Made in Manhattan

By: Lauren Layne

Narrated by: Sura Siu

From the New York Times best-selling author of the Central Park Pact comes a reverse My Fair Lady for the modern era about a pampered and privileged Manhattan socialite who must teach an unpolished and denim-loving nobody from the Louisiana Bayou how to fit in with the upper crust of New York City. Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne.

Violet Townsend has always been a people pleaser. Raised in the privileged world of Upper East Side Manhattan, she always says the right things, wears the right clothes, and never rocks the boat. Violet would do anything for the people closest to her, especially her beloved grandmother. So when she asks Violet to teach the newly discovered grandson of her friend how to fit in with New York City’s elite, Violet immediately agrees. Her goal? To get Cain Stone ready to take his place as heir to his family company...but to say he’s not exactly an eager student is an understatement.

Born and raised in rural Louisiana and now making his own way in New Orleans, Cain Stone is only playing along for the paycheck at the end. He has no use for the grandmother he didn’t know existed and no patience for the uppity Violet’s attempts to turn him into a suit-wearing, museum-attending gentleman.

But somewhere amidst antagonistic dinner parties and tortured tux fittings, Cain and Violet come to a begrudging understanding - and the uptight Violet realizes she’s not the only one doing the teaching. As she and Cain begin to find mutual respect for one another (and maybe even something more), Violet learns that blindly following society’s rules doesn’t lead to happiness...and that sometimes the best things in life come from the most unexpected places.

©2022 Lauren Layne. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Narrator Sura Siu gives Violet round, precise tones that reflect her controlled existence, even as her thoughts about the irrepressible Cain are anything but orderly. Siu voices Cain with a slight drawl and takes advantage of his playful, often sarcastic, humor as he fights with Violet to keep his identity. Siu successfully indicates their chemistry and Violet’s personal growth as she begins to question her long-held convictions." —AudioFile

Sophomoric, trite, and predictable.

The storyline is so predictable from the very fist time Violet meets Caine, the author talks about his looks and body in every sentence. -silly. The narrator seemed to miss the mark with her improver inflection throughout.

cheesy

I liked it was set in Manhattan. It felt like watching a cheesy rom com.

Pearls and man buns

This was a cute read! I really enjoyed how Violet and Cane’s characters developed throughout the book. A little bit of saucy and a lot of romance made it a fun book and one that I wanted to continue to listen to as I ran errands, took afternoon walks, or even just sitting down to listen.

Reverse My Fair Lady

Violet and Cain meet when her surrogate grandmother wants Violet to "makeover "her newly discovered grandson so he can takeover the family company. Lauren Layne takes us on a journey of discovery of love and finding our true selves. I especially enjoyed the extended ending.
Sura Siu was easy to listen to as she brought the characters to life.

Worth the time

A nice fun listen. If your in the mood for an uplifting listen this is the book. I enjoyed how the main characters reassessed their lives and learned what they really wanted.

Totally in love

This book is so good! I enjoyed it so much! I liked the push and pull of characters. I liked the sweetness of them and I loved the storyline. It is one of my favourite books. It makes you feel good when you listen to it.

Mediocre and juvenile

Kind of book you forget the second your done with it and wished you had something just a bit better. I’ve enjoyed other books by this author but this one was too superficial and wholly predictable. The narrator also sounded like a little girl and not a polished Manhattan socialite.

An Adorable Read

Characters are relatable, this read is a light and simple one. The story line is chic, quaint, and humorous. There’s a taste of steaminess and an unexpected twist at the end! This is my first book by this author- I’m loving her work so far! Good quick read to escape reality or a great plane read. I would recommend this book for quick, light, happy reads.

Raise more Cain

Violet main character is flat. Her love interests are more interesting than her yet the story was from her point of view.

Boring

Tries to be a sexy story combined with self discovery. It doesn’t achieve none of them. The narration was fine except for the male voice…