I am a big fan of Zara Stoneley and the latest novel does not disappoint. It is the first book I've read that references the pandemic and its aftermath as part of the story line.

When Alice returns to her office after working from home due to the pandemic, she discovers that the impact of Covid has caused her company to review their working practices....and introduce hot desking and flexible working in order to reduce office overheads. Alice is forced into a rota system, sharing her desk with Jamie who she deems to be the most annoying person in her office.

Once you get a little further into the story, you get to know Alice more and understand why sharing a desk is such a big thing for her. I loved that, via Jamie, we could get to know Alice more. I really warmed to Alice and Jamie, as well as the supporting characters such as Alice's other work colleagues and her sister who provide entertainment throughout. I was a little uncertain how the story would be wrapped up as it moves at quite a fast pace and takes different turns unexpectedly, however I thought the ending was very realistic.

If you're looking for a relevant, fast paced, romantic comedy with substance, then this is the book for you. Especially if, like me, you work in an office that has adopted hybrid working!

#libraryatsevern #bookworm #book #reading
#bookstagramuk #londonreader #bookreviewfeature #bookreview #bibliophile #bookstagrammers #readersofinstagram #reader #igreads #hotdesk #bookblogger #goodreads #bookshelf #bookreviewer #onemorechapterhc #zarastoneley #lockdownreads #stayhomeandread #bookstragram#bookstagrammer

I’m a big fan of Zara Stoneley and have missed reading her books so I am so excited today to be reviewing Hot Desk.
I’m going to start by addressing an aspect of the book which in some reviews out there has gained some criticism because it’s not something I agree with (I know that’s only my opinion). The book is set towards the end of the pandemic and relates/mentions Covid and the UK lockdown. Whilst I’m not particularly interested in reading a book where Covid is central to the plot (yet), I feel that in Hot Desk it’s part of the setting and situation and works well. Alice has not long returned to work after working from home and being cooped up with her flatmates in a small home. Additionally, she, and her company, have lost clients due to Covid and I think it details the reality that we currently live in in a subtle but realistic manner and to me it just felt as though the story was current and it mirrored some of my experiences. (So there’s my twopenneth).
I loved being inside Alice’s head. At times it was a little confusing and rambly but I absolutely imagine that is what people’s heads are like. I constantly have internal monologues and was surprised to find out there are people who don’t do that at all. I loved how she constantly tried to reason and rationlise things with herself and also how she often tried to exercise mind over physical feelings and failed miserably. She’s such a funny character. I completely identified with her love of her desk. I love mine and like it kept a certain way. (Yes I’m odd).
I adored the chemistry between Jamie and Alice. I loved how they had a little history and despite a brief moment, it had such a hold over Alice. I enjoyed their flirty office relationship and the tension of will they, won’t they?
A cute office romance novel with quirky characters. Very enjoyable.

I recognize how hard it is to write a book - the journey, the commitment, the creativity - but I struggled with this read and I think its because it needs more work. The concept is cool - Alice has to hot desk with the hottest guy at her company and their "friendship" develops through the notes they leave each other.

However, there weren't enough other ideas to keep the story going or offer any depth. There was a LOT of repetition about how they almost kissed once but now he doesn't remember (I got it the first three times), and how she has to keep her personal items at work because everyone borrows her stuff. I felt the repetition either reflected a neurotic, obsessive character who couldn't focus on anything else (which annoyed me), or there simply wasn't enough substance in the story to make it tighter. And there was so much potential with all the side characters, but they felt one dimensional too, only there to support Alice. It left me frustrated and bored. Comedy is always a fine line and very subjective. For me, this didn't work.

Much thanks for to Netgalley and the publishers for the privilege to review this book.

This was so sweet and cute! I do love a good romance book and this did not disappoint! Definitely recommend it

If you’re wondering what an office romance in the time of covid might look like, read Hot Desk. When Alice’s company has to downsize their space to save funds, they move to a desk sharing model and a slow burn post it romance ensues. This novel is flirty and fun in some ways, but to be honest I found reading about the depression, Covid, and it’s ongoing impacts a bit depressing. Maybe it’s still too close for me, but it really put a damper on the story for me. Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and publisher for giving me access to this book for review.

