Book Review: We've Always Got New York






Author: Jill Knapp
Published: 2014
Publisher: Harper Impulse
Number of Pages: 220
My Rating: 5



Summary from Amazon.com:
     The second book in Jill Knapp’s fabulous series about dating in New York picks up after Amalia Hastings returns to Manhattan from her trip to Brazil – and finds that life has indeed gone on without her.
     Fresh off the plane, Amalia’s feeling anxious and unresolved; left alone to pick up the pieces and deal with the repercussions of choosing her own path over Michael. Without an apartment, without a job, and starting to wonder if she’s even without a best friend, she finds herself holding on tightly to the one thing she is familiar with, New York City.
     Sometimes you have to let go of who you were to become who you will be…







Jill Knapp… You’ve done it again.


If you read my review for Jill Knapp’s first book, What Happens to Men When They Move to Manhattan?, you will know that I absolutely loved it. It followed Amalia Hastings around New York City as she worked her way through grad school at NYU. It also showed us friendships similar to Sex and the City and enough boy drama to fill an entire book. It ends as our main character leaves all of her problems behind and heads to Brazil for the summer.  


Now, as we continue to follow Amalia on her journey in We’ve Always Got New York, I can say that I loved this second book even more than the first. Amalia is back from her stint in Brazil and as much as she hopes nothing has changed, it seems everyone has moved on with their lives without her. She has no apartment, her BFF Cassie is acting strange and distant, and the men she tried so desperately to leave behind are all back and wanting more.


Amalia is thankful that her other friend, Olivia, offers her couch for a few days as she tries to get back on track and figure out what is going on. The book alternates chapters between Amalia and Olivia, which at first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like, but it turned out to make it an even more enjoyable read as you got to see two different perspectives about things. Olivia is dating Alex, Amalia’s annoyance from the first book, and it’s interesting to see their relationship evolve over the course of the pages. All of the characters have matured and it's fun to see their interactions and situations as they continue to grow.


Grad school starts up again… and so does the guy drama. Amalia is talking to Hayden and things are going great, and then she sees Michael in class. Even though Michael played her last year, she can't help all of the emotions that come flooding back when she talks to him. Will she keep dating Hayden? Or will Michael win her over despite what her brain is telling her?


I ate this book up and couldn’t put it down. It was a fun, light read and had me laughing out loud and even crying with the characters. There were so many parts of this book that I could relate to and it was truly like a younger version of Sex and the City. The writing is even better and stronger in this second book and you can tell Knapp had fun developing the characters more and stringing us along on Amalia’s journey, leaving us on the edge of our seats to find out what would happen. Needless to say, you will be hooked and will be left wanting more.



Now… when does that third book come out???



-Busy Brunette




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