This one was okay. There was some moments that I was bored and didnt care but there were moments that I was totally engrossed and actually wanted to know. Overall it was neither good nor bad.

Felt like melrose place in the best of ways . Varying couples of all orientations and degrees of relationships living in an apartment building. A juicy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was provided this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Focusing on the parallel but sometimes intersecting lives (and loves) of residents of an apartment complex on New York City's Upper East Side, this novel reminds me of the film "Love, Actually" in its variety of characters and storylines. The reader gets a glimpse into the lives of the wealthy young couple Pepper and Rick, along with several other pairs -- old and and young, different races and sexual orientations. Thirty-three-year-old Pepper comes to learn about her fellow residents after joining the co-op board, and searches for inspiration from them to get through her own struggling relationship, when things with Rick begin to turn sour just before their wedding. Alternately funny and poignant, with characters by turns likeable and unlikeable -- no character or relationship is perfect -- these stories search for the answer to the question of when to remain in a relationship -- and when to leave. As with just about any story set in New York, the city figures largely in this book. Recommended for those who enjoy the aforementioned romantic comedy/drama, the works of Candace Bushnell, and fans of the NYC setting. A great vacation or beach read.
I received an advance reading copy from NetGalley and the publisher; this is my honest review.

When reading a book, a lot of readers, myself included, often take into account how likable a character is when it comes to whether or not they enjoyed the book. The thing about this book is well, none of the characters are likable, and they're all insufferable. Taking into account who Vatner is writing about, I'd have to say his depiction is fairly accurate.

"Carnegie Hill" tackles the lives of several characters and as supporting characters, their spouses, Chelmsford Arms, an expensive apartment building on the Upper East Side. First up to the plate we have Penelope "Pepper" Bradford, the most recent addition to the building. I spent a few chapters wondering if Pepper had a job, until it finally it dawned on me she doesn't nor does she need to. She is unemployed and directionless but thankfully, newly engaged and more importantly, has the support of her wealthy, well-known parents to give her another leg to stand on. (This sounds about right for mothers in upper echelon territory of Manhattan). As far as Pepper goes, as a perennially unhappy individual, it's unlikely that a relationship will ever satisfy her. No matter how hard Rick, her husband, tried, she wouldn't budge to meet him halfway. We watch her meander through the book trying to do things and trying to push for the right thing but as Rick asks, does she want to do the right thing or look like she's doing the right thing? One thing this book significantly focuses on is optics and in an authentic way.

Next up is Francis, a teacher who lucked into the apartment when Carol, his wife, inherited the apartment from her grandmother, followed by Birdie and Georgie, longtime residents of the building, and Sergei and Caleb, a clandestine relationship between a doorman and a newly hired porter, and the relationship I was most interested in but I felt the most lacking. I thought that not enough pages were devoted to this couple. Though the book is set in 2014, then and now, it's clear that their relationship would fall under a lot of scrutiny. Growing up and living near Sheepshead Bay and with Russian parents, I know that particular community isn't particularly welcoming to gay couples.

The novel focuses on marriage and relationships. It doesn't offer a blueprint for what makes a relationship successful and just because a couple has been together for 4 decades, it's not an indicator that they're in a fulfilled relationship. At first, I was on the fence about Birdie and Georgie because I didn't understand what this relationship added to the novel but now I'm starting to understand. Birdie had tried for years to make the relationship with Georgie work and at a certain point, she had to throw in the towel because he wasn't doing the same. Despite the length of their relationship, she decided it wasn't too late to leave, which is an important lesson and also question. At what point, is it okay to leave? I will say that the end of their relationship was a cop-out and I wish it ended differently.

I thought the writing in the book was realistic, both about the characters, their motivations, how they spoke and related to each other. Growing up in New York, it hit home. While these characters weren't likable, they felt human to me. I'm thankful to NetGalley and Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press for an advanced reading copy. It's out on 08/20/2019.

What a beautiful title! I am actively searching for books with multi-generational characters and the interactions among these did not disappoint. It was a beautiful and poignant look at all facets of love and I enjoyed peeping into their lives very much.

After a slow and confusing start I ended up enjoying this book very much. This book is not just one story but many stories combined into one. Imagine if you could interview every person in an apartment building and learn about their intimate relationships, that is exactly what this book does and more. It then shows how those relationships effect how people treat others outside their own apartment. At the beginning of the book I had some trouble sorting out who everyone was but as the story continued and I got to know each of the personalities better I began to enjoy the book much more. So if you start it and want to stop - don't! It's worth your time to get to know these characters better. I gratefully received a digital arc of the book in exchange of a honest review. You can purchase this book in August 2019.

