed as a Gay For You. And, of course, it flows nicely with the general theme around not putting yourself or allowing others to put you in a box.
So I guess … a bit of a curate’s egg for me, this one? Very much a good in parts situation.
Relevant disclaimers: none
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.
Further disclaimer: Readers, please stop accusing me of trying to take down “my competition” because I wrote a review you didn’t like. This is complete nonsense. Firstly, writing isn’t a competitive sport. Secondly, I only publish reviews of books in the subgenre where I’m best known (queer romcom) if they’re glowing. And finally: taking time out of my life to read an entire book, then write a detailed review about it that some people on GR will look at would be a profoundly inefficient and ineffective way to damage the careers of other authors. If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them, at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain.
*******************************************
MUCH SPOILER.
This book is odd, and I’m vexed it’s being advertised as a romcom. Because it is definitely not a romcom. This isn’t the book’s fault, of course, or indeed the authors’ fault but I’m kind of a low ebb, right now, for being told things are a thing just become they have some elements in common with the thing I’m being told it is. Yes, there’s some rom in this book, and also some com, but that doesn’t make it a romcom any more than the fact Emma Bovary has a few love affairs makes Madame Bovary a romance either. It is the strong element of the heroine NOT drinking arsenic and dying that makes a romance a romance. Not that I’m saying anyone drinks arsenic and dies in The Very Nice Box. But, while it has a genuinely positive ending, it also contains the romcom equivalent of “drinking arsenic and dying” – which is to say it is fundamentally not a romcom. And I don’t just say this as an aggrieved writer of, y’know, romcoms.
I guess I’d probably say The Very Nice Box is basically a slowburn office thriller. The heroine, Ava Simon, works for STÄDA, an IKEA-like, Scandinavian furniture company based in Brooklyn. Despite relatively humble beginnings, STÄDA is now something of a glass-tower inhabiting corporate giant: one that is trying very hard to pretend to not be evil, but is so very clearly evil. Ava, who is an engineer specialising in storage solutions, keeps herself mostly shielded from the corporate and marketing aspects of the company, burying herself in work and routine, and distancing herself as much as possible from the people around her. We quickly learn (seriously, this comes out in the first 10% of the book, do not whinge at me about spoilers in comments) that this is partially a response to trauma, Ava having lost her girlfriend and parents in a horrific car crash some years earlier, although there’s also implications that Ava might be independently neurodivergent. Enter Mat Putman, the new head of product and marketing. Initially dismissed by Ava as a “douchebag bro” he is young, handsome, dynamic, and charismatic, and Ava finds herself to drawn to him and opening up to him. Slowly, he encourages her to expand the boundaries of her life. To begin, in fact, to live again.
All of which would be good and fine if Mat wasn’t, like, so covered in red flags as to be a walking red flag. And, honestly, I’m not sure if he was meant to be otherwise but it the fact there is so blatantly something up with him unbalanced the novel for me. I mean, having to read about 50-60% of a relationship you can tell is not remotely what it appears to be is just … kind of … gruelling and water-threading? Plus I kind of twigged the main twist at 20%, which is not an amazing piece of narrative deduction on my part: there’s an entire Netflix show with the same premise.
So basically I think I liked this … thematically, but not so much practically? I mean, I appreciated the way the story fit together, well, like a very nice box? The way the heroine, in her grief, has boxed up her life, oh d’you see? The skewering of a particular type of corporate culture is also amusing if obvious, though I think I ended up wanting STÄDA furniture than perhaps I was meant to? Probably the book did not want my first act on finishing it to swing over to the IKEA website to see if I needed any more elegant, minimal storage solutions (the answer is: I always need elegant, minimal storage solutions). It’s just Mat was … not necessarily implausibly awful but, I guess, very transparently awful. But then, I guess fuckwittery is always more easily seen from the outside. Although the plot unfolding in the way it does sort of requires Ava to actively ignore/reject/maintain a lack of curiosity over quite a lot direct information she’s being given regarding Mat. I recognise that this is partially a response to trauma, needing Mat to be good in the way she also needs STÄDA to be good, even if that means blocking out large swathes of who they both are, but it was another example of the book working better for me thematically than in terms of how it was … heh … constructed. Or, to put it another way, A Very Nice Box sometimes felt over-engineered.
