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The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan
When a young woman hits rock bottom, she embarks on a positively Dickensian adventure in a witty and warmhearted novel about past regrets, old loves, new beginnings, and making up for lost time.
Avery Lawrence thought she had it all—a charming fiancé, a Broadway-themed star-studded engagement, and a picture-perfect life. But when her fraudster of a fiancé’s true identity is exposed and he’s hauled away in handcuffs, Avery’s world comes crashing down faster than the chandelier in Phantom of the Opera. Left stranded on Christmas Day outside the federal prison without her cell phone or wallet, Avery stumbles out of the cold and into the last phone booth in Manhattan. With nothing left to lose, Avery is directed by a mysterious voice on the line to the doorstep of the college boyfriend she thought she’d moved on from over six years ago.
When a second encounter with the phone booth leads Avery to a life-changing audition for Marley Is Dead, a new musical based on Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, Avery is blown away by the striking similarities between the show and her own life. Convinced the phone booth is somehow responsible for reuniting her with “the one that got away” and reigniting her acting career, maybe she will finally have the chance to rewrite her future. But as she grapples with the ghosts of her past and the uncertainty of her present, Avery must decide whether to follow her heart or pursue her dream.
Avery Lawrence thought she had it all—a charming fiancé, a Broadway-themed star-studded engagement, and a picture-perfect life. But when her fraudster of a fiancé’s true identity is exposed and he’s hauled away in handcuffs, Avery’s world comes crashing down faster than the chandelier in Phantom of the Opera. Left stranded on Christmas Day outside the federal prison without her cell phone or wallet, Avery stumbles out of the cold and into the last phone booth in Manhattan. With nothing left to lose, Avery is directed by a mysterious voice on the line to the doorstep of the college boyfriend she thought she’d moved on from over six years ago.
When a second encounter with the phone booth leads Avery to a life-changing audition for Marley Is Dead, a new musical based on Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, Avery is blown away by the striking similarities between the show and her own life. Convinced the phone booth is somehow responsible for reuniting her with “the one that got away” and reigniting her acting career, maybe she will finally have the chance to rewrite her future. But as she grapples with the ghosts of her past and the uncertainty of her present, Avery must decide whether to follow her heart or pursue her dream.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2024
4270 people are currently reading
14340 people want to read
About the author
Beth Merlin
12 books174 followersBeth is a native New Yorker who loves rom-coms, Broadway, and a good maxi dress. She was introduced to her husband through a friend she met at sleepaway camp and considers the eight summers she spent there to be the most formative of her life. One S’more Summer is Beth's debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,174 reviews
December 3, 2023
This is not really a romance. It’s more of an empowering story of a woman realizing she doesn’t need a man. Which sounds good in theory, but I was bored.
The beginning was very good and then I got bored. I did not feel the chemistry between her and Gabe at all. I guess that was the point? But it just made it boring.
I also was under the impression it would be Christmas themed and it was not. It was based on a Christmas Carol by Dickens, but it just was about like the future/past/present stuff. There was no actual christmas vibe. It takes place all throughout the year, which is fine, just surprised me.
Overall, this book wasn’t for me. I think it would appeal more to an older reader like middle aged woman based on the writing style. Maybe someone who likes broadway? Lots of acting/broadway/singing. It was overkill for me personally.
Read for free from Amazon First Reads.
The beginning was very good and then I got bored. I did not feel the chemistry between her and Gabe at all. I guess that was the point? But it just made it boring.
I also was under the impression it would be Christmas themed and it was not. It was based on a Christmas Carol by Dickens, but it just was about like the future/past/present stuff. There was no actual christmas vibe. It takes place all throughout the year, which is fine, just surprised me.
Overall, this book wasn’t for me. I think it would appeal more to an older reader like middle aged woman based on the writing style. Maybe someone who likes broadway? Lots of acting/broadway/singing. It was overkill for me personally.
Read for free from Amazon First Reads.
