I really struggle with romance novels where it seems like the woman is a magnet to some charming amazing man and can't do anything to prevent being together like it's inevitable. And it's exactly the vibes I got from this book for about 60% of this read. Something in this just feels too desperate and makes the woman in this not feel empowered or something. I didn't enjoy this as much because of these vibes that seemed to take over the storyline as there almost wasn't one apart from the last 10% of the story unfortunately.

An easy read, and cute. The story is written in the first person which making it feel more personal. Alice is coming back to work after working at home due to Covid restrictions and faces her work colleague who she has met before and kissed. Her story takes us through her life since that kiss, her family issues, her work issues and her romantic issues, and we go through them all with her, growing along the way until she finds herself and becomes a more rounded, confident person.

I know this is pitched as the perfect read for fans of THE HATING GAME, but I'd like to state (for those like myself that didn't quite like the hating game!) that I actually prefer this to THG. A quick, enjoyable and addicting romance read that you'll want to dive right into. If you'd like something to keep you entertained and engaged for a few hours, I'd recommend this!

After reading the synopsis of this book, I was super excited to read it, but it missed the mark sadly.

Alice allows everyone to walk all over her. Her ex-boyfriend who she keeps coming back to whenever she has a weak moment, her sister who keeps coming to her apartment to take her stuff, her roommates, and the list goes on. Work is her sanctuary but during lockdown, she wasn't able to establish any boundaries and therefore lead to a lot of frustration. When her company announces that employees will be staggering their office visits and share desks with colleagues, Alice is assigned to a desk with Jamie, a man she kissed 2 years ago but doesn't remember her. They begin to send notes to each other and build a relationship through those notes.

This book was so confusing. There was way too much happening and random additions to the book. I think the idea was great but Alice being a pushover and sharing the desk would have been enough without all the additional plot twists that made the book convoluted.

I probably wouldn't recommend this book to other people, but if you think it sounds interesting, definitely go for it. Maybe this was not a book that was meant for me.

I received an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

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

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. One More Chapter for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Hot Desk’ by Zara Stoneley in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the late feedback.

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.

Overall, a pleasant enough romance that was quite heartwarming.

For me this book was enjoyable but not particularly memorable - I don't think it stands out that much compared to similar women's fiction.

The story of Alice & Jamie her 'desk mate' was fun and relevant in a post Covid world. Personally I found Alice a bit annoying and the plot fairly predictable.

If you're after an easy romcom read this isn't a bad way to waste a few hours

I love an office romance, so this was a fun read for me. I'm still adjusting to books referencing the pandemic, though I know this is a personal issue of mine - frankly, it's a little triggering for me still. That's not the author's fault, though. This was really lighthearted and fun to read in an afternoon!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc of this book**

Now on to this, i was definitely surprised when i got invited to read this from the publishers and i do enjoy the office romance trope which i rarely read those, there were parts that i enjoyed and some not so much

In an post-Covid world (as the pandemic still in our lives in RL), while everyone is getting back to work, hot desk is introduced. Though i haven’t heard of this term, i was surprised that it was happening given the pandemic in the book but though it was mentioned briefly a few times in the book, i would’ve thought a bit more of background as to how the characters did handle it though i can understand why it wasn’t like that seeing how it’s still playing out in real time, but it was interesting to see how hot desk did work.

I did enjoy the characters seeing how you can tell that some characters did have character development play out while some remained the same. While the connection between Alice and Jaime was enjoyable, i felt that the romance while was indeed a slow burn at times.

I however felt that the writing was mixed and with the second half being a bit all over the place.

Overall i did enjoy this book just felt that my expectations was a bit higher than i expected.

I liked the twist even if it was a little predictable but I don't think this book was for me overall. I'm not huge into the whole "love at first sight" trope and I couldn't relate to the characters being so head-over-heels with each other after one kiss. I think if you like "love after first sight" stories then this one could be for you but I would've much rather seen the relationship develop before they decided that they were essentially meant to be together. I found the writing to be a bit rambling and descriptive at times too with not a whole lot actually happening. Not a bad book but the writing style and plot just weren't for me and I found myself a bit too uninterested in the characters to really enjoy it.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, for me personally, the character in this story is not one I am going to easily read. I have tried reading this about three times and the writing style is too all over the place and the main character is very entitled. I think this will be a great story for someone just not me. Because of these points, I have to give this a 3 out of 5 stars.

Perfect for fans of Sally Thorne and Emily Henry. This was a fun and lighthearted read that proved impossible to put down.

I've hesitated writing my review for Hot Desk because I truly wanted to like it more than I did. I have love all of Zara Stonleey's past books, she makes me laugh at loud while reading and this one did make me do that too but BUT, in the end, I just wanted to slap the main characters and shout at them to grow up!! I thought this books was written for a very VERY specific age group and I obviously was not that group, nor is anyone I know including my own adult kids in the group even though one lives in a house share and two of them did so. And what was up with the parents who were written as though they didn't have a brain in their collective heads!? Oooohhh, I hate it when writers make us look like this. Seriously!? Just no. No recommendations here. Do better next time Zara Stoneley! Do better!

Hot Desk is a bit of a hot mess though not from storytelling but mostly being stuck in the neurotic headspace of the narrator.

I enjoy the odd romantic comedy and they often make me feel warm and cuddly but in this book we are in a first person narrative with Alice, a neurotic with self assurance issues that seem to take over the book. The other characters are great and love them and using an office romance through post –it notes is ingenious and really lift this book out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, it is the main character who we spend all our time with and I found this difficult.

