I absolutley loved this book! I loved the banter, the light heartedness and the whole idea behind the book was soo fun! I usually don't love reading about other people reading and rating books, because well, that's what I do for fun. lol But honestly Ben and Lily's chemistry was amazing, I'm only mad they didn't persue it sooner. I loved that this book didn't have that "3rd act break up" that lasts a million chapters either.

If you love a fun lighthearted rom com, this is the one for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lily quits her job on a whim while she’s in sunny Miami for a company retreat and decides to spend the rest of the summer in sunny Miami reading books. She reserves an Airbnb in an upscale building, similar to The Arcadian in the book’s namesake, *Only Murders In The Building*. In this building, she meets an eclectic cast of characters, including a hot bartender with a shocking penchant for romance reads. Of course, she and the hot bartender, who is primarily a professor and something of a certified genius, become fast friends, choosing to read books and discuss them by the building’s pool and post reviews on a book-centered social media app. The two flip back and forth between becoming something more as their tandem book reviews go viral, and their audience prompts them to start a romance read podcast.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! At first, it was a little too fast for me, with the romantic leads immediately hitting it off. I’m not typically a love-at-first-sight kind of gal, so when that sort of thing happens in books, it just makes it more unrealistic, and I struggle to sink into the story. However, this was not technically a love-at-first-sight kind of book. It was more of a full-speed ahead, then stop, and then continued as a slow burn for the majority of the book until it was full-speed ahead again. I loved Ben and Lily as characters, and I thought the complexities of their relationship were well-written and depicted accurately. It did make it that much sweeter when it all finally came to a head and they decided to try a real romantic relationship.

I would recommend this book! This was such a cute and fun read, and the story was still original while obviously drawing minor inspiration from the hit TV show *Only Murders In The Building*. This is the perfect book to read by the pool, and I think Lily and Ben would be so honored if you did!

This was such a cute romance between Lily, a lawyer from New York who has quit her job on a whim, and Ben, a bartender/book translator genius from Miami. They start a romance book club while living in the same building and their reviews become so popular that one of Ben’s acquaintances encourages them to start a podcast. Love blossoms under the Miami sun, but nothing is ever perfect, just like in the romance novels that they read.

Fun, fun read!! Liliane Lyons was visiting Miami with her law firm. When seeing her former boyfriend got married, she spiraled out to the point she quits her job and stays in Miami for the summer. She gets a Airbnb in a beautiful historic building.

The building is full of a wide variety of people. She quickly makes friends. Love her friend group. As well, a complex handsome neighbor. Let the sparks fly as they make a summer book club reading rom com’s. Then, they get picked up for a podcast which has everyone cheering for them.

Definitely recommend this read. Comes out July 15th. Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press Publishing.

I loved this book so much, I immediately did a reread upon finishing. With a TBR list as long as mine, that rarely ever happens.

Lily, unhappy for a variety of reasons, abruptly quits her job as a corporate attorney during the company retreat in Miami. Instead of returning home, she decides to stay for the summer. Almost immediately, she befriends several others in her building, including her exceedingly charming neighbor across the hall, Ben. They start an impromptu romance book club that meets by the pool, and naturally, those romance tropes start making their way into real life. Each character is at a different stage in their journey, but love—messy, joyful, complicated love—connects them all.

The PERFECT summer read (I mean… it’s literally set in Miami and features poolside book club meetings). The banter was bantering. The romance was smoldering. The tension was taut. I may have swooned a time or two.

“When you fly away, my firefly, it won’t be because I hurt you or disappointed you or let you down or harmed you in any way. It will only be because I cared too much to trap you in a jar.”

Ugh, my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press, and Nadine Gonzalez for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Only Lovers in the Building was super cute and the perfect beach read! This was a swoon worthy friends to lovers romcom filled with great side characters and a fun setting.

Lily and Ben were so cute! The way their romance developed was done really well. Friends to lovers can be a hard trope to execute but the author did a wonderful job with their chemistry and slow burn romance. The banter was great. Plus the two person book club was adorable. I just loved them. So many swoon worthy moments!

