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

This is the first book in the ‘Only Magic In The Building' series that kicks off a set of 8 romances with a bit of magic. Serendipity is an old residential building in the small town of Serendipity Springs. Just like the town, the building also has rumours of having magical powers.

Archer has recently invested in this building and has temporarily moved into it while he takes a break from his infamous public life back in NY. He is here to review the building and ultimately renovate it into profitable condos. It is a matter of time before he makes all the tenants leave. But, he did not account for the building to work it’s magic. Willa is a struggling baker who works from the building kitchen. She finds herself one day magically transported into Archer’s bedroom closet! 🤭 Ya, thank you building! Don’t you wish you had one such portal too.. ! Willa and Archer slowly develop a friendship and even a working relationship, as she helps him with the building management. How this affects their future is something to see.

I loved the main characters and their personal struggles, I do not want to spoil that so you have to read it know more. I appreciated the mental heath representation. Also, all the sweet cookies and baking talk made me hungry! Spice wise this a closed door romance. The epilogue at the end was a sweet touch too.

I definitely was intrigued with this book to know rest of what magical things are there in the future! Also, as my first Emma St. Clair book, I was very happy to read a new author.

🧁Review: The Serendipity

🌹Rate: 5 Stars!!

💌Praise: What a whimsical palette cleanser! A pallet cleanser for both my mind and my spirit! A magical building that loves to bring people together?! Yes please! Archer and Willa are Hades and Persephone in modern form! I felt as if this book was the most delicious latte! Lots of whipped cream! A bunch of sprinkles and more delicious layers to digest in literary form!

☀️Characters: Archer is trying to make a profit off this beautiful building and is all numbers and no nonsense. Willa! Oh my sunshine baby girl! She is the most coziest soul to grace any page! She mysteriously ends up in Archer's closet out of nowhere! Why would a magical building pair the most two opposite people ever?! Delicious fate LOL overtime these two lovable characters get to know each other more and cold coffee moments become hot chocolate desires! I really want this book in hardback!

☕Extra/Trope: What a magical treat! Two people coming together to bring their own magic to each other's lives with the backup of a building who adores them both!

🍪Romance
🍪Grumpy/Sunshine
🍪Touch of magic
🍪Light read!

Emma St Clair is known for her sweet and adorable closed door romances. There’s no better person to kick off a new multi author romance series that surrounds a magical building.

When billionaire Archer Gaines needs to escape his father’s corrupt shadow and a related scandal, he purchases The Serendipity, a historic apartment building far from New York City.
He believes in bottom lines and big business deals, definitely not in the local folklore surrounding the town of Serendipity Springs. So he’s eager to move forward with plans to flip the building into luxury lofts.
But The Serendipity doesn’t particularly care what Archer believes, and the building has plans of its own.
Willa never believed in the rumors about her “magical” building. But that was before she walked into her closet looking for a sweater and found herself in another apartment altogether--in the penthouse closet of the grumpy and unfortunately attractive new building owner.

While I loved the characters, the plot and of course the magic my biggest high five goes to the mental health representation! Both characters have anxiety that manifest in different ways and are dealt with differently as well. This really made the characters and the book super relatable!!
However, there were things that bothered me more than it should. First off, I wanted more magic. I thought the closet was going to be the main focal point but instead it was an after thought that kept being randomly brought up. I also really struggled with the description of archer and his relationship with Willa because he was listed as older but it wasn’t until the halfway point that we actually learned the gap between them.

While I’m sure these quirks won’t bother other readers; it did knock off a star from my rating but not from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Willa is magically transported to the closet of the new building owner who is not happy to see her trespassing. She is worried about the changes he wants to make and is afraid it'll leave her homeless and businessless. On top of that, her ex is back in town with a new fiancee, one of her former best friends. But as she gets to know Archie, and he comes to her rescue with her ex, she wonders if maybe there's more to him than she first thought.

It is a cute romatic comedy with fun characters and entertaining scenes. A thoroughly enjoyable romp.

Such a fun, easy read.

The Serendipity is like the fairy godmother apartment building you didn't know you needed. It bibidibobidiboo-ed Willa and Archer right into each others...closet... like i said, fun!

The magical element was done *perfectly*, especially when Archer is mid-panic attack and the Serendipity does him a solid by transporting Willa to him <3

I loved the ending, such a perfect way to round off the story, showing how Willa and Archer became a solid couple but that they grew individually too, its the perfect representation of a relationship you'd want the magic to encourage you into.

This book was so cute and full of whimsy! I love the black cat/golden retriever dynamic of Archer and Willa. It was a fun easy read that scratched a part of my brain that I didn't even know needed scratching. I liked the banter between the characters and the way that they communicated. Super cute, and solidly recommend!

The Serendipity, book one in the Only Magic in the Building series is delightfully whimsical! Willa and Archer are so fun together; sunshine meets grump in a magical sort of way. Willa is a fun free-spirited baker who is trying to make ends meet when she literally runs into the new building owner. Her story is less than believable, and Archer is having none of it. Except, he can’t seem to get enough of Willa. They draw out the best in each other and their interactions are full of chemistry while still sweet and comical. Add in some Bellamy on the side, and this is a wonderfully lighthearted romance. There is more to it than the casual romance, but it is tender and sweet and has you believing in the magic of love.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Oh my goodness! This is just adorable! I loved every single minute! The characters were filled with so much angst and beauty! Perfectly matched and the swoon was unforgettable! I absolutely love this whole premise of the magical apartment building! So fun!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read! All opinions and thoughts are my own!

