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Love in the City

Jen Morris (Goodreads Author)

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 438 ratings · 185 reviews

Find out what happens when a Kiwi girl ventures into the big city in this sexy and funny slow-burn romantic comedy about going after your dreams.

Have you ever stopped to look around at your life and realized nothing is how you want it?

Turning thirty has a way of making you take a good, hard look at your life. And I think we all know what any sensible adult does in

...more

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Paperback, 392 pages

Published October 5th 2020 by National Library of New Zealand

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Oct 27, 2020 Aoife - Bookish_Babbling rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2020

This was a slow burn steamy'ish debut story of a small fish moving to the big city with a dream of writing. It felt at times like a mashup of Carrie from Sex & the City with a dash of Andi from How to Lose a Guy in 10 days...but that might just be the writing slant. Alex is nothing like those leads and the storylines aren't really all that similar either so I dunno why they kept popping into my head 😅

Although this did feel a bit like a movie at times as the book starts with the MC making a rash This was a slow burn steamy'ish debut story of a small fish moving to the big city with a dream of writing. It felt at times like a mashup of Carrie from Sex & the City with a dash of Andi from How to Lose a Guy in 10 days...but that might just be the writing slant. Alex is nothing like those leads and the storylines aren't really all that similar either so I dunno why they kept popping into my head 😅

Although this did feel a bit like a movie at times as the book starts with the MC making a rash decision, moves around the world and despite little struggles & hiccups here and there ultimately lands on her feet rather quickly. She feels a little young/naive/sheltered for someone who just turned 30 - I get that she's lived her whole life in the same place but she read more like someone just out of college than someone leaving their 20s 🤷‍♀️
I did enjoy her learning to strive & fight for what she wants as the story develops, I also loved the early drunk text exchanges with typos that immediately got my ear in for her NZ accent...deck 😂🙃🤣

Her parents are awfully unsupportive and 2-dimensional...I couldn't with the mom especially 🤬 the dad doesn't make much of an appearance although the bookcharm necklace was a sweet touch.
Her sister Harriet, Kiwi bff Emily and the doors she opens for her with new NYC friends in Cat, Geoff & Agnes were all sweet and I would not be mad to catch up with any of them if there were to be spin offs...in fact either Cat or Geoff finding love next could be interesting. Especially for Cat who's dating life lead our MC to make interesting musings that I for one would've liked to see explored a bit more.

I liked that Michael was older & is a single dad, Henry is absolutely adorbs 🤩
I know M is supposed to be sweet and understanding, but he's almost too perfect until he's not and then the "weakness" revealed isn't really resolved or examined and the instigator "villain" of the piece is vicious for no real reason and also faces no comeuppeance for their actions *sigh*

This is not a bad book at all & we all know the cover played a large role in reeling my superficial af @$$ in. There is deffo an audience for this type of read, I am just not it 🤔 It is just a little too easy/contrived and Hallmark'y with a smidge of steam which doesn't really tick enough boxes for me. It was just a bit too superficial to properly suck me in to worrying for them which I feel awful saying, but everything was a bit surface level and predictable - yes I know I picked up a romcom but I can't explain the depth I was missing 🙁

Solid 3* debut in a similar vein to The Catch & The Rules which having read the authors acknowledgements makes sense. I am curious to see what other stories Jen Morris has to share with us 🙃 ...more

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Sep 14, 2020 Chloe Liese added it

Love in the City is the perfect intro to the romance genre. Featuring a woman on the quest for self-discovery, moving across the world, pursuing her dreams, and finding love, this romance is delightfully meta-aware, asking the question through humor, heartfelt inner monologue as well as dialogue amongst friends: is romance real? is happy ever after possible? or is it all just a fairy tale...?

While grappling with some difficult subject matter such as unsupportive parents, heartbreak, divorce, an ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Oct 07, 2020 anna ✩ rated it it was amazing

5 stars!

I don't exactly know how to start this review because I am just so in awe with this book and I just want to shout about it from the rooftops.

I tend to be very picky with romance novels and I’m definitely very stingy when it comes to rating them. And the reason is because I don’t want to be reading a romance novel about a man who is abusive and toxic but that somehow is romanticised. I don’t want to reading about lost women who are nothing without their men. I don’t want to be reading dr ...more

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Sep 01, 2020 Cressida McLaughlin rated it it was amazing

I was lucky enough to get to read this brilliant book early, and I finished it with a massive grin on my face and tears in my eyes.

