Thankyou for giving me the chance to listen in advance. Unfortunately it was
Quite predictable and I couldn’t enjoy it. Even though I wanted to!

A premise with promise... which unfortunately it didn't live up to.

Returning to work after lockdown, the company that Alice and Jamie work for has had to make cuts, so now employees share desks and work opposite hours. Of course, Alice and Jamie get put on the same desk... hence the notes that start to be exchanged.

From the description, I was expecting this to be a The Flatshare and The Hating Game crossover. And in some ways, it kind of was—work-based romance, enemies(ish) to lovers—but it lacked all the spark.

I really applaud the author for the inclusion of COVID in the storyline, after all, it's changed the world we live in, so I don't think it can be glossed over anymore. However, I think there's a line when it becomes too much. The plotline was so slow. Six chapters in and pretty much all that's happened is Alice's bus ride to work with the threat of an upcoming meeting.

Perhaps a hard copy would read differently, but I found listening to 2 hours of Alice moaning about homeworking and (repeatedly) telling me how much she loved her desk, boring.

Really sorry to say this wasn't for me and I didn't finish.

Fair Warning: DO NOT expect any measure of brilliance comparable to O'Leary's The Flatshare, though the post-it notes might just be the one happy thing about this book? (They are.)

Have you ever found yourself counting down the pages, counting down the seconds until it's over? I hope not.

This was one such book. Felt, till the very end, like climbing a mountain, without the final reward of the magnificent view and a sense of accomplishment.

STORYLINE:
Post-Covid, Alice is enthusiastic to finally return to the office, to the work she loves. Little does she expect that, all too soon, the company has to cut down on expenses and rent half of their offices, thus introducing hot desking. Oh no!
And yet, Alice soon forgets all about this, when she starts to find post-it notes attached to the desk she shares with her charming colleague, Jamie...

The rest, is not worth knowing.

No Nos:
1. The whining. I mean it. It's constant. I struggled, my friends. The narration by Hannah Brown did not help much, though I would not go so far as putting the blame on the audio;
2. The nauseating repetitiveness. I felt discombobulated. Why keep saying the same things?;
3. Predictable through and through

If I tell you that I had to take the speed up to x1.75 to finish this one off, it would be to avoid saying more about a book that is not worth your time.

Listening to an audiobook is always going to be a little of personal preference and unfortunately for me the narrator was a little too sweet, high pitched and prim for my liking.
The story of Alice and her journey at this stage post Covid and returning to work, maturing was VERY slow and at times painful to listen to the shallow whiny inner monologue of this character. The saviour of this story was Jamie and it took about 50% of this story to before it started to get interesting….. I nearly gave up on so many occasions

A sweet and romantic story, but it is also a rather familiar and predictable one.

There is nothing wrong with that. For a relaxing and cozy weekend, this audiobook would be perfect.
But if you are in the mood for something new and different... well, then this story is the wrong pick.

Hot Desk - Zara Stoneley

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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?

I am not sure what I was expecting from this book, but it was so well-written it was addictive. I think this is the first book that mentions Covid that I have managed to look past the pandemic theme - although it was nice to escape back to a world where Covid was no longer an issue. This book focuses on the developing friendship of Jamie and Alice.

I thought that this was a sweet, fun read and I really enjoyed the different methods of communication utilised by the colleagues having to share a desk.

Rating: 4/5

This was a cute, escapist read. There were plenty of humorous scenes and one-liners that had me laughing out loud. The romance was a true slow burn and I wasn't expecting the obstacles that came in the way of Jamie and Alice relationship. They are poor communicators despite their daily messages to each other. It takes them so long to really open up and be honest with each other that it irritated me a bit.
I loved the romance via post-it notes. It was charming and heartwarming. Having four sisters myself I understood Alice's feelings about not wanting to share. I liked Jamie for understanding how Alice was feeling.
I enjoyed the narration. The characters came to life for me and it was very easy listening.

‘Same desk, different days.A post-it note is just the beginning… ‘ - cover tag line.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. Audio One More Chapter for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘Hot Desk’ by Zara Stoneley in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook is narrated by Hannah Brown.

While I don’t read many contemporary romances, on occasion they provide a touch of escapism. ‘Hot Desk’ is set in a post-Covid London, though references to the pandemic are quite fleeting.

After working from home during the pandemic, Alice returns to the office she and her colleagues learn that they are switching to flexible working and hot desking. From now on she will be sharing a desk with Jamie. Alice likes to decorate her desk with personal items whereas Jamie is quite happy to sweep his work life into a box at the end of the day.

