In a New York Minute: A Literary Date Book Review

You will fall in love with this book in a New York Minute.

Kate Spencer’s In a New York Minute hooked me from the start. Spencer sets the scene for the rest of the novel so cleverly and expertly grabs your attention. I was right there with Franny as she got sacked from her job, gutted and terrified of what was to come but also fearful in an amusing, cute way. Franny’s stream of consciousness from ugly couch chairs to accidental expensive bottles of wine had me chuckling the first few pages and this humor continued for the rest of the book.

In a New York Minute Synopsis

*Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC of In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Franny has just lost her job and as she makes her way home to her Brooklyn Heights apartment (so not jealous), the subway decides to kick her when she’s down. I’ve always wondered what would happen if my dress got stuck in the subway doors. Well, for Franny, it’s a bit of a wardrobe malfunction. Okay, it’s a major wardrobe malfunction and she’s exposing her derrière to half of New York City.

You would think people in New York wouldn’t notice such things because we’ve seen crazy and we’ve seen people in distress. If you’re still standing, you’re alright. We even have people who ride the subway in their underwear for kicks. But thankfully, Franny does get noticed by a very dapper gentleman who comes to her rescue with his Gucci suit jacket no less. Ooh la la!

To add insult to injury, it turns out someone filmed the whole exchange, posted it on social media, and they’ve gone viral as #SubwayQTs.

Franny is mortified and when she runs into the gent, Hayes, again she learns that they would be terrible together. He even said she’s not his type. Ouch! Total opposite of SubwayQTs. Hayes is serious and quiet while Franny is talkative and bubbly.

Let’s be honest, Hayes comes off a bit snobbish and standoffish, but perhaps he’s just shy and awkward? A shy and awkward hottie!? So maybe he’s not as bad as he seems and maybe he won’t be able to resist Franny’s charms. Thankfully they continue to have run-ins and continue to see each other. And perhaps like each other? Read it and find out!

Thoughts

I honestly loved In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer. Such a fun read! I couldn’t recommend it more if you’re looking for a fun, light, and very clever read. Besides the romance that I thoroughly enjoyed, I adored the close friendships Franny has with her besties, Lola and Cleo. They were such a fun trio. I mean they did vision boards together and devoured bagels and were always there for each other. #friendshipgoals

I loved how the romance between Franny and Hayes evolved. Oh and we also got dual perspectives so the story is told through Franny and Hayes’s POVs. I loved getting into Hayes’s head to hear how crazy he was for Franny.

Hayes made me swoon. I do have to warn you that the sex scenes were implied but that didn’t bother me too much.

I loved the story so much and the style it was written in that it was enough for me. It was all about the romance for me and I was okay with the lack of steam. The one minor issue I had was the conflict.

In all romcoms, a conflict has to separate the leads, and usually, you need to suspend your disbelief a lot and just go with it. I had to seriously suspend my disbelief for this one because I didn’t quite get why it ended at the point it did.

But we do get some clarity and remorse about it as the story moves along, so I forgave it. Overall, I had such a great time reading this book and I highly recommend reading it if you’re in the mood for a fun romance. This one won’t disappoint.

This book comes out March 15th and is available right now to pre-order.

Buy the Book: Amazon| Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

I also think In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer will inspire a pretty fun literary date in the city. Shall we get to it?

But first, *Spoiler warning* While I don’t think there are any overt spoilers here, knowing the literary date spots could give you clues to the storyline. It will always be my opinion that knowing the literary date will make you want to read the book even more, but I am biased. 😉

Potential Literary Date for In a New York Minute

Bagels!

Franny and her friends are constantly eating bagels and I’m not mad about it! I think In a New York Minute could inspire a bagel tour of NYC and I would be ALL over that like cream cheese on a bagel!

Some bagel spots are named and some are not.

Russ & Daughters

This is one of the bagel spots mentioned in In a New York Minute. I don’t know which location they went to but my guess is one of the spots in the lower east side because Lola lives in that neighborhood. Two possibilities then. Forget it, I’ll go to both! Done!

