Filipino movie star Olivia and musician/producer Mon have a wild one-night stand without knowing who the other is (thanks, jet-lag)....only to discover the next day that they'll be working together very closely for Olivia's next movie. Both have to figure out if there can be more to their relationship that attraction and what that means for their careers.

Nice to see a different culture highlighted, but the connection between Olivia and Mon never quite felt solid.

My first romance with Filipino characters! Or really my first book with an emphasis on Filipino culture, which I LOVED. As a Filipina myself (only a small portion of my heritage, but a big part of my culture and family upbringing), I am always looking to read books about Asian culture or have Asian characters or to learn history of different parts of Asia. That is why this one really piqued my interest! And romance really isn't my genre, but I was willing to give this one a shot. When it comes to romance, I do enjoy a celebrity trope because it's sort of a dream of mine to be a famous musician or star! So I loved that this was about a famous actress and a famous music producer. I thought their banter and flirting was really cute. I also enjoyed the tweets/gossip about following Olivia's love life since that is definitely realistic. I also of course, just loved the Filipino references as well. And I did not mind the spice!! I would love to read another from this author.

Filipino musician and producer Mon Mendoza’s viral hit on social media helped land him an opportunity to come to New York to work on a film project. After a rough arrival to the United States, he expects a quiet night in. A chance meeting with his Pinoy neighbor from the apartment next-door leads to a steamy encounter instead. They expect it to be a one-time thing but soon discover they will be working together on the same film. She’s cast as the lead.

What to expect:
- Instalust
- Forced proximity (neighbors)
- Celebrity romance
- Workplace romance
- Some pandemic representation (how it impacted their lives + Mon still wears a mask)
- Discussions of how other cultures are treated by Americans and how they are represented in American media
- A couple figuring out if they should continue together / how to navigate a romance between lovers based on different continents

Highlights for me include
- The rom-com references peppered throughout the story (Olivia is a huge fan of romantic comedies.)
- Song titles included at the beginning of each chapter like a soundtrack to the story
- Mon’s optimistic personality

What didn’t work as well for me:
- I wish there had been more development in the love story.
- Some parts and passages felt a bit disjointed.

I received an advance copy of the book from Harlequin and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This was such a quick read! That meet cute/hookup right in the beginning was unexpected. I really like pancit too. Maybe I will use that as a code word as well.
Olivia and Mon realize they will be working together and try to shut down their attraction but it's useless. She brought him over from Manila to help her with a song for the show she is on. She already knew he was talented and loved his work. He didn't recognize her at first but loved her show as well. You know out of context I get it. Why would you think you would meet a celebrity? They worked well together. Though her costar was a jerk to both of them.
Loved the food references and the talk of events happening on the islands.

Manila Takes Manhattan is an achingly sweet romance between Olivia Angeles, Filipina American Hollywood tv and movie star, and Raymond “Mon” Tindalo Mendoza, indie music producer from Manila, as they work together on the film, Overexposed, in New York City. After Mon’s music as Mountainview goes viral on Tiktok, he finds that not only was he plucked from the Philippines for this job, he was specifically handpicked and advocated for by Olivia herself. Theirs is a story of falling in love with each other within the harmonies and melodies of their souls and the music that guides them— with the caveat of a 30 day time limit before they’re separated by their respective jobs, lives, and homes that span an entire ocean and over 7000 miles.

I absolutely love Olivia Angeles. She’s exactly the actor I wish I had grown up watching on screen and had represented even today. Her story is rooted in what it means to be a Filipina American actor in Hollywood— often relegated to being merely the best friend— until she lands her once in a lifetime role as the space opera queen. However, she understands that not even roles and fame like that which she’s gained from this one show guarantee that she’ll be able to continue working in jobs that she *wants* in terms of being the lead who gets to fall in love without being racially profiled for sidelined. She is strong and determined and works hard to achieve her dreams and open to love despite the challenge of her career. She is everything I strive to be.

