Hot Desk: A Novel

by Laura Dickerman

Younger meets Writers and Lovers in this rollicking, sparkling, and funny novel that spans decades and generations of a family in the publishing industry.

In the post-pandemic publishing industry, two rival editors are forced to share a “hot desk” on different days of the week, much to their chagrin. Having never set eyes on each other, Rebecca Blume and Ben Heath begin leaving passive-aggressive Post-it notes on the pot of their shared cactus. But when revered literary legend Edward David Adams (known as “the Lion”) dies, leaving his estate up for grabs, their banter escalates as both work feverishly to land this career-making opportunity. Their fierce rivalry ultimately forces each to decide how far they’ll go to get ahead, what role they want to play in the Lion’s legacy, and what they mean to each other.

As their battle for the estate gets more heated, Rebecca learns of a connection between her mother, Jane, and the Lion. The story travels back four decades earlier to when Jane arrives in Manhattan and meets Rose, soon her best friend. Jane and Rose are two strong, talented young women trying to make their mark in the publishing world at a time when art, the written word, and creative expression were at their height. But one fateful day during the April blizzard of 1982 will change the course of Jane’s life, and of their friendship, forever...

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Books About Books, Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2025

Reviews

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be!

I will admit it took a bit of resolve to continue reading but I’m so thrilled I did. I wasn’t sure where this was going in the first third of the story, but it picked up brilliantly! I couldn’t put it down after that.

All the characters are interesting with ‘snarkiness’ I love. Rebecca and Ben work for different publishers sharing an office space which forces them to share a desk on alternate days. They both begin pursuing a famous author’s estate of published and unpublished work, after his death.

As they try to win the client, Rose the author’s widow, they begin to uncover secrets. Rebecca discovers her mother, Jane worked at the famed author’s offices as an intern in the early 80’s. Turns out Rose and Jane were best friends until an episode with author changes everything.

Now, forty years later they finally discuss what separated them years ago. The best is yet to come!

Thanks Edelweiss and Gallery Books.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book couldn’t decide what it wanted to be: romance? historical fiction? insider publishing drama? Instead, it ended up being a jumble of all three…without the fun of any of them. The “humor” never landed, the behind the scenes publishing peek was snoozy, and the main characters don’t even meet until the last act. By then, I’d already checked out. Big premise, flat follow through. ⭐️⭐️⭐️(and that’s me being nice)

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much lighter on the romance than I was hoping for and I didn't laugh at all. Perhaps the humor just wasn't my style.

It does pick up towards the end but for me the pay off wasn't quite worth the journey.

Definitely more litfic with a small romantic subplot.


3⭐️| IG | TikTok |

Thank you Gallery Books for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I *think* there's a good plot buried in here somewhere, but 'Hot Desk' would benefit from Coco Chanel's classic advice: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.”

Because there are three POVs, there are 3x too many of everything: side-characters (quirky grandmas, aspiring chef besties, fake British memoirists, anarchist little sisters, rescue dogs, spoiled rich kids, sassy bar owners, vegan HR reps), literary devices (Instagram comments, text messages, intranet posts, post-its), and side-plots (pop-up dinners, author pivoting to sci-fi, linked short stories from a tech exec, the entire premise of hot-desking) - even the MC romance is just a side-plot.

Ironically, for a book about editors, it could have used a stronger editor.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started this as a Kindle library checkout and was not vibing so I quickly gave it to the next person in line and put myself on the waiting list for the audio version instead thinking it might work better for me. Reader: It did not.

I had a real Frank Costanza reaction here . . .



But I’m going to attempt to keep it real brief since I’m constantly 100 reviews behind.

1. This was CLEARLY originally marketed as being something along the lines of The Hating Game with the two leads timesharing a “hot desk” on their respective in-office days. The have zero interaction until the third act aside from arguing via post-it about a cactus so obviously the last minute hook up featured no chemistry and was totally unnecessary.

2. Speaking of unnecessary. Was Ben’s character necessary whatsoever? I’ve already said a romance this was not and I think I would have enjoyed it more had it simply been Rebecca, her mother and Rose dealing with the unpublished manuscript.

3. Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, if Ben/the romance had popped off the way one would expect, Jane’s narration could have been left on the cutting room floor and that info simply been disclosed when she and Rose met with Rebecca (which it was so thanks for wasting my time telling me the same thing twice).

