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myblackbookish_life's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I enjoyed all three novellas: Playing House was a reread, and still my favorite of the trio.
Open House would make the perfect romcom film.
And House Rules is a story I’m glad I read now as opposed to years ago for personal reasons.
Open House would make the perfect romcom film.
And House Rules is a story I’m glad I read now as opposed to years ago for personal reasons.
kittykornerlibrarian's review
4.0
This is three novel in one and I read the first two and I just am ready to move on to something else. The relationships are fun, the tone is breezy, and these are just fun books. They are set in Manhattan and most of the characters are Asian-American. Sometime I will read the third one. My TBR pile is too big to read three books in a row by the same author.
breadedbookpages's review against another edition
5.0
*sighs happily* I feel like my heart is too large for my chest.
I am so delighted to be able to read Ruby Lang's Uptown Collection.
The collection contains three novellas, which I believe are an excellent example of how romance novels can be any size and still be executed superbly.
The first story, titled PLAYING HOUSE, revolved around Fay and Oliver, who are acquaintances through their professions of being city planners. Fay is divorced and recently moved into an apartment, but she is quite tired of doing everything for herself. She just wanted to jump into something that's ready for her. I quite related to Fay's exhaustion and irritation to receive rather than give. It's why I adored her spontaneity of pretending to be Oliver's wife. Olivier, on the other hand, is equally delighted by Fay's approach and has no qualms helping her escape the overbearing man hitting on her. This soon turns into a blossoming friendship which highlighted just how well Fay and Oliver get along. Masquerading as Olly and Darling, they go around to open houses in New York City and pretend to be a married couple looking for their expensive home. PLAYING HOUSE is so smooth in its storytelling, engaging in its dialogue, and enchanting in how effortless the plot moves along. You will be happy to read about Oliver and Fay's shenanigans.
The second story, OPEN HOUSE, is about Magda, the broker who is selling her uncle's house and is in charge of selling a lot that's been taken by the community to be turned into a garden, and Tyson, an accountant who is a reluctant founding member of the garden. The story kicks up when Magda is assigned to the lot and is told to find it a buyer by her very rude superior Keith, but that leads to Magda getting entangled in the life of one Ty. Of course, since they are on the opposite sides of one cause, Magda being sort of the villain in this case, Ty and Magda start off the wrong foot. In a series of coincidences, such as the time Magda's uncle's house's security alarm is activated due to someone trying to break in, and how she runs into none other than Ty who was... running shirtless at 2 o'clock in the morning. Their attraction is immediate and slightly disturbing Ty and Magda's stern "We won't have anything to do with one another" rule. That soon is wrecked when they spend a very heated night together during a blackout. You'll fall for the complex familial dynamic between Ty and his sister Jenny, as well as Magda's strained relationship with her much older sisters and mother. As a person who's the youngest in my own family, Magda's frustration was so real and touching that I wanted her to get her resolution desperately. This story was definitely sizzling with heat. I adored every encounter Ty and Magda had, especially when they tried so bad to fight their attraction.
The third and last story is titled HOUSE RULES and it deals with two exes: Simon and Lana, who divorced seventeen years prior to the story's beginning. Seventeen is a big number and Simon and Lana feel the years between them. Especially since they somehow fall into a situation of living together. Lana needs a roommate and since she spent the last two decades honing her skill as a noodle master, she doesn't know anyone besides Simon who she can trust. Simon, who is spurred by his sister's insistence to move, accepts with an unspoken condition that in four months' time, he'll move out if he doesn't like the situation. The two, of course, fall in love with the apartment and soon enough, they fall through a new routine of getting to know one another. Lana adopts a cat and the furry thing is an asshole third roommate that makes them worry and of course, as a person who has TWO feline roommates, I adored this story. HOUSE RULES also deals with the ramifications of time and how changing can mean so much to two people who knew one another so well. HOUSE RULES was hands down my favorite novella. I was so moved that I cried at some point.
Ruby Lang is such a talented storyteller, weaving communities and families and relationships that will arrest anyone's attention and capture the reader's heart with her words. The writing itself is so airy and delicate, veering away from excessive description and rather focusing on how every inch of a character's body reflected dedication and metamorphosis. I adored this collection and I look forward to everything Lang will pen in the future and has penned in the past.
Simon and Lana
I am so delighted to be able to read Ruby Lang's Uptown Collection.
The collection contains three novellas, which I believe are an excellent example of how romance novels can be any size and still be executed superbly.
The first story, titled PLAYING HOUSE, revolved around Fay and Oliver, who are acquaintances through their professions of being city planners. Fay is divorced and recently moved into an apartment, but she is quite tired of doing everything for herself. She just wanted to jump into something that's ready for her. I quite related to Fay's exhaustion and irritation to receive rather than give. It's why I adored her spontaneity of pretending to be Oliver's wife. Olivier, on the other hand, is equally delighted by Fay's approach and has no qualms helping her escape the overbearing man hitting on her. This soon turns into a blossoming friendship which highlighted just how well Fay and Oliver get along. Masquerading as Olly and Darling, they go around to open houses in New York City and pretend to be a married couple looking for their expensive home. PLAYING HOUSE is so smooth in its storytelling, engaging in its dialogue, and enchanting in how effortless the plot moves along. You will be happy to read about Oliver and Fay's shenanigans.
The second story, OPEN HOUSE, is about Magda, the broker who is selling her uncle's house and is in charge of selling a lot that's been taken by the community to be turned into a garden, and Tyson, an accountant who is a reluctant founding member of the garden. The story kicks up when Magda is assigned to the lot and is told to find it a buyer by her very rude superior Keith, but that leads to Magda getting entangled in the life of one Ty. Of course, since they are on the opposite sides of one cause, Magda being sort of the villain in this case, Ty and Magda start off the wrong foot. In a series of coincidences, such as the time Magda's uncle's house's security alarm is activated due to someone trying to break in, and how she runs into none other than Ty who was... running shirtless at 2 o'clock in the morning. Their attraction is immediate and slightly disturbing Ty and Magda's stern "We won't have anything to do with one another" rule. That soon is wrecked when they spend a very heated night together during a blackout. You'll fall for the complex familial dynamic between Ty and his sister Jenny, as well as Magda's strained relationship with her much older sisters and mother. As a person who's the youngest in my own family, Magda's frustration was so real and touching that I wanted her to get her resolution desperately. This story was definitely sizzling with heat. I adored every encounter Ty and Magda had, especially when they tried so bad to fight their attraction.
The third and last story is titled HOUSE RULES and it deals with two exes: Simon and Lana, who divorced seventeen years prior to the story's beginning. Seventeen is a big number and Simon and Lana feel the years between them. Especially since they somehow fall into a situation of living together. Lana needs a roommate and since she spent the last two decades honing her skill as a noodle master, she doesn't know anyone besides Simon who she can trust. Simon, who is spurred by his sister's insistence to move, accepts with an unspoken condition that in four months' time, he'll move out if he doesn't like the situation. The two, of course, fall in love with the apartment and soon enough, they fall through a new routine of getting to know one another. Lana adopts a cat and the furry thing is an asshole third roommate that makes them worry and of course, as a person who has TWO feline roommates, I adored this story. HOUSE RULES also deals with the ramifications of time and how changing can mean so much to two people who knew one another so well. HOUSE RULES was hands down my favorite novella. I was so moved that I cried at some point.
Ruby Lang is such a talented storyteller, weaving communities and families and relationships that will arrest anyone's attention and capture the reader's heart with her words. The writing itself is so airy and delicate, veering away from excessive description and rather focusing on how every inch of a character's body reflected dedication and metamorphosis. I adored this collection and I look forward to everything Lang will pen in the future and has penned in the past.
Simon and Lana
radioactve_piano's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, enjoyable and made me miss NYC quite a bit (and be pretty irritated at myself for not having explored Harlem!).
Each story had some sort of weird family shit going on, though -- it seemed like all the characters were dealing with misguided expectations from family members and had honest confrontations where they were absolutely in the right but somehow reasoned that they had to feel guilty for how they acted because apparently respect only goes one way. Not saying this is a bad thing, but it was a strange thing to notice.
Each story had some sort of weird family shit going on, though -- it seemed like all the characters were dealing with misguided expectations from family members and had honest confrontations where they were absolutely in the right but somehow reasoned that they had to feel guilty for how they acted because apparently respect only goes one way. Not saying this is a bad thing, but it was a strange thing to notice.
sharone7's review against another edition
5.0
I always enjoy Ruby’s books because they’re peopled with real characters who face real, relatable issues (including their own flaws) that feel meaningful on their own and never like devices to prolong the arrival of the HEA. I often miss Ruby’s characters and think about them when I’m not reading the books—not just the central couple but all the rich relationships she builds with siblings and friends and other relatives. These novellas were no exception—I’d have been happy for them to be full-length novels so I could keep reading and keep learning more about these people and their lives in the warm, vivid world Ruby has created.
thenaptimewriter's review against another edition
4.0
4.33⭐️. Novella collection: fake dating, enemies to lovers, & divorced to lovers.
.
.
Ruby Lang’s The Uptown Collection is a charming and yet weighty novella collection with each story focusing around a home.
.
.
In these stories, a home is more than a physical space. It’s where people can dream, pretend, and confront truths, learn about themselves and what makes them happy. It’s also where they can fall in love.
.
.
Each novella offers something new and yet they’re strongly linked to the others:
.
.
.
.
Ruby Lang’s The Uptown Collection is a charming and yet weighty novella collection with each story focusing around a home.
.
.
In these stories, a home is more than a physical space. It’s where people can dream, pretend, and confront truths, learn about themselves and what makes them happy. It’s also where they can fall in love.
.
.
Each novella offers something new and yet they’re strongly linked to the others:
.
.
onthesamepa9e's review against another edition
5.0
I must first admit the error of my ways— D told me to read Ruby’s books *literally* forever ago and I FOOLISHLY didn’t listen! I got a taste of her work in the He’s Come Undone anthology, and it drove me to pick up the Uptown Collection. And OOOOH baby I was *not* ready!
.
Playing House, Open House, and House Rules are phenomenal novellas- each new story felt incredibly fresh, unexpected, and ridiculously satisfying
.
Playing House, Open House, and House Rules are phenomenal novellas- each new story felt incredibly fresh, unexpected, and ridiculously satisfying
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
Three excellent novellas, well written and entertaining.
I liked how the author delivered three sweet story, heartwarming and sometimes are heart-wrenching.
The characters are well thought and you cannot help rooting for them, the setting is vivid and interesting.
It was a good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I liked how the author delivered three sweet story, heartwarming and sometimes are heart-wrenching.
The characters are well thought and you cannot help rooting for them, the setting is vivid and interesting.
It was a good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
beckymmoe's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books, on 5/30/2020
A sweet collection of novellas!
Playing House
I loved the premise of this one--watching Oliver and Fay almost fall into their quirky little habit of sort-of posing as newlyweds to tour open houses was a delight, not to mention a highly unusual form of courtship. Their story was a gentle slide from acquaintances to friends to...more, and somehow it managed to be easy going one minute and urgent the next, both sweet and steamy. Of course I would have liked to have seen more from both of the characters, but even at its shorter length it still felt like a complete story. I especially liked how Ms Lang had them resolve their relationship issue; it was realistic and didn't make it seem like either one of them had to give anything up, either to become their best self or to get to an HEA.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
Open House
Magda's book! (She gave Oliver and Fay--AKA Ollie and Darling Wife a tour of her uncle's townhouse in book one--I LOLed when the subject of people touring houses and ruining shower curtains came up, because that was Ollie and Darling! Really, it can be read as a standalone, though--it was a little throwaway comment that was easily missed and not at all important to the plot.)
I enjoyed Magda and Ty's story--an enemies to lovers story, of sorts. A lot like Oliver and Fay in the first book, both Magda and Ty had plenty of personal issues to work out before they could really commit to working on their relationships. Poor Ty wasn't even ready to admit for 80+% of the story that he had a relationship with the people in the community garden, so...as a result, the romance was definitely a slow burn one. Delicious, but slow.
