ONLY LOVERS IN THE BUILDING - Nadine Gonzalez
Harlequin Canary Street
BUY
Cheryl McNeil (A)
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
REVIEW: New York corporate lawyer Liliana ‘Lily’ Lyon is at a work retreat in sunny Miami when things start going wrong, or maybe right? In less than 24 hours she sees pictures from her ex-boyfriend’s wedding, quits her job, books an early flight home, cancels the same flight and books an Airbnb in an art deco apartment building with a roof top bar. Her plan is to do some reading and relax over the summer. Equipped with a drink voucher until the Airbnb is ready, she makes a friend while waiting to get the cute bartender’s attention.
Benedicto “Ben” Romero is Cuban American and a professor and literary translator who sometimes covers his cousin’s shifts at the rooftop bar in his building. He’s recently gained notoriety when he was awarded a prestigious grant. On impulse Lily kisses Ben, the cute bartender, and the next day discovers they are temporary neighbors. They quickly get past the awkwardness and become fast friends. In no time, they are reading by the pool and doing book reviews on social media. Their following quickly grows, and they receive an opportunity that neither of them expected.
There are red flags that give Lily reasons to shy away from Ben romantically but there is also a magnetic pull that draws them together. They both have daddy issues: Ben is trying to get out of his successful late father’s shadow, while Lily always seeks her dad’s approval.
ONLY LOVER IN THE BUILDING is a slow burn. On the surface, there is a lot of sexy banter as their friendship continued to develop. There are physical hits and misses but by the time this couple gets intimate, you could tell the author took her time with this scene. The narrative is in depth and interesting like other parts of the story. Both Ben and Lily fool themselves into thinking that the “thing” they have is temporary. Their lack of communication about the future also made me want to yell at them both.
I liked the way Ms. Gonzalez brings Lily and Ben together over books. There is also a strong friend group of neighbors that have mini subplots. Their interactions are funny and entertaining. I was as interested in the friend group as I was with the main characters.
ONLY LOVERS IN THE BUILDINGS is written mainly from Lily’s POV. I would have liked to hear Ben’s as well. The main characters are diverse (Haitian American female lead and Cuban American male lead) and I enjoyed hearing about their backgrounds. This was a great summer read!
16th July 2025 | romcol@caribsurf.com
Benedicto “Ben” Romero is Cuban American and a professor and literary translator who sometimes covers his cousin’s shifts at the rooftop bar in his building. He’s recently gained notoriety when he was awarded a prestigious grant. On impulse Lily kisses Ben, the cute bartender, and the next day discovers they are temporary neighbors. They quickly get past the awkwardness and become fast friends. In no time, they are reading by the pool and doing book reviews on social media. Their following quickly grows, and they receive an opportunity that neither of them expected.
There are red flags that give Lily reasons to shy away from Ben romantically but there is also a magnetic pull that draws them together. They both have daddy issues: Ben is trying to get out of his successful late father’s shadow, while Lily always seeks her dad’s approval.
ONLY LOVER IN THE BUILDING is a slow burn. On the surface, there is a lot of sexy banter as their friendship continued to develop. There are physical hits and misses but by the time this couple gets intimate, you could tell the author took her time with this scene. The narrative is in depth and interesting like other parts of the story. Both Ben and Lily fool themselves into thinking that the “thing” they have is temporary. Their lack of communication about the future also made me want to yell at them both.
I liked the way Ms. Gonzalez brings Lily and Ben together over books. There is also a strong friend group of neighbors that have mini subplots. Their interactions are funny and entertaining. I was as interested in the friend group as I was with the main characters.
ONLY LOVERS IN THE BUILDINGS is written mainly from Lily’s POV. I would have liked to hear Ben’s as well. The main characters are diverse (Haitian American female lead and Cuban American male lead) and I enjoyed hearing about their backgrounds. This was a great summer read!
16th July 2025 | romcol@caribsurf.com
