This was cute. I liked getting to know the various residents of the building and the Miami vibe. The podcast was fun and something I would listen to. The story itself and the romance were just OK for me. Lily and Ben had some chemistry but a lot of it felt forced and awkward. I enjoyed the other residents more. Overall, an entertaining read.

Narration was well done, no issues.

This was an interesting mix of emotionally complex, sexy, and a slowburn situationship that had me rolling my eyes more than once.
However, the banter was SO GOOD, and listening to this as an audio really elevated it. Aure Nash does an incredible job and I will definitely be looking for more audiobooks read by her!
I think what really broke this down for me was the insta-love and convenient friendships that formed simply because of the characters' proximity to each other. By the end I felt no real concrete reason for why they would be so close.

4.5 stars out of 5. This was a summery read full of good chemistry between the characters and cute moments to swoon over. The book club sections were a nice motif throughout and I found the writing really easy to settle into.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for letting me read this one.

I found the beginning to be a bit slow. I enjoyed the podcast they share about romance novels- I would love to have a partner who would converse with me about romance novels!

Messy, complicated and cute with some great narration on the audio from Aure Nash. Only Lovers in the Building felt like an easy read, just right for the summer. And can we give some props to the cover? So cute and already had me pulled in.

Lily is in Miami for the summer seeking a reprieve from her job, her ex and life in general. But life throws her an unavailable man that can make a mean dirty martini, a great coffee and just so happens to be her neighbor.

Filled with fun banter, a sunny setting and Ben and Lily that are two professionals that enjoy reading romance together in their "book club for two", this book will have you grinning and enjoying the characters that are doing everything they can to not fall for each other. But their love of reading and sharing their reviews turns into a wildly successful podcast which in turn allows their friendship to grow.

I thought the book was cute and light, but had a few things that held the MCs back with their feelings, allowing them to grow over the course of the story. Overall it was an enjoyable listen, but I honestly wanted a little more angst. Auré Nash did a great job narrating the whole book from Lily's POV and giving accents to the other characters to bring a very lively performance to the story. I enjoyed listening to Ben and Lily's podcast and how well everything seemed to play out while they were "live" and then that helped carry over into their personal lives. These two brought the tropes from their reads into their real lives and made it an entertaining read. I do have to say that I wasn't a huge fan of how they got to an ending with a bit of lack of communication and then having it wrap up so quickly, but overall it was a solid romcom with characters that had a good connection that was obvious by their banter.


3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC. I thought this was a decent summer romance. I enjoyed the book reviewer aspects because it’s very relatable. However, I didn’t vibe with the dialogue and just found it all a bit unnatural feeling and forced. I also didn’t love the FMC and found her to be irritating which pulled me out of the story. Overall this one was fine but not a favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this audio ARC.

I enjoyed this book simply because all the discussion surrounding books. The way they were describing them, I had to look them up to see if I could also read them.

Lily and Ben have a summer book club where they read romance books and discuss what they like about them, their tropes, and how realistic they are while acknowledging that sometimes that makes them more fun.

The friend group that is formed throughout the summer is great. They were meaningful, supportive and, I believe, long lasting. They each bring something unique to the group and their friendships.

Tropes:
- Slow burn
- Stranger-to-friends-to-lovers
- Found family / friends
- Haitian and Cuban rep
- Books about books

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for my advance audiobook copy of Only Lovers In The Building by Nadine Gonzalez in exchange for my honest review!
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What a lovely treat this listen was! First, the narrator did a spectacular job making this an enjoyable listen! A different, unique sound for each character (& there's a few) made this easy to follow!!
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Lily loses her job and decides to spend the summer in Miami. She meets Ben, her neighbor, and find thru both enjoy reading. It isn't until Ben comments on one of her social media posts with a comment going against her opinion that their "friendship" sparks. Eventually they do a joint book review and it goes viral...causing them to do one each week!
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This is a book lovers romance book. It revolves around romance books and well, a romance 😂. Lily is a bit of a mess, but is working through it. The friends in the building are absolutely HILARIOUS and made this book what it is. Highly recommend, 4 stars from me!

*Will be live on Instagram on July 21st at 9am Pacific Time

✨ Review ✨ Only Murders in the Building by Nadine Gonzalez, Narrated by Aure Nash

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, Harlequin Audio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

A perfect summer romance filled with books, poolside gossip, and a side of steamy romance. After Lily rage-quits her lawyer job while at a conference in Miami, she decides to stay for a bit and figure things out. She moves into an art deco hotel there and starts a book club with Ben, sometimes bartender and tortured poet professor who lives across the hall.

They start writing joint book reviews online, and gather a viral following for their smart and sassy reviews (living the dream lol). The book inserts journal entries, book reviews, and podcast scripts to bring a sort of "collected scraps" approach, inserting these alongside the main narrative (I always love this!).

