Prepare yourself for a swoon worthy Brit Romance that will melt your heart.

Sam Huxton is having a bad day. She usually has her life together, but her beloved Grumps (grandfather) just passed and she needs a distraction.

She’s sitting in a pub drinking away her sorrows when she spots a ridiculously hot yet absurdly grumpy guy. He’s the brooding type, with a crooked nose, scruffy beard and bad-boy leather jacket.

Despite their very different personalities they just have chemistry, so they agree to a one night stand, with just one rule – no names, no numbers, just some much needed fun…

Until the same guy walks into Sam’s life the next day as her new employee. Yikes.
Very Grey’s Anatomy vibes, btw. So yeah, Sam is the owner of a tech company, a few years back she developed an app that helps people track which companies have their data online, and where they are being used.

The app was a success, but Sam started the business with her obnoxious ex. And once she found out he was cheating on her and broke up with him, he took the app idea and now is working on a better and stronger competitor version.

Desperately needing to launch a version 2 of the app to soothe investors, Sam needs the best programmer out there. And he was hired by Sam’s friend…. And he just happens to be Brooding Bar Guy.

Sam never mixes business with pleasure and makes it clear an office fling with Ryan is off-limits. But after-hours…one thing can lead to another. Can Sam trust her heart and her business with the new guy?

I loved their story. Sunshine Sam and Brooding Ryan are as opposite as they come, and this book is a beautiful example of how opposites can attract. I honestly disliked Ryan very much in the beginning of the book, but when he starts opening up it is impossible not to fall heads over heels for him.

I wish perhaps that we would have gotten a little bit more about their relationship at the end, perhaps an epilogue. But I really enjoyed their story. Funny, smart and super sweet.

I received a free E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is about a woman, Sam Huxton, who is a CEO of a tech company. After being betrayed by her long time business partner and lover, Sam is not ready for any serious relationships, but either is she a one night stand kind of woman until one night she talks to a hot guy at a bar. They both decide one night is all they will share – no names, no numbers, just some much needed fun… The next day, Sam's day takes a turn when her one night stand guy walks into her company as her new employee. Still reeling from her last relationship, Sam had decided never again to mix business with pleasure and makes it clear to Ryan that an office fling is off-limits. But after-hours…one thing can lead to another. Can Sam trust her heart and her business with the new guy?
OMG! I can't get over how much I loved this book. The premise of this book is very unique due to the fact the power dynamics of the relationship, the boss is a woman and the employee is a man, is reversed from the usually office romance books one reads. I thought the story moved at a great pace, although I felt a little on a repeat cycle as I kept reading Ryan's thoughts about their relationship. The use of language was well done. I enjoyed reading about the insecurities Ryan had about the relationship throughout the book. They were very real concerns and it was refreshing to see them from a male perspective. I liked their chemistry and the growth both Sam and Ryan went through in both their professional and personal lives. I could relate to Sam's reasons for not wanting a public relationship especially as she was a CEO. I thought the story moved at a great pace, although I felt a little on a repeat cycle as I kept reading Ryan's thoughts about their relationship. I loved the other characters in the book especially Lucus and Becky. Lucus and Ryan's relationship was laugh out loud funny at times. I enjoyed the theme of loyalty and love the author conveyed throughout the different relationships between the characters. The ending was well wrapped up without leaving anything unfinished. Overall, I would love to recommend this book to those who are a fan of office romances! I can't wait to read more by this author!

2 stars
I liked the cover. I liked the premise. The book was a miss for me. The writing wasn't for me.

The New Guy by Kathryn Freeman really snuck up on me. It’s a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read from me.

Sam picks up Ryan in a bar after her grandfather’s funeral, fully expecting a one night stand. But when he turns up the next day as the new software developer at the tech company where she’s the CEO, it throws them both for a loop. He’s the new programming whiz hired to take her company’s app to the next level, but the more Sam gets to know him she realizes there’s a lot of depth underneath his brooding and quiet exterior.

