I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I'm not even sure where to star with my review. This story has a lot of things happening. Our main character, Namoi, has had many changes in a short time. Boyfriend passing; business booming; business moving locations; and apartment moving. Though she has to choice between two apartments to choose from.

One her deceased mother set up for her to interview for and one she recently acquired. The funny thing is Namoi never thought she'd be back on Park Avenue as a homeowner. Especially not neighbors to the boy - now man - who tormented her during her brief stay in the same complex.

To say the man doesn't match up to the boy she once knew is an understatement. Naomi has a hard time reconciling Oliver of today with the one who tormented her as a kid. The new Oliver is HOT! She thought he might follow in his fathers footsteps but it seems as if Oliver is totally not what she expected him to be.

Y'all know what they say about assuming right? HA! So there's this man (Oliver) and this woman (Naomi) and they are really great together but there's this cavern. A deep cavern of pain from sins of old; expectations; and reality. You'll be rooting for these two to get their acts together.

They really are the "perfect" couple. I enjoyed reading their story and hope you will as well. This is definitely one walk on the upper east side you'll want to take!

Lauren Layne is a new author for me. Well new in that I've only recently discovered her books and have fallen in love with her writing. Passion in Park Avenue was well written but not one of my favorites.

While I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the unconventional way that Naomi meets Claire and Audrey, I struggled with her relationship with Oliver. I didn't feel the passion like I have in her other books. The premise was really interesting and I loved that Naomi was self made and so sure of herself.
I very much look forward to reading more and I'm really hoping Claire and Audrey get their own stories.

Every Lauren Layne book I've read has been an enjoyable experience. Passion on Park Avenue is no different. I adored this book! Loved the slow burning enemies to lovers feel, the wonderful back and forth banter, and the delicious tension that developed between the main characters. It was such a cute, fun read. I couldn't get enough.

I'm pretty sure I loved Oliver right away. He seemed like a really good guy who is very loyal to his family. Sexy, smart, funny and a family man what's not to love.

I will admit it took a while to like Naomi. I'm not sure what it was about her but for the first half of the book, she rubbed me the wrong way. Also, I'm not big on revenge. So her plans to stick it to those who treated her poorly when she was younger made me cringe. I did really come to like her in the end. She became more real and caring.

My only complaint of this book is that I wish the big reveal would have come sooner. And Oliver's reaction was a giant let down. Of course this didn't make me want to stop reading.

In the center of this story is the friendship that is formed between three women who find out they were sleeping with the same man. I am obsessed with their pact and their friendship. Instead of being catty or turning against each other, they rallied together and encouraged one another; building a lifelong bond. I can't wait to see more of this friendship bloom.

Book 1 in the Central Park Pact series is a hit. I'm eager and excited to read the other girls's story.

This book was a pleasant surprise. A clean romantic comedy.

Unbeknown to Naomi, her mother applied for an an apartment where where she worked as a housekeeper for the Cunningham Family on her behalf. Naomi hates the Cunninghams and their son Oliver. Oliver tormented during the time she was in their home and she blames them for her family’s hard times after they fired her mother. But Naomi has come a long way since then, and she wants to show them what she’s become. Only, Oliver doesn’t recognize Naomi, and a lot has changed for the Cunninghams. Deception was not part of her plan, but Naomi finds herself more involved with Cunninghams, and falling for Oliver.

My favorite part of this book was the relationship between Naomi, and Oliver’s dad, Walter. It was so sweet. She was so patient and gentle with him. It was some of my favorite parts of this book. I love the friendship between Naomi, Audrey and Claire. The way the three women met, and the ensuing friendship are the stuff movies are made of, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I’ve read a number of Lauren Layne (LL) books somewhere between eighteen and twenty and there are a few things I’ve come to expect. I always expect a thoroughly enjoyable story, an eventual HEA, a group of fun friends that are pretty hilarious and one or two steamy sex scenes. Passion in the Park had most of this, except when it came time for the sex scene, it was completely fade to black. I think that was the most surprising thing in this book, since it made the ‘Passion’ in the Park feel almost young adult or Harlequin.

But moving onto the actual story of how Naomi and Oliver eventually fell in love. Naomi and Oliver actually met as children, young children, around the age boys are awful and pull girl's hair. Oliver used to call her carrots and he told a lie that got her and her mother kicked out of the apartment on Park Avenue. They struggled to survive for years after that, fast-forward a few decades later and Naomi has made herself into a strong business woman and the head of her self made company. It seems she still has a bit of a chip on her shoulder about how she grew up.

