I very much enjoyed this book'; I thought it was a lot of fun. The role reversal was well done and the story was light and quick. The supporting characters were likable as well and added to the story. It was a sweet rom-com which made me laugh. I did wish the technical aspects of the application development were either more detailed & accurate or omitted completely as I found the technical inconsistencies distracting but I suspect that wouldn't impact most readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Opinions are my own.

Ok rom-com, but the story fell a bit flat for me and I didn't feel connected to the characters or feel the spark between them.

It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for a good romance and the premise of The New Guy definitely pulled me in - a tipsy Sam brings a brooding stranger back to her place where they share a steamy night with no intention of ever seeing each other again but fate has other plans as, the next day, Sam meets her new employee, Ryan, aka the guy she shared her bed with the night before.

The writing was okay and gave me everything I wanted from the story except maybe a couple more steamy scenes.

But what really made me enjoy this book was Ryan. I’m not even gonna lie, I found myself liking him a lot more than Sam for the simple reason that his attitude and character were a refreshing change in the traditional guy characters in romance. His brutal honesty and doubts gave me all the reasons I needed to make him my favourite character. I did like Sam though, how strong and smart she was, I just connected with her a bit less I guess.

The story did touch to some heavy subjects so be aware of it, but it had its cute moments as well and the mix was really well balanced and done.

To conclude I can say I liked The New Guy - it was good and a fast read but I cannot lie and say it’s a new favourite now. I would still definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a different kind of romance book.

A cute contemporary romance, that is fun and easy to read. Nothing groundbreaking, but good if you need a break from some heavier reading.

I enjoyed this romance. The characters were enjoyable and I really wanted them to be together. The way the story flowed was well done. I ould recommend this book.

What would you do if your steamy one night stand turned out to be your new employee who is supposed to save your company from going under?

The opening chapters gave me major vibes of the opening scenes of episode one of Greys Anatomy.. I know you guys know what I'm talking about. Man the chemistry between Meredith and Derrick. Okay, now I need to go cry because well Derrick.

Back to this book, I loved the idea of the strictly a 'one time thing' turning into an office affair but certain things about their personalities annoyed me. Ryan grew up without the strongest support system and he still turns into a hardworking, strong man. However, he needed A LOT of reassurance. I was okay with it for the first 75% of the book but after Sam had continuously reassured him, I started getting annoyed. I mean he was still doubting himself and their relationship up until the last 10 pages. Sam's personality started to get to me as well. She was so set on not letting her employees know about her relationship but everyone knew anyway. I felt like she waited a few chapters too long to give in to their relationship.

I really liked the concept of the book and I did feel their chemistry, especially in the beginning, but overall the main characters fell a little flat for me.

Thank you Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This wasn’t the cute story I was expecting. The ingredients are there - handsome rugged, brooding male and a happy, sunshiny heroine.

However the story never really seems to get off the ground. When I eventually got to halfway through the story, it didn’t feel like anything had really progressed. I’m normally a fan of chicklit and women’s fiction but couldn’t really get into this.

The heroine seems rather insecure. And I lost count of the mention of his dark eyes and his feeling of being an outsider/not fitting in.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

Loved it.
From the well written story to the great and reliable characters . I loved how all my questions were answered by the end and how everything followed up smoothly into a heartwarming love story.
Would definitely recommend it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for letting me read this book.
I really enjoyed this one. I don't know if it's because I have a buff, brooding IT guy of my own, or because it was just my kind of read.
The plot was easy to follow, the side characters were really likeable, and overall it was just lovely getting to know the main characters Ryan and Sam.
I finished the book feeling satisfied that the pressing issues had been resolved and that love had conquered all once again.

The New Guy was a cute gender reversal on the typical boss and employee roles. The boss here is Sam, who upon coming home from her dear grandfather’s funeral, has a few drinks to celebrate his life and meets a grumpy and socially awkward man who stays with her for the night.

Surprise! That man is her new employee Ryan, who she formally meets the next morning.

From there we get some push and pull, and Sam and Ryan start to become friends of a sort. I really enjoyed seeing them get to know each other and start to develop real feelings. The chemistry was lacking a bit for me, but the rest of the relationship made up for it.

