I was reading a review of a different book and was struck by the reviewer’s complaint about the characters. They felt like the characters were shaped for the plot, rather than the plot shaped by the characters. In contrast, Carla de Guzman drives the action of her story by what her characters would do. In Manila Takes Manhattan, she throws Mon and Olivia into a month of close proximity and the love story feels like it grows organically from there.
Mon Mendoza has flown from Manila to Manhattan to work as a producer for the music in a movie for about a month. He arrives jet lagged, out of sorts, and sitting in front of the door of the apartment he will stay in while he is there. In his lap is a package of Lucky Me brand instant Pancit Canton, original flavor. A beautiful woman in a gorgeous red dress walks by, sees the pancit and asks if he brought it for her. He’s confused and says no. She takes it anyway and invites him to join her for some late night instant noodles. And then they have what’s expected to be a one night stand and share the kind of truths you only share with strangers when you are exhausted. It gets awkward when they find out that she’s Olivia Angeles, the Filipino American actress who got him this job, and he’s Morningstar, the musician whose music she fell in love with.
Over the month of working together and living next door to each other, they fall into like and love as well as lust. The falling in love is believable because we see the specific things they notice about each other, and because he is there to write music for her, Olivia opens up to Mon in a way that she doesn’t usually. They find themselves sharing food and falling into bed together.
I think Manila Takes Manhattan is my favorite of Carla de Guzman’s books to date. It’s lovely and soft. Mon and Olivia are grappling with the pandemic (Mon still wears a mask!), racism in the entertainment industry, and the push-pull of hope and despair. There is a third act breakup of sorts, but it flows naturally from the characters. The ending gives us a hopeful happy for now scenario. If you’ve read other books by Carla de Guzman, you’ll see some familiar names. Olivia is the twin sister of Max from If the Dress Fits. His relationship with Martha is going well.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Harlequin and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.