I love reading Mon from Olivia’s perspective. He is sweet, attentive, genuine, and supportive. I didn’t particularly love reading from his point of view, however, because despite his character being 32, his voice had a tendency to rub me the wrong way; for example, his parenthetical of, “look at him finally understanding Google Maps, like a grown-up!” I’m aware the Mon is treated as the baby of his friend group, but there were times I felt like reading his voice, I was reading the mind of a still developing teenager (and don’t get me wrong— I really love reading YA, but I don’t love when my character is an actual supposedly fully developed adult who grew up being teased for being too smart yet reads as immature).

My favorite thing about this book though was how Filipinx and Filam it is. While there is absolutely a difference between the experience of being a Filipinx coming to the US from the Philippines versus the experience of growing up Filipinx in America (especially since there is no One Singular experience that encapsulates the entirety of what it means to be Filipinx or a Filipinx hyphenate), as an American born and raised daughter of Filipinx immigrants, it felt like reading *home.* My people, my culture, my values, my language. Extra emphasis on seeing the Filipino language casually and constantly mixed into the text— *home.* While I am a heritage speaker who understands far more than can speak and still had to look up/ask the people in my life for translations, it still felt heartwarming that I *could* ask my parents and my besties for translations. As an avid reader who grew up desperately deprived of representation within the literature I grew up with, reading the solid throughline of Filipinx representation felt ✨healing✨. As Olivia said, “Just diaspora things.” Additionally, I recently returned to the motherland for the first time in ten years and stayed with family along EDSA, and this only brought me a greater sense of connection as a daughter of immigrants from the Philippines. <3

I’ve admittedly read one other Carla de Guzman book, which wasn’t the right book for me, so Manila Takes Manhattan was my giving this author a second chance. I’m glad that this was the book that brought this author back into my reader’s sphere. Thank you, Netgalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin, for the ARC!!

Quick Summary: An insta-lust to love, close proximity romance

My Review: Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman is a standalone novel that brings together an actress and a musician for a special project.

About the Book: Upon meeting in the oddest of circumstances, two celebrities hit it off and try to maneuver a professional and personal relationship. With cultural flavor, tense encounters, and colorful interactions, Mon Mendoza and Olivia Angeles take off their masks and get real about what is happening between them. Will they be able to find forever or will they be torn apart?

My Final Say: This was an interesting story. It was an upside down romance, in my opinion. It started in such an unusual way. Quite frankly, I didn't like the beginning. I made myself push forward, however, and I'm glad I did. The story had more grit than I initially thought, as well as more of an emotional tug. While it was not completely my particular cup of tea, it was an acceptable read overall.

Other: I liked the emphasis placed on the Filipino culture. I love books that highlight and celebrate diversity.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: +/-
Audience: A
Status/Level: 🌶

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Harlequin - Romance | Afterglow Books by Harlequin), and to NetGalley for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review. I am appreciative for the opportunity to review this work.

What a fun, dual POV celebrity romance! Precious romcom and delicious food descriptions pepper this love story between two Filipino MCs who fall in love while working together in NYC! I highly recommend this fun and spicy romance with instalove, steam and fun! Thank you to Netgalley and Afterglow for this ARC!

A fun, light read with insta love and some spice. I found myself not all that much invested in their romance as we missed a lot of the build of it that was only mentioned as an aside to let you know time had passed. I would have loved to have read more about the song writing process with the two and how that intensified their bond.

The facts and references to Filipino culture and language and politics was a part I really enjoyed. I will admit I had to google a lot to translate or understand the meaning of some of the terms but that's not something I mind at all. I was surprised to read mention of masking or COVID but just that I haven't seen it come up in a book before. It was refreshing that he was masking but it was inconsistent too so there's that.

The breakup/makeup was a bit confusing for me and there seemed to be some things that were left hanging like dealing with her obnoxious co-star Colin or the mentions of Olivia's family issues that we never really got to understand fully.

A fun read for sure and would recommend to those interested in learning more about Filipino culture and language and anyone who's a fan of insta romance and a book that gets right to the spice.

I received an early (digital) copy of the book through NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review.

