from pagetrotter.blogspot.com

Are we surprised? You shouldn't be! I've come to expect two things with Penny's books: one, that I'm going to love it and two, never try to guess what's going to happen. Usually, I'm very hesitant to read a sequel. Especially if it's not a planned sequel. Only because I've been burned by the whole "author is only doing this for money deal" resulting in a very "meh" book. I KNOW Penny didn't write NMH for this reason. Added to that, you can tell she really loves her characters and her readers and would never do us the injustice. So I was very intrigued to see what was going to happen. And then I saw that it was a full length sequel, topping out at 100k and I was like, "YAS!" and "OMG, what's going to happen?!"

Why the trepidation? Well, we're dealing with Janie who never does anything we expect and Quinn who is a secretive SOB. I can never figure out what they are going to do or say. Regardless, I went full speed ahead and was hysterically laughing within the first twenty minutes. Seriously, Quinn trying to propose to Janie was one of the funniest things I've ever read. I was chuckling...no, it was a freaking guffaw. I was guffawing, people. I laughed so much in this one that my stomach HURT. So thanks for the ab work out, Penny!

Another great aspect of NMH is that we get into Quinn's Fort Knox-esque head. Oh man, I was so excited when I saw that this was a dual POV. Ever since he sauntered onto the page I was enthralled by his secrets. I wanted to know all about him. With every installment of this series, I was more and more intrigued. Finally, Reiders, we get inside and we delve deep. It's amazing to get to know his motivations for his actions and see his love for Janie. My God, I want to be loved like that. He is an amazing man. We also get to meet his family which was a fantastic experience. I am in love with his sister. She's a fascinating character and I've got my fingers crossed we get a novel for her, if not a novella.

Janie is still Janie. It felt like a reunion the minute her voice came through on the page. I fell in love with her all over again and the best part was seeing her with the confidence that she gained by the end of NSH. She's a fabulous person and I love her brain. Of course, the entire knitting group is present and accounted for too! Lot's of hijinks ensue so prepare to laugh a lot. I mean can we take a second and talk about how FREAKING funny the bachelorette party was? Holy crap, you guys! I cannot wait for you to read this. All I can say it involves semi-nudity and a group of women who get unintentionally high as kites in Vegas.

But here's my absolute FAVORITE thing about the book and this does contain some spoilers. I hate giving away anything but I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS. So if you want to see what Janie says to Quinn on your own do not read any further.....have you looked away yet? Scroll down to the next paragraph. Ok? Ok!

Spoiler

So my favorite part is how freaking practical Janie is about Quinn's proposal and the idea of marrying someone you've only been dating a couple months. I actually high-five'd my kindle when she expressed her hesitancy to enter marriage with someone when they hadn't been tested yet. I loved this so much. We are no longer reading or producing romances of the 80s and 90s where the protagonists meet, date, and then get engaged by the end of the novel. This generation of readers are different now. We like to see a bit more reality in our novels. There was still so many things Janie and Quinn didn't know about each other yet. The only ingredient for marriage isn't love. It's an important one, yes, but what recipe has one ingredient?! I could literally talk about this forever, but I'll move on. Wait! One more quick thing...the way she goes about solving this issue is hilarious and genius. So funny.

I have to admit something. I was never a fan of Sex in the City. I just didn't connect with the characters, but I totally do with Knitting in the City. This is my Sex in the City and Friends all wrapped up in a smart and hilarious bow. These women are ones that I can cheer for, cry with, laugh with and at, and make a connection with. The men are swoonworthy without becoming parodies of their gender. Penny breaks the mold of character archetypes. She does her own thing, spins commonality in such a unique way that it's something completely innovative. And THAT'S why she's going to have a very long career. Write on, Penny!

*ARC provided by author in exchange for honest review!*