Hi Lil’ Shadows!
Can you believe that April is almost over? A quarter of the year is nearly over. I feel like I have done nothing worth wild but then again, I’ve been working overtime recently to feed those snappy bills. I swear, they’re little monsters that start screaming ‘money, money, money”, when it’s payday. Can you imagine? Coming home and seeing all your bills jumping around like puppies yapping about? Nightmare fuel, that is what that is.
Anyway, to celebrate the end of April, I want you, my Lil’ Shadows, to come join me in reviewing The Deskmate Dilemma by Waverly O’Brian.
Wanted to learn more about Waverly O’Brian? Go here! Waverly O’Brian Spotlight
I’ll admit, I was excited to receive a copy of this book. Workplace romance? Friends to lovers? Overcoming struggles to take that one last step? Yes please. I just never expected it to hit as hard as it did when I started reading it.
I’m not going to lie, Lil’ Shadows, it took me a week and a half to get through the first three chapters. Not because it’s bad but because it hit hard. The writing style is beautiful. I felt like I was right there, in that office watching the struggles of both Ryan and Katie. I was rooting for them to get past that miscommunication, to finally sit down and just talk, scream, cry before finding their happiness but the first two chapters …
It brought me back to my first few jobs and the difficulties I suffered. The sexual harashment, workplace harashment, and the feeling of your potential being not enough. I’ll admit, I have a bit of PTSD and this triggered me. I was thrown back to that dark time and I just couldn’t. But, I promise to read this book and give an honest review and i will so please bear with me, Lil’ Shadows.
Love was never on their to-do list,
but it’s the one deadline they can’t ignore.
Katie and Ryan have always been the dream team. Sharing everything from office desks to inside jokes, they survive the monotony of corporate life with witty banter, office DM’s, and their weekly post-work pub nights. They’ve mastered the art of making the 9-to-5 grind bearable, until Katie’s world is flipped upside down.
With her life suddenly in chaos, Katie finds herself questioning everything, including her perfectly platonic friendship with Ryan. As unexpected feelings begin to surface, the lines between colleagues, friends, and something more start to blur. Is she imagining the lingering looks and charged moments, or has Ryan been hiding feelings of his own?
Told through both Katie and Ryan’s perspectives, The Deskmate Dilemma is a charming story of office antics, workplace tensions, and the tender journey from friends to lovers. As they confront their deepest fears and desires, they’ll have to decide if love is worth risking everything, even the job and friendship that have kept them steady for so long.
In this modern romance, classic tropes like friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, and workplace romance take center stage, creating a heartwarming tale about taking risks when love is on the line. Perfect for fans of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne and The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, The Deskmate Dilemma brings humor, office shenanigans, and heart-fluttering romance together in a story that will make you believe in love where you least expect it.
If you enjoy contemporary romance filled with slow-burn tension, laugh-out-loud moments, and relatable characters who walk the fine line between friendship and something more, this novel is for you!
As noted from above, The Deskmate Dilemma by Waverly O’Brain is a contemporary romance containing the troupes of:
- Friends to Lovers,
- Forced Proximity,
- Contempoary Romance (of course),
- Workplace Romance,
- Slow Burn Romance,
- Dual Pov Romance, and
- He Falls First.
Let’s take a deeper look, shall we?
Friends to Lovers: Katie and Ryan have been both coworkers and friends for seven years, ever since they were first interns. As you read throughout the book, you can see and practically feel the romantic tension between the two. That fine line between close friends and just something else, something more. Ryan knows what he feels, what he wants but he’s frightened to take that last step while Katie is unsure about her feelings. She knows she feels comfortable with Ryan, looks forward to their chats and weekly drinks on Fridays but she is unsure what exactly their relationship is and could be.
Forced Promixity: This should be obvious. Both Ryan and Katie work at the same company. They’re deskmates and until recently, they practically shared everything with each other. They even have a secret code! How cute is that so it wasn’t a surprise that their feelings grew even deeper as time passed. Through, this proximity ends up being a double ended sword when the conflict begans.
Contemporary Romance: In case you don’t know, contemporary romance is a type of romance that is set in the ‘morden’ day era. This can involve settings, certain troupes (enemies to lovers, friends to love, and the classic grumpy/sunshine), as well how realistic these events can be to the reader. Case in point, workplace harassment. (I really wish they had this warning listed.)
Workplace Romance: They’re coworkers, they work in the same company, in the same department even though their responsibilities are different. They’re main interactions occur when they are at work so yup, this fits. On the other hand, what exactly is their company about? Waverly doesn’t go into exact detail about the company, just enough to give you an idea.
Slow Burn Romance: Yes, this is absolutely a slow burn. Seven years of slow and had to hurry up due to certain events. Honestly, it was worth it.