The New Guy was nothing new or ingenious, but was an enjoyable read none-the-less. A bit of editing was needed, as some point-of-view changes occurred without delineation, making it hard to sometimes know who was speaking. I’m hoping this is a moot point and gets fixed before release.

I thought this romance was a really cute, fun, and easy read. It was definitely a 4 star book! not something I am obsessing over, but was enjoyable to read. I liked the characters and the plot was fun!

What a twist to office romance! This book starts with a bang, I loved Sam and Ryan's chemistry it was so fun. Such an entertaining quick read.

The New Guy by Kathryn Freeman tells a story of what happens when your one-night stand turns into your newest employee upon whom your future success partially depends on.

I usually am a huge fan of cute British reads such as this, but this one missed the mark for me. I felt myself waiting for it to be over as I found the scene and character descriptions to be repetitive and hard to connect to. It read to me more like a rom-com, surface movie than a book and I wanted to feel more of an emotional connection between the two leads instead of the plot relying on external hardships. I tried to like this book throughout but it just didn't do it for me personally.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of The New Guy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Cute fun read. Nothing breathtaking, but a great way to spend some time. The female boss in tech seemed a bit easy, maybe, but that's not what the point of the story was anyways.

I found this book while poking around on NetGalley and the title caught my eye. The description and blurb sounded awesome...very Season One, Episode One of Grey's Anatomy when Meredith and Derrick have a one night stand and OOPS he ends up being her boss. Except gender flipped, because this is 2020, not 2005. I quickly requested it and received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

And, honestly, I'm confused by this book. I reallly, reallllly wanted to like it. But, I just...didn't.

First off, I can't figure out who the target audience is. Since it's a one night stand, they fall into bed quickly. (YAY!) Things are hot and heavy, we see the condom going on, then *turn the page* and it's the next morning. WHAT? Excuse me? For readers who want graphic sex on the page, it's a huge letdown. For readers who want more closed door romance, it's too graphic. Who are you trying to appeal to? I thought this might be a fluke, so I kept reading, but no. It happened again. Then a fade to black. Then entirely off the page. This yo-yo of the heat scale happens constantly, so yeah. I took off a star for that.

Also, this is a prime example of a book that is entirely plot driven. If you like external conflicts, you have plenty to choose from - their company's app development, a crunched timeline, the despicable ex, the retreat to Cornwall, his mother's health, and then the events and drama surrounding the launch. Every emotion that Sam and Ryan go through is in response to an external force, with only a tiny smidge of the story going to their emotional growth due to time spent together, direct and open communication between them, or thoughts about moving forward with a relationship. Top that off with Sam wanting to keep things on the DL and I constantly rolled my eyes at this story. It could've been 60% shorter if they'd just sat down and actually talked about their feelings.

As for Sam and Ryan, I wish the author had gone deeper with the characters. Becky, Lucas, and Alice were virtually unremarkable. Same with Ryan's family. At least we were given the chance and the tools to understand Ryan, but Sam needed more character development. Aside from what we know about her from Ryan - that she has a posh flat and a physical description - I'm not entirely sure what her likes, dislikes, and personality are. What was driving her, besides wanting her company to be successful? What are her likes and dislikes? Does she have hobbies?

Plot aside, the writing was okay. It's entirely telling, not showing, and a few instances of listing out every step in a day without actually letting the reader experience it (especially the Camden Market scene). They essentially go on their first date and we don't get to see it? I felt just as cheated by that as the lack of sex scenes.

And maybe it's my mood, but I never laughed out loud. The early interactions between Lucas and Ryan were cringe worthy. And, I wish the author had a better way to describe Ryan Black than "dark" - 74 times, 31 of which are specific to his "dark eyes."

In general, as the two stars indicate "it was ok." I'm glad I read it, and if workplace romance is your favorite trope, you're going to love this.

