The audio was cute but this story was just kind of meh to me. I think it's a great beach read for someone that wants lighthearted, but I need a little more emotion.

This book opens with Liliane making a bold choice to leave her job. She's had enough, feels a little unhinged and decides since she is Miami, she might as well stay and enjoy a few books by the pool. She figures, she doesn't mind the view of the sexy bartender either.

Zoom a few pages forward and Liliane has some new found family AND a small pool size bookclub going, featuring Ben, who turns out to be so much more than the local bartender.

I fell in love with each slightly eccentric character and felt kindred spirits with Lily throughout. I'm also a pretty big fan of books about books! This is a quick and rather light read for the summer.

This was such a refreshing read! Met by chance after quitting her job on a reflex and deciding to stay the summer on Miami. MFC and MMC merry and discuss troupes in books. Unlikely group of characters become friends. Narration was delightful to listen to. Thank you Net galley for this advanced audio book. Comes out mid July! I will be reading this one again!

Liliane needs a summer away from NYC after her legal career comes to a halt. She escapes to a rental at The Icon, an Art Deco in Miami Beach so she can read her summer away. SHe quickly meets Benedicto Romero, another tenant in the building, who Lily soon learns is actually a poet and professor. They discover their shared love of romance novels, and spend their time reading and reviewing books on BookTab (lol, love how meta this is!). They stumble into creating a podcast about romance novels together, and their hearts begin to fall for each other as they read about all the romance tropes.

I am very much a fan of #BooksAboutBooks, specifically romance books talking about all the tropes of romance books. The main characters have such binge-worthy chemistry, and Aure Nash's narration PERFECTLY encapsulates their energy and tension, which made the audiobook so instantly addictive! I’m a big fan of #OnlyMurdersInTheBuilding, and this was SUCH a fun way to apply the premise to a romance novel. I couldn’t get enough of the shared love of romance books, and with their shared Caribbean backgrounds and being set in Miami, there was so much heat! 🔥🌇 I’ll absolutely be recommending this to any fan of romance books!

Reviewed as part of #ARC from NetGalley. Many thanks to #HarlequinBooks (#HQNShamelessRomantics) for the opportunity to read and review.

Read this book if you like:
🏖️Beach reads and romance in Miami
🏨Quirky cast of characters and neighbors in a building where everyone is up in each other’s business
🎙️Romance books (and podcasts!) about romance books, breaking the fourth wall with romance tropes


===
This review will be posted to Instagram @AutobiographiCole on or around the release date!

This story just did not hold my attention and ran very slow. I couldn’t tell you the names of the main characters if I tried. It just wasn’t for me.

This was…rough. I feel like this story had so much potential but it just wasn’t executed well. I never felt connected to Lily or Ben. The writing also didn’t hold my attention very well. There was one point where Ben says “no” in Spanish. Which is pronounced exactly the same in English. Like I understand the need and want to emphasize bilingual…but no? Of all the things to say that’s what he says? I don’t know, it just felt unnecessary and really distracted me from the story.

I will not be posting to Goodreads or anything as I feel it’s not fair for me to negatively impact the author’s rating just because the story didn’t really work for me.

Thank you Netgalley for this ALC. I loved the play on the book title similar to the show “Only Murders in the Building”. This book about two people in the same building starting up podcast and a full cast of amazing side characters is really the similarities between the two. Lily quits her corporate lawyer job and escapes to Miami. Ben is a a professor of poetry with a famous poet for a dad. They bond over their love of the written word and decide to start a podcast, as well as dive into a hot summer romance with each other. Will Lily stay on a sabbatical forever, and her and Ben be the real deal. Even though this book is an insta-love story between Lily and Ben, I was way more interested in the side characters personal life. I also enjoyed reading their book reviews, however their personal love story fell a little flat. The ending also felt rushed, and the resolutions to their family issues and problems were never really tackled. All in all this is a good light hearted poolside read.

I really struggled to get through this. Conceptually, it’s so cute. Unfortunately, in reality, the main character is incredibly anxious about everything in a way that is likely meant to be quirky, it comes off as annoying paranoid chatter that you can’t avoid. The male love interest is buttery smooth. He never misses a beat and somehow that makes him feel creepy or greasy. There’s not necessarily enough vulnerability or honest dialogue/reflection from either character early enough to make me care about them. I understand that there is also a certain amount of suspension of disbelief that goes into any romantic genre, but the reactions, attitudes, and choices of the characters were just unbelievable enough that I couldn’t keep justifying it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin audio for the opportunity to hear and advance copy of this audiobook. It was a cute romance story. I most enjoyed the podcast segments. The narrator was awesome. I enjoyed the characters and dialogue.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the advanced reader copy/audiobook

When Lily Lyon shows up in the lobby of The Icon, a building in downtown Miami, to rent an apartment for the summer, she's still reeling from the impromptu decision to quit her job as a lawyer (when one of the newest lawyers get credit for something she did). Life in The Icon is busy and full of a cast of characters, including Noah, whom befriends Lily right away, and Ben, a professor who makes Lily tingle in all the right places. When Ben and Lily start a romance book club together, they try to keep things friendly without slipping into romance territory--Lily has a bad track record with men and Ben has "issues". But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to deny their chemistry.

