Today I share the blog with debut author Amanda Stauffer! Amanda is the author of the book Match Made in Manhattan which debuted today, the 23rd! Link to my review of the book in the caption of the cover!
Here’s a little about the book:
After two intense, dead-end relationships, serial monogamist Alison finds herself
confused, lonely, and drastically out of touch with the world of modern dating. Refusing to wallow, she signs up for a popular dating app and resolves to remain open-minded and optimistic as she explores the New York City singles’ scene. With the click of a button, her adventures begin: On one date, she’s dumped before the first kiss; on another, she dons full HAZMAT gear; she meets a tattooed folk singer turned investment banker, an undercover agent who tracks illegal exotic animals, and dozens of other colorful, captivating personalities.
Giving them each her signature “pants speech”–her pants aren’t coming off unless she has a real connection with someone–she desperately wants to push past the awkward small-talk phase to find true love, but finding “the one” is starting to feel impossible. That is, until she meets Luke, who is sophisticated, funny, and not to mention, hot. Alison finds herself falling for Luke harder than any guy she’s dated and finally letting her walls down, but will he stick around or move on to his next match?
Match Made in Manhattan is a fast-paced, contemporary story about the struggles of dating in the digital age. Replete with online profiles, witty dialogue, and a super-supportive group of female friends, this all-too-real and relatable debut novel will have readers laughing, crying, and rooting for Alison all the way to the end.
Get to know Amanda a little bit:
Amanda Stauffer is a graduate of Yale and Columbia Universities who works as an
architectural conservator, restoring historic landmarks across the country. When she grew frustrated with New York City’s dating scene, Amanda headed to match.com. Her experiences provided her with a lifetime of warm and fuzzy memories, a few friends, and an abundance of material for a book or a career in comedy.
Amanda is a fan of Italian neorealist cinema, mojitos, and—well, you can just read her protagonist’s Match profile on page 20 of this book, because Alison lifted heavily from Amanda’s own profile. An erstwhile expat who has lived in Bangalore, Sicily, and Paris, Amanda currently lives in Manhattan, where she is busy writing her second book.
Without further ado, here she is with a dream cast!
When Sophie invited me to do a guest post, I sent her a couple ideas for brief essays and thought pieces. As always, she was super kind and wrote back:
I don’t have any particular idea in mind for content, so do what’s most convenient for you or interests you the most. A dream cast is always a good idea too!
Fantasizing about my dream cast for that day when Match Made in Manhattan makes it to the silver screen . . . or the TV screen . . . or the computer screen is pretty much my favorite hobby. So clearly her idea trumped all of my duller, more ponderous ones.
Before you can round out the supporting cast, you need to pick an Alison, as her character is the linchpin to the narrative arc. If you don’t have a multi-dimensional Alison who can relate to each of her colorful and diverse dates in subtly different ways, a major theme—namely how different people can bring out different aspects of our personalities—gets lost. Once upon a time this would have been a great role for Reese Witherspoon or Rachel McAdams – strong, confident ingénues who can make a joke, take a joke, but also convey bouts of vulnerability. One early reviewer actually wrote up her dream cast and picked Emma Stone as Alison. My sister is convinced the role should go to Dove Cameron.
Without further ado, here is my ideal lineup:
Alison: I’d love to see Emelia Clarke as Alison. I think she’d take the role to an interesting depth and profundity, while also expressing patience (a must for Alison on some of these dates) and charm. . . .
Nicole: Anna Kendrick
Cassie: Priyanka Chopra
Brendan: Sam Claflin
John: David Lim
Jason: John Boyega
Forrest: Josh Hutcherson
James: Chris Evans
Younger Luke: Armie Hammer
Older Luke: Matthew Morrison
Dan: Ryan Guzman
And if there’s room, it would be awesome if we could work in a cameo for me. . . maybe as Alison’s sister? Or as the metal-welding assistant?
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Congratulations to Amanda for such an awesome debut!! I hope you all take a moment to read this delightful book!
Happy reading,
Sophie 🙂
The Mind of a (Book) Dragon 