The Guy on the Right (The Underdogs #1)

This is how you write a romantic comedy to my hearts desires. OMG! The Guy On The Right was a blast! Hilarious, cute and romantic as hell. Theo and Laney are insanely funny. A hoot. So opposite but so so right for one another. They just work.
Theo is a good guy who doesnt get all the girls. He doesnt want all the girls. He wants the ONE and all the emotions that comes along with it. Hes not a one night stand kind of guy and like his roommates.
Theo meets the outspoken and spontaneous Laney outside in the dark at a party. Even though they cant see each others faces the connection is immediately. They unload on each other thinking they will never meet again. Well think again.

The second time the meet each other I was done for. Theo and Laney had me. Hook, line and sinker.
Their friendship and courtship was filled with so much humor, romance and laugh out loud moments. Starting with an instagram page. It was truly a beautiful friendship in the making and as they started to spend more time together, stripping layers of each other, they both discovered how special this bond they had created was. The build up was flawlessly written and as the story and their friendship progressed I started yearning for them to just give in and KISS. The pent up tension was insane and the reward was explosive. So hot and so worth it.
As opposites as Theo and Laney are they complement each other perfectly. Their families and friends especially Theos 3 older sisters and Laneys mother and bestie Devin are fun and deliver memorable moments too.

The Guy On The Right is the perfect feel good, laugh out loud, swoon worthy summer book. Strangers who become best friends who become so much more than lovers. Its a roller coaster of laughs and romance. From sniping hunting, to getting high to a tornado. Just to name a few highlights. Its not even half of it. Just jump on board the Kate Stewart express and hold on for the ride.
Kate Stewart delivered comedy with her Balls In Play series and with The Guy On The Right she excels and has created a home run. Theo and Laney gave me all I couldve ever imagined. A love story to remember. What a couple!

5 Taco & Grand Band Man Stars

Because I heard such good things about this book, I couldn’t wait to start. I loved the title, liked the premise, storyline and the writing was well done.
Then it happened.
For a reason I will never understand, this author decided to include a derogatory joke pertaining to children with disabilities.
Immediately after that, I didn’t think much of Laney, but I didn’t want to give up. I hoped she would redeem herself and I would get over it.
She didn’t.
I didn’t.
The story was charming. But with the writing and rewriting, I couldn’t get past the fact this author, editor and beta readers thought it was a good idea to leave this in.
As I read more, Laney seemed less like the cute, strong funny girl and more like someone who was a taker not a giver.
When I finished, I came to the conclusion, Clarissa was the only character who had any common sense.
I hope in the future, this author will learn more about writing smart humor and will refrain from going for the cheap laugh at the expense of our society’s most vulnerable.
Theo deserved more.
Readers deserved more.

The Guy on the Right by Kate Stewart
5 stars!!

“Were polar opposites in some ways. Im too country, and hes a whole lot of everything else. We shouldnt fit, but we do, and our fit is nothing short of spectacular.”

One of my favourite books from Kate Stewart is her romantic dramedy, Anything But Minor. Seeing a different side to Kate Stewart’s writing was like a breath of fresh air and after many of her trademark angstathons, she has delivered yet another romantic dramedy winner. I still can’t believe that it eclipsed ABM for me. The Guy on the Right is hilarious, yet has the perfect balance of swoon, hot and I mean hot dances between the sheets, one of the best and hottest first kisses EVER, a little angst, a few tears both in laughter and upset, and one of the best endings. This book had EVERYTHING.

“We made love, as cheesy as it sounds, but there isnt another word for it, not at all. It wasnt sex, and it was far too intimate to be f***ing. Well, maybe the third or fourth time could be considered f***ing. Those were more porn than promise, but neither of us had any objections.”

Theo is one of those heroes that you will champion along from the very beginning. He is not your typical jock, but a man with heart and soul. Brought up with three sisters, this man has women down pat, their behaviour, their temperament, their feisty attitudes and definitely their ways of thinking. The one thing he hasn’t mastered though is his own relationships with women. He thought he had the one, but alas, had his heart trampled and he has been reticent to try again since.

