7.10 Judgment - In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer

Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the tenth day of the month is "Judgment." I have personally decided that I will pass judgment on a book on the tenth day of each month.

****************

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer is a romance novel that is all the rage on the interwebz right now. Franny Doyle has just been laid off from her job and meets Hayes Montgomery the Third on the subway in a really adorable New York City meet-cute. They keep running into one another and the sparks fly. 

Interesting characters: Sure. Franny is funny and I love the scenes with her friends. Hayes is a bit of an enigma, but there's potential with him. I liked the scenes with his cousin. Actually, now that I'm typing this, what I think Spencer did an amazing job of was developing these characters outside of their potential romantic relationship. It was cleverly done.

Believable conflict: Uh. Hm. What was the conflict again? I think the biggest demerit for this book is the absolutely lack of conflict. I mean, they're both nice people and they're pretty good at communicating with one another and so if you're looking for a quarrelsome book, this ain't it.

Emotional tension: I thought the early stuff was really good. They kept running into each other, there was some tension, but as a reader, I wasn't even really sure they were the main couple the book was going to be about until nearly a hundred pages in. 

Happily ever after: Sure. Why not?

In general, I liked this book. I liked the relationships the two leads had with their friends and family. I thought the dialogue was funny.  The chemistry between the leads didn't knock my socks off, but I did think they're two nice people who should probably be together. I think was a fine, somewhat forgettable book.

4/5 stars

Lines of note:

“But seriously, how can he be so attractive and also so awkward? He was such a dick.”
 “He’s shy? Or he was just as nervous as I was?” I guessed. “Or maybe he was raised in a fancy mansion by wolves.” (page 62)

This is what I mean about the characters being NICE. This guy was sort of rude to her and she's defending him because she realizes he is an awkward human being at social interactions. That's actually amazing and she's very kind, but it doesn't lead to heart thumping conflict, you know?

“Today’s kinda turned into a bummer. Though seeing your face as you figured out what was going on back there did make it a lot better.” And with that, she perked up again. 

“Oh yeah?” I asked. “What did my face look like?” I was genuinely curious.

 She opened her mouth in a wide, horrified O and shifted her eyes back and forth. She looked absurd, like that Kit-Cat Klock, with the moving eyes, that Perrine had in her kitchen. I laughed, not just at the ridiculous face she was making, but at the way she did everything so freely. I wasn’t used to being around someone like her, a person who sparkled so bright it felt like their energy could rub off on you, just a bit. (page 88)

Mostly I just wanted to post a photo of the clock.

We’d been texting, which, oddly, felt even more intimate than seeing her in person... (page 196)

Ah, yes. The power of the written word. Nerds unite!

“Ugh, that was so awkward,” I groaned, letting my head collapse in my lap. “Did I really just say ‘Good talk’?” 

Lola leaned up off the floor and squeezed my knee. “It happens to the best of us. Remember Gaby? When I broke up with her, I told her to ‘Keep fighting the good fight.’” (page 212)

lololol