REVIEW: Her New York Minute by Darby Baham

Her New York Minute by Darby Baham is the fourth book in The Friendship Chronicles series. I haven’t read the previous books, but I would recommend reading them in order. While it wasn’t hard to follow along with the characters and what was going on, there were some things mentioned that clearly happened in the previous books, which left me feeling like I was missing some background information. It wasn’t enough to take away from the story, but I still think it would have been better if I had read the other stories prior to this one.

Olivia Robinson has travelled from England to spend a year in New York for work. Her goal is to excel at her job, that way when she returns home when the year is up, she can get what she desires: to become the head of the company’s portfolio division. What she didn’t count on was meeting a charming lawyer named Thomas Wright, who might be the one person who could turn her plans upside down.

Thomas and Olivia have a funny meet-cute on the airplane after landing at JFK from a flight from London. At that point I thought the book had promise, but I quickly realized otherwise. Other than the meet-cute, there was little to catch and hold my attention. I found myself losing interest, repeatedly putting the book down to read something else before going back to it. It took an unusually long time for me to make it through this one.

I also struggled with the writing style. Some of the sentences were excessively long; there was one sentence that took up almost half a page on my Kindle. It was around seventy-six words, and there were multiple times this happened. It bogged down the reading pace.

As to the characters, I liked Thomas. He’s one of the sweetest main characters I’ve read lately. He’s willing to do everything at Olivia’s pace, even if it means just being friends. Olivia, however, is so focused on her desire to be promoted that she’s willing to keep Thomas at arm’s length. A large portion of their relationship happens through text messages, and readers only get Olivia’s point of view throughout the book. I would have liked to have gotten his point of view as well. I believe that may have helped me understand why he would still be interested in her because, as it was written, I thought he deserved better than how she treated him.

The book seemed to be more about Olivia and her relationship with her group of friends, rather than her budding relationship with Thomas. There’s a large amount of time spent overly describing and comparing their outfits each time they all went out together. As a reader, I enjoy descriptions that provide visuals, but this was a bit too much and it detracted from the story.

I’m sure there are readers who will enjoy this one, but, unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me.

Book Info:

Publication: January 23, 2024 | Harlequin Special Edition | The Friendship Chronicles #4

From the moment Brit Olivia Robinson lands in New York City, she’s single-minded in her ambition: take America by storm and become the best portfolio manager the New York office has ever seen on her way to a big UK promotion. Romance? No way. But after a chance airplane connection with handsome Thomas Wright, the instant spark that ignites is unlike anything she’s ever felt. Thomas’s role is clear, especially as Liv settles in to her temporary new life. She needs a friend—nothing more. If ambitious Liv pauses on her zoom to the top, though, can she find room for Thomas in her heart and her life—permanently?