The whole thing just felt repetitive. The MC just kept going on and on about the same thing and after a certain point, it started to get frustrating. The romance didn't really feel all that great either. The whole thing was just a lot of one step forward, two steps back and I got tired of pushing myself to get through it. This had a good premise but lacked any follow through.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins, One More Chapter and Zara Stoneley for a copy in return for an honest review.

*This book is set in a post-covid world.
Alice is not returning back to work after the pandemics restrictions are lifted. Unfortunately the company are now implementing a timetabled hot desk system. This starts off a post-it note chat between Alice and Jamie.

This is the first book by Zara I have read. It was interesting reading post-lockdown but I found it a little whiney and very predictable. It won’t put me off reading more by Zara.

thanks for netgalley for the arc !

sooo…. i didnt rlly like this book to be honest. i expected more and i was kinda disappointed. the way it mentioned covid was soo annoying and i felt like the entire book was pretty repetitive.
overall not a great read but it’s my opinion

Gorgeous romance in amongst the friendships, a great angle of post it-note swapping at the hot desk – and all the feelings that develop between Alice and Jamie. Great book, thank you! Definitely recommend this feel good read. Five stars.

This is the first book I have read that actually deals with the reality of working during/after the Covid pandemic and I loved it!!

Alice and Jamie shared a fleeting kiss at a festival, years later they end up working in the same office but Jamie seems to have no recollection of their moment which Alice has been obsessing about ever since. After working from home surrounded by her chaotic housemates Alice is due to return to the office and is looking forward to seeing Jamie again to pick up their low key flirting/banter but to her dismay management have decided they will now do a mixture of hot desking and working from home. Alice is someone who needs to learn to set boundaries as everyone takes advantage of her; her sister, ex and housemates simply walk all over her and this is something she begins to realise with her new working arrangement.

After the initial disappointment of not seeing Jamie they begin sharing a desk on alternate sessions and post-it notes become the new way of communicating. It was really sweet to see how this grew and a new concept for me in a book.

Highly recommend!

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

This book was a sweet story with two endearing leads. I loved how Alice and Jamie's personalities were reflected in the way they liked their desks, and once we got into the part of the story where they started leaving each other sticky notes, it was adorable! I found this book to be a bit of a slow starter, and felt that there was a lot of repetition in Alice's internal monologue at the beginning which dragged the pacing down, but once we got into the middle of the story the the pacing improved a lot and I became more engrossed.

A love story for the modern office age. Charmingly told with the focus not just on the fledging relationship but on personal development too. Easy to read. Likeable characters - especially Alice’s entire family! Funny in places and poignant in others. The immersive story telling makes it hard to tear yourself away.

Thank you Netgalley

Hot Desk was a lighter read with a female lead trying to figure out who she really is. Alice has spent her life trying to please other people and not telling them no. She finally realizes she needs to start standing up for herself if she ever wants to be the best version of herself. As she grows and matures, I begin to like her meek character more and more. She definitely finds love at the same time she finds herself.

I tried to read this one and thought I was okay with reading things about life after the pandemic, but apparently I'm not.

What I did read, I enjoyed but I think I'll have to pick this one up in the future.

Don't let this review stop you from reading the book!

Hot desking is a sore topic with me as I crave being back in the ‘proper’ office environment. So I wasn’t sure if this was the right book for me. But it was brilliant!
Watching Alice and Jamie’s relationship grow because of their shared space is lovely. Nothing that exciting has happened with my flexible working though…

This book has been compared to writers like Sophie Kinsella and that is exactly who I would compare it to as well!
It does talk about life after the pandemic. The pandemic that appears to not want to leave. So I am not sure if it is refreshing or depressing.

Anyway, this was a quick read- I enjoyed it!

Whilst I appreciate the ARC from the publisher this wasn't a hit for me, in fact I didn't finish it as found the storyline and characters lacking.

When I saw the blurb for this book I could not wait to read it, as it gave me such Flatshare (Beth O'Leary) vibes, which I loved. What can I say.... it didn't quite live up to that.

I always find it exhausting to be in someone's head. And in this case, the first few chapters being just a non-stop stream of Alice's internal conversations and struggles honestly wiped me out. I wasn't sure I was going to push through and read the remainder of the book as I had such a hard time following some of the thought patterns, let alone connect with them. I found them to be altogether immature and annoyingly insecure.

This book is an office romance set during the pandemic billed as being for fans of The Hating Game. If you are ready for pandemic books, I'd recommend giving this one a try. If you aren't ready yet, save this one until you are.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I had no warning of it taking place/mentioning the pandemic when I originally requested it and I am glad it's mentioned now. I didn't know it would bother me as much as it did, but alas. I think it's a bit too soon to be writing about since it did take me aback when it was originally mentioned in the first few pages. as other office set romance books, it's highly predictable and average.

I was hoping for something along the lines of The Hating Game as the book was touted as an office based romance. The first half of the book consisted mainly of Alice's internal monologues about family, work, covid life and her roommates. I was more invested in the second half of the book where things between our two main characters picked up. If you like your romances slow, then you may enjoy this one.

Well I'm sure when Zara wrote this about post Covid times she wasn't expecting the pandemic to have had such a long lasting affect!
I think the early chapters captivated a lot of the conflicting feelings people had about working from home, returning to work, hybrid working and it was refreshing to see it in print and know that yes we don't all feel the same way about this "new normal"
I loved Alice's evolution, learning to grow a thicker skin and stand up for herself, draw boundaries and accept she is worth more than she believed.
Rodney and Mabel were clearly the stars of the tale, I have that juvenile sense of humour to appreciate Mabel all the more.
A nice, closed doors romance that had a steady progression all the way.
Well written, good flow, great characters. I'd definitely read more by this author.

Too much internal thought for me to want to stick with it for 400 pages. Premise had promise and I would still recommend to friends s

I enjoyed reading Hot Desk by Zara Stoneley. Treat yourself to reading this book with many characters. Happy reading!

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher ~ Thank you ~ !! This is my honest and personal review.