I really enjoyed Gonzalez's writing. I was locked in from page one.

This was a great balance of romance, laughs and heart. Would highly recommend, especially for a beach/vacation read.

This wasn't what it could be. I am disappointed because the title and the blurb don't match up. The FMC also didn't make sense to me. I didn't understand the characters generally. Thank you, NetGalley.

This was cute! I really did like the way friends to lovers worked here. I also loved the entire supporting cast of characters. They were all thoroughly entertaining and kept me engaged throughout the story.

There were some things I wish had been addressed/resolved sooner but at the end of the day, I still came out enjoying this book quite a bit.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review!

Lovely characters, a fun plot, and a great time!

I really enjoyed this unique love story that was diverse and relatable. The side characters really held their own and added to the story.

This was such a delightful summer read. I loved Liliane. Her need to escape her unfulfilling life is going to be something that is very relatable to a lot of people. The slow burn aspect of her romance with Ben really worked for me. They had so much chemistry from the start. I really enjoyed the longing and the banter. They both experienced a lot of growth as they got to know each other and become more intwined. The apartment complex nature of the story really worked too. I loved getting to know all of the characters. This was my first Nadine Gonzalez book but will not be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

If you enjoy Only Murders in the Building but would rather see relationships instead of crimes, then this is perfect. You get a great cast of characters beyond the MCs and seeing their relationships start/grow/end and the like while enjoying these neighbor MCs go from friends to lovers. The book club aspect was cute especially with the FMC being a book influencer and the MMC being a professor and translator of poetry. It brought an interesting touch to have someone who is a fan of the genre and a professor of it discuss stories together. The podcast part was fine because I know that matches the show inspiration but I didn't find it that important. But I did enjoy that it was just a portion of a larger show.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Oh my gosh, I’m so excited about this book! I picked it up for two main reasons: the cover and the title. I’ve never read anything by this author before, but after reading this book, I’m definitely going to read more of their work. I’m even planning to reread it when the audiobook comes out!

I had an absolute blast reading this book! It definitely had Only murders in the building vibe, but with a touch of romance and a slow-burn romance. It took me a but longer to finish but not because I didn’t like it. I just didn’t want this book to end.

One of the things I really liked about this book was how relatable the characters were. Lily wanted to leave her old life and start fresh, but she wasn’t sure how to do it. Before she moved into the building and met all these different people, she didn’t have a clear idea of what she wanted to do with her life. But after meeting her neighbors and getting involved in the book club, she started to find her true self.

I also loved the book’s focus on books and reviews. Lily and her neighbor Ben are both passionate about books and they love to share their love of reading with others. They even start a book club in the building and help everyone in the building get into reading. It’s a great way to connect with others and learn new things.

I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but this book is all about books, reviews, and making changes in life. It’s about taking risks and embracing new experiences. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves books and is looking for a fun and entertaining read.

I want to thank the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. It was an amazing experience and I’m so glad I got to read it. I’m definitely going to be buying a copy when it comes out on July 14, 2025!

3.5
I thought this book was cute and quirky but I had some problems with the main characters. For such educated people they were so frustrating. I guess it's relatable because not everyone is a MacArthur Fellow, but I mean, talk to each other.
Lily running away to her apartment/slamming her door seemed to happen so many times. How she is a lawyer who can't deal with any kind of conflict? It was mindboggling to read.

I really did appreciate the secondary characters and I liked their book reviews and podcasts, I thought the transcripts shared of the podcasts had better banter/chemistry between them than the actual books.

I wanted to love this book so incredibly badly, but I just couldn’t. It was so disappointing, and I have a lot to say because I truly feel like it had so much potential that just wasn’t met. I still very much appreciate the ARC, though, so thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Canary Street Press for that.

Only Lovers in the Building begins with Lily quitting her job as an attorney and renting an apartment in Miami to relax and read for the summer. While there, she meets Ben, a university professor across the hall, who quickly charms her. Ben, Lily, and a cast of colorful characters form a romance book club for their building.

