In a New York Minute (2024)

Franny Doyle was laid off from her job. On her journey back in the subway, her dress was ripped open by the subway doors. She stood half-naked in the subway for some time. A chivalrous person named Hayes Montgomery III gave her his expensive coat to cover her body.

A stranger has been filming them during all this chain of events. Without their permission, he showed the audacity to post the whole event on the internet. Their video went viral, and they became social media sensations overnight.

The author tries to tell the problems with social media where the majority doesn't respect strangers' privacy. She perfectly depicts how strangers draw a narrative out of nothing and celebrate it online.

Franny and Hayes accidentally meet again, that in turn paves the way for a romantic relationship between them. What will happen to the relationship between Fanny and Hayes and how social media and friends react to it forms the crux of this story.

What I learned from this book
1) The magic of New York City.
There are many novels set in the big apple. Some focus on the positive aspects of it, while others focus on the dark side of it. Positive or negative, NYC always plays a character in most of these novels.

The author beautifully describes about the city and the people living in it in this book.

"When you live in New York City, there's a magical feeling you get whenever you run up the steps out of the subway, spin through a revolving door out of your office building at the end of a long day, push open a window to let in the spring scent of blossoms. There's a split second where the city hits you, greets you, slobbers a kiss on your face like a puppy. It's a jolt, and a shock, and then you move on. But there's a part of you, somewhere, that marvels at it every time.."

2) Managing downsizing by means of layoffs.
Layoffs are one of the biggest problems everybody is facing in the MNCs. The author tries to discuss the causes of layoffs and how they affect the lives of people and their families.

"No one imagines that the super successful interior design start-up they work for—you know, the one that had a massive hiring blitz four years ago, keeps fridges full of organic cold-pressed juices, has beanbag chairs in all the conference rooms, and hosts weekly rooftop happy hours—will lay off half their staff in a matter of forty-five minutes."

3) What is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be, as if you are a fraud. It usually happens to high achieving people who find it difficult to accept their achievements. According to one study, the majority (around 75%) of females working in the corporate sector sadly experience imposter syndrome.

"I hated the mix of imposter syndrome and fear of letting people down that was churning inside me."

My favourite three lines from this book

“I should have known that when you’re working for a company that promises to “disrupt” things, they might just mean your life.”

"That dichotomy is New York to me in a nutshell. Everything changes and somehow it still stays the same."

“Sometimes self-doubt was an easier path to take than blind confidence.”

What could have been better?
The author was not able to properly flesh out the central characters. She was not able to convincingly explain the reason for the banter between Franny and Hayes in the initial part of this novel.

Rating
3/5 If you are looking for a love story set in the backdrop of the New York City, this book will be a decent choice.

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Welp, I'm sorry to say this wasn't at all the fun swoony romp that I thought it had potential to be. I only really requested this because I had seen mutuals review it early and really enjoy it so I am very likely to be an outlier on this one.

What I appreciated most about this story was the dialogue around the trend of posting photos or videos of people without their consent and creating a narrative out of it. A narrative that, sure, maybe is often right but so often can be wrong. And that's what happens in IN A NEW YORK MINUTE. What looks to be a meet-cute of epic flirty proportions is nothing more than a terrible sequence of events happening to one individual and another individual stepping in to do the bare minimum and help. But with their viral moment, these two strangers end up reconnecting and, through the magic of New York and also fiction (fate?), end up running into each other again and again.

This is your typical opposites-attract romance but I hesitate to call it grumpy/sunshine; mostly because we're told Hayes is grumpy and stern and remote all the time and yet we never actually see it. But that's kind of the limit of his personality beyond being successful and fit. Except we're told by his bestie that he's kind and generous and all these other things, too, so that we know he's a good guy. But shouldn't we only see that when he interacts with his love interest? So we're surprised instead of.. well.. unsurprised by his "uncharacteristic" behaviour? But hey, what do I know. He does date a lot of blondes though. Franny, however, is your usual klutzy but charming artistic soul with baggage. She has slightly more personality but that could just be because she's poor and constantly struggling and so is having to constantly ping pong off one conflict to the next. But she's brunette! And thus the opposites they do attract.

Beyond the whole social media angle, the only other thing I liked about this was how the connections between these two played out and thus how their slow-burn relationship built. I didn't feel the connection (nor did I like the writing so that was a double fail) but I appreciate what the author tried to do.

About said writing, though. We are told over and over about.. literally everything. Franny's origins. Hayes' dysfunction with social niceties and how he's grumpy (though other than the former we hardly ever see it and he's constantly more social or able to laugh and get along with everyone than he is not). How eco-conscious everyone is about everything (it was less inspiring and more annoying because it felt shoehorned in for no reason) even while all these big brand name or luxury item references were constantly sprinkled throughout; I'm sure you can do, and have, both but it just felt weird. The fact that we had like two solid chapters in the beginning dedicated to characters not being able to comprehend that a man gave a woman his jacket. I felt like I was having a stroke because I didn't understand the hang ups. And don't even get me started on the third act conflict. Also, there were also a few minor inconsistencies but it's an ARC so I'll allow it, assuming it's cleaned up before release.

