Book tour stop! Today I’m delighted to be the host for Hot Desk, a romcom novel written by Zara Stoneley.

First thing first, let me thank Rachel and the publisher, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for providing me with an e-copy of this book. Much obliged *hat tip*

READ MY REVIEW

Cover: Pretty. It fits the theme and carries a whimsical note too,

Meet Alice: a woman who loves her job, doesn’t like to share her things, and has an annoying ex.

Meet Jamie: a man who has some secrets, doesn’t mind sharing, and is not that enthusiastic to return to the office.

They both work for the same company, and when they’re forced to hot desk, they start communicating via notes. The idea behind it is as cute as it sounds, the catalyst of a relationship that may or may not be what they both need and want.

As I was saying yesterday, romance tends to be the ugly duckling of literary genres. I don’t agree with that. It’s true, no one goes in expecting anything else than a happy ending, but what matters the most is the journey. The destination is a given; the journey can be twisted, intense, full of false flags, linear—you write it right and readers will love you. Stoneley is aware of that, it seems, because Alice and Jamie have to navigate through a lot of obstacles before reaching a safe harbor.

Written in first person POV, Alice’s trail of thoughts is torrential in places, which is maybe the only detail I didn’t like.

Her style is fresh and funny, her characters engaging; Stoneley knows how to write and is not afraid to do so.

There are so many things that changed with the Covid-19, that returning to the boring routine seems like a dream. Or at least that’s what Alice thought, until the changes start at her work and she sees her favorite space is threatened by here enemy-coworker Jamie.
I think we all missed something during the lockdown; friends, space, freedom… but what Alice have at her desk is her me space. A place where no one could take or move things without her knowledge, because Alice is a really good person, a friend from everyone and the one always says No. And that’s what Alice will have to learn in this story, to share the space but at the same time having the right to say no to anyone without fear of the consequences.
I’ll admit that I struggled a little in the beginning while the story was mixed with some memories from the past, but once I understood the situation the reading was easy. I had another problem, I really hated Alice boyfriend; I think this is the purpose of the author, but also didn’t feel like Alice was seeing the big picture in the end. Because he was a stalker, didn’t respect any of her boundaries and every time she said no, he totally ignored it. When you have to tell you flat mates that a person is not allowed at your house, it’s not something to minimize but to start taking steps to ask for help.
Don’t get me wrong, the story is sweet and uplifting, there’s always a bad character in every book, I simply hated this one too much! 😉
Are you ready for the “Hot Desk”?

It's about time we pivot our romcoms and look ahead to a post-covid world. I think the genre is generally stuck in either pretending that COVID never existed, or capitalizing on lockdown tropes. Zara was definitely onto something with her quirky heroine, Alice, who is working on establishing boundaries (which I relate to very much). Jamie seems like a funny enough love interest with the added bonus of the two spending an unforgettable kiss ions ago. In the end, I found the book poorly executed despite its potential. I would have liked to have read the relationship unfold more through the post-its while hot desking, and there was far too much drama on Jamie's side. Being a big fan of Stoneley's other novels, this unfortunately fell short.

Cute romance story set in the presence of a remote workspace.. Also set in London. I almost exclusively read romances set in London.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early review copy of this book.

CW: post-covid world

I really wish I loved this book, it sounded to cute and fun but upon actually reading it it was really boring up until about the halfway point. The MC’s inner monologue is droning and I really couldn’t get into it, I think I would have enjoyed this book a lot more were it not for that. I also didn’t really feel the chemistry between the characters, which was sad because I got Flatshare vibes but it wasn’t like that at all!

I am such a huge fan of Zara Stonely, having already read and loved The First Date and The Dog Sitter, I was really excited to start reading Hot Desk. Set in a world post-lockdown, we follow the main character, Alice, as she settles back in to working at the office again, after just about managing to work from home during the lockdowns. Alice loves being back at the office, and more importantly, having her old desk (and its contents) back again! To others, her desk in messy and chaotic, to Alice, everything on her desk means something and helps her to focus on work.

When her company announces they are implementing a hot desk policy, with some days in the office and some working from home, Alice starts worrying. Not only about sharing her beloved desk space, but how she will manage working from home again with her crazy housemates, and sister who think she can just drop in any time to borrow yet another item of clothing from Alice’s wardrobe. Alice worries even more, when she discovers her desk share partner is Jamie – the guy she really likes at the office.

Getting more into the routine of home working again, and finally starting to stand up for herself with her noisy housemates and sister, Alice and Jamie start getting to know each other more via funny and cute post-it notes left for each other on their shared desk. Without giving anything away, the chemistry between the two of them becomes incredible . . . but you will have to read the book to find out if things work out with them both, or do they just stay post-it friends? only.

Hot Desk is another incredible story by Zara Stoneley. Full of fun, laughs, friends, love and post-it notes! An absolute must read for everyone!

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was an enjoyable, easy read, similar to books like 'The Flat Share.' I was invested in the plot, and appreciated how COVID was touched on but not dwelt on.

Hot Desk by Zara Stonely 🗒

Synopsis: Alice is returning to the office after lockdown from COVID and looking forward to her own desk again. Alice lives with several roommates and a family that often likes to borrow from her, so her desk is her only true space that is her own. That is until her company decides to start a hot desk system and she now has to share with her annoying desk partner, Jamie. While Alice is developing her own boundaries in personal and work she also finds herself feeling more confident and happier than she has been in a long time. Which may also have to do with the sticky note messages left between her and Jamie on their shared desk leading to a flirtatious relationship that might end up being more.

