By: Kate Spencer

I devoured Kate Spencer’s In A New York Minute! It is a charming read, full of warm, well-intentioned characters. It is the perfect summer vacation book. I really loved not only the love story between the two main characters, but also their love for their respective, close friends and, of course, New York City. ALSO! The cover is beautiful and amazing. Honestly, that alone is worth the price of the book, but luckily the writing inside is great too!

Interior designer Franny Doyle meets investment, hedge fund, business-type (??? literally don’t know what he does) Hayes Montgomery, III, in truly one of the most realistic and cringe-worthy embarrassing moments I have ever read. In a meet-cute from hell, Franny is on the subway because she was let go from her employer due to a reduction in force. When the doors close, the back of her dress gets caught, causing her dress to rip down the back. Hayes steps in and gives her his suit jacket. They exchange a few words, but Hayes exits the train at his stop without . But, of course, this being the terrible world we live in, their entire exchange is uploaded to social media. It starts trending, making Franny and Hayes famous overnight. They are asked to appear on a New York morning show together, which both agree to for publicity-sake, but also, subconsciously, so they can see each other again. The interview goes awry as Franny says whatever is in her head (including exaggerating that she has started her own design business) and Hayes comes across as unemotional and cold, mainly because he overthinks every little thing. They leave the studio, assuming they will never see each other again, but unknown to them, one of Franny’s best friends, Lola, met Hayes’s cousin, Perrine, and the two women start seeing each other, bringing Franny and Hayes back into each other’s orbits. 

This is a dual POV novel, which I typically do not like to read. It really worked in IANYM, however. There was a lot of very witty banter and being in Hayes’s mind allowed the Reader to understand his own insecurities and fears, which made his responses to Franny easier to understand. While, outwardly, they seem like polar opposites, at their core these two characters are really similar people, and their differences will really complement each other. Hayes needs someone like Franny to open up his protective shell, and Franny needs someone to bring her down to earth. 

I also really appreciated the external relationships the main characters had in their lives. Franny has her college friends, the aforementioned Lola and Cleo and Hayes has his cousin, Perrine, and his friend and business partner, Eleanor. Everyone rooted for each other and sought to bring out the best in each other. It was nice not to have a snarky, terrible character. I thought the growth arcs for both Franny and Hayes made sense for their personalities. While the break up scene and subsequent silence seemed a little forced, I really adored this book and will be added to my comfort read pile!

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1538737620/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1655838728&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-a-new-york-minute-kate-spencer/1139653662?ean=9781538737620

Or your local, independent bookstore or public library!