Bottom line is this book didn’t know what it wanted to be so instead of an editor taking a red pen full of ink to it, nothing seemed to have been cut at all. I actually stopped listening to this at two different points and listened to other audio checkouts instead so that probably says everything that needs to be said.

[Angie Miale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Friends, this one was not for me. I loved the idea of two co-workers sharing a desk and not knowing each other. Enemies to lovers. I also appreciate the Manhattan setting and a contemporary format and the publishing industry.

But when they don’t even meet face to face until page 237 and don’t connect it reads more like a contemporary fiction novel about working in an office. I think it is cute when full text threads are written out and we can read teams messages. So it ended up being a bit short on characterization for me. Again, a great idea, but I didn’t feel like it pulled off the execution.

If you like a slower burn you may like this one!

Thanks to gallery books for the free ARC.

[Lucy Seward · Rating 5 out of 5]

couldn’t put it down!! such a comforting, sweet world of vivid, hilarious characters and delicious drama — had me constantly laughing aloud, and pricked tears… i never wanted it to end!
especially drawn to the beautifully rendered decadence and thrill of 80s nyc literary world, and the equally beautiful heart of this book, so to speak, which i understood as the friendship between rose and jane - so heartbreaking, so moving, so sweet.
also, deeply enjoyed my particular positionally of referential fluency …….. fitting to have finished this on mother’s day of all days ;) ❤️

[Maren’s Reads]

DNF @ 25% - I am completely unsure why I did not vibe with this book. I absolutely love the books/shows it has been comped to and the synopsis sounded right up my alley. However, I think the very slow burn nature of this book, along with an inability to connect to the characters, kept me from being able to enjoy this one. I am most likely an outlier on this, so if it's been on your radar, I highly recommend giving it a try for yourself.

Thank you to Gallery Books for the advanced copy.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. “Hot Desk” is a multi-generational, dual timeline set in NYC; in 1982 {Jane, Rebecca’s mom} + 2022 post-covid {Rebecca} about women in the publishing world, no easy feat especially back in the day. The book mainly centers on workplace drama with elements of sexism, secrets, friendship, rivalry, romance, and also the anticipation of not knowing what direction the story would go, love that.
Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and I thought Rebecca and Ben’s rivalry was a hoot. And the moving story between Jane + Rose.. and of publishing in 1980s NYC, so interesting.
I can’t wait to see what Laura Dickerman writes next. Great debut - well done, LD! — Pub. 9/2/25

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing backstory + a tense present timeline makes for a great read. I loved our characters here! I was invested in their journeys from the start. Overall I think it’s a great read that I would recommend for fans of womens fiction.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

YUUUPPP

Obwohl es am Anfang echt etwas schwer war reinzukommen, hatte ich eine tolle Zeit und war dann hooked! Super setting, ein easy, catchy, entertaining read; manche Stellen fand ich schon extrem funny muss ich sagen 😭 I mean giiiiiggling and having to step away from the book to take a lap 😭
Und trotz der manchmal schwierigen/bedrückenden (wichtigen) Thematiken insgesamt comforting und leicht?
Aber: Hätte sehr gerne mehr vom romance plot und Ben und Rebecca als Charakteren gesehen, da war echt missed potential (grieved the moment it switched away from Ben’s POV and I already miss him)
Das Buch hätte für mehr Tiefe auch 50% weniger side characters und plots vertragen können

also Jane and Rose are lovers prove me wrong

4,25/5?

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Rachel Dickerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

smiled the entire time i was reading this!! especially loved the 80s timeline. excellent investigation of legacy in art and who gets to tell which stories while also being the most charming rom com

[sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was invested enough to finish it but i have so many questions

[Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Rebecca and Ben are editors working for competing publishers, and are forced to share a “hot desk” on different days of the week, much to their loathing of the situation and each other. They’re both looking for their big break, when a legendary author (“The Lion”) passes away leaving behind an unpublished manuscript. Surprisingly, Rebecca is personally selected by the author’s widow to possibly be the editor, due to an unexpected connection between the widow and Rebecca’s mother. But Ben isn’t going down without a fight. Spanning decades, secrets come out that may impact the way they each see each other, and The Lion’s legacy.