Duel Pov Romance: I adore this. Waverly gave us the chance to read the perspectives of both Ryan and Katie. We get to see how both experience their feelings and their thought process as time goes on. The struggles they face with themselves and that slow satisfaction when they finally decide to find their happiness. I just wished Waverly gave us a bit more chapters from Ryan’s perspective near the end. I would love to read about his happiness when both he and Katie got together.
He Falls First: Yes, yes, yes. Ryan absolutely falls first and he falls hard. Nearly everything he does is to protect Katie and provide her support within their workplace. It was also this protection and his love that made him make a fatel mistake that nearly ruined their relationship. He hesitated. His hesitation made him question everything and forget who Katie was. Thankfully, he pulled his big boy pants on and made things right in the end.
The Deskmate Dilemma is an amazing book to read. The narrative was written very well and I felt like I was right there with Ryan and Katie. I wanted to shake Ryan and tell him to stop overthinking. I wanted to comfort Katie and encourage her to take the path she wants to take, not the one she expects to live. I want to tell them both that it’s okay to be scared and yes, it is tough and scary but sometimes, you just need to take that last step to your happiness. I will admit that the ending seemed a bit rushed but honestly, I enjoyed reading this book. So, thank you Waverly O’Brian for this amazing story.
Another thing, Waverly O’Brain thoughtfully added several discussion questions for her readers to answer so let’s go!
- Have you ever had a boss that made work extra stressful? Someone you just didn’t respect or get along with? How did that impact your work and your overall job satisfaction?
Yes to all three. Just replaced my boss with a supervisor who, in my bad judgement, was my ex. Yeah, not fun and I practically submitted my two week notice after nearly killing myself with overwork, harassment and being yelled at for not doing my job when I was doing exactly what they told me to do. This was my first job btw.
- Throughout the novel, Ryan struggles with voicing his feelings when they matter. Do you ever find yourself holding back about the big things?
Yes, mostly because I got burned by the very people I told these things.
- Katie assumes her parents find pride in her corporate job. Have you ever felt like you needed to choose a career path based on other people’s perceptions of you or societal ideals? How did that impact the career trajectory?
Yes, I’m the first child in my family who went to university and had great expectations set upon. They originally wanted me to go into the medical field but I declined due to it not being my passion. Thank goodness I was firm in that decision because I am a complete mess right now. I did work in an office that dealed with the creation of medical equpiment but my team was not supportive. Being yelled at for trying to transfer a call to the correct management turns out to be a big no go. For reference, I had no information about the topic in question and was still learning the ropes …
- Why do you think Katie and Ryan took so long to become more than friends?
They were scared of how their relationship could become if neither of them felt the same way. They had a comfortable relationship as good friends and there were miscommunications on both parts that created misunderstandings between them.
- Do you think Ryan will hold back on other big things now that Katie and him are together, or did he learn his lesson?
I believe Ryan learned his lesson. He almost lost Katie due to his hesitation and I doubt he would get a second chance if he betrays her trust.
- Ryan and Katie both struggle with finding and maintaining friendships. Do you ever struggle to stay in contact with people? How has friendship changed from childhood to adulthood?
Yes. I’m a bit anti-social and have difficulty with connecting to people on a deeper level. I don’t reach out to people or my friends. In fact, I keep in touch with two of my high school friends but that’s rarely.
- If you were Ryan, when would you have told Katie about the job promotion?
To tell the truth, I don’t know. I want to say yes, especially if it’s something big like a promotion or me moving to a different office building. Granted, this has to be to someone I have a close relationship with.
- Katie is stifled by the lack of creativity in her job, but Ryan thrives on the structure. Do you relate to one of them more? Why?
I would say I would relate to Ryan the most. This is mostly because I’m more comfortable with routine. If this was years ago, when I was younger, I would reply I related more to Katie but life changes people and I need something stable to control my life which feels like it’s spinning out of control.
- Do you think Harold would act any differently at a new job? Do you think Phil acted differently once Harold got fired?
If Harold truly wants to change and actually follows his therapist’s advice, he can act differently at a new job but only if he is willing to acknowledge and reflect his previous actions. In regards to Phil, I can’t say. Perhaps but I get the sense it’ll be a struggle for Phil to adjust. Maybe he’ll be aware of his words and actions going forward after witnessing Harold’s dismissal.
- A good work environment can be built in many ways. What’s more appealing to you; a high salary with coworkers you don’t get along with, or a low salary with people you genuinely like being around?
I find that even though I will complain about the lack of money, I would take a low salary with people I genuinely like being around with. I’ve already worked with coworkers that I could not for the life of me get along with. I ended up dreading going to work and finding excuses to leave early. No matter the pay.
Anyway, that’s it for this review Lil’ Shadows, tell next time. Safe Travels.
Also, Thank you Wicked Ink Publishing for the this early access of The Deskmate Dilemma.