Only in New York

by Melissa Hill

He makes trouble. She makes headlines.A warm and funny enemies-to-lovers romance set in New York from the No. 1 Irish Times bestselling author of The Summer Villa

'Hill doesn't disappoint' Irish Times

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LA Publicist Hannah is ready to put her broken heart behind her and start afresh. So when a celebrity client offers to lend her a luxury penthouse apartment in New York City, Hannah jumps at the chance.

But it turns out that balancing a new job and new neighbours is harder than Hannah imagined. With a troublesome – yet undeniably attractive – client making headlines for all the wrong reasons, and the secretive curmudgeon next door seemingly on a mission to get her out, Hannah has her hands full.

It’s going to take all her best PR tricks to win over each of these cynics. But it isn’t only their walls that begin breaking down. And as Hannah begins to open her own heart to all the possibilities the city has to offer, a chance at love might be closer than she thinks.

This is New York, after all.

🗽🗽🗽

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Ebooks

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2025

About the author

Melissa Hill is a USA Today bestselling author living in Ireland’s beautiful County Wicklow. Her page-turning contemporary novels of family, friendship and romance are published worldwide and have been translated into twenty-six languages.

A Hollywood adaptation of her international bestseller Something from Tiffany's, by Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine and Amazon Studios, was released worldwide in Dec 2022.

Other novels including A Gift to Remember and The Charm Bracelet have been adapted for screen by Hallmark Channel USA, with multiple other titles currently also in development for film and TV.

For more info, visit her website at www.melissahill.info

Facebook: facebook.com/melissahillbooks

Instagram: @melissahillbooks

Melissa also co-writes forensic thrillers with her husband under the pseudonym Casey Hill. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Reviews

[Linda Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaving a broken relationship behind, publicist Hannah is making a fresh start in New York.

Only in New York is a smashing read, just right for packing in your suitcase and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s romantic, pacy, witty and engrossing.

Of course Only in New York has romance as one of its themes, and throughout I was desperate for Hannah and her new client Wildcat Ward McKenzie to fall in love, but what Melissa Hill illustrates with such aplomb is that love is not a straightforward emotion and external events and pressures can impinge and affect it. I thought the balance of Hannah and Ward’s roles in this theme was sheer perfection, especially as we get to know them so intimately and possibly better than they know themselves. It’s rare in romantic fiction to get such an insight into both male and female roles.

The plot is brilliant. It speeds along, and I thought the way the reader has insight into the identity of P-1 (read the book) whereas Hannah does not, gave an added frisson of enjoyment and engagement.

But as well as being an enormously satisfying enemies to lovers narrative, Only in New York has other really interesting elements too. I found the insight into the world of public relations fascinating as Hannah attempts to rehabilitate Ward into both his ice hockey team and public opinion. The pressures of high powered jobs, being in the public eye and of the challenges faced by elite sports people are integral to the story and thoroughly engaging.

The New York setting is just perfect. Whilst the city doesn’t over dominate, there is an authentic sense of place that means the reader can experience some of it without leaving home. Equally important is the way Hannah makes assumptions about the person living in the apartment next door to her. Melissa Hill shows we shouldn’t judge others and that we never really know quite what is happening behind someone else’s front door.

Although Hannah does jump to conclusions and can be quick tempered, I thought these flaws in her personality made her incredibly realistic, so that the story feels as if it is about a real person even though her job in public relations for the rich and famous is beyond the experience of many readers.

I so enjoyed Only in New York. It felt like the perfect summer read, being completely absorbing. It’s packed with believable people despite their celebrity status. It’s entertaining, romantic and engaging. What could be better than that? I suggest you escape to New York with Hannah immediately…

[Jean Moy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was painfully slow. Nothing was happening until the last few chapters. I skimmed the last quarter of the book just to see what happened at the end. It really had nothing to do with New York so the title didn’t make sense to me either.