Let me start by saying that I genuinely liked this book, though just to set expectations, there’s honestly not a ton of romance in it. I suppose it’s a bit of an #EnemiesToLovers or even #SlowBurn vibe, but Rebecca and Ben don’t even meet IRL until much later in the book. Their rivalry was fun, and the romance aspect was good, but I was far more invested in the secondary storyline of Rebecca and her mother. I think I would’ve liked the book just as much even if it didn’t contain an aspect of romance, as Ben is a bit of an afterthought and doesn’t necessarily contribute to pushing the story forward. That said, there’s a lot of wit and a whole lotta richly layered story to keep me interested and reading more. If you’re just as into #LitFic as you are #Romance, you’ll enjoy this book!

Reviewed as part of #ARC; many thanks to GalleryBooks for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Read this book if you like:
💚 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
📚 reading books about books, and their editors!
🕰️ dual timelines and/or historical depth

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[~Shawna the crazy coffee reader~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book works best when it leans into its strengths: the snarky, slow burn chemistry between Rebecca and Ben and a look at the publishing world. There’s a lot of charm in the way their rivalry plays out through passive aggressive notes.

I liked the dual timeline. The 1980s storyline, focused on Rebecca’s mother Jane and her friend Rose, adds unexpected emotional depth. It’s not just there to fill in backstory it complicates the present in meaningful ways, especially once Rebecca begins uncovering how her mother’s literary past intersects with her own ambitions. That said, I did wish Rebecca’s emotional development had been a little more grounded. At times, she felt more like a vessel for witty observations than a fully fleshed out character.

I also found myself a bit underwhelmed by the way the pandemic backdrop was handled. It’s there as a plot device but it doesn’t really go deeper. That may be intentional aa this isn’t a book trying to explore grief or post COVID trauma. Still, the stakes felt lower than I expected, which made some of the emotional beats fall a bit flat for me.

I appreciated that it didn’t take itself too seriously, but I also wouldn’t have minded just a little more edge or introspection, especially given the questions it raises about who gets to control a literary legacy.

Overall it was enjoyable with moments of heart, even if some of the character arcs felt a bit surface level. I wouldn’t call it groundbreaking, but it’s a solid comfort read with smart banter with a touch of nostalgia,. Worth picking up if you enjoy workplace rivalries with a side of intergenerational drama.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

A book set in the world of books is always a winner for me, and Hot Desk delivers a fun, layered story that unfolds in the heart of the publishing industry.

In a post-pandemic workplace, rival editors Rebecca Blume and Ben Heath are forced to hot desk (flexi desk, desk share etc.) working on opposite days and communicating through passive aggressive Post It notes. But when literary legend Edward David Adams ("the Lion") dies, leaving his estate up for grabs, their rivalry intensifies as they compete for the chance to edit his unpublished works.

While the book starts out a bit slow, I found myself fully invested by the halfway point. There’s a lot going on — multiple points of view, multiple timelines and a cast of characters and storylines — but at the heart of it all is a compelling narrative.

I really enjoyed Ben and Rebecca’s dynamic (but I would say the romance is lighter than I hoped) and I found the 1980s storyline following Rebecca’s mother, Jane, and her best friend Rose in their early publishing careers particularly engaging.

If you enjoy workplace dramas, glimpses into the world of writing and publishing and stories that span generations, Hot Desk is for you!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the eARC.

[Kristin B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was nothing like I expected and I loved. I expected a little fun office romance romcom and this was so much more than that. Alternating timelines between a mother and daughter different stories years apart in the publishing industry are the main plot line here - but the 5% enemies to lovers (you know it’s my fav!) was 💯, and Ben Heath is definitely swoonworthy.

[Vada · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

The story was too Evelyn Hugo/Great Big Beautiful Life for my liking.

[Robyn Goldberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I didn’t personally connect with the main female character, I did find the main male lead quite enjoyable. Overall, this book just wasn’t the right fit for me. Rebecca, the protagonist, came across as arrogant and unkind throughout the story, and I struggled to understand the reasoning behind her behavior. I would have appreciated more insight into her background or motivations to help make her character feel more developed and nuanced.

