4.5 ⭐

I really enjoyed this book, the storyline was great and I was so invested in all the major and minor plotlines, I really enjoyed the writing and thought the pacing was great (fast paced but not too rushed)

- sports adjacent romance (they both work for a college basketball team)
- friends to strangers to lovers
- co-workers

This is a great debut novel and I can't wait to read more from the author

Thank you to Quercus and NetGalley for the eARC - all opinions are my own

Annie left basketball in somewhat suspicious circumstances and as a last resort she is coming back. Annie and Ben used to be the mum and dad of the team but now things are awkward. The journey of Annie and Ben unfolds in a heartwarming tale that beautifully blends romance and basketball. The story kicks off with a series of bittersweet misunderstandings that create just the right amount of tension, setting the stage for their romance.

As the plot progresses, the chemistry between Annie and Ben becomes palpable, drawing readers into their evolving relationship. The author captures the nuances of their emotions, making each moment feel genuine and relatable. You can predict where the plot is going but it just makes the tension tighter.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s a delightful mix of sports and romance! The warmth of the story, combined with its tender moments, makes it a must-read for anyone who enjoys a heartfelt romance.

I deeply thank Quercus Fiction for sending me a free copy of this book, and also to Jamie Harrow for creating an amazing story I didn't want to end.

I've never read a sport romance about basketball before and I'm not a fan of this sport, but I was totally hooked anyway , probably hyped by Annie's love for this sport and her amazing videos. I obviously couldn't see them concretely, but believe me when I say that I could easily imagine them and get involved in the Ardwyn Tigers' team as everyone who watched them.
In this novel the game itself isn't the focus, because neither of the main characters is a basketball player, but it was interesting to see different jobs related to it, that could affect its results (videos, interviews, analytics, etc.). At the same time I loved the fact that basketball was the way Annie and her dad interacted and bonded, and how his presence in the team and in Annie's thoughts was vivid during the entire story even if he passed away years ago. It was a very delicate and respectful way to represent grief, together with the message that it's ok if a person we loved wasn't perfect and made mistakes toward us. We can remember not only the good things, but bad ones too, because this doesn't mean we love or miss someone less.
And then there's Ben. What I think I appreciate the most is the fact that for multiple aspects Ben isn't a stereotype MC. He's kind and an adorable cinnamon roll, that's for sure, but at the same time he didn't worship her or did whatever she wants without prior thinking about what he thinks about it. Moreover, he wasn't afraid to express his feelings and his thoughts, and even when, at the beginning, he was disappointed by Annie abrupt leaving them years ago and wasn't happy to see her again, he showed it with politeness (nope, no drama reaction or snarky comments). Plus, he was always ready to express his ideas and believes in a simple but steady way, because he wasn't afraid to do it - and he could be, due to his family background, another interesting aspect I would have wanted to explore even more.
Anyway, I liked also how he and Annie bonded again, without rush. I think their is the perfect example of an healthy relationship I would personally love to have and live too. And the chemistry? The tension...? Jaime Harrow has absolutely raised the expectation bar, and that's a real problem.
Last but not least: the work/school harassment theme. I appreciated (and hated, for Annie to have experienced it) how this was handled, in a sort of indirect way where you gradually unveil what happened in the past. And even if it wasn't an "on page event", I could feel Annie's emotions clear as water and I empathized with her immediately. When this happens it only means one thing: the writing was really good.

So, can we ask Jamie to write another novel with this character? Because I'm sure you're gonna love it.
Maybe with Ben's sister as MC...?

Really enjoyed reading this book, so thank you very much for this arc! The main characters really spoke to me and I loved their interaction with each other. In usually not that into sports romance, but this wasn't the usual college basketball romance, which made me enjoy it nonetheless!

Everything here was very good! 👌 Cute, cozy, some topics are painful. I really had nothing to cling to. And I liked that if basketball is one of the topics, then we got a lot of it here 🤩 and I'm very happy that the author did not take the easy way and didn’t chose to make the main character a basketball player! All in all, the story is very fun and cute! I really recommend it🫶

I’m definitely new to the world of sports romance books, they just haven’t ever really appealed to me but as I’m becoming more of a romance fan, naturally more of them are being added to my wishlist and I was kindly offered to read One On One via Netgalley from the publisher.

