Sweet look at romance, roommates, and life in NYC. In 2004. I actually love books centered around social media. So I was curious how I would like this. Well done character driven story. NYC was drawn so vividly it was a character until itself. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for making an ARC available.

3/3,5* A nice romance, but I was a little lost with all the characters point of view chapter after chapter.

This book revolves around the lives of Jessica, Robin, Tory and Zach, except for the last one they find themself in trouble about living accomodation: a failed love life resulting in homelessnes, a leaving roommate who has to be replaced and a toxic house, which you can't leave soon enough.
Banning men for life, looking for love, struggling trough work wishing for indipendence, trying to fix past traumas in upper west side New York.

The story was nice, but the everchanging leading voice in every chapter was not so easy to follow, above all because Robin and Jessica have positions involving graphic design, so it was somewhat difficult keeping track of who did what at work.
I also felt there was a little too much drama, that's why my final rate is 3* out of 5*.

Thank you netgalley and Lime street press for providing this book as an Arc in exchange of an honest review.

After seeing all the rave reviews for this I really thought I would enjoy it, especially because I love character-focused stories. However, I just couldn’t connect to the characters and spent about a week trying to motivate myself to continue reading.
Overall rating: 1.5 (rounded to 2) stars

This book captivated me from start to finish! Its simplicity and quick-paced narrative made it devourable. The characters were lovely, each possessing their own unique personality and captivating stories, creating a perfect balance. However, as much as I adored the book, I must acknowledge that the ending felt a bit forced.
With only 30 pages remaining, there were still unresolved elements, leaving me somewhat disconcerted.
I must also confess that there were only a couple scenes that truly portrayed the bond between our four main characters as friends. It would have been immensely enjoyable to delve into more interactions showcasing the dynamics of their bond. Such moments would have undoubtedly added excitement and engagement to the book.

🍸𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕂 𝕋𝕆𝕌ℝ & ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎- 𝔸ℕ 𝕌ℙℙ𝔼ℝ 𝕎𝔼𝕊𝕋 𝕊𝕀𝔻𝔼 𝕊𝕋𝕆ℝ𝕐 𝔹𝕐 ℝ𝔸ℂℍ𝔼𝕃 ℂ𝕌𝕃𝕃𝔼ℕ🍸

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️
Format: Paperback,
Length: 327 pgs
Pub date: July 6, 2023
Publisher: Lime Street Press
Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Dial up. Blackberries. AIM. TiVo. Calling people and leaving voicemails! No Uber, no DoorDash, no texting, no Facebook or Instagram. A whole different world. This is 2004.

Four twenty-somethings are trying to find their way in New York City. Robin’s roommate has moved out and she needs a new one, fast. Jessica is looking forward to moving in with her boyfriend until she walks in on him with another woman. Now she needs somewhere to live. Tory will get a trust fund but at what cost. She decides to move out of her parents house but where? Zach is a tech wiz working at the new Expedia. He lives on the same floor as Robin and a hallway meet up ends up making a major impact on his life.

I absolutely adored this book. I’m a huge sucker for nostalgia and love when books have little details like pop culture references and this one is chocked full of them. Fellow GenXers will be in love with this. The ages of the characters aren’t divulged but I assume they’re 24-26 and I was 23 in 2004 so I related to everything they were going through.

The story is told through the four POVs and the chapters are short which makes for a quick read. The characters had depth and I was invested in their stories. I’d love to see a follow up.

Read if you like these topics:
☕️FRIENDS
🍸NYC
🚕Early 2000s
📞GenX

Thank you to Rachel Cullen, Lime Street Press, and NetGalley for the gifted copies.

This was a great read. 4 different stories set before the world became as digital as it is now. A great book to unwind with

This book is very much about friendship, loss, rebuilding and a lot of other themes. If you like a feel good novel that will entertain you. This is a great book. We are throwin into a sticky situation from the first chapter. This pulls the audience in from the start.

An enjoyable and light read that I thoroughly enjoyed! The book tells the story of 3 women and one man living in NYC. Housing troubles cause them to meet and their relationships bloom. This would be a great book that you could easily finish on a flight or a quick weekend trip.

It was a little difficult to tell the main characters apart initially, they had several similar character traits. It became easier as the book went on.

thank you NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This novel follows four twenty-somethings who live in New York City's Upper West Side. We have a glance into their work and personal lives. An Upper West Side Story was a fun and lighthearted read for summer. The book is told from multiple points of view throughout the narrative which becomes confusing at first, until you get a better feel for the characters.

I would definitely recommend this book if you were looking for a fun, breezy summer read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy!

3.75 Stars

This was so fun and nostalgic! I had a great time! The story follows four twentysomethings living in NYC in the early 2000s. As the story progressed and their stories intertwined, I found it a lot easier to follow the POVs and really enjoyed where the story took me. This is a wonderful representation of love, friendship, and chosen family. I really enjoyed all the Y2K references- the fashion, the phones, the pop culture. Overall, this was a great, lighthearted, short little read- a perfect palette cleanser.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An Upper west side story is a coming-of-age story about four twenty something year olds, set in New York in 2004. I requested this book because the description reminded me of Gossip Girl and it sure didn't disappoint!

I really enjoyed the setting of the book and the time period - it was strange to think of NYC pre-smartphone! The cast were likable and i enjoyed how their lives wove around each other. I sometimes got confused between characters - I got confused between Jessica and Tory at times.