The ending, similarly, fell afoul of this for me. BIG SPOILER HERE.
Anyway, I did appreciate, however, the portrayal of Ava’s queerness. Most of her previous relationships have been largely with women, but she does have some attraction towards men sometimes, and the only label she really uses for herself is “queer”. I felt this was all refreshingly complex and realistic, as we tend to assume sexually fluid identities are very much 50/50 and I don’t think I’ve read anything about someone who is a Kinsey-Whatever-The-Number-Is-That-Means-You’re-Mostly-But-Not-Completely-One-Way that wasn’t also problematically framed as a Gay For You. And, of course, it flows nicely with the general theme around not putting yourself or allowing others to put you in a box.
So I guess … a bit of a curate’s egg for me, this one? Very much a good in parts situation.
June 21, 2021
I had the feeling as I read this novel of believing something important or funny or delightful was going on just behind a veil. I couldn’t quite make it out. Its intentions remained hidden from me. Interestingly (or not) the two novels that the jacket copy compares this novel with were also difficult for me to understand and left me feeling similarly not-included in the joke, if there is a joke. Which is all a very wordy way of saying this book is not for me, but it might be right for you.
April 12, 2023
never trust a man who regularly goes to something called "good guys meetings"
read as part of 202-Queer 🌈✨
april reading: 10/26
read as part of 202-Queer 🌈✨
april reading: 10/26
January 15, 2021
This book is phenomenal! A witty romcom and a thriller in one. Queer characters. Ridiculing our company culture. Necessary Self-Reviews. Weekly “Yes, And” meetings and a “neg alarm” for the words no, but and can’t. Personal color tests (are you Red, Yellow, Blue or Green?). IKEA as example. An app (SHRNK) for mental help. A dating app called KINDER. Oh and a lot of Capitals as you might have guessed by now.
Ava is a thirty-one-year old product engineer (blue colored) who divides her days in units of half an hour. One unit to shower and have breakfast, one unit to walk her dog Brutus, a lot of units for work and just a couple of units to relax. Her days are all the same and planned to the minute. Her life is completely affected by STÄDA, at work and at home. Her girlfriend Andie died in a car incident and she still griefs and only opens up a little to Jamie, a co-worker and her only friend. Then she meets Mat (yellow colored) and she falls for him. Hard.
I had some trouble reading the first pages, all those units Ava had and all those capitals for her belongings (STÄDA of course). But after a few pages I got used to them and I started to like the story more and more because it was hilarious at times. I could see myself at work with co-workers, discussing our personal colors, sighing because we had to write our own reviews and identify our own goals, correcting each other for the but or the can’t, sometimes wanting to scream: ‘I am positive BUT this is impossible AND I just CAN’T!!!’
The story is not only witty and funny but also suspenseful and a little dark at times. The witty parts are interspersed with flashbacks from the moment Andie died. I don’t want to give too much away but there are some shocking plot twists that make the story in the end more of a thriller than a funny romcom. I liked the story a lot, laughed out loud and felt Ava’s pain. I only found the revealing of Mat’s secrets a little rushed. Furthermore a great story!
I received an ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ava is a thirty-one-year old product engineer (blue colored) who divides her days in units of half an hour. One unit to shower and have breakfast, one unit to walk her dog Brutus, a lot of units for work and just a couple of units to relax. Her days are all the same and planned to the minute. Her life is completely affected by STÄDA, at work and at home. Her girlfriend Andie died in a car incident and she still griefs and only opens up a little to Jamie, a co-worker and her only friend. Then she meets Mat (yellow colored) and she falls for him. Hard.