But just, overall, this was really underwhelming. This has all the elements I think most people will enjoy but it'll really depend on how the execution works for each reader. For me? It didn't.

** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.

There is the meet-cute and there is a meet-while-my-dress-is-being-ripped-off-my-body-cute!

Ever have one of those days, where nothing seems to go your way? Franny Doyle has been laid off from her job, the subway door ripped off her dress and it is all caught on video. Sure, Hayes Montgomery III gave her his jacket to cover up with but everybody and their brother have already seen. Then to top it off, she and Hayes have unwittingly become social media sensations. But it is not as if they are going to meet again.

Do opposites attract? Fannie is social, talkative, and witty. Hayes is shy, serious, and analytical. Then there is the fact that they seem to keep bumping into each other.

This was a fun light read which made my drives in the car more enjoyable. I enjoyed their banter and fun interactions. If you are looking for a fun meet-cute with NYC as the backdrop, look no further. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed both narrators.

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Forever and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com

Now this. This was the easy breezy beautiful rom-com that I’ve been looking for! It’s basically a social-media influenced love story, sparked by a halfway naked meet-cute in a subway, all wrapped up in a love letter to New York.

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer
Contemporary romance, romantic comedy.
Franny isn’t having a very good day. First she gets laid off and then on the way home, her dress gets stuck in the subway train doors and rips down the back. A stranger comes to her rescue and offers his suit jacket. A news show gets them back together after a stranger filmed them and posted them as Subway QT’s. A chance encounter becomes more.

I loved this romance. Adorable.
That feeling of anticipation, of excitement, of what may be was prevalent throughout the story. Possibilities.
The city of New York takes on its own character with specific locations around Brooklyn, and Manhattan. The writing put a rosy glow on the city that makes me want to visit again.
Enticing and exciting all around.

Excerpt (to be checked at publication):
“We were two strangers from different corners of the city, who were not meant to meet, much less enjoy each other’s company. But that had all changed, and somehow I’d missed the moment things shifted. And now it was too late: I was stuck liking him, and I couldn’t shake it.”
Excerpt from In A New York Minute by Kate Spencer

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

I'm so sad I didn't like this one. I can see what people will like about it, and I'm definitely going to be in the minority here, but it was just sadly a big miss for me. I went into it thinking I was going to love it, and I did love how it started. The whole set-up was great, and I could see myself starting to like the characters. Unfortunately, it just fell flat for me after that.

I didn't feel any momentum with the storyline and plot, so there was nothing to grab onto me to keep me reading. I can't say it was one specific thing about the book that caused me to not like it, I just got bored. I skimmed a lot, particularly the second half, looking desperately for something to pull me in. But it never happened.

In the end, to me this book just kind of feels like what someone would write if they had never read a romance, but woke up one day, sat at their computer and said 'I want to write a rom-com.' and yet, they still never picked up a romance book. It is not easy to write a compelling and interesting romantic comedy, and I think it takes more work than some writers think. The quality of writing was okay. I think I was expecting it to be better because the author has written a non-fiction book before. Yes, non-fiction and fiction are different, but I don't know. I was just expecting it to be more compelling.

ugh, I feel bad now. Like that was harsh... Anyways, as always, just because a book wasn't for me, doesn't mean it won't be for you!

I received an advanced copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolute freaking delight! This is a romcom about a woman who has a viral meet cute with a stranger on the subway on one of the worst days of her life. After fate (and New York City) keep bringing the two together, she realizes that their social media 'shippers might not have been off base. This was light, fun, and had a lot of fun flirtation. Around halfway through I started getting sad that this book would inevitably have to end, which is a definite sign of a good book! The book is marketed as a "love letter to New York City" and it delivered (can vouch as a current NYC resident). I also adored the friendship storyline between Franny and her two best friends.

Ever walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and had pizza at Grimaldis? That is one of my favorite tourist memories from NYC and I really loved having Franny and Hayes do just that at one point in the book. Their viral minute on the subway was a timely slice of our social media culture. Subway QTs! While I really liked the setting, the plot seemed a bit clunky. Sorry to say this book is not at the top of my list when I think of books with NYC settings. It was not a good match for me, but I am sure others will love it more than I did.

Thank you to Grand Central and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Way too dissapointed with this. Expected it to be a nice romcom, but was bored after some initial chapters.

Things I liked:

🧡 The premise: A somewhat enemies to lovers romcom set in New York. With such a cute meet cute!

🧡 The cover: I still believe if the cover wasn't that good, I would've been less dissapointed...

🧡 Friendships: They were nice. Not one of the top but still, better than some books.

Things I wasn't impressed with:

⚫ Nothing was funny, except the meet cute: I didn't fully laugh at any point, weakest link of the book.

⚫ The side plot is not interesting: The side plot didn't work for me. It was boring for both male and female leads.