My only real complaint is that the ending felt a bit abrupt--since I was reading this as part of a novella collection ( The Uptown Collection ) it was a real surprise when I realized I was on the last page of the story. It was a cute ending and a complete story, I just wanted a teensy bit more there at the end.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
House Rules
Ms Lang immediately drew me into Simon and Lana's story. I loved that they are both in their forties, which IMO increased the possibility that their second chance romance could actually work. It's been seventeen years since their divorce, after all--who isn't going to change in seventeen years?--and they're not the same people whose misunderstandings and miscommunications made them choose to be apart then.
Of course they're going to have new misunderstandings and miscommunications now--it's a romance novel, and we need conflict!--but now that they both now what they were missing when they were apart and how good they can be together again, they'll work even harder to stay together...right?
You'll have to read House Rules to find out for sure. Except spoiler alert: the publisher tells you right in the blurb that they guarantee an HEA or HFN, so yeah, this time these crazy kids are going to make it. Which means you're going to have to read House Rules instead for the loveliness that is their second chance romance, to see the pleasure that Simon takes in his concerts and his teaching, and to witness the strength that Lana hadn't realized she had in her, to meet Muffin the cat, and to confirm that no, smoking hot sex scenes aren't just for the twenty- and thirty-year olds in romancelandia.
(Thank god.)
Rating: 4 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
A sweet collection of novellas!
Playing House
I loved the premise of this one--watching Oliver and Fay almost fall into their quirky little habit of sort-of posing as newlyweds to tour open houses was a delight, not to mention a highly unusual form of courtship. Their story was a gentle slide from acquaintances to friends to...more, and somehow it managed to be easy going one minute and urgent the next, both sweet and steamy. Of course I would have liked to have seen more from both of the characters, but even at its shorter length it still felt like a complete story. I especially liked how Ms Lang had them resolve their relationship issue; it was realistic and didn't make it seem like either one of them had to give anything up, either to become their best self or to get to an HEA.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
Open House
Magda's book! (She gave Oliver and Fay--AKA Ollie and Darling Wife a tour of her uncle's townhouse in book one--I LOLed when the subject of people touring houses and ruining shower curtains came up, because that was Ollie and Darling! Really, it can be read as a standalone, though--it was a little throwaway comment that was easily missed and not at all important to the plot.)
I enjoyed Magda and Ty's story--an enemies to lovers story, of sorts. A lot like Oliver and Fay in the first book, both Magda and Ty had plenty of personal issues to work out before they could really commit to working on their relationships. Poor Ty wasn't even ready to admit for 80+% of the story that he had a relationship with the people in the community garden, so...as a result, the romance was definitely a slow burn one. Delicious, but slow.
My only real complaint is that the ending felt a bit abrupt--since I was reading this as part of a novella collection ( The Uptown Collection ) it was a real surprise when I realized I was on the last page of the story. It was a cute ending and a complete story, I just wanted a teensy bit more there at the end.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
House Rules
Ms Lang immediately drew me into Simon and Lana's story. I loved that they are both in their forties, which IMO increased the possibility that their second chance romance could actually work. It's been seventeen years since their divorce, after all--who isn't going to change in seventeen years?--and they're not the same people whose misunderstandings and miscommunications made them choose to be apart then.
Of course they're going to have new misunderstandings and miscommunications now--it's a romance novel, and we need conflict!--but now that they both now what they were missing when they were apart and how good they can be together again, they'll work even harder to stay together...right?
You'll have to read House Rules to find out for sure. Except spoiler alert: the publisher tells you right in the blurb that they guarantee an HEA or HFN, so yeah, this time these crazy kids are going to make it. Which means you're going to have to read House Rules instead for the loveliness that is their second chance romance, to see the pleasure that Simon takes in his concerts and his teaching, and to witness the strength that Lana hadn't realized she had in her, to meet Muffin the cat, and to confirm that no, smoking hot sex scenes aren't just for the twenty- and thirty-year olds in romancelandia.
(Thank god.)
Rating: 4 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.