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Manhattan Dreaming
From Manuka to Manhattan - Lauren’s going all the way!
Lauren is a curator at the NAG - the National Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra. She's good at her job, passionate about the Arts, and focused on her work - that is, when she's not focusing on Adam, half-back for the Canberra Cockatoos.
But Adam is a player, on and off the field. Lauren knows he's the one, but he doesn't seem to feel the same way about her. If she just waits long enough, though, surely he'll realise how much he needs her?
Then her boss offers her the chance of a lifetime - a fellowship at the Smithsonian in New York. Lauren has to make some big decisions: The Man or Manhattan?
Lauren is a curator at the NAG - the National Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra. She's good at her job, passionate about the Arts, and focused on her work - that is, when she's not focusing on Adam, half-back for the Canberra Cockatoos.
But Adam is a player, on and off the field. Lauren knows he's the one, but he doesn't seem to feel the same way about her. If she just waits long enough, though, surely he'll realise how much he needs her?
Then her boss offers her the chance of a lifetime - a fellowship at the Smithsonian in New York. Lauren has to make some big decisions: The Man or Manhattan?
302 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2010
11 people are currently reading
405 people want to read
About the author
Anita Heiss
39 books580 followersProfessor Anita Heiss – bio
Anita is a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales, and is one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known authors, publishing across genres, including non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial fiction and children’s novels.
Her adult fiction includes Not Meeting Mr Right, Avoiding Mr Right, Manhattan Dreaming, Paris Dreaming and Tiddas. Her most recent books include Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms which was longlisted for the Dublin International Literary Prize and was named the University of Canberra’s 2020 Book of the Year.
The anthology Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia which Anita edited, was named the Small Publisher Adult Book of the Year at the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards.
Anita’s children’s literature includes Kicking Goals with Goodesy and Magic, co-written with Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin. She also wrote two kids’ novels with students from La Perouse Public School - Yirra and her deadly dog Demon and Demon Guards the School Yard, and more recently, Harry’s Secret and Matty’s Comeback.
Anita’s other published works also include the historical novel Who Am I? The Diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937, non-fiction text Dhuuluu-Yala (To Talk Straight) – Publishing Aboriginal Literature, and The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature, which she co-authored with Peter Minter.
In 2004 Anita was listed in The Bulletin magazine’s “Smart 100”. Her memoir Am I Black Enough for You? was a finalist in the 2012 Human Rights Awards and she was a finalist in the 2013 Australian of the Year Awards (Local Hero).
As an advocate for Indigenous literacy, Anita has worked in remote communities as a role model and encouraging young Indigenous Australians to write their own stories. On an international level she has performed her own work and lectured on Aboriginal literature across the globe at universities and conferences, consulates and embassies in the USA, Canada, the UK, Tahiti, Fiji, New Caledonia, Spain, Japan, Austria, Germany and New Zealand.
Anita is proud to be a Lifetime Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, and an Ambassador of Worawa Aboriginal College, the GO Foundation and the Sydney Swans.
She is on the Board of the State Library of Queensland, CIRCA and the University of QLD Press. In 2019 Anita was appointed a Professor of Communications at the University of QLD and in 2020 is the Artist in Residence at La Boitte Theatre.
Anita’s website: www.anitaheiss.com
Storytime with Aunty Nita: https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/lib...
Anita is a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales, and is one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known authors, publishing across genres, including non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial fiction and children’s novels.
Her adult fiction includes Not Meeting Mr Right, Avoiding Mr Right, Manhattan Dreaming, Paris Dreaming and Tiddas. Her most recent books include Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms which was longlisted for the Dublin International Literary Prize and was named the University of Canberra’s 2020 Book of the Year.
The anthology Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia which Anita edited, was named the Small Publisher Adult Book of the Year at the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards.
Anita’s children’s literature includes Kicking Goals with Goodesy and Magic, co-written with Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin. She also wrote two kids’ novels with students from La Perouse Public School - Yirra and her deadly dog Demon and Demon Guards the School Yard, and more recently, Harry’s Secret and Matty’s Comeback.
Anita’s other published works also include the historical novel Who Am I? The Diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937, non-fiction text Dhuuluu-Yala (To Talk Straight) – Publishing Aboriginal Literature, and The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature, which she co-authored with Peter Minter.
In 2004 Anita was listed in The Bulletin magazine’s “Smart 100”. Her memoir Am I Black Enough for You? was a finalist in the 2012 Human Rights Awards and she was a finalist in the 2013 Australian of the Year Awards (Local Hero).
As an advocate for Indigenous literacy, Anita has worked in remote communities as a role model and encouraging young Indigenous Australians to write their own stories. On an international level she has performed her own work and lectured on Aboriginal literature across the globe at universities and conferences, consulates and embassies in the USA, Canada, the UK, Tahiti, Fiji, New Caledonia, Spain, Japan, Austria, Germany and New Zealand.
Anita is proud to be a Lifetime Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, and an Ambassador of Worawa Aboriginal College, the GO Foundation and the Sydney Swans.
She is on the Board of the State Library of Queensland, CIRCA and the University of QLD Press. In 2019 Anita was appointed a Professor of Communications at the University of QLD and in 2020 is the Artist in Residence at La Boitte Theatre.
Anita’s website: www.anitaheiss.com
Storytime with Aunty Nita: https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/lib...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
October 18, 2023
3.5★s
Manhattan Dreaming is a novel by Australian author and Wiradjuri woman, Anita Heiss. After a year with Canberra Cockatoos footballer Adam Fuller, Lauren Lucas is frustrated and less than happy with his attitude. Her best friend and colleague at the National Aboriginal Gallery, Libby keeps trying to convince her that Adam doesn’t deserve her, but it mostly falls in deaf ears.
Libby can’t understand why Lauren, “gorgeous and vibrant and witty and sexy. You’ve got the best smile and every woman here at the gallery wishes she had your legs and your hair” who has “a CV of exhibitions that shows you can mix it with the best in the art world, you’re only one of a handful of First Nations Senior Curators in the country” would put up with a man who’s barely “articulate for a footballer”, treats her so poorly, is regularly seen with other women and is clearly a commitment-phobe.
