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.

I truly enjoyed this book. The writing style was unique and I was left wondering who the murderer was until it was revealed. It was somewhat refreshing the way the story was written for the fourth wall to be broken. That pulled me in more. The storyline was believable. I just wish we had more of the Marta character!

This was a fun fast romantic murder mystery. A perfect fit for fans of Only Murders in the Building but with a swoon worthy MMC, lots of romantic tension and a Hollywood backdrop.

I loved the MNC David. He is a walking green flag who absolutely adores the FMC even if she is a chaotic, dramatic, mess. Speaking of our FMC Elana she brings a tone of fun and her own unique voice. The way she breaks the fourth wall and talks with us was a fun way to build the tension and you better believe the way she tells us she won't lie to us had me on high alert!

If your looking for a fun murder mystery romance I think you will enjoy this one.

This one wasn't for me. I typically don't like when the author breaks the fourth wall by talking to the readers and it happened so often it took away from the story. The writing reminded me of The Fury by Alex Michaelides and I didn't like that either. The narrator kept trying to convince us that she was reliable, however she kept lying. I got to 50% and couldn't bring myself to continue.

my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

a second chance romcom with a twist of murder? yes, please!

when a washed-up actor is found dead in Elena's building, she's suddenly juggling more than just deadlines and drama—especially when her ex (and prime suspect!) David comes crashing back into her life. the banter? so fun. the chemistry? still there. the stakes? killer…

what made this stand out was the clever mix of mystery and romcom vibes. Elena isn’t your typical heroine—she breaks the fourth wall, skewers Hollywood from the inside, and somehow makes chaotic ambition look charming. and watching a “nepo baby” navigate love, fame, and self-discovery while trying to solve a murder? It was honestly so fun. also, David = a grounding, steady force we all need in our lives.

read if you like: 
🔍 murder-mystery antics
🎬 a Hollywood-centric storyline
☀️ reverse grumpy/sunshine
🔥 friends to enemies to lovers

if you like all of that^, then Love, Lines, and Alibis should be on your list. coming in hot with laughs, longing, and just enough twists to keep you turning the pages.

thanks to Netgalley and Patricia Puentes for the ARC!

If you're a fan of The Vacation Mysteries, a cozy mystery series by Catherine Mack (or) you love watching Only Murders in the Building, then you're absolutely gonna devour this!!!

As someone who loved both of those, this should've been an easy win for me but it somehow felt a bit flat to me even though I enjoyed the read🙈

What can you expect
🎬Cozy whodunnit set in LA
🎬Romantic suspense
🎬Second chance
🎬Screenwriter FMC x Reporter MMC
🎬Breaking the fourth wall
🎬Reliable narrator (cuz she says so😂 but she really is)
🎬Sarcastic & witty banter

When Elena Freire, our screenwriter FMC woke up to a fire alarm in her apartment, she didn't expect to find a dead body in the parking lot nor did she expect her sexy & reporter ex-boyfriend, David Ramos to be accused of it. And from there ensues a crazy & chaotic tale of trying to uncover the truth to supposedly prove to everyone that her ex isn't the killer (or is he?!! 👀)

I'm usually not a fan of narrators breaking the fourth wall & interacting directly with us but it kinda worked for me in the Vacation Mystery series but it felt a bit too frustrating in here cuz our FMC does that a lot & at some point, I just wanted us to be shown the plot as such rather than her adding her own comments on every single thing. But I gotta admit that she's extremely relatable & funny as hell, so I definitely had a lot of fun following her even though she was too much at times!!!

There was nothing to hate about the man, David Ramos who happens to be the greenest flag out there except maybe being accused of a murder?!! He listens to Elena, notices her discomfort & switches topics instantly, gets her vegan food & drinks whenever he comes to meet her, and also gives her space whenever she asks for one, seriously who can hate that man, right?!!!! Also Elena & David make up a great detective duo, even though they'd rather be banging one another than do any investigation!!🙈❤️‍🔥

If there are more books in the series, I'd probably pick it up just for this man & to finally see them be together after clearing out all the previous misunderstandings & all. Also the overall mystery & what really happened at the apartment had me hooked as well and I was genuinely surprised at the reveal in the end!

Overall, if you're looking for a fun, light-hearted mystery with funny & witty characters, you have to give this one a try.

I'd like to express my gratitude to the author, Patricia Puentes and NetGalley for the E-Arc!!! All thoughts & opinions are my own.

3.25⭐
At first, the narrative style struck me as chaotic and hard to figure out what was happening. Further along, as I became adjusted to it, I realized it was intentional and a reflection of Elena and her state of mind. A screenwriter currently unemployed, she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation along with her not-really-ex boyfriend who may be the prime suspect. The mystery was intriguing with a famous tv actor victim who had been accused of sexual harassment on set. I know breaking the fourth wall is a popular trend lately in lighthearted mysteries. As I am not a fan in most cases, it did impact my enjoyment of the book. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a new one for me. I love murder mystery and I love romance, it’s nice to get to combine both. I am not usually one for second chance romance but I really enjoyed Elena and David. The journey that they went on really grabbed my attention.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

I unfortunately could not finish this book. The writing style was a little all over the place for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity 🤍

This book was such a fun surprise! Love, Lines, and Alibis is like if your favorite rom-com had a baby with a murder mystery—and somehow it totally works. Elena is hilarious, messy in the best way, and just trying to get her life together when a murder drops into her lap... oh, and her ex shows up too. Classic.

