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serendipitysbooks's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
brittanica_bold's review
4.0
This ARC has been on my TBR forever. With an expected publication date of January 3, 2023 and a title like that, I was thinking this would be a perfect New Years Eve read…and then I got impatient and had to read it!
This ARC definitely got me with it’s cover. All those bright colors and the promise of romance was right up my alley! So how did this seemingly adorable book stack up? Let's find out!
What I liked about the book:
1. This story was basically a love letter to food and New York and I loved it!
I’m not a huge fan of New York, but something about the descriptions of all the little local locations and hipster cookie bars made me want to go again and see if my first time was just a fluke. Maybe I’m hipster enough now to enjoy it???
The food in this story was AMAZING! The sounds, the descriptions, the smells (ok, not really, but you know what I mean) all made me hungry, and even more impressive, made me want to cook, which is usually an absolute no-go for me.
2. Another thing I really liked about this book was that the main character, Margot, was really on a journey of self-discovery. I love books about characters who end up finding themselves, especially if it’s wildly different than they originally thought. It was fun to stick around for Margot’s journey to New York and her crazy antics to try to find “the love of her life”.
Every time I picked up this book to continue reading, I couldn’t think of anything but Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York”, which definitely got played on repeat several times while I read this coming-of-age story.
3. Oh, how I loved Ben. He was sweet and stood up for her, he helped her on her hunt, and he legitimately tried to date her in the sincerest way possible. He was definite cinnamon-role hubby material and for sure a Short King!
I loved watching how Margot’s opinion of Ben changed as well. He went from the short guy that was not terrible looking to her best friend that was, like, a total babe.
What could have been better:
1. I felt like there was so much emphasis on the food and locations that it detracted from the characters themselves. I would go so far as to say Margot was not the main character; the main character was New York. As a person that needs a lot of character connection in a book, I found this area lacking.
2. Similarly, because there was so much emphasis on the food and locations, I felt we were really just location hopping, which took away from real plot development at times. I definitely didn’t mind reading about all the locations and food choices the characters made, but there were a couple times I was left hungry and feeling like I didn’t really read anything that advanced the story.
3. I really, really hated how much of the plot was around her happiness being dependent on her finding Zach. Not only because it was Zach, but because it was any other person other than herself. I get that this is a total YA thing to think, and is probably normal (?...But what do I know, I ditched high school in favor of independent study because I couldn’t understand my peers…).
HOWEVER, even if this is “normal” I definitely don’t think it should be emphasized like this in books, or it at least should have been wrapped up with a better message than not being addressed at all. It’s definitely not a healthy message for teens to obsess over someone and completely shirk other parts of their life/responsibilities in order to get them. Like, GIRL, YOU HAVE A JOB AND A DAMN FINE MAN RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. WHAT ARE YOU DOING RISKING THAT FOR SOME DUDE YOU KISSED ONCE???
Final Thoughts: This was a cute little love story to food, first loves, and the city that never sleeps. Definitely worth a read if you are a YA romance fan ❤️
Final Rating: 3.5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's / Delacorte Press, and Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau for the free copy of this book. The review above is reflective of my honest opinion.
This ARC definitely got me with it’s cover. All those bright colors and the promise of romance was right up my alley! So how did this seemingly adorable book stack up? Let's find out!
What I liked about the book:
1. This story was basically a love letter to food and New York and I loved it!
I’m not a huge fan of New York, but something about the descriptions of all the little local locations and hipster cookie bars made me want to go again and see if my first time was just a fluke. Maybe I’m hipster enough now to enjoy it???
The food in this story was AMAZING! The sounds, the descriptions, the smells (ok, not really, but you know what I mean) all made me hungry, and even more impressive, made me want to cook, which is usually an absolute no-go for me.
2. Another thing I really liked about this book was that the main character, Margot, was really on a journey of self-discovery. I love books about characters who end up finding themselves, especially if it’s wildly different than they originally thought. It was fun to stick around for Margot’s journey to New York and her crazy antics to try to find “the love of her life”.
Every time I picked up this book to continue reading, I couldn’t think of anything but Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York”, which definitely got played on repeat several times while I read this coming-of-age story.
3. Oh, how I loved Ben. He was sweet and stood up for her, he helped her on her hunt, and he legitimately tried to date her in the sincerest way possible. He was definite cinnamon-role hubby material and for sure a Short King!
I loved watching how Margot’s opinion of Ben changed as well. He went from the short guy that was not terrible looking to her best friend that was, like, a total babe.
What could have been better:
1. I felt like there was so much emphasis on the food and locations that it detracted from the characters themselves. I would go so far as to say Margot was not the main character; the main character was New York. As a person that needs a lot of character connection in a book, I found this area lacking.
