I was expecting something steamy, because of the description for this book... But wow this read as oppressed and matter of fact.

This was a little difficult to get into in the beginning because Sam was dealing with a loss similar to what I was, and it made me sad to think about. But after the first scene I got really into, and couldn't put it down! The characters were fun and flirty, but also individuals with story lines and character building outside of the romance. I love a romance book where the leads have their own thing too. I especially love that the female CEO wasn't just your typical power tripping CEO except female. She was someone who was in charge but not at the expense of femininity and I think it's awesome to have a character who can be both!

A one-night-stand that turns out to be your new boss is a great started for a fun rom-com. Unfortunately, bad-tempered computer nerd, Ryan and the "out-of-his-league" CEO, Sam were a total bore. I wanted to toss it aside at the twenty-percent mark but kept pushing through til the halfway mark where I skipped ahead to the final chapters. In it's four-hundred pages nothing much at all happens before it's lackluster ending. I didn't feel engaged or compelled to read about two characters that gave off zero chemistry. Another read that promises and doesn't deliver, The New Guy was a total miss for me.

The New Guy is an enticing read about a one night stand turned office romance. Ryan and Sam are total opposites, but their attraction is hard to resist.

Sam isn't the type of girl that has a one night stand but she can't help her attraction towards Ryan. He is a broody bad boy that you know is bad for you but likes him anyway. Things get a little more complicated when Ryan turns out to be the new hire at Sam's company.

Sam doesn't like the whole cliche around an office affair but after hours is a whole other story. And let me tell you...their 'after hours' are sexy!!

I give The New Guy 3 stars. It was an enjoyable read but was predictable at times. I did enjoy the chemistry because it was fun and fiery.

This frothy romantic tale should be made into a movie starring Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson. It is laugh out loud funny, serious enough to keep you turning the pages and, all in all, a light fun read.

Sam Huxton is the CEO of Privacy Solutions, a company designed for online privacy concerns. The company has been very successful and now needs to create a revamped app. The bad news? Sam’s partner, the lead software developer, has dumped her for at the receptionist and left the company. His replacement, in the company but not with Sam, has quit. And now the fun begins. Grieving the sudden death of her grandfather, Sam stops at a nearby bar after the funeral. Her sorrows fully soothed by champagne, she begins a flirtation with the appealing man next to her. One thing leads to another and another and soon it is morning. And there, in the office, Sam is introduced to her new hire Ryan Black. Mr. Black is very familiar. The rest of the novel, is full of innuendo, humor, some insecurities aa Sam and Ryan get to know each other in what could be and sometimes is, a difficult situation. All the supporting characters are well described and add much to the story.

The New Guy by Kathryn Freeman is just plain fun. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Kathryn Freeman for this ARC.

This is the first read for me by this author. This was a cute and entertaining story with a PG-13 level of steam. It does touch on some subjects that are not typically in a light and airy rom-com, and with the role reversal of Sam being the female CEO, it made it a fresh spin on a standard office romance. Fans of Kathryn Freeman will like this book.

You might find yourself occasionally tsk tsking both Sam and Ryan in this workplace romance that starts with a one night stand. There's more to Sam than there is to some heroines in this genre- she owns a tech company and is working on a new app. Ryan, a programmer with mad skills, is just the person she needs to get it moving. He's got a tough back story and while he projects a bad boy image, he's not really. How do these two navigate their relationship and keep it out of the business? Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC,. It's a fun rom-com read.