The book is a definite slow burn, with friends-to-lovers / proximity tropes. Both were hesitant to start a relationship and this can feel a little frustrating at times. However, overall this is a perfect beach read. To top it off, it has Only Murders in the Building vibes with a great cast of side characters to fall in love with!

This was a fun debut, and I loved that it was set in Miami and had characters with Haitian and Cuban heritage!

🎧 The audio was great, and the "clips" of journal entries, podcasts, etc. flowed pretty seamlessly within the story. It's a perfect poolside listen!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.25 stars)
Genre: F/M contemporary romance
Setting: Miami, Florida
Length: 9 hours 46 minutes
Pub Date: July 15, 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ slow burn
⭕️ books about books
⭕️ Only Murders in the Building (but romance novels instead of true crime)
⭕️ friends to lovers

Only Lovers in the Building by Nadine Gonzalez is such a fun romcom and women’s fiction. Following the female MC through a big change in life, and searching for happiness in the thing she loves to do (read books), this story is a wonderful balance between self-discovery, finding love, and forming meaningful and lasting friendships.

I really enjoyed this story, I felt it had so much to offer, and had well developed secondary characters and love interest. This was such a fun read! I’d definitely recommend, especially to people like me who dream of being able to quit their jobs and become a full time reader.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story which was well done by a single narrator. Each character sounded unique and authentic, which made this audiobook easy to listen to. I listened at 1.75x speed (my normal audiobook speed is 1.5-1.75x speed).

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this advanced listener’s copy.

I really enjoyed listening to Only Lovers in the Building—it was the perfect summer listen, filled with slow-burn romance, emotional depth, and a dreamy Miami setting that made me wish I could press pause on life and spend my days reading by the pool and forming unexpected friendships.

I especially connected with Liliane. Her dissatisfaction with her life and her bold decision to walk away from it in search of something more really struck a chord with me. I admire her bravery and her willingness to change course—something I think a lot of us wish we had the guts to do.

The relationship between Liliane and Ben unfolded beautifully. The slow burn made every interaction feel meaningful, and I swooned a little each time Ben left her a note. What I appreciated most was how Ben let Liliane lead. His respect for her boundaries and his quiet, intellectual charm made him an easy character to root for.

The audiobook was performed by a single female narrator, and while I did miss the presence of a male voice at times, she did a fantastic job bringing the story to life. She created clear, distinct voices for each character—including handling a few different accents impressively—which helped build the world and emotional tone in a way that felt immersive.

Overall, Only Lovers in the Building was heartfelt, warm, and quietly romantic—an ideal listen for when you want to escape and believe in the magic of second chances.

Thank you to Nadine Gonzalez, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC!

The audio first . I loved the voice for this audio. She did an amazing job . I can easily know which ones of the characters were talking . Their emotions and feeling . Definitely worth it .
Well. This was a whole rollercoaster. And i definitely enjoyed the ride . Lets start that the fact that the main character just up and left from her job bold. And then decided to stay in miami impulsive. But obviously everything worked out 😅. Personally i enjoyed the set up, the groups of friend that Lili makes and obviously Ben. I like that they grow into each other. They learn to care about each other. Also I enjoyed a lot of the bookclub and their reviews. That was so much fun and the podcast even more. Overall this was a nice easy read , perfect for summer.

This book was SO cute! I devoured it in 3 days. I did a combination of physical book and audio and loved the immersive reading experience. The narrator was fantastic. This book follows Ben and Lily as they spend their summer reading romances and dissecting the tropes within them. Lily has just moved into the building for the summer and Ben just got out of a relationship. What could go wrong? With all of their literary expertise, you would think that they would be able to see the romance unfolding right before their eyes between them, but boy, they were so oblivious to each other's attraction and feelings. I loved that they got to develop their friendship all the while their chemistry is pipping hot. It was a slow burn for the books. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted finished copy and ALC. All opinions are my own.

When a lawyer decides to spontaneously quit her job while at a work retreat in Miami, Liliane (Lili) decides to take up summer residency to escape and relax instead. What she didn't expect was to meet a very hot bartender, professor and neighbor all rolled into one man named Benedicto(Ben). Lili and Ben IMMEDIATELY hit it off with their love of books, with, and all around chemistry.

Lili connects with a variety of other neighbors; a personal chef, an influencer, and more. Each person more rambunctious than the last creating a found family and deep friendship.

I absolutely adored the wit between Lili and Ben but found it EXTREMELY ironic how they always talked about the Miscommunication trope and that's exactly what they fell into.

I did get to enjoy the Audiobook narrated by Aure Nash. She did a wonderful job of distinguishing each character, accents and all.