It has all the elements of the perfect romcom. A loveable, flawed heroine who is, above all, relatable; a cast of supporting characters that you WISH you could be friends with; a setting that you can imagine yourself being both awestruck by and fitting right into - I am so desperate to go to New York after reading this.

And then there is The Hero. The hero in this b ...more

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Feb 24, 2021 Beenish marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Ughh okay I want this now.

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Jan 30, 2021 nick (the infinite limits of love) rated it liked it

Shelves: adult, contemporary, jan-2021

This was cute overall but I admit to having a really hard time with how easy it was for the MC to move to the US and finding a job without a work visa (which illegal 🥴). It's a very romanticised view of immigrating to the United States and while I realize that it's fiction, it was just hard for me to completely ignore. ...more

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Sep 01, 2020 RateTheRomance rated it really liked it

Shelves: curvy-female-lead-bbw-romances, big-city-romances, enemies-to-lovers-romances, rated-r-romances, single-parent-romances

The first two chapters of this book had me snort-laughing! Alex wakes up the morning after a tequila binge and realizes she has completely upended her life while drunk the night before! As the events of the previous night come to light I was laughing out loud (something I don't do often while reading).

This book is filled with so many of the best things: good girlfriends, crap ex-boyfriends, wise sisters, risk taking, hilarious awkwardness, a hot and sometimes grumpy Hero, a curvy and optimistic ...more

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Sep 04, 2020 Lauren Mae rated it it was amazing

You're going to want to grab this one as soon as it comes out. Love in the City is a laugh out loud Rom Com with some amazing chemistry between the hero and heroine, and a fun cast of characters--Geoff, I'm talking about you. Full of adventure, a bright voice, and swoony moments, this book will delight romance lovers and also appeal to women's fiction readers who like a little heat. Add it to your TBR today! ...more

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Feb 13, 2021 Shelby rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, kindle-unlimited

After her boyfriend dumps her on her birthday, 30-year old Alex gets wasted and not only quits her job, but buys a plane ticket to NYC. When she comes to in the morning, she instantly wants to take back her drunken choices, but she knows there was some truth behind her actions. Alex isn’t where she wants to be at 30 and she finally wants to pursue her dreams. And NYC is the place to do it.

Alex stays with her best friend’s buddy in the City named Cat and that’s how Alex meets her upstairs neighb ...more

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Sep 13, 2020 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Thank you Jen Morris for allowing me to read this early!

For her debut novel, @jenmorrisauthor knocked the ball out of Central Park (see what I did there 😉)

We meet Alex, a New Zealander who is ready for a big change in her life & flies across the world to NYC to live out her dream of writing & finding true love. When she arrives, things don’t go as planned, including a hot & steamy (literally) encounter with a grumpy sexy guy, Michael.

I loved that this wasn’t only about Alex & Michael, but als ...more

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Sep 08, 2020 Twice Upon A Book rated it it was amazing

Shelves: close-proximity, grump-sunshine, only-one-bed, enemies-to-lovers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Sep 05, 2020 Kelli rated it it was amazing

Love in the City is a fantastic book! The start of the book was hilarious and you really can’t help rooting for Alex as she goes after her dreams in New York. It was a great romance between Alex and Michael, with a lot of both sweet and hot moments.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Sep 05, 2020 Wendy Robey rated it really liked it

A great read with really relatable characters, some steamy scenes and great ending.
I enjoyed getting to know more about the characters, and really liked Alex, as she fought against the constant criticism from home to achieve her dreams.
Looking forward to seeing what's next in this series.

This is an honest review in exchange for a free copy of the book. Many thanks to Jen Morris. ...more

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Oct 08, 2020 Maura Elizabeth rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2020, romance

I was really excited to read this book, and there were some parts that I liked—the descriptions of New York definitely made me nostalgic for the time I lived there! A major scene is set in Strand Bookstore and I loved being able to picture every minute of the action. But ultimately, there were, like, two and a half elements of Love in the City that really downgraded the book for me:

1. Alex, the heroine, feels so much younger than 30. I understand that she’s supposed to be in a rut and unhappy wi I was really excited to read this book, and there were some parts that I liked—the descriptions of New York definitely made me nostalgic for the time I lived there! A major scene is set in Strand Bookstore and I loved being able to picture every minute of the action. But ultimately, there were, like, two and a half elements of Love in the City that really downgraded the book for me:

1. Alex, the heroine, feels so much younger than 30. I understand that she’s supposed to be in a rut and unhappy with the lack of direction in her life, but she comes across as so uncertain and immature that I kept picturing her as a new college graduate.