I had some trouble reading the first pages, all those units Ava had and all those capitals for her belongings (STÄDA of course). But after a few pages I got used to them and I started to like the story more and more because it was hilarious at times. I could see myself at work with co-workers, discussing our personal colors, sighing because we had to write our own reviews and identify our own goals, correcting each other for the but or the can’t, sometimes wanting to scream: ‘I am positive BUT this is impossible AND I just CAN’T!!!’
The story is not only witty and funny but also suspenseful and a little dark at times. The witty parts are interspersed with flashbacks from the moment Andie died. I don’t want to give too much away but there are some shocking plot twists that make the story in the end more of a thriller than a funny romcom. I liked the story a lot, laughed out loud and felt Ava’s pain. I only found the revealing of Mat’s secrets a little rushed. Furthermore a great story!
I received an ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2022
She didn't ask anyone about their weekends, and she didn't particularly like it when anyone asked about hers. Her answer never changed, because her weekends, like her weekdays, were beautifully organized, uniform, and solitary. When she described them, whoever was listening would glaze over. Eventually her colleagues left her to do what she did best, which was to create useful household boxes from the six essential STÄDA materials: wood, metal, MDF, plastic, linen, and pulp board.
But a new employee had arrived at the Simple Tower and appeared to be disrupting this social contract.
I was surprised and pleased by The Very Nice Box - it started well, if familiarly, with a woman who loves her job and her peaceful, organised to the nth degree existence, and doesn't want any more in her life than she already has. Slightly quirky, pleasant, not too taxing. But relatively quickly this book takes a bit of a left turn, and became something a little more nuanced and thoughtful.
This reminded me of a book I loved, Sourdough, and while I haven't read Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, I hear there's similarities to it too - but what I was most impressed by was the way this book married their upbeat, almost magical (but not quite) realism with a portrayal of grief and relationships that is complex, subtle, and well-drawn. I love that kind of book, but they do tend to be a little overly simple when it comes to emotion and human interaction. This kept all the good parts of this particular genre niche, while deepening the story in those areas.
I've complained before about abuse portrayed as though all abusers are monsters, because it's a whole lot more complicated than that. The Very Nice Box did an incredible job of making a complicated scenario realistically tricky to untangle, while keeping it readable and even enjoyable. I had a great time with this book, and I look forward to rereading it in the future.
But a new employee had arrived at the Simple Tower and appeared to be disrupting this social contract.
I was surprised and pleased by The Very Nice Box - it started well, if familiarly, with a woman who loves her job and her peaceful, organised to the nth degree existence, and doesn't want any more in her life than she already has. Slightly quirky, pleasant, not too taxing. But relatively quickly this book takes a bit of a left turn, and became something a little more nuanced and thoughtful.
This reminded me of a book I loved, Sourdough, and while I haven't read Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, I hear there's similarities to it too - but what I was most impressed by was the way this book married their upbeat, almost magical (but not quite) realism with a portrayal of grief and relationships that is complex, subtle, and well-drawn. I love that kind of book, but they do tend to be a little overly simple when it comes to emotion and human interaction. This kept all the good parts of this particular genre niche, while deepening the story in those areas.
I've complained before about abuse portrayed as though all abusers are monsters, because it's a whole lot more complicated than that. The Very Nice Box did an incredible job of making a complicated scenario realistically tricky to untangle, while keeping it readable and even enjoyable. I had a great time with this book, and I look forward to rereading it in the future.
February 21, 2021
A quirky, deeply satisfying, whip-smart debut that critiques corporate culture and male entitlement while also offering a heartfelt look at how to work through grief. Meticulously constructed and truly original -- I inhaled it.
June 7, 2021
On my blog.
Rep: sapphic mc, Latino gay side character, Black side characters, mlm trans side character, nonbinary & sapphic side characters
CWs: abusive relationship, past deaths/injury in car accident
Galley provided by publisher
The Very Nice Box fits into that very specific genre of Ikea-pastiche stories, that say something about corporate culture and such (although quite what I have to admit to not knowing, never having been part of a corporation).
