This book was not what I expected, and I loved it! It feels strange to say that a book with a sub plot about positively portraying the adult film industry was quite refreshing. But it was, and for me this added plot line was completely unexpected and very well navigated (if a little too conveniently resolved in the end, but still, I'll forgive that because this isn't a legal drama).

Josh and Clara had amazing tension from the get go, and Danan did a wonderful job of building realistic tension while actually allowing the characters to be friends first, before ultimately declaring their love. Nothing felt too rushed, the characters were flawed, Clara and Josh's ex Naomi weren't enemies (finally, women can be friends!), and I'm so beyond happy that Danan wrote a male protagonist who cries to his mother when his heart gets broken- because that's exactly what would happen.

The only point in which the book fell a tiny bit short was the ending - I wish it hadn't wrapped up so fast and that we got to hear about Clara's family's reactions to Josh and Clara's business. And what happened to Everett? Did he ever return from his tour? Do Josh and Clara still live in his house? These questions aside however, this book was a delightful addition to the rom-com genre.

* ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

A woman who's never felt desirable moves in with "the hottest man in the world" who finds her irresistible and centers his world around her. It's a powerful fantasy and one readers will flock to. Add in the sex positivity and a few subplots about empowerment through a new business venture, a successful lawsuit, a fear overcome, and a family estrangement that gets tied up, and it has all the makings of an insanely popular read. While my personal tastes run more toward a focus on an emotional connection between characters, this one is already finding its readers and will no doubt continue to do so. I always appreciate books that celebrate female sexuality rather than burying it or treating it as a problem, and this book celebrates in spades.

Clara is uptight and inflexible because she’s the only person in her family who hasn’t inspired scandal in the WASP-y community she grew up in. But she decides to take a risk and move across the country to pursue the man she always thought she’d end up with but who has never made a move. Once she gets there, she finds out that she’s still unwanted and ends up living with a stranger instead of the guy she thought cared about her.

This story isn’t overly complicated or dark, and there’s little mystery in how the story will evolve, but the characters were awesome. Clara and Josh are polar opposites, but they get along and rely on each other in ways that seem to be foreign to both of them. The plotting was perfectly paced and I totally loved watching Clara grow throughout the story. This is a sweet and uncomplicated story about a woman who grows and changes and a man who figures out what he wants in life while also learning how to demand what he’s worth.

3.5/ 5 stars

The Roommate is a sexy contemporary romance. Even though the cover is cutesy this book is super sexy. And the topics in this book were much more adult than I was expecting.

The narrators are Clara and Josh (3rd person POVs).

Clara moves to Los Angeles to stay with her friend Everett. But things do not go as expected. Clara is a pampered socialite who has her doctorate in art history. She is very prim and proper.

There were definitely parts of this story that I was extremely fascinated by. Everything to do with her Aunt Jill and the job that Jill was working on were very interesting to me. Also the stuff with Black Hat held my interest.

I didn't read the book blurb before starting this book. But I did read it afterwards. And to me I feel like it did not accurately portray the type of book that The Roommate is. There are a lot of romance readers who like racy topics and very sexy books. But I would prefer to know that is what the book is in advance.

Overall, I enjoyed the book while reading it. It was a quick read. But it was not really what I was expecting.

The premise and the first half of the book were really great, but my enjoyment dwindled as the book went on because the plot got a little convoluted. Nonetheless, it had great characters with AMAZING chemistry & tension, and also some really important topics dealing with sex work and sex positivity.

Cara comes from the upper class Connecticut elite. When she moves across the country to follow her long time love, she is shocked when she arrives and he immediately leaves her at his house with a random roommate he found off craigslist. Then she finds out Josh is not just her roommate, but a porn star. This is NOT what Cara signed up for…but could it turn out to be for the best?

So it’s no secret that I can be a prude. My mom calls me a nun! While I am not a nun, I am also very much like Cara in the beginning of this book! I have never been super comfortable talking about all that jazz. So needless to say, this book was a bit too much for me. I love a good sex scene in a book, but this one was just a little too off for my taste. Maybe it was a little bit to textbook about it? I guess I expected it to be a bit on the funnier/sexy side. I felt like Cara’s character didn’t live up to everything should could have been. Overall, I still enjoyed this one, just not as much as I expected to.

𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙃𝙊𝙏 🔥🔥⁣
⁣
Anyways, I love a good roommate trope and this one was executed with perfection.⁣
⁣
When you throw Clara an east cost socialite and super hot porn star Josh into one house for the summer you already know what’s going to happen. Predictable? Yes. Did this make me love it any less? Nope. ⁣
⁣
Throughout the book I fell inlove with both of them and the connection that blossomed. I loved how Josh helped Clara grow from this timid girl into a full blown badass. And how Clara made Josh believe in himself.⁣
The ending was easily my favorite part. What can I say I’m a sucker for HEA 🙃💘⁣
I also loved how Rosie brought attention to the not so pretty parts of the porn industry.⁣
I can’t wait to read more from her 🥰.⁣
⁣
I don’t know what else to say besides pick this up when it’s released on (9-15-2020) 💕⁣
⁣
Thank you @NetGalley and @berkleyromance for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.⁣
⁣

My preference is for romances that lean a little more into the story rather than the sex, and I did sort of feel that some of the plot elements were a bit perfunctory (the DA election storyline seemed especially forced in) and the world seemed to sort of stop where the characters did: the two leads have families, for example, but they don't feel overly real, more like ideas with some effect on the plot. Still, it's a fun little read, especially in the scenes of friendship/falling in love. And I have a patron who, during my first week of work, called up and said, "Honey, I was married to an Italian stallion for 35 years. I need you to recommend some of your raunchiest, filthiest books for me." I'll mention this one to her when we have it in.

Smart PHD graduate society girl moves cross country to get a relationship with her chosen man only to be dumped with a male porn star for a roommate. The odd couple plus. She’s conservative prude, he’s an unabashed endowed porn star. She doesn’t know who is for a while she just goes with the flow while making plans to get to her man again. Yes the same man who already dumped her, not that they ever had any relationship. It’s all on her, and felt obsessive. So, they live together, she is a tight rope he’s an easy flow type of guy.
I enjoyed the story but didn’t feel any strong connection between these two. His background her background, it just was too removed from each other. The story was very fresh, very new, I didn’t even care that the two main characters didn’t mesh for me I enjoyed the story.
I received a copy from the publisher for an honest review

As soon as I picked this up I knew I was going to love it and I did! Me being a sex positive person I loved this with all my heart. It was funny, it was hot, it was fantastic! Highly Recommend!

This was most definitely a steamy read. I’ve heard it compared to Fifty Shades, but feminist, and I think that’s an accurate representation. However, there was definitely a solid plot that held the story together. I felt like the magic in this book didn’t rely on explicit scenes and shock value. It was a solid story with enough depth on its own, the steam only added to it.

The premise of this book is a rom-com lover’s dream: two people forced to live in a shared space together. What could possibly go wrong? Roomies is one of my favorite Christina Lauren books so I jumped on the chance to read The Roommate, whose synopsis was similar. I found myself easily entertained and overall enjoyed reading The Roommate!

When I started the book, I was convinced I was going to adore Clara. At the risk of getting too personal, I found myself relating to her easily: we both have unrequited feelings and fantasize about being with someone who will, quite frankly, never be ours. I easily connected with her on that front. However, despite that connection with her character, she fell flat. Her character had no depth and she was underdeveloped.

My favorite part of the book was all the sex positivity and the steamy romance scenes. Josh is a well-known porn star, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by that direction the author went in for his occupation. The book sheds a new light on the adult entertainment industry, which is often looked down upon in shame. I thought the author did a great job showing that industry in a more positive way, while also illustrating some of the more unpleasant aspects like abuse (mental, sexual, financial, etc).

And while the sex scenes between Clara and Josh were excellently written and very hot, the actual chemistry between the two was sadly missing. I could never feel the angst and sexual tension between them. The lack of connection between them affected my ability to really believe in their romance and the authenticity of their relationship.

The Roommate does a fantastic job with one of the best romance tropes: forced proximity. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it to other fans of contemporary romance books. My only complaints were the lack of palpable tension between the characters and a flat heroine.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Clara never does anything impulsive, however, in a bid to make her lifetime crush into more, she picks up and moves to California. But upon her arrival, she discovers that her roommate will not be the man she has been pining for, but rather, Josh Darling an, ahem, adult performer.

I have read many "roommate" books, but this pairing really stands out among the rest. On paper, Josh and Clara seemed like opposites. He was a college drop out, she had a PHd. He was relaxed and subsisted on junk food, while she was tightly wound and a religious veggie eater. He was happy to share his secrets to sexually please her, and she was considered a prude. They definitely appeared to be a study in contrasts. They found they had a lot more in common than they originally anticipated, and it was beautiful watching them share these hidden pieces of themself with each other.