A Nora Ephron romp for the modern age, IN A NEW YORK MINUTE serves up a subway meet cute that goes viral before it goes very wrong—and then delivers an absorbing, heart-achingly good HEA. With characters so boisterous and loyal you’ll want to send them cards on their birthdays (and bagels, lots of bagels), and a stoic, fumbling, romantic dream of a hero, Kate Spencer’s novel is a sparkling delight about found and chosen family, being brave even in the tiny moments, and the rewards we can reap when we put our authentic selves out there. What a sweet, hilarious treat.

i would rather relive my oxford university rejection experience than read that again

5 stars.
Super fofinha, divertida. Uma leitura leve, mas que nos enche o coração.
O dia de Franny não podia ficar melhor, foi despedida e o vestido rasgou-se no metro.
Felizmente, existem cavalheiros.
Hayes aparece para salvar o dia, com o seu casaco Armani.

Como vivemos num mundo moderno, o gesto de Hayes não passa despercebido e sem darem por isso, a situação está espalhada em todas as redes sociais, sendo considerados o casal da linha Q.

Hayes, apesar de sexy, socialmente é inapto, ou pelo menos na presença de Franny e quando são convidados para uma entrevista, o resultado é desastroso.


No entanto, uma série de coincidências continua a juntá-los, isso e uma das melhores amigas de Franny começar a sair com a prima de Hayes, que se conheceram na casa de banho quando os acompanharam à entrevista.
Surge uma amizade, um gosto pela companhia um do outro.
Muitos passeios por New York...

O personagem de Hayes desenvolve-se imenso e torna-se bastante querido.
Franny, por seu lado, assusta-se e termina tudo.
Uma série de twists & turns.

Será que vão conseguir?
A perseverança de Hayes será suficiente?

I’ve reached that critical point in my adult reading where I can not tolerate reading the words barf, snot, pooping, peeing, and butt in the first 30 pages of a book.

3.5 stars

This book started out so fun! Francesca isn't having a great day... after getting laid off from her job she meets Hayes on the subway. Their meet-cute was definitely unique and I smiled a lot through the first part of this book.

I think the hero won't be for everyone, but he was actually my favorite part of the book. I enjoyed that they became friends but the longer they went through the book not together, the more my interest started to fade. I did enjoy the writing and I'll check out more from Kate Spencer in the future! A strong debut.

Boomer test! If you saw this title and instantly started singing . . . .

Then you too are officially not young.

My ability to read romance novels seems to be on the fritz recently and sadly for this new release, it wasn’t an exception to the rule. Despite having a pretty decent meet/cute moment, the majority of my notes include things like “eye roll!!!!!” after reading . . . .

I caught a whiff of his scent lingering on the collar. Apparently, this man’s neck smelled like an afternoon spent with old books stacked on wooden shelves as icy rain cracked against the window, with hints of spicy pine and a fireplace that roared with hot flames and flickering coals. It was heady and decadent, steady and dark.

And “NOPE!” after reading . . . .

wiping my mouth with the paper napkin that I’d tucked into the collar of my shirt

Or “please no daddy issues” after reading . . . .

My stomach churned at the thought of digging into my ancestry. There were some things we just didn’t talk about in my family, the main one being my birth father.

Or “ummmmm wrong that’s f*cking ridiculous it’s we go together” after . . . .

“Do you know any of the songs at least?” I asked, truly horrified. “Something something summer romance, something something at the high school dance?” he guessed, shimmying slightly in his seat, dancing along to a totally botched attempt at “Summer Nights.”

And “oh, f*ck off” after . . . .

“You mean we’re not watching Sixteen Candles?” I placed a chaste kiss on the edge of her neck, where it sloped up to meet her chin. “I mean, that movie is wildly problematic by today’s standards, so hell, no.”

And “soooo dummmmmmbbbbb” after . . . .

Also I broke up with Hayes last night even though we were only together for like 24 hours. It was bad.

Or “this is so not comparable to Nora Ephron” throughout pretty much the entire thing.

The meet-cute was fantastic and why I wanted to read this story, but the Romance had so many ridiculous obstacles I was hate-reading by the end.

This had such potential. Young twenty -something interior designer Franny was just laid off and is miserably carrying her box of office things back home when her dress is caught on the subway doors and ripped open in the back. Then Hayes Montgomery the third, good-looking and nice-suit-wearing, comes to her rescue with his suit jacket. Things would have ended there if not for a observer who photographed the incident on Instagram stories and it went viral.

Great set up and great hints of chemistry and compatibility between Franny and Hayes. And then of course they keep running into each other and being awkward, etc, and eventually Hayes' firm hires Franny for its new offices. I also enjoyed that the chapters alternate from the POV of Franny, then Hayes, and back again.

But after a point, I'd say midway, the story seems to stall in terms of plot and the Romance gets tripped up with just....things that don't make sense. Here's where I will talk spoilers, look away if not interested.

.......

My language gets spicy too, ok.

.....

