Made in Manhattan | A Review

Hiya! I hope your day is going great. It’s been a while since I’ve posted a review. So here are my thoughts on Made in Manhattan by Lauren Layne. Enjoy!

(Synopsis from GoodReads)

Violet Townsend has always been a people pleaser. Raised in the privileged world of Upper East Side Manhattan, she always says the right things, wears the right clothes, and never rocks the boat. Violet would do anything for the people closest to her, especially her beloved grandmother. So when she asks Violet to teach the newly-discovered grandson of her friend how to fit in with New York City’s elite, Violet immediately agrees. Her goal? To get Cain Stone ready to take his place as heir to his family company…but to say he’s not exactly an eager student is an understatement. Born and raised in rural Louisiana and now making his own way in New Orleans, Cain Stone is only playing along for the paycheck at the end. He has no use for the grandmother he didn’t know existed and no patience for the uppity Violet’s attempts to turn him into a suit-wearing, museum-attending gentleman.

But somewhere amidst antagonistic dinner parties and tortured tux fittings, Cain and Violet come to a begrudging understanding—and the uptight Violet realizes she’s not the only one doing the teaching. As she and Cain begin to find mutual respect for one another (and maybe even something more), Violet learns that blindly following society’s rules doesn’t lead to happiness…and that sometimes the best things in life come from the most unexpected places.

Made in Manhattan is the perfect read for die-hard city girls, and I loved every bit of it!

Now, I’m not going to lie. When I first picked up this book, I thought it’d be boring. Luckily, I was very surprised!

The main character Violet was kind and likable. Violet’s growth throughout the book was very refreshing to see! I loved how it was evident that she was learning from her mistakes, and recognizing things she needed to work on. One underlying message I loved is that it goes to show that developing as a person is possible without changing your physical appearance. The other main character Cain was interesting too. At first, I didn’t love his cold demeanour. But as the story progressed, my assumptions were quickly proven wrong. He was such an understanding person towards the end. It was definitely great to see his personality develop as well. Violet’s friends and family were also such great supporting characters!

Unfortunately, I didn’t always love the dialogue. Sometimes, Violet tried too hard to come up with a comeback or insult. It came off as cringy most times. Other interactions were genuinely funny though, which helped to balance out the cringe I felt. 

On a great note, the writing really hooked me! It was elegant yet hilarious. Made in Manhattan is also very fast-paced, which I adored. Because of its pace, I finished the book in 24 hours! The author also provided awesome insight into New York and Manhattan. It really added to the city-vibe of the story.

I really enjoyed this fun and swoon-worthy read! It’s the perfect book to read when you just want to relax and not think too much. Overall, I highly recommend Made in Manhattan!

Age Rating: 16 and up

Trigger Warnings: Death of parents (off-page)

Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars, or 9/10

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Have you read this book? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have a wonderful day, and thank you for reading!

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The Ex Hex | A Review

Happy (belated) Halloween!! This is the first Halloween I am celebrating during my blogging journey, so of course I had to end this year’s spooky season off with a review for one of October’s most read title; The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling. I hope you enjoy!

(Synopsis from goodreads)

Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two. That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all. Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.

Packed with witchy fun, The Ex Hex is the banter-filled read you don’t want to miss this fall!

The Ex Hex is a fun and whimsical book jam-packed with twists and turns! The main character Vivienne faces challenge after challenge, and never catches a break. This made for a very well-developed plot.

However, I did feel that some aspects of the book were quite repetitive. For example, Vivienne and Rhys (her ex), have feelings for each other, but always try to deny it. Unfortunately, their angst merely scratched the surface of what could have been such a thought-provoking relationship. Since The Ex Hex is mostly about Vivienne and Rhys’ relationship, I was hoping for much more substance. Luckily, their chemistry really saved me from writing a two-star review. 😆 

“The best cure for anything was candles and a bath”
― Erin Sterling, The Ex Hex

Furthermore, the dialogue was slightly tacky. It tried hard to be sarcastic, but never truly delivered any laugh-out-loud lines. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the dialogue. But considering this is a romantic comedy, I was hoping for more witty dialogue. 

On a more positive note, the writing in The Ex Hex really surprised me. Unlike the dialogue, it was absolutely hilarious. The mishaps Vivienne and Rhys deal with are comedy gold. The author does a wonderful job at portraying awkward situations in a way that doesn’t make me get second-hand embarrassment. If you ask me, that alone is an achievement in itself. Also, the writing is incredibly atmospheric. It depicts small towns during the fall in such a cozy way! 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s fast-paced and absolutely perfect for the autumn season. Halloween might be over, but who says you can’t enjoy a spooktacular read during the fall? 

Age Rating: 16 and up

Trigger Warnings: The death of a parent is brought up.

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars, or 7.5 out of 10.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

What’s your favorite witch-themed read? Have a fabulous day!

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