Olivia and Mon met in the hallway of the apartment building they are both staying in. They are neighbors. They hook up. Then they find out they are working together. She is a movie star and he is a music producer. She picked him to do the music for her new movie. Romance brews between them. In a month's time, they enjoy each other's company and fall in love.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't happy that it was a reality that included COVID in it, but it was handled really well in the book. It was part of the story and Mon actually wore a mask a lot during the story. In the back of my mind, I kept asking why others weren't masking as well but I guess that is reality too.

I adored this fish out of water, dual POV, celebrity romance between two Filipino MCs who fall in love while working together in NYC! This was such a sweet romance, I couldn't help falling for both actress Olivia and rising star musician Mon who travels from Manila after Olivia lobbies for him to be the one to produce her songs on a new movie she's starring in.

With lots of romcom references and delicious food references plus tons of spicy open door scenes, this was my first Carla de Guzman book and it definitely won't be my last. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Helen Hoang, Jackie Lau or Cathy Yardley. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital and physical ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Steam level: open door

Carla de Guzman writes contemporary romance novels focusing on Filipino characters. “Manila Takes Manhattan” is published from Afterglow Books by Harlequin.

Mon Mendoza is a Filipino musician/producer who has just flown to New York City to produce movie music for a film staring Olivia Angeles, whose parents emigrated from the Philippines decades ago. Olivia is a rising star, established on a hugely successful space opera television show, but still struggles with being typecast as the friend, or bitter girlfriend, the Latinx nurse, but not the leading lady.
Mon is locked out of his temporary apartment after a grueling flight, and bumps into a beautiful woman in the hallway; one thing leads to another, and things are happening. An anonymous encounter and the realization Mon and Olivia must work together setup this romantic comedy.

I thought this meet-cute didn’t totally work – if only because the seduction and insta-connection felt a bit off, as though Mon (whose POV we read in the opening chapter) doesn’t understand what is happening. To be fair, he is suffering from jetlag and is slow to realize he is being seduced; but, I have read other one-night stands that start a relationship that I think work better.

I absolutely loved the fact that this was a story about two ambitious people, who had clear career goals, striving and achieving success in their respective fields.

Carla de Gauzman managed to stuff this book full of thoughtful commentary on being a first-generation immigrant and about the sense of connection and alienation from a country of origin as Olivia’s family would regularly travel to Manila yet her understanding of idiom, politics, and pop culture is understood as an outsider.

As Mon considers whether to relocate to America for Olivia, there is a heartbreaking exploration of political corruption and what it may mean to permanently leave one’s home nation or stay and hope / advocate for change.

This book made me think of “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry, a story where I could almost have accepted a non-HEA with begrudging grace. That book made me sob uncontrollably and, while I got some good heart pangs with “Manilia Takes Manhattan”, I did not have quite enough emotional angst to fully invest in tears. Ultimately, it was this lack of emotional connection that has me reducing my star rating.

I read the book in a single sitting and would definitely recommend it if you like romcoms and want to diversify your reading.

There are two main elements that first drew me to Manila Takes Manhattan: It’s about music, and it centers Filipino characters. I’ve only read one other book with this particular combination (All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim), and I was excited to get to know a Southeast Asian character making it in the music world.

The book gets steamy fast, setting up our two main characters on what’s supposed to be a one-night-stand. It’s not until after the fact that they realize they’ll be working together for the next month. Mon has just arrived in New York to write the music for an upcoming movie that Olivia is starring in, specifically the song that she will sing. On top of that, Olivia is the one who wanted to work with Mon in the first place, having loved an album he put out during the pandemic. Their working situation might be a bit awkward, but they’re willing to act professional around one another… even with their growing romantic interest in each other.

One thing that surprised me about Manila Takes Manhattan is how much of it centers on Mon and Olivia’s conversations and mental connection. They spend a lot of time talking about a variety of topics, no matter how big or small: Their taste in music, friends and family, career goals and woes, politics in the Philippines, how they see the world and think about things. These are the kinds of conversations I have with the people closest to me (my husband, my sister, etc.), and it helps make the connection between Olivia and Mon really strong. They aren’t just interested in each other physically; they have a deeper understanding of each other that would make a strong foundation for a long-term relationship.

I also enjoyed all the parts about music. From writing lyrics and composing the music to coming up with musical comparisons and discussing Filipino artists in particular, there was a great amount of time devoted to Mon’s songwriting and producing career, as well as Olivia’s hands-on role in developing her song.

But of course, there are obstacles in the way, starting with Olivia and Mon’s respective careers. How can they have a relationship with each other when her career is primarily based in the United States and his career is mainly in Asia? How can they navigate the celebrity attention they each get (especially Olivia)? Are their respective careers compatible? And then there is the matter of their respective homes: Olivia must stay in the Los Angeles area, and Mon wants to remain in Manila. How can they overcome such a long distance between them?

