I liked the grumpy/sunshine dynamic and the setting of New York, but I definitely wanted more of the couple in the end because it was a bit underwhelming

A 2.7 stars
I think it was alright, a sweet romance with the inherent theme of fighting what one is perceived to be by others standards. A book that was light and quite a bit on the could be better side.

The thing with such books is that I'm at a loss when I have to write the review, all that comes to mind is that it was good, okay and cute. It could have also been better in some places but it did have its own charm and that's what makes the book worth reading.

I really like this author and I was a bit disappointed in this book because there could be so much more to it. It was a short novel and the interactions between the perfect uptown girl and the grumpy hero was cool, the sarcasm and the changes that happened to the characters was great but my heart just wanted more clarity and is unsatisfied with the book.

So overall I would recommend this book if you want a light fast read but also not overly recommend it

My Fair Lady is one of my favorite musicals, so when I saw “Made in Manhattan” billed as a retelling I was skeptical that it could live up to the magic and romance of the original. I am so happy to report that I was dead wrong. Lauren Layne has delivered another showstopper that will have your heart yearning for a happy ending as she builds sizzling romance and a deep companionship between Cain and Violet.

Violet Townsend is a blank slate. Capable of reflecting back whatever a given social situation demands she’s never *too* anything. Not too loud, too opinionated, and too modern, too ambitious, she’s perfectly placid (and some might say perfectly boring).

When her beloved mentor, Edith, calls upon her to smooth the rough edges of her newly discovered adult grandson, Violet feels more than equal to the task. But the more she delves below the tough exterior, the more she questions the wisdom of her “mission” and the staid, matronly life she’s been building for herself.

Will Violet be able to convince Cain she has grown to love him as he is? Or will he be unable to look past her haughty first impression? A must read for fans of Christina Lauren, Talía Hibbert, and Helen Hoang, “Made In Manhattan” is one romance fans will be sure to treasure.

This isn't Lauren Layne's best book but it is still really good! I like the "moving to the big city" trope and this one didn't disappoint.

Violet Townsend had been acting as Edith Rhodes' right hand since leaving college. Edith had taken her under her wing after the death of her grandmother. When Edith said she needed to see her, Violet dropped everything because she knew it had to be serious.

When she arrived at Edith's Park Ave penthouse she was shocked to meet her grandson. A grandson that Edith had discovered when going through her son's belongings after his death a month ago. A grandson that she hadn't let Violet know about.

And the reason for her presence? Dress him, introduce him and teach him the rules of society.

I loved this book! It is very well written and the characters are totally relatable. Violet has spent her life living by the rules of society and transforming herself according to the needs of others. It was safe. But, meeting Edith's uncouth, foul-mouth...gorgeous grandson made her rethink being safe.

Violet and Cain are instantly antagonist towards each other, but the chemistry is smoking hot. I totally love Cain! This is a gorgeous confident man who feels abandoned and despite their initial feelings towards each other things get smoking hot fast.

This is the first opportunity I've had to read Lauren Layne, but I am excited to read more of her books in the future!

Lauren Layne is one of those authors who I know I can pick up a book when I need a guaranteed 5 star read. Made in Manhattan was certainly no exception to this. I loved this modern take on My Fair Lady and devoured it cover to cover in no time. My biggest regret is always reading her books too fast and knowing I will have to wait for a new one!

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance with an opposites attract trope from Lauren Layne. This is an easy read that has lots of lovable characters, cute banter, great settings and, of course, steamy romance. I think all rom com lovers will enjoy this book, definitely on my recommendation list.

I can always count on Lauren Layne to give me an excellent romance. This one is no exception! I loved the opposites attract and grumpy/sunshine dynamic this book gave us. The romance was cute and the banter was so fun to read! I cannot wait for Lauren’s next book!!

Made in Manhattan is the perfect example of a book with the potential to become a movie. Lauren Layne has a great talent to craft love stories that, while filled with tropes, are truly engaging and fun to read. I found this slow-burn romance to be such a great pick-me-up type of book, and I truly enjoyed the story.

The plot of the book is somewhat predictable, as I find most books in this genre to be. The story focuses on Violet's efforts to change Cain from the rural, broody, typical southern boy into a posh and uppity businessman to take over the role of CEO in Edith's company.  Edith did not know Cain even existed until her son passed away and she found some paperwork that revealed his existence. Cain is not thrilled to be taken from his life in New Orleans to fulfill Edith's lifelong dream to pass the company to her own blood, but he plays along to find out what the job entails... and the hefty wealthy lifestyle that comes with it doesn't hurt either. Violent then becomes the person in charge to teach Cain what he needs to do to be voted as the new CEO when Edith retires.

As is expected, most of the story focuses on Violet's efforts to change Cain. They are totally opposites but their chemistry is undeniable from the beginning. While Violent knows that teaching Cain how to become the perfect CEO is a challenge, she doesn't expect him to be as difficult as he is. And Cain, on the other hand, doesn't expect to like Violet as much as he does after their first day together. While they are constantly arguing and there's clear animosity between them, they have great banter going on that makes up for the rude exchanges they have at the beginning. And the setting of the city is also perfect as it provides the perfect circumstances for both Violet and Cain to spend time together while understanding each other's backgrounds.

In most books where the female main character is doing the makeover, they tend to be uptight and pretentious. In this book, Violent is a caring, selfless, and truly sweet person who loves fiercely and cares about people genuinely. I loved Violet's character from the beginning. Even with her expensive pearls and socialite status, she comes up as a highly likable and truly genuine person. And as she lets her guard down, I liked her even more. Her character is so well written, and I found her to be refreshing in so many ways. I loved when she stands up for herself and the way her character goes from following all the rules to letting herself act freely.

Cain, at first, comes up as a jerk. He makes fun of Violet, or Duchess as he calls her, and makes things more difficult than need to be. He is in constant argumentative mode, so there is animosity between him and Violent for the first part of the book. It's not until he lets his own guard down that his softer side appears. He truly is as caring and genuine as Violent, and once he shows her this side, he becomes a teddy bear. I love his arch and found him such a likable person once he lets his guard down. And after they travel together to his hometown in New Orleans, he reveals his other side as a hardworking and caring man who truly loves the people in his life.

Overall, this story was heartwarming and lovely, and I truly enjoyed it. I loved the characters and their storylines, and I enjoyed the ending of the book as well. Hoping that this sweet story will become a Hallmark movie eventually.

Was not my cup of tea, Violet got on my nerves and I felt like she thought Cain was below her... she was above everyone around her. Did not finish.

So incredibly grateful to be part of this release blitz after reading this gender swapped My Fair Lady. Made in Manhattan by @laurenlaynebooks is available TODAY!

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Central Park Pact comes a reverse My Fair Lady for the modern era about a pampered and privileged Manhattan socialite who must teach an unpolished and denim-loving nobody from the Louisiana Bayou how to fit in with the upper crust of New York City.

An Upper East Side New York socialite attempts to makeover a gruff, denim-loving man from Louisiana into a polished suit-wearing New Yorker, only to fall in love with him in the process.

This was a cute & sweet quick read. I loved Violet & Cain. They were a fun couple to watch grow from enemies to more than enemies. I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to @laurenlaynebooks, @valentine_pr_, & @gallerybooks for the opportunity to read this ARC. Go download or pick up from your local store!

In my second retelling of the week, I read Made in Manhattan. This one is a gender flipped, modern version of My Fair Lady.

Violet is the perfect Park Avenue Princess who adores her adopted grandmother. When Edith asks Violet for help to polish her recently long lost grandson, Cain, to help groom him. As Edith’s only heir, she wants Cain to take over the family business, but he’s a rough and tumble southern boy who likes jeans and wears his hair long. He doesn’t fit into the upper crust of the Upper East Side. Violet has her work cut out for her because… Cain doesn’t want to change.

They obviously butt heads over very small things such as when he takes her to the diner and she is appalled by a greasy spoon breakfast. But he can’t imagine why his jeans matter so much in the board room? Some of this was a little clunky in my opinion. As someone who lived on the UES for over 10 years, I know first hand that not everyone is like this. Violet is a stereotype of the characters from Gossip Girl. I thought their chemistry was lacking, but it was entertaining and I loved all the NYC references. The ending also didn’t quite work for me.

Thank you so much to @gallerybooks, @netgalley and the author for my gifted ebook. Made In Manhattan is out now!

Not my favorite; it didn't feel like there was much new here. Cain never really won me over, and Violet was kind of boring. Cain's "Dutchess" nickname for Violet was mean and kind of icky, especially when turned into an endearment. I would have liked to see more between Violet and Edith. I enjoyed To Sir, With Love a lot more. I do like this author’s writing style in general, though, and will read more by her in the future.

I think perhaps I might not have been in the right mood for this one? I typically always enjoy Layne’s storytelling but for whatever reason, I’ve been wanting more from her books. More depth, more swoon, more character development. This story was light and entertaining, but I just wanted more from it!

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Made in Manhattan is definitely a cute read that I enjoyed from the beginning till the end. I knew Lauren Layne was able to serve another great book because this story really won my heart. I seriously adore Violet and Cain and all the moments they spent together are just my favourite! Overall, it was good read, and if you're looking for something fun and light, then I highly recommend you to give this book a chance.

This is a frothy and fun rom-com in the vein of the best New York-set rom-coms of the 90s and early 2000s. Layne is incredibly efficient in bringing these characters together in a satisfying way in this modern, gender-bent retelling of Pygmallion.

MADE IN MANHATTAN - Lauren Layne

Cute - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - When Edith discovers she has a heretofore unknown grandson, she is ecstatic and plans to leave him her billion-dollar company. But he's rough around the edges and won't be accepted by NYC society, so she asks Violet to work with him in sort of an Eliza Doolittle way.

Writing - 4 stars - Layne is always a winner for me. She captures the attention right away and creates characters that are appealing and provide interest and excitement.

Characters - 4 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Cain is definitely rude and crude, often in order to shock those around him, but he's also got a solid core of responsibility. He's sexy and handsome, with secrets that keep him interesting. Violet, on the other hand, had hidden depths beneath her seemingly open-book personality. She has become complacent in her life and is waking up as she deals with Cain's strong personality.

Title - 4 stars - Cain will, hopefully, become a more polished version of himself while staying in Manhattan and learning about the business.

Cover - 4 stars - The bright pink color attracts the eye, and the cartoony cityscape is cute and attractive.

Overall - 4 stars - As expected, this book was a very enjoyable read. Layne is able to create attractive characters with lots of personality and interesting interactions.

I pretty much knew what the storyline would be going into this book but I still enjoyed it. I liked the setting and the characters still managed to make the storyline seems fresh.

This was a fun retelling that had a modern twist that I’m sure most women will love. Cain is easily a likeable character and Layne does a great job at slowly making Violet likeable and peeling away at each characters layers. It was witty and a fun read

This one just wasn’t for me.

Made in Manhattan is a slow burn gender swapped My Fair Lady retelling with forced proximity vibes.

It’s a well-written book, but I would have appreciated more insight into Cain’s POV and a deeper dive into Violet’s reasons for being the perfect Manhattan princess.

The book skimmed the surface of both characters’ emotional states, which, while making for a quick read, left me wanting more.