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bex_bookshelf's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this novel more. It could have a been a great story of falling in love with New York, friendship, and finding the love of your life. I feel like if there was more detail and character development it would have been great! The relationship moved along so fast that I feel like I didn’t get to know the characters.
bookishneverland's review against another edition
1.0
Usually I can push through most books and still be like yeah just not for me. But not only should I have DNF'd the second book I've read in a row.... I actually disliked the characters alot. Immediately, I didn't like Alex. For a book written in 2020, the pick me energy was off the charts. She compared herself to "chic and beautiful women of nyc" almost every single chapter. Sometimes more than once. Michael also was annoying. Idk for someone who really wanted custody of his kid so badly, why isn't this kid with him more?? I was barely able to get past his super misogynistic speech in the beginning.
This didn't do anything for me.
This didn't do anything for me.
thefriscobay's review against another edition
4.0
About the book:
After a brutal breakup, Alex goes on a bit of a bender and wakes up with a nasty hangover, having apparently quit her job in New Zealand to pursue her dreams in New York. She longs to be a writer, to have her parents take her seriously, and to meet someone like in all the romance novels she reads. But in New York, nothing goes as planned. Can Alex piece together a new life from the mess - and will she find love in the city?
TL;DR:
- Quick, cute + steamy. There were a couple bits that I think come from this being a debut, but the writing was snappy and it was a fast read!
- Worth picking up if you like NYC, like a feisty lead, or like steam + swearing
- 3.75 stars
Loved:
- Alex and Michael definitely come off as real people with real flaws. Reality is not picture perfect all the time. These folks had insecurities!
- The chemistry between these two was off the charts good. Like not for the faint of heart good. Do with that what you will
After a brutal breakup, Alex goes on a bit of a bender and wakes up with a nasty hangover, having apparently quit her job in New Zealand to pursue her dreams in New York. She longs to be a writer, to have her parents take her seriously, and to meet someone like in all the romance novels she reads. But in New York, nothing goes as planned. Can Alex piece together a new life from the mess - and will she find love in the city?
TL;DR:
- Quick, cute + steamy. There were a couple bits that I think come from this being a debut, but the writing was snappy and it was a fast read!
- Worth picking up if you like NYC, like a feisty lead, or like steam + swearing
- 3.75 stars
Loved:
- Alex and Michael definitely come off as real people with real flaws. Reality is not picture perfect all the time. These folks had insecurities!
- The chemistry between these two was off the charts good. Like not for the faint of heart good. Do with that what you will
mauryneiberg18's review
3.0
Overall, a pleasant, if somewhat silly story and mostly well written, with a few plot/detail issues. I'd read her next book with the hopes that it will be better. The characters were likable, if a tad too obvious (a common problem with the genre, particularly in self-published romance novels).
The main “conflict” in this book was an obvious false dichotomy. No one could expect a writer to just stay single for a job. She might need to write as a single person and she might not be convincing, but part of being single is dating, so who would really care if all the dates were fictional or with the same person. That bit was just silly
A bigger problem is that this was clearly not written by someone who has lived in New York. Just the use of cabs alone is a tell. And no one who lives in New York would have planned an outing that started in the West Village with a first stop at Grand Central, then to Time Square and THEN to Rockefeller Center? And by cab? You’d spend all day in crosstown traffic! Plus, subway from Time Square to Rockefeller Center causes you to change trains at Grand Central! (Not to mention that no self-respecting New Yorker would want to hang out for fun in Time Square, not even with an out of town guest)
The main “conflict” in this book was an obvious false dichotomy. No one could expect a writer to just stay single for a job. She might need to write as a single person and she might not be convincing, but part of being single is dating, so who would really care if all the dates were fictional or with the same person. That bit was just silly
A bigger problem is that this was clearly not written by someone who has lived in New York. Just the use of cabs alone is a tell. And no one who lives in New York would have planned an outing that started in the West Village with a first stop at Grand Central, then to Time Square and THEN to Rockefeller Center? And by cab? You’d spend all day in crosstown traffic! Plus, subway from Time Square to Rockefeller Center causes you to change trains at Grand Central! (Not to mention that no self-respecting New Yorker would want to hang out for fun in Time Square, not even with an out of town guest)
ohtheplacesyouread's review
3.0
I really loved the first half of this book, but the second half fell short for me. The main character felt so neurotic to me, and the main problem for her seemed way too stupid. The conflict did seem realistic, which I appreciated, but then it felt like the resolution was based on the main character gaslighting herself. I don’t know, maybe it was just bad timing for me? I really liked the other characters and the plot overall, and there were some genuinely funny moments, so I’m going to read the second book and see if I like it better.