As a lifelong romance reader, I have read a plethora of sex scenes, and there were several in this book, but they were used in a very different way. Normally sex is part of the relationship building, which it also was in this book, but they were also a path for self growth for Clara. She was very buttoned up and always worried about rocking the boat. As a people pleaser, she often made her decisions based on what others would want or think, and she rarely took her own desires into consideration. These steamy bits were all about Clara finding her own pleasure, and it was empowering for her. She discovered a lot of non-sexually related things about herself during these encounters, and I thought that was an interesting use of something we often see in most romance books.

Clara grew so much over the course of this story. She was mingling with people she would have never mixed with before. She was trying new things. She was moving outside of her comfort zone, and she was finding these talents and desires she never knew she had. She was facing fears head on and going after things she wanted. She was putting herself first, and I loved it.

Josh also grew quite a bit. He sort of bought into this image of himself that was crafted by other people. They thought he was only one thing, but he was so much more. With Clara by his side, he was bold enough to take some chances and reach for goals he never thought he could attain. He learned to stop underestimating himself and other people, and great things resulted from this.

These two were precious together. I love the smolder and the heat. Every time they fell into that we-don't-belong-together garbage, I wanted to scream, but I was willing to ride this ship to the bitter end. This lovable hero and evolving heroine won my heart, and I shouted and screamed as I cheered them on to their HEA.

Overall I enjoyed this read but didn’t love it. The steam factor, romance was there but it was just a little lacking for me for some reason.
Don’t get me wrong it’s a great romance read & I definitely will recommend it. I just don’t think I loved it as much as I wanted to.

Thank you Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review. So at first when I started this book, I was a little thrown. I honestly thought I knew how it was going to go. But then it caught me by complete surprise and took a turn for the best! I love Clara! Like sooooo much! I love that her character is more reserved and she’s okay with being exactly who she is. I think often times in novels we see female characters who are sexy and a little more scandalous and rarely do we get Claras. And Josh. Oh my heart! I loved Josh! He’s a dream! You can tell he has a sweet heart and he is falling for Clara and he’s just absolutely adorable. I love when men comfort women when they are embarrassed and he does so much for Clara to help her grow as a character.

Thank you so much for sending me this book! It’s on my top reads for the year !

CW: [on-page car accident (no casualties or major injuries); anxiety/panic over driving; discussion of leaked nude photos in the past (secondary character) (hide spoiler)]

The faded wallpaper exuded kitschy charm, fighting for her affection, but she couldn’t shake the crushing weight of her disappointment. Clara wiped off the seat of the sofa before sitting down.

“So this is how it feels to be well and truly fucked.”

“I get that a lot,” said a low voice behind her.

Super charming and sex-positive re: sex work. I wrote down a bunch of complaints as I was reading, but honestly the couple’s chemistry is so adorable that I hand-waved nitpicks that normally would’ve bugged me. The Clara heiress conflict got a bit old/contradictory/confusing at times. If she has a trust fund, then why did she need to room with Josh once her friend bailed on her? I don’t know. I rolled with it. Also super weird that her family is in the background and never makes an appearance like one would predict. Clara keeps worrying about how they’d react to her new venture. Literally who cares, and the book agrees with me because we never find out! Several aspects around that socialite characterization/storyline struck me as odd or just bored me.

The whole project depended on his ability to craft the next Kama Sutra, and he couldn’t shake the nerves threatening to eat his intestines.

There’s this throwaway line about the Kama Sutra that pissed me off. I am projecting here because it is truly minor, but god do I hate any mention of the Kama Sutra in western contexts. So it clearly wasn’t that minor to me because I’m still seething enough to point it out here. This is my complaint for posterity. Moving on.

As usual in recent contemporary rom-coms, the third act breakup happens wayyy too late and is resolved wayyy too late. This is not news if you know me, but I take all opportunities to air my grievances re: this topic. Not going to write a longform review to gush over everything I liked (I liked a lot! It wouldn’t be a very interesting review because I’d summarize most of the book), but two major takeaways are 1) Josh is a golden retriever in human form and 2) It’s a real cute romance with pining, hot sex, and roommate/friends-to-lovers vibes. I’m not a socialite, but I seriously related to Clara with her prudish tendencies, love of lamination, fear of driving, and using higher education as a way to “extend the exit ramp to adulthood” (oof, that line struck a chord). Nitpicks aside, I recommend THE ROOMMATE. Definitely check out an excerpt to see if you click with the writing.

