Kiss Me in New York

4.3

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Author(s)

Catherine Rider

Publisher

Kids Can Press

Age Range

12+

Release Date

October 03, 2017

ISBN

978-1771388481

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It's Christmas Eve at JFK in NYC. Charlotte is a British student, waiting for a flight home after the worst semester of her life. Anthony is a native New Yorker, surprising his girlfriend at the airport after three months apart. Charlotte has just been dumped, and Anthony is about to be dumped, right in the middle of the holiday crowd. Charlotte's flight is canceled when a blizzard blows in, and Anthony can't bear to go home. So, they set out into the city together, clutching a book Charlotte picks up in the airport gift shop: Ten Easy Steps for Getting Over Your Ex. For this one night, they'll focus on healing their broken hearts ... together. Step-by-step, the two struggle to put the past behind them. But the snow is so enchanting, and the holiday lights are so beguiling, that soon their shared misery gives way to something else. Soon, they're not only over their exes --- they're falling for each other. Then a subway ride splits them up by mistake. Will they reunite before Charlotte's flight leaves New York forever? Part Before Sunrise, part Sleepless in Seattle, this delightful story will appeal to anyone who sees the romance in a swirl of snowflakes at the top of the Empire State Building, or anyone who's wondered if true love was waiting at the other end of the airport ticket counter.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Overcoming the Past By Shaping a New Present

May 23, 2017

Overall rating

4.3

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'Kiss Me in New York' by Catherine Rider (a pseudonym based on the dual effort of authors James Noble and Stephanie Elliott) is a story that will capture the magic of the holidays in but a few short hours of plot. In some ways, the thought of two strangers meeting and spending a day and night together roaming the city of New York, only to potentially fall for each other, seems unrealistic and, at best, moderately ridiculous. Yet 'Kiss Me in New York' finds a way to do anything but trivialize the relationship between London-bound Charlotte and New Yorker Anthony.

Reeling from breakups by their respective romantic partners, they find themselves thrust together at the airport, trying to fit the pieces of their lives back together. Whereas Charlotte has had a couple of weeks to try to make sense of why ex-boyfriend Colin ended things, Anthony's troubles are extremely fresh. His now ex-girlfriend, Maya, has broken up with him at the airport, on that very morning - Christmas Eve, no less - only serving to re-open other old wounds that have not yet healed from past Christmases.

Together Charlotte and Anthony brave the cold, dark, and mostly empty streets of New York City, trying to reclaim who they were before their relationships turned sour. Guiding them along is a self-help book Charlotte came upon in the airport - 'Get Over Your Ex in Ten Easy Steps!' Despite thinking that the book is a scam that won't serve any purpose in helping them put their past behind them, Anthony goes along with it, and they start following the steps, revealing truths about themselves that they thought long - and best - hidden.

As they learn about themselves as individuals, they also learn about each other, showing that even short amounts of time together can spark true friendship. Charlotte and Anthony's relationship is a testament to the idea that even the unthinkable - love, or at least friends, at first sight - can come to be. It's just a matter of believing in yourself and letting yourself be open to every possibility.

Good Points

Charlotte and Anthony's relationship in 'Kiss Me in New York' is a testament to the idea that even the unthinkable - love, or at least friends, at first sight - can come to be. It's just a matter of believing in yourself and letting yourself be open to every possibility.

Beth Rodgers, Staff Reviewer Top 50 Reviewer 365 reviews

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Review: Kiss Me in New York

February 02, 2018

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3.3

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This was a very fast, very cute read. It’s perfect for curling up with on a cold night, hot chocolate in hand, snuggled up with a blanket, and just letting it warm you up. It took place pretty much within a twenty-four hour period and had our two main characters, total strangers, bonding over their respective break-ups. I loved the idea of them teaming up to have one night of following the steps in the book Get Over Your Ex in Ten Easy Steps and it made for a book that was cute, heart-warming, and made me smile.

The book was told alternating between Charlotte’s POV and Anthony’s POV. Charlotte was a British exchange student who’s flight home for Christmas was cancelled. She had just been dumped by her boyfriend and was eager to get home, away from all the reminders. I really liked Charlotte, she was pretty rational but she could also be impulsive, and while I would probably never have the courage to ask a stranger to do the steps in a Get Over Your Ex book with me, she made it seem perfectly acceptable. Anthony wanted to surprise his girlfriend at the airport when she arrived but ended up getting dumped instead. He was more reluctant to get involved in Charlotte’s plan with his break-up being more fresh but he eventually agrees to go along with her plan. It was better than wandering the streets alone because he didn’t want to go home and face his family, who thought he was spending the night with his girlfriend.

The plot was mostly Charlotte and Anthony getting to know each other while doing the steps in the book. They had to improvise on a few of them but they made it work. The connection between them maybe happened a little fast but I could also understand it, both heart-broken and alone on the holidays and finding someone who understands what they were going through formed a bond. If they’d met under any other circumstances they might not have even given each other a second look but everything that night worked to form a bond between them.

As mentioned, it was a fast read at about 200 pages, but it was one that put a smile on my face and i really enjoyed it.