This is. a cute feel-good rom-com and I enjoyed it for what it was. It did remind me a little of a wattpad book, but other than that I enjoyed it.

Unputdownable. Totally unique from other romance concepts I’ve read. I can’t stop thinking about Josh and Clara. This is one that creeps into your heart and won’t let go.

THE ROOMMATE is fresh, funny, and smart about the adult entertainment industry with a little Upper West Side posh, fish-out-of-water, and coming into your own power for good measure. If you’re looking for a fun romance that makes you question your own fears and shamed about your body and about porn, this is it.

My favourite thing about The Roommate, aside from the incredibly sexy sex scenes, is that these people are just so damn normal. Like, their dialogue is not heightened like other romances I’ve read. They’re just normal, twenty-somethings who watch action movies, eat pizza and, oh yeah, there’s a porn star and an Upper West Side rich girl, but they are still totally normal. And it’s just refreshing to see people who are kind of like you step it up and step into their selves. This is definitely a book about self-discovery, but it’s just couched in this incredibly unique situation of unrequited love, the adult entertainment industry, and politics, of all things. It goes left when you think it will go right and damn, that is hard to do in a romance.

So yeah, I’m putting this one on your radar as the Romance to Read This Fall. And seriously, watch out for Rosie Danan. This may be a debut, but it’s bold and confident, and I only expect the next book to be better.

Thank you Penguin Random House International for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Roommate is on my wish list this year and I'm glad I've finally read it! First of all, its cover is deceiving. I assumed this is a whole cute and fluffy story but it's unexpectedly STEAMY. I swooned and let me just savor the moment as I rave this book. 💖😭 I love it so much.

Clara Wheaton is a rich, demure, and smart woman. She defies her family by moving to L.A. for her childhood crush Everett hoping he'll see her more than just a friend. It's an unrequited love. Aside from this, she's still navigating her life. When he left her on his doorstep, she meets his roommate Josh Darling, who is an adult performer.

Clara and Josh are fascinating characters.You'll instantly recognize the spark between them and I love how natural it felt and the sexual between them flares. OH. MY. GOSH. I love their friendship started which makes the intimacy more authentic and sexier. I can't help gushing in the middle of the night and it's quite a slow burn. I swear, the characters have an AMAZING chemistry and I ship them so hard.

The best part of this book is Clara and Josh's character developments. They unapologetically shown their awkwardness and flaws. I love their quirks, intimate moments, flaws and all. As much as they hate confrontations, I love how they bravely stood up for themselves instead of saving each other. It was freeing for both of them and it makes me proud.

Side note: Naomi intrigued me. She's Josh's ex-girlfriend and fellow porn star. She has a strong personality and it's okay you might find her a little intimidating. I'm excited for her book which will be released next year.

To conclude this review, I have to say The Roommate is an outstanding debut novel. It went beyond my expectations and I enjoyed it so much. I'd like to thank my good friend Nick @ Infinite Limits of Love for recommending this book to me. Check out her review here. 💖

THE 411..
This sex positive story about two people who unexpectedly end up being roommates was a fun page turner. Clara has followed her childhood best friend in a move across country in a case of unrequited love. When they get there, her BFF gets notice of his band landing a gig and leaves her his apartment. There she meets Josh, the roommate she didn’t sign up for. Clara comes from a wealthy Manhattan family, her entire life goal has been to stay out of the rumor mill. After a few scandals she’s seen her mother weather, she doesn’t want to be a cause for more. This is why she decides to tough it out & not go running back home. Josh is pretty chill, described as a dreamy Zac Morris from Saved by the Bell type. He’s the polar opposite of Clara who comes across a bit uptight. There’s undeniable attraction when they first meet but a simple google search leaves Clara wide eyed. Josh works in the sex industry and is exactly the publicity Clara is trying to stay far away from however, running back to NYC just isn’t an option. Clara knows that would be the easiest route to take but in doing so, she’d be proving to her family that she’s driven by impulse and emotion. The family who has already cast aside her aunt as the black sheep of the family for a very public affair. Instead, Clara decides to indulge in her curiosity by sticking round and getting to know him a bit better.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...
I appreciated the discussion on the sex industry, specifically the negative stigma society has placed on sex workers. Also, LOVED the positive discussion on the female orgasm as well as body exploration through self pleasure. Although Clara and Josh come from very different backgrounds, they both feel passionately that women deserve better sex. We follow them as they join together to bring sexual awareness & empowerment to women by using their individual talents and knowledge. The chemistry is wicked intense, the steamy scenes are a 10 because Josh clearly appreciates and understand the female body. He’s super respectful while also confident and smooth which in turn helped Clara feel more at ease and step into her own power. We also get an inside look to the trash treatment many sex workers get in the industry and the fact that many of it isn’t talked about. Society has already deemed their profession something to look down on which makes it just as hard to want to speak up. One of my fave characters Naomi Grant who is an ex of Josh, has managed to get control of her narrative as a sex worker. She embodies confidence and body positivity but like Josh, is one of the few who have learned the ropes well enough to not let anyone low ball them. Relationships are also discussed since its is something many outsiders have wondered about…can a sex worker manage to have a successful relationship? I’d say the verdict is still out on that with it depending on the individual because at the start of it all Josh is having relationship/trust issues. If you’re looking for a read that offers a perspective we don’t often see, The Roommate delivers while also keeping it fun and sexy!

