A lovely but predictable story about best friends falling for each other. Kinda drags in places but glad I finished it.

Talk about story to get lost in this is it.  The reader will love Turing the pages to find out what happens.  The characters were great and you can relate to them.

The Blurb :
Lucie Quigley hates Christmas. It’s the time of year when everything goes wrong in her life. So this year, when she’s asked to be a bridesmaid at her friend Petra’s Manhattan wedding, she jumps at the invitation to escape the festivities.
Dale Treharne has been best friends with Lucie for as long as he can remember. He’s used to looking out for his oldest friend and when she asks him to be her plus one, he can’t seem to find a reason to refuse. Instead, he sees it as a way to help Lucie get through what is, for her, the most miserable time of the year.
In New York, as the snow starts to fall, Lucie and Dale start to realise that their feelings run deeper than just friendship. But can they overcome their pasts, and make it a very merry Manhattan Christmas?

My Thoughts :
Firstly I just have to mention that I am a little bit in love with Darcie Boleyn and when I hear she has a new book out, I cant wait to get started. This has such a beautiful cover that I am sure anyone would want it on their Christmas list.
The first half of this book touches upon the relationship between Lucie and Dale, and at times it was a little slow but I think this was because Darcie really wanted to capture the chemistry between the couple. We dont actually get to experience Manhattan until that half way point and that is when everything comes to life. For me as I am a mad NYC fan, Id like to of seen Manhattan from the beginning of the story, but thats ok I can forgive Darcie on that one.

I enjoyed this Christmas time book.   Enjoyed this friends to more story.    Difficult to get over as from experience at 17 my Dad died of heart attack 23 Dec . my Mom drove him to  Emerg.  Brother & were in the car.  I  will be placing this book in my under Christmas Tree basket for reading again !

This was a fine holiday story. Was it the best I've ever read, no - but it was 'fine'. I found Lucie to be a bit grating over time, and the plot was pretty transparent and a bit over dramatic for my liking. The author was a bit too specific in her descriptions at times, taking me completely out of the story.

I generally like the best friends to lovers plot device, but this one fell a bit short for me, partially due to the excess drama and lack of communication between the pair. I did like how Dale tried to infuse the Christmas spirit into Lucie, and that part was very sweet. 

If you enjoy those stories about weddings that implode and everything that could go wrong, does - then give this one a try.

The sign of an excellent book to me is one i cant put down. A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas was in that category. Lucie has been asked by her friend Petra to be a bridesmaid.
The venue will be in New York, flights and accommodation paid for by Petra's father. Of course Lucie asks her best friend Dale to come with her. I loved the friendship between Dale and Lucie, he really was an amazing friend. It was clear for readers to see his true feelings for Lucie. Even though she couldn't.
I cant think of a more magical place at Christmas then Manhattan. Enjoy the ride as Darcie Boleyn weaves her romantic tale.

Twenty-something Lucie Quigley has been through a lot over the years which has resulted in her definitely not being a fan of Christmas. When her good friend Petra asks her to be a bridesmaid at her December wedding in New York City, Lucie knows she can’t say no but it will be a difficult thing for her to do all by herself. Luckily her best friend Dale Treharne is willing to join her in Manhattan doing what it is he does best: being there for her whenever she needs some support. However, when they find themselves in the middle of New York during such a wonderful time of the year, other feelings start to come to the surface and Lucie starts to doubt whether she only sees Dale as a friend or actually something more…

New York is a simply fabulous setting for a festive Christmas story and combined with Darcie Boleyn’s writing ‘A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas’ is a thoroughly enjoyable fast-paced read. The story focuses on main character Lucie, who hates Christmas but will need to attend her good friend Petra’s December wedding in New York City. Luckily Lucie’s best friend Dale will be there to support her. I loved Lucie and Dale’s friendship; Lucie is a great character, easy to warm to, and Dale makes a wonderful book boyfriend. He’s a fantastic guy and I’m sure other readers will appreciate him and his gestures just as much as I did. The novel isn’t a really long-winded read; a lot of things are going on and the story held my attention throughout, making me finish it within just a few hours.

