4.5 stars rounded up. This Love Actually-style braided narrative romantic comedy had greater depth, substance and sophistication than the typical rom-com novel. This allowed me to appreciate it on a deeper level, and become entirely invested in the characters, for more than just a breezy steamy read. In fact the steam was on the lower end, but the character depth and development were greater, the story arcs were interesting and realistic. There are many characters to follow, and the chapters alternate between their storylines, so I found the first portion of the book was myself getting to know them all, and the second portion of the book, fully invested in each of their narratives, eager to see whose story I’d get to jump back into as each new chapter started. The New York setting is strongly present throughout.