2 Stars
I had such high hopes for this one (especially as a Filipina myself, I'm always down to read anything I could find relatable) but I had a hard time getting over the Covid setting (I know we all lived through it but it feels weird to read about it in a fiction book to me). Mon and Olivia were cute but I found them a bit boring and this whole storyline felt a bit unrealistic to me (I have so many questions lol). Personally, I enjoyed the Filipino references but if you're not or don't know anything about the culture, it would probably get tiring.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

DNF at 40%, though honestly I wasn't feeling it from the very first chapter.

This is SUPER instalove, within a few pages they meet and are hooking up. This was an immediate turnoff for many reasons: 1) instalove in general isn't my thing, 2) what sensible woman would see a random man sitting on the floor outside her apartment and invite him in for sex (he's wearing a mask so she can't even see his face, plus she's a famous actress and should be much more cautious about these kinds of things), 3) he's literally just been on a 15 hour flight and doesn't shower or freshen up or even WASH HIS HANDS before they hook up (omg I can't even tell you how much this grossed me out).

Beyond the instalove, there was just no tension or stakes and no real development beyond the initial attraction. There were also a ton of pandemic references (I prefer books where covid isn't mentioned and didn't realize it would be so prevalent here), and pop culture references in general that I think are going to date the book quickly. I also just didn't vibe with the writing style.

I will say though that I loved how centered the Filipino culture and experience was in the story! I was tempted to finish for that alone but I will definitely seek it out in other books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I wasn't able to finish this one--it just wasn't my taste in romcoms. I do know that my library has the audience for it. I can already see it flying off of multiple displays.

GENERAL INFO

Manila takes Manhattan- a standalone

Year Pub: 3-26-24, Read 3-26-24

Book's cover: beautiful orange and pink- pure happiness!

Format: kindle, 267 pages

Source: Thanks to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for this ARC🧡 !  I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Setting: Manila to New York

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult Fic

Tropes: celebrity romance, office romance, one night stand

HEA/HFN ending: HEA

Epilogue Included: yes, 1 year later 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: Mon Mendoza is new to New York having lived in Manila his whole life. As a great musician and new producer, he's hired to work on a movie "Overexposed" starring Olivia Angeles-a famous Filipina actress. They have a one night stand not knowing they will be working together a month later. Do their feelings get in the way or can they do their jobs and go their separate ways?

M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F

Representation: BIPOC

Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h : Mon is a little jealous of Olivia's co star Collin

Amount of Sex In The Book: a few scenes, nothing graphic

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Olivia Angeles- a famous actress, stars in a popular tv show "Conquerors"
Mon Mendoza-from Manila, in NY to make connections, get more work as a musician
Colin Sheffield-Olivia's co star in her last 3 films. Believes he and Olivia should date for real and work together for more popularity.
Max-Olivia's brother and confidante
Teddy-Mon's business partner
Leo-Mon's manager

AUTHOR OVERVIEW: Carla de Guzman-never read author for me

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: yes

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

COMMENTS/NOTES: This a quick peak into the entertain industry with someone starting out and someone being an established actor. Mon is new to the game but lets his talent speak for itself. Olivia has to be the whole package in looks and talent. She has to deal with racism and sexism in the workplace post pandemic. I've never been to The Philippines, but reading this definitely makes me want to go!

I adored this fresh and beautiful romance between two creatives. It’s 2022. Mon Mendoza is a trending (and very talented) musician and producer in NYC for the first time after being brought from Manila to work on the music for a new movie. After a VERY spicy meet cute with a new neighbor, he learns that she’s Olivia Angeles - a Filipino American actress who happens to be starring in the film he was hired to work on. Whoops.

There’s a bit of insta-love/lust but I kinda dig that in romances. Both Mon and Olivia are on the cusp of big things in their careers, which could make a romance impossible. Plus, there are big things happening in the Philippines that Mon is hopeful to see come to fruition. Their chemistry and struggles felt very realistic and I loved how they supported each other. Manila Takes Manhattan is rich with Filipino foods and culture, and tons of rom com references. I loved it and recommend it! I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

4.5/5 stars
2/5 spice

Such a sweet and fun rom com rich with Filipino references.