Also: this is the first book I’ve read that has perfectly captured my terror/anxiety/panic over driving. Whew. Clara’s POV is way too close to comfort. I’m impressed that she mostly gets over her fear during the book (I assuredly have not). I have to give props because the book nails that terror; reading those scenes was like reflecting a mirror over my amygdala. I got my license after failing the test twice when I was eighteen, and then promptly never drove again. And unlike Clara, I will never move to Los Angeles, thus living out a blissful carless existence in urban environments with good (well, livable) public transit. 😂 Not even a cinnamon roll of a porn star could make me want to drive. Sorry, Josh. You’re cute but not that cute.

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.

Wow, just wow! I have SO MUCH to say about this absolutely AMAZING book. If I sound overly enthusiastic, it’s because I’ve been thinking non-stop about this book for the past 48 hours. “The Roommate” by Rosie Danan became my favorite book of the year within the first few chapters, and I am going to try and tell you why with as few spoilers as possible (which will be difficult, because I want to SCREAM about absolutely everything).

I’ll start with a short synopsis: “The Roommate” follows Clara, an uptight, prudish socialite from Connecticut, and her spontaneous cross-country move to LA, where she thinks she’ll be living with her childhood crush of 17+ years, Everett. Emphasis on the word “thinks” - turns out Everett is going on tour with his band and has rented out a room in his house, so instead of living out her domestic fantasies, Clara is saddled with a new and unexpected roommate (queue the vine reference). Enter Josh, the “cute not handsome”, boy-next-door type who is charming, funny, and whatever the antonym for uptight is (laid-back? Carefree?). Basically, Clara’s polar opposite, and oh yeah, he just happens to be a porn-star.

As you can probably tell, this book is an opposites-attract, forced-proximity rom-com. But it‘s so much more than just tropes. The two main characters are fleshed out, loveable people. Over the course of the book, our understanding of Clara shifts from a well-mannered, predictable rich girl to a feisty, compassionate (still) rich girl, who cares deeply about doing things for others. On the other hand, we are introduced to Josh as an open book (ha ha), who is secure in his sexuality and his profession. However, as the story continues, we see that he is extremely scared of judgment about his line of work from the people that he loves and respects. Josh is perhaps my new favorite romantic hero. He is vulnerable, open, caring, and extremely flustered around Clara, which is not common among romantic heroes. The opposites-attract setup opened the way for a LOT of sexual tension and amazing heat-filled banter between the two leads, and even though their relationship was the main focus of the book, Danan managed to construct other meaningful relationships throughout the story. I especially loved the friendship between Naomi (Josh’s ex and partner-in-porn) and Clara. Where Danan could have gone the old route of jealous ex, she instead crafted a friendship between two badass ladies (and, side note, can I please have a book about badass bisexual Naomi next??)

Overall, I think that the reason I loved this book so much is that it emphasized what I love the most about romance books in the first place: they center on female pleasure, and through it, female empowerment. There were a lot of common trope traps that this book could have fallen into, but instead managed to be a beautiful love story and a treatise on female pleasure and the destigmatization of performers in the adult entertainment industry.

Wow. This book was SO good! I had several friends raving to me about this one. And I am so glad I was able to get my hands on an advance reader copy. The Roommate by Rosie Danan is definitely one of my top favorite books of the year. If you are looking for a romance that is sex-positive, this is the one! Some are calling this book raunch-com, but this book is SO much more than that. I actually found the book to be relatively tame in its descriptions. There is so much to love about this book. Clara was such a relatable character for me as the reader. I love watching her flourish and embrace her own sexuality, and take risks on new adventures. Josh was such a sweet and multi-faceted character. And I loved that about him. He was so well written with so much depth. Their story together, was both sweet and hot, with a slower burn. Not only was this a fun romance, but it left me thinking about many things. I love when a romance does that. I should also mention the amazing cast of side characters! Loved them all!

I do wish the book description more explicitly shared that Josh is a porn star in this book. I think some readers might get pulled in by the cute cover and then read themes they weren't expecting. And I hate when reviewers give books low reviews because a romance was "sexually explicit." That aside, I loved this book so much and cannot wait for the next book in the series!
----------------------------------
House Rules:
Do your own dishes
Knock before entering the bathroom
Never look up your roommate online

The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She’s the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara’s childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too tempting to resist. Unfortunately, it’s also too good to be true.

After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger. Josh might be a bit too perceptive—not to mention handsome—for comfort, but there’s a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn’t looked him up on the Internet...

Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton’s most scandalous story yet. His professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they’re lucky, they’ll help everyone else get lucky too.

This was such a unique romance with immensely likable characters! I devoured it in less than 24 hours. And super steamy, too!