A fun read set in a NYC co-op. Reminiscent of Alexander McCall Smith's wonderful 44 Scotland Street series. Really enjoyable!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I have always found stories about New Yorkers very interesting because they seem to live such a vastly different life than I can imagine! Carnegie Hill captured my interest for a few chapters, mostly because the characters were so intriguing, but I must admit - I lost interest and did not continue to read.

I enjoyed most of this book. It was a fun read with an inside look at the lives of various generations living in a New York City co-op. Their interactions and the relationships they developed were the strengths of the book. I also enjoyed the references to various places in New York City. While there were some slow points, the book as a whole is a great reminder that things with the people you think you know (neighbors, friends, and even spouses and parents) aren't always what they present to you or what you perceive them to be.

Enjoyed reading the book, but was just "okay". Was confused at times, until the end, as to the neighbors and whom was whom. Best parts as a member of my own NYC co-op board, were the descriptions of the meetings. Spot on!

Pepper has no career and no kids, and she decides to look to her neighbors who have been married for years while deciding whether or not to stay with her boyfriend Rick. Doing so, however, leads her to understand that not everyone has the perfect marriage as she first thought. This is a lovely coming of age story for all to enjoy.

I normally love this type of read.

However, I felt as though this book was so boring. Nothing much happens and when it does, it is so detailed, that I completely lost interest.

These types of books, in my opinion, need to be light and fun - not the case here.

Interesting book, tells us about love stories in a New York block apartment.
Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy, I believe this is a good book with lots of captivating characters, well written, with a good approach to life.

I was excited when to read this book when I read another reviewer say it was like a book form of the movie Love Actually. I love a well-written book where there are characters with interwoven tales. Sadly, this was not at all what I was hoping it would be.

First, the characters were a struggle, because none were very likable. We first meet Pepper, who you want to cheer on as she "grows up" and accepts being a responsible adult. Despite the events of the book, she doesn't show any growth. The same really goes for the rest of the characters as well.

I think the difficulty in trying to make this a story with interacting characters is that the majority of the characters use internal dialogue. Since it's all self-exploration and self-doubt, but done internally, there's no chance for the characters to interact at more than a surface level, so what's the point in having so many characters??

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book for a fair and honest review.

Carnegie Hill by Jonathan Vatner a three-star read that shows promise. I was expecting so much more from this one, it has the makings of a very good story, but missed the mark in my eyes. That being said I do advise people to give this a go if they think its their type of thing, as reading is selective and just because I didn’t enjoy it doesn’t mean it isn’t good.

Carnegie Hill is about Penelope moving into a New York building and all the relationships between everyone in the building. It had many various like different interracial relationships, different sexual orientation relationships and other types of relationships. I felt that some of the book I would catch myself thinking of other things and no be completely engaged in the story. Overall, it was enjoyable but didn't keep my attention as well as I would have liked.

This is normally the type of book I enjoy but this was a little flat for me. I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I liked the premise of them all living in Carnegie Hill but they just were not terribly interesting. I wish they had been fleshed out more.

3.5 stars. This is a novel about the inhabitants and staff of an upper class apartment complex in New York. The main protagonist is a woman called Pepper who is still figuring out who to grow up at the age of thirty. She’s unhappy in her marriage and looks to the other building residents’ marriages for inspiration. The stories of the residents forms the plot. I enjoyed reading these vignettes and finding out about how the relationships had developed over time
Sometimes, however, the book was a little slow and the writing didn’t flow consistently. The exception to this was Caleb and Sergei’s story, which was very nicely done. Another thing was that out of all the characters, the main one, Pepper is the least developed: in fact, we learn more about her from the other characters’ stories than from hers - sometimes contradictory!
Overall, not a bad read, I did like the range of themes tackled in the book.

I love NYC has a backdrop for novels, it's a city that I definitely romanticize so I enjoy seeing the inside look at the lives of New Yorkers, even if they are fictional. Carnegie Hill is a delightful read with well-developed characters who are entertaining to follow as they deal with the challenges of love and marriage. The book is relatable and entertaining, I really enjoyed it.

The book was exactly how I thought it would be. An easy relaxing read. The Upper East Side in NYC has always intrigued me and reading this book was like a little journal or soap.