When her boss at the Gallery suggests she is the right person for the visiting curator fellowship available for a First Nations curator that the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian in New York City is offering, Libby and Lauren’s housemate, Bec decide to stage an intervention that involves favourite foods and NYC movies.
Not much later, Lauren is bidding tearful goodbyes to friends and family, and discovering the friendly welcome New Yorkers offer visitors. In between her interesting days at the NMAI in Bowling Green, her new flatmates show her the town, and New York’s male population shows her what she’s been missing in the world of dating. But for too long, Lauren still has the romantic notion of reuniting with Adam at the top of the Empire State Building, Sleepless in Seattle style.
Even though most readers will have predicted the romantic ending, it’s fun to watch Lauren being treated the way she deserves. Lauren’s job also allows Heiss to drop a feast of Aboriginal artist names, making her novel an unashamed promotion of Aboriginal culture. While originally published more than a decade ago, this edition has been updated to take place in 2023, and from the comments in earlier reviews, it’s an improvement.
The novel does seem to be trying a bit too hard to be both a topical/relevant commentary on aboriginal art, and a light-hearted romance. Nonetheless, entertaining and enjoyable.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia.
Manhattan Dreaming is a novel by Australian author and Wiradjuri woman, Anita Heiss. After a year with Canberra Cockatoos footballer Adam Fuller, Lauren Lucas is frustrated and less than happy with his attitude. Her best friend and colleague at the National Aboriginal Gallery, Libby keeps trying to convince her that Adam doesn’t deserve her, but it mostly falls in deaf ears.
Libby can’t understand why Lauren, “gorgeous and vibrant and witty and sexy. You’ve got the best smile and every woman here at the gallery wishes she had your legs and your hair” who has “a CV of exhibitions that shows you can mix it with the best in the art world, you’re only one of a handful of First Nations Senior Curators in the country” would put up with a man who’s barely “articulate for a footballer”, treats her so poorly, is regularly seen with other women and is clearly a commitment-phobe.
When her boss at the Gallery suggests she is the right person for the visiting curator fellowship available for a First Nations curator that the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian in New York City is offering, Libby and Lauren’s housemate, Bec decide to stage an intervention that involves favourite foods and NYC movies.
Not much later, Lauren is bidding tearful goodbyes to friends and family, and discovering the friendly welcome New Yorkers offer visitors. In between her interesting days at the NMAI in Bowling Green, her new flatmates show her the town, and New York’s male population shows her what she’s been missing in the world of dating. But for too long, Lauren still has the romantic notion of reuniting with Adam at the top of the Empire State Building, Sleepless in Seattle style.
Even though most readers will have predicted the romantic ending, it’s fun to watch Lauren being treated the way she deserves. Lauren’s job also allows Heiss to drop a feast of Aboriginal artist names, making her novel an unashamed promotion of Aboriginal culture. While originally published more than a decade ago, this edition has been updated to take place in 2023, and from the comments in earlier reviews, it’s an improvement.
The novel does seem to be trying a bit too hard to be both a topical/relevant commentary on aboriginal art, and a light-hearted romance. Nonetheless, entertaining and enjoyable.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia.
March 11, 2012
She's been termed the Koori Bradshaw of Chick Lit, but Anita Heiss is all that and so much more.
I have many issues regarding the labelling of women writers as "Chick Lit" and Women's Literature". (Best left out of a book review, however I want it on the record that I object to the undermining of women writers and their stories by a label that with one hand pretends to celebrate women, whilst with the other it denigrates and devalues women's stories.)
Manhattan Dreaming is the story of a modern, successful, urban Indigenous woman who breaks all the moulds.
Initially it's the story of Lauren Lucas and her journey of life, love and career and how all 3 conspire to find half way around the world doing just that. Living, loving and working at a job the leaves her inspired and fulfilled. But there's so much more to this than a modern day love story for the modern day woman.
In these pages there's a deeper dialogue taking place.
MD touches lightly on incarceration rates for Indigenous peoples (Lauren's brother Nick is in jail through out the story), addiction (very subtlety done. Lauren touches on the topic in a discussion with Wyatt, and the repeated statement that Lauren's only vice is cakes and sweets suggests her acknowledgement of how Indigenous people and their consumption habits involving alcohol and drugs are often viewed in combination with the high rates of addiction that plague Indigenous peoples), touched on lightly is also the concept of how often Indigenous peoples consciously change or moderate their behaviour to accommodate others and to consciously attempt to break down some of the stereotypes, (ie. Lauren's being on time or early for everything in an attempt to break the stereotype of 'Koori time". I giggled out loud at this one as it is something I consistently do for those very reasons).
Other bigger issues touched on are Identity, I do love how even when describing characters physicality, Heiss doesn't tend to consign skin colouring to her Indigenous characters. (Because the reality is Indigenous Peoples have skin tones as varied as every other racial group) and the identity conversation is continued through brief allusions to questions of who and what is an Indigenous person.
The notion of addiction is broached with Lauren's obsession with Adam. HIghlighting that addictions come in many forms and even intelligent women can make really dumb choices when our hearts are involved. I love how this part of the story line pushed Lauren's growth, with each new man in her life we see her emotional maturity increasing. None of the romance is gratuitous and I find that really refreshing.
Cultural appropriation takes centre stage, Ms. Heiss's knowledge of the art world, especially Indigenous artists and their work is well researched and the shout out she gives to Indigenous artists (of all mediums) in her novels is nothing short of fantastic. (Check them out if you can. You won't regret it) I loved the questions she and colleagues touch on in regards to exhibits of Indigenous culture and the colonialist lens they are sometimes viewed from. (Does a bowl belong as an artefact or as an art work? Why are so many exhibits so male orientated? Viewing Indigenous peoples through a Western lens erases women and children from the culture, because Western culture has always had so little regard for women and children. )
But the thing I loved most about Manhattan Dreaming is that there are no less than 3 strong Indigenous women to act as voices and role models for Indigenous women. The Tiddahood taking pride of place. (Which all ties into connection to country and kin which is at the heart of Indigenous peoples culture everywhere) Australian Literature has a lack of modern urbanised female Indigenous voices. Anita Heiss fills that void with a story that is full of heart, humour and wit.
