Scan barcode
A review by reading_historical_romance
Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.
Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. I DNF'd at 52% for a number of reasons:
*I didn't feel like anything had actually happened by this point other than two random hook ups and the MCs internal angst about it.
*The initial hook-up didn't feel realistic whatsoever, especially in the year 2024. What woman would invite a completely strange man she finds sitting outside of her apartment (in NYC no less) inside her door, and then proceed to get naked with him after 5 minutes of awkward conversation, just because he is a fellow Pinoy? She couldn't even see his entire face until after he was inside because he had a mask on.
*There were several references after the fact that their initial sexual encounter involved "f***ing" -- but that didn't occur?
*With that being said, their second hook-up involved oral s*x and neither one of the parties used protection or asked to see test results? I work in public health, and I am constantly having to educate people about the fact that there are multiple STDs that can be transmitted from p**** to mouth.
*There wasn't enough story for me to feel Mon and Olivia's chemistry. However, I think this is fairly par for the course when it comes to insta-love plots.
*While I loved the Filipino representation and cultural references, I had to utilize Google translate many times, which became very distracting. Similarly, I was not familiar with most of the foods they were eating, so I was using Google to understand those references as well. I really wish a glossary of the foods had been included.
*It was difficult to have a frame of reference for Mon's music, and why Olivia was so captured by it. I would have loved a bit more description about the type of music he writes so that I could get a feel for the beat and style.
*It is still too soon for me to enjoy storylines that involve the pandemic. When Mon's character was introduced wearing a mask, I shuddered.
I do think that this author has a fun, bright voice, and is a talented writer, so I think that my issues were really more about the story in general, rather than the execution of the idea. I would absolutely be willing to try another one of her titles!
Thank you NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.
*I didn't feel like anything had actually happened by this point other than two random hook ups and the MCs internal angst about it.
*The initial hook-up didn't feel realistic whatsoever, especially in the year 2024. What woman would invite a completely strange man she finds sitting outside of her apartment (in NYC no less) inside her door, and then proceed to get naked with him after 5 minutes of awkward conversation, just because he is a fellow Pinoy? She couldn't even see his entire face until after he was inside because he had a mask on.
*There were several references after the fact that their initial sexual encounter involved "f***ing" -- but that didn't occur?
*With that being said, their second hook-up involved oral s*x and neither one of the parties used protection or asked to see test results? I work in public health, and I am constantly having to educate people about the fact that there are multiple STDs that can be transmitted from p**** to mouth.
*There wasn't enough story for me to feel Mon and Olivia's chemistry. However, I think this is fairly par for the course when it comes to insta-love plots.
*While I loved the Filipino representation and cultural references, I had to utilize Google translate many times, which became very distracting. Similarly, I was not familiar with most of the foods they were eating, so I was using Google to understand those references as well. I really wish a glossary of the foods had been included.
*It was difficult to have a frame of reference for Mon's music, and why Olivia was so captured by it. I would have loved a bit more description about the type of music he writes so that I could get a feel for the beat and style.
*It is still too soon for me to enjoy storylines that involve the pandemic. When Mon's character was introduced wearing a mask, I shuddered.
I do think that this author has a fun, bright voice, and is a talented writer, so I think that my issues were really more about the story in general, rather than the execution of the idea. I would absolutely be willing to try another one of her titles!
Thank you NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.