The overarching premise of this book was what enticed me to request it - a roommate to love story is one of the best tropes because it's natural. This book, however, threw in a few plot twists that made the roommate dynamic even better! Danan was able to take a "taboo" topic and show a different viewpoint. As the "taboo" topic isn't readily discussed, it was nice to see it portrayed in a way didn't stigmatize the topic. I actually believe that this book de-stigmatized this "taboo" topic.

I highly recommend this book! It's a very enticing story in that the characters and their issues are relatable and their emotions are realistic. There was one point that I was internalizing the fear that the characters were experiencing - that's hard to accomplish! I'm looking forward to recommending this book to my friends!

🏠 House Rules:
Do your own dishes
Knock before entering the bathroom
Never look up your roommate online

➽ Close proximity
➽ Adult entertainment
➽ Dual POV, third person

➽ Josh. Yes, another Josh and I'd say he lived up to the expectations of the other Josh's in the book world. Goofy and kind. Boy next door appeal.
➽ Clara. Cardigan-loving and action movie connoisseur. She's awkward and lovable. Clara's obsession to please her parents never went beyond the surface. There's family "scandals" that scarred the family but was never explained. What does her family even do? So ambiguous. Maybe I might've missed it??
➽ Steam steam steam. It got hot. So be aware for my nonsteam lovers.

➽ Personally, I wasn't a big fan of the writing 🙈
➽ Majority of the story focused on the steam. The end wrapped up real quick.
➽ Not enough depth for the amount of inner struggles that both Josh and Clara had.

This book came as a nice breeze of surprise for me. I have always been a sucker for roommate romances and this one delivered on all counts.
Clara uproots her entire life from New York to LA on the chance of being roommates with her life long crush and bestfriend but instead finds herself sharing an apartment with a total strange who just might be the most happening thing in the adult entertainment industry.
The chemistry between Clara and Josh was fireworks right from the start. But the relationship also had just as much tenderness and sweetness interspersed within all the steaminess. I loved Josh’s character and how he is unapologetic about his chosen profession but I also loved how the author was able to bring in a vein of vulnerability which made it all the more believable. I wish a little bit kore about how Clara faces her insecurities and faces upto her family was included because the lack of it made her character appear a bit flat.
I also really appreciated the progressive, sex- positive premise of the book and would love to try more of this author’s works.
Definitely recommended

In this laugh out loud contemporary romantic comedy, Rosie Danan introduces two highly mismatches roommates stuck with each other for the summer. In an unexpected turn of events “The Roomate” brings Clara & Josh into uncharted territory. Full of steamy wit and humor, Danan’s novel is a delight...and quite an education!

4.5 stars
Oh how I loved this book. It was an unexpected awesome read that I knew nothing about going into, and it made it all the difference. No spoilers here, But I loved Josh before I knew his job and that made him even more lovable. something about the characters, their stories and the plot all worked for me.

Go into this one blind and see how much more you will enjoy it!

The Roommate by Rosie Danan is one of the most anticipated debuts in 2020 for the romance community. The story is about straight laced Clara who thinks she's agreed to live with her childhood crush for the summer. But when she arrives on the West Coast she finds out she's sharing a lease with handsome and charming Josh. After some internet sleuthing Clara finds out that Josh is famous in an unexpected way. Needless to say it's shaping up to be a life changing summer.

This debut has been talked about a lot on social media so of course I took the chance to review it when it became available on NetGalley. I love giving unknown authors a read because I'm always on the lookout for new talent, and Rosie Danan impressed me with a lot of her skills early on. She writes in a very fun and engaging style that kept my interested through most of the book.

I wanted to like this book more because it had so many pieces that I usually enjoy. An A-type heroine, a charming hero, roommates to lovers, a heroine wanting to distance herself from her family, these are all catnip to me. But this book failed me in one major way and that was there was no warning about how the hero became famous until the heroine finds out in the novel. I am happy that all types of heroes are getting their stories told and I believe everyone deserves an HEA, That being said I am not personally interested in reading books where characters engage in some sort of sex work. I think a better warning of this information could have been supplied by the blurb so I could have avoided this story.