I had high hopes for this book. I'd heard about it on the Fated Mates podcast and it felt like exactly the kind of frothy, fun read that would get me through this hot summer. While the secondary characters (especially Noah) bring lots of humor to the story, I found Lily to be very wishy-washy and it was hard to understand why she and Ben wouldn't be together; the stakes didn't feel like they were there until too far into the book. Ultimately, I only kept at it with this book because of getting an advanced copy, but this one fell flat for me.

Only Lovers in the Building is out July 15, 2025.

After feeling unappreciated at work, Lilly impulsively decides to quit her job and spend the summer in Miami! She quickly befriends a variety of intriguing characters in her building. Bonding over their shared love for literature, Lilly and her neighbor Ben launch a book club that eventually evolves into a podcast! As chemistry develops between Lilly and Ben, the question looms: what will happen when Lilly returns to her reality?

I was captivated by the book's premise and the witty exchanges between Ben and Lilly; however, it ultimately fell short for me. The characters possessed vibrant personalities that felt lively, yet I struggled to form a connection with any of them. By the time I reached 80%, I found it challenging to persevere to the end. I didn’t feel particularly invested in the story or the couple's relationship.

This was a fun rom-com to listen to. Lily and Ben are new neighbors and the sparks fly instantly. One is right out of a relationship, the other is only staying for the summer. But they just can't help themselves.
4 stars

Many thanks to Net Galley and Harlequin Audio for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

* NetGalley ARC *

I had the chance to listen to this audiobook early thanks to NetGalley, and I really enjoyed it! The narrator did a great job bringing the story to life—I was immediately drawn in.

This one follows Lily, a corporate girl who quits her high-stress job to spend the summer in Miami. While waiting for her apartment to be ready, she starts spending time at the bar in her building—where she meets Ben, her neighbor and the so-called bartender. 👀

Tropes you’ll find:
• Neighbors to lovers
• Corporate girl boss energy
• Professor MMC
• Found family

This was the perfect summer romance—light, fun, and full of heart. The banter between Lily and Ben had me giggling and kicking my feet 🤭 and the side characters were just as entertaining. I also appreciated the diversity throughout the story—it added depth in a really natural way.

Thanks to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy! This is my honest review.

A fun rom com beach read. Who hasn’t wanted to just leave their life behind at some point!

After her legal career comes to a sudden and humiliating end, Liliane Lyon books a restorative summer rental at The Icon, a quintessential Art Deco building in Miami Beach, where her only plan is to bask in the sun, read, and sip cocktails. But soon she’s enchanted by the colorful community, including university professor Benedicto Romero—resident tortured poet, whose sole intention for sabbatical is to indulge in brooding introspection.

When they discover a shared passion for romance novels, 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, they can’t make sense of the sizzling chemistry between them, and the suggestion of a professional podcast suddenly forces them to consider the long-term. So what if it means working even closer together! So what if their banter makes Lily's head spin! It’s the summer of taking chances, but a word to the Miami isn’t the place for growth and rebirth. It’s the place to get messy

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ARC

3 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

🎧 Audio Book Review 🎧

The audio was good. Narrators were good no complaints. It flowed nicely.

The story its self was ok. It was a cute summer read. Not my favorite. There was a lot of characters and sometimes I was confused. Not great not terrible but a fun summer read.

After walking away from her high-pressure law career while at a company try in Miami, Lily decided she’s going to stay in Miami and take the time to reset and reevaluate her life! She rents a long-term Airbnb and hoping to figure out what’s next. What she doesn’t expect is to form a fast, bookish bond with her charming neighbor Ben, whose love for stories soon starts to mirror the spark growing between them.

This story is the perfect feel-good, low-angst romance with rich layers of friendship and community. The banter between Lily and Ben is witty and heartwarming, but what truly elevates the story is the lovable ensemble of tenants who bring humor, depth, and real-life conversations to every page. The writing flows effortlessly, and the diverse cast of characters makes the story feel fresh and relatable. My only (small) wish? A longer epilogue!

Also, major kudos to the audiobook! Aure Nash delivers a standout solo narration. With a wide range of characters, from neighbors to family members, Nash seamlessly shifts voices and tones while maintaining the heart and personality of each. It made for an incredibly engaging listen and brought the entire building to life.

This was a fun summer read with a steamy new-friends-to-lovers romance surrounded by a delightful cast of secondary characters.

Lily and Ben had an immediate chemistry when they meet after she quit her job and booked a summer at a complex in Miami to reset her life. For mutual reasons, they resist acting on their attraction and instead form a book club and friendship. There was always an underlying tension between them while the attraction simmered, just waiting for them to give into it. The book club grew to include their neighbors and became a little found family, which I really enjoyed.

There was a lot of self-discovery and internal work that both Ben and Lily needed to do. Since this was a single POV, there was definitely more depth to what Lily was grappling with and how she worked through it. That’s not to say that Ben’s own issues weren’t covered. They were eventually and in bits and pieces that felt right for the flow of the story.

I had the audiobook in my ears while following along in the ebook. I’ve listened to and enjoyed audiobooks narrated by Aure Nash before, but I didn’t really love the performance of this one. Possibly because there were so many different characters that needed their own tone/sound/accent and I felt sometimes those elements went in and out with the characters. It didn’t take me out of the story, but it was noticeable for me.

Thank you Canary Street Press and Harlequin Audio via NetGalley for the eARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.