Manila Takes Manhattan explores a lot of interesting themes, from cultural differences to music to career trajectories. The romance is steamy, and happens from chapter one, and is rounded out by thoughtful conversations between the main characters. The ending comes quickly, but I like how Mon and Olivia choose to navigate their relationship. This is a great romance for anyone looking for Southeast Asian representation, the movie and music industry, and a fair bit of spice.

Rating 3.5/5

Manila Takes Manhattan is a sweet celebrity romance between a Filipino music producer and a Filipino-American A-list actress filming in New York City. This is my first Carla de Guzman story, and I really enjoyed her writing style and her rich inclusion of Filipino culture. It's clear that she has intimate knowledge about the immigrant experience as well.

It's very easy to care about Olivia and Mon, and how they depend on each other and get to know each other. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a steamy read full with Filipino culture and delicious food.

A brief glossary at the end of the story that compiled all of the different phrases and food would be a great way for people unfamiliar with Filipino culture to have a reference point as a lot of cultural references vary person to person, something that Olivia experiences in the story herself.

Thank you to Afterglow Books by Harlequin and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed all the Manila and Philippines! After living in Manila for 5 years and moving away this was a great trip down memory lane.

Manila Takes Manhattan was a fun celebrity romance - the NYC set glam movie star life gave me all the 90's rom com nods with a modern Filipino twist. I loved how diverse the cast of characters were and how cosmopolitan and human it was seeing their different experiences and even seeing the commonality of being disappointed by an election that had been led with so much hope. I loved the use of Filipino language throughout the story. I felt like the author grappled really well about how hard it is to chase big dreams while being true to yourself and what you want and who you are with both Olivia and Mon - their romance and friendship were so sweet and I loved seeing them get closer and closer as the book progressed. The spice felt organic to the plot, but if you don't love a spicy story, this might not be for you!

I was very excited an intrigued to read "Manila Takes Manhattan" due to my love for cultures and getting to be immersed into a novel that in a sense, is educational by all the cultural references and plot. However, I didn't end up enjoying this and it fell short of my high expectations.

First, I was confused the first couple of chapters as to what the actual plot was- and I had to re-read the first chapter a few times to fully grasp what happened. While I love and appreciate other cultures, I wish there was an index of some things that were mentioned often so I knew what they were and could visualize it. For example- pancit canton. For a while I kept thinking it was a sweet delicacy.. and when I looked it up I was far from right. Once I looked it up and I was on my phone.. I didn't pick the book back up the rest of the day.

I think the cover of this book is absolutely beautiful, and it was what initially caught my eye.

Overall, I couldn't connect to any of the characters which made the story drag for me as well.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I love seeing representation in all sorts of media, and this book has it to a T. I love that both Mon and Olivia are very successful in their own right and are at a turning point in their careers. Ms. De Guzman has the Filipino experience down to a T, and has captured a lot of the feelings that many minorities have living in North America. The book felt low angst in terms of the actual relationship for the couple and more of the conflict is tied around their careers and futures. They both each have a lot of internal issues to work through, mainly about their careers, industry, and belonging. It wasn't what I expected how the story would go, which in itself, is refreshing. My biggest concern with this book is actually a lot of the language and terminology that is used. There isn't a lot of explanation or footnotes for some translation and can be alienating for those not familiar in Filipino culture or slang. I personally am very familiar to the culture being ethnic Chinese from the Philippines, but when it came to a lot for the Filipino being spoken, it was a bit hard to understand what was going on. There's a potential to lose audiences because they really aren't familiar with the culture. I've read a few books where the characters are of different backgrounds, and felt like I was a welcome visitor into their lives with some explanations woven in. I didn't quite feel that with this book... There were so many political and cultural references it was definitely made for a Filipino audience and no one else. On the flip side, Mon and Olivia are delightfully cheesy in a most Filipino way, and sexy in their chemistry. I'm glad I got an advance copy to read, and to see AAPI characters in romance.

Steam: 🔥🔥
Heart Flutters: 0.5 ❤️

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve read one of Carla de Guzman’s previous works from a different Harlequin imprint and enjoyed it, so I was particularly excited for Manila Takes Manhattan. I love how her work centers the Filipino immigrant experience, and this book absolutely does that, with emphasis on the entertainment industry.
I love that Mon and Olivia are both creatives who end up being thrown together, first by circumstance, and then by work. Mon is a music producer newly come to New York, who doesn’t quite fit in, and Olivia is an actress who is starring in her first musical. I also appreciated how nuanced their characters were, with him not being crippled by toxic masculinity, and her working toward success on her own terms without having to sacrifice her cultural identity.
While stories that begin with one-night stands can be very hit-or-miss for me, de Guzman crafts the sort I like, exploring the palpable chemistry between them, not to mention them bonding over pancit canton. And as they begin working together, and their situationship developed beyond that, I rooted for them to figure things out and officially get together.
This was an enjoyable, relatively short read, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy steamy multicultural romances.