donnareadathon2021's review
4.0
The story
Alex’s boyfriend Travis broke up with her on her 30th birthday, and in a drunken haze she has booked a ticket to New York, rented an apartment and is ready to find herself a new life. For this New Zealander from a very small town and her unsupportive parents, this is daunting. When Alex arrives and the apartment is in fact a Starbucks, she bashes into a handsome older guy and spills her coffee over him. In a twist, Michael ends up being her upstairs neighbour and they keep connecting!
My thoughts
Alex is not a perfect character, she fumbles along but coincidences and the “who you know” network works in her favour every time. Her relationship with Michael gets off to a bumpy start but they find common ground and the lust makes it’s way into being fodder for Alex’s romance novel she is writing. I enjoyed this cute read and the New York-y vibe. A few parts to this story require suspension of reality, Michael’s son Henry is very low maintenance
Alex’s boyfriend Travis broke up with her on her 30th birthday, and in a drunken haze she has booked a ticket to New York, rented an apartment and is ready to find herself a new life. For this New Zealander from a very small town and her unsupportive parents, this is daunting. When Alex arrives and the apartment is in fact a Starbucks, she bashes into a handsome older guy and spills her coffee over him. In a twist, Michael ends up being her upstairs neighbour and they keep connecting!
My thoughts
Alex is not a perfect character, she fumbles along but coincidences and the “who you know” network works in her favour every time. Her relationship with Michael gets off to a bumpy start but they find common ground and the lust makes it’s way into being fodder for Alex’s romance novel she is writing. I enjoyed this cute read and the New York-y vibe. A few parts to this story require suspension of reality, Michael’s son Henry is very low maintenance
virgo_reader's review against another edition
1.0
I was super disappointed by this book, maybe because I’ve seen raves about it so I had high expectations / hopes?
From the beginning, I could not stand Alex. I don’t mind an imperfect heroine, but the things that bugged me about her were never fleshed out or given meaning. For example, she gets so drunk she blacks out and completely changes the course of her life - the night before the first page she quits her job, books a plane ticket, and reserves an apartment in New York City. Later in the book she again gets so drunk she blacks out. Over and over again, she’s just an irresponsible person. And it’s never talked about, it’s never discussed, it’s never remedied. In other times, she’s shockingly coherent. So why at these key moments is she such a mess? For the sake of the story? Eh.
I don’t drink and haven’t since 2019 (and before then, since probably… 2014?) so maybe my reaction to binge drinking is harsher but I just thought it wasn’t the cute funny silly moment it was supposed to me.
I feel like anyone with half a braincell will do a Google search before moving to New York. “How much money do you need to move to New York” perhaps. And while Alex was blackout drunk when she made the decision, maybe she could have checked the next day. Or like… any day before leaving. Every part of this story set up was painfully privileged. I understand Alex didn’t have a lot of money but she had enough to get to New York and put that apartment payment down. It kind of felt like she was a romance book version of Axel Webber - that kid on TIkTok who went to New York to live in purposeful poverty. (I hate him, so maybe the resemblance to him made me hate her more.)