He also enjoys teasing Alice though she is rather confused about how she feels about him. So, they begin communicating via post-it-note.

A sweet romantic comedy that developed along predictable lines; though it does explore Alice’s insecurities and her bonds with her sisters along the way. There’s also Dave, her on-and-off boyfriend, who is a real piece of work.

With respect to the audiobook, Hannah Brown has a light, quite high-pitched voice, which while appropriate for Alice sounded to my ears a bit cutesy. Of course, this is very much a personal preference.

Overall, a pleasant enough romance that was quite heartwarming.

Enjoyable light read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this audiobook.

I enjoyed The Dog Sitter by this author so I was pleased when I was approved for this audiobook via NetGalley. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me.

It all felt very “surface level”. Alice is a bit immature and being inside her head for a significant portion of the book at the beginning wasn’t fun. She only comments on the superficial and I didn’t warm to her.

Things improved once Alice and Jamie started the desk share but then it flattened out. Having some of Jamie’s perspective would have helped to build some of the chemistry/sexual tension between the two - I didn’t feel any of it. To top it off, the “plot twist” was a cop out and not a creative idea at all. I could have come up with that and I’d be an awful writer/author.

Alice did go on a little personal development journey if that’s something you enjoy in a book.

I’m sad to say that this was an average book and if you wanted to read a book about two individuals sharing a space, I’d recommend The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary instead.

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. The narrator narrated the book beautifully, and I loved the depictions of the different characters.

I love everything about this. Perfectly narrated, great story and just so easy and delightful to listen to. I would 100 percent recommend.

Hot Desk is the story of Alice, a designer who is looking forward to getting back to work after the lockdown. But to allow for flexible working, Alice must split her hours between working at home and hot desking with Jamie, the most annoying guy in the office.

I really struggled to enjoy this story until around halfway through, and by then my enthusiasm was essentially non-existent. My main issue with this story is Alice’s view of the world. If you’re going to include a devastating pandemic in a story, there needs to be a level of sensitivity regarding the tragedy that billions have had to endure. The lockdown was not a holiday for everyone, so if you’re going to feature it in a story, this needs to be compassionately acknowledged.

Alice’s inner monologues often consisted of shallow complaints, frustration over poor communication (which can be easily fixed in this century), and general immaturity that grew tiresome. A lot of her remarks felt insensitive, especially in the face of a global pandemic. If this story existed outside the world of COVID-19 like a lot of fiction, it would not have come off as superficial as it did.

The premise of this book is great. Part of it reminds me of The Hating Game, and as it is marketed towards fans of Beth O’Leary, Mhairi McFarlane, and Sophie Kinsella, it sounds like the ideal romantic comedy. But the sluggish pace and lack of engaging dialogue lets this book down. The endless paragraphs of Alice’s observations are tedious instead of hilarious, especially earlier in the book. Her growing affection for Jamie redeemed the reading experience, and it had cute moments that suit the genre. Plus, I liked the way their relationship progressed through notes. An office romance can be an exciting backdrop for a love story, and I wish the author had taken further advantage of this kind of dynamic.

While Alice’s character development is good, her personality and constant moaning is irritating. As a result, I found it difficult to connect to the story or sympathise with her. By the end, I felt disappointed in Hot Desk.

Narrator 5 stars
Great voice

Story 3 stars

This is the first time I've come across this author. While I enjoyed her story and the characters were interesting and I was rooting for them, this story didn't give me those RomCom feels.

But in saying that I would definitely try this author again

When I got approved for this audiobook I was very thrilled, because the blurb was very promising. And in a sense it maintains its promise and the authour delivers an enjoyable and well written story, but unfortunately this book was not for me.
I guess it was aimed to a younger reader than myself, it would be perfect for readers in their early twenties in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A nice and also funny and serius story about a life after Covid. A little not usual to share the desk after the restrictions but anyway, I like the characters eventhoug I was not condividing all their belives. It is ficition so also that worked. Jamie and Annie shared a sicret and I loved that so much.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this Audio copy.

Sharing spaces, sharing clothes with sisters and now sharing the Hot Desk with Jamie. Alice always seems to be sharing but for once she doesn’t mind . She has met Jamie before at a festival where they shared a kiss but he doesn’t remember - but Alice does! And now they work together and she really doesn’t want to work from home and takes every opportunity to come into work ( the book is set during covid times). If you love a gorgeous romantic comedy then this audio book is a great listen and is narrated perfectly by Hannah Brown and gives all the feels!! Thank you Netgalley amd Harper Collins for my gifted copy!!