2. (view spoiler)

2.5 I know this is always a thing, but the timeline of this book … OMG. Alex is yet one more leading character who comes to New York with nothing and three months later has stumbled into both a successful career and a romantic relationship. I just don’t get why so many authors rush these timelines; what difference would it make to spread out the story over even six months instead of three? My attention wouldn’t snag on a longer timeframe, but the short ones affect my ability to suspend disbelief and enjoy the book.

I kept going until I finished the book because I read some positive advance reviews of Love in the City (and I see so many of them here!) and was really hopeful that I would enjoy it in the end, but clearly this just wasn’t the right book for me. ...more

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Sep 11, 2020 Melena Torretta rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020, arcs

Alex moves from small-town New Zealand to New York City after a bad break up. She's determined to work on her writing and start fresh, but from the very beginning things don't go as planned.

Almost immediately she finds out the apartment she leased is a scam and she spills coffee on a good looking, grump of a guy. Things begin to look up, though, when she finds a group of friends - including one who lets Alex crash at her apartment - and finds out grumpy guy is actually Michael who lives in the ...more

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Sep 12, 2020 Lisa Whittaker rated it really liked it

I was sent a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Alex wakes up with a hangover the morning after her 30th birthday. She’s been dumped by her boyfriend and in her drunken haze, she spends all of her savings on a flight to New York and the deposit on an apartment there to follow her dream of becoming an author.

Alex arrives in New York, gives the address of her new apartment to the taxi driver and off she goes. Unfortunately for Alex, she’s been scammed and the ap ...more

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Sep 05, 2020 Bianca Duthie rated it it was amazing

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and I can honestly say I absolutely blooming LOVED this book!
Romance + New York is my absolute favourite combination.
I really liked the fact that Michael is a little older - I don't feel like this part of romance is often explored, its always a couple in their late 20s early 30s but Michael was a mature, lovely man (who happened to sound sexy as hell!)
The characters were really well written, I loved not only Alex and Michael ...more

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Jan 24, 2021 Stephanie (read_with_steph) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance

When Alex's boyfriend dumps her on her 30th birthday, she drunkenly books a one-way ticked from her home of New Zealand to New York City. She's always wanted to be a romance author, but at every step of the way her parents' belittle her and her new life in the Big Apple seems to take a turn for the worse. Especially when she starts her stay by dumping coffee on who ends up being her super-hot new neighbor...

This book had everything: a romantic picture of New York City, a #swoonworthy single dad ...more

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Oct 22, 2020 Trianna/Treereads rated it it was ok

This had promise, but by 30% I was annoyed.

It features some tropes I am just not a fan of and required me to suspend my disbelief way more than I like to do (even for a romance novel)

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Dec 14, 2020 Charlie Smith rated it it was amazing

Did I really finish an EBook in TWO DAYS????? IM SO PROUD OF MYSELF.
YALL, THIS BOOK WAS THE CUTEST, FILTHIEST, BEST THING IVE READ IN A HOT MINUTE AND I MEAN IT WAS, WHEW CHILE, I???? NO WORDS. THIS BOOK??? GOOD???? GOOD. GOOD.
MORE WORDS, BIG WORDS, GOOD WORDS. READ THIS BOOK PLS AND THANKS

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Oct 03, 2020 Becky Burrier rated it really liked it

After her life comes crashing down around her, Alex makes the drunken decision to move from her home country of New Zealand to New York City. She is trying to make it as a writer in the in the city. Alex is constantly butting heads with her single father neighbor, Michael.

Alex is very naive; she seems easily taken advantage of. She often misunderstands people's intentions. Alex dreams of being a romance author. Her fear of people judging has become its own antagonist in the story. It rings very ...more

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Sep 28, 2020 Oriana Blyth (_head_in_a_book) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Jen’s debut book is absolutely brilliant!!

It had everything I love about a romance novel!! Amazing setting ✔️ gorgeous leading man ✔️ brilliant main female character ✔️ and lots of humour ✔️

I adored it so much! Michael and Alex are so believable and lovable and I just couldn’t put this book down!!