That said, the writing itself was strong, with a smooth and engaging flow. Ben, the male lead, was a standout—charming, kind, and the quintessential boy next door. I also felt there were several subplots with great potential that could have been explored further.

For readers who enjoy contemporary romance with a slow-burn dynamic, this may be a great fit. It simply wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the complimentary copy.

[Frannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picks up halfway thru!! Normally not a fan of publishing - related books but really enjoyed the flashback scenes :)

[Dana K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Gallery Books for the gifted copy. All opinions below are my own.

This is about two rival editors who happen to share a desk in a post-pandemic scheme. They're both bidding for the same project.

This one didn't measure up for me. Not enough romance. Not super compelled by the sub-plot of the story they are fighting for and then against. Just never found myself engaged by the characters. Rose and Jane were better for me than Rebecca and Ben. Would have preferred that story only.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and amusing read, filled with witty repartee. Despite the light hearted premise, there are layers to this... interrogating old favorites and seeing the difference between facts and truth. This would be an excellent book group book as well as a palate cleansing vacation read.

I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! Picked it up totally on a whim, and the concept was intriguing—two rival editors forced to share a desk and facing off for the chance to publish with the estate of a recently deceased literary giant? When I phrase it like this I actually find it ironic that I enjoyed this one, as people who know me in real life will certainly know haha.

But really I thought the writing was sharp. I found it funny, even though it wasn't laugh-out-loud funny, if that makes sense. The parts about publishing felt all pretty correct, at least to me, except for the amount of free food lying around (which, well, maybe they got that right, but it sounds more organized in the book than it really is!). I liked the three shifting perspectives and how they braided together to get us to that satisfying conclusion. Absolutely adored the epilogue (the cactus!), and all the text messages, threads, and other multimedia bits and bobs littered throughout the text.

I do wish the romance storyline had been tweaked a bit. I felt like as it stood, it was trying to overcorrect since Rebecca and Ben don't actually interact on page together until later in the novel. I also felt like what happened to Drew was a bit glossed over, and would have liked to see some more resolution with that. But honestly it was very close to five stars, I ate this up!

[Debra Shaughnessy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hot Desk is a witty exploration of legacy, power, and the stories we inherit and choose to tell. Laura Dickerman uses the microcosm of a post-pandemic publishing office to interrogate larger questions about who gets to shape cultural memory, how trauma and ambition are passed down, and what it means to find one's voice in a world built by others. The novel's dual timelines allow for a nuanced examination of generational change: the struggles of Jane and Rose in the 1980s echo in Rebecca's present, but the younger characters are able to name, confront, and ultimately transform the injustices their mothers endured. The book's lessons are clear: legacy is not destiny, silence is not safety, and the most powerful stories are those that refuse to be caged.

[Angela DeMott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe closer to a 4.5 for a cheesy ending and a slightly underbaked enemies to lovers trope but I still wholeheartedly enjoyed this romp through the 1980s NYC publishing world. Yes, there is so much going on in this book, but I loved everything that was going on, so I can’t say any of it should have been cut. Overall, I found this to be a funny, silly love story to reading, writing, and the occasional hot coworker.

And the audiobook was fabulous! I loved all three narrators and thought they really embodied these characters and their millennial indignation.

[Makenna Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was like fine except if you’re going to market yourself as a romance dont sell yourself short and have the main characters meet once and then its love at first sight! boring! this was pretty choppy and i never really felt like i was in the story it all felt like exposition for the book that i wish i was reading, the memoir that they write in this book. also i dont think i liked a single character unfortunately. sorry are you guys mad that i didnt like this book i had to read for my marketing in publishing class?

[Syd ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
It was okay, but this really felt more like two books crammed into one?? I wish it had been split into two as I think it would have allowed the author to explore the more complex themes / questions brought up in the book in a deeper way. The romance between two of the main characters had potential but felt extremely rushed and seemed more like an afterthought which turned Ben from this vaguely annoying but somewhat likeable & understandable character into a buffoon. I loved Howie so much though.

[kaitlyns_library · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but Ben was insufferable and he really let me down.

[Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot Desk is billed as a workplace rivals rom-com, for fans of You’ve Got Mail. The thing is, as I read it, the “romance” is kind of secondary. Hot Desk is actually a mystery for the MeToo era, and it’s surprisingly intriguing.

My full review of Hot Desk is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.