Ok. So first Hayes dates a woman he's not really into, and ends up breaking it off and showing an interest in Franny. But Franny goes cold because she's intimidated by his short relationship with this other woman. Fine. Then Hayes waits until she has finished her job with his firm to ask her out, follows her on to the street to do it, and ...chickens out? But then Franny kisses him! Then next day she tells him she wants to keep it professional! Then they get tricked to dinner together by friends and hit it off again and are together! But no, Franny's mom has a heart attack and Franny breaks it off...because Hayes is treating her as a priority?! And then doesn't respond to Hayes' calls or texts for MONTHS. But then Hayes STILL wants to talk to her? So contacts her friends and she comes and apologizes and says she LOVES HIM. But he is tongue tied and doesn't know what to say right away and so she takes this as rejection and RUNS AWAY. Therefore, Hayes, super private guy, GOES ON TV TO TELL HER HE LOVES HER and they get back together. It's very wtf I hate all of this because it is so stupid.

This back and forth got more and more ridiculous as the book went on. Why the f*ck is Franny especially, an idiot? And why would anyone want to still be with someone after they meanly broke up with them, didn't respond to calls/texts, and then the apology is they were an asshole and there is NO real reason that makes sense for that behavior? And why, would someone, treated so crappily and then apologized to with a "I love you" and you don't have to say it back, but apparently you do because she's running away since you didn't, why would someone like that deserve for you to go the nuclear option and declare your love on TV even though you are super private and shy? How does this make any sense?

If it was a physical book I'd be flinging it across the room, but I read it in ebook format. Ugh so much potential wasted. The 2 stars are for decent writing and the meet cute. Everything else was a dumpster fire.

This rom-com had so much to love. I think my favorite part was the friendships between Franny, Lola, and Cleo and between Hayes and Eleanor. This “meet cute” was a total cringeworthy disaster when Franny after being laid off has the subway rip her entire dress down the back. Hayes offers her his stylish suit jacket and they are awkward until he leaves and they think that’s the end. Luckily another passenger instagrammed the whole thing even giving them a cheesy nickname. Overall I enjoyed this one but I did think it was a little too slow burn for me. I also really didn’t like the traditional dramatic barrier to their relationship and felt like it didn’t fit for me.

THE CUTENESS!!!
The meet-cute— no spoiler to be found here, read the book!— in this story and the author truly engaging voice made it near impossible to put the book down!
The most endearing mess of a woman finds herself entangled repeatedly with her total opposite made of the sternest stuff in a series of random meetings through a movie worthy New-York setting.

Add to this a wholesome supporting cast, best friends, family, quality witty banter, an alluring portrayal of New York: this adorable and lighthearted story was essentially an ode to friendship and happenstance.

In A New York Minute was solid quality rom-com.
As a rom-com, the love theme is definitely there but the slow burn romance between Franny and Hayes was too much on the light side for me, the focus was clearly given to both love interests singularities and introspection than their burning want for each other. I loved both characters but their contemplative prospect about one another was damn near infuriating. I'm so thankful for their respective pushy friends.

The lack of steam was fine in the end, except that I somehow realize I need the steam outlet of genre romance (yes, the banging) to get truly satisfied (I said what I said). The few times anything remotely sexual was happening in the book it was merely mentioned in passing, for example, the heroine would think about how the hero's touch at the small of her back "felt so wildly erotic, like having his hand between her legs". So characters had fleeting dirty thoughts but nothing more on the pages. What kind of literary edging torment is this?
Franny and Hayes do get between the sheets but on page it's all very polite, rom-com-ish, I guess. Not exactly fade to black but nothing that would make it awkward if you were watching that lovemaking scene on tv with your parents.

I realized halfway through my reading that it wouldn't reach the steam levels my romance reader-self craves but the charming characters, the burgeoning romance, the humor, the scenery and the inviting voice of the author made it more than worth my while. Satisfying even.

I will only regret the bit of drama of the inevitable third act conflict. I realize romance fiction warrants some fantasy but sometimes I struggle to turn off my cynicism and it's a whole lot of stupid grand gestures. I don't want to unnecessarily reveal what happened but the micro time jumps and the following "grand gesture" from Hayes was over the top ridicule to me. I would have been perfectly content with a simple ILY back.

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The stakes are low, the early conflict is minor, and there are no triggers as far as I can tell. There are wonderful friendships, passionate speeches, and meets that are abundantly cute. The only downside is that there’s not a lot thrusting the plot forward. The enemies part of the enemies-to-lovers trope isn’t particularly lengthy or vehement. Still, In A New York Minute has a lovely premise and it makes for good-clean-fun reading.

My full review of In A New York Minute is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.

In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute
Things can get pretty strange
In a New York minute
Everything can change
In a New York minute
Don Henley, The End of the Innocence, 1989

Can you meet your match on a New York Subway? The answer to that question can be found in In A New York Minute by Kate Spencer, a seriously fun, flirty, rom-com that is not to be missed!