I won this book from Berkeley Romance. Thank you! This book was sexy, sassy and humorous at times. I loved how two totally opposite characters can meet and possibly make a go of it. Can’t wait to see what Rosie Danan writes next!

I think I went into this one with too high expectations. It was cringey in parts especially the end and I just didn’t buy it. Clara is as obnoxious and Josh was so unrealistic.

SUMMARY:
Clara Wheaton is part of a very wealthy family from Greenwich. Her family cares a lot about their image and has been known to cut off family members in the midst of a scandal. Clara just got her doctorate and is geared up to begin a promising career, when she decides to give it all up to move to LA and live with her family friend and lifelong crush, Everett, in hopes that he will fall for her too. She packs up and moves across the country, only to find out that Everett is going on tour with his band and has rented out his room to someone he found on Craig’s List. Clara now has no job, no friends, and a complete stranger for a roommate. She quickly notices that her roommate, Josh, is recognizable to the public. She looks him up online and realizes she may be living the biggest scandal her family has seen yet.

REVIEW:
I went into reading this book not knowing anything about the plot, just that I kept seeing great reviews everywhere. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this book surprised me throughout. It is a quick, easy read and I feel like I came out of it with an unexpected new favorite.

Clara is in the middle of a crossroads in her life. She has always felt like she has to live this perfect life with a perfect reputation because her family has always put that pressure on her. She decides to risk everything by moving to LA to chase after the boy she has always crushed on. I think Clara is such an amazing main character because she grows so much over the course of the book. This is something I think we all strive to do, but it can be difficult to change your beliefs and opinions sometimes. It takes a strong person to be vulnerable and open to change.

Fair Warning: This book is RAUNCHY. Sex is discussed throughout and there are a few very steamy scenes. However, even if that is usually out of your comfort zone, I would still give this book a try because it isn’t going to be what you think. It is very women-centric and not degrading in the way that raunchy comedies can be.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Wow, this book was so unexpected for me and I’m so glad I went into it not knowing much about the plot. I think I might have passed over it if I knew more before giving it a shot. So I’m not going to say too much about what happens, just that it is a cute and very steamy romantic comedy about giving up trying to have the perfect image and going after what you think is right for you.

The Roommate has been so hyped over the last few months, I was honestly a bit nervous to read it. I also didn’t know what a ‘raunch-com’ was, and I didn’t read the synopsis or any reviews before starting, so I had no idea what was in store for me.

So, what was in store? A whole lot of laughs and swoons. Great characters that were easy to root for. Sexytimes that nearly set my Kindle on fire. Without a doubt, The Roommate is one of my favourite books of 2020 so far, and it completely lived up to the hype.

I loved Clara. She was wonderfully quirky and she made me giggle so much. She was someone I could see myself being friends with, and I wanted her to see how wonderful she was and that she deserved good things, despite feeling like her family was cursed. She’d lived a safe life doing what was expected of her and doing her best to live up to the family name. The first spontaneous, out-of-character thing she ever did was move across the country to live with her best friend - and unrequited crush - only to discover he was actually ditching her right from day one to go on tour with his band.

