I so wanted to love this book and while I think Jamie Harrow has great potential as an author, and very much look forward to reading whatever book comes next from Jamie, I found it so hard to like Ben's character in this and that meant it was tough to root for Ben and Annie as a couple. I really enjoyed the take on a sports romance, with basketball being the backdrop of the story but neither character being players of the sport. Annie's story was also really interesting, and her POV was well written and her friendships and relationship with her mum and sister were a great addition to the story. Ben I found to be mean and immature, holding a grudge about something someone he was barely friends with 8 years ago did to the extent that he was throwing shade. This book also plays very heavily on bad communication throughout, with a lot of the rivalry being down to misunderstandings. Finally, there's a very serious and traumatic event for Annie and Ben's behaviour is so disappointing and not what you'd want to see from a character looking for a serious, long term relationship. So, unfortunately, the way Ben is portrayed knocked my enjoyment of this book down but I can tell that I'm going to enjoy Jamie Harrow's writing again in the future, but with a different love interest!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

One on One exceeded my expectations in every way. At first glance, the cover suggests a light romance—pleasant but forgettable. However, from the very first chapter, I was captivated by the engaging writing, well-developed characters, and the underlying tension and emotion woven throughout. While miscommunication is often a trope I dislike, it was handled exceptionally well here. The rivalry, pranks, banter, and romance between Annie and Ben were delightful—heartwarming, sweet, and full of chemistry.

What truly stood out was how the story deepened as it progressed, especially when more serious themes emerged. I also loved the glimpse into the world of college basketball from the staff's perspective. The passion for the game is palpable, drawing you into the team’s journey and making you truly root for their success.

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One on One by Jamie Harrow is one heck of a debut! I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to see what Harrow writes next.

One on One sees Annie returning to work for college basketball, after swearing she’d never go back. Yet 8 years after finishing her degree and fleeing her role at Ardwyn, she’s back as the team videographer and hype women. Her old friend and colleague Ben is still at Ardwyn, and given they always got on she can’t figure out why he’s now trying to ice her out. As they find themselves competing to keep their jobs, tensions rise and old (and new) feelings sizzle to the surface. With everything on the line, including their hearts, can they put their differences aside to work together and save the team? Or will the truth of why Annie left destroy their tentative new relationship . . . ?

One on One was an absolutely brilliant read. It’s a slow burn, former friends turned enemies to lovers, that’s also a forced proximity/workplace romance. Not only this but it’s a sports romance, but what’s so unique here is that both the MCs work for the team but aren’t current players which I really enjoyed.

I’ll admit I don’t know a great deal about basketball and yet that didn’t affect my reading at all. I loved all the insights we got into the game and the players, especially Quincy who Annie’s late father once coached. Even if you’re not a basketball fan you’ll find yourself cheering the Ardwyn Tigers in - I know I did!

This is a great romance, with sizzling chemistry and MCs you can really root for. But it’s also a story about being brave enough to come back to what you love when it was unfairly taken from you. It’s difficult to explain why Annie left basketball without giving the story away, but it’s a serious issue that was handled sensitively and with care by Harrow. This added element added even more depth to the story.

Honestly I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it.

I love reading romance books, the sports element in this was so well done. I found myself not wanting to put it down.

I'm not sure if I read a sport romance before so I was curious and this was a pleasant surprise even if I 'm not sure I understood hockey rules (so it live once so I tried).
It's cute, entertaining and well plotted
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I have been having some trouble getting through books that I have to actually read (rather than listen to), even if I’m enjoying them, cause I am just so tired 🥱 I fall asleep and drop my phone on my face after one chapter. This book didn’t seem to have the same effect and I was up to 2am before I forced myself to put it away. Admittedly I did read for 3+ hours while getting tattooed, and there is no possible way for me to fall asleep while suffering that much 😂

Annie was great and I liked how her family and friends all interacted with her. It made reading easy and fun as they joked around. Ben was a good love interest for her and his strait laced, rule following was a contrast that her character needed. I would have LOVED to get his POV, especially in the beginning.

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book.

CN for past sexual harassment and abuse of power.

Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
POV: Single
Tropes: rivals to lovers, collage basketball, past secrets coming to light,
Spice: 🌶️ /5
Age suggestion: 18+

As someone who played basketball throughout high school and college and still follows the sport now, I was really interested in a sports romance centred around it, as I haven’t read a basketball romance before. Although, I do have to say it focuses more on the coaches and the goings on behind the scenes of college basketball than the sport itself.
We meet Annie and Ben who are both working at the college they went to, 8 years ago. Annie is a videographer and Ben works with statistics. The tension between the two at first could be cut with a knife, but as we quickly progress through the story we realise that this book is a second chance romance as Annie and Ben are drawn back to each other.
I think the story line surrounding Annie’s departure from Ardwyn was handled really well and delicately and was so important to the story and we see this secret of hers come to the forefront as the story develops.