Tropes:
Workplace romance
Actress/Music Producer
Insta-lust
Forced proximity
Dual POV

I loved how this started out and the pace of the story. Mon and Olivia naturally grew closer the more time they spent together and I'm glad they didn't resist taking things further (especially since they had that fling in the beginning). It had just enough spice and intimacy for their kind of relationship. I would highly recommend this book to fans of diverse characters and rom coms.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

Trigger/Content warnings:
Mentions xenophobia/racism

I think I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if not for how it started. I am just really not a fan of the instant-attraction, hookup trope (like they are hooking up in the first few pages - that's really fast) and that really tainted the rest of the book for me. The hook-up also just seemed rather unrealistic: a famous actress meets a man in her hallway and invites him in and not 5 mins later they are getting intimate? I would have much preferred an initial meeting and attraction that didn't lead immediately to them hooking up. I think their romance could have been more well developed in general as well because it still felt very surface level physical-attraction based. Once we got more into the story Olivia and Mon's character interactions were cute, at times a bit cheesy, but fitting for their characters.

There's great Filipino representation and I definitely appreciated reading a romance very connected with that culture. Sure there's lots of words that I didn't know the meaning of, but it's not my culture and I got the gist of those parts. I'm sure that Filipinos reading this will appreciate the language and references! Lots of discussions around Olivia being a BIPOC/South Asian actress working in Hollywood (constantly dealing with racism and just wishing to be cast for roles that don't hide ethnicity).

This clearly was also written at the height of the pandemic and there were lots of specific topical references that I think in a short time might make this book read a bit outdated.

Spice: 3.5/5
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

Content Warnings: Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Racism

Starting this book, I instantly fell in love with Mon. I loved that I was reading a book about two Filipinos finding each other and falling for each other. I don’t know Tagalog, but I loved how the language was threaded throughout. It keeps the characters’ unique cultural experiences alive throughout the book. I also enjoyed the spice and the fact that it starts off pretty quickly. That was a fun part of the book for me. I didn’t like Olivia at first. I definitely preferred Mon’s perspective. And was a little disappointed that the book starts off with his perspective and switches between him and Olivia. Would have loved to say this was my first full male pov romance book because he was such a great character from the start. But Olivia grew on me and I finally understood her. Would definitely be interested in a sequel.

Manila Takes Manhattan felt like a quick whirlwind romance, as one can probably expect for a celebrity rom-com. I loved seeing the Filipino rep between the two MCs, as well as their versions of the immigrant experience in America.

The romance itself was cute and sometimes cheesy, yet at the same time felt super rushed with no real development. Or rather felt like the development only had two pages worth of thought and moved on with the plot.

I did overall enjoy the book, though I definitely feel like I missed some of the Filipino references.

Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman was honestly everything I could possibly want in a romance story.
The dialogue is genuinely witty and sweet... and I eat it up, no hesitation cause I just love these two characters that much!
They were so diverse and swoony.
The writing was engaging and had me flipping the pages quickly.
I can't wait for you to read this and hopefully fall in love just as much.

Thank You NetGalley and Harlequin Romance | Afterglow Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read. This book was very insta love. It is not really my thing but this did this in a fun way that allowed me to keep reading. Mon and Olivia , the producer/musician and the actress come together even though they try to hide and fight it . This was an easy read as the book flowed well. The movie references were good. As I think this book was designed for someone that watched 90’s movies.

I learned so much of Filipino culture all while feeling like I was a fly on the wall between these two.
From their instant and steamy meet cute, to them awkwardly finding out oops they are co workers, to them melting into each other as friends. I think this was a spectacular romance read.
I looked up so many Filipino pop culture from the references, and so much delicious food.
I love the way both characters look at the world. How they want to conquer and yet are fearful. How they look to find their representation in things and knowing they have to be the rep they seek. I personally felt that so deeply.