[Kremena Koleva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Най - удовлетворяващите истории съм откривала съвсем случайно. В томчета, които обикновено избирам, за да се забавлявам и да си създам добро настроение.
Only in New York има свой собствен стил, много близък до разбирането ми за честно споделяне на сериозни теми чрез достъпен и съвременен изказ. Харесах Едуард и Хана и до последно им стисках палци да намерят точния начин да бъдат щастливи. Грешните избори и справянето с последиците рядко са лицеприятна гледка. Да си вземем поука не винаги е лесно. Да не смесваме емоции и разум се отдава на малцина. Но когато някой зловреден екземпляр си получи заслуженото, си отдъхваме. Дори, ако това се случва само в книгите!
Only in New York препрети няколко много важни теми :
1. Мъжете, които толкова се вземат на сериозно, че не приемат женското НЕ за НЕ, а за Да , Може би , Сигурно... Защото няма как да подтиснат лилипутското си чувство за малоценност, освен като се налагат със сила, власт и пари.
2. Да си старомоден и с разбирания за ценностите от миналото, не винаги е лошо. Понякога това помага да си спомним силата на скромността, частния живот, рицарството и искреността в чувствата.
З. Когато някой от " доброто старо време " се завърне изневиделица в живота ни и поиска да продължим от там, откъдето сме спрели! Ауууу! Това ме кара да изпускам пара от ушите си!!! Защото никой не оставя живота си на пауза и не чака другия да си спомни за него и да е върне за продължение! Всеки се справя с обида, загуба, пренеблежение и страх както може и продължава напред. По - силен. По - предпазлив. По - очукан . И по - опитен. Ако не е такъв, значи си заслужава да му припомнят току от нищото за " доброто старо време " и защо се е стигнало до тук.
Едуард и Хана бяха брилянтни личности! Те оценяваха силата на принципността, точно защото в някакъв момент са се отклонявали от правилната посока.
Melissa Hill ме спечели с начина си на разказване! С погледа си в нашето интернет съществуване и къде са плюсовете и минусите на това да изграждаме образ за пред публика. Въпроси от нашето днес, представени в завладяваща съвременна романтика!

" If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that there’s no one out there you should trust, really. Everyone’s out for themselves and that’s pretty much the way it’s always going to be.’

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay...I wasn't invested in their story til the very end, was a bit boring up until about 2/3 through. Aside from the story, it very much felt like the author and editor don't know much about the NHL or PGA...and the typos got to me, the publisher needs to re-proof this

[Jennifer O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book sm. The chapters were the perfect length, I hate when they are too long. The enemies to lovers trope worked so well and wasn’t forced. I do think the ending was a bit odd just so they could fit in the plot of sending notes between the apartments, like Ward leaving a message for Hannah in the coffee shop was just a bit weird. Love the character development of them both, ngl wish Ed was real rather than it being Ward.

[Dawn Tomaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to figure out but I loved it.

[Caitlin Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost DNF, skimmed through to the end

[Tammy Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Melissa Hill’s books! Predicted the ending and was not disappointed! Great feel-good read!!

[Amy Whitmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, 3.5 stars. I love You've Got Mail, and this makes me want to watch it again!

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this book was 150 pages less, it would have been at least a 4 star. It went on way too long and the notes between P1 and P2 made me cringe a little.

It felt like one of those movies where nothing happens until the last 10 minutes. I could even go so far as to say it felt like a hallmark movie, which isn’t a good thing.

[Steve Flig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun. I was thinking "Mills & Boon for Gen Z" (unaware that Mills & Boon actually still exists). Audio Book version ideal light entertainment for my car commute this week. Unlikely to become a fan of the genre though. I was initially attracted by the title, having just visited the Big Apple for the first time, but I was disappointed by how few meaningful references to the city there were.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The number of spelling and punctuation errors was astounding…how did this get published? I feel bad saying that because the author put her time into this book, but I had 0 connections to the characters and their romance did not make any sense to me, nor was it believable.

[Karen Quiroz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but with errors

Author needs a better proof reader but cute story. Pacing was on point. Good summer read. I would recommend this quick read.

[Mairead Hearne (swirlandthread.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only in New York by Melissa Hill publishes May 22nd with HQ and is described as ‘a warm and funny enemies-to-lovers romance set in New York’. Hannah left Ireland years ago and made a new life for herself in The States. For much of that time she lived in LA, having developed a reputation as a successful publicist. When her personal life hits a crisis Hannah seeks a change and decides to transfer back to New York where her initial adventures had begun. Fortunately, a client of Hannah’s has a penthouse apartment that needs a sitter for a few months, and this reprieve offers Hannah the space to breathe and regroup.

Eager to prove her worth in the New York office Hannah immediately dives into the challenging accounts she is handed with a positive can-do mindset and a will to succeed. She has a mixture of clients but there is one in particular that is taking up most of her time. He is an ice-hockey player with a bad rep who is currently in recovery from an injury. Hannah’s job is to use his downtime as an opportunity to remould him and create an alternative, less troublesome, more media-friendly version. Hannah is used to dealing with the quirks and pitfalls of celebrity PR but she soon finds that this one client might just be the one that cannot be tamed.