Thankyou Netgalley and Quercus Books for this ARC.

I got hooked into this sports romance really quickly. Our heroine Annie has just moved back home after eight years to a videographer’s job for the basketball team at her local college. She is a bit sassy and witty but has a core of loneliness that made me uneasy.
Ben our MMC is still working as the stats guy with the team. He’s also not as happy-go-lucky as he was eight years ago. It reminds me of Kate Clayborn’s or Abby Jimenez’s romances which often have a similar melancholy thread.
This is set in the world of college basketball but it’s about the coaches and the support teams, not the players. The behind-the-scenes stuff is fascinating and such a different approach to the usual trope of player as hero. This is fade to black - I didn’t need to be in the room to feel the emotional connection between these two, it’s a slow burn and in the workplace so they both fight their attraction. The throughline is really about sexual harassment and its long term impact, in this case it was perpetrated when there was a big power imbalance. The situation is complicated with vulnerable people who have missed opportunities in their professional lives - forBen, its loyalty and family obligation holding him back. I loved how consistent the characters were even though Annie’s inability to confide in Ben is so frustrating. It is understandable though and shows how pernicious sexual harassment can be. The aftermath is key and provides the book’s momentum but it doesn’t overtake what is a tender and warm romance.
I loved this gorgeous cover, but it’s not a light hearted breezy read. It’s all in Annie’s POV, and so lovely to see Ben unfolding as he responds to Annie. There’s no insta-love and the action takes place over a basketball season.
I also loved seeing Annie at work - the whole process of making video, from brainstorming through to the buzz at a great final product made me realise how rarely romance novels show people really doing their jobs. The players, work colleagues and friends bounce in and out, along with a light subplot about a dating show, which relieves the tension. While Ben and Annie had worked together years ago this is not a second chance romance. The observation is made several times that Annie is really starving of human contact - the first hug between these two has more impact than doing the deed might have ...

Recommended as a slow burn closed door romance from debut author Jamie Harrow. Thank you Jamie, NetGalley and Quercus for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Although I love a bit of romance this book just had too much basketball in it for me. Being British (and not liking many sports) I don’t understand the game or the terminology. However the underlying love story between Ben and Annie was great. Cute boy meets girl but with a little historic trauma for the girl thrown in.

The basketball bits literally went over my head and I think that dampened my feelings for the book

This was a rivals-to-lovers romance in the competitive world of basketball.
The relationship between Ben and Annie progressed naturally as rivals slowly into something more which felt authentic, and their interactions were sweet overall. Annie's thought processes are funny and realistic and I liked her as a character. I hadn't anticipated it would be so heavy on the basketball, the political side of sports, and mundane interactions between characters, and Ben was a frustrating male lead at times so I didn't fully enjoy it as much as I could. I think readers who are more interested in the politics/business of sports/basketball and media might enjoy this more than I did.
Note the book contains references to sexual harrassment - it handles this well and sensitively.

I didn’t get off to the best start with this book - the miscommunication trope is one I always struggle with and just find quite annoying however as I read on I found myself enjoying it more and more.

This was such a sweet second chance romance, I loved that these two characters had gone off to live their own lives and when they came back together it was a case of right person at the right time.

I was genuinely invested in the characters and their romance and just found it such an optimistic and hopeful read

I thoroughly enjoyed it

The story centres around why Annie left Ardwyn many years ago. She was there as a student, and worked alongside Ben, but no one knew why she left. The reasons come to light as the story progresses, but that’s after Annie and Ben grow closer. The banter and romance between Annie and Ben was a slow burn, building throughout the story.

It was a light and easy read, even when it broached heavier subject matter, it was all handled very delicately and written well.

Overall I liked the book, but didn’t become overly invested in the romance between the characters. A solid book from a first time author.

A sweet rom-com with two charming MC and an unexpected depth.
I thought it was going to be an enemies to lovers but it’s so much more. The MC were workmates in a complicated time of their lifes, specially for her. A few years later, they became workmates again and also enemies. Although their feud became to disappeir when they work together and start to lean on each other. Their love is so sweet… I felt in love with them both, specially with Ben, such a fantastic man! Their love became entagled with their job but Annie has a terrible secret that can break them both. I wasn’t expecting that plot twist and I think is one of the best things of this book, it gives the story a great depth.
On the other hand, I know basketball is really important for them but it’s too much for me, I was lost in all the sport drama.
But it’s a good book and I think the writter will be give us great stories.

