Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one is for all the kdrama girlies. Something I anticipated was the instant connection - it’s not something I typically enjoy but is expected in a relationship spanning 12 hours, and it was done very delicately here in the way the main characters meet, which was an aspect I appreciated.

This turned out to be so much more intense than the whirlwind romance I thought it would be. It was filled with loss, grief and mourning what could have been - but more importantly how one gets over the loss and learns to appreciate where life has brought them.
Something I loved was Eric’s protective nature when it came to Bianca - especially in those first 12 hours - because I adore an overprotective MC.

I loved Maan Gabriel’s writing and how this story was put together.

I also deeply appreciated the Serendipity references in part 1 <3


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I was expecting a rom com that would make me laugh or even giggle a bit. Unfortunately, this was a bit more of a serious story about loving oneself. There were many sad moments. Not much romance and the main couple were not very interesting together. I'm a bit disappointed.

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for my honest review.

I could stretch this to a 3-star rating, but it also didn't resonate with me personally, so I'll say this overall was a 2-3.

While the idea is a good one, it felt a little flat. As a reader, there wasn't much connection to the characters, and I didn't feel very invested in the story. From the strange formatting (ebook edition, so I'm hoping it was just the copy given to me) to the... okay descriptions - a character, Miguel, is introduced, and I thought he was just this kind-of friend Bianca knows because she goes to his dad's bar/restaurant(?) but later it sounded like their relationship was a lot stronger - and writing style, Twelve Hours in Manhattan just didn't vibe with me. The conflict between Bianca and Eric felt a little forced and unbelievable, too, just because I wasn't on her side.

There was a side plot of Bianca's relationship with her dad that felt out of nowhere and didn't lead anywhere other than to make her emotional over the confrontation. And there wasn't any passing of time, either, which is strange because the whole thing is built on the idea that Bianca spends twelve hours with Eric to start their relationship. After those twelve hours, "two years pass" or "it's been two weeks since..." but it doesn't feel like anything has changed since the previous chapter. Maybe it was the pacing, or maybe, once again, it was the writing style, but who knows.

Again, the idea is good. Character A meets Character B by chance and they spend a lot of time together spilling secrets because they're strangers and will never meet again, only to see each other however many years down the road? It's intriguing, but hard to capture because who would spill that much of their life with a total stranger, and feel that instantly connected with them to start that relationship?

thank you Netgalley for the free copy

Thank you netgalley for the e arc in exchange for a honest review.

Twelves Hours in Manhattan is a romance novel about Bianca and Eric (a famous Korean actor) at a bar and spend 12 amazing hours together before going their separate and then 2 years later finding their way back to each other.

Honestly I didn't love or not like this book. I didn't feel the connection between the characters at all and the characters themselves fell flat.

Two worlds. One heart. Twelve hours.

Bianca Maria Curtis is at the brink of losing it all when she meets Eric at a bar in Manhattan. Eric, as it turns out, is the famous Korean drama celebrity Park Hyun Min, and he’s in town for one night to escape the pressures of fame. From walking along Fifth Avenue to eating ice cream at Serendipity to sharing tender moments on top of the Empire State building, sparks fly as Bianca and Eric spend twelve magical hours far away from their respective lives. In that time, they talk about the big stuff: love, life, and happiness, and the freedom they both seek to fully exist and not merely survive.

But real life is more than just a few exhilarating stolen moments in time.

As the clock strikes the twelfth hour, Bianca returns back to the life she detests to face a tragedy that will test her strength and resolve—and the only thing she has to keep going is the memory of a man she loves in secret from a world away.

HALLMARK VIBES!!!! meet cute/insta love/happy ending romance.
Slow burn with characters in like mid 30's so you get a break from the usual young love in romance books. I do feel like the characters and plot could have been executed better. But overall, a quick pick me up book which I don't mind!!

Two worlds. One heart. Twelve hours.

this book really felt like a halmark movie, but really got too long towards the end. I wouldve liked it a few years back but it just felt very out of touch and cringe. but I do love a good meet cute. thank you netgalley for the arc.

“I think it means like what happened by chance became some sort of a happy thing.”
“Like us meeting tonight could be called a serendipity?”

-two hearts, twelve hours; main characters in their late 30s, angst, slow burn
-Bianca ends up meeting Eric, or better known as Park Hyun Min, a kpop star
-the idea behind their meeting was cute but I’m not sure how realistic it would be to just open up to a stranger like that 🗽🌙
-part two ended up being more serious and such a contrast to part one (tw: overdose, drug use, death)
-part three made me so anxious for them (could’ve done with a little less back and forth) 😮‍💨
-thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for this ARC ✨

If you love fairy tales/hallmark movies/older k drama, you will most probably like this.

Pick this up if you like reading about meet cute/insta love/old happy ending romance.

It is the story of a frustrated young woman who’s at the brink of becoming homeless with no one she could turn to. She meets a handsome stranger at the bar where she’s pouring her woes.

If I was a lot younger than I am now, I would have probably enjoyed this book. However, the characters need more charm and spontaneity I feel.

It gets too long towards the second half. I feel the story would be so much better with lesser parts.

Thank you, She Writes Press, for the advance reading copy.

At first it took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did I was all in. Bianca and Eric meet at the most Inopportune time when Bianca is going through it and Park whom I pictured as Henry Gooding is trying to keep a low profile. I love a good NYC love story and I didn’t feel the chemistry at first, but then as they started to spend more time together and do all quintessential NYC things I fell in love with this book. I was quite curious to know if there Twelve Hours In Manhattan turned into something to last a lifetime. Beautiful cover as well. It instantly attracted me.


Two worlds. One heart. Twelve hours.

Bianca Maria Curtis is at the brink of losing it all when she meets Eric at a bar in Manhattan. Eric, as it turns out, is the famous Korean drama celebrity Park Hyun Min, and he’s in town for one night to escape the pressures of fame. From walking along Fifth Avenue to eating ice cream at Serendipity to sharing tender moments on top of the Empire State building, sparks fly as Bianca and Eric spend twelve magical hours far away from their respective lives. In that time, they talk about the big stuff: love, life, and happiness, and the freedom they both seek to fully exist and not merely survive.

But real life is more than just a few exhilarating stolen moments in time.

As the clock strikes the twelfth hour, Bianca returns back to the life she detests to face a tragedy that will test her strength and resolve—and the only thing she has to keep going is the memory of a man she loves in secret from a world away.