The story is much more light hearted than I paint in my unravelling. But there's a reason these books are so important to me. They talk about the issues that my people face in every day snippets. Casually and conversationally, Heiss doesn't shy away from touching on the political. But she does so in a way that brings the reader in, that doesn't alienate them. Living in Canberra, being an ex-Goulburn boarding school girl, the Australian setting is one that I identified with strongly. (Which helps to endear a book to a reader) It also made me want to experience Lauren's Manhattan. And I think I may just have a literary crush on Wyatt.
I have many issues regarding the labelling of women writers as "Chick Lit" and Women's Literature". (Best left out of a book review, however I want it on the record that I object to the undermining of women writers and their stories by a label that with one hand pretends to celebrate women, whilst with the other it denigrates and devalues women's stories.)
Manhattan Dreaming is the story of a modern, successful, urban Indigenous woman who breaks all the moulds.
Initially it's the story of Lauren Lucas and her journey of life, love and career and how all 3 conspire to find half way around the world doing just that. Living, loving and working at a job the leaves her inspired and fulfilled. But there's so much more to this than a modern day love story for the modern day woman.
In these pages there's a deeper dialogue taking place.
MD touches lightly on incarceration rates for Indigenous peoples (Lauren's brother Nick is in jail through out the story), addiction (very subtlety done. Lauren touches on the topic in a discussion with Wyatt, and the repeated statement that Lauren's only vice is cakes and sweets suggests her acknowledgement of how Indigenous people and their consumption habits involving alcohol and drugs are often viewed in combination with the high rates of addiction that plague Indigenous peoples), touched on lightly is also the concept of how often Indigenous peoples consciously change or moderate their behaviour to accommodate others and to consciously attempt to break down some of the stereotypes, (ie. Lauren's being on time or early for everything in an attempt to break the stereotype of 'Koori time". I giggled out loud at this one as it is something I consistently do for those very reasons).
Other bigger issues touched on are Identity, I do love how even when describing characters physicality, Heiss doesn't tend to consign skin colouring to her Indigenous characters. (Because the reality is Indigenous Peoples have skin tones as varied as every other racial group) and the identity conversation is continued through brief allusions to questions of who and what is an Indigenous person.
The notion of addiction is broached with Lauren's obsession with Adam. HIghlighting that addictions come in many forms and even intelligent women can make really dumb choices when our hearts are involved. I love how this part of the story line pushed Lauren's growth, with each new man in her life we see her emotional maturity increasing. None of the romance is gratuitous and I find that really refreshing.
Cultural appropriation takes centre stage, Ms. Heiss's knowledge of the art world, especially Indigenous artists and their work is well researched and the shout out she gives to Indigenous artists (of all mediums) in her novels is nothing short of fantastic. (Check them out if you can. You won't regret it) I loved the questions she and colleagues touch on in regards to exhibits of Indigenous culture and the colonialist lens they are sometimes viewed from. (Does a bowl belong as an artefact or as an art work? Why are so many exhibits so male orientated? Viewing Indigenous peoples through a Western lens erases women and children from the culture, because Western culture has always had so little regard for women and children. )
But the thing I loved most about Manhattan Dreaming is that there are no less than 3 strong Indigenous women to act as voices and role models for Indigenous women. The Tiddahood taking pride of place. (Which all ties into connection to country and kin which is at the heart of Indigenous peoples culture everywhere) Australian Literature has a lack of modern urbanised female Indigenous voices. Anita Heiss fills that void with a story that is full of heart, humour and wit.
The story is much more light hearted than I paint in my unravelling. But there's a reason these books are so important to me. They talk about the issues that my people face in every day snippets. Casually and conversationally, Heiss doesn't shy away from touching on the political. But she does so in a way that brings the reader in, that doesn't alienate them. Living in Canberra, being an ex-Goulburn boarding school girl, the Australian setting is one that I identified with strongly. (Which helps to endear a book to a reader) It also made me want to experience Lauren's Manhattan. And I think I may just have a literary crush on Wyatt.
January 16, 2012
I did not particularly enjoy this book. While the plot and story were pretty good, I found the main character irritating much of the time, the dialogue clunky, and the ending both entirely predictable and too rushed when it happened.
August 11, 2016
Also reviewed on my Youtube channel.
First things first, chick lit isn't really my thing. I read it from time to time, but usually only the Janet Evanovich-y stuff where you can kind of convince yourself that it's actually a crime novel with occasional chick lit moments. So take all my opinions on this book with a grain of salt. Where this book is concerned, there was stuff that was 4 star worthy, and stuff that was 2 star worthy. Let's start with the good, shall we?
The diversity in this book is FABULOUS. I mean, how often do you see diverse characters in a leading role in chick lit? Almost never, at least in my experience. The main character, Lauren, is Wiradjuri and is a senior curator at the age of 30. Her best friend is also Aboriginal. Her colleagues in Canberra are Aboriginal. Her flatmate in New York is Aboriginal and works for the UN helping First Nations communities around the world. Her colleagues in New York are all (or mostly??) Native American, because she's working at the NMAI. All the artists and community groups she deals with while developing exhibitions are Indigenous. In short, it's amazing. Basically, the only white character of any significance is Lauren's douchebag boyfriend, Adam, who's a rugby player. So from a diversity perspective, seeing true-to-life Indigenous characters from a wide range of communities around the world? YES. 10/10 would recommend.
I also really loved the section of the book that was set in Canberra. Having lived in Canberra for several years while working in the museum sector, I feel like Heiss really nailed that. Especially the discussions of public servants, and ESPECIALLY her assessment of Mooseheads: "No-one's going to Mooseheads. It's dodgy and full of bogans". The lead time on exhibitions did seem incredibly short to me, but I'm willing to let it slide because Lauren's working with art collections rather than social history collections, so installation isn't NEARLY as complicated. But really, that's a niggling thing that's probably only annoying to those who've spent time developing museum exhibitions...
So all of that was excellent, and I really enjoyed it.
Onto the stuff that was 2 star territory for me. Lauren makes some truly terrible decisions in the course of the story. Girl. Adam is scum who doesn't want to be seen in public with you. All your friends hate him. He never contacts you unless he wants sex. STOP STALKING HIM ON MYSPACE HE ISN'T EVEN REMOTELY A CATCH. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE A ROMANTIC RENDEZVOUS ON TOP OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN.