2. Similarly, because there was so much emphasis on the food and locations, I felt we were really just location hopping, which took away from real plot development at times. I definitely didn’t mind reading about all the locations and food choices the characters made, but there were a couple times I was left hungry and feeling like I didn’t really read anything that advanced the story.
3. I really, really hated how much of the plot was around her happiness being dependent on her finding Zach. Not only because it was Zach, but because it was any other person other than herself. I get that this is a total YA thing to think, and is probably normal (?...But what do I know, I ditched high school in favor of independent study because I couldn’t understand my peers…).
HOWEVER, even if this is “normal” I definitely don’t think it should be emphasized like this in books, or it at least should have been wrapped up with a better message than not being addressed at all. It’s definitely not a healthy message for teens to obsess over someone and completely shirk other parts of their life/responsibilities in order to get them. Like, GIRL, YOU HAVE A JOB AND A DAMN FINE MAN RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. WHAT ARE YOU DOING RISKING THAT FOR SOME DUDE YOU KISSED ONCE???
Final Thoughts: This was a cute little love story to food, first loves, and the city that never sleeps. Definitely worth a read if you are a YA romance fan ❤️
Final Rating: 3.5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's / Delacorte Press, and Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau for the free copy of this book. The review above is reflective of my honest opinion.
analexandre's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
melissa300594's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
mishale1's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
What a cute book! Definitely a love letter to NYC and I love NYC so that made it even more fun. They even mentioned Levian bakery and Eately which are two of my favorite spots.
Margot met Zach a year ago in Paris. They had a romantic day together but don’t exchange numbers. They plan to meet again a year later when they have both moved to NYC. They thought it was romantic. Well I think these two never watched the movie Serendipity! Or An Affair to Remember! Cause somethings life is going to hold you back from getting to that meeting spot.
I cringed along with Margot when she ran late to her meeting spot with Zach and never found him that night.
She goes back to her restaurant job the next day and her coworker Ben offers to help her look for Zach.
All Margot knows is Zach’s favorite places. This leads her through NYC on a grand adventure. Sometimes she’s eating a cookie at Levian bakery, another day strolling through Central Park.
As she keeps trying to find Zach she grows closer to Ben but she can’t bring herself to let go of the romantic connection she had with Zach.
In addition to all the NYC love there was also lots of foodie talk. Everything sounded delicious.
This book was a lot of fun.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!
Margot met Zach a year ago in Paris. They had a romantic day together but don’t exchange numbers. They plan to meet again a year later when they have both moved to NYC. They thought it was romantic. Well I think these two never watched the movie Serendipity! Or An Affair to Remember! Cause somethings life is going to hold you back from getting to that meeting spot.
I cringed along with Margot when she ran late to her meeting spot with Zach and never found him that night.
She goes back to her restaurant job the next day and her coworker Ben offers to help her look for Zach.
All Margot knows is Zach’s favorite places. This leads her through NYC on a grand adventure. Sometimes she’s eating a cookie at Levian bakery, another day strolling through Central Park.
As she keeps trying to find Zach she grows closer to Ben but she can’t bring herself to let go of the romantic connection she had with Zach.
In addition to all the NYC love there was also lots of foodie talk. Everything sounded delicious.
This book was a lot of fun.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!
bug_lightyear's review against another edition
4.0
Read in 31 hours at 0.65 speed.
Good audiobook narrator, in particular with emotions, but the volume is inconsistent which makes it difficult to listen to.
Easy story to follow, the main character is maybe a bit naive but she's young and learning from her mistakes.
I read this as part of my virtual travel to New York and she explores many places in New York and around, giving me places to look up to follow along her explorations.
Good audiobook narrator, in particular with emotions, but the volume is inconsistent which makes it difficult to listen to.
Easy story to follow, the main character is maybe a bit naive but she's young and learning from her mistakes.
I read this as part of my virtual travel to New York and she explores many places in New York and around, giving me places to look up to follow along her explorations.
gweste's review
4.0
Very cute. I think the ending was maybe a little rushed - would’ve liked an epilogue or something showing them a year from now cause they kissed once and then boom he moved to France. But over all I really liked it l - thought it was a whirlwind book and could’ve been a movie.
maddy_moghadass's review
3.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
I got this book as a “Blind Date” from Barnes & Noble and I’m so glad I picked it up. If you want/need a quick feel-good read, definitely try this one. I liked the main theme of this book, which was; don’t stress when life doesn’t go your way or if it takes you a while to achieve your dreams, just enjoy the journey that you’re on.
I got this book as a “Blind Date” from Barnes & Noble and I’m so glad I picked it up. If you want/need a quick feel-good read, definitely try this one. I liked the main theme of this book, which was; don’t stress when life doesn’t go your way or if it takes you a while to achieve your dreams, just enjoy the journey that you’re on.
marianabmagalhaes's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75