The found family narrative works better than the romance

Disclaimer! I got this book as an ARC from NetGalley. That has in no way influenced my review.

Sixteen years ago, Will Stirling first cast eyes on Nora Clarke and was instantly smitten. He was standing under a shaded tree, listening with a sinking heart to his mother pleading with the uncle he hadn’t even realised existed, while she was up high on a balcony, throwing little tomatoes at thieving squirrels.

Cut to the present day, when Will is an overworked doctor and has inherited his uncle’s apartment. With the exception of seeing his intriguing mystery girl in the garden, he has nothing but bad memories associated with the place and he doesn’t like the run-down building or location. The terms of his late uncle’s will states that he can’t sell the place for the first year, but he’s planning on having it modernised and put up for short-term rentals, so he can go on with his life.

Nora Clarke and the other residents of the building where Will has inherited are appalled when they realise that Will wants nothing to do with the place, and is going to use his unit as a rental. Nora is still grieving for her grandmother, whose apartment she inherited and now lives in, having barely changed a thing since her dear Nonna was alive. Having always had a safe haven in the building, and feeling a strong sense of kinship with the other long-time residents, Nora can’t understand why Will wouldn’t want to be enveloped by their quirky community. She and the other owners decide to try to sabotage Will’s efforts as much as they can.

As it turns out, of course, Nora and Will have a lot in common. Both grew up with distant and preoccupied parents, the difference was that Nora had a loving grandmother and the other residents in her Chicago apartment building. Will had no one else and was completely orphaned in his late teens. He’s used to having to fend for himself, putting himself through college and medical school through hard work and dedication. He’s never had any long-term relationships and seems frankly baffled by the many slightly off-beat traditions that the residents of his uncle’s apartment building seem attached to. He’s very attracted to Nora, though, even more so after he discovers that she is, in fact, the same person he saw on that balcony all those years ago.

Full review on my blog.