Meanwhile, there is a neighbour in her building who is determined to evict her and is causing her all sorts of bother. Initially frustrated Hannah is flummoxed but she is a people-person, never one to shy away from anyone. Determined to placate her new neighbour she accidentally devises a method of communication, but will it be enough to stay the complaints that keep filtering down?

Only in New York is a really sweet read. There are no major surprises but it really doesn’t matter as it’s a book that is so very easy to just escape into, to shut out the other noise and to spend time with Hannah and this – almost – lovely cast of characters. Hannah is at times hot-headed and outspoken and she does make one to many assumptions along the way but she has a heart of gold and very much wears it on her sleeve.

Melissa Hill knows her fans and her style of writing perfectly captures the uplifting and positive nature of this tale. Only in New York is a smart and romantic tale, a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining story that will leave most readers with a warm and fuzzy feeling. A sincere and uplifting novel, Only in New York is the ideal ‘pack in your suitcase’ novel, the perfect seasonal read.

[Sue Oshin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last month, I read a lot of genres about family and sisterhood. So, this month there might be a spark for a different genre.

Therefore, I tried reading a romance genre; enemy to lover, but unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy this story. Yeah, It felt boring and like I was forcing myself to finish it just so I wouldn’t DNF the book.

Oh, by the way… this book is about Hannah, who works as an LA publicist (stands for Los Angeles) and then has to be transferred to New York to work there. Hannah wasn’t prepared at all for the move not even a budget to find a rental house. Coincidentally, her friend Courtney told her to move into her apartment since Courtney would be out of town for several months.

Courtney’s neighbor is rather strange, and before Hannah moved into the apartment, Courtney warned her early on that she and her male neighbor didn’t get along. As for Hannah, as long as the neighbor doesn’t bother her, she doesn’t mind. She will just mind her own business.

But, all of this turned out even worse when she had to adjust her new work environment and also the troublesome neighbor.

Next, we will meet Ward McKenzie who is a celebrity client and talented ice hockey player. He becomes the center of attention because of the problems he causes and had a bad reputation. So, his relationship with Hannah as a publicist, it is develops from enemy to lover in this story.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only in New York was my very first Melissa Hill novel, and I have to say—I’m impressed! This book is a fun, witty enemies-to-lovers rom-com with a grumpy x sunshine twist and all the New York City vibes you could want.

The story follows Hannah, an LA publicist starting over in NYC. She’s juggling a tough PR job for a troublesome hockey star, an unexpected luxury penthouse stay, and a mysterious neighbor who seems determined to make her life difficult. Sparks fly, humor ensues, and romance blooms in the city that never sleeps.

What I Loved:
✔ The chemistry between the leads—full of tension and banter.
✔ The authentic New York setting—it really felt like a character in itself.
✔ A peek into the glamorous yet stressful world of celebrity PR.
✔ The humor! Some scenes genuinely made me laugh.

A few plot points felt predictable, and the middle slowed down a bit, but the ending tied everything together beautifully. For my first Melissa Hill book, this was a fantastic experience! If you love feel-good romance with a big-city backdrop and a mix of humor and heart, I’d definitely recommend it. I’ll be checking out more of her books for sure.

Thank you Times Reads for sending me a copy in exchange for honest review.

[Hiba Meftouh · Rating 3 out of 5]

finally finished this book
i would say it was good at first but the pacing was dragging to the mud
1st the charachters
ward and hanna were good and thier charachter over all was great even tho i started hating hanna when it came to the end she was easily capable of taming edward but couldn't take matters to her own hands when it came to kendrik i wish she. was the one to expose him and take matters to her own hand
there was no actual development to her character bcz she was always running constantly from her problems

writing wasn't terrible yet it wasn't good at the same time
it was dailogue heavy specially when it came to ward feelings
when it cames to passing it was terrible it felt dreading for so loong and i wanted to see them as a couple like a good proper full day with each other with them being themselves and having fun the ending was great enough to make forget all about this

[Rachel Sargeant]

Publicist Hannah needs to get away from a disaster in her work life, so she gets transferred to her company’s New York office and takes up the offer to housesit a celebrity client's sumptuous apartment. Hannah’s first assignment in her new location is to manage the public image of Wade, a grumpy ice hockey star.
Told from the viewpoints of both protagonists, the book weaves an enemies-to-lovers story that depicts a dazzling version of New York, complete with designer labels and glitzy showbiz events. Alongside the escapist setting, there is a subplot on a serious, topical issue.
Ideal for fans of slow-burn sports star romances.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

[Amanda Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, even though I figured out the neighbor was the hockey player very early in the book. It was just too obvious.

