It was a lovely, page-turning book that had me cheering for Avery in the end as she fought for her dreams and decided her own future.

With themes of how we define success, second chances and starting over, learning from mistakes, and finding what makes you truly happy, it had a wonderful cast of characters to help and support Avery.

And now I need to listen to the "Wicked" soundtrack!

The premise of this book is what made me gravitate to it. However, the storyline didn't hold up to that for me as much as I would have liked. It started strong but later was lagging.

This was more of a self-discovery book than a romance. The Christmas Carol aspect was a neat take. I also felt for her and her journey at times.

If you need a good read about finding yourself after a failed relationship this just might be the read for you.

Thank you @netgalley and Montlake for allowing me to read and give my honest review.

What a delightful romance novel! I don't read a lot of romances, but the synopsis was intriguing and I was looking for a holiday read. When Avery's seemingly perfect life implodes on Christmas Day, she returns to her old job and her old dream of being a star on Broadway. Guided by random strangers and "the last phone booth in Manhattan," she reflects on her past choices and her future. This cute romcom features lots of NYC landmarks, references to Broadway musicals, and an ode to "A Christmas Carol." A fun, quick read!

The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan is part love story, part magical realism, part platonic friendship and, at its heart, the story of a woman who lost her way but, with the help of a couple of ghosts, a rusty old phone booth, and the immortal words of Charles Dickens, gets a second chance at pursuing her dreams and putting herself first.

Avery Lawrence seemingly has it all: Adam, her gorgeous, generous boyfriend of 6 years who provides her with everything her heart desires including a star-studded wedding proposal under the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree…until it all comes crashing down when he’s arrested for fraud. Finding herself outside the prison with no money, she accepts the help and advice of a security guard who directs her to a phone booth to call the number she’s been given. When the call goes through, she’s given an address that leads her to her former boyfriend Gabe’s front door. Thus begins her do-over, but is it really a restart if she falls right back where she was before becoming a ghost of her former self by sacrificing her own dreams of a life in the theater for a man to take care of her?

After what turns out to be a ghostly encounter that guides her from a past she’s eager to put behind her, she begins to audition again while rekindling her relationship with Gabe. However, it’ll take another spectral presence to give her a glimpse of the future she might have if she’s willing to let go of her fears and insecurities, focus on her passions, and not let anything or anyone get in her way. This includes having to decide which path she’ll take so that she has no regrets in the future. A quote from Dickens keeps popping up as a reminder: “No space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused.”

This isn’t a Christmas story, although it begins and ends on the holiday. However, the themes from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol are featured heavily throughout. It’s all about Avery listening to her heart and the voice inside her head so that she’s finally set on a redemptive path that brings her joy and causes as little emotional hurt to herself and the people she loves. The authors have written a beautiful story that leaves you guessing until the very end about which path Avery will choose. Fans of Broadway musicals will thoroughly enjoy how infused the book is with performances at Mimi’s Shooting Star Diner where Avery and other Broadway hopefuls work between auditions and gigs. Highly recommended.

It’s fun and lighthearted, like a Hallmark movie, and a fun twist on A Christmas Carol, but this is not it if you are looking for a holiday book. Avery thinks she has met the man of her dreams, but then her world comes crashing down around her.

I thought the phone booth would have played a more significant part in the story, but in the end, it had a minor role. The writing was a bit wordy at times, as I found myself skipping over sentences and not missing too much.

Overall, this was a quick, fun read about choosing your wants and dreams and not putting them aside for others.

This novel was - okay. I really didn't feel a ton of connection to or sympathy for our protagonist, which made the whole thing harder to read. While there were several moving scenes, there were also more instances that I'd have preferred of stilted dialogue and really weird/poor choices on Avery's part. This also had very little to do with Christmas/the holidays, so I don't think it should be primarily marketed this way.

3🌟
This book was... okay. I found parts of it quite endearing and sweet, others a bit needy and some a bit predictable as well.
I picked it up thinking it was more of a romance, based on the description, yet it doesn't really class as one for me even though there are some sweet parts.

For budding actors and actresses, a d those who want to break into musical theatre it's a nice nod to the difficulty of getting cast and not letting your talent go to waste.

A super cute book with relatable characters! I love retellings and new spins on Christmas stories and this does not disappoint.

I'll def be checking out these authors in the future!

What’s not to love about a little magic guiding your way through a tough time? Giving you a little push in the right direction? That’s the premise of The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan where Avery finds a magic phone booth that guides her to specific locations to jump start changes in her life after experiencing a life-altering split with her fiancé.