In this book, Ava is in the middle of designing the eponymous Very Nice Box when her boss steps down and is replaced by Mat. Initially reluctant to buy into his schtick, she eventually relents, and also starts up a relationship with him. But he isn’t all that he seems, and slowly Ava starts to realise something is up.
What worked for me in this book was the slow build to the realisation that this guy is dodgy. I mean, given the blurb and my general tendency to be suspicious of fictional men, I did know he was going to turn out bad, so it wasn’t a surprise as such. But the build up was enough to keep you guessing just how he would be.
And all of it leading to an end that was… wild to say the least. Probably this was the best part of the book. I won’t say a word about what happens because, trust me, you want to be surprised by it. The one thing I would say is that it went in a direction I was totally not expecting.
Aside from that though, I’d have to say nothing else really stood out for me. Yes, it was a good book, but I didn’t feel a whole lot about it. But I’m willing to chalk that up to my general dislike of adult contemporary. A three star read for that genre is basically worth at least four in any other.
So if this sounds your thing, I would say go on and pick it up. Even if it doesn’t sound it, I’d say that because you might be surprised.
Rep: sapphic mc, Latino gay side character, Black side characters, mlm trans side character, nonbinary & sapphic side characters
CWs: abusive relationship, past deaths/injury in car accident
Galley provided by publisher
The Very Nice Box fits into that very specific genre of Ikea-pastiche stories, that say something about corporate culture and such (although quite what I have to admit to not knowing, never having been part of a corporation).
In this book, Ava is in the middle of designing the eponymous Very Nice Box when her boss steps down and is replaced by Mat. Initially reluctant to buy into his schtick, she eventually relents, and also starts up a relationship with him. But he isn’t all that he seems, and slowly Ava starts to realise something is up.
What worked for me in this book was the slow build to the realisation that this guy is dodgy. I mean, given the blurb and my general tendency to be suspicious of fictional men, I did know he was going to turn out bad, so it wasn’t a surprise as such. But the build up was enough to keep you guessing just how he would be.
And all of it leading to an end that was… wild to say the least. Probably this was the best part of the book. I won’t say a word about what happens because, trust me, you want to be surprised by it. The one thing I would say is that it went in a direction I was totally not expecting.
Aside from that though, I’d have to say nothing else really stood out for me. Yes, it was a good book, but I didn’t feel a whole lot about it. But I’m willing to chalk that up to my general dislike of adult contemporary. A three star read for that genre is basically worth at least four in any other.
So if this sounds your thing, I would say go on and pick it up. Even if it doesn’t sound it, I’d say that because you might be surprised.
July 4, 2021
This book wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it. Once I got about 20% in I could not put it down and stayed up too late to finish it. The main character Ava is really well done. She is a very ordered and logical person and I loved getting to see her grow and heal emotionally throughout this story. Ava is a bi-woman whose past with her ex-girlfriend Andie is a driving force through the story. But the story begins with Ava meeting and instantly hating her new boss Mat. But after some vandals sabotage her car she accepts his offer of driving her to and from work and she warms up to him. This story is more silly at times than I was expecting but also dealt with deeper issues. I saw some twists coming, but there were definitely some surprises for me too. I loved Ava’s work friend Jamie and his ability to stick with her and support her even when she was shutting him out.
November 1, 2021
This is a Very Nice Book that plays nicely on the fetishization of Basic Fine Objects in a culture that must ever reinvent the Useful Toothbrush to capture the imagination of the Malleable Consumer. I do feel that this aspect of the Very Nice Book became somewhat tiresome and intrusive after a while and not every Essential Daily Object needed naming. I did care about our Sensitive Damaged Protagonist with her Clearly Narcissistic Boyfriend, but didn't buy the Unforeseen Plot Twist towards the end. All in all, a Fairly Compelling Read and an Amusing Solution to Protagonist's Very Big Problem.