However, my one issue with the book is that it should have been copy edited more. There were a lot of mistakes, from repeated words to missing words. There was a disclaimer in the preface stating that the book was written, produced and edited in the UK and that some spelling, grammar and word usage would vary from US English. However, I don’t think those differences account for the issue mentioned above. When the mistakes appeared, it took me out of the story, which should never happen with a book.

[Aoife · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Melissa Hill’s books, and it has been a long time waiting for a new book. My expectations were high and I was proven right. I adored this book and loved the relationship between Ward and Hannah and Hannah and her grumpy next door neighbour. The back and forth notes between them really reminded me of an old school version of You’ve Got Mail. It was a nice lighthearted book. The only small sticking point this that there wasn’t a lot of description about New York City itself, but it’s a small thing.

[Sarah Delwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between the major typos (I’m not talking British spellings vs American, I’m talking characters’ names spelled differently multiple times throughout the book) and the cheesy knock-off plot from You’ve Got Mail, I’m underwhelmed. Why is it so hard to write characters who can honestly discuss their thoughts with others and stop ghosting people due to misunderstandings? It’s trite and I was annoyed from halfway through to the end. It’s ok if you need a light diversion and you don’t care if it’s spelled Shelly or Shelley, but I’m kinda sad I wasted a week on this one.

[Carlie Easterday · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly average book. A lot of typos, though, which made for a nice laugh but also got a bit annoying! Also, as a sports medicine major, I couldn’t help but cringe when Ward said his ACL tear kept him off the team for three months. In reality, that is a 6-8 month recovery, possibly even more. When so much of his story revolved around his injury, there definitely should have been more research done.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted something light and easy to read and this ticked the box. It was very predictable and the writing was so-so. I liked the fact that the male love interest was an asshole at the start. The last few romances I've read, the love interest didn't have any major negative qualities so there wasn't much development with the character but there was here with Ward. It was refreshing watching the character develop as the story went on.

[Bonnie A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish

I read through Chapter 16 (16 for Pete's sake!), hoping to see Ward change just enough to be likeable. No dice. His being nice to a bedraggled cat just wasn't enough. The rest of the time, he was self-pitying and hostile. Ugh. I liked Hannah a lot. I'm sure Ward would end up redeemed by the end of the book, but I knew I wasn't going to buy it. Not when it was taking so long to get there.

[Tana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed this love triangle. Finally an author sharing both the female & male side of the story.

Hannah was an LA Publicist who came to NY to mend her broken heart. She works with Ward; an ice hockey athlete, to make a better public opinion of him.

There’s always two sides to a story & many many hand written notes.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story!

I truly enjoyed the premise of Only in New York. A great idea for a story! The main characters, Hannah and Ward, were likable and life-like. But, I have never read a book with so many errors. I felt like I was reading the rough draft. Look past all the mistakes and this is a fun read.

[Elyse Mcnulty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only in New York by Melissa Hill was a fun Rom-Com read. Hannah and Ward’s story are compared to You’ve Got Mail and Only Murders in the Building and this is certainly true. My only caution is the beginning is very slow and does not really pick up until 3/4 of the way through. At this point you think you know how it will end but…I will not leave any spoilers. Enjoy

[Jesslin Chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I genuinely like the first half as i wanna see more of this secret pen pal close proximity romance. But, for romance book with little f2f interaction between the leads and no smut, the execution has to be perfect. While the plot is fun and the issue towards the end thickens the plot, i just don't feel any romance between the Ward & Hannah, wish their closeness is explored more in the book.

[Cammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMGOSH!!! This book was soo good! I seriously felt butterflies in my stomach for this couple.
They were so cute towards the last few chapters when they interacted I wanted them to kiss every time! If you like a MAN who protects his girl READ THIS BOOK!!!

Though I have to admit the first 100 pages disappointed me (I thought about DNFing this book) it was worth while

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what I needed

I needed a story that was light and fun but enough of a complicated plot to keep me interested. This book perfectly fit the bill. Struggling to work together professionally, the characters unknowingly were becoming close.