Reviewer: Jen Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan
Series: From Manhattan with Love #1
Also in this series: Sleepless in Manhattan, Sunset in Central Park (From Manhattan with Love, #2), Miracle on 5th Avenue, Miracle on 5th Avenue
Publication Date: May 31, 2016
Pages: 464
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Series Rating:
USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan introduces a sizzling new trilogy about three best friends embracing life—and love—in Manhattan.
Cool, calm and competent, events planner Paige Walker loves a challenge. After a childhood spent in and out of hospitals, she's now determined to prove herself—and where better to take the world by storm than in the exhilarating bustle of Manhattan? But when Paige is let go from the job she loves, she must face her biggest challenge of all—going it alone.
Except launching her own events company is nothing compared to hiding her outrageous crush on Jake Romano—her brother's best friend, New York's most in-demand date, and the only man to break her heart. When Jake offers Paige's fledgling company a big chance, their still-sizzling chemistry starts giving her sleepless nights. But can she convince the man who trusts no one to take a chance on forever?
Yay, a new series from Sarah Morgan! This series is set in New York City and follows three childhood friends starting an event planning/concierge business. The first friend is Paige Walker. When the book opens, Paige and her two friends get laid off from their jobs (they all worked at the same event planning company). Feeling guilty because she’s the one who convinced her friends to join the company, Paige is sulking until her brother’s friend, Jake Romano, suggests she start her own business. With some help from Jake, Paige is determined to make the business a success, but working with Jake is tough because he broke her heart when they were younger. Jake too has been half in love with Paige forever, but he’s determined to remember that she’s his best friend’s sister. Obviously, that doesn’t work so well.
This was a sweet book. Paige was smart and driven, and she would do anything for those she loves. She had some serious, life threatening health issues as a child, and she spent her life having everyone around her coddle and shelter her. What few of them realized, though, was how she was the one doing the protecting, trying to hide her problems so no one would worry. She did the same thing when her friends lost their jobs–she wanted so badly to succeed in her new business not because she wanted it for herself but because she wanted it for her friends. I loved her determination and her fierce devotion to those she loved. Plus her friends and family are devoted right back, especially her brother, and seeing her and her friends together was lovely.
Jake was less interesting to me. He’s a hot shot bachelor millionaire…whatever. I’m also getting tired of “I can’t get involved because she’s my little sister.” Grow up, dude. (Though I liked her brother, he could have stood a good slap upside the head too for being so overprotective.) I didn’t really get why Jake was dragging his feet so much, except that he was kind of a dick. I felt like he jerked Paige around more than he should have, and while I didn’t hate him, I didn’t love him either.
I loved the strong family and friend relationships, and I loved the New York setting, which Morgan uses to great effect. I did feel like there was a little something missing, some spark to make the book feel fresh that I’ve come to expect from Morgan’s books, but that may have been mostly because of my ambivalence towards Jake. Regardless, this book is a perfectly pleasant read.
Grade: 4 out of 5
*I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book sounds really good! I have added it to my massive TBR 😀