I enjoyed how the author treated a relationship in which the woman has more money and professional success than the man. The story goes back and forth between both Ryan and Sam’s perspectives which is my favorite literary setup. I expected this to follow the usual office relationship tropes, but these characters were really well developed. I also loved Lucas - everyone needs a work bestie who makes you laugh!

Thanks to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Poignant, and engaging - theres so much more to this book that initially meets the eye. I’d picked it up in the hope/expectation that it would be a light, easy read as a counterweight to the frenetic pace of life at the moment. It was an easy read in that the writer’s style and fluidity made reading effortless... but the themes and undercurrents were much deeper. Take one successful yet fragile woman and one tech superstar who has no sense of his worth - mix them with a couple of raucous characters such as the blue-haired marketing expert and the camp colleague- and you have an intertwined relationship with some hilarious observations and interactions.
Thoroughly enjoyable with some touching moments. 4* a great read.

What a sweet sweet romance and story. Books like these are the reason girls like me love book boyfriends so much. But this one had a touch more of reality, a touch more of story, and not just romance and that is why I liked it so much.

I would definitely recommend this book! It’s contemporary, it’s chick lit, it’s romance. It felt like a fusion of Christina Lauren and Sophie Kinsella.

All that being said, one thing this book made me think about is this trope of the girl taking care of the emotionally struggling guy... but what about when the roles are reversed? What about when it’s the girl that’s had the rough past? Who takes care of her? More importantly, who understands her? Maybe I just haven’t dated the right guy yet or read the right book but the story is always the girl taking care of and emotionally supporting the guy... I’d like to see more stories of guys genuinely supporting the emotional girl. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the bit where Ryan reminded Sam of the strong, smart, woman she is. I also liked how her inexperience in the dating/serious relationship world was addressed with such ease.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Sam is grieving for her granda who recently passed away. On her way back from the funeral she stops at a pub to drink her grief away and meets Ryan. They have a one night stand. The next morning when Sam goes to work at the company she founded she finds out that Ryan is the new guy that had been hired as a software developer. Despite Ryan being a sour puss most of the time they fall in love and Sam is able to pierce his tough-guy armor. I grew to like Ryan too by the end of the book. Sam was just ok for me, I wish we got to know her a bit more, but aside from her company and her annoying ex-boyfriend, there was not much that was interesting about her.

This was an enjoyable and light read until I got to the last %20 of the book. Then, it was disjointed and felt like the author struggled with how to finish it. It made me a bit disappointed and frustrated.

I really enjoyed this new to me author. Sam & Ryan’s story seems really simple on the surface but it’s the complex backstories of both characters that give the story a genuine richness. Ryan is so gruff & at times grumpy but he also has a kindness to him that I loved. Sam is just the kind of female lead I love in my romance reads, Definitely recommend

I really love the sound of this book and was really looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, however, due to formatting irradiation, I am unable to read and review the advanced copy of this book. My rating is based solely on the blurb.

Thank you NetGalley for this gem of a book!
The New Guy was an absolute delight. It was fun, flirty, and real.
Sam is a brilliant CEO of a company she built from the ground up. She’s been hurt and burned before and it’s put a bad taste in her mouth for men.
Ryan is an introverted computer whiz with a chip on his shoulder(or so it seems) and a complicated family life.
The night they meet, they’re both in a little need of spirit lifting, so they do something neither of them has done before and head back to her place and have a bit of fun.
The problem comes in the next morning when Ryan is the new tech guy starting at Sam’s business.
The book is full of flirting, complicated feelings, betrayal, heartbreak, sickness, seeing people for who they really are, and new beginnings. It was a page turner and a perfectly romantic read. All the steamy parts were so tasteful and the author gave just the right amount of detail.
Both of the main characters were so lovable and you can’t help for root for them from the very beginning. The only thing that could have made the book better was seeing where the main couple and Sam’s company were a year later, because the book was so good I didn’t want it to be over!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book! I’ll be honest and say sometimes I’m a harsh critic when it comes to chick lit, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. The characters are likable and believable, and I really liked the fact that the main character was a savvy business woman running her own tech startup. The fact that she didn’t need a man to do that was pretty great! The writing was good; enough detail to be engaging but not so much to lose your attention and focus.

