This was a fun book about Alison's; having just ended a three year relationship, journey into online dating. Alison had hopes of meeting The One; what she met was a variety of guys not necessarily looking for the same things she was looking for. Throughout the journey, Alison made several new friends, had her heart broken and learned a lot about herself and what she really wanted in her life. I loved Alison's Pants Speech :) and was fascinated by her work as an architectural conservator.

This is a solid debut by author Amanda Stauffer that I would recommend to bookish friends.

I received an Advanced Review Copy...all opinions are my own.

Alison opens the book in a monogamous relationship that, even if a little slow and a little boring, seems to be working out just fine. At least until she breaks up. Suddenly, she's dating in New York in the 21st century. But she's always met her boyfriends in person. How will she go on? With social media, of course! We follow Alison through her adventures with dating through Match.com and the many men she meets along the way.

This was an okay book. Alison seems like a decent person (why didn't we get to hear more about her on the job?) if sort of one who is willing to let the tides take her where they will. If this book had been written 5 years ago, it might have been more interesting, exploring the new world of internet dating, but it just seems like old hat now.



Three stars

This book comes out January 23

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Alison is newly single after ending a long-term relationship and her friends convince her to try match.com. She has never really dated, only having long-term relationships and is hesitant but there is a deal, pay for 6 months get 6 months free, so... Thru emails she gets to know a variety of men and even dates a few, but ends up with more friends than boyfriends. It is a year of change and exploration as Alison tries to find the "One". Quick reading and enjoyable you feel like you are sitting down with Alison and her friends as she rehashes her dates.

I loved all of the different characters in this book. The unique personalities of all the men and the fierce supportiveness of Alison’s friends and family were all so great. I did think the beginning was very slow and the ending was very abrupt, but overall I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a funny chick lit book.

I received an advanced review copy of this book.. All opinions are my own. I loved this book. It was entertaining engaging and fun. It has a strong plot with a character you can relate to and will have you cheering for her as she navigates what could turn into the mud pit of dating. I cringed, I laughed and I sympathized with Alison. It was a lot of fun to spend some time in her world so definitely pick this one up and give it a chance. I am glad that I did. Happy reading!

Summary:
Leaving a several year relationship, serial monogamist Alison doesn’t know how to jump into the modern dating world.  She knows she can’t keep dating people she’s known forever, as with her last relationship- Dave, friend-turned-lover.  Biting the bullet, she starts her internet dating experience with Match.com.  What follows is a year of first dates-turned-buds, undercover agents, folk-singer-turned-investment banker, and a nearly perfect psychiatrist with a huge….dog.  Pithy conversations, the “pants speech” and hazmat suits…. who knew dating was so hard?
My thoughts:
I loved Alison, and I felt for her right away.  In her relationships, there had always been a basic knowledge of one another and a closeness from the get-go.   That’s what she wants, and she doesn’t want a physical relationship before having a real, committed emotional attachment.  Understandable, but not really in line with most of the on-line daters.  She meets some great guys….. but not a lot that seem right for her.  On the plus side, she has made some great friends and had some great drinks.  I adored the premise of this story and found it fast paced and often hilarious.  I found myself rooting for certain guys ( I have to admit to an absolute love of Older Luke, dog and all).  In the end I was saddened by the ending a bit, but I can’t see it going any other way.  For me, this book had nearly everything.  It was fun and funny, flirty and a bit adventurous, but also serious at times and always sweet.  I was just a teeny bit disappointed by the ending.  It is still a five star book for me.  
On the adult content scale, I give it a four.  There is some sexual content, though mild.  Also language.  Nothing major.
I was lucky enough to get an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing in exchange for an honest review.  My thanks!

A fun read, but ultimately hard to follow. The story jumped around too much, and at times there was either too much detail or not enough. The emails and texts between the main character and her dating prospects were a fun way to tell the story, but sometimes there were too many emails telling the story and not enough scenes showing the action. Overall, I enjoyed the story, there were just certain things about the way the story was told that I did not enjoy.

When I read a debut author, I try to look at their novel two ways. First, does it deliver on the plot and second, does the writing style make me want to read more. In the case of Amanda Stauffer's debut, MATCH MADE IN MANHATTAN, I would answer yes to both. With Alison, the protagonist in the novel, the sheer volume of dates she has after signing up for Match.com is a bit confusing but the outcomes echo the real dating world and lead to some humorous exploits. This is a twenty something in NYC. There is a lot of late nights and drinking and frolicking. I like that she had a grown up job that was interesting and that the men she was dating did too. It made me think about life in my twenties too. I appreciated that the lead had a "Pants Speech" and that her approach to dating was consistent so this isn't a chick lit book with a lot of descriptive heaving bosoms. She's not always likeable - which I read as insecure - asking why things don't work and not understanding why she doesn't spark with some people or what that says about her. She doesn't know what she's looking for so the novel echoes that as well. Her troupe of consistent girl friends is great and showed she could have good relationships even if she was a little lost on romance. I thought that it was a fast read and one that provided a great distraction from the chaos of the holidays.

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Alison has been seeing Dave for 2 years when they split. With the help of a friend to write her profile she joins Match.com and sets off on the dating trail. In some she finds a friend, in others, well lets just say that there are some different beings out there as we all know. She comes across as a fairly well rounded, independant, grounded woman in her late twenties, meeting various different men that for one reason or another just don’t quite make the mark. This is a well written novel and perfect for lightening the mood.If you have ever done on-line dating and met (or kissed?) a few frogs that didn’t quite turn into Prince’s then this book is for you- a trip down memory lane. The delights of texting and emails via a site. Usernames that the mind boggles at. For those of us who remember pre phone/net/app dating- this changed things soooo much- in a good way perhaps? Another star would have been awarded had the ending been different. It wasn’t disappointing as such but not as I would imagine a novel of this caliber. I still really enjoyed reading it and don’t let that put you off- you may see things differently. An entertaining, highly enjoyable read.