On the worst, most embarrassing day of her life, Hayes came to Franny’s rescue. Thereafter, her humiliation is posted all over the internet for everyone to see where Hayes and Franny become known as #SubwayQTs.

Their Meet Cute Becomes In-Famous! How about them apples?! It doesn’t get much cuter than this!

Light, sweet, smart, and funny! In A New York Minute captured my attention from the get-go and it’ll capture yours too!

Fabulous well-written characters, witty, sarcastic, banter, and chemistry to boot? What’s not to love?!

If you’re in the mood for something light and sweet, this book fits the bill.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever / Grand Central Publishing, and Kate Spencer for the arc.

Now that's what we call a romantic comedy, folks! I know I'm not alone in lamenting the use of "rom-com" to describe any and every book that is simply contemporary romance. So, it's a pleasure to read a book that actually reminds you of classic rom-com movies. Kate Spencer's debut is a charmer and I have no doubt it's going to be a hit with romance readers.

In A New York Minute opens up with Franny not only losing her job but also ripping the back of her dress in the subway - the way I SCREAMED in embarrassment at this!! Luckily for Franny, a handsome stranger comes to her rescue and gives her his suit jacket. Talk about a meet-cute, eh? Their whole interaction is filmed and posted to social media where it goes viral. When they meet again, it's on a talk show to discuss their newfound fame and their ship status. Things don't quite go as planned when Hayes ends up making an accidentally rude comment. The two leave thinking they'll never see again each other but as fate has something different in store for them. *insert GIF of me sighing in sappy feels*

Both Franny and Hayes are lovely characters. I truly enjoyed both of their personalities and thought they fit really well together. Franny is a hoot. She's got a bubbly persona and knew how to bring sunshine into any room with her outgoing nature. She could be a tad dramatic at times, but I gotta admit that related hard to that. Franny was all positive vibes and I thought she was a darling! Hayes, on the other hand, was the opposite. He's on the quieter more awkward side, but that's what made him so endearing - he just needed Franny to bring him out of his shell. He's a gentleman with a heart of gold and truly, the perfect rom-com hero.

In A New York Minute delivers on a slow-burn romance (AND I'M TALKING SLOW LIKE THE ZOOTOPIA SLOTH) and I absolutely loved that! We see Franny and Hayes overcome the misunderstanding between them and then work towards becoming friends. The progression of their relationship made a lot of sense to me but I could also be biased because I'm trash for a good slow-burn romance. At one point, we actually get to see Hayes date someone else and surprisingly, it didn't bother me. Ultimately, that short-lived relationship of his only served to bring him closer to Franny.

Lots of hype for this but deeply mediocre. A few things in particular that drove me nuts:

1) This is yet another contemporary rom com where the heroine's quirks are actually just inconsistent and immature character beats (she's confident and that's why he's attracted to her, but then she's super insecure and won't speak up about her feelings; she is financially insecure after losing her job but shops at the farmers market and buys herself diamond earrings, etc.). In particular, this is yet another book where the third act "fight" is entirely out of nowhere (conflict for the sake of separating the principals, I guess), is entirely her own fault and yet she makes no move to fix the situation and he's just such a good guy he's patient about it (the book suggests he emails and texts her for months and she doesn't respond, but she's also pining for him and also he never says f*ck this and moves on?). There's nothing in the way the fight plays out or resolves that convinces you it wouldn't just happen again.

2) Pretty sexless. At a certain point, two healthy single adults who are attracted to each other will act on that attraction and there was sooooo much delay. And almost from the moment their physical relationship commenced, they were content to drink tea and read the paper. Like yes, that's nice, but also, rip each other's clothes off!

3) Weird Italian essentialism and genetic determinism? Like, ah, my Italian-a genetics-a are-a what-a make-a me-a artsy and dissatisfied with Connecticut? And telling your new-found half-sister that she'll understand your romantic problems because Italians are good at love? The WASP-y perspective of the author was ickily inescapable and weird.

4) I find one instance of "I didn't wait around literally 30 seconds to let the other person respond to my declaration of feelings" trying (like, grow the f*ck up, and also if you care, wait and *try*), but there are at least two instances of this and that's inexcusable. It's bad plotting: separation/misunderstanding for the sake of delaying the plot and cheaply raising stakes.

5) The book keeps telling us that these two characters are funny and have spicy chemistry but the writing is just not up the task of delivering laughs or heat.

2.5 stars. The premise of In a New York Minute sounded so cute, but unfortunately it largely fell flat for me. I enjoyed the characters well enough but I felt like I didn’t really feel their connection, but just was told about it. They were unable to honestly communicate with each other to the point where I was getting annoyed at the lack of maturity. I felt like the middle of the book moved slowly and I found myself bored in places. The conflict felt unnecessary, out of character, and over the top, and it all just fell flat for me.

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer was exactly what I wanted from a romantic comedy. This slow-burn romance, with equally awkward main characters, was a delight to read.

Franny Doyle has just been let go from her designer job in New York City due to downsizing. On her way home from work, during one of the most embarrassing moments of her life, she meets a man who helps her on the subway.

