Romance novels can be hit or miss. I loved this one. The characters are well fleshed out and realistic. This is such a cute story!

Received in exchange for a honest review

This book is a hoot. It is so fun with just the right amount of miscommunication and angst that isn’t really angst.

The story is one where Calvin is a great talent and Holland has a crush. She is trying to figure out her life. Not sure what to do with her life and where she belongs, she works for her uncle in the theatre. One day a musician quits and Holland thinks of Calvin. Calvin who saved her on the subway but walked away having the police think something different than what happened.

So her and the uncle are off to the subway to hear Calvin and he is wowed. Only Calvin has a problem. He is in the country illegally much to the dismay of her uncle. But wait. Holland decides to marry him so he can get a chance to play and she helps her uncle at the same time. What transpires from there is so entertaining and sweet.

Calvin is a great guy. He is honest and real. Confused by Holland at times but real. He sees how Holland is and believes in her even when she doesn’t believe in herself. He also helps her find her passion again unbeknownst to her. Their attraction is its own entity. As they learn about one another there are bumps along the way. Miscommunication occurs and Holland’s insecurities do come into play at some point. She feels that Calvin is too good to be true and when he makes mistakes they play into her fear. She also has little self worth at this point. She is a selfless girl who is just trying to figure herself and her world out. She loves Calvin and doesn’t believe he could feel the same because he is so successful and gorgeous. Calvin never does anything to let her feel this way. In fact you can see he is the opposite. He is supportive, loving and interested in her opinion and thoughts. He trust her and hold her in high regard especially when it comes to his playing and how he can improve. He does make some big mistakes but fixes them It is Holland who chooses to go off to find herself and Calvin who chooses to wait. Even with that Holland does some silly things. She doesn’t talk to him and misconstrues things. She learns the truth but it is almost to late.

The story is fun and entertaining. These two are adorable and will capture you right away. Holland’s friend at first you are wary but what she continuously does really is hurtful and you cheer when Holland makes some tough choices. some of them you groan at but most you cheer. As Holland learns about herself she gains confidence and learns where she is meant to be. Her uncles are awesome as well. Overall the story is fun and entertaining where the characters and their story capture you from the beginning and don’t let you go.

This was my first Christina Lauren book and oh my gosh. I could not put Roomies down.

I loved Holland and her story. Her uncles, Robert and Jeff, brother, Davis were wonderful supporting characters. But my love truly lies with Calvin. He was just so damn swoon-worthy. Holland and Calvin together were spectacular.

I loved watching Holland grow into the person she was meant to be. While some of the choices she made had me frustrated, there were also times when I could feel her anguish and was heartbroken right along with her.

Stumbling upon one of the greatest musicians she has ever heard, Holland becomes a bit consumed in learning more about this subway performer. An intriguing man that clearly knows how to strum a tune that is truly unforgettable. Holland can’t quite work up the nerve to introduce herself, but fate steps in and lends her an unexpected hand when a horrible situation presents itself.

With an unexpected ‘connection’ drawing Holland and Calvin together, the two seem to cross paths a bit more frequently. Holland still wants to learn more about the Irish hunk that she can’t quite get out of her mind. With her family in the throws of Broadway, Holland has the bright idea to introduce her uncle to Calvin. Little did she know, that one meeting would change Holland’s life in a HUGE way.

With Calvin in the country illegally and a job offer that is too good to pass up, Holland proposes the two have a wedding of convenience. An offer that will change Holland’s world in the most unexpected of ways. As the two learn how to be friends, Calvin’s career skyrockets. Plunging the duo into the limelight whether they want it or not. With immigration looming around their ‘marriage’, Holland and Calvin slowly discover that life together may not be so bad after all. What the two must face in addition to life surrounded by Broadway fame is the stark fact that their pretending to be wed is starting to feel a lot more like a ‘real’ marriage.

Music….its amazing that this passion can lead to a marriage of convenience like it did for Holland and Calvin. Both surround their lives with ‘song’, but neither has quite achieved the realm of their dreams. This Irish brogue and assistant to the world of Broadway find themselves learning about the nuances of life under scrutiny. While their marriage started out as a way for Calvin to work while gaining legal status, Holland discovers her heart hasn’t quite caught up to her mind. This novel delves into the after effects of what happens when your ‘real’ life is affected by those choices.