Want to read
December 3, 2023What a mixed bag of reviews on this one- got it for my Prime First Reads... ehh now I'm hesitant. 😬
December 5, 2023
Just not for me. I expected that the phone booth would take Avery on a journey more akin to Scrooge. Not really any ghosts (okay, maybe one), and not really Christmas themed
April 11, 2024
This book is so much fun! I absolutely love retellings and new spins on Christmas stories and this does not disappoint. A little Christmas Carol, a little It’s a Wonderful Life, a lot of charm. Love Christmas stories? Love flashbacks in stories? Theater references? A magical mysterious twist? Definitely don’t miss this.
This isn't sappy romance, if that's what you're looking for. It's smart and sassy and strong.
*ETA- spoiler free note that I feel compelled to add- The ending is perfection. It's exactly as it should be. :)
This isn't sappy romance, if that's what you're looking for. It's smart and sassy and strong.
*ETA- spoiler free note that I feel compelled to add- The ending is perfection. It's exactly as it should be. :)
January 8, 2024
Fun take of a Christmas Carol
This was a very fun take on a Christmas carol. I do think that parts of the story were a little overly long which was why I gave this 3.5 stars, rounded it up to 4 stars. But I just thought the whole thing hung together very well and I was very pleased with the ending. But I am going to say out loud, this isn't really a typical romance. I thought it had romantic elements, but this was not set-up as a typical second chance romance...at least not in the way that most romance readers may appreciate.
Full review: I thought this was a very interesting romance read that starts off around the Christmas season, and proceeds through the months as we follow Avery Lawrence and her trying to find herself again.
"The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan" follows former aspiring singer/actress Avery Lawrence. She and her long term boyfriend finally are engaged. He's a very very rich man and Avery can have anything she wants. But when the feds come a knocking, she finds out that her life was never real and her fiancee was just another frauster. When she's arrested (for being an idiot) she is released from jail and runs into a guard who points her to a phone booth to make a call. That number leads her to an address, of her last boyfriend, Gabe. And from there, Avery is on the hunt to figure out what the phone booth is trying to tell her. To choose Gabe or another path that she does not know if she can succeed at.
I will say that at first I wasn't super fond of Avery, but she grew on me as a character. Her realizing that everything her fiancee did was fake got to me. She gave up a lot (willingly) and realized that she needed to self correct. Reading about her auditions and her finally maybe getting a break, was awesome.
For those that complained about the chemistry between her and Gabe. I saw it myself, but I just thought he was a backseat character myself. I thought Avery's friendship with Marisol and her new roommates, her new boss were mostly what this story was about myself.
The flow was a bit sticky at places though. Just because sometimes it started to feel repetitive when Avery would tell someone else the phone booth story. I just got tired of reading about it.
New York really does come alive in this story I thought. And the authors definitely have a love of Broadway that came shining through.
I loved the ending.
This was a very fun take on a Christmas carol. I do think that parts of the story were a little overly long which was why I gave this 3.5 stars, rounded it up to 4 stars. But I just thought the whole thing hung together very well and I was very pleased with the ending. But I am going to say out loud, this isn't really a typical romance. I thought it had romantic elements, but this was not set-up as a typical second chance romance...at least not in the way that most romance readers may appreciate.
Full review: I thought this was a very interesting romance read that starts off around the Christmas season, and proceeds through the months as we follow Avery Lawrence and her trying to find herself again.
"The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan" follows former aspiring singer/actress Avery Lawrence. She and her long term boyfriend finally are engaged. He's a very very rich man and Avery can have anything she wants. But when the feds come a knocking, she finds out that her life was never real and her fiancee was just another frauster. When she's arrested (for being an idiot) she is released from jail and runs into a guard who points her to a phone booth to make a call. That number leads her to an address, of her last boyfriend, Gabe. And from there, Avery is on the hunt to figure out what the phone booth is trying to tell her. To choose Gabe or another path that she does not know if she can succeed at.
