Published by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter
Publication Date: 31st August 2021
Genre: Romance
My thanks to the publisher who allowed me an advance copy of this book via NetGalley in return for my honest review.
Book Description:
Same desk, different days. A post-it note is just the beginning…
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?
With no option but to try it and see, will their relationship turn into open warfare or will it ever progress beyond a post-it note?
My Thoughts:
What a fab book, so relatable for many who find themselves in exactly the same situation as the main characters Alice & Jamie, working from home due to the covid pandemic then just as they think some semblance of normality is coming back - Bang! Hotdesking!
I love Alice's character, all she wants is a little piece of the world to call her own after sharing with a big family. Even her 'own' room in the house she shares is invaded by her annoying sister who has zero boundaries in knowing what is acceptable and what is well and truly over the line. So when her 'own' desk at the office is lost to the Dragon Lady's concept to save money and space - hotdesking- and she finds herself drawing the short straw having to share with cocky office heart throb Jamie, her little safe haven feels lost.
The first half of this book did come to feel a little repetitive with Alice going over and over the issues she has with Jamie, her sister, her obnoxious boyfriend who wouldn't go away, yada yada yada. Then all of a sudden the book comes to life. Is Jamie really the extroverted office clown she thinks he is? Can she actually start setting boundaries and getting people to respect them? The humble Post-It note plays a fabulous part in this book in a similar vein as in The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary but to a lesser extent.
My worry for this book is that it will lose a lot of readers with being too longwinded before the action kicks in. Alice can be quite annoying with her inner monologues and does harp on quite a lot about needing her own space. The second half is SO good that it seems a shame that many won't get to enjoy it as they will have abandoned the book way before they reach it.
So in conclusion: a book of two halves. Please persevere with the start, you will be rewarded!
About the Author:
USA Today bestselling author Zara Stoneley was born in a small village in the UK. She wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up.
After many (many) years, and many different jobs, her dream of writing a bestseller came true, and more than half a million copies of her books have now been sold worldwide.
She writes about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hopes that her tales make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say 'ahhh'.
Zara now lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a lively cockapoo, a cocker spaniel puppy and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat. Her bestselling novels include 'Bridesmaids', 'No One Cancels Christmas', 'The Wedding Date', 'The Holiday Swap', 'Summer with the Country Village Vet', 'Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage' and the popular Tippermere series - 'Stable Mates', 'Country Affairs' and 'Country Rivals'.
Website: http://www.zarastoneley.com
Twitter: @ZaraStoneley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley
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