Naomi is all set to move when she gets an invitation to interview for an apartment in a super exclusive apartment on Park Avenue, the very same one she and her mother were kicked out of once. Intrigued by whatever possessed her mother to submit an application on her behalf, Naomi goes to the interview and sees none other than the hair pulling boy all grown up; she recognizes him but he has no idea who she is.

Naomi is an interesting character in that she is holding on very tightly to her roots and hasn’t really accepted where she came from. Most of the time she projects confidence, but closure on that part of her life seems important too. Only the boy she used to know is quite a different man, and his father whom she blames for most of the situation with childhood is a shadow of the man he once was. The closure she is looking for, just might be more of a new beginning.

Like always, LL has a fun cast of characters written into her book. I really liked the girl posse that was created by a very unusual circumstance. Naomi with her two female besties is fantastic. They are what every girl needs to bolster her up in this unfamiliar time in her life. Oliver is so likeable; I think that has a lot to do with his family situation at the moment and how he is handling it.

Overall, I liked a lot of things in the story. I think the steaminess of the romance would have worked so much better if the sex scene wasn’t fade to black. But I like the family dynamic explored here between Oliver and his father that eventually included Naomi too.

Passion on Park Avenue is the first in a new series from Lauren Layne and follows Naomi. A girl who came from humbled beginnings in the Bronx and now is topping all of the 30-under-30 lists. She meets two close friends Audrey and Claire under bizarre circumstances and they make a pact: never let one another be duped by a man again.

Naomi gets a call that an apartment on Park Ave that she “applied” for is now available and she’s been invited for a tenant interview. There she meets Oliver and instantly recognizes him as the young boy who contributed to shattering her childhood but he doesn’t seem to be able to place her. She realizes her mother must’ve applied for the apartment before she died and Naomi soon understands it was to get some closure from a colored history with Oliver’s family.

But Oliver isn’t a young boy any more and no matter how much she should hate him she finds herself like a moth to a flame instead. And the feeling is mutual. Verbal sparring and electric connections aside, will Naomi ever be able to move on and forget the past?

I really LOVED this one! It’s such a quick read that I finished it in a few hours. If you know anything about what I read then you know hate-to-love is my absolute TOP trope in romances. The banter and sarcastic quips are golden. If you’ve been wanting to try reading romance but don’t want all the explicit details this one would be a great place to start! It’s all anticipation laced with sexual tension without going into all the specifics - and I still loved it! This is the first in @laurenlayneauthor new Central Park Pact Series and I can’t wait for the next book already! This one releases TOMORROW so preorder a copy today or go grab one tomorrow when it’s released!! // ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️

Thanks to Gallery Books, Lisa Fillipe and Netgalley for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own!

Such a sweet and fun story.I find it refreshing and I liked the writing a lot.Even though it has romance I felt it wasn't a lot.I wish the story had more of the romance.

"She gave him an icy glare and turned away, but he grabbed her arm, a little surprised by his own action. Still, he didn’t let her go. “I’m not a bad guy, Naomi.”
Naomi remained stubbornly silent before letting her gaze drop deliberately to where he held her arm."

Naomi is strong and I liked her a lot!I loved the premise of this book and it was a quick read.

Anne of Green Gables was one of my favorite childhood stories, I especially adored the story between Gilbert Blythe and Anne. So to have Passion on Park Avenue emulate some of the plot points of Anne of Green Gables was simply put, wonderful.

Like Anne and Gilbert, Naomi and Oliver had a past where Oliver tormented her as a child but this story took a twist from the original.. in this story, Naomi had been the housekeepers daughter, and her mom had done the cliche of sleeping with the man of the house only for the lady of the house to kick them to the curb the second she found out. Fast forward a couple years and Naomi is now a very successful entrepreneur with a jewelry business whose love life had gotten just a bit.. interesting. Meaning that she’d realized that her ex boyfriend was really married and she was Mistress #2 at the man’s funeral. What started out as a disastrous situation, ended in harmony with these three women coming together in the light of all that and becoming friends.

After everything was seemingly going well now, Naomi surprisingly moves into the apartment where she and her mother had been thrown out of all those years ago. And here is where the story starts, with Naomi coming face with the man who had tormented his mother only to realize he wasn’t the same man he was before having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s but also reuniting with her own tormentor, Oliver.

What starts out as a hateful relationship ends up developing into a friendship then into a love story. Of course, the past had to come back and bite Naomi in the behind but thankfully.. just like Gilbert and Anne, Naomi and Oliver were able to work through their past and end up together.


I loved this story and truly hope the other two friends get their own happily ever afters, I can’t wait to hear more from this author.

