Ana Takes Manhattan by Lissette Dicos
Rating: 3.5 stars
Steam: Clean Romance
Pub Date: 2/28


Ana Karina is a producer for a hit tv show which creates stunning and jealousy-inducing marriage proposals. Even though she can create dramatic and swoon-worthy romantic moments for television, her love life isn’t much to write home about. With her best friend and step-sister getting married soon, she feels pressured to put herself out there to find Mr. Right. When she was younger, she made a list of four qualities that her ideal man should have. Since she can’t seem to find anyone with all those qualities, she decides to date four men who each possess one of those qualities. And if that’s not enough to juggle, she also has a new editor at work who drives her crazy, and her job might be in jeopardy.

This book had some cute moments, and there were a lot of things I liked about it. I have always loved reading books about reality tv, which made this one stand out to me. I loved the behind-the-scenes look of making a television show and learning how much time and energy actually goes into editing all of those shots together. I also liked Ana as the main character. She’s smart, witty, and incredibly loyal, albeit a little immature at times. And as a fellow list maker, I could relate to her need to get everything she was thinking down on paper.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t what I expected it to be, and not necessarily in a good way. I didn’t rate this book higher because it’s marketed as a rom-com, but it’s more women’s fiction. Even though Ana is dating four different men throughout the story, most of the dates and romantic parts happened off-page and were recapped for the reader while Ana was doing something else. And while I love stories of self-discovery, that’s not what I expected when I picked this one up. The list-making became repetitive, and as the story progressed, it became harder and harder to relate to Ana. I was also confused by her relationship with her best friend, Gia, and Gia’s actions throughout the story. There was no resolution, which was disappointing because I love books where best friends lift each other up, but this friendship felt one-sided.

Overall, this was a lighthearted read that made me laugh. It has a lot of potential, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a story about self-discovery and knowing your worth. Thank you to Forever Publishing for my gifted eARC. Ana Takes Manhattan comes out on 2/28.

Ana is a producer for a reality tv show about elaborate proposals, she however is single. She makes lists for pretty much everything in her life. One day Ana finds a list she had written the four qualities a guy must have to be her ideal guy. Instead of waiting for the perfect guy Ana decides to date four guys, who each posses one of the qualities from her list.
I enjoyed reading about Ana's job and the behind the scenes of reality tv. It was also nice to go along with her as she opens up and decides to take chances in her life instead of just living through lists. All in all it's an entertaining book but found it more to be a women's fiction novel then a romance.
Thank you to Net Galley, Lissette Decos, and Forever for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book started out on an interesting note. Ana is in charge of a show where a man is about to be filmed as he proposes to his girlfriend. Ana does a run through with a handsome light supplier and everything seems to run smoothly. Once the cameras start rolling, chaos ensues. The fountain runs blood red, there are weird noises from the birds, and the potential bride runs away.

That was also where the book derails for me. Ana ends up back in the office trying to salvage her career and show ideas. I lost interest trying to understand what was going on with some guy named Landon and a few others early on. I ended up skipping to the end and felt that it was very anticlimactic and just sort of ended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC! All thought and opinions are my own.

𝑨𝒏𝒂 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒏 was a refreshing and fun approach to the age-old problem of many women - being stuck and not knowing how to get life back on track. While the characters were a little immature for the thirty-somethings I assumed they were, I saw parallels with many struggling young adults. There were hysterical laugh-out-loud moments and I enjoyed Ana's "coming to grips with reality" story. Her character showed so much growth and self-discovery. As a list-maker, this one spoke to my list-making heart. While I don't go as overboard as Ana, I found this relatable. Sometimes, lists can get in the way! If you are looking for a cute, light read, grab this one!

Thank you, @readforeverpub and @NetGalley for an eARC in return for an honest review.

While I loved the idea of this one, the further I got into the book, the more I realized it just wasn’t for me. I felt like all of the characters were surface level. I could not stand Gia. I wish there had been more depth to Ana.

