Manila Takes Manhattan was adorable. Every now and then I need something that is fun and sexy and unputdownable and that was this book. I loved the banter. I couldn't stop reading because of the conflict. It was such a great read. I didn't want it to end.

Instalust is not a trope that i enjoy and rarely read and the initial meeting/premise was extremely far fetched. This title was not for me. Thank you for the opportunity

I had high hopes for this book, but it didn't quite resonate with me. The insta-love trope isn't my favorite, and I found myself wishing for deeper character development to fully engage with the story. However, I think fans of workplace romance might enjoy it more. A plus was the representation of different cultures.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

I just need to be honest with myself at this point and admit that I am just not going to sit down to read this book. I was hoping that there would be an audio to listen to but there doesn't seem to be unfortunately

Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman had well-developed characters and a plot that was engaging. This book was a great read. I highly recommend!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-ARC. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.**

3.5 stars.

When I knew about this book, the first thing that captured me was it's a book that presents the filipino culture. Also, the synopsis is pretty alluring. Yet when I read it, there were some aspects that made me think: is this book really that good? So I'm gonna make a list of pros and cons.

Pros:
•The filipino references are simply great. Especially the food and the Tagalog phrases.
•The MC are well developed and structured.
•The dialogues are very well used and distributed. That talks about fantastic writing skills.

Cons:
•The romance isn't as compelling as it should be. I mean, insta-love? And I don't have any problems with an insta-love story, but it has to be BELIEVABLE.
•Too many spicy scenes. Another thing that didn't bother me, but wasn't this book supposed to be a ROMANCE book?
•Transitions between scenes weren't fluid sometimes. Especially in the end, I felt a bit rushed scenes.

Overall, is a good book. Nevertheless, it has its big flaws, making the reading experience a bit overwhelming.

I wasn't a big fan of this. It dove immediately into the romance/spicy scenes and lacked any tension throughout the entire book. I need a reason to keep turning the pages and instant delivery of it didn't do it for me.

Okay, one: I can absolutely understand the intense need for some amazing pancit. I feel that pretty much daily! Were it to come with a side of hunky neighbor, now that’s a combo that can’t be beat. However, two: I will say that, as the FMC is supposed to be someone famous, it was a bit hard to believe that she’d hit it off with said stranger quite so easily. You’d think it would take a bit more trust and time. I love a cute romance, but sometimes insta-love can feel a bit too easy. I really enjoyed seeing my culture in the love story setting though, and how it was incorporated into both of their characters. This book has forced proximity and Filipino food, so that automatically meant a four star from me (jk it was due to the overall cuteness and rounding up for my insta-love ick)

A stunning read from start to finish! The narrative is compelling, the characters are richly developed, and the plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat. The author's writing style is both elegant and engaging, making it impossible to put the book down. Highly recommend this five-star gem to anyone looking for an unforgettable literary experience!

I was genuinely excited for this book until I started reading and realized it was insta-love. That is sooo not my thing but I wanted to give the book a fair chance but I couldn’t get into it no matter how many times I tried.

I felt like our two main characters had very little chemistry, there was no tension for me, and the “obstacle” isn’t really even an obstacle for them to overcome. I didn’t feel anything for the characters and I found myself cringing at the overuse of pop culture references.

The only saving grace for me was the representation of the Filipino culture. I thought the inclusion of Tagalong phrases was nice and added some depth to characters I otherwise didn’t even want to give my attention to. But, sadly, even that wasn’t enough to make up for everything else that fell flat in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Harlequin for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

This book didn't work well for me. I found the opening scenes outlandish and off-putting. On first meeting, they moved too quickly from distrust without any character progression. I think I could have enjoyed the book is those scenes were removed because there were other aspects I appreciated. But it was tough to get past those first impressions.

I did appreciate the culture, food, art, and music. So many aspects of each were well related and moving. And I was glad to see a very strong female main character who was advocating both for herself and for better representation of Filipina women in film.

I would be willing to read another book from this author because there was enough to make me think she would write it well.

2.5 stars rounded up

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

YES!!YES!!yes!!!!!!!! I need more by this author. This was such a good book! Such an easy read and the story was great!

This was such a sweet and steamy read! Olivia had excellent taste in 90s rom coms, even if her food taste is a little questionable (not sure "original" is *actually* a flavor...) and Mon is just...everything. I love that HQN is at least moving in the direction diversifying their characters and stories, even if so many of the Filipino phrases had me a little lost and the food made me hungry. (Is there a better option out there than Google Translate? Someone needs to point me in its direction, please! My Kindle was pretty useless) Also am not sure I needed the images that came up when I Googled Hanahaki Disease stuck in my brain, but here we are ;) At least Carla de Guzman's lovely imagery a little later on when Olivia was feeling sad about Mon make more sense...