I really enjoyed that while the phone booth guided her she was forced to figure out the details on her own. Though I’m a romance junkie, I really liked that it wasn’t just a straight story about Avery being guided to her one true love. I think I might have enjoyed it more had I been a bigger fan of musicals as there are a lot of mentions of various shows and songs that I wasn’t familiar with.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Going in, I had no expectations besides having a fun, enjoyable read. And that's what I got!

I think the first couple of chapters were great, the pacing was excellent, and I was on the edge of my seat, wanting to know ASAP what happened next. Then, it kind of slowed down, and at times it was a bit lackluster. Don't get me wrong, it was still a good read, I just feel that the second half was lacking the excitement the first provided.

Even though it's advertised as a Romance, I'd say it's not one. It's more about women empowerment, and overcoming one's fears and self-doubt. I liked that. After the ending, it makes sense why there was no chemistry between Avery and Adam, or Avery and Gabe. But I kind of wish there was, though. A little bit, at least.

The literary references were nice, I especially liked the ode to Scarlett O'Hara, mostly because I just finished Gone with the Wind a few days ago. I haven't read most of the Dickens mentioned, I imagine that could've improved my experience if I did beforehand, but I still liked reading Avery's story.

A really enjoyable magical read with the feel of a Christmas film. Avery appears to have the most wonderful life when it is all suddenly taken away and she must start again. With the help of some magical spirit she goes on a journey of rediscovering herself and having the opportunity to choose her path again. Set in the musical theatre land of New York, this is a feel good story. Written in the first person, Avery takes the reader along her journey, with her anxieties, hopes and regrets. A couple of chapters do end slightly abruptly but you’re soon swooshed along into the next part of Avery’s journey.

The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan by Beth Merlin & Danielle Modafferi
Ok, so I enjoyed this story a lot more than I originally thought I would.
Avery was such a great character and I really loved following her journey.
The characters were well rounded and enjoyable.
The storytelling is genuine which makes the characters' journey of old loves, new beginnings both captivating and relatable.

Thank You NetGalley and Montlake for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This had a lot of potential but 2 issues: Gabe not showing up until 25% of the way in and then in any major way until 40%. And, the ending was terrible. Probably unpopular opinion. It was a short book, but dragged on. Avery was whiny and Marisol should have come back in way earlier. We didn’t have enough of Avery’s roomies either! Adam disappeared and considering the first part was heavy on him .., what happened ?!

The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan is a super cute story of girl power & chasing one's dream. It has sprinklings of a romance & a holiday themed story, but overall, it is a good story of one girl's climb from rock bottom to success on her terms.
A modern, positive twist on Charles Dicken's famous stories & if nothing else, this book will REALLY want to make you take a trip to New York City.
Thank you, #NetGalley, for the ARC! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Beth Merlin & Danielle Modafferi soon.

I really enjoyed this modern take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol! And I think it truly ended perfectly!! Highly recommend this holiday read!

I DNF'd The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan at 51%, so I felt solid enough in where I stood to still submit a review.

The story is extremely abrupt and disjointed, with a lot of moments being very laughably cringe and over the top. The writing felt very immature/juvenile, and the New York accents interwoven into some of the characters read like someone trying to do an exaggerated Jersey accent from the 20s.

This is marketed as a Dickensian adventure with touches of A Christmas Carol, but instead what we got was an immature, naive FMC who needed to be told things twice a lot for it to be true i.e. this made-up exchange:
Character: "this is true"
Avery: "it couldn't possibly be true"
Character: "ma'am…it's true"
Avery: "I CANNOT believe it's true")

And a rah-rah mid-2000s white-woman-is-going-to-be-okay-in-the-big-city-against-the-odds brand of feminist contemporary tale that doesn't quite work nowadays.

I am not rating this novel because I did not finish it, but I sincerely appreciate Montlake and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one caught me off guard with how much I liked it! Such a sweet story about chasing your dreams! Regrets, second chances and a little bit of magic follow Avery Lawrence as she battles a broken engagement and a second chance at becoming a Broadway star. Avery will steal your heart and you will be cheering her on as she gets a fresh start in New York City. I just reviewed The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan by Beth Merlin; Danielle Modafferi. #TheLastPhoneBoothinManhattan #NetGalley

A unique read, great for a snowy Christmas weekend. I enjoyed the interesting play on the Dickens' classis and all the bots of NYC and Broadway, including the renamed Ellen's Diner. Highly recommend.

Very CUTE read. Advertised as a holiday book, with a very small amount of Christmas included, but still a very fun end of year read. Loved the Broadway references. Definitely a lighter read, but uplifting & great character development.

Such a feel good read - couldn’t put it down! This author is definitely one to watch out for in the future