There were a few things that felt a little repetitive, and the most obvious of these was the continued mentions of how men in New York are really flirty and full of compliments and they just come straight out and say it if they're interested in you. And yes, when Lauren first arrived in New York, it made total sense to mention it, because it's true: guys in the US tend to be far more forward. But to STILL be mentioning it on every second page when she's been in New York nearly a year? Please stop. We get it.
I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. It was totally predictable to everyone except Lauren, and if she'd stopped making assumptions and actually used her words, then maybe the ending would have come around like six months earlier than it did and we would have been spared like 50 pages of Adam douchebaggery. Sigh.
So yeah. It averaged out at three stars because as much as I adored seeing a ton of Indigenous characters at the forefront of a story, the chick lit side of things was kind of a let down.
First things first, chick lit isn't really my thing. I read it from time to time, but usually only the Janet Evanovich-y stuff where you can kind of convince yourself that it's actually a crime novel with occasional chick lit moments. So take all my opinions on this book with a grain of salt. Where this book is concerned, there was stuff that was 4 star worthy, and stuff that was 2 star worthy. Let's start with the good, shall we?
The diversity in this book is FABULOUS. I mean, how often do you see diverse characters in a leading role in chick lit? Almost never, at least in my experience. The main character, Lauren, is Wiradjuri and is a senior curator at the age of 30. Her best friend is also Aboriginal. Her colleagues in Canberra are Aboriginal. Her flatmate in New York is Aboriginal and works for the UN helping First Nations communities around the world. Her colleagues in New York are all (or mostly??) Native American, because she's working at the NMAI. All the artists and community groups she deals with while developing exhibitions are Indigenous. In short, it's amazing. Basically, the only white character of any significance is Lauren's douchebag boyfriend, Adam, who's a rugby player. So from a diversity perspective, seeing true-to-life Indigenous characters from a wide range of communities around the world? YES. 10/10 would recommend.
I also really loved the section of the book that was set in Canberra. Having lived in Canberra for several years while working in the museum sector, I feel like Heiss really nailed that. Especially the discussions of public servants, and ESPECIALLY her assessment of Mooseheads: "No-one's going to Mooseheads. It's dodgy and full of bogans". The lead time on exhibitions did seem incredibly short to me, but I'm willing to let it slide because Lauren's working with art collections rather than social history collections, so installation isn't NEARLY as complicated. But really, that's a niggling thing that's probably only annoying to those who've spent time developing museum exhibitions...
So all of that was excellent, and I really enjoyed it.
Onto the stuff that was 2 star territory for me. Lauren makes some truly terrible decisions in the course of the story. Girl. Adam is scum who doesn't want to be seen in public with you. All your friends hate him. He never contacts you unless he wants sex. STOP STALKING HIM ON MYSPACE HE ISN'T EVEN REMOTELY A CATCH. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE A ROMANTIC RENDEZVOUS ON TOP OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN.
There were a few things that felt a little repetitive, and the most obvious of these was the continued mentions of how men in New York are really flirty and full of compliments and they just come straight out and say it if they're interested in you. And yes, when Lauren first arrived in New York, it made total sense to mention it, because it's true: guys in the US tend to be far more forward. But to STILL be mentioning it on every second page when she's been in New York nearly a year? Please stop. We get it.
I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. It was totally predictable to everyone except Lauren, and if she'd stopped making assumptions and actually used her words, then maybe the ending would have come around like six months earlier than it did and we would have been spared like 50 pages of Adam douchebaggery. Sigh.
So yeah. It averaged out at three stars because as much as I adored seeing a ton of Indigenous characters at the forefront of a story, the chick lit side of things was kind of a let down.
April 22, 2021
Set in Canberra and New York and at the time of Obama’s inauguration.
Well, ok, if I had of read this in 2010 when this book was published I too would have been jumping for joy right alongside the characters, after all most of us, yep, me included, were guilty of being excited that an African American was about to be president… the world was going to be a better place, right? Wrong! We weren’t to know how scandalous the Obama administration was going to be. (Thank God for Trump!) (But sadly, his great work was undone by an administration that doesn’t bear thinking about.)
Here we are in 2021, and reading about the central character drooling over Obama certainly took the shine off a fun and pleasant story.
Lauren, a senior curator working for the National Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra, is offered the opportunity of a lifetime to live in New York and work at the Smithsonian Institute. Lauren for the most part was a great character only when she obsessed over her douchebag ex-boyfriend, I found her a little irritating. Lauren is well liked by her friends and by the people she worked with at NMAI - National Museum of the American Indian. I would have preferred more discussion about art between Lauren and her co-workers and less talk about politics, on the plus side the author didn’t probe into politics too deeply.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2021: #22 - A book by an indigenous author
Well, ok, if I had of read this in 2010 when this book was published I too would have been jumping for joy right alongside the characters, after all most of us, yep, me included, were guilty of being excited that an African American was about to be president… the world was going to be a better place, right? Wrong! We weren’t to know how scandalous the Obama administration was going to be. (Thank God for Trump!) (But sadly, his great work was undone by an administration that doesn’t bear thinking about.)
Here we are in 2021, and reading about the central character drooling over Obama certainly took the shine off a fun and pleasant story.
Lauren, a senior curator working for the National Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra, is offered the opportunity of a lifetime to live in New York and work at the Smithsonian Institute. Lauren for the most part was a great character only when she obsessed over her douchebag ex-boyfriend, I found her a little irritating. Lauren is well liked by her friends and by the people she worked with at NMAI - National Museum of the American Indian. I would have preferred more discussion about art between Lauren and her co-workers and less talk about politics, on the plus side the author didn’t probe into politics too deeply.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2021: #22 - A book by an indigenous author
October 14, 2021
The book was just ok. Standard chick lit, but the ending was so terrible it just ruined the whole thing.
July 28, 2022
NAIDOC reads:
Let's start with the things I liked about Manhattan Dreaming-- learning about Aboriginal artists and that Australia has the National Aboriginal Gallery; an Koori protagonist in a romance; the discussion of cakes.