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Sep 18, 2020 Debbie rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars well deserved. Why does Goodreads not get on board with half stars already? Anyway......
I loved this one. It was cute, and such a perfect Autumn romcom situated in my favorite city, New York.
Alex wakes up after a drunken birthday night and comes to find out she's been dumped by Travis the guy she thought was the one again. She's also quit her job as assistant manager of the town bookstore and bought a ticket to New York City to become a writer.
Laugh out loud hilarious, the journey be ...more

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Sep 09, 2020 Kirsty rated it it was amazing

After a break up with her boyfriend and too many tequila shots, Alex wakes to discover not only did she drunkenly buy a one-way ticket from New Zealand to NYC to pursue her writing career, she also announced all her news on Facebook the night before, AND quit her job in the same post. So with no job or boyfriend, and a plane ticket purchased, Alex is off to the city dreams are made of - where she makes friends, finds a bit of luck, and fights for her own dreams of writing, love, the city and her ...more

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Sep 08, 2020 Natasha B rated it really liked it

When I first heard the premise of this book on the author’s Instagram, I was sold. 30 year old saying f it and moving to New York where she meets a sexy, slightly moody man? And it’s nice and steamy too? I’m in!

This was a quick, fun read. It might sound familiar - Alex is a blogger, wannabe writer and flees to NYC on a whim after breaking up with her boyfriend (similar to I heart New York), then along comes 41 year old, bearded, sometimes grumpy, Michael and he makes all the difference. I enjoye ...more

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Sep 12, 2020 Megan Doubrava rated it it was amazing

I was so excited to get an ARC of Love in the City. Like the main character Alex, NYC is my very fave!! I love it so much!

When Alex turns 30 she realizes she’s wasted her 20’s and isn’t any closer to any of her dreams. On a drunk whim she leaves New Zealand and moves to NYC to pursue her writing career....NYC in the fall, come on! Dream come true! I loved Morris’s descriptions of the city and following along with Alex as she started her life there. Of course it didn’t come without it’s challeng ...more

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Sep 08, 2020 Alicia Crofton rated it it was amazing

A New York enemies-to-lovers rom-com that will make you swoon... and suddenly randy for men with beards!

Alex leaves her small town in New Zealand to try her hand at being a writer in the Big Apple, only to find her plans in New York fall through (in the most epic way imaginable). She's broke and a little desperate, but luckily she meets some amazing friends who help keep her off the streets.

She also meets Michael, the big, brawny hunk of a man who keeps showing up around town. He's a grump at f ...more

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Sep 08, 2020 Diana Ellis rated it it was amazing

Wow!! I have found one of my new favorite authors! Jen Morris has given us the perfect combination of romance, comedy and steam in her debut novel.
I knew when I read the synopsis of this book I was going to love it and I was not disappointed in the least! The premise is fantastic. Alex shows such courage moving to New York from New Zealand so she can make her dreams a reality. It is really inspiring to be able to go on that journey alongside her. Then there’s Michael....ahhhh swoon!! He is a won ...more

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Sep 29, 2020 mrsljgibbs rated it it was amazing

Well, what can I say, except that there are definitely not enough stars to be able to rate this book. In fact I have to say that it is the best book that i have read so far this year and I would definitely put it up there as one of my all-time favourite reads.......ever!!
I was extremely lucky to be involved with this amazing book right from the Beta read and then again with the Arc and as soon as I read it, I fell in love.
All-in-all it’s a perfect rom-com, with just the right amount of laughs, r ...more

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Sep 01, 2020 Kira rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book *sighs whilst clutching kindle to chest* It had everything a brilliant romantic comedy should have: romance (obvs), gorgeous characters, perfect moments of hilarity and to top it all off, it's set in my favourite city, New York.

You're introduced to Alex as she embarks on a life changing move to the city that never sleeps. There she meets the lovely Cat, fabulous Geoff and of course, the romantic hero to end all romantic heroes, Michael (this guy gave me serious heart eye emoji's I'm no ...more

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About Jen Morris

Jen Morris

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Jen Morris writes sexy romantic comedies with heat, humor and heart. She believes that almost anything can be fixed with a good laugh, a good book, or a plane ticket to New York.

Her books follow women with big dreams as they navigate life and love in the city. Her characters don’t just find love—they find themselves, too.

Jen lives with her partner and son, in a tiny house on wheels in New Zealand. ...more