In A New York Minute by Kate Spencer: Book Review

In A New York Minute

By Kate Spencer

Rating: 4/5 
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Steam: Explicit!
Publisher: Forever
Pub Date: March 15, 2022
Thank you Forever Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of this book! All opinions are that of my own.
Available: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop

In A New York Minute 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?

In A New York Minute Review

I liked this book. It was cute. Franny was adorable and Hayes was a complete dream boat. The plot was entertaining! Seriously things started to come and then they didn’t stop, which I really enjoyed because it kept things moving so well!! While I had my reservations about the novel, overall I did like it. Honestly it didn’t take me long to read it because I wanted to know what was going to happen the entire time!

Loves:

-Hayes! I hesitate around “stoic” heroes because they aren’t my cup of tea (it’s a long story), but I absolutely adored Hayes. He’s so incredibly awkward and sweet. He fails at communicating on so many occasions, but he tries. And that in itself is a reason for me to latch on to any character.

-Franny and her friends felt like real, relatable humans. I wanted to be a part of their friendship so badly. They were so much fun. Chaotic, feeling, and real. There was just a perfect dynamic that’s hard to blend.

-Kudos to Kate Spencer because I felt like I was in New York City. I feel like if you live there and read this book you’ll appreciate it so much, while I don’t I still appreciated it. But it read like a huge love letter to the city and I love that.

-that plot! That meet cute! Things just kept moving and didn’t stop. It moved the story along so incredibly well. And the plot was perfectly balanced with character development.

Meh:

-this felt like more of a women’s fiction novel than a rom-com. I was invested in Fanny’s journey (and Hayes’ too), but that felt like the focus of the story rather than their relationship. I say that because it took so long for them to get together due to several barriers that were brought up in the duration of the novel. That’s all I’m saying on that;).

-the duration of their “relationship” and then the inevitable third act break up didn’t really add up? Which is why I want to reorganize this as a women’s fiction. It was too short and then too much (?). 

Long Story Short:

Do I recommend it? Yes. I did end up enjoying it! I definitely will be recommending it to others, especially if they’re not avid romance readers. The plot, characters, and writing were all amazing! Spencer is definitely someone that I’d be interested in reading their future novels!

If You Liked This One…

I would totally check out To Sir, With Love by Lauren Layne. It’s another great story that’s filled with NYC love. Another option would be How To Fail At Flirting by Denise Williams for a Chicago style romance, with similar amounts of swoon and characterization.

Kate Spencer is the co-host of the award-winning podcast Forever35 and author of the memoir The Dead Moms Club. In a New York Minute is her first novel. She writes a bi-monthly column for InStyle and her work has been published by the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, and numerous other places. Previously she worked as a senior editor and producer at VH1. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters