It's a fine novel, and wonderful for fans of the author. For someone getting into romance, I might not start with this one. If you didn't see it in the pitch, the book itself lets you know that is a reverse My Fair Lady situation.

The newest Lauren Layne book was an automatic need to read for me. It was just the right amount of sweet. A lot of romance novels have atrocious pacing as always she hit the mark perfectly. Cain and Violet were great characters, proving that the retelling of a classic can still be good and modern without feeling repetitive. I love Lauren’s work and while I was a bit disappointed that it was only from Violets pov it was still a strong story with all the feels!

Fans of Layne will not be disappointed with Made in Manhattan. Strong characters with a fresh take on My Fair Lady in reverse. It totally works. I LOVE this book!!!!

Lauren layne never disappoints and her latest might be one of my favorites! Loved the story, loved the characters and loved the setting. Highly recommend!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Every Lauren Layne book is an automatic read for me and more likely than not going to be a 5 star read as well!! I am so thankful that I was able to read an ARC of Made in Manhattan! I absolutely loved Violet and Cain’s story - they both grew so much as people by being together and their love story is top notch! If you’re looking for a feel-good romance, with fabulous characters and the magical setting of NYC, this (and lots of Lauren Layne’s other books) are for you!

This was a happy novel that wrapped up nice and neatly, it had me satisfied for a travel day. I do wish there was more of a reason to like the heroine, who was so judgemental from the get go that I found it hard to root for her. The hero definitely has book boyfriend potential, if he could just grow up a tiny bit ;)

Another unfortunate DNF from these Netgalley ARCS. I might be requesting the wrong books or so many people are giving false reviews? But this book just held little to no appeal. The grandson was unbelievable and there was zero chemistry.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book received for free through NetGalley

I absolutely love this book and almost read it in one night. The characters are awesome! Although I don’t normally like the idea of “My Fair Lady” this author did the story well and I adored it. The perfect adorable happy ending story.

Lauren Layne consistently delivers smart, engaging young women and savvy young men who are wise enough to recognize the value in having an equal partner. Her stories are often filled with glamour and excitement unique to New York, but they are always replete with humor and the magic frisson of two hearts finally coming together. Made in Manhattan delivered on all counts, but in this book the reader was treated to the enchantment of New Orleans as well, getting a chance to vicariously enjoy jazz extravaganzas in both cities. Story wise: Violet thinks she's responsible for finding the diamond under the sediment covering Cain Stone, but maybe, just maybe, she's the one who needs to have her core values re-examined.

I didn't love Made in Manhattan quite as much as I loved some of Layne's books, but I'd willingly return to it again. The characters were well-drawn, the settings perfect, and the love story swoon-worthy, as always.

When Edith Rhodes finds her long lost grandson she is relieved that someone in the family will be able to take over the family business. Cain Stone is not from Manhattan, and needs to fit the part. Edith enlists Violet to help her get Cain ready to Manhattan and to impress the Board Members, the only problem, Cain doesn’t want to impress them.

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title before publishing!

I blew through this book, and there was certainly a lot to like about it. Violet is the picture of a perfect , upscale New York socialite. She’s immaculately dressed, volunteers her time as the assistant of her grandmothers best friend, and has lived in the same apartment for nearly her entire life. It’s exactly this skill set that puts her on track to help groom the long-lost grands of the woman she works for to become the next CEO of her family company. Cain is about as different from Violet as he can possibly be, as a long haired, tshirt and jeans wearing man from New Orleans. Little did Violet know that, with Cain’s help, she would be making a transformation into the woman she’s always wanted to be.

This was a super fast, easy and fun read. Violet is really lovable, and both she and Cain have interesting background stories, while not deeply expanded upon. These two have chemistry that’s immediately believable, and it was a fun ride to read about Violet coming into her own and falling for someone who brings out a long-buried side of her. For about 80% of the book, I loved this dynamic, and o did feel like I was kept guessing at how exactly it was going to end.

This brings me to my biggest let down with this story. The ending is… quite underwhelming. The storyline with the CEO position wraps up pretty realistically, but not very excitingly. Similarly, Violet and Cain confess their love at the very, very end, and it leaves a lot to be desired especially as the reader had plenty of time to see just how good their chemistry CAN be. I think i could have been more okay with this had these two known each other for longer than a month. I feel a bit of whiplash from how grounded the CEO storyline ended up ending, in contrast with just how over the top their sudden commitment to one another became, and how difficult that was to believe. I was initially excited to see that there was an epilogue, but that also fell a bit flat for me for similar reasons. I almost with this book had been just a few chapters longer so that the ending could be a bit better fleshed out.

All this said, I’m giving this book 3.25/5 stars. It’s a fun read, and I’ll probably pick up this author again if I’m looking for fluff and some pretty mild but not all together absent steam.

First, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this romance and I enjoyed the glimpse into NYC old-school money. I liked the interaction between the characters and their banter. I liked the pace of the first 3/4 of the book, but I thought the end of the book took some quantum leaps in plot movement without the emotion to substantiate it. I think the book would have benefited with 50 or so more pages so the reader could see the evolution in the characters' relationship.

Overall, an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars.

I adore Lauren Layne, but sadly for me this one was kind of a letdown. The writing felt stiff and didn’t have the easy flow I have come to love by this author. The characters felt robotic and lacked the charm and relatability that others in the past books had possessed. This started off slow and I had a hard time connecting with Cain and violet. They were complete opposites to the point where there was such a disconnect with their characters I couldn’t envision them at all.

I love the fiery dialogue that comes when two opposites collide and their chemistry is undeniable and for me this story lacked some of that passion. I really wanted to love this book, because I have loved the author's work before, but overall this was a huge miss for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC

I adored most of this book but it got frustrating at how their relationship developed. It would be a slow burn but the hero was so standoffish a d with the book only being in the heroines POV , it made it hard to know his motivations. I did really like the heroine and how self aware she was. She did seem to exist in a vacuum though. Overall this was a pleasant read

I always look forward to a good book from LL, but this was not it. I did not feel invested or immersed in this world. Everything was on the surface and, if there was meant to be love happening with our broody characters, I just did not feel it. Certainly, I read about our heroine realizing she was in love, but LL didn't convey the magic. The writing felt phoned in and I was disappointed.

This was a delight! Lauren Layne has a real knack for writing New York City heroines, and it was so fun seeing a southern man enter that world. Really, my only complaint is that I wanted to know more about both Violet and Cain's families, especially her grandmother and his mother.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Gallery Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Typical opposites attract there’s more than meets the eye rom-com. Of course there’s more to Cain than we suspect. Of course Violet fights the initial attraction, the world she was raised. She’s deeper than given credit, they always are.

It’s your typical I don’t want to fall but I did.

Cute romance where the country boy meets the rich city girl. Sparks and conflicts arise and we keep turning the pages to see how they resolve their differences and hopefully find love. I especially liked the glimpse into old money New York society that I'd never seen before. Enjoyable read for the romance novel lover!

Lauren Layne is the voice for cosmopolitan woman. She captures life in the Upper East Side with wit, grace, and elegance.

If you’ve liked her past books, Made in Manhattan is worth picking up.

4.5 ⭐️ A rom-com that had me laughing out loud up until the last page. I really enjoyed the banter between the two main characters, Cain and Violet, and all the sweet moments they shared. I found the plot of turning Cain into a proper UES gentleman very fun, especially because Violet was able to discover so much about herself along the way. I would say that the book felt a little too short to me, at only 280 pages, and I wish there was a bit more of the story. I felt like some of the scenes were cut too short and at times, I felt like too much time passed between chapters.