A cute rom-com! Friends-to-lovers and best friend's sibling tropes. I wish feelings were revealed earlier in the book as the end felt rushed. It was, however, a cute story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the digital ARC!

There were so many elements I absolutely adored about this story -

Scarlett’s quest for independence and wanting to date freely without her family’s opinions holding her back. The Serendipity (town & building) setting. Wade’s slow but persistent pursuit of Scarlett, under the guise of “looking out for her” Phoenix’s behalf. Scarlett’s friends & neighbours. The guys at the fire station. That scene where Wade carries Scarlett out of her building bridal style?! Oh I was squealing. Both the main character’s perspectives and their determination to move on from their fears. The bicycle, horchata and the chicken suit.

Small town romance done right!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher & author! Splendid read.

Clean Out of Luck by Carina Taylor is book five in the Only Magic in the Building Series.
Now I have to read this entire set!
I just love Carina Taylor’s writing.
I had a great time reading this book. It has dual POV, quirky characters, great banter, fantastic writing, and was an all around a fun read.

These books can be read as a standalone series.

Okay wow, this book was so cute! I’m a stress cleaner too so maybe that’s why I loved it 😂 I can’t get over how sweet Wade is to Scarlett and how patient he is to let her figure things out on her own. And to make sure she understands she is perfect the way she is and doesn’t have to change for people! But I also thought it was hilarious how he kept showing up and ruining her dates, and then trying not to act jealous, and just be there for her! I love a good brothers best friend, the emotion is always sooo strong and built up, and makes for the best slow burn! 🥹🔥

I found that the protective "big-brother" facade that Wade has over Scarlett for the majority of the book started to become over-done. At some point, it would have been nice to see more chemistry develop between Wade and Scarlett, because there was room for more! Scarlett really only divulges her feelings to the reader near the tail end of the book, which I found to be a bit disappointing. Both characters ended up causing a fair bit of frustration for me throughout the book as their actions became a bit redundant over time.

“I've had two Big Dreams since I was 8 years old. Number One: live in the serendipity, Number Two: find the love of my life.”

My Thoughts and Tropes:
Brother’s best friend
He Falls First
Wade & Scarlett-frenemies to more
All the Banter
Snickers bar
Her friends
Firefighter
Horrible dating
Great one liners
Magic mop-tug of war
Scooter
Victor and the restaurant
Gloria
The Calendar

“I'm comfortable with her annoyance. Her anger. And she's comfortable giving it to me. Which is one of the highest compliments I could get from a person.”

I love the banter and tension between the characters in this book. There were a lot of LOL moments where my kids looked at me funny. I enjoyed seeing more of the community and Serendipity Springs. Wade and Scarlett were good together.

“She doesn't need me. But I want her to want me. Now it's just a matter of convincing her that she should want me.”

Scarlett is a really independent and strong woman who knows what she wants and I loved that about her. Wade is a caring and protective and respected her in a way that her family didn't. I love all the dating Misadventures that happened in the story and there were so many laugh out loud moments.

“He's everything I've wanted in a man and something I never thought I would find.”

It was fun getting to see more of Gloria and her mischievous self. Scarlett also lives in the basement of the Serendipity which is a new place that we haven't explored in this series. The magical mop and tug of war was fun. It’s so fun to see how much Scarlett has loved the Serendipity her entire life. I could have done with a little more magic with the mop, but I still loved it.

“I want you to know that I'm in this for you. I'm not dating you because my brother wants - or doesn't want - us to date.”

📚 ARC REVIEW 📚

Clean Out of Luck⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Scarlett Fernsby holds the world record for shortest relationships. Mostly thanks to overprotective parents and an interfering brother, every attempt at dating has been a disaster. But when her family will be gone for 6 months, she’s plans to find love. What she didn’t expect was her brother’s best friend, Wade Hendrix, stepping in. He’s even worse than her brother, crashing her dates and wanting to know where she’s at all the time.

Wade is a firefighter with a hero complex; she doesn't want to be his pity problem. Especially when she's starting to misinterpret those fiery looks of his. Scarlett doesn't know what to do with this newfound attraction to him, and though she'd like to scrub him out of her life, the building she lives in has a very different plan.

Clean Out of Luck is a standalone book in the Only Magic in the Building series. These closed door, whimsical romance books are all set in the same historic building, which has a habit of playing matchmaker with its residents. There are light magical elements but nothing dark or spells, which I loved! This story had me cracking up several times with the witty banter between the two main characters and their friends. I loved Wade and Scarlett’s story and how their chemistry evolved into more. I also loved how they saw each other for who they are and didn’t try to change each other. This was such a fun read! This was the first book by this author I’ve read and I can’t wait to read more.