I will say that at first I wasn't super fond of Avery, but she grew on me as a character. Her realizing that everything her fiancee did was fake got to me. She gave up a lot (willingly) and realized that she needed to self correct. Reading about her auditions and her finally maybe getting a break, was awesome.
For those that complained about the chemistry between her and Gabe. I saw it myself, but I just thought he was a backseat character myself. I thought Avery's friendship with Marisol and her new roommates, her new boss were mostly what this story was about myself.
The flow was a bit sticky at places though. Just because sometimes it started to feel repetitive when Avery would tell someone else the phone booth story. I just got tired of reading about it.
New York really does come alive in this story I thought. And the authors definitely have a love of Broadway that came shining through.
I loved the ending.
January 7, 2024
Rating: 2,5 stars
The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan is a Dickens inspired story about a woman who hits rock bottom and her journey of self-discovery.
Sounds great? Yes, it does. But is it really? No.
There were moments in the book that I found good and interesting, and that is what kept me reading.
I was not so annoyed with the rock bottom hitting part, although it feels very superficial, but with the picking her self up part. Until the end our main (beautiful and talented) heroine makes absolutely no decisions on her own and in every single moment of discomfort everything just falls in place with help of other (random) people and lost friends.
It felt too much like an american sitcom without any depth in it, although an effort was made.
The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan is a Dickens inspired story about a woman who hits rock bottom and her journey of self-discovery.
Sounds great? Yes, it does. But is it really? No.
There were moments in the book that I found good and interesting, and that is what kept me reading.
I was not so annoyed with the rock bottom hitting part, although it feels very superficial, but with the picking her self up part. Until the end our main (beautiful and talented) heroine makes absolutely no decisions on her own and in every single moment of discomfort everything just falls in place with help of other (random) people and lost friends.
It felt too much like an american sitcom without any depth in it, although an effort was made.
December 12, 2023
Adorable and hope inducing. Loved every page
December 14, 2023
That did not go the way I thought it would. Bah humbug.
January 20, 2024
I ended up really enjoying this book. It was extra cheesy at times (the Broadway puns in particular and also the ending), but overall I liked the message and the writing style. A fun little quick read!
January 13, 2024
Why is this categorized as a romance?
IT IS NOT A ROMANCE!!
Luckily, I got this as a free book from Prime or I'd be pissed!!
It's about a woman named Avery finding herself, rediscovering her past with a man named Gabe, and getting closure so she can move forward.
Honestly, if I'd known what it was about, I'd probably still read it. I just wouldn't have gone in with these expectations of a love story.
What a downer :(
IT IS NOT A ROMANCE!!
Luckily, I got this as a free book from Prime or I'd be pissed!!
It's about a woman named Avery finding herself, rediscovering her past with a man named Gabe, and getting closure so she can move forward.
Honestly, if I'd known what it was about, I'd probably still read it. I just wouldn't have gone in with these expectations of a love story.
What a downer :(
December 3, 2023
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I hoped. I liked the theme of A Christmas Carol running throughout the story but found the performing arts a bit repetitive and the protagonist not very deserving.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I hoped. I liked the theme of A Christmas Carol running throughout the story but found the performing arts a bit repetitive and the protagonist not very deserving.
December 7, 2023
This book was recommended by a friend who had some insider information on just how good this book was. I was so excited to see it was offered on Kindle First Reads for December, because it’s the perfect Holiday Feels book for me.
This book was a 4 1/2 star read and another 1/2 for throwing in the word Kitschy, which is one of my favorite things to find in a book!!!!
While reading this book, it was helpful to have a fresh cup of coffee, a cat and snowflakes fall outside my windows while I finished it. This book helped me realize something that every mother needs to hear during the Christmas season….. your feelings matter. Many times during the season we push aside how we feel or what we want in honor of making the season merry and bright! Reminder: it still will be, no matter what.
The only disappointment of this book was realizing after living inside this book that I was never going to Broadway to see Marley! Heartbreak aside…. Read this book… laugh, cry and DEFY GRAVITY while doing it.