January 22, 2021
If you enjoy an Adjective Noun, then this is the book for you! I’m joking, but also, I’m not.
This is a book where the narration and the character and the environment all come together so well and it is both surreal and immersive. I haven’t read much else with a tone like it, and that’s certainly something I appreciated throughout.
Ava, an engineer of boxes, and grieving mostly-lesbian, is sleepwalking through her life until a larger-than-life bro shows up at work and proceeds to sweep her off her only partially willing feet. What happens from there is workplace satire, a rom-com, thriller, and a heck of an IKEA commercial (okay, I get IKEA isn’t actually supposed to come out of this unskewered, but honestly it didn’t make me want a new Hemnes dresser any less, sorrynotsorry.).
The denouement was a bit much for me - it was definitely turned up to 11, so that may appeal to some. But, for me, the near-literal circus actually detracted from the emotional revelations. There were some really insidious things happening here and I felt like they deserved more interrogation than we got. That being said, no spoilers - there is a thing with a box at the end and I loved it and I laughed out loud and am still chuckling at it.
Anyway, this was a departure for me, but I really enjoyed it and give my thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. And when Netflix inevitably makes this into a movie I will be watching it asap because it will 1000% percent make a good one.
This is a book where the narration and the character and the environment all come together so well and it is both surreal and immersive. I haven’t read much else with a tone like it, and that’s certainly something I appreciated throughout.
Ava, an engineer of boxes, and grieving mostly-lesbian, is sleepwalking through her life until a larger-than-life bro shows up at work and proceeds to sweep her off her only partially willing feet. What happens from there is workplace satire, a rom-com, thriller, and a heck of an IKEA commercial (okay, I get IKEA isn’t actually supposed to come out of this unskewered, but honestly it didn’t make me want a new Hemnes dresser any less, sorrynotsorry.).
The denouement was a bit much for me - it was definitely turned up to 11, so that may appeal to some. But, for me, the near-literal circus actually detracted from the emotional revelations. There were some really insidious things happening here and I felt like they deserved more interrogation than we got. That being said, no spoilers - there is a thing with a box at the end and I loved it and I laughed out loud and am still chuckling at it.
Anyway, this was a departure for me, but I really enjoyed it and give my thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. And when Netflix inevitably makes this into a movie I will be watching it asap because it will 1000% percent make a good one.
November 25, 2020
I had the fortune to read an early copy of this book and I can't wait for the rest of the world to discover it! It is fast paced, extremely funny, romantic, and in moments, incredibly moving. It's hilariously insightful about the languages of corporations and marketing, and while the surprising and suspenseful plot makes it a true page-turner, there's also a real depth of feeling and heart to Ava's journey of overcoming tragedy and finding strength.
June 18, 2021
I enjoyed this book, although it was a bit different from what I expected.
It is amusing and a great send-up of some of today’s work cultures. I loved the Ikea parody.
In the description of the book, Mat is noted to be a classic example of male entitlement. However, I didn’t see him that way….I thought he went beyond that and was a very disturbed individual. The pace of the book was uneven….fast paced at times, at other times, slow. The ending was a bit over the top. Overall, though, an entertaining read.
It is amusing and a great send-up of some of today’s work cultures. I loved the Ikea parody.
In the description of the book, Mat is noted to be a classic example of male entitlement. However, I didn’t see him that way….I thought he went beyond that and was a very disturbed individual. The pace of the book was uneven….fast paced at times, at other times, slow. The ending was a bit over the top. Overall, though, an entertaining read.
August 22, 2025
lmfao this is first time where author kinda tricked me.
July 15, 2022
This book had me laughing out loud from the first page on. Not on the sad background story of Ava of course, but o dear, what a horrible workplace she has to go to every day. She might be an engineer and very skillfull in designing boxes, I would go mad if I had to go to a workplace like hers. It's just not serious, with the way people have to behave happy and healthy all the time, and forcing them to talk to an app with the name SHRNK.