Enter Clara’s new roommate, Josh. Oh, Josh. He was so swoony! Total book boyfriend material. He and Clara were so different, but they had sizzling chemistry and their banter was hilarious. I loved how the way he saw Clara was so at odds with how Clara saw herself, but he slowly pulled her out of her shell and made her see that she deserved better than unrequited love and living only to please her family.

I loved how sex-positive this book was. It shone a light on the porn industry and humanized sex workers when a lot of people are quick to dismiss and demonize the industry and all people involved. I especially appreciated the emphasis on women’s pleasure and how women deserve to enjoy sex as much as anyone else. You know how people often refer to romance in derogatory terms like ‘lady porn’? Well, this book was lady porn in all the best ways and was simultaneously a love letter to romance and also a big eff you to everyone who talks crap about it and the things that bring women pleasure.

So yes, The Roommate completely lived up to the hype. I loved the characters, I loved the romance, I loved the banter, the flirting, the sexual tension, and all the emotions. The Roommate is a fun, flirty, fantastic must-read for all romance fans.

I saw this cute cover and title and thought this was going to be a very specific type of book, and whoa baby, was I wrong! There is quite a twist that I was not prepared for. Not. Prepared. For. I have to give the author props because I’ve never read a book like this and that twist was unique! I really did like Clara and Josh’s characters and the opposites attract personalities! The Roommate was a little too steamy for my taste, but I know a lot of readers are going to love this one and I’m excited to put it on their radars!

Would you like your steam with a side of steam? Oh you would, would you? Then read The Roommate because HOLY STEAM BATMAN!
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So even though this book is hella steamy and the plot revolves around the taboo subject of pornography, this book was surprisingly insightful and clever and really worked to do away with the stigma that surrounds adult entertainment. Along with the insane chemistry between Clara and Josh, I found that part super cool!
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I knocked this down a star rating because the ending felt a little rushed to me. I loved the build up and teases during the rest of the book so I would have liked to have more of an ending that what was ther - but this is a super minor complaint. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and recommend you add it to your contemporary romance repertoire!

This unique, toe-curling romance follows Clara, an east coaster from a socialite family known for their ability to weather and bury scandals. She moves across the country in the hopes of finally seducing her childhood crush turned adult obsession, Everett. However, Everett soon informs her that he’s going on tour with his band and Clara is forced to share a space with a very popular adult film star, known as Josh Darling. Clara and Josh eventually team up to create a sexy and informative website focused entirely on women’s pleasure. And they just so happen to get fairly intimate with each other throughout the process.

This novel was such a breath of fresh air in a genre that tends to stick to the same tropes and character archetypes. The inclusion of a male hero who was a sex worker felt almost revolutionary, and it led to some ridiculously fun and intriguing storylines. This book was just so sex-positive and focused heavily on safe and pleasurable sex for all involved. It actively worked against the demonization of sex work.

Clara and Josh were wonderfully complex people, with realistic insecurities that impacted them as individuals and their ability to be together. Their banter was hella cute and their sex scenes were hot as hell. I loved this book so much and I can’t wait to check out Naomi’s (Josh’s ex and powerhouse porn-star in her own right) story next year!

When I dove into this book, I had no idea the hero was going to be a porn star or a "performer" as he prefers to call himself. It has been a while since I read the synopsis so I had forgotten all about it. So when I picked this book up because of it's cute cover thinking it was going to be a really sweet and funny romance, I didn't expect it to be so steamy. Imagine my surprise, lol. I didn't mind but it wasn't what I expected. I have to say the whole plot with the website project didn't really interest me all that much but I was very curious about the romance and how it was going to develop.

In this book, you'll meet Clara and Josh. Clara has a crush on her best friend and the day she moves in to LA with him, he tells her that he has to leave for a tour and oh yeah, he also rented the room to someone else. She was crushed and had to meet someone new the same day. That someone is Josh, also known as Josh Darling, a famous online "performer". Curiosity gets her and she decides to watch one of his videos. Both characters are so different from one another but they made a pretty cute couple.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

“And you seem like the kind of girl who would take notes.”

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Roommate is easily one of my favorite reads ever. I love that the author tackled such a controversial issue and made it something beautiful. Sex workers, porn stars - - whatever you personally call them - - are people. Yes, they let themselves be filmed having sex (and various other things) for money, but that's nothing for them to be ashamed of. They love and are confident with their bodies, which is more than a lot of us can say about ourselves. I think the prejudice stems more from jealousy than anything else, because the discomfort people feel is based on how our society views nudity, women, and sexual acts in general.