The two love interests in this book are Annie and Ben. They have a shared history but have recently been thrust back together while working for the same basketball team; Annie’s role is to deal with all things social media and Ben is an assistant coach. There is immediate tension between the pair as it transpires that not everybody’s jobs may be safe at the end of the season.

It took me quite a while to get into the story. I was intrigued as to why Ben was immediately frosty with Annie, considering they had quite a close relationship in the past, but you don’t get to the bottom of that until quite far in (and even then, I found his behaviour quite odd and that his reasoning behind this was dramatic). This is a book that slowly grew on me and by the end, I was pleased that Annie and Ben wound up together.

While I wouldn’t say that I was wholly invested throughout, One On One is a cute and fun debut with good character development and an easy to follow story.

While the pacing was a bit slow at times I did like the banter between the two main characters. The spice level was low but the emotional depth was high as this book takes on the toll and prevalence of sexual misconduct in sports

"Sweep me off my feet, Radford. I deserve it."

Rating: 3.75/5

- sports romance (college basketball)
- workplace rivals to lovers (videographer vs. analyst)
- secret romance
- single pov
- 🌶️.5/5
- narrated by Kyla Garcia

Premise: you're back at your alma mater in your dream video content-producing role, but future budget cuts have you warring with your rival, who interned for the college basketball team alongside you years ago.

One on One is a solid debut novel. Our main protagonist, Annie, has great character development and depth. We see her settle into and smash her new role, fall in love with Ben when they realise they want each other more than they want to be rivals, and face her past workplace sexual harassment head-on. She's also surrounded by a great cast of best friends, family, and co-workers, who bring the story to life.

However, as an avid romance reader, I personally wasn't completely consumed by their romance. Although they share some cute moments (walking home in the snow, the first kiss scene, and how he sees her during their first time), their love story isn't one that'll live rent-free in my head if that makes sense!

Nevertheless, I'd definitely be interested in seeing what Harrow does next. Plus, I will listen to anything Kyla Garcia narrates. She's AMAZING!

I will always try an enemies to lovers romance; and One on One did not disappointed. I really enjoyed the workplace romance and the characters developing relationship.

A fun, cute and easy-to-read enemies-to-lovers workplace romance. This story was easy to get into and I finished it in one sitting.

One on One by Jamie Harrow was an enjoyable read overall, but I had a few hang-ups that kept me from fully connecting with the story. The premise was intriguing, but I found it hard to believe that the characters, who were completely platonic friends during college, could have such a deep romantic connection in the present. The transition from friendship to love didn’t feel as natural as I’d hoped, and it was hard for me to buy into their romantic chemistry.

Another point of contention for me was the overwhelming presence of basketball in the plot. While I understand that sports were meant to be a central part of the story, it felt a bit too heavy-handed at times. I was more interested in the characters’ personal growth and relationship development, but the basketball angle overshadowed that for me.

That being said, the writing was engaging, and there were definitely moments that I enjoyed, but I just didn’t feel the connection between the leads as much as I wanted to.

It was cute. I dont love third person romances, and the chapter POVs did confuse me at points when they switched, especially in the ear;y chapters, because they arent written differently. But overall it was good, the story is cute but I feel like its just not what I was expecting based on the lyla sage comparison.

I like sports romances and this one hit the spot! I really recommend this book when you love sports romances!!

If this is how Jamie writes then please write more. I loved this story and got so immersed in it that I finished it in a day. It was so addictive and I couldn't stop reading. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Harrow’s debut novel was an extremely well articulated and heartfelt novel. I was engaged from the first page. The characters were well developed, entertaining and had good chemistry. I don’t often read basketball romances but when I do, the MMC is usually a player, so this was a refreshing and interesting take on the genre.

While I enjoyed most aspects of this book, I did feel at times that the actual act of the work itself took the lead and pushed the romance aside. I would have chosen to have more character interactions and bickering/flirting over the work details. In saying that, you can’t win them all, ya know? despite the romance not hitting in the way i wanted, it was still an enjoyable read.

The first thing that enticed me to read One on One was the fact that among all the sports romances about field hockey, an up-and-coming author like Jamie Harrow decided to stand out from the crowd and write a second-chance romance about basketball.

Could it have been this difference that won me over? Maybe. But it certainly wasn't the only motivation. The spontaneous style with which Harrow recounts Annie's feelings and longing wins the reader over little by little, and the way she is able to put the problems of the past behind her and get back on track not only with the basketball team but especially with Ben.