Ana Take Manhattan was a quick read and had me engaged from the beginning. I enjoyed reading about Ana's adventures in producing over the top wedding proposals for her television show. There were many points when I was laughing out loud at parts and got teary-eyed at one point. I gave this 4-stars because as much as I was engaged, I did not want more. I would recommend this to any lover of romance books.

Thank you to Lissette Decos, Forever and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I have mixed feeling about this book. It wasn't my favorite, but also not the worst. I think I had higher expectations going in.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

This was pretty refreshing and truly hilarious, it had me actually laughing out loud at times so it definitely was a lot of fun. The audio production was phenomenal with excellent narration by Ines del Castillo and added sound effects that made it an immersive experience. I loved Ana’s growth and she was so witty and snarky. I struggled with her relationship with her best friend though, Gia really rubbed me the wrong way and the ending was pretty abrupt. I needed more from that conclusion but overall this was a cute listen.

2.5 starts . Thanks to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the E-ARC. Even though it took me less than 24 hours to read this book it just did not sit with me. It was a good story it was writting good it just didnt have that umph to keep me interested in what was happening to Ana.

3.5 ⭐️
Thank you @readforeverpub for this ARC.

I think I’m still trying to sort through my feelings for this book.

A few thoughts:
- There were many laugh out loud moments which is always a win for me in books.
- I have mixed feelings about Ana’s character because on one hand I completely understand that feeling of needing to be in control, I always found myself frustrated with what to me appeared to be her inability to be happy and she seemed difficult to please.
- I hated Gia. That friendship was terribly one sided and honestly Ana didn’t need that in her life. Sometimes, people are only meant to be in your life for a season, and I think Gia’s time came and left. There’s no use in keeping a friend around simply because of the length of time in which you know one another.
- I didn’t mind that Ana was dating several people at one time, but I do wish that there was more time with the person she ended up choosing. I felt like that bit was rushed and I didn’t get the chance to fall in love with them as a couple.

Overall it was a solid read.

I hated this book. I found Ana to be insufferable and incredibly immature. Her best friend was worse than she was and that's saying something because Ana was so awful. Maybe I don't remember being in my 20s and lost but Ana really takes the cake for one of my least favorite female characters ever.

What a fun, quirky, quick and inspiring little story! I read it in one sitting, which is a big plus. Also, I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard, so more bonus points for that!

I loved all the production show behind the scenes moments, they were fun and extremely realistic, and considering Lissette's background, that totally makes sense. Why make research for a book when you have your own experience to draw from? Everything feels more realistic and upbeat. The New York experiences, the career and personal life struggles, the ups and downs, everything points to a story we can relate to.

It has a very light feel to it and there is no spice, but sometimes we need one of those clean stories to bring life and the real message across.

Ana's voice and personality are a delight, following her on her journey of adventure, discovery and acceptance was so easy and understantable. I wasn't a fan of some of her choices, but she learned something in the end and it all worked out. I would have liked more of her and the (real!) love interest at the end, but I'll just have to hope they got their HEA. (and the proposal - I hope we get a bonus scene or epilogue of that!!)

*review copy provided by the publisher and netgalley, thank you!

Ana Takes Manhattan brings you Ana, a single woman working as a TV producer for a proposal reality TV show. She has an epiphany at her stepsister's wedding that she needs to take a chance on her dating life and say yes to more date instead of waiting for the *perfect* guy.

Ana was a little chaotic to me. I didn't feel like I got to know her enough at the beginning to understand why she was hiding in her bedroom instead of actively participating in her stepsister's wedding wallowing. Her best friend was also a train wreck and I didn't feel like Ana owed her all that loyalty.

Ana enjoys making lists and while I appreciated them to help move the story along they got a little repetitive for me. Overall this one was okay for a working woman finding love in NYC and I'd read something else from this author for sure.

content warning: death of a parent (off page)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm obsessed! I lOVE the bachelor and didn't realize that this was another fun take on The Bachelor franchise, but from the POV of a producer.