There is nothing wrong with liking sex or the people who choose to do it professionally, and I am ecstatic Rosie Danan used her story to highlight how sex workers are treated within the industry. What happens to Josh, Naomi and the others isn't a rare occurrence, but something that people currently struggle with today. The world has always treated porn like it was this "dirty" thing, and I'm happy to see it viewed as something other than a secret people keep beneath their mattresses. Porn can be beautiful and erotic, and loving your body that much is a level of comfort only a few people possess.

I also like that this book focuses on women's pleasure and the difficulties we sometimes face when trying to orgasm. Every person's body is different, so different methods might need to be used to achieve the ultimate goal (an orgasm, if that wasn't obvious). Clara believes women should be shown how to help themselves, and also given advice for their partners. The concept is so simple, yet overwhelmingly neglected. Sex and porn are more often than not geared towards men and their preferences, yet women are more likely to be taken advantage of in the industry. Seriously, there were so many important topics in this book, and I'm beyond thrilled to see them being discussed openly and without shame.

I am also ridiculously happy that the author didn't fall into old trope traps. Initially, it looked like Naomi was being set up to play the jealous ex-girlfriend, so I was pleasantly surprised when she became a friend and business partner. Her personality didn't change (she's a little rough around the edges), but she was an amazing character that I would love to read more about. Everett, Clara's long-time crush, was poised to be something she fell back on when things got hard, and I'm so glad his role was minimal and didn't really affect the story. His presence lingered in the background for awhile, but Clara didn't dwell on his abrupt departure and absence for too long (REALLY loved how the author handled that relationship).

The conflict was totally believable, since both Clara and Josh had more faith in each other than they did in themselves. He didn't think some socialite with a big heart could ever love him because of his profession, and she didn't think her body was worth the attention of someone as experienced as Josh. He thought this, she thought that, and it took the two having a very hard conversation for things to finally fall into place. The slow buildup of their friendship was perfection (particularly the text of him asking for toilet paper while making a funny face in the attached picture), and was just so believable. They went from being strangers, to roommates, to acquaintances, to friends, then to friends with benefits, and finally to lovers. It was slow, but also incredibly sweet and well-written. (Somehow this author managed to make it slow and steamy at the same time!) I honestly thought I was going to melt a few times.

There's also a large emphasis on family, even though their families remain mostly in the background. How their families feel about and perceive them is very important, although they handle it in very different ways. However, they both like to avoid inevitable confrontations until forced to face them. I enjoyed seeing them learn and grow separately as well as a couple.

There really are so many aspects of this book to love, and it was the small details that really did it for me. The two of them watching Speed on the couch, him stealing some of her lasagna out of the oven, and her tricking him into liking vegetables. None of these things are glaringly portrayed, but subtly incorporated into the story. It made everything feel so much more real and relatable. They were both so down-to-earth and genuine, and I found myself wishing they were real so we could be friends. I absolutely loved The Roommate. I really, really did. (★★★★★)

After thinking about this for quite a while, I have come to the conclusion that I did enjoy the book but there was something missing for me. It was funny and I enjoyed the characters but there was just a little something missing for me that even months late, I can't put my finger on.

With that said, I would totally read whatever Ms. Danan writes next and am in fact, looking forward to what she publishes after The Roommate!

I was super excited to read this debut from Rosie Danan, but unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I couldn't stand the two main characters in here. I ended up putting the book down and not finishing. I stopped around 40% through the book as I just didn't care about what happened to the characters. It annoys me that Clara acts like a stuck up priss and acts like she's better than everybody when she's not. I also hate the author makes it seem like she's so innocent or whatever as well. As for Josh, I didn't like the porn aspect of the story at all. I'm not a prude but I couldn't sympathize to Josh for choosing that profession. They seemed to read kind of like YA except for the porn part on the side. Neither character seems to have much going for them. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this novel, but this wasn't my cup of tea. I decided not to post my review anywhere because it wouldn't be fair since I didn't finish the full book.

Josh and Clara couldnt be any more different if they tried, but when they end up living together they slowly learn that they balance each other out very well. What starts off as a platonic relationship, slowly grows when the two start to work together.