Things I did not enjoy-- Lauren and Adam's relationship. Lauren is a successful, intelligent, cultured art curator who thinks she is in love with a rugby player despite his very public infidelities and directly stating he doesn't want anything more than sex. I found her attachment to him to be annoying and pathetic, especially when she moves to New York and he makes it abundantly clear he is not m missing her. The fact she continues to cling to her infatuation with him after receiving positive attention from New York men and after being in a real relationship with a man who respected her and wanted to be seen in public with her just seemed stupid and contrived to me. I feel like most women of Lauren's intelligence and purported confidence, with that kind of time and distance, would have moved on.
I also disdain the trope in romance novels of the mistaken assumption as the obstacle to love. To me suggests a lack of maturity on behalf of the character, and should therefore be relegated to YA romance. I prefer my romance plots to focus on the push and pull of new love, with weightier hurdles, over the couple getting together in the final pages.
In short, I'm glad this book exists but I would not recommend it to romance lovers.
Let's start with the things I liked about Manhattan Dreaming-- learning about Aboriginal artists and that Australia has the National Aboriginal Gallery; an Koori protagonist in a romance; the discussion of cakes.
Things I did not enjoy-- Lauren and Adam's relationship. Lauren is a successful, intelligent, cultured art curator who thinks she is in love with a rugby player despite his very public infidelities and directly stating he doesn't want anything more than sex. I found her attachment to him to be annoying and pathetic, especially when she moves to New York and he makes it abundantly clear he is not m missing her. The fact she continues to cling to her infatuation with him after receiving positive attention from New York men and after being in a real relationship with a man who respected her and wanted to be seen in public with her just seemed stupid and contrived to me. I feel like most women of Lauren's intelligence and purported confidence, with that kind of time and distance, would have moved on.
I also disdain the trope in romance novels of the mistaken assumption as the obstacle to love. To me suggests a lack of maturity on behalf of the character, and should therefore be relegated to YA romance. I prefer my romance plots to focus on the push and pull of new love, with weightier hurdles, over the couple getting together in the final pages.
In short, I'm glad this book exists but I would not recommend it to romance lovers.
December 18, 2013
One of the more disappointing books I have read in a long time. I should have trusted my gut in judging books by their cover. I'd never have given this book a second glace by the cover alone (which would have been a good thing!) but I saw the author in a talk and was interested, bought the book, got bored of it straight away but hoped until the end that there would be a redeeming feature. Sadly, there wasn't. It's all telling and no showing. It's didactic (read: condescending) in its distrust of the reader's imagination and intelligence and in its insistence on making the reader understand that the protagonist is Aboriginal, sexy, and fabulous with an MA (get over it!!). Stylistically, it's repetitive with indistinct voices, stock character exchanges, and cringingly cliched phrases and plotting. One star for the effort of actually sitting down and hacking out the pages. No more.
January 19, 2026
I really wanted to enjoy this. A story that gets to be varied, playful, and romantic was going to be a refreshing tonal shift after coming off a string of First Nations stories with heavy subject matter. There are genuinely good ingredients here: I loved hearing characters casually reference their mob, origins and community connections in everyday conversation, and the visibility of Indigenous artists and creative worlds felt important. Unfortunately, while I admire the intent, the execution wore me down. I’d written in my notes at page 64, “nothing is happening, send help” (a feeling that, sadly, never really recovered, despite my optimism and several cups of tea).
I really struggled with the writing itself. It’s relentlessly tell-don’t-show, with a strange distrust of the reader’s imagination and intelligence, as though we might wander off or misunderstand unless reminded every few pages that Lauren is magnetic, brilliant, stylish, desirable, impressive, etc. Dialogue is wooden and oddly lazy (“as soon as he stopped talking I talked instead” is doing no work for anyone), character voices blur together, and everything feels flat. Potentially weighty threads, like the Obama one, should have carried emotional or political resonance, but instead drifted past without ever really landing for me. Even the art world elements, which should have been rich and textured, often read like someone scrolling an exhibition catalogue aloud: artists are listed, not explored; exhibitions are referenced, not evoked; and everyone seems inexplicably obsessed with Lauren and her supposedly genius curatorial instincts - it feels less like a creative ecosystem and more like an adolescent fantasy of boss-girl adulthood energy: being exceptional, adored, irresistible, and permanently at the centre of everything.
Lauren herself is difficult to spend time with. She’s self-absorbed, judgemental, and oddly shallow in her internal monologue. Her relationships with other women are presented as rich and enduring, but come across thin and transactional to me. People largely exist to orbit or affirm her, with the notable exception of apologising profusely and people-pleasing her way out of confronting her own discomfort (the lift storyline being a prime example). I also wanted to sympathise with how someone might keep returning to a relationship they know isn’t right for them, but because Adam is written as so aggressively over-the-top awful (if I have to read “babycakes” with my own eyeballs again this decade it will be too soon), her fixation on him feels less emotionally complex and more bafflingly stubborn. Also: why do we know so much about this man’s neck? I did not consent to this level of cervical intimacy.
Some of the most uncomfortable moments come from how sexuality is handled, which now reads very much as a product of its time. The entire romantic premise leans on the idea that any man who doesn’t hit on Lauren must be gay, anyone who wears rings must be gay, and therefore Wyatt must be gay because he’s polite and respectful. Combined with casual slut-shaming, diet culture commentary, and moments like a love interest calling Lauren “exotic” (BARF), it creates a dated social texture that kept pulling me out of the story.
The book leaning heavily on the “mistaken assumption” trope also feels like lazy plotting, with the Wyatt storyline being the most predictable bait-and-switch. I was also quietly disappointed that the one male character who isn’t presented as sleazy or predatory still turns out to be romantically invested in Lauren, as though a woman can’t have a genuinely platonic male friend without the narrative converting him into a love interest. We’re apparently meant to celebrate her staying in New York for Wyatt, despite earlier explicitly ending a relationship because she didn’t want to build her life overseas. I think we’re meant to see growth and untethering from Adam, but it skips over her brother (who she was keen to reconnect with after prison), her family, and her broader motivations, leaving the resolution rushed, convenient, and emotionally unearned.
