Book 1 in the Only Magic in the Building series!

This was such a fun book! This was my first read by Emma St. Clair and I think she did an incredible job writing a sweet, funny romance with very low spice! This particular book would be perfect for my young teenager, and I love that!

Archer, Willa and Bellamy are the best trio of characters, and I loved their interactions! I smiled through this entire book! It was written with the perfect combination of fun and serious dialogue. Mental health issues were addressed and this put a very real-life spin on a magical book which made the story that much better. I like that even though there is minimal spice (excessive kissing is the max), you can still absolutely feel the romantic tension. I am excited to get my hands on the rest of the series!

Thank you, Victory Editing, Emma St. Clair and Net Galley for the advanced eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute, quick read. Willa, FMC, ends up in the closet of her new landlord, Archer. Only thing is that she was in her closet to begin with. I liked the little magic touches in the book. I did feel like the romance was a little rushed but it is a shorter book.

Thanks to netGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.

I am a sucker for some very light magical realism, so when this series was announced with most of my favorite rom com authors writing a connected magical realism series I was so in! And it did not disappoint! The magic here is like sprinkles on a cupcake, it adds fun, but it's not the real feature.

Now for the romance! Willa and Archer are so cute together. The way they play off each other, although they come from opposite worlds and have opposite personalities, makes for some excellent banter and tension leading up to them getting together. I also love how low angst this is. Even when they have a conflict, it is handled in a way that didn't give me heart palpitations.

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Thanks to the author for the gifted book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This was a fun, quick read with a touch of magical realism (although I would have loved even more magical realism!). I really enjoyed the female main character, and I thought the author did a great job of exploring her anxiety disorder (and the support she received from the male character). However, the relationship between the two main characters felt rushed, especially for an enemies-to-lovers - I didn't feel the build up and would've enjoyed more development.

Overall, a lovely little book - thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

⭐⭐⭐/🫑 The Serendipity by Emma St. Clair is book 1 in the Only Magic in the Building series. It's a whimsical magical-realism about billionaire Archer who buys an apartment building as an investment. He is intent on hiking up the rent and charging for every amenity the current residents have. His first day there, he runs into one of the residents, Willa, who has somehow become trapped in his closet. Willa claims she walked through her own closet and somehow wound up coming out on the other side there.. Archer doesn't believe in magic, but he is inexplicably intrigued by his new tenant.

🩵Grumpy-sunshine
💙Magical realism
🩵Age-gap
💙Billionaire x baker

This book is a charming grumpy/sunshine romance with a touch of magic! From the very beginning, Willa and Archer are thrown together in a delightful meet-cute that sets the tone for the whole story. Archer, the lovable millionaire, is trying to break free from his father’s influence and personal struggles, while Willa is a bright-eyed entrepreneur who's a bit directionless in her career but overflowing with positivity and warmth.

Emma St. Clair’s writing makes this a quick and enjoyable read, with a supporting cast of characters who seem primed for future stories in the series. The chemistry between Willa and Archer is undeniably cute, though the book keeps things sweet and mild without much spice. While the lack of intense romance makes for a fun read, I did find myself hoping for a bit more chemistry and action between them at times.

I am not a big fan of anything that has to do with magic, but this book was adorable! I want to live in Serendipity Springs after reading this, lol. I especially loved how soft Archer became, I was made for all of the residents when he increased rent and banned pets!! The possum scene had me laughing out loud!

This is the first book that takes place in The Serendipity, an old apartment building that has "magical" powers to help people find each other. Willa, a struggling baker, steps into her closet to find herself transported to Archer's closet. Archer is a grumpy, social awkward man and is the new buildings owner who plans to revamp everything, including raising rent. Soon Archer realizes he needs some help and hires Willa to help him get things taken care of. Of course they fall for each other. Cute start to series.

This was such a great and magical start to the series. I absolutely loved these two and their dynamic. Archer truly is trying to be the person he wants to be and I applaud him for it. He didn’t have a great example of a father to look up to but I’m so glad he has Bellamy in his life or I’m afraid he would be just like his dad. Willa is such a sweetheart and I instantly wanted one of her cookies. She has amazing family and friends and such a spunky, sunshine attitude. Can’t wait to check out the rest of the series.
This is a dual pov, clean romance. It is part of a multi author series but can be read as a stand alone novel.

While this book was fun to read, I didn't feel much chemistry between the FMC and MMC but I loved the witty banter and the enemies to lovers trope was well written.

I loved the premise of this book and enjoyed the characters, I had a hard time connecting to with the writing style. I guess it just wasnt grabbing my attention and found myself skipping lines. I didnt feel like the epilogue was necessary.. why did they have to get married that quick, they've know each other for like 2 weeks. I am going to continue with the series

Grumpy and Sunshine with a touch of magic!

Whoa. This one will stay with me for a while! This is one of my favorite tropes and Willa's sweet love for those around her and Archer's stoic, but quirky manner just solidified that for me. I always appreciate how Emma St. Clair can write such depth into her characters while still allowing the reader to have a lighthearted escape as we read this story. When I tell you there were times that I laughed out loud during this story, I am not exaggerating. I also loved the chemistry between Willa and Archer. It always amazes me how the author can write such wonderful chemistry even when the book is considered a clean, closed door romance.

I will definitely continue to read more from Emma St. Clair but also can't wait to read more of this series!

