⭐️⭐️⭐️
Going in, I had no expectations besides having a fun, enjoyable read. And that's what I got!

I think the first couple of chapters were great, the pacing was excellent, and I was on the edge of my seat, wanting to know ASAP what happened next. Then, it kind of slowed down, and at times it was a bit lackluster. Don't get me wrong, it was still a good read, I just feel that the second half was lacking the excitement the first provided.

Even though it's advertised as a Romance, I'd say it's not one. It's more about women empowerment, and overcoming one's fears and self-doubt. I liked that. After the ending, it makes sense why there was no chemistry between Avery and Adam, or Avery and Gabe. But I kind of wish there was, though. A little bit, at least.

The literary references were nice, I especially liked the ode to Scarlett O'Hara, mostly because I just finished Gone with the Wind a few days ago. I haven't read most of the Dickens mentioned, I imagine that could've improved my experience if I did beforehand, but I still liked reading Avery's story.

A really enjoyable magical read with the feel of a Christmas film. Avery appears to have the most wonderful life when it is all suddenly taken away and she must start again. With the help of some magical spirit she goes on a journey of rediscovering herself and having the opportunity to choose her path again. Set in the musical theatre land of New York, this is a feel good story. Written in the first person, Avery takes the reader along her journey, with her anxieties, hopes and regrets. A couple of chapters do end slightly abruptly but you’re soon swooshed along into the next part of Avery’s journey.

The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan by Beth Merlin & Danielle Modafferi
Ok, so I enjoyed this story a lot more than I originally thought I would.
Avery was such a great character and I really loved following her journey.
The characters were well rounded and enjoyable.
The storytelling is genuine which makes the characters' journey of old loves, new beginnings both captivating and relatable.

Thank You NetGalley and Montlake for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This had a lot of potential but 2 issues: Gabe not showing up until 25% of the way in and then in any major way until 40%. And, the ending was terrible. Probably unpopular opinion. It was a short book, but dragged on. Avery was whiny and Marisol should have come back in way earlier. We didn’t have enough of Avery’s roomies either! Adam disappeared and considering the first part was heavy on him .., what happened ?!

The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan is a super cute story of girl power & chasing one's dream. It has sprinklings of a romance & a holiday themed story, but overall, it is a good story of one girl's climb from rock bottom to success on her terms.
A modern, positive twist on Charles Dicken's famous stories & if nothing else, this book will REALLY want to make you take a trip to New York City.
Thank you, #NetGalley, for the ARC! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Beth Merlin & Danielle Modafferi soon.

I really enjoyed this modern take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol! And I think it truly ended perfectly!! Highly recommend this holiday read!

I DNF'd The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan at 51%, so I felt solid enough in where I stood to still submit a review.

The story is extremely abrupt and disjointed, with a lot of moments being very laughably cringe and over the top. The writing felt very immature/juvenile, and the New York accents interwoven into some of the characters read like someone trying to do an exaggerated Jersey accent from the 20s.

This is marketed as a Dickensian adventure with touches of A Christmas Carol, but instead what we got was an immature, naive FMC who needed to be told things twice a lot for it to be true i.e. this made-up exchange:
Character: "this is true"
Avery: "it couldn't possibly be true"
Character: "ma'am…it's true"
Avery: "I CANNOT believe it's true")

And a rah-rah mid-2000s white-woman-is-going-to-be-okay-in-the-big-city-against-the-odds brand of feminist contemporary tale that doesn't quite work nowadays.

I am not rating this novel because I did not finish it, but I sincerely appreciate Montlake and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one caught me off guard with how much I liked it! Such a sweet story about chasing your dreams! Regrets, second chances and a little bit of magic follow Avery Lawrence as she battles a broken engagement and a second chance at becoming a Broadway star. Avery will steal your heart and you will be cheering her on as she gets a fresh start in New York City. I just reviewed The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan by Beth Merlin; Danielle Modafferi. #TheLastPhoneBoothinManhattan #NetGalley

This was such a great romance novel, I enjoyed the use of Manhattan and how it was almost a character itself. The two authors do a great job in writing a realistic romance and characters within these pages.

A unique read, great for a snowy Christmas weekend. I enjoyed the interesting play on the Dickens' classis and all the bots of NYC and Broadway, including the renamed Ellen's Diner. Highly recommend.