Zabar’s

This is a quintessential NYC spot for bagels located on the upper west side.

Court Street

Franny loves a bagel spot on Court Street, which is in Brooklyn. I used to live in the neighborhood that had Court Street Bagels but I don’t know if those are the ones she means. I remember them being good.

Ohhh I just googled and Time Out does say they are one of the city’s best. Who knew? I ate them plenty of times. I lived in that neighborhood for 8 years! Clearly, I did not appreciate what I had when I had it so we need to go back and appreciate life and bagels.

Carroll Gardens

In another neighborhood in Brooklyn, not too far from Court Street Bagels, Franny finds herself in a bagel shop she hasn’t been to before. It goes unnamed, but mark my words, we will find this bagel shop and eat the bagels.

So how do you like that? Do you think these are enough bagel places for one literary date? I think In a New York Minute could inspire a full bagel tour of NYC. Blogspiration from books.

Let’s stay in the food theme and move on to…

Pizza!

Don’t worry, just a couple of spots here. I’m not sure how much pizza and bagels I could eat, so thankfully Franny’s pizza-eating, unlike her bagel-eating is manageable.

Famous Ben’s Pizza

I’ve never had this pizza but I want it! It’s located in SoHo, which works for me. I will eat pizza and shop or reverse that because I’m not shopping after stuffing my face with copious amounts of pizza.

I think people rave about the Sicilian square, so yup, I dig that. We’ll finish off with Italian ice because Franny loves those too. Are you as excited about this as I am?

Grimaldi’s Pizza

This spot is famous too. People come from all five boroughs to line up at this Brooklyn Heights pizza place. I want to try it! I should have tried it a long time ago. I just don’t like lines but I will wait on it for you and pizza.

More Food (and drinks)!

Cafe Gitane

At this little cafe in SoHo, I’d get some avocado toast, hold the chili flakes and sip a latte while reading a good book.

Cherry Tavern

Franny doesn’t go to this bar in the course of the action in In a New York Minute but recalls an epic moment from her life that happened at this East Village bar. I could always go for some drinks!

Winnie’s Bar

This is another location that is name-dropped in the book but the characters don’t go here during the course of the book. It’s a karaoke bar. Oh my! I definitely would not do karaoke on my own. I’d have to go with a friend and even then, it’s a big MAYBE after some liquid courage.

Sahadi’s

This little Middle Eastern shop with specialty foods has been around since 1895 in Manhattan but after the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, it moved to its current location on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn in 1948. The family is originally from Lebanon and four generations have run this awesome shop.

I used to live in this neighborhood so I know Sahadi’s well. It is well-known throughout Brooklyn and the city. I’d love to visit it and get their sugar-coated ginger. In general, I don’t like ginger but want to like it since it’s good for the tummy. I’ve tried many types of sugar-coated ginger but this is the only spot that has yummy ones, in my opinion.

Bus Stop Cafe

This spot isn’t specifically mentioned in the book but Franny and Hayes get grilled cheese from a diner in the west village in an area close to the Hudson River and this spot is near the river. And yup! It has grilled cheese. It looks like a cute spot that I’d love to visit.

Places to Visit

Central Park

I know, I know I’ve been to the park for a couple of literary dates already but like I’ve said before, I would always hang out here. Last time I meant to spend time on the east side of the park and accidentally entered at the wrong spot and had to walk to the west side. That was not a pleasant trek.

The characters in In a New York Minute explore the east side as well so I have another chance to get it right! For this literary date in the park, I’d have to go to the reservoir and Sheep Meadow although those are on opposite ends of the park. Uh oh!

Decision time: big field or pretty water? If it’s Sheep Meadow, I’d enter by the fountain at Columbus Circle, which is another spot in the book.

Natural History Museum

The Hall of Ocean Life is specifically mentioned in the book for how stunning it is. This museum is always worth a visit! And yes, my throwback pictures are from a million years ago when I visited. I posed as a turtle and a dead dinosaur. Always keeping it classy!