This was a cute NYC-based Hollywood romance between a Filipino music producer and a Filipino-American A-list actress.

The book itself was very short (less than 300 pages), and had a whirlwind romance to match. There was very little conflict or build-up between the characters, and the story itself felt a little flat with a lot of spice. It felt more like a long novella rather than a full novel.

As someone who doesn’t know much about Filipino culture or phrases, I also struggled to read and follow all the dialogue. It was written with so many Filipino phrases and references that were unexplained and hard to gather from contact clues, which made it hard to follow the story. The inclusivity was great to read, but rather than learning anything left me confused.

This book was a slower read for me but once I had the time to dedicate to this book I am glad that I powered through. I enjoyed reading a Romance novel about more realistic experiences of first generation immigrant Romance stories and identified with the female and male characters feelings when dealing with imposter syndrome, racial targeting/stereotyping/discrimination by acquaintances along with being subjected to several instances of verbal racist abuse during the pandemic by strangers and people within our communities. The level of micro aggressive racism that Asians face within members of different Asian communities along with the pressure to live up to impossible dreams/demands from within our own communities and families is very discouraging and depressing at times. This book managed to capture these same incidences for both characters and I definitely was able to commiserate and identify with both on this issues. I will recommend this title to individuals and patrons requesting similar reads but also those featuring Southeast Asian characters. Also, music and movie references elevated this book and I cannot wait to read more by this author.

Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. I DNF'd at 52% for a number of reasons:

*I didn't feel like anything had actually happened by this point other than two random hook ups and the MCs internal angst about it.

*The initial hook-up didn't feel realistic whatsoever, especially in the year 2024. What woman would invite a completely strange man she finds sitting outside of her apartment (in NYC no less) inside her door, and then proceed to get naked with him after 5 minutes of awkward conversation, just because he is a fellow Pinoy? She couldn't even see his entire face until after he was inside because he had a mask on.

*There were several references after the fact that their initial sexual encounter involved "f***ing" -- but that didn't occur?

*With that being said, their second hook-up involved oral sex and neither one of the parties used protection or asked to see test results? I work in public health, and I am constantly having to educate people about the fact that there are multiple STDs that can be transmitted from penis to mouth.

*There wasn't enough story for me to feel Mon and Olivia's chemistry.

*While I loved the Filipino representation and cultural references, I had to utilize Google translate many times, which became very distracting. Similarly, I was not familiar with most of the foods they were eating, so I was using Google to understand those references as well. I really wish a glossary of the foods had been included.

*It was difficult to have a frame of reference for Mon's music, and why Olivia was so captured by it. I would have loved a bit more description about the type of music he writes so that I could get a feel for the beat and style.

*It is still too soon for me to enjoy storylines that involve the pandemic. When Mon's character was introduced wearing a mask, I shuddered.

I do think that this author has a fun, bright voice, and is a talented writer, so I think that my issues were really more about the story in general, rather than the execution of the idea. I would absolutely be willing to try another one of her titles!

I always look forward to a fun romance with diverse leads. Although I did like the characters, I wanted more development. It felt like instant lust when straight into instant love --it just wasn't believable to me. While I did like the references to Filipino culture and food, I felt that the focus on those things detracted from the plot and character development. This would have been a better read had there been more of a balance.

Mon is a Filipino musician/music producer is hired for a job in New York, tries to check into his hotel, can't get into his room, and ends up in a very steamy encounter with another guest. Oh, well. Just a random hookup with a stranger, right?

No. He's been hired to write the score of a movie and soon discovers that ... Olivia (his hook-up) is the star. The two try to work around this awkwardness and their attraction to each other.

Loved learning more about Filipino culture and the Filipino-American experience. The musical elements were a lot of fun.

Two things I'd mention:

One: quite a few pandemic references.

Two: I read more mystery than romance and was a little taken aback at the very stream-of-consciousness writing style of this story. I never quite adjusted to it. If you like your books to be more methodical and measured in the way they introduce you to a story world, you might want to read a few pages first.

The writing style does fit with the more improvisational, emotional feel of the story ... and the music themes. But I did struggle with it because I'm pretty left-brained. I'm sure it was good for me to try to just go with it!

A cute, oober cheesy, very Filipino, sexy romcom.

Olivia is an actress filming her first musical and gets her favorite up and coming music producer Morningstar hired to do the score for the film. They had never met and so when they do they instantly hit it off. Pun intended. One night stand until they realize who the other is and that they will be working together. Can they keep it professional? Lol

I thought this was cute. Some parts were cringey just because the characters were self proclaimed cheeseballs but it was cringe in a fun way. I loved that the characters explained their experience of being Filipino-American and having such different experiences from each other to see a little bit of different experiences people have. The instant attraction felt a little rushed/forced but after they get to know each other they do have a lot of chemistry and are adorable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for an eARC.

I enjoyed the voice in this literary romance. (I don’t think the comparisons to Jasmine Guillory and Helen Hoang are particularly apt—this is not a rom com.) The prose immerses the reader in the inner world of the characters. The pace is leisurely.

This was a cute read! I loved Mon and Olivia and it was refreshing to see the Filipino rep! This was definitely a feel-good book, which I enjoyed. It kind of read more like a novella though rather than a full book. The story seemed sped up and I would’ve loved to see more depth to the characters and their lives. I really didn’t love the inclusion of the COVID pandemic and its influence. I know it makes it more realistic and it helped establish the story, but I don’t like reading about it. Overall, I thought the characters and story were sweet, but I wanted more from it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the Filipino representation in this book and I understood most of the cultural references, so props to the author for that. The beginning though, that hookup was some rough reading that I had to power through. I like how the author put up the effort to show the chemistry between the two through witty banter and shared cultural experiences. The supporting cast felt a bit Greek chorus, but that's standard for romcons, I guess. I wish the author picked a more fitting ending line after all the other simulated of social media quotes earlier in the book. Overall, this was a fun, fast, read. Hopefully the author gets a Lucky Me Pancit Canton sponsorship.

Are you ready to be swept into a whirlwind of emotions in New York City's bustling streets? "Manila Takes Manhattan" by Carla de Guzman is a vibrant tale of love, identity, and music. A delightful blend of romance, Filipino culture, and the magic of music, this book is an irresistible treat for fans (new and seasoned) of the genre.

Meet Mon Mendoza. He’s a talented Filipino musician and producer. Fresh off the plane in New York, he grapples with feelings of displacement despite a life-changing opportunity. His only solace? A date night with a steaming bowl of pancit canton. Little does he know, his Pinoy neighbour will soon become an unexpected muse.

Meet Olivia Angeles. She’s a versatile actress navigating the complexities of Hollywood. She wears her characters like well-fitted dresses, but her real self remains elusive. She yearns for success in Hollywood without compromising her identity. When she crosses paths with her neighbour, their chemistry ignites like a sparkler on a summer night. Their passionate tryst, meant to be a fleeting encounter, takes an unexpected turn when they discover they're both working on the same movie. Together.

De Guzman masterfully weaves themes of cultural duality, love, and ambition throughout the narrative. Mon and Olivia's journey is not just about romance; it's about finding oneself amidst the clash of two worlds. From the glitz of red carpets to the comfort of a shared meal, their relationship blossoms against the vibrant backdrop of Manhattan.

The author's prose is as melodic as Mon's guitar chords. She paints vivid scenes—the aroma of sizzling street food, the neon glow of Times Square, and the rhythm of subway trains. Readers will feel the pulse of the city, the heartbeat of Mon and Olivia's connection. The dialogue crackles with wit and authenticity, capturing the essence of Filipino humour and banter.

Mon's passion for music infuses the pages. De Guzman's descriptions of his compositions evoke emotions of joy, longing, heartache. As Mon and Olivia collaborate on the film's soundtrack, their creative synergy becomes a bridge between their worlds. The music becomes a character in itself, harmonizing their souls.

The supporting cast adds depth and warmth. Mon's quirky family in Manila, Olivia's loyal best friend, and the film crew, all contribute to the rich tapestry of the story. Let's not forget the cameos! Fans of de Guzman's previous works will delight in spotting familiar faces.

The pacing is pitch-perfect. Each chapter leaves you craving more, turning pages late into the night. The pandemic looms in the background, affecting Mon and Olivia's lives, but it never overwhelms the narrative. Instead, it underscores their vulnerability and resilience.

"Manila Takes Manhattan" is a celebration of Filipino culture. It's the taste of adobo on a rainy day, the sound of kundiman echoing through brownstone corridors. It's the warmth of family gatherings and the ache of homesickness. De Guzman invites readers to explore the intricacies of identity, love, and the pursuit of dreams.

In a world where success often demands compromise, Mon and Olivia stand firm. Their journey reminds us that sometimes, following your heart means straddling two places, and perhaps, finding love in the most unexpected corners.

De Guzman's novel is a symphony of emotions. It’s a crescendo of love, laughter, and longing. As Mon and Olivia navigate fame, passion, and self-discovery, they leave an indelible mark on our hearts and sweep you away on a lyrical adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Romance, and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.