Okay so this one initially spiked my interest based on the sticky note convos which made me thing of the cards against humanity card for passive aggressive sticky notes 😂 These were mostly jokey/flirting messages but I still found it fun that they left each other those messages. Overall not a bad story and interesting to have it placed so recent in the return to the office after lockdown. However I felt like it repeated the same things for most of the book until the last few chapters. Basically wondering when these two were ever going to get together and why we keep talking about the same problems Alice is facing over and over again.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

Thank you @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

This isn't my favourite of this author's books, as the setting and pandemic references didn't give me the escapist read vibe I like in this type of novel. Alice and Jamie's desk share leads to communication via post-it notes which is amusing and eventually deepens into something more. For Alice, her desk and working in the office is much more than a job, it's her space, an extension of her, and she feels its loss keenly. There are lots of humorous moments and a gentle romance.

I received a copy of this book from One More Chapter via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Hot Desk is a story about Alice who is forced to share a desk with cute employee Jamie due to COVID. Both Alice and Jamie share a past and are obviously attracted to one another. Unfortunately for me, this book fell pretty flat. I felt as though it was too long and drawn out. Only about 50% of the way did things start to pick up but in my opinion it took too long. It became a little redundant with the constant mentioning of Alice’s work desk being like “home”. I just could not relate to a character that emotionally attached to a work desk and did not empathize with that at all. I would have preferred skipping every mention of that and going straight into the love story. I did like the characters and I felt myself rooting for them, it just was not my favorite book. I did think the post-pandemic life was portrayed accurately which was a good aspect of the book.

Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley, too
For my copy of this book, here's my honest review:

This is a contemporary, post two COVID lockdowns, romance
In which returning to work in the office has Alice in a dance.
She's struggled working in her house share flat
Where nothing is private, she's fed up of that.

She's looking forward to having her own desk again
Where all her pieces have their place to keep her sane.
However, there are changes coming that'll impact how
They're going to be working in future from now.

Instead of having their own place and desk this change
Means they'll share desks so things need a rearrange.
How can she share her space with the most annoying guy
Just who selected him to be her partner - and why?

Jamie can work anywhere, any place
His desk never looks like Alice's - hers is a disgrace!
But once the new routine starts
His teasing post it notes help win her heart.

As Alice learns to set boundaries for friends and her sister
She's having problems galore with her ex-mister.
Can she learn to set boundaries that others respect, too?
How will this affect her life and what she can do?

This is a delightful story with humour and fun
As well as some serious life lessons when all is said and done.
There are consequences that need sorting but, given the chance,
There are opportunities, too, for heartwarming romance!

“Hot Desk” started out promising. I liked the idea of two people sharing a desk and flirting by leaving each other notes. But then it gets messy with this secret Jaimie’s hiding and Alice being a doormat. She has an epiphany near the end but it just felt overdone and a convenient way to tidy up the book. It just wasn’t for me.

This book was ok... Don't think covid needed to be introduced. The story still could have work really well without it and I probably would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't in the story

Alice is back to work after the lockdown and she is so ready for it but then shock horror. Its decided to switch to in hot desking and working part home, part in the office. Alice is not happy she loves the space at work as she lives with rowdy housemates and a sister who is always popping by to borrow stuff. Then there's Jamie the cute guy she will be sharing a desk with and the one she shared an amazing kiss with but he doesn't remember. How will she ever get through it all.

Oh this is so adorable and relatable. Its the first book ive read that focuses in on a life after lock downs. The plot is fairly slow to begin with but once it gets going I was just desperate to turn the next page. If you're a fan of romance you can guess the ending but I really liked how it was done, especially the story with Jamie. Alice is instantly likeable and i can so relate to her need to not be walked over all the time. The story is funny, sad and wonderful. This is a perfect read on these last days of summer.

Thank you for the opportunity for a ARC of this book. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into this story. A lot of the book was the main character, Alice’s inner dialogue. I normally wouldn’t mind this, but in the very beginning I find she repeats the same thoughts over and over again, and I found myself skimming through a lot to get to the meat of the story. I did like the premise of the book, and I appreciated the storyline happening during COVID. Living through it, it’s always interesting to read someone’s perspective or what they went through during that time. It was a very unique idea with the desk-sharing aspect. Thanks again for the advanced copy!

Okay but nothing special. Guess I'm not one for reading books that take place in pandemic times. Otherwise it's a fun concept.

I really enjoyed this book. Having lived through the ongoing Covid pandemic, along with the rest of the world, I initially thought it was too soon to read a story about this subject! However, this is a funny, relatable story, with a cast of likeable characters and a great will they won't they storyline.

This book has a cute premise, but in some ways, I could not relate to the book at all. I understand that she had a small place and didn't work well there at all, but I know very few folks who were looking forward to going back to work in April 2021. Furthermore, many of us were still working from home at that point, still dealing with safety protocols and sanitation, etc. To be honest, I'm not sure why Covid had to be introduced here at all. Sometimes places implement cost-saving measures, and hot desking could have been a part of that. I wanted to love Alice, but I found it difficult to get through the first half of this book. There's far too much interior monologue. At the end of the day, though, I know how much work it takes to write a book, and not every book is for every reader. Kudos to the author for trying something different, and I really enjoyed the banter between Jamie and Alice.

Alice goes back to work after working at home through lockdown only to find things are about to change drastically. Due to cuts needed to be made to the company she will have to hot desk and share her precious desk, her only sanctuary that she can say is exclusively hers, with someone else. The book follows what happens between her and her hot desk partner. This was an easy, fast read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is probably unpopular opinion, and it was most likely just me, but I couldn't get into this one.
There was a lot of inner dialogue and not as much actually 'happening' in the moment. Dave was a huge focus, and that issue didn't really resolve itself properly.
I'm glad that the main character stood up for herself and finally stopped worrying about every little thing. This helped solidify Jamie and Alice's chemistry, but then the author added another issue into the story that kind of popped in out of nowhere.
2.5 stars