I only have two concerns with this book. I’m not a huge fan of this cover style, it’s become a little cliche in the genre for my taste and I would have liked something different. My other concern is the POV changes between Sam and Ryan throughout the novel. It may be the fact that I was reading a digital ARC, but there’s no clear marker of when the POV was changing. Some type of spacing adjustments or inserting a border would solve this problem. Without that addition, it’s difficult to determine who is speaking. That may be a moot point once this novel is published, but I felt that it needed to be addressed.

If you are looking for a pretty satisfying chick lit, check this one out. A moody, damaged and brooding male lead is kinda my style. ;)

3.5 star read for me!

This book had the potential, but for me it just fell flat. Sam is a girl looking for a night of reckless behavior to get over her emotional loss. Ryan is looking for a night to forget and to leave all the mess he has created behind.

I didn’t feel much chemistry between Sam and Ryan and I wanted so badly to feel something, anything. The moments that were suppose to be swoon worthy were lack luster and the brooding mysterious guy was just a regular guy with a crap past and bad personality. I wanted Sam to be this B.A. of a CEO, who was strong and independent but she was just an insecure women who wanted so badly to be the girl to change the “bad boy”. I just thought that she deserved more than what Ryan had to offer

The writing either bothered me or I really enjoyed it. The alternating third person got confusing since it would switch mid chapter and I couldn’t keep up with who I was reading. At times the author kept me entertained with some witty banter and fun scenarios, but other times I felt like the language and actions were a bit cheesy and unbelievable. I mean who says to their one night stand “let’s mate like bunnies”. I don’t know if it’s because this was a book intended for a British audience or because I don’t understand the subtext.

I feel like with this book I am a minority and honestly I think others will enjoy and connect with this book better than I did. I just felt like it wasn’t for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this - easy to read (had a few days in bed with illness and ploughed through in my conscious times), good to follow and left me thinking about the characters. Very much a recommended read for fans of the genre. An obvious ending but a really fun ride.

ARC kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I really didn't like this book and I don't like to put down books in general because I know how much hard work and time goes into creating them.

I did like the cover design.

The story however is a boss dating employee with gender reversal. The boss being female and the guy being the newly hired employee on a trial period. Oh boy! Ryan was just awful to read, every other book when the guy is the boss the woman doesn't need this more confidence boosting to just do their job. He lashes out at everyone has no common sense, no self worth. The whole book is a giant pity party thrown by him because he had a difficult childhood. I am sorry, but seriously why does Sam need to constantly validate even hiring him, that shouldn't be on her.

Anyway mini vent over. The story did follow nicely and it was well written I just disliked the two main characters to the point where I nearly DNF the book.

A fun and sparky romance for sure! Ryan's direct honesty is the stuff of dreams; I love people and characters like him and really wish there were more like him in contemporary romance.

This was a pretty quick read for me; the story really keeps flowing and there's enough going on in the background of the romance with the app development that I really couldn't set it down because I wanted to know how everything worked out. The last couple chapters had me giggling - Ryan's begrudging friendship with side character Lucas was a little literary gem.

Ryan was a great and complex character. He had a terrible upbringing with a lot of responsibility and his relationship with his sister suffered but neither of them could dig deep enough between themselves to resolve the issues. He's really tried to deal with his past and make a go at whatever version of normal life he could have. I really rooted for Ryan throughout the whole book.

