What Happens to Men When They Move to Manhattan by Jill Knapp

Out now
Published by Harper Impulse
Purchase from Amazon here

The Blurb:

Life in the city gives 23 year old Amalia Hastings a ride she is not expecting. As she tries to find her way on the little island that never sleeps, she discovers she has a harder time navigating through life then she does the streets of Greenwich Village!

She thought she had everything she wanted – a new apartment in Manhattan, a first-rate education at NYU, a group of trusted friends and Nicholas, a boyfriend who she once believed was her soul-mate. But somehow, it isn’t enough.

Stumbling through her relationships, Amalia encounters Michael. An attractive classmate who quickly moves from being one of her close friends, to an inconsistent friend-with-benefits. After all, the only thing consistent about New York is its beauty.

Amalia is essentially torn between two men, and Michael is torn between two women. Her best friend Cassandra is being strung along by her "boyfriend", Bryce, and even her friend Olivia is having a secret relationship!

After getting terribly lost searching for love in all the wrong places, Amalia finds herself asking – what happens to men when they move to Manhattan?!

My review:

I was initially drawn to this book for two reasons; the beautiful cover, and the word Manhattan. I am ever so slightly obsessed with New York and so the thought of a book set there really appealed to me. But within the first couple of chapters I knew I would love the book, because of the storyline and characters. It is brilliantly written and has, in my opinion a great balance of fun and emotion.

The book follows Amalia who is studying in Manhattan and has recently moved into a new apartment. When we meet Amalia she is dating Nicholas whom she has been with for a few years. However, as with some of the best books, love never runs smoothly. The other main male character is Michael who she studies with. Michael also has a girlfriend but there is an undeniable spark between him and Amalia. Could there be a love triangle ahead??? I will let you guess!

We also meet Olivia and Cassandra who are Amalia's best friends. Just like Amalia and Michael, they also have love problems and like most 23 year olds are still discovering who they are, and all the fun that life has to offer. I loved the ladies, as they felt like real friends who had each others backs and would be shoulders to cry on any time, day or night. It was obvious early on that Cassandra's boyfriend was just playing her along and I wanted to get in and shake her to wake up and smell the coffee. Then there was Olivia and her secret rendezvous. It made the characters feel more vulnerable and real.

As a reader I enjoyed the style of writing. The chapters are relatively short and snappy which I enjoy as it allows you to flit between times and scenes easily. It also in theory means you can pick it up when you have a spare ten minutes...although I was addicted so didn't put it down too often.

I was able to build up a clear picture in my mind of each of the characters. I loved the whole Sex and the City era and I could almost see these lot as younger versions of in a similar kind of show. All the dilemmas and affairs of the heart whilst trying to study and have fun too. If I could turn back the clock I would love to life like this for a while. Ok, I admit the fantasy of living in a nice apartment in Manhattan helps fuel my desire too.

I at times could relate to how Amalia was feeling and I felt like I wanted to go in as another character and attempt to lead her away from making what I felt would be mistakes. I felt protective towards her and wanted to go bar hopping.

 If I had been more observant I would have seen that this is part one of a series. When I realised this at the end I was delighted. There is so much depth to the characters, and so many adventures and twists and turns that could take place I will definitely be interested to watch them develop. It was also great that, by creating a series the author didnt feel like they have to cram everything into this book and the ending is actually very open. It has set me up perfectly for the installment....I really cannot wait to see what happens next!!

Thank you to Harper Impulse for a copy in return for an honest review.