When a chance encounter with Laney happens, the world as Theo knows it is turned on its axis, for the better. Laney is one of my favourite heroines ever. If this woman was a piece of rock, she would have Texas running right through her. She is sassy, she says what she thinks, she is honest to a fault and has absolutely no filter, which only makes her all the more lovable. She works hard and plays harder. Until she met Theo. Laney may have a gypsy heart, but Theo is just the man to give her a reason to plant roots.

“Shes a second look kind of girl. The first look at her is for simple appreciation for the stunner she is. The second look is a realization of what an idiot you were for not looking longer the first time around.”

Theo knows he is batting way above his league, but for these two, it just didn’t matter. They clicked. Friends first, these two just gelled and became the best of friends and seeing this friendship develop was in itself a story. Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and give me an underdog to root for, you can bet that I will be their biggest supporter, but Theo made this a no brainer.

“Were in the middle of the f***ing woods with a rubber slingshot. And dont think for one second I wont toss you in front of me at the first sign of danger, because Im not that guy. You will die first.”

I was championing these two along from the very start, and while Laney usually goes for the bad boys, the fly by nights, like Theo’s roommate, Troy, Laney finally sees the other side and wonders what in the hell took her so long. This is no instalove, it takes time for Laney’s eyes to open and see the perfect specimen in front of her, but the fall, OMG the fall. Kate Stewart delivers BIG STYLE! I had a permagrin while reading this book, had a stitch through laughing and while it isn’t all plain sailing (of course where is the fun in that) the angst that is thrown in was well delivered, tear-inducing and made the make up all the better.

“If Im completely honest, Ive been falling for him in pieces since the night we met. And for the first time since we started the relationship, Im unsure if Im worthy of such a gift. The gift of knowing him, of seeing him this way, of being on this side of his affection.”

The Guy on the Right is the perfect summer read. This book will make you feel good, it will brighten the gloomiest of days and with a nod to the southern women’s bible, Steel Magnolias, there is many a one-liner that will have you crying with laughter in the best way possible. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I absolutely adored this book…would have given more than 5 stars if possible. It’s the first book in a while where I actually cried laughing.

Theo and Laney have both had bad experiences with the opposite sex. Theo found that his girlfriend of 3 years had cheated on him, so had trust issues. Laney on the other hand had literally just dumped her boyfriend the minutes before she met Theo. In fact he heard the phone call. They were both sat in the dark garden, chatting honestly about how they were both swearing off the opposite sex.

When out grocery shopping a few days later Theo hears a familiar voice and realises that its Laney. He decides to approach, but of course she doesn’t recognise him. After introductions they start chatting again and on leaving the store swap numbers deciding to be friends.

They are so different that their friendship shouldn’t work, but it does. They are hilarious together. All the angst they both feel really comes through in the story. I loved them both equally for their differences.

For reference, I’m writing this review at half two in the morning since I just finished this book five minutes ago. That would mean I’ve sacrificed my precious sleep in order to read this book in all of its brilliant glory.

So, I normally only buy ebooks and then purchase the paperback if I love the ebook enough. Welp, that wasn’t the case here. I read the blurb and straight up bought the paperback instead of doing the safety route. I just dove straight in because the blurb reeled me in hardcore. And I have never been more pleased with a purchase. Seriously. This book was everything. It made me wheeze laugh, made me groan with frustration, and made me cry. It’s hard to make me cry unless it’s a darn good book and I’m hella invested. And boy let me tell you, I was invested. I was gripped by the very first page. The writing is flawless, and the story is one I will always remember. I simply don’t have a bad thing to say about it. I’m already nagging those closest to me to buy and read the book. They’re idiots if they dont listen to me, because this has been my favourite read of 2019 thus far.

Sigh. Now what am I going to do with my life? Because I’m currently wallowing in self misery thanks to the hangover this book has given me!

Worth it, though.

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