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!
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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!

The Roommate is a uniquely complex, steamy rom-com with a delightfully fun premise. Buttoned-up Clara Wheaton upends her life and moves across the country for the opportunity to finally win over her unrequited childhood love, only to end up rooming with a dangerously sexy male porn actor. What follows is incredibly fun, sexy, and surprisingly complex. Even among all of the sexual tension on every page, the book manages to make smart and poignant statements about the stigmatization of sex work, the importance of consent, and the corruption in the adult film industry. I was pleasantly surprised by the book's ability to effectively weave complicated plot points (legal battles, controversial creative projects, family dynamics, societal expectations) into a book that felt so light and easy to read all the way through. The world of romance needs more frank discussions of sex, intimacy, and equal-opportunity pleasure--and so does the rest of the world. The Roommate is a good place to start those discussions and is an all-in-one-sitting kind of read to boot.

I adored this story..Josh and Clara were super angsty and cute! The rom com romance and witty banter made this book hard to put down! Tons of laugh out loud and swoon.... great read

A sweet and steamy romance. The writing is excellent, the main characters are a delight, it's humorous and sex work positive! I wish Clara's relationship with her family had been fleshed out/dealt with a little more, and that the ending was a little slower paced. It felt like everything wrapped up a little too quickly. But this was a truly enjoyable romance full of banter and excellent characters and sex.

4.5 ⭐️

If your choice to move across the country to pursue a 14 year-long unrequited love for your best friend, but really are subconsciously just escaping your pompous family and their scandals, what’s the last thing you’d ever expect? Your crush ditches you for a band tour, leaving you stranded alone in LA with a fear of driving. But, what about The Roommate? Well, whatever you do, don’t Google him.

This was a fun and refreshing, super sex-positive raunch-com that had me hooked by the second chapter! Danan conveyed a story about love, romance, and pleasure, as well as the stigma and lack of respect among adult entertainment workers. The mutual attraction and the denial of feelings between Josh and Clara were so evident that what appeared to be casual ended up being more. The two couldn’t be any more opposite—Josh the college dropout who had sex for a living and Clara the Connecticut socialite with a hefty trust fund. But, studies have shown, opposites do attract, right?

Perfect for fans of The Kiss Quotient, this debut is one you’re going to not want to miss this fall!

The Roommate is a cute and sexy love story between two people as they navigate through life and have to unlearn their stigmas and stereotypes about adult entertainment. though it was a fun way to tackle serious issues, and a story that i slowly fell in love with, it left me unsatisfied with the ending and "the fight" that is usually part of romance books.

what i enjoyed:

- the story was a fun ride. it was hot at times and cute at others. at times, i even found myself laughing out loud at the characters’ interactions from time to time. it didn’t feel forced at all, at least not to me.
- the smut? top notch. amazing, wonderful.
- the writing was simple, to the point, exactly how i like it. it didn’t recquire much attention to get through the book. i loved the fact that i could just pick it up when i’m tired and get a little escape from life.

what i didn’t enjoy:

- i felt like there wasn’t enough time where the two characters were together? we don’t see them as a "couple" much, and it left me unsatisfied.
- another thing i was unsatisfied with is how the Big Fight got resolved. every romance has one, and i expected it, but the way the characters made up? i needed more. they didn’t even sit down and have a proper conversation about the biases and thoughts that led them to the fight, how to unlearn and solve things. they didn’t come close to an agreement. instead, i felt like it was just brushed upon and we moved on. and let’s not talk about how it got a teeny-bit overdramatic.

do i recommend The Roommate? yes, i do (i mean, 3 stars is a good rating for me). though the ending ennerved me, i still hold on to the 80% of the book i loved. if you’re looking for a funny with a bit of smut, definitely pick it up!

The Roommate was one of my favorite books this year. The premise seems a bit scandalous, though by reading the back one wouldn't necessarily get that. I devoured this book in one sitting; the characters were so relatable and easy to like. I will definitely be hand selling my heart out! I laughed too much to not pass this book onto another person.