Hot Desk was anything but hot. The dialogue just seemed to go on and on and on.
All in all, I kept feeling annoyed as I read and rolled my eyes more then once.
So sorry to say this was a book I just could not follow.
Others may enjoy the story and I recommend you read it. It just may be me.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Hot Desk is tricky for me to review because where it starts weak, Stoneley finds her groove in writing, and it quickly gathers momentum into a book to love. Alice has spent so much time putting herself last that she doesn’t quite know how to stand up for herself. Used to a sister who takes advantage of Alice’s lack of boundaries and a controlling boyfriend trying to mold Alice into his ideal, she learns how to find her strength and voice.

As I stated at the start of my review, and I’ve seen other reviewers mention, Alice’s constant running internal monologue at the beginning of the book is a bit tough to get through. If the thought occurs, we, as the readers, hear it. But then we meet Jamie, and their friendship unfolds. If there ever was a book boyfriend for readers, it’s Jamie. Except for a few hiccups, he’s pretty ideal and a perfect balance to Alice. I cheered her on as she found her voice and the strength to set some desperately needed boundaries. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

I usually avoid any book about the pandemic reality. Reading about tests, home office, vaccination, and lockdowns is so depressing and I would like to rather forget about it for a second than immerse myself in it. But! The romance in the office? When do you need to share your desk with a guy you have a crush on? I gave it a chance and in fact, it wasn't so bad.

This book is a nice one for everyone who needs to come back to the office or is looking for it. This book is a nice one for everyone looking for a relationship and some love (in books as well). But for me? I have mixed feelings.

On one hand - ok, it was cool. Nice idea to find love in the workspace, to leave a post-in, get to know each other during an extraordinary time. I'm in. But there are so many complications on their way... So many "maybe" and second thoughts... I don't know. I make it hard to read it sometimes.

But! One of the main pros is an Alice transition. How she decided to stand on her own, to make her own decisions, and be brave enough to live her life. That was awesome and I find her so inspiring and encourage to improve and find own voice.

That was my first book of Zara, but I'll give her a second chance. I liked the idea, writtting. No spark at all? Maybe next time. In another story.

I liked the concept of an office romance through post-it notes and was interested to see how the story would evolve from that. But most of the book is just an inner monologue of Alice's pet peeves: with always having to share her space and her things, an ex that just won't leave her alone, annoying covid issues, etc. Honestly her anxiety about everything was annoying and I started to skip those parts to get to the Jamie scenes. I really wanted to like this book, but it just fell flat for me.
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. My review is given voluntarily.

Hot desk was such a cute, fun and flirty read! The characters were so lovable and relatable, not to mention the romance is TO DIE FOR. This book most definitely raised my (already high) standards for love. 1000% recommend!!

A romance in the time of Covid - and interesting for me to see the point of view of someone who couldn't wait to get back to the office. Food for thought as a boss who is happy at home to realise that not all the team find it so easy. I like how the pandemic isn't ignored, although as this is set in 2021 and seems like it's all in the past there is some artistic licence as covid and its restrictions are by no means over. A nice romance, and a lovely premise. #netgalley #hotdesk

A really light read, which I found over slow especially in the beginning. I found one of the main characters, Alice, incredibly irritating and without depth, although this did improve as her character developed. I must say the first half was certainly a rather 'woe is me' essay, with Alice's inner thoughts I liked the fact the book was set during the pandemic with all the problems of lockdown, getting back to 'normality' etc. Definitely a slow burn romance with the other main character, Jamie, but somewhat predictable with the painful non-communication, again in the first half. The second half Alice does get on some of her issues (obsession with possessions) and communication. This book may well appeal to some as it is well written but just not for me.

Hot Desk is a cute chick lit with plenty of romance and laughter. I like the way Zara Stoneley writes, it’s very easy to read.

The theming of the book is so apt where people are starting new ways of working following the COVID-19 restrictions and I really liked the post-it note romance blossoming. I also liked the parts that described the jobs they do and the contracts they have rather than just glossing over them. However they should be cleaning the desk between uses 😉

I really liked Jamie but I couldn’t take to Alice at all, I don’t know why, I just found her incredibly irritating!

All in all this is a cute story and this is definitely an uplifting read!