To be honest, I did not expect to love this book so much. The cover gives the impression of a fluffy, cute romance that you most probably will enjoy at the time and soon forget. And yet, I was hooked from the first chapter, fascinated with writing, character development, and intrigued by the undercurrent of tension and sadness. Miscommunication, which I am not a fan of, was done very well, I also loved the rivalry, pranks, and banter, and, of course, the romance between Annie and Ben, so many butterflies, so wholesome and sweet.

But most surprisingly, the story got better and better, especially, when the heavier topics weaved in. And I absolutely loved to have a glimpse of the backstage in college basketball world, loved to see it from staff's POV. You can feel the love for this game through the story, and it is so catching, soon I was rooting for the team and wishing all the best.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the eARC of this book.

Thank you Quercus for providing this ARC for free via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

First and foremost, I appreciate the sensitive way in which Jamie addressed the very difficult topic of sexual harassment.

I understand this is a debut novel, so I’m taking that into account. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel captured by the story. I wasn’t excited by Ben, nor Annie and Ben’s relationship.

Ben was repeatedly described as the nice guy. His relationship with Annie starts out quite tense (for reasons you later understand), but I don’t think Ben’s kindness ever took centre stage.

We were introduced to a lot of side characters, but I feel like we didn’t get to know them well. Other than Eric being the “funny one,” their personalities all blended into one for me.

I will say, there were some funny one-liners. I also liked the callbacks throughout the book. I think with some more experience Jamie will write some great books.

3.25 ⭐️ Is it a sports romance if none of them actually play the sport?
Thank you Net Galley for the eARC!*

Both MCs are working for a College Basketball team. Annie is the Social Media Manager and Ben is an Assistant Coach (ex-player for the team). This book was good, but not great in my opinion.

There's a lot of back and forth between their shared past, and it makes things feel kind of like a second-chance romance, but not really, since they were never involved romantically. The build-up in the romance felt off like it was both too slow and too fast at the same time. For the majority of the first quarter of the book, we see them both struggle with each other -with him basically hating her on sight which is odd even after we know his "reasoning".

The second half of the book sort of saved it for me, but I can't say I'd go out of my way to recommend or reread this book. The writing didn't really pull me in, and it was hard at times to read about the FMC's struggles with being SA by their ex-coach (also major TW there, it's a big part of the plot).

What a debut ! i’ve read it in two days and I just love it! The banter was perfect and the characters were well developed under both the individual and the relationship aspect. I’m huge fan of a good slow burn so I simply loved the fact the they’re relationship was built step by step and game by game !

A slow start and one that almost makes you wonder if this will ever actually be a romance. Ben is quite a hard character to route for initially and when his anger at Annie for how she left is explained it seems a little extreme but as you get more detail of his character you start to see how important loyalty is and how this is key trait that Ben wants from those close to him.
Annie is fun but messy and there are clear reasons for this, the author, Jamie Harrow, has written this subject with care, intention and integrity. It is apparent this is not far from reality in the sports world in particular but in any environment. Whilst it is a key component to a romcom story line it is never glossed over nor minimised but it also doesn’t become something that the author rams down the throat or feel like the author is on their soap box.
The banter and slow burn romance is perfect and is something to make your heart swell and your smile grow with each chapter..
There was lots of friendship building and background put into this which maybe took some of the truly romantic elements coming through, which is not a bad thing but I just wanted more of them as a couple falling in love rather than being friends or being colleagues. Much of their story was probably too basketball focused.
Mostly though, I look forward to more from this author and recommend this book!

I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley and provide and honest review

First off all, thank you to Quercus for reaching out to me to offer an advanced copy of One on One in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Jamie Harrow, as well.

After a very slow start, I did end up enjoying One on One quite a bit. I wasn't that keen on Ben as a character, I thought he was too rude to Annie for the little amount of information he even had and then he switched up on himself very quickly. I really liked Annie though, maybe because the book was all from her perspective, but her decisions and the way she acted felt a lot more realistic to me.

I thought the plot line surrounding why Annie left Ardwyn was so important and handled very well by Jamie Harrow. The latter half of the book where this became more prevalent was so much better than the beginning.

I devoured this book in one evening!

Annie returns to her alma mater after disappearing without a word 8 years earlier, and the reception she receives from one person in particular is a lot frostier than she ever dreamed it would be. And so begins a battle of wills and learning each other between Annie and the gorgeous, kind and wholesome Ben. But the secrets of her past keep the barrier up between them, and with jobs and hearts on the line, can it ever end well?

Ben and Annie's relationship built slowly, brick by brick, text by text, and game by game, and was sweetly sexy, making me smile to myself at certain moments, and frown everytime Annie pulled back or doubted herself.

I loved the style of this book, and the main characters were written with great sensitivity and realism - sexual harassment is such a tricky subject to portray and this covered it so well, I cannot wait to read more from this author.