Very CUTE read. Advertised as a holiday book, with a very small amount of Christmas included, but still a very fun end of year read. Loved the Broadway references. Definitely a lighter read, but uplifting & great character development.

Such a feel good read - couldn’t put it down! This author is definitely one to watch out for in the future

3.75 stars

I loved this book. It was not heavy on romance which I am a-ok with. I loved the modern take on A Christmas Carol.
I loved that this was more about self growth than ending up with the man.

Well done and what a fun read!

First off... I want to book a flight to New York. I want to go to Manhattan and search for a phone booth!

This book was a bit of Scrooged and A Christmas Carol wrapped in one for me.

The main character has a bomb blow up in her face and her entire world gets turned upside down.

I will say that this is did not give off Romance vibes to me... BUT I am ok with that!

This book screams Self Love to me and I am here for it. Sometimes we have to love ourselves first!

Promoted as a Christmas a romance, yet it isn’t Christmassy and it isn’t a romance.

I didn’t find the main character at all likeable, for someone in their 30s, she sure makes an awful lot of bad, immature choices. Most of the book is her whining about how awful her life is, despite all of these amazing things happening to her constantly.

I forced myself to finish this book, in the hopes it would pick up. Overall, disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in return for my honest review.

"The Last Phone Booth In Manhattan" is a novel by Beth Merlin and Danielle Modafferi. It tells the story of Avery,a former actress whose life is turned upside down when her fiancé's secrets are exposed during an FBI raid on Christmas day. Avery must start over and rebuild her life from scratch, considering a return to Mimi's Restaurant & Piano Bar and possibly even the Broadway scene. During this chaos, she unexpectedly reconnects with her college boyfriend, who has matured over the past six years.

I found this book delightful; I enjoyed the Broadway references woven throughout the story. Although it is not explicitly a Christmas story, the nods to "A Christmas Carol" added a fun layer to the tale. Despite hints of a "Hallmark" romance, the heart of the narrative lies in Avery's journey of self-discovery. Overall, it's a quick and enjoyable read that blends light-hearted moments with themes of reinvention and personal growth.

I absolutely adored this book! I really enjoyed that it was a modern take on A Christmas Carol. It focused on the main character’s personal growth, not just having her end up with a man. She was able to figure out exactly what she wanted in life for HERSELF, not just marriage. I also loved how so much Broadway was incorporated since I am a HUGE fan of Broadway!

I love Broadway musicals, so I absolutely loved that Avery is an actress! Her self doubt on her road to pursuing her future dreams was something I could relate to. I was a bit nervous when I saw it was inspired by A Christmas Carol but it was so cool how everything tied together at the end! Once I sat down and started the book I couldn’t put it down! Great read to start your year!

Avery is living her best life until her fiance is taken away in handcuffs for fraud and she finds herself stranded in front of a federal prison, on Christmas day. She is led to the last phone booth in Manhattan where a mysterious voice on the phone directs her unwittingly to her old college boyfriend's house. A second encounter with the phone booth leads her to a life-changing audition of Marley is Dead, a musical based on Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The play eerily reminds her of her own life as she deals with her own 'ghosts'.

The book just jumps into instantly likeable Avery's life but we feel like we've always been there. I love how we are immediately whisked off into an enchanting taste of New York City during the holidays, a great antithesis to what follows for the protagonist. Avery's POV is like a chatty but always entertaining 'you want to seed what they'll do next' best friend. the authors have a wonderful way of describing things, matter-of-fact and quirky at the same time, putting colorful and somewhat unexpected images in our head.

The odd, small details ake all the difference as the what the... factor settles in. The protagonist works out things in a grounded manner, maybe being a little naive, though always being honest with herself. She is basically a good person getting caught in bad or unlucky situations, and then inexplicable ones. Visiting things like musical diners, a reiki voice therapy and so much more I don't want to spoil, fills the heart.

Sometimes her thoughts are repetitive like mentioning things that just happened, or the self-doubt which can be a little whiny. Also the trips down memory lane, not often but still, are a tad longer than necessary.

This story is about second chances, finding and being true to yourself. Choosing yourself. Fun, smile-worthy and adorable, with splashes of Dickens, this is an unexpected journey of self-discovery.