I really enjoyed Zach & Jessica's relationship - I did squeal a little when he arrived in California! I wish we had a bit more on their relationship but there's always room for this in a sequel!

Overall, a fun binge read - perfect for the summer! Highly recommend for Gossip Girl fans

#anUpperwestsidestory #NetGalley

Love this book! I was so invested in each of the characters and their individual stories. Plenty of laughs, drama, and life lessons.

Great book for anyone who was a young adult in the early 2000s. It is a very nostalgic read. Which I thought was very fun. It is about four individual people who are brought together because they all live in the same apartment building in the upper West side of Manhatten. Each person as you can imagine has their own struggles, their own issues, and are just trying to navigate life and trying to live their dream. Little do they know the massive impact that they are going to have on each others lives when they finally meet.

I will say that normally absolutely love dual storylines told over multiple points of view. However. The author made some of the characters personalities just a little bit too similar. Which made it a little bit of a struggle to keep up with the storyline and who was. Who.

The chapters are nice and short. But maybe that also lead to a bit of the confusion over all the characters. As it left you wanting just a little bit more information on each chapter. As just when you were getting into it, you were onto the next chapter. Making it feel just a little bit jagged.

However over all it was a good read. I just think there are a few bits that could be improved on.

When I first saw this book on NetGalley I was expecting something with a Friends vibe - and I was glad it was something different! The book is fun and I see it becoming a romcom movie but I thought the individual plots of the characters weren’t well developed and it there are many loose ends like the relationship with Anna and Tory, was Anna a fake friend? And also thought the romantic relationships could have gotten more page time, we barely saw Zach and Jess actually together. Overall a fun reading to clearing your head.

I just finished this beautiful, inspiring story, and this calls for a Manhattan toast!
 
"Happy Place" reminds me a little bit of this story. I remember the friendship, or what they called found family. 

➡️ Thoughts:
It was really amazing to end up building a solid friendship with complete strangers, especially if you're living with them, and that's what this story is all about. It all started with these three women looking for a roommate on a website called Craigslist for different reasons, and that's how they found each other. It was just rare that a random stranger would someday become one of the people who would cheer and celebrate your success with you. BUT, OF COURSE, nothing's perfect in everyone's life and journey and that's the other half of our life story. So, go grab a copy of this book and find out how our almost perfect friendship story faces each one of their own struggle's and hardships.

➡️ Trope:
Strangers became roommates, neighbors, and friends.

➡️What I like:
 
- I love how relax and calm this story makes me feel. If a book takes place in New York City, it will be a very comfortable read for me. NYC vibes have been a lullaby for me.
 
- I love how balanced the characters are. I love the connection. CI like that this book also tackles family issues, businesses, money, and job struggles.
 
All in all, this was a really good book. I love it.

Thank you, @rachelcullenauthor ! ❣️🫰🎉

#anUpperwestsidestory
#NetGalley

An Upper West Side Story is an enjoyable, nostalgic snapshot of coming-of-age in a particular time and place- specifically New York City in 2004.

The story centers on a group of 20-something professionals trying to find their way in life, love, and their careers, happening to come together via that eternal quest for housing.

While not from NYC, I am a fellow Gen Xer and remember fondly navigating that era before technology was so front and center, and I enjoyed spending time with theses characters in that moment in time.

Thank you Rachel Cullen, Lime Street Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was truly just alright. Which is about what I expected and not a bad thing at all. Sometimes you just need a fun, quick, and easy read that doesn't make you think. And this is exactly what the book served as.

So cute. I love the upper west side and this book definitely did it justice. Made me want to visit NYC soon! The characters were believable and I was invested in the story!

An Upper West Side Story felt very nostalgic and comfy. It was fun to be in a time before iPhones and Netflix and being connected 100% of the time. I liked the short chapters, and the flow of the story telling. And while I liked each of the characters, it did feel like one too many and it was hard to keep track of the story at times. I also would have liked to dig a little deeper into some of the characters, but with the short length of the book and the amount of stories we follow, that just wasn't possible. I definitely recommend this book to someone looking for something short, fun, and not too deep.

📚📖 REVIEW 📖📚
An Upper West Side Story by Rachel Cullen

This light contemporary set in Manhattan in the early 2000's is about 4 people brought together by an amazing apartment building in the Upper West Side. Each person has their own struggles and life issues and are just trying to have the life they had invisioned for themselves. Little do they know that the people they meet could be an integral part of that journey.

I usually dont have a hard time with multiple POV's but I think because some of the characters personalities are so similar that I struggled this time. The only one I could keep straight was Zach. 🤣 I kept a cheat sheet on my phone but I usually just read the name and the first sentence, took a minute and then worked it out in my head. Not a big deal, and definitely not enough to deter me from enjoying the story!

The chapters were just long enough that we received enough information to move the story along at a nice clip, but it also left me wanting more. I found myself getting excited for each switch-up so I could learn more about each character. There was never a point where I wanted to speed along to get to someone else's story.

Such a great quick, light, and enjoyable contemporary story. The perfect read for if you need to get out of a slump! If you've happened to have read Cassie West and loved her, definitely pick this book up!

Thank you @NetGalley and @rachelcullenauthor for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The pub date is today!! Keep an eye out!