The Guy on the Right by Kate Stewart

The Guy on the Right: The Underdogs, Book 1 by Kate Stewart

Audiobook Narrated by Aaron Landon & Angie Hickman

First Standalone in a Related Series. Romantic Comedy.

*For a quick review, skip to the Down & Dirty*

The Guy on the Right by Kate Stewart is the reason I haven’t done my Best of 2019 list yet. I haven’t had a chance to review it and I needed to make sure I included it because it was only one of only a few 5 star reads last year.

I read it this summer and it came at a time where my whole life was falling apart. The Guy on the Right saved me. It was such a good, happy book to read, I loved every second of it. By the time I went to review it though, I felt like my love of this book wouldn’t show through the way it would have had I reviewed it when it was fresh in my head. So I was re-reading again it when the audiobook came out. Let me tell you, I loved it just as much in audio!!!!

“She’s 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 isn’t the normal romance novel hero. He is a band geek; cute in his own way but doesn’t stand out in a crowd. He is renting rooms in his house to some of the star football players at the school, but he’s the nice guy who cooks breakfast for the parade of one-night-stands that they traipse through the house. When they drag him to a party to rid him of his pesky virginity, after a traumatic experience, he meets Laney.

I absolutely LOVED Laney! She is hysterical, and after the last pretty-boy she dated turned out to be another jerk, she has officially sworn off men.

“I’m turning over a new leaf. I’m done with Batman.”
“What?”
“It’s a syndrome. A type. I’m done.”

Theo (aka Teddy) and Laney first meet and become friends in the dark after she vomits on his shoe. They connected on a fun and friendly level as neither had seen the other. When they meet again, their friendship really takes off. They were so much fun together!

“I’ve most definitely been friend-zoned, or in my case, Teddy’d.”

When Laney enlists Theo’s help with a school social media project, #livingmyrealestlife was born, and I just loved their instagram adventures and hashtags. Laney and Theo were just so real, and you really get to watch their friendship blossom with some really funny moments along the way.

“We’re in the middle of the fucking woods with a rubber slingshot. And don’t think for one second I won’t toss you in front of me at the first sign of danger, because I’m not that guy. You will die first.”

Laney is a wild and fun country girl. Theo is a nerdy and serious Grand Band man. But they work. They work SO. WELL.

“We’re polar opposites. I’m way too country and he’s a whole lot of everything else. We shouldn’t fit, but we do, and our fit is nothing short of spectacular.”

The Guy on the Right was a very slow-burning romance. The friendship was really well developed before it became more, but it was so worth the wait.

“I’m unsure if I’m worthy of such a gift. The gift of knowing him, of seeing him this way, of being on this side of his affection. I might’ve fallen slowly, but I just landed impossibly deep.”

Kate Stewart also did a great job with the supporting characters and I can’t wait to read their stories! I just started The Guy on the Left and it’s shaping up to be just as good!

Likes:

I laughed out loud a number of times.
It was just an all-around feel-good book.
The banter was amazing.
I loved the social media posts and hashtags.
Great secondary characters.
The cover is fun and unique.
The gummy scene is one of my favorite book scenes ever.
Just enough angst to keep it interesting, but not too much.
Amazing character development, I really felt like I got to know both of them.

Dislikes:

I loved every single thing!

The Narration:

Both narrators were new to me and they did a great job! Angie Hickman was perfect for the quirky, spunky Laney with a southern accent, and Aaron Landon fit the part of Theo perfectly. I hope to hear more from this duo.

The Down & Dirty:

The Guy on the Right by Kate Stewart is not only one of my favorite books of 2019, it’s also already one of my favorite audiobooks of 2020. I’m usually not into college-aged romances, but this had everything I love in a book: humor, banter, social media, friendship, great characters, and it just made me feel good. It just had that special something that takes a book from 4.5 stars to 5 for me. Do yourself a favor and grab this one; it’s great whether you read or listen.