This book was a 4 1/2 star read and another 1/2 for throwing in the word Kitschy, which is one of my favorite things to find in a book!!!!
While reading this book, it was helpful to have a fresh cup of coffee, a cat and snowflakes fall outside my windows while I finished it. This book helped me realize something that every mother needs to hear during the Christmas season….. your feelings matter. Many times during the season we push aside how we feel or what we want in honor of making the season merry and bright! Reminder: it still will be, no matter what.
The only disappointment of this book was realizing after living inside this book that I was never going to Broadway to see Marley! Heartbreak aside…. Read this book… laugh, cry and DEFY GRAVITY while doing it.
December 22, 2023
I thought this was a Christmas romance with a touch of the supernatural. It's not Christmasy, not a romance and the Christmas Carol angle is barely there. Mostly I just found this boring. Avery comes across and spoiled and whiny, and makes a lot of poor choices for a 30 year old woman.
Everyone can see how fantastically talented Avery is, except she herself cannot see it (I hate this trope). And for all the whining Avery does about her life, pretty amazing (and unbelievable) things keep happening for her.
Everyone can see how fantastically talented Avery is, except she herself cannot see it (I hate this trope). And for all the whining Avery does about her life, pretty amazing (and unbelievable) things keep happening for her.
December 5, 2023
Avery hits rock bottom when she discovers her fiancée is a fraudster. She stumbles into the last phone booth in Manhattan and a mysterious voice tells her to go to an address. A Dickensian novel about second chances, no regrets and understanding what it is you need, not changing to fit what those you are with needs.
January 15, 2024
I received a free copy of, The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan, by Beth Merlin; Danielle Modafferi, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Avery Lawrence boyfriend is arrested, her whole is shook up, then she meets her ex Gabe, is he the one? I did not care for this book. Avery did not heal herself before jumping into a new relationship, they rarely work out.
December 15, 2023
I’m sorry, I cannot deal with the fact that this author clearly has never been to NYC in her life… nobody acts like that in NYC. She should have had it take place in a rural town if she wanted all the passerby to be friendly and chatty lol
December 27, 2023
This was a really cute, holiday book about following your dreams. Avery thinks she is going to marry the man of her dreams and then everything comes crashing down. She ends up using the last phone booth in Manhattan and it sends her to discover her past and present. With lots of Charles Dickens overtones, this was a very enjoyable read!
December 14, 2023
Someone said this wasn’t a romance and I have to agree. Is there some? Sure. But this book is really about finding one’s self after everything goes to shit.
The writing wasn’t bad but it was such a snooze fest. I found myself skimming a lot of it. Also I thought the phone booth would be a big grand adventure but it ended up just being a minor detail that got the rest of the book rolling.
The writing wasn’t bad but it was such a snooze fest. I found myself skimming a lot of it. Also I thought the phone booth would be a big grand adventure but it ended up just being a minor detail that got the rest of the book rolling.
December 25, 2023
Amazon Prime First Reads selection for December.
First of all, I don’t know why so many have shelved this as romance. It really isn’t one. It also is NOT a Christmas story. It starts on Christmas Day and ends on Christmas Day a year later but other than that, plus a loose tie-in to “A Christmas Carol” it has nothing to do with Christmas.
It doesn’t bother me that it’s not a romance because I enjoy many genres but the problem was it was really boring. It took me way too long to get through and I actually ended up reading another story in between (which I pretty much never do) because it couldn’t keep my interest.
The biggest reason it’s boring is because entirely too much time is devoted to describing really mundane details and scenarios. One example (of many) is about one and a half pages detailing how she orders fish and chips at a restaurant. Including standing in line, ordering, getting a number, being told to wait “over there”, waiting for the order and picking it up. In detail. I’m sorry, but how many people need or want to spend a whole page and a half reading that?
And more than once after something somewhat meaningful happens we are provided a rehashing of the event as the main character shares what happened with another character right after the thing happened.
And the main character isn’t very likable to me. I know she is supposed to have a character arc thing happening but it all felt forced and obvious and most everyone was pretty one dimensional, fitting into their assigned mold.