In the end, I’m glad this book exists in principle, and I genuinely value the visibility of Indigenous characters occupying contemporary, creative, international spaces. But I’m more glad it’s over.
I really struggled with the writing itself. It’s relentlessly tell-don’t-show, with a strange distrust of the reader’s imagination and intelligence, as though we might wander off or misunderstand unless reminded every few pages that Lauren is magnetic, brilliant, stylish, desirable, impressive, etc. Dialogue is wooden and oddly lazy (“as soon as he stopped talking I talked instead” is doing no work for anyone), character voices blur together, and everything feels flat. Potentially weighty threads, like the Obama one, should have carried emotional or political resonance, but instead drifted past without ever really landing for me. Even the art world elements, which should have been rich and textured, often read like someone scrolling an exhibition catalogue aloud: artists are listed, not explored; exhibitions are referenced, not evoked; and everyone seems inexplicably obsessed with Lauren and her supposedly genius curatorial instincts - it feels less like a creative ecosystem and more like an adolescent fantasy of boss-girl adulthood energy: being exceptional, adored, irresistible, and permanently at the centre of everything.
Lauren herself is difficult to spend time with. She’s self-absorbed, judgemental, and oddly shallow in her internal monologue. Her relationships with other women are presented as rich and enduring, but come across thin and transactional to me. People largely exist to orbit or affirm her, with the notable exception of apologising profusely and people-pleasing her way out of confronting her own discomfort (the lift storyline being a prime example). I also wanted to sympathise with how someone might keep returning to a relationship they know isn’t right for them, but because Adam is written as so aggressively over-the-top awful (if I have to read “babycakes” with my own eyeballs again this decade it will be too soon), her fixation on him feels less emotionally complex and more bafflingly stubborn. Also: why do we know so much about this man’s neck? I did not consent to this level of cervical intimacy.
Some of the most uncomfortable moments come from how sexuality is handled, which now reads very much as a product of its time. The entire romantic premise leans on the idea that any man who doesn’t hit on Lauren must be gay, anyone who wears rings must be gay, and therefore Wyatt must be gay because he’s polite and respectful. Combined with casual slut-shaming, diet culture commentary, and moments like a love interest calling Lauren “exotic” (BARF), it creates a dated social texture that kept pulling me out of the story.
The book leaning heavily on the “mistaken assumption” trope also feels like lazy plotting, with the Wyatt storyline being the most predictable bait-and-switch. I was also quietly disappointed that the one male character who isn’t presented as sleazy or predatory still turns out to be romantically invested in Lauren, as though a woman can’t have a genuinely platonic male friend without the narrative converting him into a love interest. We’re apparently meant to celebrate her staying in New York for Wyatt, despite earlier explicitly ending a relationship because she didn’t want to build her life overseas. I think we’re meant to see growth and untethering from Adam, but it skips over her brother (who she was keen to reconnect with after prison), her family, and her broader motivations, leaving the resolution rushed, convenient, and emotionally unearned.
In the end, I’m glad this book exists in principle, and I genuinely value the visibility of Indigenous characters occupying contemporary, creative, international spaces. But I’m more glad it’s over.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2021
🗽
I enjoyed the book itself, but not the audio experience. To be clear, I didn't think the narrator did a poor job (although the Boston accent felt... not very good) but this is the second romance book I've actively disliked listening to, and I think it's just not a genre I can listen to-- I need to read it. There's a few reasons, but the main one seems to pitch. The voices are quite high, and as the characters talk to each other they get higher and higher, quickly giving me a headache. I also find the characters much more annoying than I think I would if I were reading the same thing. I'm not sure why, but it's a useful thing to have confirmed with this book (after my mixed feelings about "The Stand-In" by Lily Chu for some similar reasons) .
The story was nice and I will read more Anita Heiss. Her writing was appealing and this rather familiar love story had a nice depth to it that was refreshing.
I enjoyed the book itself, but not the audio experience. To be clear, I didn't think the narrator did a poor job (although the Boston accent felt... not very good) but this is the second romance book I've actively disliked listening to, and I think it's just not a genre I can listen to-- I need to read it. There's a few reasons, but the main one seems to pitch. The voices are quite high, and as the characters talk to each other they get higher and higher, quickly giving me a headache. I also find the characters much more annoying than I think I would if I were reading the same thing. I'm not sure why, but it's a useful thing to have confirmed with this book (after my mixed feelings about "The Stand-In" by Lily Chu for some similar reasons) .
The story was nice and I will read more Anita Heiss. Her writing was appealing and this rather familiar love story had a nice depth to it that was refreshing.
May 27, 2023
What a great romance full of best friends, experiences in a new country, and great men...along with one not-so-great man. Lauren is offered an opportunity to leave Canberra for a 12-month fellowship in Manhattan. Who wouldn't love that? It really spoke to me as I was sent by my DC company to work in our Perth, AU office for several months. Like Lauren, I wasn't sure I wanted to go and basically went due to peer pressure and the thought of people mocking me for the rest of my life if I didn't pursue this. Lauren had similar, but completely reverse, experiences as I did regarding the size of coffee cups and populations, among other things. I had such a smile on my face as she acclimated. The work she does as a curator was fascinating to read about and although she was frustrating me in the "relationship" department for far too long, there's a very romantic and happy ending for her.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
August 21, 2022
I am not a romance reader, but I picked this up because of my general love for Heiss and my interest in the gallery world of Canberra. I liked all the non-romance bits - especially the changing world of cultural museums and galleries, with all the attendant problems that are being faced. I also like the celebration of Indigenous art. But ultimately, this is a romance (with a particularly predictable romance plot, along with implausible ending).
January 3, 2022
Lots of great art/culture background so it gets an star because I finished. I saw the twist coming from half a planet away (Goulburn?), AND it's crowbarred in with so much High Aughties SATC Problematic*, that the cringe factor haunts me. I think only that fix-it romance from a few years ago is a worse book than this.
The acknowledgements thank a bunch of Americans who definitely didn't actually read it. I feel embarrassed for the author and offer this free American advice:
1. Find/replace us character dialogue knickers/panties (NOT pants), "she'll be right" / "it's fine," "mate" / "dude" or "man," any Manhattan server not entirely mystified and passive aggressively giving you shit/spit for teehee attempting to order toast soldiers at brunch. Not A Thing.