The second chance romance between her and David had just the right amount of tension and heart. Their banter made me smile more than once, and the chemistry? Definitely still there. I loved watching them work together (even when they were driving each other crazy) and the Hollywood backdrop gave it all this fun, meta vibe that made the story feel fresh.

The mystery part isn’t super twisty, but it kept me interested and added some nice stakes to the romance. I do wish a couple of the side characters had a bit more to do, but overall, this was a really enjoyable read—fast-paced, funny, and a little steamy too. If you like rom-coms with a side of suspense, you’ll have a blast with this one!

First, I’d like to thank Patricia Puentes and NetGalley for the Arc copy!
Overall, I think this was a pretty easy read. It’s a Hollywood murder mystery, but it’s fairly lighthearted. I wouldn’t categorize this as intense at all, maybe frustrating if anything.
I personally really loved the integration of Spanish in the dialogue! I was expecting it to be a bit more of a romance, but I wasn’t disappointed in the amount of love-story going on. I do think Elena is a rather untraditional character. She’s type B to put it lightly, and frankly the thing that stressed me out the most was her lack of time to take care of herself, but I digress. The narration is a little atypical as well, as Elena breaks the 4th wall every now and again, which is one of the main things that sets this book apart. I think if you like Only Murders in the Building, you’d like this book. I will say, I wish it was a bit longer only because I felt like it jumped to next steps in the plot fairly quickly. I really feel like with another 50-100 pages this could’ve reached a new depth to feel more catered towards adults.
3.5 stars rounded up

This is a perfect mix of romance and mystery. The romance was wonderfully written and the plot twist was insane

This was so refreshing and had me smiling the whole time.

The narration was so different as the FMC breaks the reader wall/barrier and talks to you as if you are sitting next to her. I honestly felt like I was chatting to her over coffee.

It’s a good Hollywood murder mystery with a little second chance romance trope added. Lots of fun witty conversations that made me smile. I do think it’s worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley and Patricia Puentas for the ARC.

First of all, thank you to Net Galley and Patricia Puentas for the ARC!
This book was written so differently from my typical reading. I did struggle a bit with the structure of the plot. There is quite a bit of back and forth of the narrator having conversation with the reader in the middle of telling the reader the story. Speaking of the narrator, I wanted to know who the narrator was, but had to wait until a few chapters in to meet Elena, the FMC. I did acclimate to the structure and narrator about midway through the book. I went in with a romance mindset but this is primarily a Hollywood murder mystery. There are witty conversations between the characters and overall it’s a cute book. Would I read it again, probably not, but, if this is your thing, you’ll love it. I do think it’s worth a read if you haven’t read it yet, just don’t go in with the expectations of romance, because you’ll likely be disappointed since it’s not the main theme and is secondary.
Enjoy the ride with our girl Elena & see if you can figure out who did it?!!

Thank you for the ARC ❤️

" Love, Lines, and Alibis" is definitely a fun read!

A refreshing narration style, where the FMC regularly breaks the fourth wall and talks to you like we're having a friendly conversation over coffee or drinks.

She tells you she's a reliable narrator… Then a few pages later admits to lying to you. A small lie though, which you can relate to. Who doesn't litter there everyday lives with small lights here and there, just to fit into society? But is that her only lie?

Hollywood is a great setting for this murder mystery romcom… The essential elements already in place (glitz and Glam, actors, screenwriters, journalist, politicians) so you can get down to the nitty-gritty of the actual story.

A hiccup for me was that we didn't get any real descriptors of who the narrator was until the third chapter. Up until that point, all I could really assume was that it was a female.

" Love, Lines, and Alibis" made me smile, maybe doubt, and kept me guessing. 4/5⭐s would recommend.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Well… it was something. Im gonna be honest the writing of this book is very confusing in my opinion. I did enjoy the aspect and the plot the book was going for but I think it just fell flat? The characters did not have much build to them and we kept meeting and having these random plot builders that just kind of seemed to toss the whole thing over and over.

thank you for the arc!

Love, Lines, and Alibis is a 1st pov romance with a side of murder mystery.

The story follows Elena, who wants to uncover what happened in apartment 10B, and finds herself trying to juggle that, clearing David’s (her ex boyfriend, who she may or not be still interested in) name, and not get fired from her screenwriting job.

I throughly enjoyed this. To me it felt like a murder mystery whodunnit first, romance second. Which I liked because who doesn’t enjoy trying to work out a mystery while hoping the characters pull themselves together, and quite literally, get together.

Love, Lines, and Alibis is a fun, fast paced story that I will be recommending as a great summer read!