I love Lauren Layne’s book but this book was just meh to me. I really liked Naomi and Oliver but felt something was off with the pacing of the story. I feel like a book with the word “Passion” in it needs just that...passion, which, unfortunately, I thought was lacking in this book. I love those slow burn, steamy romances and this just didn’t deliver. It was a good story but lacking that something special for me.

I really enjoyed this book by Lauren Layne. She combines interesting characters with romance and redemption. I love the way she tells the story with some unexpected twists and turns that help to move the story forward.
Naomi Powell is the CEO of a jewelry empire. She didn’t think she would make it here when she and her mom were living on the streets and struggling to make ends meets. Naomi wants to make sure that the family who threw her mother and her out see what a success she has become. When the opportunity comes to move into the building where the family still lives, Naomi has a hard time saying no. She also struggles with her feelings when she sees the son of that family again. She remembers the torment, but he doesn’t seem to be that man anymore.
Oliver Cunningham, architect, lives on the floor below his father. He struggles with taking care of his father who has Alzheimer’s while maintaining his own life. He doesn’t know what to think when the newest applicant to the building seems to dislike him on sight. Oliver isn’t used to that kind of treatment from women. He can’t help but wonder what her story is and he decides that he will enjoy trying to figure it out.
Naomi has a lot of baggage from her childhood. She knows it wasn’t ideal and she is trying to make a better life for herself. Oliver’s childhood may have looked great on paper, but there were definite challenges for him as well. Now these two reconnect as adults and have to deal with that baggage if they want to have a relationship.
I don’t want to give anything away, but I also liked the development of Naomi’s friendship with two other women. They meet in a unique way and I hope that their stories are next.
This book is a perfect beach read as we head into summer.

Lauren Layne kicks off a new series with some characters you immediately enjoy and find intriguing.

Naomi meets Claire and Audrey when the three realize a connection they share with one man. These three very different women become friends and make a pact: they will open their hearts to finding love, which means they have to date.

Passion on Park Avenue focuses on Naomi, a self-made woman forced to come face-to-face with the very grown up boy she blames for ruining her life when they were kids. Oliver, the son of Park Avenue wealth, is Naomi’s new next door neighbor.

Theirs is a relationship borne of dislike (hers for him), curiosity (his for her), and attraction (his for her and—whether she wants to admit it or not—hers for him). You know these two will wind up together, but Lauren Layne makes how they get there so much fun. And occasionally heartfelt.

I loved Naomi. I loved her belief in herself, her “gives no f*cks” attitude, and her willingness to admit when she’s wrong, even if said willingness takes her a while to get to. She proves far more willing to forgive than she expects, which is a good thing because Naomi has to learn to forgive herself.

Oliver is wonderful. He’s the kind of Hot Hero you just love. He tries to do the right thing, even for people who may not deserve it.

The heart of this story is the friendship between Naomi, Claire, and Audrey. I appreciate that Lauren Layne didn’t make them bitter or resentful toward each other, and I liked how the three women recognized how much they needed each other’s support.

There is a little telegraph of the other romances coming up in the series, and I can’t wait to read them. I also look forward to seeing more of Naomi and Oliver.

Passion on Park Avenue is a blend of romance and women's fiction. The focus of the story is the women. In this case, Naomi. She has a rags to riches story and has really pulled herself up to the top of the world. When she runs into a man from her childhood, she has to face some of those emotions of being a poor kid.

Naomi is fierce in every sense of the word. She is whip smart and gorgeous. She runs into Oliver, whom she knew as a child because her mom cleaned his house. Naomi faces the need for revenge at first, leading to some great banter. Oliver doesn't recognize her at all! Like I mentioned, I consider this a blend of Women's fiction because the focus is on Naomi's character and her growth throughout the story. While there is romance between her and Oliver, the focus isn't sex, its the connection between the two.

If you enjoy Layne's high class NYC characters and settings but want a story with some emotional growth and depth, Passion on Park Avenue is a great pick! Take it to the pool or the beach and enjoy a light read! Also, I am intrigued by the other girls (because how these 3 women meet is truly unique and interesting)!

Count on Layne to help you find your smile. Hidden in every heartache is a ray of sunshine that her stories always manage to find. Passion on Park Avenue is a tad cliched but no less fulfilling. I love the message lurking in the shadows of Naomi and Oliver's relationship. The housekeeper's daughter and her childhood nemesis are at a crossroads. Do they leave the past behind or allow the painful memories to destroy any chance of a future? Ms. Layne picked the sweetest way to voice her opinion on the value of self worth. With love, laughter and insight.

As my number one go-to author, any novel by Lauren Layne is a must read for me and this, I'm happy to say is exceptional. 