It was so over the top, and on the other hand recognizable from job ads you see nowadays where the company promises you 'fun and games' instead of a decent workspace and a good salary.
Anyway, I enjoyed the story, with the strange colleagues, the good friend Jamie and even Mat when he was just introduced.
A great story with multiple layers!
Thanks to Netgalley and Verve books for this review copy.
It was so over the top, and on the other hand recognizable from job ads you see nowadays where the company promises you 'fun and games' instead of a decent workspace and a good salary.
Anyway, I enjoyed the story, with the strange colleagues, the good friend Jamie and even Mat when he was just introduced.
A great story with multiple layers!
Thanks to Netgalley and Verve books for this review copy.
December 25, 2021
This is a straight-forward, fairly sweet office romance story. Sort of… it takes an unexpected turn. The main characters are interesting and fleshed out nicely. If you’ve ever worked in any kind of office, a lot of the dynamics will be familiar.
Easy to read, overall just a decent novel. And then it gets kind of wonky. Not really in a … bad way, but not at all what I was expecting. The ending is not really plausible, but it is at least fairly satisfying in a karmic kind of way.
If you like a cozy story, but also appreciate the unexpected, this is an ok choice.
Easy to read, overall just a decent novel. And then it gets kind of wonky. Not really in a … bad way, but not at all what I was expecting. The ending is not really plausible, but it is at least fairly satisfying in a karmic kind of way.
If you like a cozy story, but also appreciate the unexpected, this is an ok choice.
September 5, 2023
easy going read but felt it wasn't for me
dnf
March 13, 2022DNF. Not surprising as this is a satire and that's not usually my thing. I also found it too slow paced. Not for me, but will definitely be for someone else!
December 25, 2021
I want to note that I couldn't physically read this. The company name in the book is STÄDA, and it's mentioned an absolutely ridiculous number of times. My eyes kept being drawn the word: STÄDA, STÄDA, STÄDA. I was reading every paragraph three times because I couldn't keep my eyes on the sentence I was trying to read because I could see STÄDAs all around it. The combinations of an umlaut and all caps was just...why. There are only two things I would change about this book and that's the first thing.
So after 17 pages of having my brain scrambled I switched to the audiobook, which is really well done. Rebecca Lowman is a pro, and I don't know how she managed to read this whole thing out loud while looking at all those STÄDAs. I highly recommend going for the audiobook.
But one million STÄDAs aside, I really like this book. I don't want to say too much about it because of spoilers, but I see a lot of people are annoyed that it gets compared to Severance. I personally think it's a lot like Severance, except without the apocalypse. I also found the tone of Severance more confusing. This seems pretty straight forward to me. I like that it mocks corporate culture without mocking it's characters too much. They do feel a little cartoony, but it's not bad. In Severance I was genuinely unsure if I was supposed to relate to the characters or judge them for being morons.
But my second major criticism of this book, after the excessive use of STÄDA, is part of the ending so spoilers ahead. But this wouldn't stop me from recommending it. I'm just...choosing the mentally rewrite that detail.
So after 17 pages of having my brain scrambled I switched to the audiobook, which is really well done. Rebecca Lowman is a pro, and I don't know how she managed to read this whole thing out loud while looking at all those STÄDAs. I highly recommend going for the audiobook.
But one million STÄDAs aside, I really like this book. I don't want to say too much about it because of spoilers, but I see a lot of people are annoyed that it gets compared to Severance. I personally think it's a lot like Severance, except without the apocalypse. I also found the tone of Severance more confusing. This seems pretty straight forward to me. I like that it mocks corporate culture without mocking it's characters too much. They do feel a little cartoony, but it's not bad. In Severance I was genuinely unsure if I was supposed to relate to the characters or judge them for being morons.