This book is now available, be sure to add to your TBR list! Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for my advanced readers’s copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

Clean Out of Luck is the 5th book in the Only Magic in the Building series. A series I’m completely reading out of order, but that’s fine because each can easily be read as standalones. What’s worse than overprotective parents and meddling brother? Well for Scarlett Fernsby, it’s her brother’s best friend. Scarlett has a horrible track record when it comes to dating…mainly because of her family. So the thought of being free of family for six months is a dream come true. That is until Wade Hendrix enters the picture. Wade is best friends with Scarlett’s brother and he’s tasked with keeping an eye on her. Which means he keeps interrupting her dates. Little does she know he’s crazy about her, and is she starting to catch feeling for him? Great characters and a super cute story make this yet another winner. This is such a fun series. I’d like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Carina Taylor’s Clean Out of Luck.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2YY4SBU94CIW4/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I am loving the Only Magic in the Building series. Each of these books stand alone, but they are so fun when you read them together!

This is my first book by Carina Taylor. And I LOVED it! I loved the way the author wrote her characters. They were so fun and felt like they could step off the page. The plot was great. And the Serendipity....I LOVE that place. How I wish it were real.

There are so many things to love about Scarlett! I loved that she is taking control of her own life. Living on her own, and trying to find someone to fall in love with before her brother and parents come back. But...she doesn't have the best track record with picking guys.

I loved Wade. He might not have told Scarlett that he had an app tracking her on his phone. But that comes in handy when he needs to rescue her from bad dates. I loved the way he knows what she needs help with and just offers to help.

This book made me smile from beginning to end. It's just so good!

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for arc I didn’t realise it was part of a series but still read it I love Clean Out of Luck just everything a cute rom rom couldn’t put it down I loved the trope in it and romance and laugh out loud a few times it was fast paced all good feel good book now need to read the rest of the series 5 stars

2.5/5 Stars

*Recived this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review/feedback.*

I did enjoy the story, but some of the plot seemed like it went around in cycles. Yes, the FMC went on dates, and the MMC came to save the day. That's fine, but there were things with the MMC parents and how they were, and it came up multiple times when I didn't feel like it was needed to move along the story.

I also felt like the FMC and MMC didn't have a great chemistry coming off the page. Their conversations could have been more flushed out, and their conflict fell flat.

Towards the end, I felt like I didn't need to continue, like the epilogue. Yes, I had some follow-up, but I was okay without it.

I'm still giving it a 2.5 star rating as I did enjoy the story and plot, but felt lack luster in some areas of the story or some parts not need to be hyped on.

Another fun addition to the Only Magic in the Building series.

I loved the rapport between Wade and Scarlett. Brothers best friends is one of my favourite tropes, and this book has done it really well.
Wade was such an incredible and patient character. It was great that he held space for Scarlett and allowed her the time and space she needed.
I also really enjoyed the introduction of Scarletts brother Phoenix and the dynamic between all of them.
Loved the side characters, Gloria is great and always has me chuckling.
Super cute, fun read with a touch of magic.

Clean Out of Luck by Carina Taylor is another standalone book in the whimsical multi-author romantic series - Only Magic In The Building. I've been enjoying the series so far and this was not an exception. This is brother's friend/friends to lovers trope. Quite interesting, funny and cute. I've also noticed that each book has an element of healing from trauma and I love that.
ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op. All opinions expressed are mine

Absolutely amazing!!
Wade and Scarlett were so great. I loved their chemistry and banter. Scarlett humor was dry and witty, I loved every bit of it.

"Clean Out of Luck" by Carina Taylor is another wonderful installment in the "Only Magic in the Building" book collection. I really enjoyed this story about a possibly magical broom and the brother's best friend trope".

I enjoyed reading about overprotective Wade, the super handsome firefighter, and Scarlett, the girl desperately wanting to find "the one" while her very overprotective family is out of town. These two have great dialogue, especially when he crashes the many dates she goes on during the story. I also really enjoyed Wade and Phoenix's (Scarlett's brother) dialogue - they are so funny as they try to keep track of Scarlett's disastrous dates. It's refreshing for the brother to tell his best friend that he wants him to date his sister. The other characters in the story also kept me laughing as well!

I really like this small town series and each and every book has been worth reading. The apartment building, The Serendipity, and the magical realism are keeping me engaged as a reader. I look forward to reading the rest of the stories in this series. I'm so glad the authors created this series!

Thank you to the editor and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own. The book releases 4/2/25 and is well worth the read!

After a history of ill-fated relationships, Scarlett finally has the opportunity to find her true match when her entire family is out of town for an entire six months. Scarlett decides she will use this time wisely and start exploring the dating pool of Serendipity Springs. However, her older (protective) brother, Phoenix, had other plans when he left his best friend, Wade, with clear instructions to keep an eye out on Scarlett. While Wade is stepping on Scarlett's toes and infiltrating one date after another, he begins to realize that his own protective instinct towards Scarlett may not be "brotherly" in nature.

