In a New York Minute

Spencer’s bubbly, opposites-attract debut romance (following her memoir The Dead Moms Club) doubles as a love letter to New York City, here a character in its own right. Chatty interior designer Franny Doyle’s day starts with being fired and goes downhill from there. In a hilarious meet-cute, she has a wardrobe malfunction on the subway, and quirky, buttoned-up Hayes Montgomery III comes to her rescue by offering his Gucci suit jacket to cover her up. Someone captures the moment on camera, and they become an internet sensation known as the SubwayQTs. The promise of romance fades when their virality lands them on the morning news and Hayes announces on live TV that Franny’s not his type. But the Big Apple continues to throw these two together, giving them ample opportunities to grow on each other. Through alternating perspectives, the reader meets the supportive, entertaining friend groups that buoy the lovers when they’re down. The leisurely paced story detours into several fun if distracting subplots, including Franny’s friend Lola falling for Hayes’s cousin Perrine, and Franny discovering an Italian half-sister. Still, the central couple are both adorable and believably imperfect, and readers will root for their happy ending. This is a joy. [em]Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (Mar.) [/em]