But my second major criticism of this book, after the excessive use of STÄDA, is part of the ending so spoilers ahead. But this wouldn't stop me from recommending it. I'm just...choosing the mentally rewrite that detail.
June 2, 2023
This is a book that will stick with me for a very long time and I truly adored most of the book.But this book is a bit of a disappointment for me because despite my low expectations when I received it. Once I opened the book, I truly did fall in love with it. From the very first page, I was completely hooked, and I found myself really enjoying the unique writing style of the authors. And the books satire on office culture particularly impressed me. But I found what truly made this book special for me was also what led to my disappointment. And that's where the character Mat comes in. I, the reader, know Mat is not to be trusted. But with the characters rom com like gestures and charm, I have to admit I was just as bad as our main character. Mat’s character completely swept me away. In fact, the book had me even rooting that somehow, even though I knew Mat was bad news, that maybe things would work out between Mat and Ava. But the slow revelation of Mat by having readers realize is nothing but the man behind the curtain in the wizard of oz that all his charm was simply show. That Mat was no prince charming, but a pathetic man who was completely out of touch with reality. Was masterful writing but where the book lost me was with, it's later Scooby Doo like twists that took the book from a 5 star to a 3 star.
April 23, 2022
I will say I think this book works best if you go in without a ton of information, so if you’re up for a kind of weird slowly unfolding character-based queer story, I highly recommend checking this out sight unseen. I listened to it as an audiobook and thought it worked really well in that format!
I loved reading about Ava, who is such a distinct character. I can understand people who don’t appreciate her point of view — for instance, she identifies everything around her by brand, and she really is passionate about the Very Nice Box she’s designing. But I appreciated getting to know her, including the walls she’s built up and her vulnerabilities. She dislikes Mat at first, but once she’s fallen for him, she’s defensive against anyone who doesn’t.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but suffice to say, this ended up being a great commentary about Nice Guys and male entitlement. It also wraps up in a way I hadn’t expected but was very satisfying.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
I loved reading about Ava, who is such a distinct character. I can understand people who don’t appreciate her point of view — for instance, she identifies everything around her by brand, and she really is passionate about the Very Nice Box she’s designing. But I appreciated getting to know her, including the walls she’s built up and her vulnerabilities. She dislikes Mat at first, but once she’s fallen for him, she’s defensive against anyone who doesn’t.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but suffice to say, this ended up being a great commentary about Nice Guys and male entitlement. It also wraps up in a way I hadn’t expected but was very satisfying.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
December 23, 2021
Men got to be this way, Ava thought, constantly in the midst of forgiving themselves.
This book was quite a slow build. The main character, Ava, has quite a small life mostly dedicated to work and routine. Amidst the descriptions of STADA products and what Ava does with each of her carefully planned "units," her grief and anxiety are palpable.
Ava and I are nothing alike, but I did find her relatable. The fear of change, the desire to fold into herself after experiencing trauma, and the constant agonizing over whether it was safe to open up to someone new felt very real.
Once this book (finally) builds up to the major plot reveals, it gets bonkers. Not in an obnoxious way. The pay off is actually so satisfying.
I also think this book has some interesting and thought-provoking things to say about work culture, toxic positivity, Nice Guy Syndrome, guilt, and grief. Definitely worth a read.
August 29, 2021
The jacket copy tells the reader who the bad guy is. Knowing that from the start means the rest of the pages need to be stellar and captivating - they were not. I was bored. I pressed on, hoping the story would gain steam. It did not.
Ava’s behavior and choices were inconsistent with who we are told she is. Her relationship with Mat was weird and weak. The dialogue was just goofy. All the secondary characters were far more interesting - especially Jaime - but we barely got much of him.
The workplace dynamics were quirky and I was on board with that but I’m sure some readers will be turned off by the capitalized product mentions throughout. Also, I guessed all the twists and I was only skimming the last half. C’est la vie.