Alice plays the victim card through every situation and although this can be cute and disarming in a third person narrative, it becomes like fingernails on a chalkboard by the time the reader gets half way into the book. If the reader sticks with it though, there is enough to carry you through whether it is with her relationships with other co-workers, exes, housemates, etc. Her downward look upon herself though does become taxing.

Overall, this is not a bad book and though it does have it paint by numbers routine strongly down pat. Most romantic comedies do have this template which doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. There is some originality within the pages but your enjoyment of the book will hang on how you feel about Alice in general.

Overall, good ideas, annoying first person narrative by a main character I could not identify with but a lovely ending that gives you plenty of smiles along the way.

I thought this was a fun and cute read.

Alice and Jamie kiss years ago at a reading festive and now they work together. It’s post COVID times and they share a desk at work alternating days at home and at the office. Their romance sparks by leaving each other post-it notes.

It was a cute concept. The main character Alice was a pushover, she let everyone in her life walk all over her and her desk at work was her sanctuary, filled with her own stuff and a place where she wasn’t disturbed. So, when she finds out that she has to share a desk with Jamie, she is nonetheless not happy.

I wish the book was more about Alice and Jamie and their writing letters to each other. Instead, I felt like it was more about Alice and how her family didn’t give her space and just “borrowed” her things without asking and about Alice’s ex-boyfriend who kept showing up at her job and her home. I thought the book was cute, but I would have liked to seen more of a connection between Alice and Jamie.

A huge thank you to the publisher for gifting me the Netgalley in exchange for an honst review.

A lovely easy read. Great characters and I liked how the main character developed and changed with the challenges of a post covid world. Really lovely book.

Full of twists and turns
Alice and Jamie kissed at Reading Festival and now years later they work at the same firm, Alice recognises Jamie and still really likes him but he doesn’t seem to remember her. Covid has caused issues at the company they work for and now they have to do a desk share…
I liked Alice, this book focuses a lot on her development as a character who needs to be more assertive and allows her to become the person she wants to be but there are a lot of road blocks that make her question the way things are. She is however incredibly creative, smart and fun as well as having collections of things that bring back memories and helped me as a reader to better understand her and start to love her
My main issue with this book was that it was totally set from Alice’s point of view and I would have loved to hear from Jamie, maybe a second book that looks at things from his side? That would work really well as I struggled a lot with Jamie, I didn’t “get” him that well and it took me a while to see what Alice saw in him and for me to start to adore him
I loved reading Alice and Jamie’s story, right from the very first page, and the twists, turns and drama both bought them together and pushed them apart whilst keeping me as a reader on my toes. There is also a brilliant cast of supporting characters, without whom the book wouldn’t have worked nearly as well and who made both Alice and Jamie come alive for me
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a romance full of drama with twists that will keep you on your toes and a story that will draw you in right from the first page

Hot desk or hot mess?

I just couldn't connect to the female MC. She was too much. So much inner monologue. I just couldn't.

When the romance eventually got going, with post-it notes on the shared desk, I wasn't interested anymore.

I had seen some negative reviews for this book so I started it with some trepidation however I quite enjoyed it so it just goes to show you shouldn't be influenced by others opinions!

Alice was weak & a bit of a doormat at first but I liked how her outlook changed throughout the book. I liked all of the secondary characters (apart from Dave yuk!) & felt the story had a good flow.

Quirky, fun and flirty. Hot Desk by Zara Stoneley is a light hearted, enjoyable escapist read.
Alice prefers working in the office and is relieved to be getting out of her small room in a house share, especially as her house mates are so noisy.
Poor Alice can’t seem to catch a break. Every day life throws annoying obstacles in her way, such as her very persistent ex-boyfriend, her sister Sophie who steals all her clothes and hot Jamie in her office, who doesn’t seem to remember their first encounter… And now she’s being told she has to desk share… with Jamie… it really is the last straw.
I remember having to switch from working on my own desk to hot desking, what a nightmare. Like Alice I had quite a lot of stuff! For months I was lugging my laptop bag that was crammed with all my pretty stationery, post-its and to-do note book. 🙂 Things like sellotape and staplers were like gold and would be stolen when your back was turned unless you hid them in your bag and lugged them about on your back all week.
I found the daily post-it notes between Alice and Jamie very entertaining and relatable. Jamie’s Hot Desk Contract was really funny, especially when they were broken and a forfeit was required.

This book comes on the heels of a bit of a mini trend of romantic fiction where the two love interests primarily interact through notes, or similar, without spending a great deal of time together; the most well known example probably being The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary.

This book lacked a little charm for me. The main female character, Alice, is clearly a bit of a pushover and at the start of the book its clear that she lets her family members and flatmates walk all over her. She has trouble setting boundaries and really only views her desk at work as "her" space, filling it with knickknacks and personal trinkets. This all gets upended when she is forced to hot desk with Jamie, a guy from the office.

I felt like there was a little too much "telling" about Alice's issues - it was almost as if the author didn't think we'd got it and so we kept having it emphasised again and again which got a bit repetitive and annoying for me. I could have done with a little more of the notes passing which was the thing that made me pick the book up - it seemed like a nice twist on similar plots that I've seen, but it seemed like they started spending time together in real life quicker than I'd expected.

It just didn't seem to hit the mark for me I'm afraid, I didn't find myself rooting for Alice and Jamie, though it was nice to see Alice grow and start sticking up for herself.