3.5 stars

I love so much about this book and what it set out to do, but it stumbled at the 80% mark and kept stumbling for too long after that, making the HEA seem a little paper thin. After all that build up, it was a disappointing ending lacking proper pay off — perhaps a case of trying to set too much right at once, thus watering down the significance of each of those victories when they were all crammed in the last chapter or two. It’s also a pet peeve of mine when characters make the same mistake over and over again, which we saw a bit too much in Clara’s behavior towards the end. Ultimately, while I enjoyed this book, it didn’t live up to my (perhaps exceedingly) high hopes. That being said, I am very much looking forward to what this author writes next — the humor and heart in the early portion of this book really charmed me. (Personally, I’m crossing my fingers that we get Naomi’s story next — even as a secondary character, she was a scene stealer).

4.5/ 5 stars

** I was provided an E-ARC ( advanced copy) of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

Let me start by saying that I had such a great time while reading this book. The first thing that pulled me in was the cover, It's just so eye-catching that I want to know more. Then came the synopsis and I was even more excited. I enjoyed the romance a lot, I was able to connect to the characters enough that I became invested with the story and plot. I will say I didn't expect it to be as steamy as it was....... Like SUPER STEAMY. You'll know exactly what I mean when you read it. This book had me laughing, it gave me the feels, had me swoon and had me fanning myself. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because I wanted just a little more outside of the general plot because sometimes it just felt like a lot. Overall I loved it, if you're a romance reader I HIGHLY recommend picking this up. It was everything I wanted it to be and surpassed any expectations I had for it. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for other books by this author.

CWs: Recovering from unhealthy relationships, allusions to vehicular trauma, some descriptions of car accidents and related injuries, some ableist comments, and graphic scenes containing sex

I knew I had to request this book when readers from all across Romancelandia kept raving about it, but somehow I still wasn't ready for how steamy and delightful this book truly was.

On the one hand, this is a super fun adult rom-com that really makes a meal out of sweet domestic moments and all the delicious tension of a close-quarters romance, but it's also about two people uplifting each other and teaching the other person that they matter. It's about Clara and Josh coming from legacies of misunderstanding and being limited, and choosing to instead build something positive together, which I love.

The physical chemistry, the sexual attraction, is of course delicious and really fun to read about. I found that element of the story to be well-balanced, because you definitely get some great moments of pay-off, so to speak, but there's also moments where the characters pull back. There are times where either Josh or Clara realize they're feeling attracted to the other person but recognize that maybe now is not the appropriate time to be making physical advances. It's very rare in adult romance to see characters draw that boundary for themselves and to recognize that attraction doesn't always need to be acted on, and that other people don't just exist to be part of their sexual fantasies.

The banter between Josh and Clara was top notch as well, and it was nice to see them growing as friends while also growing into a romantic relationship. There's a lot of intimacy and trust between them, even before they become a couple, which is really refreshing to see. The story also really celebrates sex positivity, sexual agency, and being comfortable with your own body and your own desires. Discovering those things about yourself, if you want those things, requires a feeling of safety and empowerment that a lot of people don't often get growing up, so it was really rewarding to see that happening for Clara throughout the book.

There's such great emotional connection between the characters because they're both used to people only seeing them as what they can do rather than who they are. So for them to share space, in more than one sense, and come into contact with someone who's genuinely good and thoughtful really impacts both of them. Overall, I think it's a really hopeful story about taking stock of your life, building something for yourself, and moving away from the limitations other people have put on you.

My one note is that the story sets up a need for Clara and Josh to both reconcile with their families, and you don't quite get that at the end. There's a sense that there's been a reckoning of some kind, but we never get to see it, and I don't think there's enough evidence in the story to make me believe that Clara, specifically, could really come to a healthy place with her family. But that was just one small thing, and at the end of the day I still had such a great time reading this book! Highly recommend for all the rom-com lovers out there.

The keyword for Rosie Danan’s debut contemporary THE ROOMMATE (Jove, 315 pp., paper, $16) is capacity. The scandal-shy socialite Clara Wheaton insists it wasn’t bravery that led her to impulsively follow a childhood crush to the far side of the country: “Everyone had entirely the wrong idea about the capacity of Clara’s courage.”