Ava’s behavior and choices were inconsistent with who we are told she is. Her relationship with Mat was weird and weak. The dialogue was just goofy. All the secondary characters were far more interesting - especially Jaime - but we barely got much of him.
The workplace dynamics were quirky and I was on board with that but I’m sure some readers will be turned off by the capitalized product mentions throughout. Also, I guessed all the twists and I was only skimming the last half. C’est la vie.
June 1, 2025
I feel so betrayed rn.
Engaging from start to finish. A wonderful read with some romance, mystery, grief, and other mundane things. Loved the doggies & the knockoff Ikea lol
It was so cute, mildly nerve-wracking, sad, but also light and fun.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND BESTIES.
Engaging from start to finish. A wonderful read with some romance, mystery, grief, and other mundane things. Loved the doggies & the knockoff Ikea lol
It was so cute, mildly nerve-wracking, sad, but also light and fun.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND BESTIES.
September 1, 2021
I wouldn’t recommend this to fans of severance or eleanor oliphant, like the book description does. I wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone.
June 29, 2022
Synopsis;
Ava Simon designs storage boxes for STÄDA, a slick Brooklyn-based furniture company. She’s hard-working, obsessive, and heartbroken from a tragedy that killed her girlfriend and upended her life. It’s been years since she’s let anyone in.
But when Ava’s new boss—the young and magnetic Mat Putnam—offers Ava a ride home one afternoon, an unlikely relationship blossoms. Ava remembers how rewarding it can be to open up—and, despite her instincts, she becomes enamored. But Mat isn’t who he claims to be, and the romance takes a sharp turn.
My take;
I really enjoyed this one! I love a tongue-in-cheek satire book to break up my other reads every now and then, my brain needs a palette cleanse every so often. This came across as more of a thriller-romance, rather than a straight up romcom, but I’m sure there’s people that will disagree with that. If you’re looking for a book around office romance with suspicious activity then this one might be a good fit for you! Oh, and a bonus is it includes mental health depictions and has queer characters. Definitely give it a read!
Thank you to Verve for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Ava Simon designs storage boxes for STÄDA, a slick Brooklyn-based furniture company. She’s hard-working, obsessive, and heartbroken from a tragedy that killed her girlfriend and upended her life. It’s been years since she’s let anyone in.
But when Ava’s new boss—the young and magnetic Mat Putnam—offers Ava a ride home one afternoon, an unlikely relationship blossoms. Ava remembers how rewarding it can be to open up—and, despite her instincts, she becomes enamored. But Mat isn’t who he claims to be, and the romance takes a sharp turn.
My take;
I really enjoyed this one! I love a tongue-in-cheek satire book to break up my other reads every now and then, my brain needs a palette cleanse every so often. This came across as more of a thriller-romance, rather than a straight up romcom, but I’m sure there’s people that will disagree with that. If you’re looking for a book around office romance with suspicious activity then this one might be a good fit for you! Oh, and a bonus is it includes mental health depictions and has queer characters. Definitely give it a read!
Thank you to Verve for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
July 26, 2021
The Very Nice Box might be the best office and IKEA send-up of the year, combining an examination of grief and a toxic work culture with humor and poignancy. Meet Ava, an engineer who values routine. She works in the ultimate millennial workspace, a company called STADA (not unlike IKEA), a furniture company that constantly showers its employees with fancy cucumber water and axioms pushing everyone to be their “best” self. Ava has known an incomprehensible amount of loss, and generally likes to immerse herself in work to get her through each day. But things get weird when her new boss, Mat, enters the picture with his magnetic personality and palpable charisma. Mat is not usually the kind of guy Ava would hang out with, but when they strike up an unlikely relationship, Ava’s life transforms. The dialogue is rife with product names that made me chuckle every time—the Comforting Mug, the Virtuous Compost Bin, the Peaceful Headphones, the Exuberant Alarm Clock. When Ava finally allows herself to take a truthful look at herself and Mat, her transformation goes in another direction.
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