With Ben and Lily’s reviews of their book club books going viral on social media, they’re asked to host a podcast together, bringing the two even closer together. But, with summer’s end looming closer, the two must confront their futures and decide whether or not they are involved with each others.

My blurb of the book differs slightly from the blurb on NetGalley and all retail sites, because in my opinion, the blurb given is slightly misleading, which is the first problem that I have with this book. For reference, this is the section of the blurb I’ll be talking about: “...Lily and Ben are soon spending hours reading together by the pool, the spark between them unwittingly giving the other residents the impression that they’re experts in matters of the heart…no matter that IRL their disastrous love lives bear little resemblance to the stories they’re reading.But while Ben and Lily can pinpoint a trope a mile away and give excellent advice to others,...”

Now, to me (and please tell me if I’m wrong in thinking this), that sounded like Ben and Lily would become matchmakers for the residents of the building. This is not the case, or it’s not a major part of the book. Lily gives the revolutionary advice of “give the guy you’re interested in a second chance” to her friend Noah, but that’s all the “matchmaking” Lily does, and Ben does none. Noah complains to Lily about his romantic life quite a bit, but Lily doesn’t offer much more than telling him to give his interests a little grace. There is a couple in the book club that are clearly into each other, but neither Ben or Lily introduced the two or helped their budding relationship along. Rather, what the two are considered experts in is how book tropes differ from reality.

This is the basis of their podcast, which we get transcripts of. Basically, the ultra and instantly viral podcast boils down to “men aren’t perfect like they are in books, and also, tropes are unrealistic”. Which, duh? The unimpressive podcast content is worsened by the fact that there is very little chemistry between Ben and Lily in them, which is canonically why it goes so viral.

Speaking of being unrealistic in books, the way that Ben and Lily even get to make their podcast was both unrealistic and very vague. Basically, one of Ben’s friends has been watching his book reviews on social media (which also went very viral), happened to need a filler on a major podcast network, and just offered it to Ben and Lily. Because we see it from Lily’s perspective and Ben handles most of the contracts and agreements (despite Lily being a lawyer), it feels as if they’ve randomly been handed a fully produced podcast.

Going back to the beginning, the catalyst of the book is Lily quitting her job because A) a new co-worker got the credit for a project that she worked on, and B) her ex from 10 years ago posted his wedding pictures on Instagram. Do I understand the correlation of part B to her legal career? No, no I do not. Lily spends a couple of PAGES going on and on about how she wishes she’d never broken up with him, even though it’s been 10 years. The whole explanation for Lily quitting her job is quite confusing, as she oscillates between saying she was never quite happy there, and that day was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and saying that she loves her job and loves the legal world. Which makes it even more confusing when she (spoiler here, don’t continue reading this slide if you want to read the book) accepts the offer to make a second season of the podcast and write a book. The book offer was also extremely confusing, as it also came out of nowhere.

Besides the unrealistic and confusing aspects of the book, part of the marketing is “Eccentric and charming characters ala Only Murders in the Building”. Now, I’ve never actually watched that show, so I don’t know how close the two are, but I wouldn’t describe any of the characters as eccentric. Out of the main cast, you’ve got a model (not uncommon in Miami), a watch salesman, an ex-lawyer, a chef, a bartender (again, the last two are commonplace in Miami), and a university professor. None of them are particularly strange or interesting, besides Noah, the watch salesman, and that’s only because he has the most personality out of the bunch. Frankly, the rest are quite forgettable. Lily is mildly annoying but not anything terrible, just not that interesting. Ben, while charming, is a bit boring. For a book that should rely on it’s cast, you’d think the cast would be more interesting.