This book is about a brooding and grumpy man who falls in love with the bright and sunny CEO of the technology company he works for.
•
Pretty straight forward. But what transpires from here is a series of insecurities, doubts, and miscommunication. I loved the lead character, Sam, because she leads a company and leads it well. However, I was disappointed that she was CONSTANTLY having to manage the emotions of her love interest.
•
Having a caring and empathetic female lead character in a position of power is awesome, but having a man drag her down throughout (not to mention, a “dry sense of humor” is not an excuse to be an ass to her friends) really took away from the story.
•
I genuinely, truly think that romance lovers will LOVE this book - it just didn’t totally work for me. That is mostly because I am a brat and tend to only love happy and healthy relationships in books.

In The new guy we meet Ryan,the new guy, a day before he starts his first day at his new job, he goes to a bar where he meets a woman who he ends up to spend the night with. What he doesn't know is that she is his new boss, Sam.

Sam never wanted to get involved with someone she works with, especially since she has already done that and it ended up with her company struggling. So, when the new guy turns up to be her one night stand, she is doing her best to keep things professional and when this doesn't work, she keeps everything a secret.

Ryan is a hero who will make you swoon, he is a bit shy, when it comes to Sam he is willing to put her needs and wishes before him, even if he doesn't always agree. He is just so sweet and at time lack confidence especially about Sam.

Sam is very worried about her company and that's why she prioritizes it. She tries to control her attraction for Ryan because she is scared about a bad outcome.

The secondary characters made the story more compete and they helped to create some funny moments as well.

It is such a beautiful romantic story, I like how those two characters where portrayed and especially how they acted in certain situations, which showed how important their relationship was even if they wouldn't admitted it.

*I received an arc from and Harper Collins UK, One more chapter through Netgalley.

So, what we have: grieving Sam stops at a pub to numb her feelings after the sudden loss of granpa , meets with Ryan and WHAMBAMTHANKYOUMAAM ! One night stand! They think they will never see each other again but here we go: They couldn’t be so wrong. She finds out her own company hired a new software developer. And he’s… yes BINGO! He’s Ryan! So here’s our dilemma!

I was expecting some hot chemistry in work place kind of book. Yes, there is chemistry. There are different personalities. Our brooding bar guy has a real rough past, chip on his shoulder, terrible childhood. He hides himself behind his emotional barricades and Sam is so determined to destroy those walls by swinging her axe.
So far office romance+ chemistry+ different personalities+ ex- douchebag appearance formula always works for me. But I didn’t like heroine so much. We learn so much about the hero’s struggles but there are so much attributes that help to connect with her or like her a little. And ending parts, unnecessary angsty repeating made me want to throw the book against the wall and scream at the characters to get a grip and pull themselves together.

I still like stories full of clichés because you know what you get when you start reading them. But sometimes edgy, angsty, way too much drama ruin your motivation and your dedication to the couple.
So this is another Switzerland read for me. I enjoyed some parts and I got bored at some parts. Overall it is solid three stars. Some parts got my attraction but at the end I just a little bit lost my full interest. At least it was soft, easy reading among with the angsty parts. If you want to take a break from mind numbing thrillers or heavy dramas, it could be a great choice for you.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for sharing this ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.

Could not finish! I had suchhhhh high exceptions due to the cover and description. Who doesn't like an accidentally meeting that turns intimate with the new guy at your job? Oh and did I mention the new guy is Sam Huxton's employee?!? Started out strong with a funny and slightly awkward meet-cute at a bar but slowly the personality of Sam comes to a screeching halt. And the new guy, Ryan, becomes a prick with a chip the size of Africa on his shoulder. The main characters needed a reality check, which made it difficult to read without being annoyed. Might be someone else's cuppa though.

Sam is a CEO and has had a tough time recently, all topped off by the death of her grandfather. Ryan has his own problems. Both of them are drowning their sorrows at a bar and end up having a one night stand and therefore, not exchanging names or intending to see each other again... until Ryan turns up for his new job the next day, at Sam’s company!

As soon as I read the synopsis, I wanted to read this book and thought it would be right up my street. Overall, it was an easy, predictable 3 star read. I liked the characters but was frustrated by their lack of communication and I didn’t feel like there were dramatic highs and lows of the story to keep me hooked. Bonus points for side character, Lucas, I really liked him!