22.1.18

Review: Match Made in Manhattan by Amanda Stauffer


Synopsis/Cover Image from Publisher's Website
After two intense, dead-end relationships, serial monogamist Alison finds herself confused, lonely, and drastically out of touch with the world of modern dating. Refusing to wallow, she signs up for a popular dating app and resolves to remain open-minded and optimistic as she explores the New York City singles' scene. With the click of a button, her adventures begin: On one date, she's dumped before the first kiss; on another, she dons full HAZMAT gear; she meets a tattooed folk singer turned investment banker, an undercover agent who tracks illegal exotic animals, and dozens of other colorful, captivating personalities.

Giving them each her signature "pants speech"—her pants aren't coming off unless she has a real connection with someone—she desperately wants to push past the awkward small-talk phase to find true love, but finding "the one" is starting to feel impossible. That is, until she meets Luke, who is sophisticated, funny, and not to mention, hot. Alison finds herself falling for Luke harder than any guy she's dated and finally letting her walls down, but will he stick around or move on to his next match?

Match Made in Manhattan is a fast-paced, contemporary story about the struggles of dating in the digital age. Replete with online profiles, witty dialogue, and a super-supportive group of female friends, this all-too-real and relatable debut novel will have readers laughing, crying, and rooting for Alison all the way to the end.
Review:

Match Made in Manhattan combines two of my favorite bookish things - a New York City setting and the pursuit of finding the one - so it's no surprise that it ended up on the top of my TBR. I couldn't wait to see Alison jump into the New York City dating scene - would she find her Match.com soulmate or end up alone?

The result? Match Made in Manhattan is an enjoyable and witty debut, and while I didn't always love Alison, I did enjoy reading about the variety of dates she went on as well as the people she meet along the way.

Match Made in Manhattan starts off slow; however, as Alison dives into the online dating world, the pace picks up as well. While the first few chapters deal with Alison's break-up, the remaining chapters primarily focus on the individual dates she goes on/the men she meets along the way. I liked the format, especially since it included a combination of text messages and narrative. I will admit that it was sometimes hard to keep every guy straight, but it got easier as the story went on.

My favorite aspect of Match Made in Manhattan was the dates Alison went on. Each date was unique. Some of the guys were charming, funny, and sexy. Some of them were run-for-the-hill scary. Some fell in between. I enjoyed that it was never clear who Alison was going to end up with, and I also liked that Alison learned a little more about herself as the dates continued. 

Now for Alison... To be completely honest she was hard to like at times. She wasn't always the nicest person, and she had the tendency to be judgy. I do think she made some progress as the book continued, but I never felt an incredibly strong connection with her. She just wasn't my kind of character. 

Regardless, Match Made in Manhattan is an fast paced and fun read overall. I look forward to seeing what Amanda writes next. 

3 stars!!

Match Made in Manhattan is now available!

Source: eARC provided by author for review - thanks Amanda!


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2 comments:

  1. This sounds fun! I love the NYC setting, and hearing about all the dates, especially with the mixed-media format, is pretty cool!

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  2. Alison definitely sounds like a tough character, but I like the sound of the rest of this book. I hadn't heard of it, but I'll need to give it a try!

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