Review: In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer
After reading Lease on Love and loving it so much, I knew I had to give In a New York Minute a try. And it did not disappoint! It was fun, charming, utterly New York and sweet. It’s closed door for anyone who doesn’t like on the page spice, but I still found it to be satisfying.
Synopsis:
“Franny Doyle is having the worst day. She’s been laid off from her (admittedly mediocre) job, the subway doors ripped her favorite silk dress to ruins, and now she’s flashed her unmentionables to half of lower Manhattan. On the plus side, a dashing stranger came to her rescue with his (Gucci!) suit jacket. On the not-so-plus side, he can’t get away from her fast enough.
Worse yet? Someone posted their (entirely not) meet-cute online. Suddenly Franny and her knight-in-couture, Hayes Montgomery III, are the newest social media sensation, and all of New York is shipping #SubwayQTs.
Only Franny and Hayes couldn’t be a more disastrous match. She’s fanciful, talkative, and creative. He’s serious, shy, and all about numbers. Luckily, in a city of eight million people, they never have to meet again. Yet somehow, Hayes and Franny keep running into each other—and much to their surprise, they enjoy each other’s company. A lot. But when Franny’s whole world is turned upside down (again!), can she find the courage to trust in herself and finally have the life—and love—she’s always wanted?” —Amazon
What I Liked:
The Setting—This book felt so authentically New York and it made me happy-sad. Happy to see real New York, sad because I miss living there so much. Honestly, I think I’ll miss it for the rest of my life. It had me craving bagels AND the hot and sticky subway.
The Classic Rom Com Feeling—I saw a lot of reviews likening this book to the rom com movies of the early 2000s. I will say that yes, I agree, it does have that vibe but it doesn’t have as many of the problems those films had. I think this will stand the test of time more!
The Pacing—If I didn’t have to work, I would have blown through it in one sitting. There’s just something New York-y about the pacing. You want to keep moving through it!
What Didn’t Work:
The “Big Conflict” at the End—I’ve been finding this issue with a lot of “3rd act break ups” recently. It just doesn’t seem believable to me! Maybe it’s because I never had commitment issues but I just didn’t find Franny’s reasoning here very compelling. I think an outside force would have been better.
An unnecessary/under utilized plot line—There’s a whole plot line involving a DNA kit service that I just didn’t think worked. It should have been eliminated or used more!
Content Warnings:
Heart attack, loss of a parent (not on the page)