Love on Lexington Avenue-Lauren Layne

Publication Date: September 17, 2019

Publisher:
Gallery Books

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 288

Dates Read:
September 14-17, 2019

Format:
eARC provided by NetGalley & Publisher

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My Goodreads Review


SYNOPSIS:
“There are no good men left in New York City. At least that’s Claire Hayes’s conviction after finding out her late husband was not the man she thought he was. Determined to rid her home of anything that reminds her of her cheating husband, Claire sets out to redesign her boring, beige Upper East Side brownstone and make it something all her own. But what starts out as a simple renovation becomes a lot more complicated when she meets her bad-tempered contractor Scott Turner.

Scott bluntly makes it known to Claire that he only took on her house for a change of pace from the corporate offices and swanky hotels he’s been building lately, and he doesn’t hesitate to add that he has no patience for a pampered, damaged princess with a penchant for pink. But when long workdays turn into even longer nights, their mutual wariness morphs into something more complicated—a grudging respect, and maybe even attraction…”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
4.5 STARS

First off, this is the second book in the Central Park Pact trilogy. I did NOT read the first book, however, Love on Lexington Avenue can be read as a standalone because I never felt lost. This story centers on Claire who, finding out that her now-dead husband was cheating on her with not one, but two women, finds her life flipped upside down. She quickly finds friendship and camaraderie with the “other women” – Naomi and Audrey- and they make a pact to not let each other date men like him ever again.

One year after his death, Claire decides that she is done being stuck in a drab “vanilla” existence of living day to day. In her process of rediscovering herself and her life outside of being a widow, Claire decides to renovate her house to make it more her style and less of her dead husband’s. On the recommendation of Naomi’s beau Oliver, she hires Scott, a gruff and handsome contractor to get the job done. He and his dog Bob soon become a big part of her life, which screams COMPLICATED! She knows he doesn’t do serious, and will be leaving town as soon as her home project is finished.

I highly enjoyed this book! The dynamic between Claire and Scott was dynamite. Their dialogue was so fun to read, and both characters were deep and relatable. Claire was flawed yet brave, and Scott was gruff but kind.

The story made me laugh out loud a few times, and I even got teary-eyed at others. It was the perfect read I needed right now. I also really liked that although it is a romance novel, it hit deeper emotional levels with messages of reinventing yourself after struggles, or times of burden (in this case a double whammy of spouse death/spousal betrayal).

The vanilla vs. strawberry lemonade analogy was fun and relatable because I think everyone feels stuck in a rut or “vanilla” every now and again in our lives and want to feel more “strawberry lemonade.” I also really love a well-written romance that doesn’t need to be vulgar or sexually descriptive to be steamy and romantic, and Lauren Layne does this VERY well! Just the right amount of sizzle mixed with all the emotions to make a well rounded and beautifully written story.

I highly recommend this if you love a good contemporary romance. I am super excited now to read the first book, and look forward to reading Audrey and Clarke’s story next!

Much thanks to Gallery Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!