From Lauren Layne, one the most gifted authors in the romance genre, comes her latest book, Made in Manhattan…which is sure to be another one of this author’s exceptionally successful stories.

In Cain and Violet Ms Layne has brought to life two unparalleled and dynamic characters…with a whip smart dialogue, wry humor and repartee threaded throughout, as well as unforgettable backdrops, the story moves effortlessly and fluidly from beginning to end. This is definitely a story that is easy to loose yourself in and finish in one sitting, as I did…but then I find that seems to happen with all her books I read.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

I usually really enjoy Lauren Layne’s novels about fashionable New York couples finding each other, but this one just didn’t seem fleshed out enough. Cain and Violet made an interesting couple in the opposites-attract sort of fairy tale, but their movement from antipathy to love seemed to happen quite quickly. Not only do they warm up to each other, but each of them ends up being totally transformed from who they were at the beginning of the book. That is a lot to happen in a short novel. Add in that Cain turns out to be a business savant who is ready to take over and lead a billion-dollar business and my disbelief got suspended a bit too far.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Violet Townsend a socialite of Manhattan, is a people pleaser, she always knows the right things to say and do to make a good impression. Edith her adoptive grandmother approaches her with a request, make her long lost grandson presentable to the Upper East side society. Enter Cain Stone, from rural Louisiana, he’s got a chip on his shoulder, and isn’t exactly excited about inheriting a business from a family he never knew he had. Can Violet help Cain transform into a gentleman worthy of the title “CEO” ?

Made in Manhattan is touted as being a gender swapped retelling of “My Fair Lady.” While I have not actually seen the movie, I am familiar with the story and the premise piqued my interest. The book is set in New York, of course, and Lauren Layne did a great job of showcasing the city and its beauty.

I have to say I honestly disliked Cain for the first 60% of the novel. I know with a grump/sunshine pairing maybe this should be the norm, but I felt that he was just downright mean to Violet during their interactions without really any justification. Maybe this was intentional on the author’s part. There was lots of banter between Violet and Cain which did help build some tension/chemistry between them to draw them together.

I did finally warm up a bit to Cain in the last 40% of the book. The more time Violet spends with Cain, she begins to question her own identity and why she is always changing herself to please others. With this she finds a new self-confidence and undergoes a transformation of her own, and has no trouble sticking up for herself of pointing out to others when they are wrong. Cain and Violet are perfectly paired as they do bring out the best of each other. Cain did soften up towards Violet in the end, by being considerate and actually apologizing.

This was a fairly quick read (it took me about 3.5 hours) and I would recommend to those who enjoy the grump/sunshine pairing, with lots of banter, and don’t mind sexual innuendos.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery books for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

🏙Upper Eastsider Violet is tasked with turning burly Cain into a swanky New Yorker fit to take over his newly found grandmother’s company.

👍🏼I love escaping into Layne’s NYC

👎🏼Everything is very surface level.

🤷🏼‍♀️If you’re looking for a romance with some depth this isn’t it, but fans of Sex and the City will enjoy this light and fun romance.

Lauren Layne is one of my favorite romance authors, so any book she's writes is a must read for me! I simply adored this reverse My Fair Lady plot. Cain and Violet are adorable! This enemies to lovers romance had some steam, but not as much as in earlier Layne books.

Any time you can give me a secret family member that inherits millions, but has to prove themselves and I am game! Cain was such a fun character and I loved how he begrudgingly navigated the New York social scene. Layne did an excellent job painting him as an intense, gruff man who could care less, then ripping the rug out from under the readers and showing his true colors (hard working, caring, . I love when characters do 180 degree turns in books and Cain Stone went from ultra rough around the edges who lives on pure shock value to a tender man that would do anything for those that he cares for. And his interactions with CoCo the dog...SWOON.

Despite Violet being portrayed as an extremely buttoned-up snob, I enjoyed her character and her journey finding out what she really wants in life. Violet has an armor about her that keeps her protected from loss. With a tragic backstory, Violet has petered into a subpar life and it's not until Cain shakes her out of her comfort zone that she starts to realize she wants more out of life than the boring facade she's been living.