Definitely a disappointment.
2 stars.
First of all, I don’t know why so many have shelved this as romance. It really isn’t one. It also is NOT a Christmas story. It starts on Christmas Day and ends on Christmas Day a year later but other than that, plus a loose tie-in to “A Christmas Carol” it has nothing to do with Christmas.
It doesn’t bother me that it’s not a romance because I enjoy many genres but the problem was it was really boring. It took me way too long to get through and I actually ended up reading another story in between (which I pretty much never do) because it couldn’t keep my interest.
The biggest reason it’s boring is because entirely too much time is devoted to describing really mundane details and scenarios. One example (of many) is about one and a half pages detailing how she orders fish and chips at a restaurant. Including standing in line, ordering, getting a number, being told to wait “over there”, waiting for the order and picking it up. In detail. I’m sorry, but how many people need or want to spend a whole page and a half reading that?
And more than once after something somewhat meaningful happens we are provided a rehashing of the event as the main character shares what happened with another character right after the thing happened.
And the main character isn’t very likable to me. I know she is supposed to have a character arc thing happening but it all felt forced and obvious and most everyone was pretty one dimensional, fitting into their assigned mold.
Definitely a disappointment.
2 stars.
December 17, 2023
1.5 ⭐️ rounded up. This book needed a date with an editor. What a mess. Textbook example of telling (and telling and telling) versus showing. Unnecessary characters and scenes and descriptions that made the book at least twice as long as it needed to be. I skimmed the last third and I’m certain I missed nothing important while simultaneously gifting myself time I’d otherwise waste and not get back. I’m a little pissed at myself that I didn’t DNF it.
February 7, 2024
I never write reviews! I just want to save others from the misery of reading this book. I had so much second hand embarrassment! My daughter is Gen Z, at 20 years old I have never heard her talk how this author thinks Gen Z girls talk. The best thing I can say about this book is thank heavens it’s over.
December 17, 2023
3⭐️ I didn’t hate this but didn’t love it! Started off strong and had a good premise but was a bit slow in the middle and Avery was a little whiny. I think if you didn’t care for musical theatre references and a bit of magical realism it won’t be your thing!
December 26, 2023
A fun holiday read. Love stories of women finding their way.
March 25, 2025
Such a feel good story with a happy ending. Absolutely loved the author and will definitely be reading more of her books!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2024
Felt like a hallmark movie. But without the love ending.
December 14, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5 stars rounded up.
Spice scale: 🌶️. Some kissing and mild tension but all closed door.
This wasn’t the book for me. It was marketed as a Christmas romance book but it was really more of an empowering drama of the FMC finding herself. It dragged in some parts to me and never really pulled me in. It is loosely based on Christmas as it is a loose retelling of A Christmas Carol.
Overall, this one was a bit forgettable to me.
Spice scale: 🌶️. Some kissing and mild tension but all closed door.
This wasn’t the book for me. It was marketed as a Christmas romance book but it was really more of an empowering drama of the FMC finding herself. It dragged in some parts to me and never really pulled me in. It is loosely based on Christmas as it is a loose retelling of A Christmas Carol.
Overall, this one was a bit forgettable to me.
December 18, 2023
A fun twist on A Christmas Carol featuring nods to lots of broadway hits. This was a fun, quick, holiday-ish read about overcoming others expectations to peruse a life you love. Definitely enjoyed this one more than expected.
December 2, 2023
Charming. Read in one sitting on a sick day. Lots of broadway and nyc moments. The kind of romcom where you yell at the protagonist a bit because you see when she’s about to step in it.
December 3, 2023
Kitschy
Nope. Simpering. 18 more words required for a review would just be rude to the authors. Not a book for me.
Nope. Simpering. 18 more words required for a review would just be rude to the authors. Not a book for me.
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December 28, 2023Not going to rate, just going to say that despite the blurb, there is nothing “Dickensian” about this.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,174 reviews