Roomies started out a bit slow for me. Not in a negative way, it just drug on a bit while laying the ground work for the plot of the story. The premise of this tale centers around the attraction that Holland has had for Calvin and the way their lives have intersected. A romantic story that will captivate you by the sweetness, and entice you with the really hot encounters. The last 25% of the book was probably the most engaging. It was the unfolding of where the consequences of the decision to wed finally came to a dramatic explosion. You will not be able to help loving Calvin and Holland!!

**4.5 Stars**

A slow-burner of a romance, Roomies was intensely romantic and swoon-worthy. The aspect of marriage of convenience set out the right amount of tension for Christina Lauren to draw off of, building a satisfying and full connection between Calvin and Holland. With their signature flare for romance in full effect, their tale is one steady burn from beginning to end.

With the subdued heroine who struggles to find her purpose and the Irish immigrant who struggles to find a break, it was an oddly enjoyable mix of personalities forced to be in close quarters. Though it's not like their Beautiful series, a bit less sexy than those, there was still a distinct CLo feel in how the romance beautifully escalated. The flow of the story was easy to follow, the story intriguing, and the characters irresistible. The growing feelings and sexual tension felt like a seductive wisp of smoke, swirling and intertwining and beguiling as it danced between them. While it didn't have that classic CLo spark, there was still more than enough to be captivated by.

Roomies was a beautiful love story. The growth of each character, the raw vulnerability in which they were able to bring themselves to, made it impossible to not feel them come alive under the page. There's something beyond magical that sparks between these two, in finding their purposes in life, that talent they've always had, all because love, for another and self, has a way of showing the path to unleashing it. Truly a read to fall in love with, one that will warm your heart and make you smile.

I finished this book in 1 sitting over just a few hours and my heart is all happy and giddy. Holland and Calvin have all of me right now, I'm so enamored with their story. It's a slow delicious burn and you enjoy every sizzle it offers. Calvin is swoon worthy from the very beginning and the story never fell. It went on and on and on! There was a lot of growth from both characters that had me smiling through certain events, as if I was so proud of them! I was genuinely happy while reading this book. "From subway to Broadway to happily ever after" is pretty much exactly how it goes. What I like the most about the story was that even though it was pretty light throughout the whole thing, there were plenty of moments that squeezed my heart and had me holding my breath. Like my heart was hurting too, and I just wanted things to be okay for them. I was even happy with the ending, it ended just right. Holland's best friend was such a turn off, I hated her! ha. I'm glad Holland found self worth and grew from that relationship. I am so glad that I pushed passed the first 15%.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
I made a rookie mistake when I began reading Roomies. I decided I’d read a few chapters before bed and then spend the next day finishing it. Nope. That’s not what happened. I got sucked into the story and was up until 4 am, unable to put the book down because I had to know how Holland and Calvin got to their happily ever after. I had to know whether or not Holland found her muse. I had to know if Calvin was as good of a guy as he seemed to be. I had to know how their story played out. See. Rookie Mistake. But it was sooooo worth it.

You know how a good romcom will have you laughing out loud repeatedly? While Roomies certainly had its fair share of laugh out loud moments, there were actually a couple of scenes that had me cackling. Not a giggle, not a guffaw, but a full-fledged cackle. Yep, that’s how much I enjoyed Holland and Calvin’s antics. Not surprisingly, their journey wasn’t smooth sailing. Then again, when you get married in an effort to defraud the U.S. government so that an illegal immigrant can remain in the country so that he can play guitar in your uncle’s Broadway show, there’s absolutely no way that’s going to go well. Fortunately for the reader, Christina Lauren took full advantage of the tangled web Holland and Calvin attempted to weave to put the couple through the ringer in order to earn their happy ending. Some of the obstacles were expected – we are talking about a green card marriage here – and some were not, but all were fun to watch play out… except when my heart was breaking for the couple because Holland was full of so much self-doubt that she couldn't trust in herself or Calvin. In fact, I found myself getting annoyed by Holland’s questioning of Calvin’s motives several times. It was as if she forgot that she was the one who proposed the arrangement to him. I had to keep reminding myself that her logic flew right out the window the more she fell for him. And boy, did she fall hard. Thankfully, she finally realized that the fall was mutual, and I was able to put my box of tissues away – yes, this romcom caused me to shed a few tears, but the really good ones usually do.