2. New Yorkers being SO! FRIENDLY! lol no, girl. Not even to Aussies. Maybe in Chicago. 90 percent of the supposed flirting, as described, is straight-up harassment. Sorry 'bout that toxic masculinity y'all have been steeped in.
3. Related to 2. "Never date waiters" and a two-page anti-tipping diatribe. Anti-colonialist characters (DYK there's a Starbucks at Gitmo!) go off with your classism, I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But let's get to the big issue.
*The final OTP is supposed to be a gay man, because... sooooo many homophobic stereotypes of gay men, like, middle school or tween level. Turns out he's not 🙄🙄🙄 and no readers are at all shocked. Complete, and deeply troubling, disservice to the indigenous education factor. Anyhoo, this includes:
-Wears a ring on his middle right finger ???bbq?????
-Likes art stuff
-Dresses well
-Holds a conversation
-Can keep it in his pants around her (they're coworkers but ok)
Zero of the several other men she thinks are gay (and there's a cringe sentence about gaydar, plus some sus throwaways about lesbians in Canberra), are. This is neeeeeever handled. There are no actual gay characters. In NYC. Or Lesberra. Explains a lot. Meanwhile a whole-ass paragraph about sperm donors and gay families - because one of these dudes HAS A KID. Much wasted ink on Liking Art. And laydiezz be shopping. And yeah, it's set in 08 so Obama gets elected THEN they later go drinking at Trump Tower (ah, if we only knew), but that is just the times, like the MySpace, and the Adam as a character existing at all. The blatant, overarching, homophobia, though. Woof. I hope to hell Heiss has evolved. Trying a more recent book next.
The acknowledgements thank a bunch of Americans who definitely didn't actually read it. I feel embarrassed for the author and offer this free American advice:
1. Find/replace us character dialogue knickers/panties (NOT pants), "she'll be right" / "it's fine," "mate" / "dude" or "man," any Manhattan server not entirely mystified and passive aggressively giving you shit/spit for teehee attempting to order toast soldiers at brunch. Not A Thing.
2. New Yorkers being SO! FRIENDLY! lol no, girl. Not even to Aussies. Maybe in Chicago. 90 percent of the supposed flirting, as described, is straight-up harassment. Sorry 'bout that toxic masculinity y'all have been steeped in.
3. Related to 2. "Never date waiters" and a two-page anti-tipping diatribe. Anti-colonialist characters (DYK there's a Starbucks at Gitmo!) go off with your classism, I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But let's get to the big issue.
*The final OTP is supposed to be a gay man, because... sooooo many homophobic stereotypes of gay men, like, middle school or tween level. Turns out he's not 🙄🙄🙄 and no readers are at all shocked. Complete, and deeply troubling, disservice to the indigenous education factor. Anyhoo, this includes:
-Wears a ring on his middle right finger ???bbq?????
-Likes art stuff
-Dresses well
-Holds a conversation
-Can keep it in his pants around her (they're coworkers but ok)
Zero of the several other men she thinks are gay (and there's a cringe sentence about gaydar, plus some sus throwaways about lesbians in Canberra), are. This is neeeeeever handled. There are no actual gay characters. In NYC. Or Lesberra. Explains a lot. Meanwhile a whole-ass paragraph about sperm donors and gay families - because one of these dudes HAS A KID. Much wasted ink on Liking Art. And laydiezz be shopping. And yeah, it's set in 08 so Obama gets elected THEN they later go drinking at Trump Tower (ah, if we only knew), but that is just the times, like the MySpace, and the Adam as a character existing at all. The blatant, overarching, homophobia, though. Woof. I hope to hell Heiss has evolved. Trying a more recent book next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2012
An interesting take on chick lit.
I couldn't work out whether I liked the book - or the main character - for the first half. She's obsessed with a guy who is clearly a player, then heads off to New York and expects every man in the Big Apple to be a 'gentleman'.
"Double standards!" was my first thought; my second was that most women have been totally guilty of the same inconsistency at some time or another. In fact, while the lead character's behaviour makes you cringe at times, it also makes you want to apologise to all the friends you ignored when they told you certain guys were losers (because they were!).
The ending was a bit of a rapid wrap up and no surprise, but it was an entertaining read.
I couldn't work out whether I liked the book - or the main character - for the first half. She's obsessed with a guy who is clearly a player, then heads off to New York and expects every man in the Big Apple to be a 'gentleman'.
"Double standards!" was my first thought; my second was that most women have been totally guilty of the same inconsistency at some time or another. In fact, while the lead character's behaviour makes you cringe at times, it also makes you want to apologise to all the friends you ignored when they told you certain guys were losers (because they were!).
The ending was a bit of a rapid wrap up and no surprise, but it was an entertaining read.
June 29, 2014
A chic lit book about an Aboriginal gallery curator who decides to use the chance to go to New York as a way to get over her douchey ex. I liked the main character but it was SOOO chic litty, and her ex was such a douche. I skipped to the end to see if she stopped pining about him and she had barely stopped and there was some annoying stuff about lesbianism and I gave up. If you can deal with that you might enjoy it.
January 27, 2013
3-3.5 stars. I enjoyed most of this book. At times the infodumping and dialogue felt a little clunky, but I could mostly excuse that because the main character's a museum geek, so it wasn't necessarily completely out of character. Unfortunately, she was also irritatingly clueless.
I'm planning on reading the next book, but I'm hoping there will be less diet talk in it. This is my one biggest annoyance with the chick lit genre. We definitely need diet-free chick lit...
I'm planning on reading the next book, but I'm hoping there will be less diet talk in it. This is my one biggest annoyance with the chick lit genre. We definitely need diet-free chick lit...
Read
July 13, 2015This was more chick-lit than contemporary romance. I found the heroine's reaction to her boyfriend in the first third of the book fairly irritating, and I didn't think moving to another country was the best way to solve her relationship issues. This was a DNF for me.
March 12, 2010
The great Australian version of Sex and the city.....I actually went to the book launch.
June 20, 2010
Loved it! Made me think nostalgically about things from Australia and long to go to New York even more!