Many thanks to Quercus Publishing Plc for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC copy.

Usually I steer away from books that include the miscommuncation trope because I get annoyed so easy. However, though this book had this trope, I found myself devouring this book so quickly.

Ben may have given me a bully vibe but something switched in him and he became the biggest softy ever. This book gave me One Tree Hill vibes and I am not made about that at all.

The ending was so cute it had me smiling like mad.

Thank you Netgalley and Quercus for allowing me to review this book 🤍

One on One is a stunning debut from Jamie Harrow. We follow Annie Radford, videographer and basketball fanatic, re-entering the world of college basketball after an eight year break at Ardwy, her alma mater. Tasked with creating blood-pumping hype videos for the team, Annie is determined to prove her worth to the staff, despite being hesitant about coming back into this world. And to make matters worse, Ben Fucking Callahan, who used to be a colleague and friend, now seems to have it out for her — for no apparent reason? Yet she cannot deny that he is annoyingly wholesome and distractingly hot. As the season takes a positive turn for the Tigers, the connection between Ben and Annie grows. But she has pockets of her past she doesn’t want to bring to light and isn’t sure how to trust the growing feelings they have…

I absolutely adored this book. Jamie Harrow’s writing style immediately drew me in and I felt as though I’d known Annie deeply for years by the end of the first few chapters. I always applaud romance authors who choose to stick to single POV and Harrow utilizes it so incredibly well, particularly for the enemies to friends to lovers arc. It was believable that Ben and Annie genuinely did not like each other and therefore didn’t have any deeper conversations to get to know each other until later on.

Their relationship progressed so naturally, the pacing is outstanding. I like how we got to see smaller moments and took time in crucial plot points to zoom into finer details, while also being able to move past other time periods more quickly. It didn’t feel stilted, to me at all, instead everything was organic. Ben is my type of book boyfriend. Gentle and kind, he respects and adores Annie wholly. She sets boundaries and he doesn’t question them. They communicate and are honest with one another. There is absolutely nothing toxic about this relationship. It is pure and genuine, and I cannot express how much I adored getting to follow along on their journey.

This is a romance book and a lot of the page time was, of course, dedicated to the growing relationship between Annie and Ben, but I loved how much time Harrow also took to explore the world of college basketball, its positives and negatives, as well as the difficulties of adult life when one has moved around and jumped from job to job. In that, I felt deeply seen.

In addition, each side character felt like a fully fleshed out person. Eric and Cassie were definitely favorites, but Quincy, Donna, Jess & Taylor, and Annie’s family all jumped off the page. Harrow has a true talent in her writing, creating characters that you root for (or, in certain cases, very much against), relationships, both platonic and romantic, that you cheer on, and a story that is easy to follow and absolutely captivating.

A small note also that spice, done this way, is my absolute favorite. The yearning and heat is there without necessarily the most explicit descriptions of what’s going on, which I personally adore.

Lastly, I think Harrow deals with the heavy topic of abuse in sports very well. It is clear to me she was thoughtful and mindful, and did her research. As someone who has loved ones who have experienced this time of behavior (and worse) from coaches I think it is incredibly important to shed more light on this subject that is too often overlooked, but do it in a way that is honest and respectful of those that have these experiences.

All in all, giving this book 5 stars is the easiest decision ever. One on One is perfect for lovers of workplace romances, sports romances, and, of course, the enemies to lovers arc. If you are a fan of Ali Hazelwood and Emily Henry, I can only recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Quercus Books for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5*

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This book just missed the mark for me. I enjoyed reading and did like the characters but I just wasn't really invested in the story. I think it was missing something but I can't figure out.

Not bad for a debut novel and I would like to read more for Jamie in the future and see how their writing develops.

This was absolutely amazing. No notes just love, I was honestly a little bit shocked to find out this was a debut book.

Annie returns to her old university for a new job, in the place she fled many years ago and thought she would never come back again. After she just starts, she finds out her new job may be cut at the end of the year, and also Ben, who she was friendly with at uni and now seems to hate her, is her competition for keeping the job. But the more they work together, the closer they get. Ben is still too nice and a little bit charming, and there is only so much they can do against all the obstacles in the present and the shadows in the past.

I loved the writing. There is a softness in it that just had me completely addicted. The story is captivating and unravels slowly, layer after layer. I just didn’t want to put the book down until the very end.