As much as we are rooting for Ryan and Sam, it was hard for me to get on board with Sam. For most of the book she just seemed to make one misstep after the other in how to treat Ryan. She really put him through the ringer because of her ex when Ryan didn't deserve any of that treatment. Ryan was clearly the one who could be hurt the most in this relationship and yet he was the one attacked the most (by Sam and his new colleagues) and Sam led a lot of that. It drove be bananas that he was the first to be blamed when he never ever did anything to draw suspicion from anyone. And how was it not obvious to her that the office knew there was something between them but wanting to keep their relationship secret wasn't going to make Ryan feel like she was ashamed of him? Especially when she knew his past and how inadequate he felt.

I LOVED Ryan's character, but I probably would have wanted Sam to turn around and stop projecting her issues onto him a bit faster to really love her.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

*thanks for Netgalley for the ARC!*

I would give this 5 stars for the story and 3 stars for the writing, so this average out to a solid four stars.

The story: I loved how the roles were reversed for once, she was the CEO, he was the employee. I liked the depth it brought to the story and how the characters navigated it! As for the romance, I loved the chemistry between the two and I loved the slow burn of it all.

The writing: the paragraphs continuously switched between points of view and it drove me crazy. It was not POV by chapter, but rather paragraph here, paragraph there. Other than that, it was great!

If I had to rate- this would be 3/5 stars. There was a lot of repetitive rising action with the antagonist in this storyline for me.
Brooding male, chip on his shoulder, rough childhood makes for tough adult love life. In comes gorgeous female boss to turn him into a softie but takes a million tries for the office to see it.
Eeeh. Almost didn’t finish the book, but had to make sure everyone got along and smooshy at the end.

While CEO Sam is in a bar toasting to her grandfather’s memory, she meets dour and very attractive Ryan. They end up having a night of amazing sex. Unbeknownst to Sam, Ryan is her new employee set to start work the very next day.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was better than most rom coms I’ve watched and read. I liked the author’s description of the characters who seemed to genuinely care for another - coworkers who have each other’s back and care about their work, characters who care about their families...
The story ends exactly how you think, but i appreciated the progress of the relationship and enjoyed it very much.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to have this ARC!

Sam Huxton just needs a night to forget her feelings and all the tragedies that the last year and a half have brought, the most recent being the loss of her beloved grandfather "Grumps". Trying to drown herself in champagne at the local bar seemed like a good idea at the time, so did taking home the handsome brooding stranger next to her. With the light of day and a hangover, she realizes that she's made a huge mistake, Mr. One Night Stand is none other than the new guy Ryan Black. Sam needs Ryan to fix her app and save her company, especially with the threat of a newer better rival app coming out. They both just have to separate their feelings and business, simple.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters, the banter, the flow of the story, it was all great. Lucas was a fantastic side character to help bring levity, he was absolutely hilarious, I loved the relationship he built with Ryan. Sam was so relatable in her fears regarding relationships, especially an office romance. The chip on Ryan's shoulder was a little bit too big for me, however, I can understand where a lot of his insecurities came from. There was no big "breakup" moment, just a small rollercoaster of angst, which if I'm being honest, I did not expect so much of. Overall it's a good, read with lots of feels, and some humor.

Ever had a one night stand where no names were exchanged, only to come into work the next day, to discover the new guy, the one you didn't interview despite being the boss, due to a family emergency, is in fact the one you slept with the night before?

Honestly having seen how Sam and Ryan react in that exact situation, I'm very glad it hasn't happened to me!

Written with Kathryn Freeman's usual amounts of sexual chemistry, banter, amusing dialogue and just generally people that feel realistic, it is another gem of a book from this fabulous author.

I loved the setting of a an app company, was different and I found quite interesting, and I loved all the others that work alongside Sam and Ryan.

Ryan is a straight talking guy even if it gets him into trouble, while Sam has been hurt by work place relations before and is understandably cautious.

I throughout enjoyed seeing how this story developed and was rooting for Sam and Ryan the whole time.

Another wonderfully entertaining story from an author that I love.

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.