Naomi Powell is a self-made businesswoman and CEO of one of the biggest jewellery businesses in the country. Yet despite her success and wealth, she's shunned amongst the affluent residents of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. When fate brings an invitation and a chance to live in a building where she spent time as a child, she grasps the chance to attend the interview. Surprisingly, she's accepted and it doesn't take long to come face to face with her childhood nemesis. Only he's now grown-up, handsome, charming and can't remember the girl he once tormented. 

Oliver Cunningham was born into an affluent family and as an adult is rich and successful in his own right. To the outside world, he's every woman's dream but little do they know the secret he holds and the sacrifice he's making. When a new, young neighbour moves into his building, he's instantly attracted to her. Only, she's not very friendly. Can he change her mind and more importantly, will she run a mile when his secret is exposed? 

I love the unique and imaginative way we are introduced to Naomi and the two women who become significant in her life. It's tragic but hilarious how these women became acquainted due to a link none of them knew about before their chance meeting in Central Park. The result captures the essence of friendship as they turn a bad situation into a positive one. As I've come to expect from this author, these women work and help each other find 'the one' as they bond over similar experiences against the glamorous Manhattan skyline. 

Whilst retaining all the elements I love about Ms Layne's writing, this novel has a more grown-up feel to it. Besides the slow burn romance brewing between the protagonists, there's a powerful message about the realities faced by many people with ageing parents who need extra care due to health issues. It's a tricky topic and the author manages to balance this and evolving romance perfectly. Even injecting humour into an otherwise challenging situation for the protagonists. It highlights how circumstances can alter a person's life, resulting in selfless sacrifices and the need for compromise to fulfil basic requirements. It's a sobering dilemma for two people with far too many differences between them and yet Naomi and Oliver find their way eventually. 

To sum up, I'm hooked on this Central Park Pact series and can't wait to find out the fate of Claire and Audrey and read about their journeys to a happily ever after. 

Lastly, I'm very much a reader who is more drawn to the blurb than a book cover when deciding what to read, however, this cover is perfect for Passion on Park Avenue makes my heart sing and the kind I love to see on my own bookshelf...love it! 

***arc generously received courtesy of Gallery Books via NetGalley***

3.5 'Solving the puzzle' Stars!
ARC provided by the author via Netgalley.

A new series from Lauren Layne about love stories in the city that never sleeps? Oh yeah, as you probably know I definitely got curious since I enjoy everything this woman writes! I am always excited when Lauren starts a new series and after reading this book, I can say I am surely ready for the other two books. I do have to say though, even though I loved this new crew of characters, I found myself a bit underwhelmed after finishing this story, I was just expecting a bit more.

Passion on Park Avenue is the first installment in Lauren's new series called Central Park Pact and it is focused on three women who meet in Central Park after discovering they were involved with the same man. They decide to make a pact and stop each other from falling for bad boys ever again. Naomi Powell is the protagonist of this book and she is a self-made woman, proud of what she has achieved. Her past though is still on her mind, especially when she moves in next to the people that ruined it. Oliver Cunningham does not remember her but he is decided to found all the pieces in her puzzle. Will they be able to leave the past behind and fall in love?

"It's hard for you, huh?" he said with faux sympathy.
"What?"
"Dealing with your attraction to me."

So, this book is definitely slow paced. The slow burn is definitely there and very well developed. The chemistry between Oliver and Naomi is beautiful when it finally starts showing. But, in my opinion, it took too long to appear. Their actual "relationship" takes too much to start and I definitely missed the climax of that slow burn. Passion on Park Avenue is surely on the sweet, lower steam side. I missed seeing more of these two as a couple, I missed having some sexy times (because I adore how Lauren writes them) and everything felt rushed in the end to me.

Did I enjoy the story? Of course I did! I loved the characters, I loved the couple and I loved the theme and how it is focused in New York. I loved the friendship between Naomi, Audrey and Claire and I loved already seeing the other two heroes too (Scott and Clarke). I loved what I saw of Oliver and Naomi actually together but I wanted more. I missed seeing more their interactions as a couple and the romantic and sensual side of their relationship. Still, I enjoyed the story as a whole and I am curious to read the next two in the series.

To give them a chance, he needed to get them beyond the walls of 517 Park Avenue, to show her -to show himself- that they could make it in the real world.

Therefore, my rating for Passion on Park Avenue is 3.5 STARS. You all know my reasons by now if you have read the whole review. A sweet, slow paced love story of hate to love in Lauren Layne's style! I enjoyed it but I expected more. The slow burn was so great and I wanted the explosion of that chemistry and feelings more developed. As I said, I still will check out the other stories because I want to read what happens with Audrey and Clarke and Claire and Scott.