Hayes Montgomery III is just trying to do the right thing when he helps a woman on the subway. He doesn’t think much about the incident until a video of their interaction shows up online and goes viral.

Franny is artistic, and a dreamer, whereas Hayes is in finance and he’s all about logic and numbers. When Franny and Hayes run into each other several more times, is it fate? Or coincidence.

In a New York Minute is more than a romance, and although I loved the romance, I equally loved Franny’s friends and their relationships. It reminded me of an updated Sex and the City vibe. They were always there for each other and they also provided some humor. When New York is part of the title of a book, I expect the city to be prominent in the story, and In a New York Minute, we get to explore the city through the eyes of the characters and I loved it.

Both Franny and Hayes are adorable, and a bit awkward in their own way. These totally relatable characters take their time to get together, but when they ultimately figure out they are made for each other, it’s wonderful to watch.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and reading about friendships. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Gosh! In New York Minute is s7ch delightful read. I love it. Miss Spencer done a great job building New York with all it's glory and bustle.
I love the chemistry between the characters. Their connection is sweet and fun.

I am surprise to see how little fanfare this book received. It has more than 10k reviewers.

Wonderful book.

4 stars

My sincere apologies to any reader who loved this book, and clicked on this review either by accident or from curiosity about how anyone could think badly of it. I’m not apologising for my negative review, so much as for the fact that I knew from page five that it would be a negative review, and instead of closing the Kindle sample I purchased the book, continued reading, and proceeded to spend quite a lot of my one wild and precious live composing this screed about its badness. In other words, I knowingly and actively hate-read it, and all I can say in my own justification is that I do enjoy a good hate-read. It’s perverse and twisted, but it is a fact.

To clarify, I’m not a total masoch*st. I start every romance novel hoping it’s my next The Blue Castle. Whether the vast quantities of novels that fail to clear that bar is about me, or about the romance publishing industry, I leave it to history to decide.

Back to that fifth page. This is what I read on page five:

‘No one dares to consider that the venture-capitalist money that had poured in, so much endless cash that it had instilled an overblown sense of possibility and security and allowed the twenty- six-year-old founder to increase staff from twenty-seven to seventy-four people over just the last year (and buy a cherry-red Maserati along the way), would be mismanaged by the team at the top, and totally gone, just like that. At least, I didn’t.’

This is the voice of the female lead, Franny. The book is written in the first person, from two perspectives, the male and female leads, because of course it is. God forbid we allow for any uncertainty or mystery or intrigue such as is gained from the third f*cking person, or being kept in the dark about at least one character’s every unreconstructed thought process.

This heroine, Franny, is presumably someone I’m supposed to root for or empathise with or, ideally, both. Yet here she is, telling me that when a venture-capital funded interior design start-up has catastrophically failed this came as a huge surprise to her. I’m sorry, did you just arrive on the planet? And it’s not like she works in IT or HR or something – she’s in the creative department, of interior designers. So you might imagine she’d realise that interior design – generally an enterprise undertaken by reputable individuals, because it’s a very individual career – isn’t amenable to an app-based start up. I know that, and I don’t work in tech, start-ups, New York, or interior design. I also know that VC money is entirely insane and that the Zuckerbergian anti-labour philosophy of ‘creative disruption’ stands only for dangerous deregulation. If I know this, why doesn’t this character, who works in it?!

Throughout the book, the author demonstrates the same blithe disregard for, like, reality, in Franny and many other characters. One interchangeable best friend character is into astrology, but in a serious way where she uses star charts to plan her holidays and sh*t. That’s not quirky, that’s concerning. Franny and said identikit pals also subscribe to a DNA testing kit, which proves pivotal to a very boringly-executed subplot about Franny’s birth family that is only enlivened by the fact that not one single one of them realises they’ve signed away crucial medical data and rights to same to the same brand of lunatic VC start-up bros that tanked Franny’s job on page five. Good luck getting health insurance in the non-socialised medicine hellscape of America in twenty years, Franny and Co.!

The writing in this novel, on a sentence-level, is barely passable. That memo about breaking up dialogue with small action beats sure has been making the rounds, and Spencer took notes. Unfortunately, they were all the same note: have people eat and talk at the same time in every passage of dialogue. I dunno about America, but where I come from, that sh*t is bad manners.

‘“Of course not,” Hayes said between sips.’

‘Perrine said the words through a mouthful of lettuce.’

Perrine is always eating f*cking lettuce. It’s very important that you know that, because it comes up a lot.

Spencer is also unclear about what verbs do, i.e., convey meaning.

‘shuffled into the bathroom’

Was the sex that bad?!

‘I promise you it’s worth the walk to Court Street for these bagels,” I said as we trudged down’

Wow, you really don’t want to be on this date … huh?

‘I tossed my giant binder outlining our launch party on Eleanor’s desk.’

Rude.

Except, in these scenes, Franny is a) blissfully post-coital, b) really enjoying a date with Hayes, and c) excited to show Eleanor her plans. The words. Are. Wrong.