Rockefeller Center

How fun would it be to take a tour here? I could either do a classic Rockefeller tour or I think I might prefer an NBC studios tour. You know I’m a major tv buff. Unfortunately, NBC studio tours are temporarily closed but I’m hopeful that by the time I would go on this literary date, they would be running again.

Brooklyn Bridge

If you follow my blog then you know I finally walked across this bridge during my In Five Years Literary Date, however, I did it during the day. That was beautiful but in this book they (not saying who – they could be singular or plural 😉 walk across at night. That would be so pretty. Maybe I should go again?

Grand Central

I’ve passed through here many times when traveling via Metro-North. I always marvel at the beautiful ceiling. I could snap some shots of the architecture for you, maybe have a cocktail at The Campbell Bar, and perhaps test out the whispering gallery with a friend.

Have you heard of the acoustic phenomenon that happens here? I’ve never tried it but apparently, you and a friend can stand at opposite ends at these ceramic arches and whisper and hear each other. Pretty cool, right?

Neighborhoods to Explore

Brooklyn Heights

This is the neighborhood that Franny lives in. I love Brooklyn Heights, the cute brownstones and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and the park…it’s a great neighborhood. And we’d get to eat a slice or two of Grimaldi’s pizza. In a New York Minute also gives us directions and a description of Franny’s apartment.

You know I live for this kind of stuff in literary dates. I love to see if a fictional spot is inspired by an actual spot.

Boerum Hill and Carroll Gardens

These neighborhoods are right next to each other. I love them both. I lived in Boerum Hill for many years. Franny gets bagels at these spots. We could also explore these neighborhoods. In Carroll Gardens we could go to Books are Magic. Sahadi’s is located in Boerum Hill. Also, both these neighborhoods aren’t too far from Brooklyn Heights.

Williamsburg

Another neighborhood in Brooklyn, it’s hipster-central and while Franny doesn’t go here during the action of the book, she does name drop some stores in this area. This neighborhood is great for shopping. The boutiques Franny has shopped at are Alter and Catbird, which sells jewelry. I could go for some shopping although I worry about the price tags, but no harm in looking, right?

I’d love to share more of Brooklyn with you. Each of these neighborhoods could be its own literary date.

Lower East Side

Franny’s friend, Lola lives in this Manhattan neighborhood. I’m sure we could find things to do in the les.

The West Village

Hayes’s new office building is located here and near Hudson River Park. The West Village is one of the best neighborhoods in Manhattan so it’s no surprise it’s featured in many books and movies. I could always hang here! I’ll try to find Hayes’s building.

That’s all folks! This completes the potential literary date for In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer. What sounds good to you? What would you like to see?

I have also been thinking for a while that in addition to doing a literary date, also use the book to inspire more tours of the city. Like a full NYC bagel tour might not be during the actual In a New York Minute literary date but I could do it for a future post. Same with Girl in Translation, while I probably won’t be able to do a full Chinatown tour during the literary date, I could for a future NYC post.

What do you think? NYC tours inspired by books? Let me know in the comments!

Next Up for Literary Dates

I will be reading the final book in the Love and the City trilogy by Julie Tetel Andresen, The Hard Bargain, and posting my literary date book review on it. If you’ve been following along, you know I wrote sponsored literary date book reviews for the first two books, DeMarco’s Café and Love After All. Check those out if you haven’t already.

The Hard Bargain sounds like a fun one. A billionaire needs a faux fiancée for one afternoon and actor Carla needs some work, so she’ll happily accept this role of a lifetime. Then she does so well that the “show” gets extended for a week-long Caribbean cruise. Sounds like quite a book. I hope this guy isn’t the Tinder Swindler. 😉

Thank you all for reading and sharing your thoughts with me! I keep these literary dates up because of you. If it wasn’t for you all, I’d stay in my apartment all day with my feisty kitty. True story!

One last Brooklyn brownstone before we go…