This is a single point of view story and I think it’s needed because of the “twist” BUT it really suffers from a lack of emotions. I felt nothing for Alex except disdain, but I don’t think we got to know Michael either. He wrote a book about the Appalachian trail… he wants to be a historical fiction writer… he’s a New York native… he’s divorced… he has a son. Oh, and he’s a total dick sometimes but it’s okay, he’s a lovable grump.
Also, a reason I love single parent romances so much is that we get to see a devoted parent and their partner who learns to fit into their family. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case here. Michael was never shown to be a GOOD dad. Maybe some of the time he was with his mom but every time they were on page together or Henry was mentioned, it was crap. Henry being sent with Michael’s brother to trick or treat. Henry being home early and alone without dinner (wasn’t he a kid?? like under 10? and he’s alone outside a locked apartment??). Michael realizing he has never taken Henry the places he took Alex.
I’ve only been to New York once so I’m not going to pretend to be an expert, and I love a “love letter to New York” story as much as the next person, but this was ridiculous. She fell into a living arrangement with a friend of a friend, who her friend from New Zealand only met once? Fell into a tight group of friends in 3 months? A good job, and a dream job? A romance? AND wrote a book? (AND got it … I don’t think so.
From the beginning, I could not stand Alex. I don’t mind an imperfect heroine, but the things that bugged me about her were never fleshed out or given meaning. For example, she gets so drunk she blacks out and completely changes the course of her life - the night before the first page she quits her job, books a plane ticket, and reserves an apartment in New York City. Later in the book she again gets so drunk she blacks out. Over and over again, she’s just an irresponsible person. And it’s never talked about, it’s never discussed, it’s never remedied. In other times, she’s shockingly coherent. So why at these key moments is she such a mess? For the sake of the story? Eh.
I don’t drink and haven’t since 2019 (and before then, since probably… 2014?) so maybe my reaction to binge drinking is harsher but I just thought it wasn’t the cute funny silly moment it was supposed to me.
I feel like anyone with half a braincell will do a Google search before moving to New York. “How much money do you need to move to New York” perhaps. And while Alex was blackout drunk when she made the decision, maybe she could have checked the next day. Or like… any day before leaving. Every part of this story set up was painfully privileged. I understand Alex didn’t have a lot of money but she had enough to get to New York and put that apartment payment down. It kind of felt like she was a romance book version of Axel Webber - that kid on TIkTok who went to New York to live in purposeful poverty. (I hate him, so maybe the resemblance to him made me hate her more.)
This is a single point of view story and I think it’s needed because of the “twist” BUT it really suffers from a lack of emotions. I felt nothing for Alex except disdain, but I don’t think we got to know Michael either. He wrote a book about the Appalachian trail… he wants to be a historical fiction writer… he’s a New York native… he’s divorced… he has a son. Oh, and he’s a total dick sometimes but it’s okay, he’s a lovable grump.
Also, a reason I love single parent romances so much is that we get to see a devoted parent and their partner who learns to fit into their family. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case here. Michael was never shown to be a GOOD dad. Maybe some of the time he was with his mom but every time they were on page together or Henry was mentioned, it was crap. Henry being sent with Michael’s brother to trick or treat. Henry being home early and alone without dinner (wasn’t he a kid?? like under 10? and he’s alone outside a locked apartment??). Michael realizing he has never taken Henry the places he took Alex.
I’ve only been to New York once so I’m not going to pretend to be an expert, and I love a “love letter to New York” story as much as the next person, but this was ridiculous. She fell into a living arrangement with a friend of a friend, who her friend from New Zealand only met once? Fell into a tight group of friends in 3 months? A good job, and a dream job? A romance? AND wrote a book? (AND got it
Spoiler
picked up by an agent……)doremelodie's review against another edition
3.0
There is not a specific trope. Technically not really enemies to lovers or forced proximity.
maddieriekhof's review
4.0
Great book! Loved the characters and how they grew throughout the novel. Looking forward to more from Jen Morris.