It looks like some (all?) of the secondary characters who were happily coupled up also have books, I'm going to have to check them out!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

All my stars are for the Filipino representation and references. That is hands down the best part of this book. I just didn't love the instalove and wasn't drawn to the characters. I would read more by this writer though.

Fresh off the plane, Mon encounters Olivia. After a fun filled night, the duo discovers they are coworkers.
This was a decent read. It's a workplace romance. It was lust at first sight Rom-com

What a sweet, authentic story. A hint of insta love, meet cute, and cultural pride wrapped in one. Mon and Oliva were wholesome and relatable. I loved the tagalog written throughout, and the cultural appreciation. The depth the story devels into in just 12 ch is well done. I did enjoy seeing Mon & Olivia’s friendship blossom after the slight start. Overall a good read.

I absolutely adored this book. It was a very simple romance, but I love how even though the characters are ethnically from the same background, the fact that they are citizens from different countries still provides them with different cultural norms and nuances that they need to become accustomed too. It was a cute romance with spice sprinkled in, and I was rooting for both characters the whole time.

Manila Takes Manhattan follows the love story of Mon, a small music producer and musician, and up and coming actress Olivia. The two meet and hook up before either knows who the other is and after that fateful night, they find out they're actually working on Olivia's next movie together, the project that has plucked Mon out obscurity as a viral music sensation during the pandemic and landed him in New York. Turns out, Oliva is a big fan of his online music persona and recommedned him for the musical. Mon and Olivia quicly fall for each other during the shooting of the film.

Overall, this is a solid book. I like Mon and Olivia as characters a lot and seeing another take on the celebirty dating trope was great. I do wish the book had been a bit longer. It just felt like there could have been a bit more character development for both Mon and Olivia. Olivia gained confidence by the end sure, and Mon, hopeless romantic that he is, did get the girl in the end, but it feels like Mon doesn't change much from the beginning of the story to the end.

(Actual: 4.25⭐, rounded up) This book was so refreshing and unique to read! 🥰 MANILA TAKES MANHATTAN is a well-paced, forced-proximity/celebrity romance that not only has two (2!!) equally developed & nuanced first-generation Fil-Am MCs, but is also undeniably and unapologetically Filipino at its core. Being full Filipina myself, let me just preface now that a majority of this review will focus on how much I absolutely LOVED the representation featured here; it makes me so, so happy to see us portrayed through such a full and vibrant lens (because, lbr, it can be quite rare).

De Guzman incorporates so many scenes and moments, big and small, throughout MTM that highlight the vast breadth that is Filipino culture (i.e. our language(s), food, notable places, music & entertainment industries, fashion, and more); even some of the negative or more divisive aspects - such as the process of immigration (and how it can look differently for some versus others), the racism we may indirectly encounter or experience firsthand, as well as the intricacies of Philippine politics - are touched upon in this book with a gentle & knowledgeable hand. The concept of the "American Dream" and, more generally speaking, the sense of honorable duty and the lengths to which we'll go - by way of working extremely hard & diligently - to not only build and provide a better life for ourselves, but also for our immediate &/or extended families back home, is one the Filipino people have always taken seriously and with great pride (we even have an acronym/term for it: "OFW," or "Overseas Filipino Worker"). And while this book certainly isn't exempt from having any flaws (Exs. Some cringy dialogue; a bit too much insta-love; and way more pandemic references than I think was necessary), I still believe both MANILA TAKES MANHATTAN and De Guzman succeed in reaffirming just how much diverse stories *matter* and are impactful across ALL genres, not just romance, and how they absolutely can have a positive & informative impact on readers by teaching and exposing them to something new about worlds outside their own.

If you love romcoms; are a fan of authors such as Helen Hoang, Julie Tieu, Amy Lea, Lauren Kung Jessen, Susan Lee, Axie Oh (and so many more)..... and honestly regardless of what month* it is (*though a friendly reminder that #AAPIHeritageMonth is coming up shortly again in May 🤗), I implore you to check this one out for yourselves and continue to diversify your shelves!

DNF. I really wanted to like this and kept going back to it thinking I’d get into it but I just couldn’t. The plot seemed very rushed. I get instant love but who invites a stranger who’s sitting on the floor outside their door to have s*x? And I get covid happened but i just don’t want to read about it. Most people don’t. Also it was a huge turn off how the author wrote about racism towards Filipinos. As a Filipino American , I know that there are hateful people out there, especially after covid but the way the author wrote about it wasn’t accurate. Disappointed because I really wanted to support a fellow Filipino but this one was a miss for me