In In A New York Minute by Kate Spencer, You know how you hear people say they have truly awful luck? 
They tell you a story about something cringe-worthy and you think: boy, I’m glad that wasn’t me. Well, that’s the type of day interior designer Franny Doyle is having. Only, she’s the one with the baddest of bad luck, starting with losing her job first thing in the morning. It gets even worse when, on her way home, one of her favorite dresses gets stuck in the subway doors and tears down her entire back. Flashing her fellow New Yorkers is the last straw. But then a handsome, kind man insists Franny take his expensive suit jacket to cover herself up. Unfortunately, though, her hero in Gucci disappears before she can thank him.
“I’m so glad I got to know you, Hayes. Even if it did require my clothes literally falling off my body in public. I would do it all over again just to meet you.”
Franny soon finds out that pictures of her wardrobe woes have gone viral. And it seems all of NYC wants her and her rescuer, Hayes Montgomery III, to be a couple, not realizing that what looked like chemistry between them was awkward, stilted partial sentences. Not romance. But after a few even more disastrous chance meetings with Hayes, Franny has to admit she might not have given him enough of a chance at first. And Hayes would love to get to know Franny better–which might be possible if he didn’t get tongue-tied every time they meet. But real life keeps interfering at every turn. And even their friends keep weighing in on what they should do. Will the #subwayQTs ever get their chance to see if they can make a relationship work between them?
“I hope we can still be friends.”
She nodded, her eyes searching mine. “But you’d also be okay with, like, more than friends?”
I laughed at this. It felt like my feelings were so obvious they were tattooed on my forehead. Clearly, I needed to do a better job expressing them out loud. “Yes,” I said firmly.
Kate Spencer’s debut romantic comedy had a memorable meet-cute worthy of the big screen and characters who made me smile a mile wide. With laughs, angst, and real emotional depth, In a New York Minute was a great introduction to an author who is no doubt on the rise.
‘There was an electric, energetic force field crackling between us. It suddenly felt like the thing so many random people on the internet had insisted was between us might actually be there.’
I was pretty charmed by Franny, Hayes, their stellar friends and family, and New York City itself in this debut. There was admittedly quite a high level of awkwardness between our main characters where Franny tended to put her foot in her mouth by having a lack of a verbal filter, and Hayes was shy, broody, and introverted. While it was adorkable, it did mean that I had to put my Kindle aside a few times to shake it off. (lol) But that didn’t take away from the slow burn of Hayes and Franny’s romance, thankfully.
I had to giggle at the different scenarios Spencer put her lovebirds through. That meet-cute alone–with poor Franny flashing the entire subway car when her dress ripped–was enough to traumatize most people. But what followed showed that she was quite strong, with a nice sense of humor and a wonderful heart. I really thought Franny’s free-spirited ways were the right balance for Hayes’s analytical mind. While he was mostly serious and basically a workaholic, he did have a terrific heart as well as a playful side that Franny brought out. *That* was a joy to see, the way they interacted and enhanced each other so well. Sigh…
The other thing I think readers will love is the ancillary cast. Franny’s two awesome best friends as well as her caring family were in numerous scenes, which wove its way into Hayes’s life. And his friends and cousin were an absolute blast. I don’t want to give spoilers, but the way in which Hayes and Franny’s lives became entwined even more because of it had me melting, it was so sweet.
QOTD: In Franny’s place on the subway, would you have accepted a stranger’s (Gucci!) jacket to cover up a serious wardrobe malfunction?
Book Info:
Publication: March 15th 2022 | Forever |
A clever, tender, and romantic novel for readers of Christina Lauren, Jasmine Guillory, and Sophie Cousens, this laugh-out-loud debut is a perceptive reminder that fate can have a sense of humor, and that love can happen…In a New York Minute.
Franny Doyle is having the worst day. She’s been laid off from her (admittedly mediocre) job, the subway doors ripped her favorite silk dress to ruins, and now she’s flashed her unmentionables to half of lower Manhattan. On the plus side, a dashing stranger came to her rescue with his (Gucci!) suit jacket. On the not-so-plus side, he can’t get away from her fast enough.
Worse yet? Someone posted their (entirely not) meet-cute online. Suddenly Franny and her knight-in-couture, Hayes Montgomery III, are the newest social media sensation, and all of New York is shipping #SubwayQTs.
Only Franny and Hayes couldn’t be a more disastrous match. She’s fanciful, talkative, and creative. He’s serious, shy, and all about numbers. Luckily, in a city of eight million people, they never have to meet again. Yet somehow, Hayes and Franny keep running into each other—and much to their surprise, they enjoy each other’s company. A lot. But when Franny’s whole world is turned upside down (again!), can she find the courage to trust in herself and finally have the life—and love—she’s always wanted?