Together Cain and Violet have snarky banter that results in a great push and pull between the pair. Not only did they know how to push each other's buttons, they could also challenge each other to be better versions of themselves.

Thank you to Gallery Books for the advanced copy.

Lauren Layne....what can I say about her books that I haven't already said? I'm obsessed with her. I have a major book hangover after finishing Made in Manhattan; I've really struggled to get into other books because I miss these characters so much. I loved this book from start to finish. I love the transformation of both characters, and really loved that Violet really came into her own life as the book progressed. Very well done! I hope there are more rom-com retellings in Lauren's future because they're quickly becoming my favorite subgenre.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Lauren Layne’s contemporary romances are some of the best of the genre. In this gender-bending Pygmalion (My Fair Lady) story, she is at the top of her game. A worthy successor to her Central Park Pact trilogy, it features a proper, rule-following, people-pleasing Blair Waldorf type who is asked to transform Cain, a “hick” from the bayous of Louisiana and the newly-discovered illegitimate grandson of her friend Edith, who is hoping to have him ready to take the reins of the family company when she retires. This is no easy task because he is unsurprising and harshly resistant to a makeover, especially at the hands of a woman who is a “vessel for pretty manners, problem solving, and whatever anyone needed from her” and who lives in her late grandmother’s house furnished exactly as it was decades before, with no effort to change it to suit her style.

It’s pretty clear right from the beginning that, in the process of transforming Cain, Violet will discover a side of herself that has been buried since the death of her parents. However, the emotional path these enemies-to-lovers take is strewn with harsh words, misunderstandings, eye-opening revelations, and a hot as hell chemistry that’s evident even before the first kiss. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Gallery Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I loved Lauren Layne's last novel (5 stars) and was excited to see the blurb saying this book was a modern, reverse, My Fair Lady/Pygmalion. I jumped at the chance to read the ARC. Violet Townsend is an upper crust, east side New Yorker. She is adept at being proper and people pleasing. When her late grandmother's best friend asks her to smooth the rough edges off her newly discovered grandson, she can't say no. Cain Stone is truly obnoxious. He never knew his father and now finds he is wealthy and a potential successor to his grandmother's international company. He is smart and grandma is willing to teach him the business but there is a time crunch.

In the original My Fair Lady the professor is egotistical and pompous. But Violet is genuinely kind. She knows the right clothing, manners and art appreciation that will make Cain more acceptable to the boardroom and is willing to teach him. Her character grows in the story as she realizes she's never chosen her future but adapted to those around her. She becomes fierce and I love that. The problem with the romance is Cain. He's supposed to be grumpy and a fish out of water but he is downright rude. His remarks aren't banter but unkind and yet Violet returns again and again to help him. (Because of her love for his grandmother.) It is a change from the MFL plot line and it makes me want someone better for sweet Violet. I hate the in the entire novel he only uses her name once, instead calling her a nick name, even after she asks him not to.

Layne is a good enough author that she brings the book to a fitting conclusion but I'm not a fan of the alpha male lead. I would still recommend as a quick read, contemporary romance. But after "To Sir, With Love", I was expecting a little more. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Violet and Cain are one of my new favorite couples. This is a reverse My Fair Lady. Violet, by all appearance a blue blooded snob, has been asked to help teach Cain how to fit in. Cain is from Louisiana and his grandmother, Edith, just learned he exists. She’s ready to retire from her multi-billion dollar company a d wants Cain ready to take over. Will Violet transform him? Or will he transform her?

I loved the forced proximity, opposites attract, and the almost enemies to lovers trope. The pacing, dialogue, and interactions between characters make me feel like I’m there. I’m a super fan of Lauren Layne’s books and this is no exception.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been a while since I stayed up late reading on a school night. Made in Manhattan hooked me last night and thankfully we are close enough to a break at work that I will not be the most tired teacher ever!
Made in Manhattan was steamy and romantic, with a fantastic setting (trip included!). This is a book that my book club would absolutely love, we loved To Sir, With Love by Lauren Layne too!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this galley. All opinions are my own and my review can be found on Goodreads and my bookstagram later today.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery, and Lauren Layne for an ARC of this book!**

"So Charlotte York and the Brawny Man walk into a bar..."

...No, there is no fantastic punch line to cap off that visual, but this tale from Lauren Layne is as close as you're going to get!

Violet has been given an Impossible Task: After finding out he is set to inherit the ritzy Rhodes company in NYC, she must take long-lost and now found grandson, Cain, and transform him from crass Louisiana Lumberjack to Park Avenue hunk. Her surrogate 'grandmother' Edith has been caring for Violet ever since her parents passed many moons ago, and she feels that only Violet can impart the breeding and makeover needed to take Cain from his 'world' to theirs. As to be expected, these two instantly clash, and Cain's smug and forthright nature clash harshly against the prim and proper "Duchess" behavior displayed by Violet. The more time the two spend together, however, the more the two discover what they have in common, as well as the differences bound to keep them at odds. With Violet's Park Avenue Ken doll boyfriend waiting in the wings, and Cain's New Orleans heart calling him back home, can these two put their snipes and gripes aside long enough to meet common ground? Or does fate have other plans?

At the words "My Fair Lady," I jumped to read this book. I've always been a fan of the musical, although I'm not as familiar with the source material, the play Pygmalion. Made in Manhattan purports to be a gender-swapped retelling, and in some ways it is...but it is missing MANY elements I expected to see based on that comparison. My Fair Lady, for example, has Eliza Doolittle approach Professor Higgins ASKING for a makeover after hearing him brag to a colleague that he could take a guttersnipe and turn her into a duchess at an Embassy Ball. There is no incentive for him to do so other than his own pride, and the conflict and conflict of emotion appears much later in the story.

In this book, however, Cain is on the transformation piece from day one...and fights it tooth and nail for quite a while. He moans and complains, throwing barbs at Violet all the while, and his grubby nature is played up to sit in opposition to Violet's uppity vibe. This works well in the beginning to some extent, but makes for a very harsh 180 degree turn when Violet discovers there is more to Cain that meets the eye and not only does Cain slowly flip into this character quite neatly, but he also changes his way of speaking entirely, which felt a little far-fetched to me. Other than catching Violet's eye with his never-quite-buttoned jeans and good looks, I'm not sure what intrigued her about him so much for about 60-70% of the book. She isn't painted in a much better light, but only has to 'loosen up' a bit to meet Cain at his level, so there really isn't too much of a transformation in the opposite direction either.

Far and away my favorite part of this book were the scenes of gorgeous NYC, one of my favorite cities, that took me to the streets I miss so much and gave me that traveling itch. There is also a section that's almost equally as enchanting (albeit a bit dirtier, because it's Bourbon Street) in New Orleans that reminded me why I also need to get THERE as soon as possible. This would be a cute Lifetime movie if only to watch these characters interact in these locations, although there are also many other romance movies out there already that do the same.

Although the My Fair Lady comparisons were a bit of a stretch, this is a pretty quick and breezy read in the 'grump meets sunshine' trope and does have a scene on Valentine's Day toward the end if you're looking for a romantic read around that time. Lauren Layne's New York City is a place I hope to visit again soon....and the real NYC will hopefully not be too far behind!

3.5 stars

I love Lauren Layne and I was so happy to be approved for the ARC of this book. I have been waiting for her next read and this one did not disappoint. “Made in Manhattan” had the perfect balance of everything. There was enough banter to keep things light and sweet, but also had the angst that pulled at your heartstrings. I flew through the book in one sitting, I couldn't put it down and read it with a smile on my face! I absolutely adored the reverse My Fair Lady premise of this book. I loved the chemistry between Violet and Cain from the get-go, and their character arc was really well written. The banter laugh-out-loud hilarious. You can’t help but root for them from the very start. The reader could really feel sparks flying between them since their first scene together. Edith and Alvin were such great side characters.