Allison and her boyfriend of 5 years have a great relationship but each time another of Allison’s friends get engaged she begins to wonder when and if that is ever going to happen for her. She starts to question her long term relationship and after asking the “where is this going” question, Allison discovers that it’s not going anywhere.

She does what many women do; she takes a moment to grieve. She puts on her “breakup” pajamas and drowns her sorrows in ice cream. She ventures out to the bar scene having one too many beverages and after an excruciating hangover decides that it’s time to try something different.

Her whole dating regimen has been serial long-term relationships. Well no more. She joins an online dating site, creates a profile and she jumps back into the dating pool.

Allison is at a turning point in her life. This novel explores what it’s like to go with the flow, try new things and yes, not being afraid of make significant life changes. I applaud Allison’s determination and her unwillingness to settle.

I received an advance review copy of this book from Great Thoughts Ninjas. All opinions are my own.

This is an interesting and detailed examination of dating in the modern age. Personally, I couldn't relate to this young woman who created a profile on Match.com and went on date after date after date. I didn't like reading about a new guy one chapter after another one. At some point, the names of her dates became blurred and the new date seemed no more important than the last date.

Does she finally meet The One? Read the novel to find out.

ARC provided by NetGalley

This was a quick and easy read about the dating scene in Manhattan. Not exactly a realistic representation but fun none the less.

I thought the premise of this sounded fantastic but I was immediately turned off by the colloquial speech of the characters. It was odd and off putting and felt like the author was trying too hard to make the characters sound witty and it had the opposite effect on me. I couldn't finish this book

I really wanted to like this book as the premise is great. But the protagonist is truly super annoying. I did not like her at all. This could have been much better if Allison wasn’t so annoying.

Oh my gosh this book was so hilarious! Any woman would getr a kick out of reading this funny novel of a woman who decides to try online/app dating in all of its awkward hilarious glory!

I read MATCH MADE IN MANHATTAN in a single travel day: in the airport, on the plane, in the car, and then on the couch when I got home because I couldn't put it down. I was thoroughly engaged in the story of a woman's year of Match.com dating, and thoroughly thrilled that I have not been in the dating scene in this century. It's exhausting! From keeping track of who's who, to juggling lunches and coffees and dinners, to maintaining clever digital correspondence with faceless suitors, I just don't think I'd have the stamina. But Amanda Stauffer does a great job of presenting real characters, avoiding melodrama, and following a 27-year-old's year of personal growth through her dating life. MMM is not a novel version of "Girls" – it's not chock full of sex or edgy craziness. It's more of a family-friendly, sit-com version of "The Bachelorette", wrapping up its first season with a woman smarter and more independent than she was at the start of the season and prepped for an exciting (more "Girls"-like? Nah.) second season. I look forward to seeing what Stauffer does next.

This book is an easy read if you stay with it. The story is one of online dating and finding love in an electronic world.

I requested this book based on the description - and while it was an enjoyable read I struggled keeping up with the timeline and getting into it right at first. It was however, extremely well written. The author clearly defined the main character as one with morals, priorities, and confidence in what she wanted/expected out of life. I did find her quite fickle when it came to her feelings with some of the more stable men - it felt like she was never satisfied with her requirements she set forth on her profile. It came across very "I want my cake and to eat it too," and that was frustrating. In then end though, it was nice to see that while her life might not have been on par for what she thought it should be - "change is as good as rest."

I had a little trouble reading this book because of the separate characters in separate chapters... I like a bit of continuity flow in the book and this book just seemed choppy... But it was a great effort on Ms Stauffer's part.. would love to read more from her in the future!!
Thanks Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing for my ARC!

I don't read a lot of contemporary women's fiction (my preferred genre is historical women’s fiction), but I'm definitely a fan of the classics such as Bridget Jones's Diary. Amanda Stauffer’s Match Made in Manhattan is a worthy addition to the genre.

The story is told in the first person by Alison, a New Yorker in her late twenties who decides to join Match.com after a long-term relationship fizzles out. The novel focuses on her dates with a wide variety of men. I was surprised how quickly I became invested in Alison’s dates (my dating years are long over), but that investment was due to the charm of Stauffer’s narrative voice, which is chatty, personal, and genuine. I was transported back to my 20’s and felt like I was commiserating with a friend about our strange dates. Each man has something to recommend him (or at least something entertaining about him), from “Breakup Brendan” to “John the Secret Agent.” Some men seem perfect on paper (or onscreen), but once she meets them in person, Alison isn’t attracted to them. Others obviously have no long-term relationship potential, but she can’t resist the chemistry she feels with them. And there’s also that man who seems wonderful and whom her friends adore, but there’s something just a little . . . off.

I love Stauffer’s humor, which has exactly the right blend of wry truth ("The more often you go on dates, the more you start to feel like you're dating yourself") and laugh-out-loud realizations (“Matt, Marc, the Lukes, John, James, Paul . . . when I picture them in that sequence, they sound like the New Testament of bachelors”).

Alison's job as an architectural conservator is fascinating, and I would have liked to learn more about her work life and read more scenes with her on the job. I also would have liked to see more scenes dramatized instead of merely talked about (the old “show, don’t tell” problem). The novel is very dialogue-heavy, and occasionally I lost track of who was speaking, so more dialogue tags would have helped.

Full disclosure: I met the author online in a Facebook group for debut novelists. I’d like to thank NetGalley for an advance reader copy.

If you’re looking for a delightful, fast-paced read, you’ll enjoy Alison’s adventures in dating!