🚕 Ana Takes Manhattan is exactly the book I needed to close out 2022. A fun read that had me laughing out loud!

Ana Karina is a reality TV producer for a marriage proposal show and is very career driven, so much so that she’s failed to focus on her own love life. Realizing this, she finds a list she made when she was young of what her perfect man looks like and sets out to find him. Turns out, her list equates to her dating four guys. This is where the fun begins!

This is an easy read, full of funny moments with likable characters. I especially loved the references to the Cuban culture sprinkled throughout the book. You better believe I’ll be eating twelve grapes tomorrow night 😉

➜ Ana Takes Manhattan is out on 2/28/23

Thank you @readforeverpub and @lissettedecos for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this would be a romance, but it turned out to be more of an inside look at a TV producer's work and life, working with editors and putting together a reality tv show about marriage proposals. The romance was slow to arrive and painful for the reader, who wanted something quicker and less realistic.

Ana, a reality tv producer of surprise marriage proposals, is looking for love. She ends up dating four very different men in her quest to find the one.

Sadly, this wasn't the book for me. While I liked Ana’s list-making (I'm a huge list-maker), it got repetitive. I also didn't find the characters to be that likable. I particularly didn't understand the actions of Gia, Ana’s best friend. And finally, I would consider this to be more of a women’s fiction book with romance elements than the romance that I thought it would be.

Overall, this easy read has potential. Those who enjoy stories about self-discovery and knowing your worth with some romance should check this out.

I received an early copy of this book. This voluntary review reflects my honest opinion.

Thanks to Forever for the copy of this book!

I was highly anticipating this read with it being set in New York City with reality TV… Sounded super cute! However, I just couldn’t connect with the book or the writing and decided to put it down.

A fun story about Ana, who produces a reality TV show about wedding proposals. Ana is having problems with her own love life. She knows what she doesn’t want in a man and finds that she may need to lower her standards. As a mature (almost senior) I couldn’t really relate to the book. It seems to be written for a younger age group than mine. I was honored to receive a digital ARC from Forever Publishing and NetGalley. This opinion is my own.

You'd have to be Type A to run a very successful and detailed reality show about proposals, right? Ana definitely fits that bill. She's got a list for everything, like what to bring to her sister's wedding, her responsibilities as MOH for her friend Gia's wedding, a 30+ point list of what her dream man won't have, and a simple 4 point list of what he will be. When Ana gets a reality check, she decides to start saying "Yes" to dates. Hi-jinks ensue as she begins dating several men at once.

I liked reading about Ana, and I could definitely see this as a longer series! The central lesson / theme was in learning to let go of some of the pressure we put on ourselves and rely on others sometimes. I love that!

There were a lot of competing plot lines in this story, and I don't think any of them had enough room to flourish. This book should have been about 30% longer to do all of them justice. Ana goes on a journey of discovering and respecting herself. The ending love interest felt tacked-on to me. I was not invested in that storyline at all and would have preferred for him to stay a friend, and have Ana's story be that she learned about herself and how to stand up for herself at work and let friends / family in more.

Overall, I'd recommend if you like romance stories, quick chapters, and a few belly laughs sprinkled in.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Publishing for sharing an eARC of this book for my honest review. All opinions above are my own.

I adore the cover of this book, but the story was a miss for me. I really was hoping I would love it, I had a very hard time rooting for Ana and enjoying her journey in this book.

Ana loves what she does...producing the best marriage proposals where the girls are always bound to say yes. These proposals are crazy fancy and typically go exactly as planned. When a few problems are thrown her way, she ends up with a new editor who does not believe in the show and it seems as if everything is going wrong. She ends up dating multiple guys at once and when that backfires, she has no idea where to turn. Her best friend gets upset with her over her dating issue, but somehow, Ana still finds the guy that is best for here.

I thought the story was cute, but I was not overly in love with it. It just seemed very surface level and unrealistic.

While the premise of Ana Takes Manhattan grasped my attention right away, and I loved the reality show and NYC pieces, I felt like the story itself was a bit too chaotic. There were so many moving parts that allowed zero time for the romance to develop and there were lot of loose ties at the end of the book (I hope the final copy has an epilogue). Also, I didn’t connect with Ana as much as I wanted to. While I loved her life lists and to see her struggles with dating, her inner monologues were all over the place, which distracted from the flow of the story. Of note, I did love the supporting characters and found that they added a fun amount of comedy in the plot and dialogue!

Read if you like:
-NYC setting
-Reality shows
-Dating
-Supportive coworkers and best friends
-Lists

Thank you Forever for the ARC. Pub date 2/28/23

This book didn’t end up being for me. It was a bit over the top and quirky but there was just too much going on and I wasn’t vibing with it.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

Ana works for a production company that produces a reality tv show about marriage proposals. Her work nemesis steals her editor and she gets paired with Richard, who she doesn’t mesh well with. She has a perfect guy list, and she hasn’t found him yet. She ends up dating 4 guys at once, and this book follows her journey.

Tj was weird, Philip was awkward and uncomfortable, Sam was bad news, and Fernando was over the top. She also was crushing on this guy Landon. I knew who she’d end up with, but it was a decent ride to get there. I will also say her friend Gia annoyed me, and I never could tell if she was actually cheating on her fiancé or not. I didn’t love the Woody Allen fandom in this book.

The book was okay. Zero spicy scenes. Some funny stuff, Usher, and reality tv.

Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a decent book with fun characters. A light easy read for those looking to unplug.

