A sweet, fun read with two engaging and relatable characters. I really enjoyed this one.
I adored the post it note communication between Jamie and Alice once they started sharing the desk.
Highly recommend for anyone looking for a fun lighthearted read or books with flatshare vibes.

If there’s one thing that always cheers me up, it’s an office-based frisson. This is a GLORIOUS example of will they won’t they fiction which is superbly written and had my heart at the first page. Can’t recommend enough.

This was such a fun lighthearted read I didn’t know I needed until I picked it up. The enemies to lovers trope with the banter was the perfect book.

I really enjoyed Alice’s story, and watching her take her own power back. This isn’t just about her love life- it was an excellent display of how to learn to set boundaries. The back and forth nature of her relationship with Jamie was often nerve racking, but such a fun ride to go on with the both of them. I love highlighting quirky characters who don’t always have everything figured out! I loved this one- great read!

Such a fun read! Loved this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

I found this to be a very cute, almost Hating Game -esque Office Romance but with much deeper themes. Overall it was an enjoyable read and definitely one I’d recommend to all lovers of office romance stories!

Although this wasnt my favourite of this authors work, after I read past chapter 10 I really started to pick up the pace. It was a nostalgic throwback to an interesting point in many of our lives (the Covid-19 pandemic) and it was very interesting to read about.

A romantic journey told one post it note at a time. In a topsy turvy workplace, you should at least be able to call a desk your own. But no, shift work means sharing space whether you want to or not. And she just found out she is sharing with one of the most annoying men in the office. He doesn't seem as annoyed as she is.....why?

A cute story that's not your usual office romance. It brought a smile and even a couple of chuckles to my face and a warm spot to my heart. Just exactly what a good romance should do.

This book was entirely too long.

Here, we get a mix between The Flat Share and The Holiday. Overall, it was an enjoyable, breezy read - however, it certainly wasn't my favorite. First, the writing was incredibly repetitive - we understand the roommates suck, we understand our FMC wants her own space, we understand she has a lot of stuff. If the new way you are describing it doesn't add to our understanding of the story or the characters - then stop repeating things.

The romance itself was very much a slow burn - too slow, honestly. And when you finally have hope for the characters, another plot point throws everything off for a bit.

Overall, not my favorite book and I likely won't be actively recommending to others.

Another cracking read from Zara Stoneley. Loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t my favourite book from Stoneley because I felt it took so long to get going. It wasn’t until I was beyond the half-way point did I feel that this was the romance read I was anticipating. Furthermore, I thought the protagonist was waaay to chatty and there was a lot of waffly reflection from Alice that I could have done without.

Don’t get me wrong, Alice seems quite a sweet character. Yet, she seems to contemplate everything to the nth degree and I found this contributed to how slow the story was in the beginning. I liked her chatty nature but wanted Stoneley to reduce this; I was more excited to see the post-it note relationship develop between Alice and Jamie. When it does come, this was the lovely start to a promising romance and I enjoyed watching how Alice stands up to her ex and becomes more forceful over her selfish sister and inconsiderate housemates.

For sure, you cannot read this book without being reminded of the harsh lockdown restrictions that the world experienced during the pandemic. In this case, I could not ignore some of the uncomfortable memories that this provoked, even though Stoneley’s story is set in the aftermath of the illness, with the working-from-home culture become adopted by businesses. I can see why some readers would find this aspect of the story off-putting, especially as a lot of Alice’s behaviour is underpinned by loneliness and isolation.

When the relationship between Alice and Jamie starts to develop, I thought this was where Stoneley comes into the author that I have known from previous stories. I delighted in seeing their relationship develop through desk-sharing and liked the little notes that the two leave for one another. With their added background (which Jamie seems oblivious to), I was keen to see how this would develop into something more serious, especially as Alice’s ex-boyfriend cannot take the hint that their relationship is over.

This was a pretty good read but Alice’s waffling made it more tedious in places. For some parts, I could not help but skim-read because I was just so desperate for her to get to the point and for the plot to move forwards. I think if some of this over-analysing from Alice had been omitted, the story would have been a lot shorter… making way for more of the romancing between Alice and Jamie.

Overall, this provided a little bit of romantic relief but I can’t say it was my favourite from this author. I liked the premise of leaving small notes at a shared desk area but found Alice’s chatty personality a bit too overbearing.

With thanks to One More Chapter, Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thought it would be interesting but found it boring. Maybe some jobs during Covid worked the way described but the characters didn’t seem real with issues. I did finish reading the book.

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to read this as I had issues with my kindle, however I don't want to give it bad feedback as it's no fault with the book.

This review was a long time coming because I was to busy reminiscing about the amount of times I laughed to even remember to leave a review. This author was new to me but the book left an ongoing impression and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next !

If this had not been a Netgalley book, I would have thrown it on my DNF shelf within the first 10%. While I liked the main character, I did not understand her "I can't wait to return to work" feelings. I get she had boundary issues with her roommates, but that's more due to a lack of communication than anything. Her ex-boyfriend was just awful, stalker-ish, and I cringed anytime he came up in the book. Her love interest was someone who act like he didn't know her for 2 years. I just did not click with this book at all.

Sadly, I didn't like the book as much as i thought i would. The writing just didn't catch me and the plot wasn't mine :(

This was a cute story with a fun premise about sharing an office desk on different days after the pandemic. The premise is great, the characters.are likable, but the pacing was a bit slow.

DNF at 65%

The premise for Hot Desk sounded really good and I went into this with really high expectations. Unfortunately it fell really short for me. I found the main character quite annoying...her stream of consciousness was svery tedious and honestly quite repetitive. I really tried to push through, but it did not get better.

It's a shame because I really enjoyed Zara Stoneley's previous books.

***Thanks to Netgally and Harper Collins for an eARC of Hot Desk in exchange of my honest review***

Hot Desk by Zara Stoneley is a charming and delightful romantic comedy that follows Alice, a dedicated and organized office worker, as she navigates the challenges of flexible working and hot desking in her company. When Alice is paired with Jamie, the most annoying guy in the office, she fears that their shared desk will be a recipe for disaster. However, as they spend more time together, Alice begins to see Jamie in a different light and their relationship blossoms in unexpected ways.

One of the standout aspects of Hot Desk is the relatable and well-developed characters. Alice and Jamie are both likeable and realistic, and their interactions and chemistry are a joy to read.

Overall, Hot Desk is a delightful and entertaining read that will leave you smiling and rooting for Alice and Jamie. If you're a fan of romantic comedies, you won't want to miss this charming and heartwarming novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for this complimentary copy of this book. I have tried a few different times to pick this up and read it. After a couple chapters I knew I wanted to DNF. However, I did try a few more times to give it another shot. Sadly, it was not meant to be. I felt like the premise was intriguing but I just couldn’t get into it.