While I adored Holland’s family, especially her uncles, I detested her best friend. Lulu is the reason the phrase “With friends like that, who needs enemies.” exists. I was so glad that Calvin was able to chip away at that particular pair of rose-colored glasses Holland was wearing so that she could see Lulu for who she really was. I will warn readers that, for me, the ending felt abrupt. Once I stepped back for a few minutes, I realized that it wasn’t a case of the story being cut short or rushing to the ending, but rather that I wasn’t ready to part from Holland and Calvin’s company. I wanted to read about the next step in their relationship. And the next. And the next. And the next. I wanted to see if their happy ending was for now or for ever after. Sadly, Roomies is not listed as being the first book in a new series, so I’ll just have to imagine their happily ever after on my own – and I’m perfectly okay with that option. As expected, Roomies was another delightful read from the writing duo of Christina Lauren that left me both entertained and looking forward to their next release.

Christina Lauren’s Roomies swept me up in their new adult romance. This is my new FAVORITE of theirs. It was witty, funny, and was just so good! In New York, Holland has a favorite subway stop and that’s because of Calvin. Watching him play is one of her favorite things, even if it’s slightly stalkerish. That comes to a screeching halt when she’s attacked on the subway and Calvin rescues her. Her crush is now front and center and that’s where it all begins.

But discovering Calvin is just the tip of the iceberg. His talent IS otherworldly so when she learns his student visa is expired, she quickly decides to do what she can to make sure he stays. That means she marries him.

Holland’s story particularly resonated with me. She’s 25 looking for her place in the world after graduating with two degrees that are quickly gathering dust. Her journey of self-discovery is what makes the book for me. She’s the supporting character of her own story but she’s gaining ground on how to become her own protagonist. It’s a sweet journey made all the better by Calvin.

Holland and Calvin were supposed to be a marriage of convenience. This was never in her plans but it may just pay off in the greatest way possible. It’s a slow start for romance, they don’t know each other but are thrown into this relationship Their awkward start was hilarious but as their chemistry ramped up, so did the heat.

There were plenty of scenes that pulled at my heartstrings with precise angst and romance. The pace of the book was great and I devoured this in one sitting. However, I was unsatisfied with the ending, I have so many things I need to know! But, if you’re a fan of marriages of conveniences, awkward romances and witty dialogue, make sure to check out Roomies.

After reading and/or being encouraged to read far too many thrillers and dysfunctional family melodramas, ROOMIES cover of the NYC skyline caught my eye. The description of the setting sounded refreshing and the first page -- in Holland's mind and "Jack''s" boot -- captured my heart.

This was adorable, funny, bittersweet, profound, and sexy. And, yes, I even laughed out loud. ROOMIES was exactly what I needed to ease myself back into my regular reading habit. I imagined it as a TV series but decided somehow some way, someone would ruin its genuine feel by "putting it over the top".

Thank you for allowing me to read this title. I adored Holland and Calvin and still find myself missing them.

This romance had a lot going on and I loved every moment of it. Holland loves everything about music. She knows talent when she hears it and she has found that in subway entertainer, Calvin. Deciding to help make his dreams come true, Holland offers Calvin a place in her uncle's musical and he becomes the toast of the town. With all eyes on Calvin, its not long before immigration catches up to him and his expired visa. Holland, being the amazing woman that she is, offers to marry him to keep him in the country. What a girl!! These two move quickly from acquaintances to friends then lovers who manage to convince everyone of their feelings but shy away from admitting it to themselves. This is my favorite genre. The forced to marry romance that starts out bumpy but finds its way to love. This story was dreamy and charming in the best way. The characters were fun and imaginative.

4.5 Stars
This writing duo is back with the perfect romance in the most unlikely places. This is easily my favorite book by Christina Lauren.

This is a story about a marriage of convenience and told all in Holland’s point of view. She doesn’t have her stuff together but she trying to figure it out. I loved her character and couldn’t help but to root for her the entire book. She has a crush on a guy she goes to the subway to hear play the guitar.

Calvin’s love is music and he plays the guitar in the subway. He is a worthy crush you can’t help but to like. He is offered the opportunity of a lifetime but isn’t sure he is going to be able to take it.


I absolutely loved this book and all the characters. Holland’s uncles were the perfect secondary characters. This book will make you laugh and pull at your heart.

I am a recent fan of Christina Lauren, having just recently read Autoboyography and two of the "Beautiful" books, and this is my fourth.

The book starts out really slow, taking a couple chapters before Holland truly meets Calvin. In the beginning he is her crush, someone she innocently stalks to get her weekly fix of his good looks and fantastic guitar music. When her uncle needs to replace an orchestra soloist in his Broadway show, Calvin is the first person Holland thinks of. The only dilemma is that he is I'm the country illegally. The only solution, a marriage of convenience. But this isn't the only lie between them and their relationship may not survive the mistrust.

While the book does start a little slow, I appreciate that they learn to like each other before it evolves into a physical relationship. There were a couple of loose ends, like her cast and his family that didn't quite get resolved in the story. However, Calvin is sweet and serious in his desire to make Holland's sacrifice worth it for her. I love her uncles. They are probably the best thing in the book. The theater aspect makes me long for New York. And the marriage of convenience turned friendship turned love was a fun read.

I'm so happy to see Christina Lauren take on new types of characters. This was well plotted and the characters Holland and Calvin had such depth and emotion that it pulled you into their tale. A new, better romance!

ROOMIES

You know how you meet someone and you instantly like them and want to be friends with them but if someone were to ask you why, you wouldn’t be able to give them reasons. Maybe it’s just because you can tell that they are good people? Well, it’s one of my favorite feelings and somehow Christina Lauren have managed to translate this feeling in just the first few chapter of this book. I’m unbelievable giddy about Holland and Calvin but I couldn’t pinpoint anything in particular that makes them stand above and beyond other fictional characters. They just do.

How do you write a review about a book that felt like it was about nothing but everything all at once? It feels wrong to say that the way I feel about Holland and Calvin is just about exactly how Holland felt about herself in this book. When trying to break down my thoughts for my review, the only remarkable thing that stands out about this story is the music and Calvin’s Broadway success, but to pretend that the story as a whole wasn’t remarkable is laughable at the very least.

I’m can’t be sure if I fell in love with Calvin and his music on my own or if I fell in love through the eyes of Holland and everything she saw IN him and felt FOR him. The real romance in the story didn’t come from watching Calvin and Holland fall in love but rather from the way that Christina Lauren were able to make me FEEL in love with them falling.

Why did I cry so much? Why could I feel my heart swooning so hard? How was it possible that I felt the same pain, the same passion, the same sadness and the same joy as them? I’ll tell you. It’s through pure, unadulterated, brilliant-fucking-fantastic writing. Honestly, you don’t need to know anything more, just go buy the book and read it already!

4 “Shipping the fake married couple” Stars

ARC via NetGalley

Thank you, Gallery Books!!!

Dude, this was SOOOOOO good! Roomies is hands down my favorite Christina Lauren’s book, and one of my favorite contemporary romance reads of the year.

I’m a sucker for a good fake relationship/marry for a visa trope, and this is probably one of the best stories about that trope I’ve read in a long time. I loved so many things about Holland and Calvin’s love story.

First, I loved Calvin. The whole sexy musician/cute Irish accent thing was doing it for me. Big time. I think I pretty much swooned every time he said something Holland perceived as Irish-y, which was almost all the time and that was fine with me. The fact that Calvin played his guitar as if he was making love to his music didn’t hurt his case, either. I think I had a crush on him as big as the one Holland did even before I got to know him well. And then he turned out to be respectful, adorable and funny, and I was a goner. Come play for me, Calvin!

I also really, really liked Holland. I was more than pleased with the single POV here and that’s because Holland was such an entertaining character to follow. She had a great sense of humor without being over the top, and her struggles felt authentic. Like Holland, I’ve looked at my life and wondered what I was doing, felt disappointed in myself for my lack of focus and/or motivation, wondered if I was ever going to achieve my dreams. Holland’s going through that phase, and I liked how her struggle was portrayed in realistic, non-overdramatic way.

The fact that I like both Holland and Calvin made it only easier to ship them as a couple. And I shipped them hard.

“My phone lights up with a single text: And I despite every night I go to sleep without you.”

The whole let’s going to get fake married so you can get a visa and do what you love while I help the people I loved worked really well here because: 1) Calvin and Holland had good chemistry from the start; 2) Like Holland, the pretending to be flirting and in love got my feelings all mixed up in a great way; 3) they both had great motivations to get into this deal.

Holland’s relationship with her uncles was one of my favorite things about this book. I LOVED so many of their scenes together, and they were not only adorable and cute, but also funny AF. The table/birthday scene was hilarious. In fact, this book made me laugh quite a lot.

Calvin and Holland’s passion for music, writing and Broadway also played a huge part in this story, and it all felt cohesive. I don’t know as much about Broadway as I wish I did, but I always seem to enjoy books centered in this world. Roomies was no exception.

As you can see, this book truly worked for me. Having said that, there were a few things I wished had been different, mainly the Lulu subplot (felt a little like girl on girl hate with the jealousy thing), the breakup (I couldn’t fully get behind Holland there, because I thought she overreacted a bit) and the “almost fade to black” sexy scenes (with all that tension building, I expected more).

Those things aside, I’m super, super thankful I got my hands on an early copy of this book and I can’t wait for everyone to read it and love it as well.

*Amazon review live*

This is an absolutely fabulous book! The characters come completely alive on the pages-full of so much believable emotions. The writing is beyond superb; one can actually feel the descriptions of the music, of the settings, of the creation of a relationship. I am very much anticipating reading other offerings by Ms. Lauren.
Holland Bakker lives in Manhattan supported by her doting uncles. Her Uncle Robert has a very successful play on Broadway and she works as one of the lowly stage assistants. Holland stumbled upon a street musician, a guitarist, who plays movingly at a subway. Unable to get away from his lilting and beautiful music, she detours by him everyday just to hear him play. She finally gathers the nerve to speak to him after six months. He is Calvin, form Ireland and more handsome that she had imagined.
When her uncle’s play desperately needs a new musical talent to accompany the new lead, Holland mentions Calvin and takes Robert to hear him. Robert offers Calvin the job but Calvin has a huge problem: expired visa. From this point, the story weaves a tale of a relationship based on need woven with a growing, hidden love complicating things at every turn.

4.5 Stars

I will read anything from these authors. They guarantee a fantastic, sexy and sweet read every time. And Roomies is another hit!

I love Holland Bakker's character. She's awkwardly awesome. Holland has been floating around in life trying to figure out what she wants to do. She has a great support system from family, but Holland is still missing her passion. One thing Holland does know is that she is enamored by the handsome musician in the subway. For months, she's listened and watched Calvin from afar.

Calvin McLoughlin notices Holland and when an opportunity comes up for an audition to one of the biggest musical, he jumps on it. He woes everybody, but when he's offered the job there's one problem. He legally can't work in the States. And when Holland proposes a to wed the Irishman, it all changes for the both. Not only does Calvin get his dream job, but lines start to blur with Holland.

Roomies is a sweet, funny and romantic coming to age book.

Calvin and Holland have a very unusual start and I think that made the story all the more fun. I enjoyed Holland a lot and liked her journey through out the story. I did like Calvin, but not as much. He doesn't always handle things the best and doesn't really express it right. I was super into the story line and just felt the emotions from Holland. I felt like there needed to be a couple more chapters at the end, it felt rushed to me and I was left wanting more of a wrap up and better resolution.

I had high hopes for Roomies and while I liked the story, I didn’t love it.

You get the gist of the overall story from the description, so I won’t rehash it here. I think this is a case where the story would’ve benefited from a dual POV because my biggest issue was that I wasn’t sure that Calvin wanted Holland like she wanted him for much of the book. It felt very one-sided to me, I knew Holland was crazy about Calvin, but didn’t feel it on his end. If we would’ve had Calvin’s POV maybe I would’ve felt differently? Who knows. I didn’t feel much chemistry between them, and they didn’t even get together until well over <spoiler>the 60% mark</spoiler>. Until then, I wasn’t sure Calvin was even attracted to Holland.

Holland’s self-doubt and insecurities kind of tainted the story for me as well, because I didn’t see any evidence to the contrary. She didn’t start believing in herself until the very end. Holland kept wondering why someone like Calvin, talented and amazing, would want to be with her besides the benefit of a green card. I didn’t feel a magnetic pull between them, so I kind of wondered the same thing. This is a romance, so it all worked out, but I still feel a bit underwhelmed by the whole thing. I’m in the minority with my reaction, so who knows, maybe it was just me.