Marriage on Madison Avenue

Layne concludes her Central Park Pact trilogy (following Love on Lexington Avenue) with this breezy and satisfying contemporary romance. Audrey Tate, reeling with pain and guilt following the death of her married lover, avoids reentering the Manhattan dating scene in favor of immersing herself in her work as a social media influencer and spending time with her longtime best friend, Clarke West. When Clarke’s manipulative, matchmaking mother tries to get him back together with his ex-girlfriend in an effort to see her son married, Clarke lies and says he’s already engaged to Audrey. What starts as a lark for Audrey, who thinks it sounds fun to plan a fake wedding, grows complicated as she and Clarke support each other through familial pressure and their fake kisses start to feel real. Layne’s vision of Manhattan is escapist and aspirational, populated solely by the wealthy. Sparkling dialogue, hilarious wedding planning scenes, and deeply emotional moments see the series end on a high note. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, The Seymour Agency (Jan.)