I read this book twice. The first time, I finished it feeling like something was missing. I was afraid I had read too quickly, in my haste to find out what would happen next, so I read it again after taking several days to think about it. While I did pick up some details I'd missed the first time around, I still feel somewhat let down. I enjoyed the characters (for the most part), the setting, and the premise, but it feels unfinished. Too much time was spent on the wrong people, and not enough on the right one. Maybe an alternate perspective could have helped?

If you are looking for a quick, beachy read, this is a decent option. It's possible you'll see it differently than I do, in which case, come back and tell me about it! Either way, the story will have you laughing out loud at some of the absurdities of "reality" television.

* I received a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

Ana Take Manhattan is a fast paced rom-com that shows an interesting behind the scenes look at the reality TV show workplace. Ana is a producer for a show that creates epic swoon-worthy marriage proposals, but she has struggled to find her own “happily every after”. As a woman who LOVES a good list, Ana takes inspiration from her long-ago ‘dream boyfriend’ top qualities list to mix up her dating life. Rather than waiting for a man who embodies all 4 qualities, she sets off to date four different men who each possess one of the top characteristics.

The pros: I really loved Ana’s inner dialogue; she was quick-witted, quirky, and could ‘produce’ the heck of even the worst date. I also enjoyed the sarcastic banter between her and her new editor, Richard.

The cons: I wanted more depth out of Ana and Gia’s friendship; their conflict felt superficial and, in some ways, unresolved. I also felt the ending was rushed and would have loved to read more pages on the romance development with Richard.

This was a super-fast and fun read but feel flat for me in the romance department.

This one was okay! I didn’t love the main character and things felt a little off. There were some fun parts and I enjoyed it overall, but it wasn’t a top read for me. The ending gets rushed along and I feel like more could have even been added. Still an enjoyable read!

Thank you NetGalley and Lissette Decos!

Ana, for the most part is a very relatable character. Like a lot of women she just wants to find her dream guy. However maybe you can’t find everything in one guy? Or can you? 🤔

Ana’s best friend is the girl you love to hate. Gorgeous as hell and about to marry her dream man. However Gia doesn’t seem quite ready to settle down.

Ana produces engagements for a living so why shouldn’t she have high expectations? When one goes awry it eats at her almost the whole book. We get a conclusion of it at the end in a beautiful pilot.

There were parts of this story that just didn’t sit right with me. There was a fight between Ana and Gia which in my opinion Ana needed to tell Gia what she was really thinking and it had some major “Something Borrowed” vibes. When they made it up it was very anti climatic and didn’t fully feel resolved.

The ending felt rushed. Even tho it’s a Romance novel I wish it wouldn’t have ended how it did but instead include an epilogue of her career turn. I think it was relatable and smart and would have made a great addition to the ending.

Ana Takes Manhattan offered an insider look at the behind the scenes of reality tv and the life and love of the producer herself set to capture extravagant engagements.

While the premise was intriguing and a good bit of the character cast was fun to keep up with, I really struggled with connecting to Ana. The quirkiness of the lists was a fun element but got to the too repetitive mark for me and the appeal was lost. I also struggled with Ana’s relationship with her best friend, it felt one dimensional and forced in ways. This still offered some laughs and was an easy and quick read. If you enjoy books about the reality television life, give it a go!

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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Ana produces a reality TV show that helps create the perfect marriage proposals for couples ready to embark on happily ever after, but what she wants most is her own happily ever after. She has always had a list of qualities that the perfect man must have, but she decides if one man can’t fulfill every item, maybe dating four men at the same time will solve her problem. None of the four that she chooses are the guy she is dreaming about without having ever really met him, nor the new editor that has been assigned to her show that she hates.
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To be honest, I never fell in love with Ana like I wanted to. She never seemed particularly happy, even as she was stringing along various men with no real end goal. Her relationship with her best friend seemed very one-sided and she has separated herself from her family while still complaining that they aren’t close. I felt like I knew where the story was headed right from the start, and I missed the chemistry to get there. The television world was well-executed and fun to explore, but the romance missed the mark for me.

Ana Takes Manhattan
By: Lissette Decos
Review Score: 3 stars

Five Key Feels

-Ana’s job was so fun to read about.

-Gia seems to be a chaotic best friend, which Ana seems to need.

-I am glad Ana said yes to so many new experiences.

-The end seemed a bit rushed.

-This is a fun story, but I felt many of the characters were problematic.

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Ana Takes Manhattan was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing). Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date: 2/28/23

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. Ana decides to accept dates from any man who asks her, and basically really learns about herself from each relationship. That part I like.

However, the characters in general all seem a bit chaotic, and honestly, I don’t even know how likable they all are. Her best friend Gia is getting married, but also sending half naked pictures to other men? Who does that? Why does Richard wear scarves all the time? What is with the outfits Ana wore to work each day, is there no dress code?

This book has a lot of potential, especially in the message of learning about yourself and what you want in a relationship, but the rest of it really fell flat for me.

When Ana, a reality tv producer, decides to check off everything on her list that makes a perfect man her life turns upside down. She ends up dating multiple guys who each have one quality she’s looking for just so she can say she’s found the “perfect man” by completing her list. This gets Ana into some pretty entertaining situations such as having paint flung at her and spit wads stuck in her bangs. But can Ana see what’s right in front of her? I wasn’t a big fan of Ana and found her self absorbed and insensitive but the story is entertaining nonetheless.