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evarano's review
1.0
DNF @ 15%. This is just a no. I don’t even understand what it’s about. First off, I’ve realized I wish to keep Covid in the real world only and don’t want it to be mixed with any other world I want to dive into. Second, the main character speaks like a tween in a movie, horrible. The first could chapters were just ramblings of nonsense, very boring.
lieketw's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
gailalison's review
3.0
2.5 stars- This book was okay. It took me some time to get into it as the writing towards the beginning wasn’t great. It was overly conversational, in a bad way. It was more interesting in the middle, but then took a weird turn for the last third or so. There were several little things that didn’t make sense to me:
-There is a point towards the middle where Alice orders noise-canceling headphones, but it has mentioned earlier in the story that she already had some
-Everyone who sends texts in this book signs their texts at the end with their names (or initial). Who does that?
-At the hot desks, there is a pc that both people share, but also they use laptops so they can work from home? This doesn’t make sense to me
-Alice says when working from home in her bedroom, she was worried about showing her unmade bed and clothes on the floor. Why wouldn’t she 1. Clean up before going on Zoom and/or 2. Use one of the fake backgrounds so no one can even see her room?
-Alice is a website designer, but says she makes very little money. I thought website designers got paid pretty well (or is that just a misconception?)
- Also, Alice seems to work with her clients extremely independently. Are there not managers or supervisors that review new clients’ websites before they see them?
+When Jamie emails Alice for the first time, he said he hadn’t been in the office Friday morning, but Alice said the note she left him the day before was gone? Huh?
-There we’re basically no physical descriptions for any characters. Was this intentional?
-The main character/author uses the term “housework slut”, in a way that makes no sense.
-Alice occasionally, randomly says the word “sugar”, seemingly as a substitute for expletives, but also uses expletives. It’s weird.
-The ending is strangely abrupt. I felt like I was missing an actual ending.
Overall, this book had potential, but ended up being just okay.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!
-There is a point towards the middle where Alice orders noise-canceling headphones, but it has mentioned earlier in the story that she already had some
-Everyone who sends texts in this book signs their texts at the end with their names (or initial). Who does that?
-At the hot desks, there is a pc that both people share, but also they use laptops so they can work from home? This doesn’t make sense to me
-Alice says when working from home in her bedroom, she was worried about showing her unmade bed and clothes on the floor. Why wouldn’t she 1. Clean up before going on Zoom and/or 2. Use one of the fake backgrounds so no one can even see her room?
-Alice is a website designer, but says she makes very little money. I thought website designers got paid pretty well (or is that just a misconception?)
- Also, Alice seems to work with her clients extremely independently. Are there not managers or supervisors that review new clients’ websites before they see them?
+When Jamie emails Alice for the first time, he said he hadn’t been in the office Friday morning, but Alice said the note she left him the day before was gone? Huh?
-There we’re basically no physical descriptions for any characters. Was this intentional?
-The main character/author uses the term “housework slut”, in a way that makes no sense.
-Alice occasionally, randomly says the word “sugar”, seemingly as a substitute for expletives, but also uses expletives. It’s weird.
-The ending is strangely abrupt. I felt like I was missing an actual ending.
Overall, this book had potential, but ended up being just okay.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!
bookyplantylady's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ilhaanreads's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
jodeezle's review
2.0
This is the first book by Zara Stoneley that I have read and it might be my last. I had to force myself to finish the book. This just wasn't the book for me.
Not saying that it doesn't have its interesting moments. Once you get to the desk part it actually turns entertaining. But I couldn't get with the character letting people walk all over her for the majority of the book. I know she struggled with middle child syndrome, which I know is a real thing. But being an only child it wasn't something that I could understand.
Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Not saying that it doesn't have its interesting moments. Once you get to the desk part it actually turns entertaining. But I couldn't get with the character letting people walk all over her for the majority of the book. I know she struggled with middle child syndrome, which I know is a real thing. But being an only child it wasn't something that I could understand.
Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
michellehenriereads's review
4.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion. I've had a hard time figuring out how to star this book. There was so much I loved!
I loved the conversations! I thought the notes between Alice and Jamie were so much fun. (I even put a note on my hubby's desk because it was so cute.) I also thought Alice's friends and family developed in a wonderful way. I also liked how the relationship developed between the love interest. The lies, misunderstandings, and
The couple of things that brought it down for me was mentioning the pandemic - I was NOT ready to read about it. However, it was part of the setup for the hot desk share. I was on the fence about being in Alice's head so much, and I felt like she repeated epiphanies. I'm also never a fan of f-bombs and crude language. And this one is full of "colloquial cursing".
In the end, I left it at 4 stars because I don't think I should ding stars just because I wasn't ready to think about how the pandemic affected our world and relationships. The notes, conversations, and interactions trumped everything else for me. If you love romances (especially ones taking place in England) this is the book for you!
I loved the conversations! I thought the notes between Alice and Jamie were so much fun. (I even put a note on my hubby's desk because it was so cute.) I also thought Alice's friends and family developed in a wonderful way. I also liked how the relationship developed between the love interest. The lies, misunderstandings, and
The couple of things that brought it down for me was mentioning the pandemic - I was NOT ready to read about it. However, it was part of the setup for the hot desk share. I was on the fence about being in Alice's head so much, and I felt like she repeated epiphanies. I'm also never a fan of f-bombs and crude language. And this one is full of "colloquial cursing".
In the end, I left it at 4 stars because I don't think I should ding stars just because I wasn't ready to think about how the pandemic affected our world and relationships. The notes, conversations, and interactions trumped everything else for me. If you love romances (especially ones taking place in England) this is the book for you!
bookishlychar's review
2.0
This book seemed to me like it would be like the Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, but this book just wasn't for me. The idea of Alice and Jamie sharing desks, never seeing each other and leaving little notes for each other was cute, but it just didn't capture my attention. A lot of it felt long and drawn out and I just did not feel the passion between Alice and Jamie.
I did like the exploration this book had on the work at home portion of the pandemic, as well as the impact the pandemic had on working and living conditions for many people, especially those that are in a shared living situation. I think it did a good job of capturing many people's thoughts during the pandemic.
This book focusses on some important issues, including Alice's ex-boyfriend, David, and his need to get back together with her. I think there could have been a deeper exploration of his stalking, and a discussion of how what he was doing was actually stalking, but that didn't happen.
I did like how Alice started to explore standing up for herself to the various people in here life, and being more assertive, but at the same time she still fell into her "old ways" in some aspects of her life, like with Jamie, which made me questions if she was really as changed as she kept telling us she was.
In the end the style of writing and the book was generally not for me. A lot of unnecessary, mundane, every day life things were shared and there was just not enough to keep me captivated. I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.
I did like the exploration this book had on the work at home portion of the pandemic, as well as the impact the pandemic had on working and living conditions for many people, especially those that are in a shared living situation. I think it did a good job of capturing many people's thoughts during the pandemic.
This book focusses on some important issues, including Alice's ex-boyfriend, David, and his need to get back together with her. I think there could have been a deeper exploration of his stalking, and a discussion of how what he was doing was actually stalking, but that didn't happen.
I did like how Alice started to explore standing up for herself to the various people in here life, and being more assertive, but at the same time she still fell into her "old ways" in some aspects of her life, like with Jamie, which made me questions if she was really as changed as she kept telling us she was.
In the end the style of writing and the book was generally not for me. A lot of unnecessary, mundane, every day life things were shared and there was just not enough to keep me captivated. I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.
l_ah_c's review
3.0
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.
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.
kirstyreviewsbooks's review
4.0
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
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