August 22, 2011
easy to read, plus I live in Canberra, Asutralia and i love reading about the places i myself LOVE
November 22, 2011
Could not handle the main character!
June 29, 2012
Loved this story I could imagine the characters - actually I think I know these people! Great work - please write more
January 5, 2013
Loved it love - Anita!
September 28, 2013
A very quick read. Chick lit. Lots of shopping.
June 20, 2013
Fun read.
August 13, 2014
I'll be honest: I didn't mind this. It's 'chick lit', but so what! I view Manhattan Dreaming with the same thought that I have towards The Apartment: predictable, but fun.
May 12, 2015
This was just an okay read. Light and entertaining and I enjoyed the New York setting but it was nothing exceptional.
September 30, 2013
So bad that I can't even read her other books I bought. Waste of time.
September 16, 2025
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: fiction - chick-lit
Does the blurb reflect the plot: it barely scrapes the surface of what’s to come
Sum it up: in a genre that’s flooded with repetitive reads that all follow the same plot formula and all have the same predictable ending, a chick-lit book really needs to be something special for me to enjoy it, let alone finish it; and that’s exactly what Manhattan Dreaming delivered. Like breath of fresh air, Heiss delivers a cosy yet funny romance novel that is so much more than the usual mindless fluff. There is substance to the story, there are strong and empowered characters and there is a well written and descriptive but never verbose plot that allows you to easily visualise the well developed cast as they go about their business in both Canberra and Manhattan. This alone makes Manhattan Dreaming a great read, but what really makes it special is that whilst you can read it purely for the inevitable happy ever after story, if you scratch beyond the surface you’ll find that Heiss has expertly woven themes of Indigenous art and artists, mob and community, connection to country, racism and incarceration into both the plot and the experiences of her characters. I always appreciate how Heiss does this in her books, as it gives the reader something to think about and learn from beyond the surface story, which in this case; is a recommend read of a great group of friends supporting each others happiness in all its forms.
Who should read it: a must read for fans of chick-lit and romance and those that like a book where you can scratch beyond the surface to find a whole different story, fans of Heiss’ other chick-lit books will also enjoy it.
Manhattan Dreaming is my twenty first read in #ktbookbingo. Category ‘A fiction book’. To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo or @peggyanne_readsandruns on Instagram.
Genre: fiction - chick-lit
Does the blurb reflect the plot: it barely scrapes the surface of what’s to come
Sum it up: in a genre that’s flooded with repetitive reads that all follow the same plot formula and all have the same predictable ending, a chick-lit book really needs to be something special for me to enjoy it, let alone finish it; and that’s exactly what Manhattan Dreaming delivered. Like breath of fresh air, Heiss delivers a cosy yet funny romance novel that is so much more than the usual mindless fluff. There is substance to the story, there are strong and empowered characters and there is a well written and descriptive but never verbose plot that allows you to easily visualise the well developed cast as they go about their business in both Canberra and Manhattan. This alone makes Manhattan Dreaming a great read, but what really makes it special is that whilst you can read it purely for the inevitable happy ever after story, if you scratch beyond the surface you’ll find that Heiss has expertly woven themes of Indigenous art and artists, mob and community, connection to country, racism and incarceration into both the plot and the experiences of her characters. I always appreciate how Heiss does this in her books, as it gives the reader something to think about and learn from beyond the surface story, which in this case; is a recommend read of a great group of friends supporting each others happiness in all its forms.
Who should read it: a must read for fans of chick-lit and romance and those that like a book where you can scratch beyond the surface to find a whole different story, fans of Heiss’ other chick-lit books will also enjoy it.
Manhattan Dreaming is my twenty first read in #ktbookbingo. Category ‘A fiction book’. To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo or @peggyanne_readsandruns on Instagram.
August 6, 2022
4.25⭐
Love seeing a romance by an Australian First Nations author - SO hard to find! Can't wait to read more Anita Heiss and hopefully one day soon a plethora of romances by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors are available.
This story follows Lauren, a proud Wiradjuri wow woman and working as a top art curator for the National Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra. She is also hopelessly in love with a professional rugby league player, Adam. She knows he is the one, but every other weekend paper there is a picture of another girl (or two) on his arm.
Then her boss offers her a chance of a lifetime - a fellowship in New York at the Smithsonian. Lauren is torn, can she leave her friends, her family, her country... Adam? Follow Lauren as she makes her choice and her whirlwind romances along the way.
I believe the lower rating was due to three factors: the amount of references to the 2010s when it was written, I liked to think of it as a "historical" romance so I wasn't put off by references to MySpace etc; the ending was a little rushed - could have gone on for one more chapter but that style was popular when it was written; Lauren can be slightly insufferable as it takes her a long time to get over an ex - but I liked that it made her human.
There were parts of this book that were a 3 and parts that were a 5, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the audiobook narrators take. I need to buy a physical copy so I can lend it to all my romance loving friends.
P.s. the ending rounds off a bit in the second book in the same universe - Paris Dreaming which gives a glimpse into the future Lauren's of romance
Love seeing a romance by an Australian First Nations author - SO hard to find! Can't wait to read more Anita Heiss and hopefully one day soon a plethora of romances by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors are available.
This story follows Lauren, a proud Wiradjuri wow woman and working as a top art curator for the National Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra. She is also hopelessly in love with a professional rugby league player, Adam. She knows he is the one, but every other weekend paper there is a picture of another girl (or two) on his arm.
Then her boss offers her a chance of a lifetime - a fellowship in New York at the Smithsonian. Lauren is torn, can she leave her friends, her family, her country... Adam? Follow Lauren as she makes her choice and her whirlwind romances along the way.
I believe the lower rating was due to three factors: the amount of references to the 2010s when it was written, I liked to think of it as a "historical" romance so I wasn't put off by references to MySpace etc; the ending was a little rushed - could have gone on for one more chapter but that style was popular when it was written; Lauren can be slightly insufferable as it takes her a long time to get over an ex - but I liked that it made her human.
There were parts of this book that were a 3 and parts that were a 5, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the audiobook narrators take. I need to buy a physical copy so I can lend it to all my romance loving friends.
P.s. the ending rounds off a bit in the second book in the same universe - Paris Dreaming which gives a glimpse into the future Lauren's of romance
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews