The Roommate
Ratings79
Average rating3.5
Dear main character, please learn to have more self-respect and to view yourself with more self-worth. Loser-jackasses can look like they're fine to date when you're desperate, so maybe try working on improving yourself instead of wanting to settle with whatever person comes along.
(Probably 2.5 stars, rounding down?) I was intrigued by the premise here but the writing/plot were just not as strong as I wanted them to be, unfortunately. The whole big thing about Clara's family being upper-class/socialites with a scandalous history was really underdeveloped - a lot of showing, not telling, and it never really goes anywhere. I don't think either of her parents ever appears on-page, and the book skips over any sort of reveal/confrontation with Clara's family and straight to a happy holiday dinner a couple of years later with both families, which seemed like a real cop-out after it was mentioned so often.
I also felt like both leads were really flat/underdeveloped, unfortunately. I wanted more insight into Clara and why she would go from getting a PhD and having a job lined up to trashing all that to move across the country to live with her longtime crush. Like, what? I'm not opposed to characters making big decisions that seem out of character, but give me something to work with here. Josh didn't seem to grow or change a lot either. I was thinking about what was missing from the book this morning, and I realized that neither of the main characters have friends, really - Clara works with her aunt's PR firm, and they both talk with Naomi (mostly about the project), but that's it. There's no other characters that they really talk with or vent to or anything like that, which I think makes them come off more one-dimensional. They're either alone or with each other, basically, and there's no other facets of their personality that might be shown if they interact more with other characters.
Finally, aaaaaaahh please consult a lawyer before writing a legal subplot into your romance! So the big thing is that Clara is working on the re-election campaign for the Los Angeles district attorney. She appears to be running on some type of reform platform (I think, it's not really clear), and Josh gathers a bunch of evidence about the Big Bad Porn Company committing labor law violations (wrongful termination, sexual harassment, unsafe work environment) and refusing to hire people who've worked on Josh and Clara's project. He gives all that info to the DA, she files charges just before the election, and gets re-elected, while the company and CEO are found "guilty," and Josh goes to work for the DA as an "expert witness." Everyone's happy, right? Except that's not how any of this works! Labor law violations are not criminal offenses (for the most part, but none of these are). Refusing to hire someone because they're working with a competitor isn't nice, but it's not a crime, either. The district attorney doesn't investigate stuff like this - it'd be the state Department of Labor or maybe something federal, but sure as hell not the county DA. If the company was found "guilty" (not the term but okay), there would be fines, not jail/prison time. Expert witnesses don't work for the district attorney's office - for obvious reasons, it's a huge fucking conflict of interest, any competent defense attorney would tear them apart. Experts have to be independent so they don't torpedo their credibility. (Also expert witnesses need actual expertise in things like psychiatry/law/medicine.) She could maybe have meant a victim advocate, because DA's offices do employ those, but that's extremely different from an expert witness. None of that probably matters too much to anyone who's not an attorney, but it honestly just took me out of the last quarter or so of the book, and it wouldn't have been hard at all to run by a lawyer and change up. Just sloppy and no need for it to be.
Also, this book needed more Naomi.
WOOF. I couldn't identify with the female lead cause she's a rich white girl with poor decision making skills. JOSH HOWEVER was a great character and he's a sweet precious baby who should be protected at all costs.
3.5 stars. I requested THE ROOMMATE by Rosie Danan on NG as soon as I saw @squibblesreads mention it on Instagram. Let's start off with this is a white cishet relationship.
Ok, the good:
+ Sex positivity/normalization of female sexuality
+ Josh makes a very charming and heartwarming male MC
+ Interesting side characters (please tell me there's a companion book in the works focused on Naomi)
The meh:
- Clara, the female MC, is a WASPy socialite. This trope is so damn old and no one cares about rich white women anymore
- The subplot about her other job and the conflict around that seemed so painfully obvious
- I'm done with the whole “women can't drive” thing (even if the female MC grew up in NYC)
This book is VERY open door steamy so if you prefer chaste or closed door, I'd skip this one. The sex scenes were great in this book but a lot of the plot fell flat for me.
Thanks, NetGalley and Berkley Romance, for the digital ARC!
Received an E-ARC of this book on #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 ⭐
This debut novel by Rosie Danan involves rich socialite Clara Wheaton moving across the country to be with her long time crush/friend, Everett, and him ditching her within the first couple of pages leaving her in the care of his Craiglist subletter....famous porn star Josh Darling.
This book, while pleasurable, was not quite what I expected. While it is amusing and they had good sex, the book was not as funny or sexy as I thought it would be.
I wanted a bit more sexy and romantic and funny and while some moments were delivered, I wanted more.
I'm hoping with the fact that it has been optioned to a film that they will be able to round it out on the screen.
Clara is a bit of a dud? Her character wasn't fleshed out enough to me as her own person. I didn't truly believe that she had done any real growth in this book aside from shifting her star from her non-requited romance with Everett to a sexy good time with Josh.
Josh was very interested in consent and pleasure which was very wonderful. He seemed a much more rounded out figure.
I didn't quite feel the chemistry between them though. I don't really know why Josh would want to be with her but they got together in the end so go them.
The ending didn't really connect with me but I was pleased that it was a resolved Happy Ending.
All in all, it was a good first novel and I look forward to seeing what else the author does.