I have long been a Lauren Layne Fan. Her romances are sexy and fun and always enjoyable. Passion on Park Avenue was a little less sexy and a little more romance than her other books, but still had the same Layne charm. Naomi is trying to prove a point. Her mother was a housekeeper and she runs a successful business so she's out to prove to those looking down at her mother all those years ago that she's made it. That's how she finds herself in an exclusive building with her childhood nemesis Oliver.

Oliver doesn't remember Naomi from his childhood, which makes sense to me. She's changed a lot and he didn't have the most stellar upbringing. I really liked Oliver, you can see how much he's grown from the child he used to be. And I enjoyed seeing how perplexed he was over why Naomi hated him so much.

The best part of Passion on Park Avenue was Naomi's friends. They met in a very unconventional way and forged a friendship from it. To be honest, I found these relationships to be more intriguing than Naomi and Oliver's.

What a cute romance! To me this leaned slightly more Women’s Fiction than typical contemporary romance and I enjoyed it a lot. I also appreciated the structure and pacing which made the story flow well. If you enjoy quick romances with friendship and emotional storylines I would definitely pick this one up!

Lauren Layne has long been one of my go-to authors. Every single story puts me in a happy place and I'm elated that she's kicked off a new series, one with a most interesting premise; three women, who were on cheated on by the same man, come together because of his funeral. I'm calling this a “meet-cute” and it certainly is one of the more interesting ones I've read. Better yet, When Naomi, Claire and Audrey work out the connection they share, a friendship blooms.

The series begins with a focus on Naomi as she embarks on a move to Park Avenue and a building that holds some not so pleasant reminders of her upbringing. What starts as a “I’ll show them” (being the Cunningham family), turns into the need to be a part of their lives, both Olivers and Walters. My heart melted at the compassion she shows Walter, Oliver’s father, and pounded at the sizzling connection she shares with Oliver. As always, Layne provides moments of elation and a time where things between Oliver and Naomi seem to sour – which gives us the always loved attempt at redemption and much needed forgiveness.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this book is the friendship and family the women create. They are complicated women building a support system that shows so much promise. Once again, I recommend anything and everything by Lauren Layne and am excited about this new series and learning more about these women.

My motivation for reading this book was simply because Lauren Layne wrote it. I didn't even read the synopsis. I saw it was an LL book, and immediately added it to my TBR. This is my 24th Lauren Layne book, and it was yet, another solid read for me.

I have to give Layne some extra points for the premise. Whoever thought a friendship would flourish between three women, who were simultaneously having some sort of romantic relationship with the same man? Yep, they met at the funeral - one was his hook up, one was his girlfriend, and one was his wife. They were so different from each other, yet they were able to bond over their bad judgement, when it came to men, and from there, a fantastic female friendship was born.

Though all three women played a role in the book, the star of this story was Naomi. She was now an extremely successful business owner, but she was still nursing old wounds from her past. Olivia's journey was tough on me sometimes, but it was fabulous to see her working through her emotions and allowing herself to make peace with the past. She was also just such a vibrant and interesting woman. I wanted to know her better, and also had no problem cheering for her to work through her issues. She was tough on the outside, but had a heart of solid gold. What she was able to find in her heart was impressive, and there are some really touching moments in this story resulting from that.

And, who better to make peace with, than the lovely Oliver. What a wonderful hero Layne gave us! There were so many things I loved about this man. He was sweet and funny and a bit nerdy. He had put his on life on the back burner to first care for his sick mother, and later, to care for his sick father. It takes a special person to do something like that, and it takes an even more special person to love a person like that.

As I expect from every LL book I read: fabulous heroine, fantastic hero, stellar circle of friends, a heartwarming romance, and lots of feels.

This was my first Lauren Layne book and will not be my last. My friend Megan from Reading Books Like a Boss raves about this author so I couldn't wait to start the first book in her new series.

Three women all sleeping with the same man and finding out at his funeral... this was the start of a beautiful friendship. I simply adored their dynamic, how they turned something so heartbreaking into a truly close friendship, looking out for each other's best interests and happiness.

When Naomi moves back to her childhood home to confront and have revenge on her past... it turns out to be something so different than what she expected. Oliver has grown and matured as an adult and quite frankly I loved him, his care of his father, his winks, their banter.

What I wished for more... I would have loved that the big reveal didn't take quite SO long because I felt like it made the story drag for a bit. I would have loved to see more from his POV especially after the big reveal, and honestly, more time with them because as soon as things were resolved, we were done.

I do look forward to reading more in this series and reading Lauren's backlist. It's a summer goal of mine. I enjoy this author's work immensely. <3