Thank you to NetGalley, Emma St. Clair, and Create If Writing LLC for providing a copy of this story.

Billionaire Archer Gaines buys The Serendipity, a historic apartment building, to escape his father’s corrupt legacy and turn it into luxury lofts. He dismisses the town’s folklore about the building’s magic—until Willa, a resident, mysteriously stumbles into his penthouse closet. As Archer and Willa navigate their growing connection, the building’s matchmaking magic works in unexpected ways.

One of the novel’s strongest aspects is its mental health representation. Both Archer and Willa struggle with anxiety, but in distinct ways, making them deeply relatable. Archer, used to control and structure, battles the pressure of expectations and a lifetime of being in his father’s shadow. Willa, on the other hand, experiences anxiety that manifests in uncertainty and fear of change. The way their struggles are portrayed with care and authenticity adds depth to their characters and their relationship. The Serendipity is a heartwarming and engaging romance, blending small-town charm with a touch of magic. The novel shines with charming characters, sweet romance, and strong mental health representation, as both protagonists deal with anxiety in different ways. Though the magical elements could have been explored more, this is still an enjoyable, heartwarming start to a multi-author series.

This building has magic as evidenced by Willa ending up in Archer's closet while going through her own. Of course it's confusing for them but they form a sort of agreement. Archer will let her use the building's kitchen for free for her cookie business as she assists him with managing the building.

Sad to say, I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters. Felt like whiplash when they went from dislike to mild tolerance to being together. The kissing scenes were amazing though 😂 I would've preferred a bit more groveling from that rushed ending but oh well 😅 There was the typical wildlife shenanigans you'd expect from Emma St Clair which was hilarious.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5⭐
Steam level: 1🌶️ Kissing only

This book is a fun read. Willa and Archer's story will keep you entertained and turning the pages to see what happens next.
I loved it and highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy from Create If Writing LLC via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Emma st Clair has become one of my favorite authors. She writes such good clean romance books with lots of great characters and chemistry. I highly recommend reading this book!

Mix romance, with a good dose of humor, and a sprinkle of magic and you get The Serendipity! Archer Gaines arrives in Serendipity Springs looking for a fresh start, far from his father’s corrupt empire. He is not interested in the town’s whimsical reputation or the "magic" of his new property—The Serendipity—which he plans to renovate into luxury lofts. Enter Willa, a passionate baker, who walks into her closet for a sweater and suddenly finds herself in Archer's closet. Little does Archer know, but this is only the beginning of the end of his big plans for The Serendipity.

I love a good enemies-to-love story and Willa and Archer definitely start out as enemies. Among the changes he plans for the building are a rent increase and a fee for her to use the kitchen for her fledgling cookie business. How dare a man get in the way of cookies!!

The chemistry between Willa and Archer is fantastic—full of witty banter, tension, and heartfelt moments. I loved all the humorous scenes, and how Archer was kind of jealous of his assistant Bellamy's easy friendship with Willa. I loved watching Archer and Willa's relationship slowly change and how his personality became less grumpy. "But Willa has become like my sun. Lighting up corners in my life I didn't know were shadowed. Reviving things I thought were long dead or didn't know existed. Like: a true desire for a family of my own."

Things I loved:
Opossum/possum & dog incident
Dual POV
Ginger candies
Bellamy (he needs his own story)
Willa's parents & telemarketers
That first kiss!!!
Late-night cookie making (you might get hungry)
The epilogue!!

This was a great start to the new multi-author series Only Magic in the Building. Each book can be read as a standalone and I look forward to reading more of them. This is a sweet romance with kisses only and the magic is only whimsical.

I received a copy from the publisher, Create If Writing LLC, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Archer is a real estate mogul who needed to escape his family drama in NYC so he bought a historic apartment building in the quiet and quaint town of Serendipity springs. The apartment building has been operating at a loss for a while and he wants to increase rent, charge for storage, and drive the current tenants out to make the rooms into luxury condos.

As he moves in to oversee the transition process, he is startled to find a woman hiding in his closet, but even weirder is that she says she doesn’t know how she got there, as she was just in her own closet a few floors below. Willa, the closest woman, is a tenant in the mysterious building and also a small business owner who started her own cookie business. Although the two get off on the wrong foot, they find some common ground when Willa needs some extra income and he needs an assistant to help with running the building. Hello forced proximity!

What happens next is a sweet and fun magical realism book that made me smile. Archer was a little grumpy and cynical and I love how he was softened up by Willa and her endless optimism.

I just enjoyed this book as it was a perfect before-bed read and would love to read more from this series!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sharing this book’s digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book through a digital ARC from NetGalley
Author: Emma St. Clair
Genre: Romance, Magical Realism

What a great book! It was fun and witty. Archer was the perfect grumpy hero—broody and surly in all the right ways—while Willa was his total opposite with her sunshine and charm. Now I want to bake cookies! The touch of magic was just right—subtle yet enchanting, adding a delightful twist. And the chemistry between Archer and Willa? Absolutely electric and captivating. This charming, feel-good read left me smiling from start to finish. I highly recommend this book!

This book was a sweet enemies to lovers. Is clean, so no spice.

While they “hate” each other the building finds a magical way of bringing them together. I love how the magic is not explained and it’s the only fantastic element to the story.

A lot of the topics they show on the book are only surface level. Except for the FMC big hold up.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc