Then her eccentric landlady takes a tumble and asks Mona to step in as the building’s reluctant super. The deal is simple: help prep the place for sale, and she can secure the upgrade she’s been chasing. But that’s easier said than done when the neighbors treat “boundaries” as optional. There’s the shouting couple, the mysterious shut-in, a possible panty thief in the laundry room—and Sami, the relentlessly cheerful diner owner who keeps showing up with coffee and unsolicited ideas about community. As Mona gets pulled deeper into the building’s chaos—and closer to the people inside it—she’s forced to confront what, and who, she’s really been trying to outrun. Sometimes, the place you’re desperate to leave is the one that finally shows you who you are. (Pub Date: Aug 11 2026)
Mona hasn't properly grieved the loss of her father. Then again, she had been gradually losing him for years to his bad habits, so now that he's gone, she still isn't sure how to deal with it—other than by throwing herself into work to secure the promotion that will finally let her afford a decent apartment. But everything snowballs to the point that it ruins an important meeting, and her boss puts her on mandatory leave. The snowballing continues until she nearly sets her apartment building on fire.To redeem herself, she offers to help her landlady run the place while the woman is out of commission. She also secretly agrees to help the landlady's niece sell the building. Ironically, that's how Mona starts falling in love with this weird place and its even weirder residents.
I don't usually compare authors, but I've been mourning the loss of Sophie Kinsella and her yearly fun releases, and I have to say: this book is a solid contender, and even better than some of Kinsella's. If you were a fan of hers, just pick this one up. You'll love it!
Sure, it wasn't a perfect read (is any book, really?), and I was anxious about how obviously doomed Mona's plans were from the start. The plot is definitely predictable. But surprisingly, it avoids a major genre pet peeve of mine: the inevitable Third-Act Miscommunication. The one where characters refuse to hear each other out, have a giant explosive fight, and break up over something easily fixable? I always roll my eyes when I feel it's coming. Here, the characters actually talk. There were several moments where I braced for the cliché, but they actually communicated instead. They do still have a falling out during the climax (although they do talk about it and try to listen to each other), but it felt so much more realistic and earned the book points with me.
Another plus: despite having a large cast of eccentric neighbors, as we have to meet everyone in the building, after all, it never felt overwhelming. I can actually remember their names, which is a huge deal for me since I'm usually terrible with character names!
Where the book fell short for me was its scale; I just wanted it to go bigger. It's got likeable characters and relatable themes, but I needed that something else to happen. There was no unexpected twist or jaw-dropping moment that made me think, "I can't believe the author actually did that!" Even the romance played it strictly by the book. The big climax, where everything is supposed to go down, was something you could see coming miles away because the entire plot was obviously driving toward it. So while it's a cozy, fun read, I hoped it had pushed more.
All in all, it's a 3.5 out of 5 stars for me. It's the perfect pick if you're in the mood for a fun but warm-hearted story with quirky characters, you'll have a great time!
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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