Imagine waking up one morning, stepping into your closet, and somehow poof!—you find yourself in a stranger’s apartment. That’s exactly the kind of charming chaos Emma St. Clair delivers in The Serendipity, a romance that blends small-town charm, a little bit of magic (or maybe just excellent architecture?), and a slow-burn romance that had me grinning like an idiot.

We meet Archer, a grumpy, no-nonsense businessman who has just bought The Serendipity, a historic apartment building with a reputation for bringing people together in unexpected ways. He’s here to renovate, raise rents, and turn a profit—certainly not to believe in fairytales. Enter Willa, a whimsical, pajama-clad resident who (somehow) ends up trespassing in his closet. What follows is a delightful mix of witty banter, forced proximity, and undeniable chemistry as these two opposites collide.

One thing I absolutely loved was how The Serendipity (the building itself!) feels like a character. It’s got personality, quirks, and a history that the tenants believe in wholeheartedly. The book gives off cozy, found family vibes, with a lively and loveable cast of side characters who add humor and warmth to every scene. And while Archer is all brooding intensity and skepticism, Willa is an absolute ray of sunshine, making their interactions both hilarious and heartwarming.

✨ Tropes You’ll Love:
💖 Grumpy-Sunshine – Archer is all broody businessman, and Willa is the human equivalent of a cozy candlelit evening.
🏡 Forced Proximity – When you live in the same building (and occasionally end up in each other’s closets), avoiding feelings becomes very difficult.
🔥 Slow Burn – The tension builds deliciously as their bickering turns into something softer, and dare I say... swoonier?
🎭 Opposites Attract – He’s logical, she believes in a little magic. Sparks (and banter) fly!
🏙️ Found Family – The quirky residents of The Serendipity make this story feel like a warm hug.

Highly recommend this for fans who loves their romance with humor, heart, and just a little bit of chaos. If you’re a fan of forced proximity, grumpy-sunshine pairings, and stories with just a hint of magic (or very strange coincidences), The Serendipity is a must-read.💖

Overall, I enjoyed this story and the kick off to this magical series! I found the first 1/2 to 3/4 of the story to be quite interesting - introducing the building, the residents, the magical closet, and both main characters back stories (Willa's ex and her agoraphobia in particular were quite interesting). However I found the romantic chemistry between the two main characters was lacking a bit - I could see them as good friends for sure, but the jump into a romantic relationship felt a bit rushed, as did the wrap up of other plot points at the end.

I am looking forward to the rest of the series!

"The Serendipity" is a lovely, feel-good romance happening in a very special, historic apartment building that is called the Serendipity.

New building owner Archer Gaines hopes that this new project will take his mind off the scandal and trial that await him in NYC thanks to his corrupt father. He has plenty of ideas to improve the building and turn it into luxury apartments, but to do this, he needs to get rid of the current residents with their low rent. However, when he meets resident Willa, who appears out of his closet as if by magic, he starts seeing the human side of this community, and he'd be ready to do anything for the one who quickly and naturally becomes his girlfriend.

At first, I didn't like Archer much, but Bellamy's avuncular love for Archer made me soften towards him. His interactions with Willa quickly show a different facet of this man with a difficult past. Willa was a lovely character too, easy to relate to, if one with a relatively "flat" personality.

This page is 287 pages long but it felt like a much shorter read. I look forward to reading the next books in the series and seeing what happens next in the Serendipity. I can already recommend the free spin-off about Bellamy that you can find on the author's website.

4.5 stars

A 5 🌟 read for me
Wittiness shines brightly in this delightful read! The Serendipity exemplifies the author's remarkable talent. This book is charming, hilarious, and completely captivating. The chemistry between the main characters ignites with delightful banter and memorable awkward moments. The Serendipity building stands as a fabulous character in its own right.I loved it! It truly deserves all the accolades! I received a complimentary e-copy of this book and read it with pleasure. Opinions expressed in this review are my own. Thank you, NetGalley.

The serendipity

Love, love, love this.
A grumpy/sunshine with a healthy dose of real life issues and flashes of whimsy!
I’m a sucker for forced proximity- due to a sneaky magical building at play✨


Willa is personified sunshine☀️ her character shows that no matter how happy or wild a person can be, everyone has their own personal burdens. She lives in her own chaotic world bringing that to Archers reserved life, literally bringing the sunshine to his grey life.
Archer is the perfect example of how complex people can be, that usually first impressions aren’t that important!
Emma St Clair did a brilliant job of showing how anxiety can affect people in different ways and the methods of managing it, with Archers self sooting dirt mints and Willas therapy journey!

Such a sweet, lovely read with small town vibes and loveable side characters which ties the bow on top of this fun book!
Can’t wait for the rest of the Series!

What a fantastic book! Emma St. Clair doesn't disappoint in this new book which may be her best! The characters stay with you long after you finish the book. Highly recommend!

Loved this book!! The Serendipity, by Emma St. Clair is a delightful Hallmark movie in book form and a much needed and fun escape from the chaos of everyday life.
This is the story of Willa and Archer - AND a magical historical apartment building in the small town of Serendipity Springs. Willa is a tenant who runs a small, struggling cookie baking business. Archer is a billionaire businessman who bought the Serendipity building and is taking a needed break there from New York City and a family scandal.
The author does a great job developing the relationship between Willa and Archer. Archer learns about what is really important in life and Willa also deals with her past and her anxiety. I love a clean romance novel and throw in some magical realism, even better! I can’t wait to read the rest of the Only Magic in the Building series!
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to review an advanced reader copy. I will now be seeking out Emma St Clair’s backlist asap!!

This was so much fun! I feel in love with the movie Serendipity when I was younger and this felt so much like it in feelings that it was delightful to just have so comfort available within the pages.