Carnegie Hill

I REALLY liked Carnegie Hill! This book is perfect for readers who loved Matchmaking for Beginners, Where'd you go Bernadette and Other People's houses.

Pepper, 33, is the quintessential millennial who grew up on the Upper East Side of NYC. She has no career, no passion and no children. Just a good-hearted soul who doesn't want to live with her parents anymore and hopes she could marry Rick, an attractive but mysterious financier. Their choice of residence becomes Chelmsford Arms, and in her effort to do something meaningful with her life, she joins the co-op board. The first chapter is like fresh water splashed on your face. In Pepper's fears and dreams, I see myself. The tenor of Pepper's thoughts intimately reflected my own. Her trying out different jobs and feeling as if she doesn't fit anywhere is universal, and it's nice to see someone with money having the same struggles as middle-class me. Rick is every girl's dream - he works out, he's rich, he can afford a million dollar apartment and he loves her so completely its almost puzzling. The story starts with them but gradually gathers a few more characters into its fold. Birdie, an older woman who was the perfect trophy wife all her life and now faced with her retired, depressed husband, George at their house everyday. George, the guy who tried so hard to be enough for Birdie all his life and now left with nothing but humiliation and a bruised ego after being laid off for being old. Francis, the absolutely crazy old hypochondriac who slowly spirals into sort-of dementia and is looking for meaning in his existence, and deeper connection with his wife. Sergei, the hot Russian doorman, struggling to reveal his sexuality and Caleb, the new porter at Chelmsford arms who falls for Sergei. And these characters are the only ones Pepper could turn to for advice on her own love life. Talk about crazy!

I really like that the novel should be read in perspectives. How Pepper sees Rick is not how he sees himself. How Francis observes Caleb is not how Pepper sees him. It's a deep, realistic and moving portrait of love and marriage. How years together can affect each other's personalities in good and bad ways. It's not a plot heavy book and I'm thankful for it. We all need such contemplative books with polarizing characters. I kind of feel the author tried hard to write unlikable characters and he succeeded. Surprisingly, I still fell in love with this book. A potent dose of realism and dark humor is what this novel promises and delivers. The writing itself could be a little more literary but it gets the job done. The resolution of the various story threads was unsatisfactory because it was happily ever after for unexpected characters but that's life. Humans behave irrationally, not logically when it comes to love. I fervently believe that if this novel was marketed towards women's book clubs, it'll be a divisive but engaging discussion subject, and thereby, a financial success.

Felt like melrose place in the best of ways . Varying couples of all orientations and degrees of relationships living in an apartment building. A juicy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was provided this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fun read set in a NYC co-op. Reminiscent of Alexander McCall Smith's wonderful 44 Scotland Street series. Really enjoyable!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love NYC has a backdrop for novels, it's a city that I definitely romanticize so I enjoy seeing the inside look at the lives of New Yorkers, even if they are fictional. Carnegie Hill is a delightful read with well-developed characters who are entertaining to follow as they deal with the challenges of love and marriage. The book is relatable and entertaining, I really enjoyed it.

The book was exactly how I thought it would be. An easy relaxing read. The Upper East Side in NYC has always intrigued me and reading this book was like a little journal or soap.

What a beautiful title! I am actively searching for books with multi-generational characters and the interactions among these did not disappoint. It was a beautiful and poignant look at all facets of love and I enjoyed peeping into their lives very much.

When a newly engaged young couple moves into a multi-million dollar apartment in an elite old building on New York's Upper East Side, we soon learn that they -- and the much-older couples in their building -- do not have the perfect lives they may project to outsiders. Great story, with multigenerational characters we truly come to care about.

This book was just fab. I really felt like I was living in a New York co-op while reading this book, and it was so beautifully written. I think that Jonathan really got the measure of the petty squabbles and minutae of living in such a place, plus I loved the story line of a marriage that breaks slowly down. Absolutely brilliant.

A woman, recently married, moves into this crazy condo and somehow ends up on the board of directors with a cast of nutty residents. In the meantime, her husband is not who she thinks he is. It was a good read.

At the time I chose to read this book, i was looking for something light, and light hearted. This did the trick! A love story/romance book that was just perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced Kindle copy of Carnegie Hill. I knew from the description of the book that I would enjoy it, but didn't know I would enjoy it as much as I did. Carnegie Hill is the story of Penelope "Pepper" Bradford and the people who live in her upper-crust building in NYC. Pepper is engaged to Rick when they move to Carnegie Hill and they are married soon after. Pepper suspects that her marriage to Rick wasn't the best idea, but forges ahead. Pepper has no job, comes from money and decides to join the board of her building, opening up her world to contribute and meet others who live there. She meets Patricia, the current president of the board - a stickler to her position and the building's rules, two elderly married couples and a single, older resident. Jonathan Vatner has done something that always amazes me - he is able to convincingly write from the female perspective. His characters are multi-layered and realistic. I enjoyed this book immensely - a different book to the type I usually read. I was immersed in the story and the decisions that Pepper and her new-found friends make. I hope to read more by Jonathan Vatner in the future.

If you have ever lived in a condo or coop and were frustrated by the goings on of communal living arrangements, this novel will be a fun read and a reminder of just how ridiculous and petty those boards can be. The characters are drawn from real life and the particular neighborhood of the upper east side of Manhattan comes all too readily to life in this novel. Highly recommended.