Clara and Josh are polar opposittes and truly belong together. This book was so much fun. Clara learns to be herself, she learns what is important and how to conquer her fears. Josh learns to truly love and believe himself. This book gave an insight to the porn industry and gave us some extremely well written and deep moments between the two.
This book was also very spicy, and it was an amazing story! I can not wait for the next book!

Okay...so I'm conflicted about this book a lot. First of all, everyone seems to be fawning over this book and I did not care for the heroine at all. She was so freaking boring. She's very WASPy and then there is all this build up about her family having such high options of her but we never see the fall out of that. It felt like it built up all this conflict and then never addresses it.

Second of all, I really DID NOT care for the way Naomi's bisexuality is introduced. The line felt so fetishizing and awkward and it just didn't even make any sense. It made me so mad, so I think it might have actually soured the rest of the book for me.

I liked Josh a lot, he was such a happy go lucky sort of guy. I liked that he came at his career in an interesting way. I did think it was interesting to have a book deal with adult entertainment industry. However, I felt like Clara was kinda gonna make him choose between it and her, and I didn't jive with that. It seemed not clear towards the end even though this book does have an HEA.

I don't think this book was bad, I did enjoy it, but again third person (which I hate) and the heroine was just not that exciting that it made me not as excited about this one. Also this wasn't a romcom, publisher need to stop putting the label on everything.

This is book was incredibly steamy and delicious!!! Definitely requires a cold shower after some of those scenes!! It was so well written and developed ! I feel Rosie did such an incredible job writing both characters and writing a world that was easy to get involved with. Not only was the romance good, the secondary characters were an absolute treat to read about as well!

It is easily one of my favourite romance reads of 2020 ! I am really looking forward to what else the author produces especially since this was her debut novel !!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for giving me this awesome book as an ARC!!!

THE ROOMMATE was a quick and steamy read that held my interest from the first page to the last. There was a playfulness to the characters, which the cover cleverly shows.

Clara is a wealthy socialite who gives up everything on the east coast to spend the summer with a friend in LA whom she’s loved from afar for years. But when he ditches her to go on tour with his band, things don’t go as planned. He’s rented out the house to a guy who answered an ad on Craigslist. When she and her unexpected roommate, Josh, first meet, sparks fly while both try to make the best of the situation.

Josh has an interesting job as an adult entertainer. He is only renting for the summer since he broke up with his girlfriend, who happens to be in the same line of work, and they star together often. It’s enlightening to see how Josh teaches Clara everything she wants to know about sex since they go into partnership together with Naomi on tutorial films. They sometimes have problems communicating, but they both listen to the other and get to know each other well in a relatively short span of time.

The story is filled with emotion, a lot of laughter, and a romance that feels real. Clara gets to know an aunt who left the family fold many years ago to make her own mark on the world. She takes Clara under her wing, and they take on some important work with some interesting twists.

There is more depth to the characters than I expected and a good flow to the story. I look forward to reading the sequel, THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT, which is due out next year.

This is a debut book by Ms. Danan, who first released it last year with the title, NEVER HAVE I EVER. I look forward to reading more of her books.

This was such a fun read! The main characters were well developed and likeable and the plot was unique and entertaining. It also surprised me with the intense romance scenes, which were well written and so steamy.

Clara is the perfect daughter. She doesn't cause scandals for her high society family by keeping her head down and doing what's expected of her. Because of the pressure, she's terrified of doing something wrong and keeps her feelings bottled inside. When she and her new roommate Josh have a connection, she can't believe he would ever want her beyond a one night stand. Seeing Clara's insecurities was so real and I felt for her. She's never had a guy treat her with love and respect so she couldn't see that Josh had real feelings. Clara goes through a lot of soul searching and deciding who she wants to be and I loved her journey.

Josh doesn't do relationships, mainly because of his career as an adult entertainer. So he doesn't know what to do about his growing feelings for Clara. Josh may have confidence in the bedroom, but he doesn't think he's good enough for a wealthy, high society woman like Clara. It was kind of nice to have a male lead that had some insecurities and watching him fall for Clara was the sweetest thing.

This was a great story, with plenty of drama, romance, and fun bits to keep it moving. I'm looking forward to more books from Danan!

I received this advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review