Through multiple "accidental" run-ins, Scarlett and Wade become closer and closer, offering Wade the opportunity to demonstrate his caring and compassionate nature to Scarlett. Soon enough, Scarlett begins to realize that her true match may not be found on a dating app or blind date, but nearby all along.

Unfortunately I found that the protective "big-brother" facade that Wade has over Scarlett for the majority of the book started to become over-done. At some point, it would have been nice to see more chemistry develop between Wade and Scarlett, because there was room for more! Scarlett really only divulges her feelings to the reader near the tail end of the book, which I found to be a bit disappointing. Both characters ended up causing a fair bit of frustration for me throughout the book as their actions became a bit redundant over time. Overall, this was a cute addition to the "Only Magic in the Building" series and it is worth reading if you are making your way through the series as a whole! The plot itself was enjoyable, especially if you enjoy the friends-to-lovers trope or "best friend's sibling" trope and are looking for a quick and sweet rom-com read.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing a digital ARC of "Clean Out of Luck", which is available on April 2, 2025!

This closed-door, multi-author series called Only Magic In The Building is set in Serendipity Springs, where a legendary fountain brings good fortune. A whimsical romance with light magic, it follows a matchmaking building—no spells or shifters, just charm.

I absolutely loved this book! From start to finish, Clean Out of Luck was a perfect mix of humor, tension, and heartwarming moments.

Scarlett, our introverted FMC, was so relatable—especially with her talent for rage cleaning (which was oddly satisfying to read about). And Wade? The overprotective, firefighter, brother’s best friend? Yes, please! Their chemistry was off the charts, and the will-they-won’t-they tension had me hooked.

There were so many fun elements that made this book stand out—the magical mop, the hilariously ruined dates, and those goodnight kisses that had me swooning. Plus, as a mom to a Scarlett, I loved seeing her name in the story!

If you love a strong yet reserved heroine, a protective hero who knows exactly how to push her buttons, and a romance packed with tension and laughter, this is a must-read. Highly recommend!

This was a cute & clean romance read with some magical realism mixed in there.

Scarlett lives in a historic apartment building in her small town of Serendipity Springs that is rumored to carry some magic over the years causing people to fall in love when they live there. Her parents & big brother have always been protective over her & make it hard for her to be in a relationship even well into her 20s, so when they are all out of town for 6 months she sets out to find love.

Wade is her brother’s best friend who has been tasked with checking in on her while her family is away, but little does she know he has harbored a crush on her over the years and does not want to see her dating either.

I thought this book was sweet and fun!! The pacing was a bit off in my opinion as there was little to no slow burn leaving the last stretch a little harder to get through but it was a good read :) Thanks Netgalley & Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

captivating and heartfelt romantic comedy that balances humor, personal growth, and love in a refreshingly unique way. The story follows the protagonist, who finds herself at a crossroads in life and love, navigating through unexpected challenges while trying to sort out the messiness of her world.

The story follows with Scarlett who want to find love within 6 months without interruption from her brother, but he sent his best friend to keep an eye on her including her date. also there's a magic in the building she live

The romantic aspect of the story is sweet and playful, with just the right amount of tension and chemistry between the leads. It’s a slow burn, but one that builds in a satisfying way. The dynamics between the characters are natural, and you’ll find yourself invested in their relationship by the time the book reaches its conclusion

What a fun read!! This is the first book I read of Only Magic in the Building series and now I need to go read the others!!

Oh. My. Word! The witty banter between Wade and Scarlett had me laughing out loud! They just love to get on each other’s nerves and it adds so much to the sizzling tension between them! I loved the lore of ‘magic’ that surrounds The Serendipity and how a cleaning mop brought magic to Scarlett, Wade, and even her friends Lily and Ashlyn!!

Key points of the story for me:

The witty banter
The epic first date disasters
The dual POV
Brother’s best friend
The car ride with Wade
The mop
Wade’s relationship with his friends and family

Scarlett’s brother has enlisted Wade, his best friend since childhood, to keep an eye on her while he is away for work. She now has a mission to find, date, and marry someone in 6 months so her overprotective brother doesn’t interfere. Wade has other plans and manages to interrupt her dates and sees the most embarrassing first dates ever (these dates were hilarious 🤣🤣). She is furious with Wade, he starts to back off and even promises he will not interrupt her date so she can have a good night kiss 💋 well….the date goes south and she is left with no good night kiss. A man of his word, Wade, fulfills his promise—Scarlett is left shocked and tries to suppress her feelings for Wade. He wouldn’t want his best friend’s little sister, would he?
No other date has been better than time spent with Wade…. Will they be able to get past the years of history and self doubt of what their relationship could be??

I was enthralled with this book from start to finish! Carina has such a fun writing style and I absolutely loved this book and would definitely reread it!