I was a little disappointed by this read as I thought it would be more romance based, to be honest. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the read because I did, I actually read it on one sitting! But because I do read 95% romance, I know what I like and what I don't now. This book had more tech and app-related content than romance.
It's third-person perspective and the whole book is an easy read which I love and flew through. Ryan is such a complex character who was confusing at times but it made sense to me. Sam was likeable but also frustrating. She wasn't at all judgemental which I loved for the CEO. I did enjoy their relationship, they both stood their ground and respected each other. All of the steamy scenes are fade to black which is worth noting. Lucas is one of the side characters in the book and I loved him! He was such a good friend to both Sam and Ryan.
I usually keep my book reviews spoiler-free and I don't think I am ruining anything in this paragraph but feel free to skip it if you want to know no specific details. One of my favourite scenes in the book was when Sam drove Ryan to see his mum, it was such a genuine moment. But one of my least favourite things in the book was how repetitive it was with why they wouldn't make their relationship public. I knew from the start the reasonings and I didn't need to be continuously reminded.

This is a Netgalley ARC review. All opinions are solely my own.

Kathryn Freeman's book, The New Guy, is bloody brilliant. This is a CEO romance and one-night stand trope except it veers from the norm with a female CEO and a male who becomes her employee. The technical speak sounded believable to this untrained ear. I don't know anything about programming but it seemed real to me.

This book has a little drama, a little heartbreak, a dash of family issues, and very tame romance. It is a refreshing mix. These characters can be frustrating but they seem like real people with real issues.

Overall, I can't find anything I didn't like about this book and will gladly read more from Kathryn Freeman.

I couldn't get through this book. I really tried, but I just couldn't get through it. The writing is decent and the author does a good job of developing the characters, but it was the characters I couldn't stand. Ryan is a jerk. for the first 30% of the book there's nothing redeemable about him, so then how much Sam is attracted to him makes very little sense and that's what's supposed to keep the reader interested, right? The chemistry? The book is way too long to dislike the characters as much as I did. Sam should also be a boss lady, as the CEO of a company does interesting things, but her insecurity makes it hard to dredge through the book. The plot is also not unique enough that you couldn't find another, better, version of it somewhere else.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the advanced copy!

Sam Huxton doesn’t do one-night stands, especially not with men she’s just met! But the hot guy at the bar was hard to resist and one night is all they share – 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.

It was refreshing to see a female character as the C-suite executive in this storyline. The chemistry of the first few chapters was off the charts and you really see both characters grow over the length of the book. This is a wonderful book to get lost in on a sunny afternoon. My only drawback is that the story became a little repetitive towards the end – could have been shortened just a tad. Besides that, this is a wonderful, medium-steam novel. I hope that a sequel or short story comes out later giving us an update on Sam and Ryan!

#TheNewGuy #NetGalley

DNF.
Gave up 20% in. The first couple chapters set up the story great. One night stand without sharing names only, start a new job the next morning, and then find out the woman you slept with is the boss. I liked the sound of it and I liked the set up. It was a nice turn around to have a female boss. The love scene amps you up only to fade to black (and apparently that's a trend according to other reviews). There's inappropriate banter between Ryan and Sam on the first day, especially if you're talking to your boss. It felt uncomfortable to me and turned me off. Ryan is rude and his behavior would never fly in a regular office. There's too much exposition to keep me interested. This is just a snooze fest.

Thank you to Rachel for letting me take part in this tour and to One More Chapter for my copy of this book via Netgalley. The premise of this book sounded fun and we all can do with a bit of fun these days so I requested a copy.

Sam or Sunshine Sam as she becomes known is such an easy character like. She's fun, light and passionate. Sam has been through some really rough times in the last 18 months.

Sam and Ryan had such intense chemistry but at first, cannot stand each other. This was great to read. The back and forth banter and with all that undercurrent of tension! OH, it was so GOOD!

The characters felt realistic and the story was an easy read. I flew through the book within a day or two. As well as being a romcom this book does deal with some serious issues of alcoholism and domestic violence. Kathryn explores the fall out of these but in a very sensitive way.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of Kathryn's books in the future.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.  The New Guy by Kathryn Freeman is the first book of the Romcom Collection series. In a completely out of character moment, Sam Huxton met a hot guy in her local pub and brought him home for a meant to be anonymous one night stand. Unfortunately for her, he turns out to be her newest employee, the software developer who is going to save her company from disaster. Distrustful and suspicious from a previous relationship that went sour Sam not one to mix business and pleasure struggles with the off the charts chemistry that she and Ryan Black generate. Guarded, grumpy and bluntly honest, Ryan is a fish out of water in the cheery family atmosphere at Sam’s company Privacy Solutions. Watching these two learn to trust each other and find their way to something more than the one night stand that started their relationship was a delight.  This is one book you definitely won't want to put down.  Medium Steam. Publishing Date March 13, 2020. #NetGalley #TheNewGuy #KathrynFreeman #OneMoreChapter #HarperCollinsUK #HarperCollinsCanada

The New Guy is a fun and entertaining read with all the steamy elements of a typical rom-com. The cast of characters really kept my interest and I found the plot carried though to the end well.

In The New Guy we meet Sam - she’s having a bad day. She’s just returned from her Grandfather’s funeral & she wants to talk to someone. She chooses Ryan - a brooding stranger propping up the bar in Sam’s local. They have a passionate one night stand. Sam runs a software company - and on Monday morning she prepares to meet her new software developer - who of course turns out to be Ryan. I didn’t know if I’d like this book, I don’t tend to like ‘fluffy’ chick lit - but I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I liked the characters, I liked the setting & it was a nice easy read. Not the most groundbreaking or exciting story - but it was a nice book and I would probably pick up future books by this author.

This one started out really fun for me. However a few chapters in, the characters started to irritate me with their misunderstandings. There wasn’t that special spark in a rom-com to make this one stand out to me.

I absolutely adored this book- it’s a perfect romantic comedy, executed well with great sexual tension, funny characters and a strong female lead.
Sam is a CEO who knows what she wants but she was still friendly, warm and kind. She didn’t fall into a ball buster cliche of what it meant to be a CEO. I did wonder how much I was going to warm to Ryan as he doesn’t make a great first impression, but he’s pretty easy to love once you get to know him.
Their story was an interesting and unusual power dynamic, which was what made me pick up the book in the first place. It was wonderfully written and I devoured it in one sitting! Can’t wait for more from this author.

This one felt like work and not the fun kind.
The first two chapters had me engaged. I laughed and thought "Oh this one's going to be good!" but then it was like the charisma switch was flipped off and I just stopped caring. I didn't connect to either main character and the plot plodded along like it was stuck in molasses. It was boring, I'm saying it was boring!

The entire book felt a bit like an HR manual and intro to a job. I mean when Ryan meets with Sam on his first day she explains what his job will be and then asks if he thinks he can do it. And I'm sitting here thinking "USUALLY one knows what the job they are starting is about!" So clearly it was for the reader but I knew what the task was prior to this meeting, I don't need it explained in detail... I genuinely didn't care!

You've got a broody guy who is actually a sweetheart in hiding and a beautiful, smart, successful woman who is crazy insecure... nothing new there! Oh now throw in a drama-filled family on his side and a lovely normal filled family on hers. Oh and she's got a gay best friend and a quirky best friend, again nothing new!

I'm not sure if this book would have been better if it was half as long.

ARC kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
1.5*

I received this in exchange for an honest review. In the start of this book we find Sam our main character in a bar, drinking in honor of her grumps(grandpa) who had just passed. She strikes up a conversation with the guy sitting next to her and then one thing leads to another and they have a one night stand. They leave things thinking they would never see each other again but of course when Sam goes into work she meets her newest employee Ryan, the guy she just slept with.

This just felt really mediocre and cliched. I was hoping for a really fun romance with a couple I could root for and sadly that just didn’t happen. I just felt that the characters were going back and forth with hurting the other with things they said or did and I was just over it. I also didn’t understand why when we would get to a sex scene and we would get a lot of lead up, things would get really sexy for a while there but then right when we would get to the pay off it would fade to black and I just didn’t understand that. Why give us any sexy lead up if your just going to fade to black on the actual sex. That’s just my opinion, this just wasn’t for me. This wasn’t the worst book I read but definitely not the greatest either.