Ana was so relatable and I am really loving this recent trend in romance of older (30s) FMC"s! I love how Ana really committed to her dating journey (and her list for traits in a partner) and the self realization journey along the way.

Couple this with an NYC backdrop and a really enjoyable sense of humor, I will definitely be picking up more form Lissette Decors in the future!

The description of this book sounded really amazing but Ana kind of treats all of the men she starts dating like crap. She’s either less serious than they are but plays along, or she’s way more serious than they are but ignores all the red flags. I did appreciate her growth at the end and definitely liked the ending.

Ana is a reality tv producer for a marriage proposal show. She's used to things going as planned because she has a list for everything. Right now, the thing that is not going to plan is her love life. That's nonexistent. Ana has a list of four qualities the guy that she dates must possess. Instead of finding one guy with all four qualities, she decides to date four guys who each have one of the qualities. In her quest to find the perfect man, Ana ends up finding something better. Herself.

Ana Takes Manhattan is marketed as a romance and women's fiction book but reads like a women's fiction book. This one was both hit and miss for me. There were parts of this that I really enjoyed, but also parts that I found really distasteful. I didn't like how Ana was dating four men at the same time for her own personal gain. She was leading them on, not letting any of them know she was seeing other people. Plus, her best friend, Gia, was getting married, yet still flirting with multiple other men. I really liked Richard. He was the reality check that Ana needed. I really wish there was more of Richard and Ana in the book. They were like the grumpy/sunshine part of the book. A heads up, if you are not a fan of lists, you might want to skip this book. This book is full of lists. Even my list making self was getting tired of all the lists at one point. All in all. The first part of the book, didn't like. The second part of the book, loved. Would I read it now knowing then what I know now? Probably not.

Ana orchestrates extravagant marriage proposals for a reality TV show she produces in New York City.

She’s told she’s too picky about potential romantic partners (and she’s got the lists of required qualities to prove it), so she throws caution to the wind and begins dating four men.
Chaos ensues.

I guess I was expecting more romance, but I would call this one women’s fiction. Even though there were half-baked romances throughout, they seemed very surface level.
I think the story had too much going on and would've been better with more of the actual love interest, more of her family and Cuban culture, and without the toxic best friend.
I hoped for more personal growth within the characters by the end. They all felt underdeveloped and were hard to connect to.

However, I did enjoy the humorous and heartwarming moments; there were definitely a few times I laughed out loud.

The writing was great, and for that reason I'd definitely check out more by this author.

This is quite the rollercoaster of a story AKA there is a lot going on. Ana is a list person which I can appreciate, but even she let the lists get in the way of real life. Lower your expectations woman! It felt like a step in the right direction when Ana decides to throw caution to the wind and date multiple guys, including her bff’s brother. IMO the brother was not a good option, actually none of her options were a good idea but I guess you never know until you try. Everything that happened with the four guys was a tad predictable.

While this was an entertaining read at times the guy Ana chose came from left field, and the ending felt rushed. Just because this didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you!

This book was cute. I love a good romcom but this one didn’t stand out. It wasn’t my favorite storyline but I usually do love the reality show storylines.

This book was a huge lesson in how you shouldn't judge a book by its ratings. I personally really, really liked & enjoyed it.

Ana's love life (or the lack of it) was entertaining as hell. I loved how she made a list that had 4 points of how her dream man should be, when she was young. That list took a whole new level, but that's another story.

And might I say, how much I loved the love interest? He was a playful grump who wore fashionable, indoor scarves & was terrific at his job. The banter he & Ana shared was priceless.
I appreciated the quirky lists that were there in every other chapter and, well, not to forget the doorman!! He was a piece of art.

This was more on the women's fiction side with valuable lessons & morals in the end. Fans of Lizzy Dent & Katy Birchall, you'll like this one!

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.