Only Lovers In The Building By Nadine Gonzalez Source Received from the publisher
Published by Canary Street Press on July 15, 2025
Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Rating:
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.
This is such a sweet summer read and I really enjoyed it! I love reading about book lovers and people who love reading and talking about books, so the book club / podcast element of this was really fun.
On top of that, I really liked the romance and the banter, and the friend group. It was a sweet, funny book that made me smile. With the setting (summertime in Miami) it would make a fantastic addition to a summer reading list!