‘Adelphi and Willoughby, a buzzed- about new restaurant in Brooklyn.’

What is this grammar, please?

The writing also makes ample use of a particular hate-trend of mine, which is having characters voice their every thought about everything in a subpar version of modernist stream-of-consciousness narrative. (Note, I don’t like that either, but at least it’s an active style choice.) Before I give an example, I’ll note that this crime is not exclusive to Kate Spencer, but just like the interminable first person POV it seems to have taken hold of the romance genre with the explicit desire to strip-mine it of all subtlety and nuance.

‘What had Perrine called it when she’d cut her hair short a few years ago? A bob? The first thought that had popped into my mind when I’d turned and seen the woman frantically wrestling with her dress was how my hands would fit perfectly in her curls. I shook my head to get the thought out of my brain, did a few neck rolls to loosen the tension that had settled there. Everything about today was just off.’

How much more interesting would this story be if I didn’t know from the off that both Franny and Hayes had insta-attraction to each other that only grows with each interaction and isn’t spoiled by learning any new information about the other? Exponentially, that’s how much.

Also, Spencer is playing Representation Bingo with her otherwise undeveloped, plotless side-characters, and I think she won.

‘“I’m pretty sure I know my results already,” Cleo said with a scoff. Both sets of her grandparents had emigrated from Korea. “And I’m going to be, like ninety- nine percent Ashkenazi,” Lola said, laughing. “But you never know! One of my interns found a whole set of cousins they didn’t know about.”’

‘Born in Hong Kong and raised in the UK before moving to the States for college, Henry oozed worldly sophistication without an ounce of douchebaggery. He was a real unicorn.’

The tremendous, unaccountable love Franny has for her faultless friends is possibly admirable, but in fact I found it grating, and also lazy. It’s super convenient that a lawyer and a … social media socialite question mark, can always be available, supportive, and cheerful while Franny spills beverages on multiple items of clothing and thinks she’s Quirky O’Clock when she’s on the slow train to Conventionalville. Hayes and his cousin and his ‘work wife’ (ugh) are no better. It really saves Spencer from having to, you know, write them a story or develop an interaction. I wouldn’t want her to get a cramp in her hands, I mean, it must be hard enough justifying why the lead characters plague their friends with dull tales of their minor romantic woes just after hearing pregnancy announcements or news of engagements, without actually having to write it.

‘Lola looked like a sex bomb. But she always looked like a sex bomb, even when she was on my couch in her NYU sweats and streaky day- old mascara, inhaling a Gatorade and an egg- and- cheese on a bagel after a raging night out.’

Ugh.

‘She was decked out in a black silk jumpsuit and sky- high black clogs, but the simplicity of it all made her seem incredibly fancy. In one hand, she held a bag of crackers; a tote bag dangled from the other. I wanted to be her best friend, and I didn’t even know her. “Eleanor Lewis,” she said, bright and self-possessed.’

Double ugh.

‘“Yes, that Franny. As opposed to all the other Frannys we both know.” I don’t think I’d ever met someone more sarcastic, and being on the receiving end was slightly terrifying and also weirdly enjoyable at the same time.’

DO Americans know what sarcasm IS? Asking for a friend.

In the Big Gesture scene, Hayes does an engagement party speech for Perrine and makes it all about himself, which is supreme, and quotes a film he watched with Franny called Moonlighting.

‘I searched again for Franny in the crowd as I talked, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. “Nicolas Cage’s character says, ‘Love doesn’t make things nice— it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren’t here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us.’ Well, you, Perrine and Lola, are as close to perfect as one couple could get. So let’s all raise a glass to love, as messy and imperfect as it can be.”’

Except that’s a flat-out contradiction? On the one hand he's saying love is imperfect - true - and on the other he's saying Perrine and Lola are perfect? Why use a quote about the imperfectability of love, then, you moron?

I’ll close on what I think is the line I most despised in a book composed almost entirely of lines I despised:

‘“That’s what everyone thinks, but [interior design is] about more than just decorating. It’s about creating experiences. Capturing and expressing and inspiring emotions within an environment.”

Excuse me, I wish to quit this universe with immediate effect.

I was thinking while I was listening that In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer wasn't living up to the hype it was getting, but the last part totally made up for the way I was feeling! I thought that book was off to a great start with Franny getting laid off, and then the not really meet cute, but then the middle kind of lost me a bit before the end brought me back. I really enjoyed Franny and Hayes as characters, and I was glad the story was told from both of their perspectives. The New York City setting was fun as well, although not as much of a character as I thought it would be based on what I had heard. I loved the banter between Franny and her friends who were such fun people, and the banter between Franny and Hayes was of course adorable.

I also thought the audiobook was a little odd and I'm not entirely sure how I felt about Amanda Dolan & Neil Hellegers as narrators. Their narration felt weirdly slow and then fast in places, and I wasn't fully sold on them for their characters. I think a better experience would be reading In a New York Minute, and I loved the illustrations in the physical copy. I saw an event with Spencer, and she seemed like such a sweet person, and I really enjoyed her writing style. This is a solid debut, and the end was so sweet I couldn't even stand it. I would have liked a bit more angst between the MC's but overall, I would definitely recommend this to romcom lovers.