Overall this was a fun Summer read and let me escape and get away from it all vicariously through the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to review!

Lily has quit her job as a corporate lawyer and now she’s heading to Miami for the rest of the Summer. Here she meets Ben. Ben is a jack of all trades. Not only does he translate literary works. He is a professor and sometimes takes over a bar a s a bartender for his sister.
Lilly does book reviews for fun on Booktap when somebody responds to one of her book reviews and comment the picture. It’s Ben! This is the start.
In the end, we have them turning into friends who start their own book club. They do book reviews and even start a podcast.
I really love their dynamic their chemistry was great. This book does contain a trope that I normally absolutely hate in Books. But I believe that that’s because it’s done horribly and it’s super frustrating. You might’ve guessed that’s the miscommunication trope. I think this one was done pretty well. You’ll see what I mean when you read it!
Actually getting to see the podcast filming and their banter going back-and-forth was great. It had me giggling and kicking my feet. I adore Books with podcasts in them so of course I adored this.
The audio was fantastically done. It was only one narrator, but I didn’t think because of that it lacked for anything the narrator was able to transition from male to female voice very well, and I actually liked their male voice. I would hundred percent listen to any book they narrate again!
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publication for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

As a romance book lover this book is so fun! It’s def a dream to say screw your job, quit and spend the summer sitting by the pool reading. Like yes please! It’s jammed pack full of banter, lol moments, fun quirky neighbor friends and Miami sunshine. A perfect summer read for any romance reader.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Liliane aka Lily just quit her job as a lawyer and instead of going home to NYC she decided to spend the summer in Miami. She found a rental at The Icon, an adorable Art Deco style building in Miami Beach. Her plan is to spend the summer by the pool reading romance books.

Then Lily kisses a stranger in the elevator and finds out he’s her new neighbor, Benedicto. Ben is a professor, poet and is about to start his sabbatical. The best part is Ben reads and reviews romance books so they instantly bond over books.

They decided to start a poolside book club for the summer just the two of them, strictly as friends. But as others see them at the pool their friends group grows and it becomes so much more than just of summer reading. Their combined reviews go viral and lead to a whirlwind summer of opportunity, new doors and possibly even love.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“There’s no me without you,” he said as he scrolled. “You bring out the best in me.”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Friends to Lovers
* Neighbors for the Summer
* BIPOC Rep: Haitian FMC & Cuban MMC
* She Quit Her Job as a Lawyer
* He’s a Professor
* Romance Book Club at the Pool
* Found Friendships
* They Review Books on a Podcast Together!
* The Icon (Art Deco Building) Miami Beach
* Slow Burn + Amazing Banter w/ Spice

☀️📖🧡☀️📖🧡☀️📖🧡☀️

This one just did not work for me, unfortunately. I found the MMC to be completely insufferable and way too indifferent to our FMC. I also found the FMC to be, well, kind of pathetic. I know she probably finds her voice and comes into her own throughout this book, but I'm going to give up before I get there. I realize this is probably a "me" problem, but I really don't like when a narrator does a low voice for the male main character. It's probably pretty pricey to do, but having a cast for the different characters would work a lot better.

I'm going to give it 3 stars since it may have gotten better, but I'm giving up on it early.

A feel, good romance that had me grinning from ear to ear. I adored this novel, I thought the female main character was so witty and this is definitely a pool-side read for the summer.

Lily and Ben both find they have a shared interest in romance books and spend the summer in Miami lounging by the pool and making a romance review podcast! With some slow burn, spice and ex drama along the way. 🔥

Thank you NetGalley for this fun rom-com! The narrator for the ALC audiobook was fantastic. Full of wit and was a perfect portrayal of Lily!

Rating: 4⭐️/5

The perfect summer read! While I've never watched Only Murders in the Building I can see the appeal of a this whole found family via forced proximity of the same building. This large cast felt like a warm hug every time everyone was interacting, I really enjoyed them.

Lily and Ben are genuinely irresistible. Every time they were together was electric and they were constantly bettering each other. I would listen to their podcast daily if it existed. They had a montage love story that never felt underdeveloped and it really just felt like a summer show. Wholesome, sexy, and feel good, Only Lovers in the Building was everything I needed in a summer romance.

Aure Nash was a delightful narrator who gave such a lovely performance. Her voices were so distinguished and really helped with how large the cast was. Absolutely will pick up other titles narrated by her.

I am so disappointed I didn’t love this. I was obsessed with the cover and the description, but something about it just couldn’t hold my attention.

The audio may have been a lot better if it had had dual narration. I wasn’t a fan of the female narrator making the sounds for the male voice.

Thank you HTP books and HTP audio for the gifted copies!