Lackluster

Ugh, it pains me to say it, but New Guy is a miss. I can’t remember another Sarina mm story that was so … boring. I almost tapped out with 50 minutes to go because I just didn’t care anymore. New Guy was way too long with way too many unnecessary scenes. And, bizarrely, there were too many critical scenes that happened off page. That Disney vacation where our deeply closeted professional athlete spends two weeks in public with his lover and his lover’s child? Yeah, we don’t experience a single moment of that trip.

There are structural problems, too. Characters appear and disappear at random, whenever it’s convenient for the story. Gavin’s sister? Hudson’s dad? Eustace? When not needed to throw a wrench in the story, off they go, never to be seen again. The Brooklyn organization is hyped up, its inner workings and players described in great detail, and then it’s all basically discarded.

And the MCs? Gavin reads like a doormat and Hudson is so emotionally immature that I have no faith in the sustainability of that “happily ever after” ending. Hudson literally disappears from Gavin’s life multiple times when life gets too difficult for him, and each time, Gavin just stews for a little bit and takes him back, regardless of the emotional trauma inflicted by Hudson. How is that believable? How is that a healthy experience for a child whose father went to work one day and never came home? And don’t get me started on how neither character reads at all like a 25 year old (a 25 year old professional athlete has bursitis? 25 year old jocks drink fancy wine and cook meals in a crock pot?).

Teddy is wonderful, as always. The other narrator sounded significantly older than 25 but was otherwise fine. The story itself is just so disappointing. What a shame.

9 people found this helpful

It's hard to go wrong with Sarina Bowen

Truth be told, I am tired of Hockey stories from Sarina. However, I am not tired of her characters and plots, so I have to deal!

Let's start with the narration.

If you have to deal with dual narration, then this is about as good as it gets. My first exposure to Bowen's work was the Goodbye Paradise/ Hello Forever series that was so lopsided with Teddy Hamilton and the unlistenable Dake Bliss, thankfully the duos could only get better. Nearly as good as this pairing was Teddy and Christian Fox in Understatement of the year. Teddy and Jacob Morgan are very serviceable, probably best in The Best Men. Back to this book, Harding and Hamilton are very capable, and play pretty well off each other. Hamilton is not at Harding's level for women's voices, but he is so far above the norm, that he seems a Jedi master.

The story is very angsty, lots of curveballs and setbacks. I am not usually a fan of young children as a plot driver - Bowen uses the daughter even more aggressively than in The Best Men. But it works here with the addition of the mean grandmother. With Bowen, reviews mainly nitpick what should have been better as she generally creates a solid story. This isn't her best, to be sure, but there is more than enough to satisfy in a tropey world.

My #1 complaint is that Sarina makes both men too young. We're supposed to believe that Hudson is 25 years old, has been a professional hockey player for 5 years, and has been traded 5 times. He mentions more than once that he is feeling too old for this. Gavin is a couple of years younger and a widower raising his adopted daughter. At 23. And he lands a job with a professional hockey team after working at a college for...a few months? He didn't work for a year after his husband's death. As his job would require a degree, how long could he have worked in the field? An unexpected fail for believability. Both men should have been 3-5 years older.

Anther reviewer rightly pointed out that a lot of time is spent setting up the hockey team dynamics, but skips actual scenes later in the story - only alluding to them, ie the trip to California. Gavin is clearly the lesser character, we spend a lot less time with him over the entirety of the story. That isn't necessarily a negative. Bowen clearly focuses on Hudson. I wish there had been more of the story with Gavin and his father, especially later in the book. Lastly, where in the US is the locker room referred to as the dressing room? I do not understand why Bowen uses that term.

Overall, Sarina creates a workable story that does what too many other MM titles cannot do - feels like you're reading about two men. The story flows, at times a bit imperfectly, but the dialogue is good and I don't feel like all she did was change the pronouns from an MF romance. Bowen's lesser works are still better than most of what is out there. I recommend.

1 person found this helpful

NOT MY FAVORITE

First of all I have to say that I'm a huge fan of Sarina Bowen, that being said I have to say I was a little disappointed in 'The New Guy'. I can't really identify what I found wrong with it other than it was just lacking.... in something. To be honest I found it a little boring and skipped through a couple chapters. it read almost like a Lauren Blakely book and I refuse to buy those because every single one of her mm books is repetitive and just used up. it's the same book with a different title every single time. Sarina you are better then this. 'Top Secret', 'Him' series, 'Ivy Years' Hello Goodbye', all wonderful books. I just don't know what happened here. JF Harding who is one of my favorite narrators didn't cut it on this book I don't know what happened there either. Teddy, you were great as usual.

1 person found this helpful

Nothing like a good MM coming out story

Hudson.. a closeted (bi or gay) professional hockey player meets a widowed single father who happens to be the new athletic trainer . One chance meeting a bar aligns their lives . Follow the journey of starting over , protecting parental rights and letting go of a toxic father son relationship . I loved how Sarina wrote such a touching story with lots of funny moments , some sad with medium spice not raunchy. Gavin and Hudson discover truth and love with a guaranteed HEA! Narration Was spot on Love Teddy Hamilton and anything the JF Harding narrates . Check this out you won’t be disappointed

1 person found this helpful

Excellent Narration

The narration on this was A+ as always. The story was well written with engaging characters. You understood their tramas and how that affected their decisions today.
My problem with this story is that I feel like I've heard it before, it didn't totally hit for that reason.
If you've not listened to a lot of hockey or M/M then it will be new and you'll adore it. If this is your go to trope, you may enjoy it but it's not going to bring anything new to you.

1 person found this helpful

I Ate this Book Up. 🥰🤩💔❤️‍🩹💕

Sarina Bowen does it again. I love her writing; all the feels.
She wrote 1 of my all-time favorite series, Him. This book is right at the top with that, and now, I can't wait for book 2 in this series.

The narration was fantastic. Both Teddy Hamilton (my #1 favorite) and J.F. Harding (a top favorite) has me wanting to listen to it again right now!!!

I read/ listen to books to take me away, and SB Journey Train is always one I'll ride on...

My only complaint is I have to wait for book 2 😉

1 person found this helpful

Teddy Hamilton & J. F. Harding = swoon

I usually don’t do audiobooks because I tend to find the manner in which the narrators read cringey most times. Despite this, I do indulge in audiobooks so I can listen at work. Because I only listen at work, I usually purchase books I’ve already read so I can listen without the worry of missing anything since I’m already familiar with the story. I loved The New Guy and decided to add the audiobook to my collection and I’m glad I did. This was a rare instance where I didn’t simply tolerate or like the audiobook, but LOVED it. Teddy Hamilton and J. F. Harding were such great narrators. I hope they’re narrating the rest of the books that’ll be in this series! (and wish they could narrate all the MM books I love for that matter lol)

had me crying at my desk

listened to this in 2 days. coworkers heard me laugh and cry... definitely enjoyed this book.

Great story. Great narration.

I enjoy Sarina Bowen's writing style and both JF Harding's and Teddy Hamilton's narration so this was a must read/listen. This was a lovely story with some sweet moments. If only real life could be handled with such care.

I felt like the situations with both Gavin and Hudson's parents was a bit unresolved. This is a series so maybe something will happen later.

Overall a great read that I will probably listen to again when I need a pick-me-up.

Very Good

This was a good story overall. Alittle slow at times but worth it. Excellent narration.