I feel like I’m being quite harsh, but it’s truly because I think the concept could’ve been executed way better. If it had been more focused on Lily and Ben matchmaking, having them pair together more unique residents could’ve been so cute! Have them pair lonely residents together, and give them advice that Ben and Lily should be telling themselves. The, on the podcast, have them pair together listeners and give them advice, rather than discuss the fact that book tropes aren't real life. Make the residents and listeners being matched together more interesting, or make more of them and have them be less of main characters to fit a higher quantity of them. And give Lily and Ben some damn chemistry in the podcast transcripts PLEASE. Maybe I’m trying to make this book too much like First-Time Caller, but that was a 5 star book and this was a 2 star so clearly the former had something right that this one didn’t.

Fist off, Lily is living my ideal life. Who doesn’t want to quit their job, move into a building full of fun characters in Florida, end up next to an actual perfect man, and read and review romance novels for a living??

I really enjoyed this one. Miami was the perfect setting for it, and a lot of Lily’s summer is lounging by the pool reading with Ben, which, again, ideal life!

The strongest part of this book for me was the relationship between Lily and Ben. It’s one of those cases where everyone else knows they should be together, they know they should be together, but they’re both holding back because Lily is planning on leaving Miami at the end of the summer, and neither of them wants to start something serious knowing there’s a rapidly approaching expiration date. That being said, the dialogue between them is so good- they bicker a lot but it’s also fun and playful and full of chemistry.

I do feel like Ben could have been fleshed out a little bit more. I really loved him as a character but the stuff with his dad especially could have been focused on a little more.

There is no third act breakup (Nadine Gonzalez even cheekily acknowledges it in the book which was fun) and it’s a little spicy, but relatively tame compared to other books in the genre. All in all, another really great summer read!

ONLY LOVERS IN THE BUILDING – Nadine Gonzalez
Canary Street Press
ISBN: 978-1-335-90334-1
July 15, 2025
Romantic Comedy

Miami, Florida – Present Day

New York City-based attorney Liliane Lyon worked hard on a project for her company, only to have the credit go to a fellow employee while they were at a conference in Miami. She quits on the spot and walks out of the hotel with her luggage. Deciding to spend the summer in Miami, she books a three-month stay at an Art Deco condo. She soon meets the residents of the building, including Benedicto “Ben” Romero. Lily is intrigued by Ben, especially when she learns that he reads romance books and reviews them online, just like she does. Soon, not only are they collaborating, but they also bring others from the building into their book reading group. Meanwhile, Lily is trying to fight her attraction to Ben…and failing. However, what good is a romance between them when she will be leaving at the end of her three months?

ONLY LOVERS IN THE BUILDING brings together several quirky characters as they discuss books, life, and love. Lily felt defeated and like her career was going nowhere when she learned her coworker was getting credit for a project that she mostly did the work on. At first, she is guilty that she walked out of her job with no future prospects in mind. Her first night of “freedom,” Lily runs into Ben, who is the bartender at the bar. Of course, he is chatty with her and tries to pull her out of her funk. She figures that she will never see him again. However, she runs into him again at the condo building. Surprise! Not only is Ben her neighbor, but he isn’t really a bartender. He was filling in that night. Their mutual interest in books brings them together.

Lily and Ben discuss a lot about the books that they read. They discuss tropes and motives, but the one thing they can’t do is address their sizzling chemistry. It’s clear that they have a mutual attraction, but neither wants to upset the apple cart where they have characterized their relationship as friends only. Lily and Ben do end up relying on each other a lot. Will it make them finally realize there is more to them than just friendship? Along the way, readers get to meet others in their friendship circle, such as Sierra, Noah, and Kylie. Each of these characters is colorful in their own unique way and helps move this tale. But the main journey is about building romance between Ben and Lily.

