A lovely but predictable story about best friends falling for each other. Kinda drags in places but glad I finished it.

The Blurb :
Lucie Quigley hates Christmas. It’s the time of year when everything goes wrong in her life. So this year, when she’s asked to be a bridesmaid at her friend Petra’s Manhattan wedding, she jumps at the invitation to escape the festivities.
Dale Treharne has been best friends with Lucie for as long as he can remember. He’s used to looking out for his oldest friend and when she asks him to be her plus one, he can’t seem to find a reason to refuse. Instead, he sees it as a way to help Lucie get through what is, for her, the most miserable time of the year.
In New York, as the snow starts to fall, Lucie and Dale start to realise that their feelings run deeper than just friendship. But can they overcome their pasts, and make it a very merry Manhattan Christmas?

My Thoughts :
Firstly I just have to mention that I am a little bit in love with Darcie Boleyn and when I hear she has a new book out, I cant wait to get started. This has such a beautiful cover that I am sure anyone would want it on their Christmas list.
The first half of this book touches upon the relationship between Lucie and Dale, and at times it was a little slow but I think this was because Darcie really wanted to capture the chemistry between the couple. We dont actually get to experience Manhattan until that half way point and that is when everything comes to life. For me as I am a mad NYC fan, Id like to of seen Manhattan from the beginning of the story, but thats ok I can forgive Darcie on that one.

The sign of an excellent book to me is one i cant put down. A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas was in that category. Lucie has been asked by her friend Petra to be a bridesmaid.
The venue will be in New York, flights and accommodation paid for by Petra's father. Of course Lucie asks her best friend Dale to come with her. I loved the friendship between Dale and Lucie, he really was an amazing friend. It was clear for readers to see his true feelings for Lucie. Even though she couldn't.
I cant think of a more magical place at Christmas then Manhattan. Enjoy the ride as Darcie Boleyn weaves her romantic tale.

This was a great Christmassy book and based in New York too so double the pleasure. A great read that I couldn't put down.

This is my first time reading a book by this author but it certainly won't be my last. This book was so much fun and I just adored Lucie and Dale! Even though Lucie hates the Christmas season (with good reason) the book is very festive and sweet. A great Christmas read!

I really enjoyed reading this sweet romantic book. Lucid & Dale live in England & are best friends (no benefits except that one summer). Lucid has been invited to be in a lavish wedding (her friend from university) in New York City & can bring a plus one, all expenses paid. She asks Dale to do it (because she doesn't want to go alone & she's a bit of a clutch mess on her own in the world) & in order to make it ok with his mum, he lets her think they're a couple. Lucid lets Petra (the bride) think they're a couple as well, so they'll only have one room in New York. This is also the 20th anniversary of the death of Lucile's mum on Christmas Eve, so Dale is hoping being away at that time in such a beautiful place will help her. Watching this story unfold was fabulous & I would highly recommend you see what happens with Lucie & Dale.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I picked it up on a whim, because I was in the mood for some winter/Christmas themed books, and I am so glad I did!

Lucie is such a great heroine. She's not necessarily the female version of Grinch, like I first thought, her reasons for not enjoying the festive aspects of December are pretty understandable once you get to learn more about her backstory. It's pretty sad, actually, so I was very glad to see her accept that part of her life, come to terms with everything that happened and move on, in a way. I also liked that she accepted the fact that she shouldn't stick her nose where it didn't belong. I liked that about her, because even though her intentions might have been good, it still wasn't something she should have done.

Dale isn't the type of male character that makes me fall head over heels for. I liked him, because he seemed like a solid friend, a good partner, but in some way, I wanted him to be more assertive. I feel like he played the role that he thought Lucie needed him to play, completely disregarding what he wanted and what he needed. That said, I like how at times he found it in himself to tell Lucie some brutal truths, some things she needed to hear. So he had his moments, I just wish he had more moments like that.

I was a bit confused about something that happened with Lucie and Dale a few years prior, because I felt like it wasn't explored or explained as much as I would have wanted, but other than that, this was a really cute story about best friends and healing from past hurts. I thought it was the perfect read for this winter season.

Lucie is not really liking Christmas, but she has her own reasons, which aren’t revealed until you read the whole story. She is glad, when her friend invites her to a wedding that takes place in New York during Christmas. Lucie asks her best friend Dale to be her date to the wedding and as a real friend he agrees, even though he know that his parents are not really happy about him leaving at holidays. When they announce their plans, not all goes according to the plan and one little misunderstanding turn into a lot of white lies. It all escalates into a lie that Lucie and Dale are a couple and of course everyone is happy for them, if only it was true. When they finally go to the magical New York, not everything goes the way it was planned, someone’s heart gets broken and someone finds their true happiness, what has fate in store for Lucie and Dale?

It was a sweet story with great Christmassy scenes in New York. I enjoyed reading about Lucie and Dale’s story and glad that the story line was kept interesting until the end. It definitely makes you want to visit New York yourself!

This was a cute story of how love and friendship can coexist for many years before fully blooming. There was a lot going on in this book, and at times it was hard to go from one plot line to another, but I thought it was a great Christmas time read.