Shut the door! In a New York Minute is simply laugh out loud funny! It has all the elements that a romantic comedy should have — fun characters and funny moments. The characters of Franny, Hayes and the rest of the players are witty and entertaining — with just enough snarkiness to make you smile.

The story unfolds from Franny and Hayes’ points of view. It’s an inventive technique to incorporate a male’s perspective as I got to read about the budding romance from not only Franny’s view but Hayes’ view as well.

The narrative is smooth and transitions nicely between Franny and Hayes. The pace is casual with a few “oh no!” or “this can’t be happening!” moments.

Overall, In a New York Minute is a rom-com not to be missed. It is clearly the best rom-com that I’ve read so far. Five outstanding stars.

I received a digital ARC from Forever (GCP) through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Friends, I don't know about you, but for me there is a whole bunch of books that were almost too short to be included in the "count for the year" so I have saved them to post at the end of the year. A few novellas, short audios. I think had it not been November 28th, I would have put this one in that group. After all, I read this one on Apple Books on my phone. In Starbucks or in the car, or at my office. On line, waiting for my drink. But I have already surpassed my books for the year, so I am going with it.

Its cute, its sweet, its sappy and formulaic. Its not high brow literature by any stretch. Absolutely not a must read or not to be missed but it was enjoyable for sure. If there was a trope to be taken, its in there kitchen sink style. Think Hallmark or afterschool special. The one thing I would say that completely redeemed the book is, that I really liked the main two lead characters. I also appreciated their dialogue, and the awkwardness of the dashing male lead was charming. I liked reading his voice. Franny however, was smart as a whip. She was sassy and bright and funny and she emerged over time. I really liked her. And bringing just a sliver of depth to the story by adding a depthful revelatory moment about the mother who was simply a charicature, and the sudden sister, really provided the "moment" of the book that got Franny to see herself. It was the perfect Apple Book, and I was really happy to take a bite.

Here is my present and imminent future with Apple Books, a feature I use rarely. I always have an audio and a print book going, so I cannot usually afford a distraction. But they do come in handy, particularly in December. Here's where I am at. Currently, I am reading the Three Fates by Kate Quinn on my phone. Its the 3.5 in my 4/5 book series of Empress of Rome, and book three certainly ended up on a cliff hanger. It is a 41 page book in print, 85 on Apple Books, and is unfindable anywhere else, so Apple Books is a lifesaver, to tell you the truth. But you know what else it is good for? Those pesky and sweet Christmas reads that come around this time of year. Now I am not one for Christmas, it doesn't really touch me. But I do participate in the "Flurries" and this is a good way to knock off a quick or unfindable read. And what was on my TBR that was unfindable by any other source? (Library/Amazon) And also free? The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale. I do believe that after the Three Fates, that will be a phone read for December and knocks it off my TBR. Then I can retire the phone for a while as a source for reading. But comes in "Handy" (Get it?) this time of year.

In a New York Minute was exactly the book my heart needed. It was hilariously relatable and an ode to love in all its forms. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one after hearing about it and jumped at the chance to read it early. I haven’t been this consumed by a book in a while and I did not want to put this one down once I started.

A few things you can look forward to:

- Amazing female friendships! Found families are always a highlight and this might be my favorite fictional friend group ever. Cleo, Lola, and Franny are all so incredibly supportive and loyal to one another, with just the right amount of snark and sass. I was laughing every time they were on the page together and they balanced the story so well.
- An epically disastrous meet cute with a wardrobe malfunction and a viral hashtag. #SubwayQTs for the win!
- Did I mention lots and lots of laughs?! Like “I accidentally woke up my husband snort laughing” kind of laughs and plenty of second hand embarrassment to go around.
- A workaholic starchy hero with a huge heart and an adorkably quirky heroine. Hayes and Franny were so cute and wonderfully awkward together (cringe worthy at times!), but I couldn’t help but love them. The build up and sexual tension was so well done that I didn’t mind that the steam was more closed door/fade to black.
- Enemies-ish to friends to lovers slow burn goodness with a heaping cup of opposites attract/grumpy + sunshine and a dash of forced proximity
- A love letter to New York. I’ve only had the opportunity to visit New York twice, but I could clearly see and feel the city throughout the book. The magic came right through the pages and New York was as much of a character in the book as Franny and Hayes. I also am now craving bagels.

There is some late drama that made the ending feel a bit rushed and I would have loved a little more grovel and an epilogue, but the last scene was such a beautiful way to bring the story full circle. In a New York Minute brought me such joy while reading it and left my heart so full. I’m excited to see what Kate Spencer writes next.

CW: death of parent (past), financial concerns due to loss of employment, DNA testing, complicated/strained parental relationships, hospitalization of family member (heart related)

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*