The story is told from both Lucie and Dale’s point of view, which always adds a nice touch to a romance novel, I think. It did take quite a bit of time before the characters actually arrived in New York, but when they did the story really kicked off and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did feel the chapter division was a bit strange; there were a few really short chapters and several incredibly long chapters and I didn’t really understand why this particular division was made. However, that’s just a personal thing that didn’t necessarily affected the reading experience. All in all, ‘A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas’ is a fast-paced and festive Christmas romance that I can recommend to any chick lit/romance fan, and I personally hope we will get to read more by author Darcie Boleyn in the new year!

This was a great Christmassy book and based in New York too so double the pleasure. A great read that I couldn't put down.

This is my first time reading a book by this author but it certainly won't be my last. This book was so much fun and I just adored Lucie and Dale! Even though Lucie hates the Christmas season (with good reason) the book is very festive and sweet. A great Christmas read!

Excellent book. Accomplished what it set out to do..

I really enjoyed reading this sweet romantic book. Lucid & Dale live in England & are best friends (no benefits except that one summer). Lucid has been invited to be in a lavish wedding (her friend from university) in New York City & can bring a plus one, all expenses paid. She asks Dale to do it (because she doesn't want to go alone & she's a bit of a clutch mess on her own in the world) & in order to make it ok with his mum, he lets her think they're a couple. Lucid lets Petra (the bride) think they're a couple as well, so they'll only have one room in New York. This is also the 20th anniversary of the death of Lucile's mum on Christmas Eve, so Dale is hoping being away at that time in such a beautiful place will help her. Watching this story unfold was fabulous & I would highly recommend you see what happens with Lucie & Dale.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I picked it up on a whim, because I was in the mood for some winter/Christmas themed books, and I am so glad I did!

Lucie is such a great heroine. She's not necessarily the female version of Grinch, like I first thought, her reasons for not enjoying the festive aspects of December are pretty understandable once you get to learn more about her backstory. It's pretty sad, actually, so I was very glad to see her accept that part of her life, come to terms with everything that happened and move on, in a way. I also liked that she accepted the fact that she shouldn't stick her nose where it didn't belong. I liked that about her, because even though her intentions might have been good, it still wasn't something she should have done.

Dale isn't the type of male character that makes me fall head over heels for. I liked him, because he seemed like a solid friend, a good partner, but in some way, I wanted him to be more assertive. I feel like he played the role that he thought Lucie needed him to play, completely disregarding what he wanted and what he needed. That said, I like how at times he found it in himself to tell Lucie some brutal truths, some things she needed to hear. So he had his moments, I just wish he had more moments like that.

I was a bit confused about something that happened with Lucie and Dale a few years prior, because I felt like it wasn't explored or explained as much as I would have wanted, but other than that, this was a really cute story about best friends and healing from past hurts. I thought it was the perfect read for this winter season.

Lucie is not really liking Christmas, but she has her own reasons, which aren’t revealed until you read the whole story. She is glad, when her friend invites her to a wedding that takes place in New York during Christmas. Lucie asks her best friend Dale to be her date to the wedding and as a real friend he agrees, even though he know that his parents are not really happy about him leaving at holidays. When they announce their plans, not all goes according to the plan and one little misunderstanding turn into a lot of white lies. It all escalates into a lie that Lucie and Dale are a couple and of course everyone is happy for them, if only it was true. When they finally go to the magical New York, not everything goes the way it was planned, someone’s heart gets broken and someone finds their true happiness, what has fate in store for Lucie and Dale?

It was a sweet story with great Christmassy scenes in New York. I enjoyed reading about Lucie and Dale’s story and glad that the story line was kept interesting until the end. It definitely makes you  want to visit New York yourself!

This was a cute story of how love and friendship can coexist for many years before fully blooming. There was a lot going on in this book, and at times it was hard to go from one plot line to another, but I thought it was a great Christmas time read.