This was an okay read for me. I found the story to be predictable - and the endless lists got to be a bit much. I did like that the author linked her writing style to the main character of the story. A story that those who enjoy reality tv may enjoy

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for an ARC of this book! I’ve willingly read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.

ANA TAKES MANHATTAN follows Ana, a reality TV producer, who is juggling her competitive job, the lists and lists of things she wants to accomplish ranging from the mundane to the life-altering, and, now, four different boyfriends in her search for the perfect man.

Though the book had a lot of potential, I just wanted more. Despite dating multiple men, Ana’s on-page relationships felt extremely shallow. The reader only gets a small glimpse into her interactions with them, so I never truly felt the connection between any of the couples Ana was a part of. This was especially true of the man she finds herself ending up with. I loved their interactions leading up to the moment where Ana finally realizes her true feelings, but wish those interactions had gone deeper and been more frequent.

Overall, the pacing of the book felt a bit jumpy and unfocused. And as much as I empathized with and could relate to Ana’s struggles, and truly felt as if she ended up with an amazing man, I wanted the story to go to a deeper place than it did.

Ana relies on lists but when she finds one she made in college she is not able to find one man who fits the ideal of her perfect man, so she dates different men who each check off one quality she is looking for. Some of the characters in this book were hard to like and I felt as though some of the storylines could have been developed a bit more.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance.

Ana produces romantic shows for TV but there’s really no romance in her life. Attached to lists, and things to check off, she finds a list she did back in college about the 4 things her perfect guy should have.

Unable to find 1 guy, she dates 4 guys, one for every item of her list. What follows is a journey of discovery and self empowerment; a realization that sometimes YOU are what’s between you and Mr. Right.

I liked this story but did have some issues with some characters. I didn’t get Gia, Ana’s best friend. I did not like her, I did not think she was an actual friend. I also thought Fernando was exhausting to read about. On the other hand, I loved Richard. I do think Ana and Richard’s story should have been developed a little bit more. I also did not understand Gia’s back and forth flirtation with other guys.

I did think it was a cute fun story.

Fun read about reality TV shows. I learned lots about them that I never knew before, even though this was a fiction book. The writer’s background in the industry obviously provided her with excellent insight. The end was no surprise, but I liked how the author got there. Had some interesting relationship situations that are atypical for the genre.

Ana Karina is a romance reality TV producer. She's really big on extravagant proposals and dreams about being swept off her feet. She always really LOVES lists. Albeit, only having 4 items on her "Mr. Perfect Man", finding a man who fits that list is seemingly impossible. Once her job is on the line, Ana refuses to put her life on hold and starts taking some risks in her love life. She’ll just date four men who each embody one quality.

A decent debut novel that shows promise and I will give this author another look.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!
I am, admittedly, a huge reality show fan. As a result, Ana Takes Manhattan not only grabbed my attention but held it. It's clear that Decos is personally connected to the ins and outs of reality tv which strengthens the novel. The characters in this book were interesting and kept you wanting to read more. However, I found the other characters to be more interesting than Ana herself. Regardless of the lack of connection I felt to Ana, the book was an easy, fun, reading and I ended it being glad I read it.

This was a fluffy, funny, fast-paced read. The beginning of the book started off strong and Lissette Decos knew her voice.

It should also be noted that this is a really slow burn romance, so if that’s something you love seeing in books maybe you should check this one out.

I really liked the moments between Ana and the love interest; their interactions were so cute, and I wish more of the book focused on them. I didn’t love or agree with a majority of the main character’s choices throughout the book. Her decisions were honestly a little frustrating to read and a large reason why I’m rating it three stars. Overall, I’m happy I got the chance to read this arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me this read!

Rating: 3 out of 5
Spice level: 1 out of 5

This was so cute! It was such a sweet, fun romance. Ana was extremely relatable and flawed and I loved every second of her chaotic life. Truly a treat to read.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for a copy of an eARC.

Ana Karina is a romance reality TV producer. She's really big on extravagant proposals and dreams about being swept off her feet. She always really LOVES lists. Albeit, only having 4 items on her "Mr. Perfect Man", finding a man who fits that list is seemingly impossible. Once her job is on the line, Ana refuses to put her life on hold and starts taking some risks in her love life. She’ll just date four men who each embody one quality.

The premise of reality tv producer, the title which has Manhattan, and the cover all made me really want to pick up this book, but sadly it fell a little flat for me. I did not love the main character, Ana. She's really judgmental, always judging Richard, the editor she's forced to work with, even though Richard is a great guy who is always looking out for her best interests. I was also like really really annoyed with Ana's obsession with Landon, the dream guy she keeps measuring everyone against, even though she's never even met him. She judged him by his appearance. Ana also judges her step-mom and her dad for no reason. She's really unlikable. Ana's best friend, Gia is also super unlikable. There seems to be some unresolved jealousy between them and it's hard to believe that they are best friends and not frenemies. Also, what happened to Gia cheating on Matt (her fiance/husband) and texting all these other guys on her wedding day? She honestly seems worse than Ana.