This was a wonderfully delightful read. It had the perfect amount of tension between the main characters, little drama, and great banter. The ending was a bit rushed but otherwise, I really enjoyed this.
That was cute and fun. Even third act break up was reasonable and not simply a miscommunication. There were a lot of character development, but in the end it was a bit too fast for my taste. Otherwise it is a great book.
Josh Darling made this book for me.
He's my new book boyfriend.
I love a hero with a macho exterior but a marshmallow core and his insecurities were so believable.
Such fun seeing this couple get their happily ever after.
I absolutely adored this book.
The characters had some of the best chemistry I've ever read and it translated over so well to the smut. And can I just say this book was hella smutty and I loved every second of it. I loved Josh so much and he's one of the best characters I've ever read. Clara wasn't my favorite because I thought she was a bit flat and her only personality was being rich but not wanting to have that privledge. I overlooked that a bit tho because I enjoyed the dynamic between the two characters so much.
The thing I really loved about this book is how it discussed how society basically shames women for wanting any type of sexual pleasure and also looks down upon sex workers. It worked against both of those stigmas actively and I completely agree with those themes. It's honestly what made me enjoy the book so much because I don't usually like plain contemporary romance as much. It always needs to have that little extra bit for me. The smut and the societal commentary really did that for me.
I also actually listened along with the audiobook for this and the male narrator is phenomenal. I now want to read every single thing Teddy Washington has narratored (and trust me there's a lot). So if you're specific with your narrators, I think this audiobook is quite good.
Overall I would really recommend this for anybody looking for a fun, quick read that also discusses important topics!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, Rosie Danan, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
”Loving you is like sinking into a warm bath after a lifetime of feeling cold down to my bones.”
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this book.
This was nothing like how I expected going into this. On the surface, it could appear as spicy or raunchy but I saw this book as incredibly empowering.
Sex is often viewed as taboo, especially when it comes to female pleasure or their enjoyment of it in general. Reading about women reclaiming their bodies and their pleasures was such a highlight for me.
Sex positivity should be more broadcasted, especially in media such as television shows or books such as this so that people can learn to embrace it. It has always frustrated me that women have been ridiculed for having sex but men have always been praised for it. It's 2023 and that needs to change! I am so happy that this book portrayed that positively and actively encouraged it.
I would've loved it if Clara and Josh's characters developed individually as much as they had together. There was an issue that I had brought up in my review of It Happened One Sunmer where conflict revolving around the main character's family is often mentioned but never actually resolved or brought to attention. I felt like the same could be said for this book and it's just an example of what would've made this book a five-star read for me.
To speak on what I loved about Clara and Josh together, I enjoyed that they always had one another's back and they always made it a point to validate one another's feelings.
I can see myself revisiting this in the future.
For a novel about sex work the sex scenes were awkward and felt misplaced. A couple of cute scenes and moments but otherwise it did not hold up.
you know, if i just completely ignore the fact that I despise the porn industry and liberal feminism I might give this +1 star
Female please is rooted in so much shame and embarrassment and this book was so good at showing that while still transforming it into a sex positive novel with extremely lovable character's!
Merged review:
Female please is rooted in so much shame and embarrassment and this book was so good at showing that while still transforming it into a sex positive novel with extremely lovable character's!
It was a different kind of romance, sort of unexpected but intriguing. I liked the way they tried to change objectification of women and how clara owned up who she wanted to be. The book in a way was enlightening but also lighthearted. I liked it. However, it was not good enough to earn 5 stars.
In this romance, a woman moves across the country to spend the summer with the friend she secretly loves, only to find he is leaving on tour and has rented his room out to a stranger. Things get interesting when she discovers her new roommate is a porn star.
This is a fun book to read. The two main characters, Clara and Josh, have great chemistry. Reading about their flirtations is very entertaining. There are a few steamy scenes, but I enjoyed the development of their friendship the most.
The plot is pure fantasy. I didn't find it to be a very believable situation; however, I still enjoyed the read. I just had to remind myself that this kind of story isn't meant to be realistic.
Overall, it's an entertaining read that I would recommend for those looking to escape into a steamy romantic fantasy.
Picked up the book after seeing it appear as a recommendation. And while the cover lets you think it'll be your typical rom-com lighthearted book, the text is definitely much hotter than that.
Personally, I've been reading a lot at work when I don't have much to do, and I will say I am very glad none of my coworkers know English, because the smut is definitely nsfw
i liked how the sexual tension were written. i actually enjoyed it even though sometimes there are scenes where i feel like im reading a cliche start of a porn film.
i like the dialogue and the overall writing style. it was easy to understood and easy on the eyes to read as well.
i just don't like the actual sex scenes. the tension and foreplay scenes are great but it the sex part was a bit anticlimactic for me...
also, i was a bit annoyed at clara during the argument on the last chapters because idk, she acts like a baby. but this is not something that affects my perception of the book. i still like it
This book gives a very interesting insight on the porn industry.
Also, Clara and Josh are the cutest!
Stars purely for effort. The whole setting is not only cliche, it's a poorly formulated one. For instance, the family who's so controlling for the 28 year old virgin she had never strayed far - but hasn't shown up once in the time she comes to ny, despite all the flimsy excuses. The porn star who's more of a sweet gentleman than most people and managed to annoy nobody in his whole life. Wouldn't waste my time if I were you.