I feel like the season of giving, or in my case receiving, just keeps going on and on, for which I am grateful. In a matter of weeks, I’ve had the delight of reading Katherine Center, Marissa Clarke, Kelley Armstrong, Jill Shalvis and now Lauren Layne! I mean, seriously, can a book blogger’s happiness get any larger than mine? (And there’s more on the way, woohoo!)

Made in Manhattan

Lauren Layne

January 18, 2022

Gallery Books

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Blurb:

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.

Purchase Links:
Amazon | Shop your local indie bookstore

Made in Manhattan is pure bliss in typical Lauren Layne style. Take a confident woman, a savvy fish-out-of-water man, throw a touch of My Fair Lady in the mix, some sexy jazz, a cutie patootie Yorkie, an interfering grandmother, and lots of rapid fire dialogue with some swoony scenes and you have a book that you don’t want to put down–at least I didn’t, and actually I mostly didn’t, only interrupting for dinner and 30 minutes of Netflix. Emily in Paris can’t stand up to Made in Manhattan I assure you.

The relationship between Violet and Cain in Made in Manhattan is not the stuff of My Fair Lady so if you’re looking for a complete retelling you’ll be disappointed. It’s an equal give-and-take deal with Cain showing Violet that she’s been settling in her life, settling for fine rather than great. Partly with his guidance, she opens up and finds the joy in her life. Likewise, Cain learns from Violet to open himself up to relationships, snobbery is a two-way street, and you can’t judge a girl by her clothes.

Made in Manhattan is warm-hearted, funny, and pure escapist pleasure. A definite must-read for all Lauren Layne fans. PS, this book made me want to visit Central Park, go to a jazz club, and go to New Orleans–not all at the same time. 😉

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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rating: 

5 out of 5 butterflies

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