Very predictable ending. I knew who her love interest would be from the start. It did feel a little bit rushed that he would be her ultimate love interest, but I really wish they built him out a little more. Other than being very observant, he felt very 2-d.

Overall, there were funny moments in the book and it's a quick and easy read. I give this a 2.5-3 stars.

This is a fast, cute read. Like a rom-com in a book. I liked it but wouldn't say it was fantastic. I thought the premise was fun and the reality tv element was enjoyable.

What a cute story. It took me a minute to get into it, but once I did, I was entertained. Poor Ana went on quite the journey. I was rooting for her the whole way, but she was oblivious to what was right in front of her. Her journey was hilarious. I couldn’t stop reading after about 65% and was up way too late, but I needed to see how it ended!

Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this early!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.
While the premise of Ana Takes Manhattan was intriguing, the author clearly understands the reality TV setting, and several of the characters were interesting, I struggled with several aspects of the story. Several of Ana’s love interests seemed firmly two dimensional, and her relationship with her best friend also was hard to understand. The ending also seemed a little rushed - the resolution of several story threads wasn’t satisfactory.
That being said, I would read another book by this author.

Thanks NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC! I thought this book was a really fun, quick read, any fan of ‘guilty pleasure’ reality TV will enjoy this book, not just because of Ana’s career but Lissette speaks our language! This book was almost a 5 star for me just based on the fact that I was excited to pick it up every time. Perfect beach read.

No spoilers but I felt that there was more to be resolved around Ana and Gina’s relationship, and more to Gina in general that I would have liked to read about. The book would have benefited from 10 or so more pages to help wrap up the ending, there was a fun build up and then the book ended really quickly! Those bumped it down a star for me but definitely worth picking up!

Absolutely yes! I really enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were fun, it held my interest, and provided an escape from reality. I would definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was funny and cute. Ana Karina is a reality producer who makes shows about perfect engagement and/or proposal. Ana is focused on her career but she seems to be stuck with the latest episode not doing so well and her love life non-existence. I thoroughly enjoyed the character development in this book.

Lissette Decos did an amazing job with how she transformed Ana from being a snarky, self-centered-ish, picky person when it comes to dating. I can totally relate to Ana because sometimes you have to be a bit judgemental for your best interest. You can't settle for less than what you deserve. And I think Ana is a go-getter, she knows what she wants and she doesn't put up with it. I can see why someone people might not like her, but I think Ana is great.

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wasn’t connecting with the main character or this book at the beginning but it began to build interest for me toward the middle.

Lisette Decos does know reality television and her insights created good work scenes.
The main idea of dating different men each with one characteristic from her Mr. Right list wasn’t worth the little insight it gave Ana. I was more invested in the Maria/Jorge storyline (bungled proposal from her surprise proposal reality show), which kind of showed where I was with Ana Takes Manhattan.

If this is a romance I prefer to see the love interest introduced earlier to see more interaction between these two characters. To witness more of their dynamic and banter and to see the relationship develop.

If this is woman’s fiction I prefer to see more resolution between Gia and Ana. Their friendship may not be toxic but it wasn’t supportive and seemed one sided. One of Ana’s complaints was not being herself around these various boyfriends, but she wasn’t herself around her best friend either.

A decent debut novel that shows promise and I will give this author another look.

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

Ana Takes Manhattan was the perfect mix of reality TV drama and com-com in one. I really enjoyed this book and loved the behind scenes looks at reality TV production. I went into this one not totally knowing what to expect and was not disappointed. This was a really fun and quick read and had a lot of funny moments. I wish there had been a little more development between the main character and the love interest but that didn't take away from the story. Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ana is living the life! I mean, I’m my mind she is. Reality TV producer living a comfortable life in Manhattan with good friends. Apparently, a series of circumstances has left her feeling stuck, though. So she makes some interesting decisions on her path to figuring it all out.

There was some definite humor in this book. I would recommend this to anyone with a love for the city and a desire for a lighthearted story about finding yourself and navigating life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced copy.

Ana Takes Manhattan is giving rom-com, reality tv, and a latina main character. When I tell you I stopped a family conversation to read the description of this book to everyone, believe me.

Ana is a producer on a reality show that orchestrates over-the-top proposals. (Fun fact: the author worked on some of my favorite shows!) When her career and her search for a love of her own stall, Ana decides to try a different approach.

This is a fun, quick read. It took me a little bit to figure out the direction it was headed in, but once I found my footing, I enjoyed it. This is much more about Ana figuring herself out than it is about finding a love and, honestly, we love to see it.