As the summer draws to a close for Lily and Ben in ONLY LOVERS IN THE BUILDING, decisions will need to be made. Will Lily return to New York City and her old life? Ben is getting offers and may be heading to Europe in the fall. Along the way, they begin a podcast that proves popular. Will it lead to a collaboration that allows them to stay together in Miami? Find out the answer by picking up a copy of this fun-filled tale.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

3.75 / 5 Stars
This book took me on a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but I ended up liking it! Synopsis: Lily has not received the credit she deserves at her legal firm (because sexism and racism) and when she sees that one of her exes just got married, it pushes her over the edge. She rage quits her job and rents a room for the summer in a beautiful Art Deco apartment complex in Miami, so that she can relax, read romance novels, and figure her life out. But she meets Ben, her charmy and deeply emotionally unavailable neighbor, and they have instant chemistry. They say they’ll just be friends but of course, they end up being the type of friends who are constantly on the brink of boning. Ben and Lily try to navigate their feelings for each other while reading romance novels, writing reviews, and even hosting a podcast.

You will probably like this book if you like:
🌴 Strangers to friends to lovers
📚 She’s leaving at the end of the summer
🌴 Romance books about romance books
📚 Good banter
🌴 Haitian FMC and Cuban MMC
📚 Messy main characters and fun side characters

We should start with the fact that our two main characters are messy and complicated. Ben tells Lily that he is a mess with daddy and commitment issues. His cousin tells Lily that Ben is a mess with daddy and commitment issues. He tells her that most of his relationships have been “fluid” and “undefined” and his most recent relationship ended A WEEK before he met Lily (🚩🚩🚩RED FLAG ALERT 🚨🚨CALL THE COPS 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️ GIRL RUN). I have seen fewer red flags in dark romance books. AND YET, he was charming AF and I, much like Lily, was down to clown. Sir, I will read a whole book about you and your hot, mixed signal sending ass. And your acts of services. And your exceptional banter.

Lily is also messy. Trying to keep track of how she felt about Ben was hard (it’s her third person POV) because one minute she agrees they should just be friends, the next she wants to knock on his door and kiss him, the next she remembers that she is leaving at the end of the summer and so on. I truly had no clue what she was feeling from minute to minute, which while realistic, is a tad hard as a reader. Also I truly couldn’t tell you why she was caught up on her ex at all (he seems boring and not her type).

But again, the banter really sold me. I LOOOVE a dialogue heavy book and so this was perfect. I also liked that the book had other writing styles like transcripts from their podcast, Ben’s journal entries, Lily’s journal entries, and their joint book reviews. Granted, Lily’s new career trajectory felt a little forced and everything fell into her lap (of course they go viral for their book reviews and get a podcast deal immediately), but that Hollywood, baby. And much like you have to suspend some disbelief with the reformed playboy trope, I felt like you just kind of had to accept that they both decided to get over their relationship issues for each other because … this relationship was different?

If you like any of the tropes and are okay with some very messy relationships, you will probably really enjoy this book. If nothing else, go look at the cover in a bookstore because it is BEAUTIFUL.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing the eARC! All opinions are my own.
Publication Date: July 15, 2025

Absolutely dazzling! I fell in love with Ben and Lily and the ensemble of friends in the building. They all deserve their own story! Ben is the son of a famous poet and a genius in his own right, and Lily is a corporate lawyer in desperate need of a summer break. Everything falls into place for one summer in such an enjoyable way. I was smitten with Ben and every cute little moment the two leads had together.

There's so much recognition of romance tropes and tongue-in-cheek jokes, I loved the layers to this story.

If you love friends-to-best friends-to lovers, you will love this Miami escape. I can't wait to tell my friends to read it!

Special thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!

3.5 stars! This one’s cute, funny, and perfect for a summer escape! Lily’s a 30 year old corporate lawyer with the story starting off with her quitting via email on a work trip. Instead of flying back to New York, she decides to rent an Airbnb for the summer. This is when she bumps into Ben, an attractive neighbor. They quickly become friends but they can’t fall in love because it would just be tooooo easy if they could. The story has some fun and interesting side characters. However, the dialogue felt a little awkward and forced at times. I definitely cringed a few times. At times, the scenes and inner dialogue felt repetitive. I feel like the ending could have wrapped up quicker as it felt dragged out. This is a great read for fans of slow burn, friends to lovers, and an easy summer read!