I really enjoyed that Violet developed and grew as the story progressed. I was definitely rooting for her and proud of the fierce female she was becoming. As she sets out to makeover Cain she begins to examine her life through the lens of an outsider and sees the need to make changes. I liked Cain, but I would have loved to have more insight into his thoughts and feelings throughout the book and reading things from his perspective at times. I think switching between the female and male perspective throughout could have made me love the book even more. This book shows how you don’t have to change for someone, but when you meet that special person, they can bring out the best changes in you that you didn't know you needed. Just like all of Lauren Layne’s books, “Made in Manhattan” is definitely a delight to read and I recommend it to all rom-com lovers. I can count on her to consistently write books that entertain me and make me happy. I wish the book was longer, I wanted more and I didn’t want to leave Violet and Cain! We will be buying this book for our collection. I can’t wait for Lauren Layne’s next book! Thanks to NetGalley, Lauren Layne and Gallery books.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions. This is the first book I've read by Lauren Layne and I will say for sure it won't be my last. I absolutely loved this book! I needed to step away from my psychological thriller streak that I'd been on and was in the mood for a quick, easy read and this completely delivered. I was unable to stop reading once I started - I could NOT put it down and managed to ignore everyone around me until I finished it! THANK YOU for such a fun read!

This fun romance takes My Fair Lady and gives it a twist. Violet is used to the Upper East Side life of an heiress, so when she's asked to help groom Cain into someone more likely to fit in she agrees. As she gets to know him, however, she sees that she's the one who needs to change if she wants to be happy and free. A quick and fun, if somewhat predictable, story.

This My Fair Lady modern retelling will leave readers wanting a classic rom com binge! I absolutely loved this opposites attract closed door romance that packs all of the steam and swoon you look for in a rom com. Nobody does New York City romance like Lauren Layne and she does not disappoint in Made in Manhattan. Violet is really stuck in her life and so when her friend/mentor/stand-in grandmother asks her to help her long-lost grandson Cain turn into an impressive NYC businessman she reluctantly agrees. What ensues is pure chaos including jazz field trips, a brand new wardrobe, brunch galore, and the gradual yet inevitable falling in love of two people who could not be more opposite. I love how both Violet and Cain retain who they are throughout the book but complement each other. They truly make each other better! I can’t wait to see what Lauren Layne writes next! Perfect for fans of her Central Park Pact series :)

I read this book in under 24hrs!!! It was so good and a really good love story. The banter between Cain and Violet is quirky and cute. I feel like this is kind of a grumpy/sunshine, “i dont like you to lovers” type of book. It reminded me of the hating game and even it happened one summer. I thought that the story flowed really well and their relationship made sense. The author did a good job at creating a steady pace in their developing relationship, along with showing the effect each character had on eachother. That was probably one of my favorite things and of course is one of the biggest takeaways for this book. This is definitely a cute short read!

Violet and Cain were a fabulous couple. I loved their dynamic and how they found a way to reconcile their differences and build a solid relationship. This was a wonderful story that swept me away and I read it in an afternoon. I would recommend to others.

I absolutely adored this book! This is the second Lauren Layne book I have read (the first being To Sir With Love) and this one did not disappoint. I loved the interaction between Violet & Cain.

Read if you like:
-surly, brooding handsome males
-girls who are uptight but let their hair down in the middle of the book/// female character finding her voice
-my fair lady retelling (but in reverse)
-New York
-books that make you smile & laugh out loud
-chemistry that sizzles & makes you furiously flip pages looking for a first kiss

Needless to say I am a big fan & will definitely buy this one in paperback when it comes out!

I will post a review on my Instagram @oh.how.novel closer to release day!

Violet is the typical Upper East Sider. She is the perfect host, shops at the fancy stores, and always does what is asked of her. Enter Cain, a stubborn Southerner, who is vying to take over his long lost family’s company. Violet agrees to help Cain become suitable for the position but in the end Cain ends up teaching Violet a lot about herself and what she wants in life.

I could not put this book down! I loved the push and pull between Cain and Violet. And even though on the surface the two seemed so different, deep down they were both looking for family and acceptance. Lauren Layne has quickly become one of my go-to authors, and this romantic comedy set in New York City exceeded by expectations. Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am an avid reader and follower of Layne's work, While this one may not be my favorite, it is another success. I cannot wait to recommend this book because I cannot imagine anyway not enjoying it.