A fun and well-written book that grabbed my attention from page one. I loved the characters and how authentic they felt. Definitely a must-read.

This started off a bit slow, but I really liked the human social aspects of dealing with coming back to work after experiencing lockdowns. No politics, and it wasn't a huge elephant in the room.

The first several chapters, we meet Alice and really get into her head. She is someone who has a hard time setting boundaries with people and finding out she is going to have to share her safe place AND work from home permanently sets off big changes for her.

The romance between her and Jamie was cute, and I loved the notes. It was what drew me into the book in the first place. I do feel it would have added a lot to the story to see Jamie's perspective at least a few timea. Especially since it is pretty obvious how he feels from the beginning.

The plot twist about 70% in was where this went from a book I couldn't put down, to a book that started to lose my attention. It felt far-fetched and unnecessary, and I just wanted them together by then! Surely, their crisis could have been something else that Alice could support him through?

My favorite part of this story was Alice's growth. She stops letting everyone else control her life and starts living the life she wants, learning first how to set proper boundaries. I liked that she found a balance and really started looking at her life and what she wanted.

Perhaps it is because it is an ARC that I read, but the ending was surprisingly abrupt! I honestly had to double-check that there wasn't anything more!

Overall, I thought this was an excellent rom com. Alice was relatable (despite wanting to work in the office), Jamie was cute in a cheeky and sweet way, their interactions fun.

3.5 Stars
2 Heat

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 2/5

I'm just going to say it. I thought I would enjoy this book, but I didn't. To me, it was boring and slow. I wanted to reach the end so bad and just finish it. When I read the description, I thought I would love this book and it would be a cute romance. Instead, I was counting down the pages until the end. I could've DNF it, but I wanted to stick it through in case something changed. It never did. There were many people that enjoyed this book and wrote good reviews. I wish this book didn't disappoint me because I was looking forward this read.

I was so intrigued with the blurb of Hot Desk by Zara Stonely . Two people sharing a desk on different days who did not like each other, or do they? Alice and Jamie had a bit of history and are now sharing desk and leaving notes. This was a cute story

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
I was about to download this book (after I finished a few ARC's). Only to discover that it has been archived yesterday.

It sounds like such a great book and reading the synopsis I will definitely try to get my hands on this one regardless.

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘵 – 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘬 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴. 𝘖𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦.

𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯?

This is my first Stoneley novel and I was so excited by the premise of the storyline! I'd never heard of Hot Desking but I loved the idea of two co-workers falling in love through desk sharing. I'm really torn on how to review this book because the premise is super cute, the world is well developed, the characters are truly fleshed out, and the author writes really well, I just can't even slightly relate to the characters.
I understood Alice's "middle child" syndrome and her desire for her own space. I could follow with the bad relationship and allowing everyone to walk all over her for a while, but not growing a backbone until 95% through the book (and then it's more like a stick taped to her shirt and not a full backbone) was just A LOT of reading about her inability to create some freaking boundaries and a lot of whining. Then there is Jaime who is fun, flirty, and friendly, but he is no different than the other people in her life, she just likes him messing with/borrowing her stuff. He uses her when it works for him, and then lives life on his own when it suits him. As I said, I really did like Stoneley's characters outside of the fact that their "struggles" lasted way too dang long and I didn't see any real growth after reading that many pages of woe is me. I guess the best way to describe it to other readers is no steam/backbone for 95% and then a slow-build to a meh ending from 95% on.

Hot Desk is a truly cute read. Alice has always lived a chaotic life but not by her choosing, her desk has always been her safe space. When covid restrictions are lifted and it's time to go back to the office she learns that she will now have to share a desk with Jaime. Jamie, who kissed her at Reading Festival two years ago but has zero recollection.

I love the idea of co-workers falling in love over post-it notes. The build and the anticipation were paced beautifully. There is initially a lot of internal dialogue, while that's usually not something I enjoy, it's necessary because that's where we get a good feel for Alice's personality. Jamie and Alice were both well-written and developed, and I love anytime we get to see a character change and grow. The secondary characters were fun and quirky and added so much to the story. Overall it's a good read. There is a trigger warning for covid. It is mentioned two or three times in passing, it's not a big part of the plot, but still a sensitive issue.