Clara’s crush vanishes and leaves her with a strange roommate scrounged from the depths of Craigslist. Josh Conners is a popular performer in the adult entertainment industry; he’s playful and charming and has coasted through his career. As he and his strait-laced new roommate slowly fall for each other, Josh offers up what may be the most quintessentially romance-hero line I’ve ever seen: “His capacity for longing terrified him.”

It would have been so easy for a book with this premise to tip into tawdry titillation or shame. It never does. And I keep coming back to capacity, a term we use to describe the amount of space something has to grow into. “The Roommate” is a book about people expanding into their best possible selves — about embracing pleasure, loving unabashedly and fighting exploitation and small-mindedness. Warmly funny and gorgeously sexy, this porn-star romance is the most wholesome thing I’ve read in ages.

This was an easy, entertaining read. The first half of the book was strong - I felt the spark between the characters. Unfortunately the second half relied too heavily on their sexual attraction that some of that chemistry between the two characters was lost. This was a unique storyline and it kept me engaged most of the book, I just missed the spark the first half had.

"The Roommate" is a fun, sexy romance that stands out for being partly set in the adult film world. Clara and Josh end up as accidental roommates after she moves to LA to live with her longtime crush and is surprised to find that instead she'll be living with his subletter. Clara is hoping to break away from her rich East Coast family, and her strait-laced personality clashes with Josh, who is an easygoing adult film star. The romance is similar to other roommate/opposites-attract stories, but this book felt unique in how Clara learns more about Josh's profession and becomes inspired to start a business that empowers women to explore their sexualities. The main characters could have been a little stronger; much is made of how they have each disappointed their families, but their backstories didn't feel very convincing or well developed. Overall, however, this is an engaging, fun read.

4.5 stars

The Roommate was made for me: nerdy uptight girl with a cocky sex performer roommate who was a secret cinnamon roll. After being left high-and-dry by a childhood crush, Clara found herself sharing a house with well-known sex performer, Josh Darling.

Josh and Clara's chemistry was electric from their first encounter and the two expertly avoided their feelings and attraction to each other until I was up late at night silently begging them to find their happy ending. The sexual tension is expertly done with conversations that had me stop reading just so I could laugh out loud.

Along with navigating messy feelings, Danan included important conversations on the sex industry and the stigma surrounding it. With steamy sex scenes that will remind you of The Kiss Quotient, The Roommate hooks you with a charming love story and perfectly placed comedy. I can easily see myself rereading this.

Predictable Clara makes the rare impulsive decision to move from the East Coast to California in the hopes of upgrading a long-time friendship to a romance. However, quickly after arriving Clara learns that instead sharing close quarters with her crush, she will be roommates with Josh, a stranger, who helps her out of her comfort zone in ways she never saw coming.

"The Rooommate" is insanely sexy, wonderfully sex-positive, and turns the dated "crazy ex-girlfriend trope" completely on it's head in the form of the gloriously fierce Naomi. By turns achingly tender and laugh out loud funny, this one is not to be missed.

The Roommate is Rosie Danan’s debut novel and once I saw the cover and read the blurb, I knew I had to read it. I love those forced proximity books and the fact that the roommates were strangers, gimmie!

Clara Wheaton is a socialite that just finished grad school. She’s decided to move cross country (totally not like her) for a man. One of her best friends, Emmett, who she’s had it bad for for the longest time. As soon as she gets there she realized this was a huge mistake. Emmett sublets his room out to Josh and has Clara living with a stranger temporarily while he travels with his band. What a warm welcome.

Clara and Josh are complete strangers but they get along well enough at first. Then Clara finds out what Josh does for a living. It doesn’t change what she thinks about him necessarily, but she sees him in a different light. And after finding out things going on with his career, she decides to help him with a cause she believes in.

I honestly expected to love this one, but unfortunately it was just okay for me. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. My only real problem with this one was I never felt the connection between Clara and Josh. I can find characters unrelatable and still love a book, but I have to feel their connection, the romance has to be real for me and unfortunately I never felt much between these two. I liked them both well enough, but I didn’t feel the spark.

Overall, this was a nice debut novel that I think a lot of people will love. It had some humor and steam and was enjoyable for me.