This gets two stars for very competent writing, I just could not connect with the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.75/5 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the E-Arc of this book!

I greatly enjoyed reading this book, and it really took me by surprise. I went into it expecting to get a cute "and then they were roommates" trope romance with lots of fluff, and instead got an amazing romance that starts with the "and then they were roommates" trope, discusses the porn industry, is super feminist and strong, has amazing banter, really great characters that are well thought out, and a great cast of side characters that helped pull me into the story.

There aren't a lot of romance books, or books in general, that talk so openly about sex and sex education, especially in terms of talking about the porn industry. I think that this book was really incredible, because it was really informative about an industry not a lot of us talk about openly, and showed how talking about sex is super important and how sex is NOT something to be ashamed of. This book talks about a lot of important topics and discusses them in a great way without making the reader feel like they're being taken out of the romantic story.

The only thing I wanted more from this story was resolution with a few things—a scene or two of Clara and Josh meeting each other's families. I just felt that between the last scene and the epilogue, I as a reader missed a lot of important scenes that would have been nice to see. But other than that, I really enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you for reading!
Caden

4.5 stars - toppling a porn empire is super sexy!

When I first saw THE ROOMMATE, I was immediately amused by the cover. It drew my attention in a not-so-good way with its ultra pink title and ultra pink background, and the models on the cover reminded me a little of Barbie. BUT, reader friends were raving about this one, and I found myself curious about the hero's occupation. So I figure I would try it out, and I fell in love.

THE ROOMMATE has a strong voice, wit, and a romance exploding with chemistry. We start with Clara moving across the country, from her life as an East-coast socialite to a more laid-back West-coast vibe, to follow her childhood crush. The moment she comes, though, the crush sets off for a band tour and - surprise! - she has a new roommate. He's pretty charming and sweet (think, golden retriever energy), but she's thinking of her next steps. She moved to LA expecting her crush to help her transition, and now she's left without a plan. Clara ends up getting lunch with her black-sheep-of-the-family aunt, gets a job, and finds out that her roommate is a well-known porn star. How's that for a spontaneous move across the country?

I loved both Clara and Josh's characters, as well as their relationship dynamics! Clara had a pretty privileged lifestyle growing up, and she's enjoying the anonymity that California offers. She finds herself exploring a career path she's passionate about, and deviating beyong the plans laid out for her by her rich family. I loved seeing her character find herself in that way, and resolve to keep relations with her family as well (which is something I would've loved to see more of!). She's uptight and academic (with a doctorate in art history), and a perfect foil/contrast to Josh's more carefree personality. Josh found himself working multiple jobs in his 20's, and decided to make a career in the adult entertainment industry - a rather successful one. However, recently he's been in a contract dispute with a major entertainment corporation that is lowballing and trying to blackmail him. He shows Clara how to open up more, while she supports him and sees his potential, despite his internalized stigma of working as an adult performer. Through action movies, breakfast in the middle of the night, and working together on a new business endeavor, we see them falling in love. I love how easy it is to see them together, and how they complement each other. Their sexual tension was also off the charts, and I loved seeing the sex positivity going on among all the characters.

What else can I say? I love soft heros who pine, and Josh's "I'm not good enough for her" created some delicious tension with Clara's "I'm not as experienced/knowledgable as him" thoughts. There were a lot of strong women in the book as well, from Josh's ex to the DA that Clara was working for, that I loved to see. In general, THE ROOMMATE was the perfect feel-good read for me, and I really recommend it for romance readers! The romcom energy is strong in this one, and the premise takes well-loved tropes into a new dimension.

Josh and Clara could not be more different. Josh is a college dropout, and Clara has a PhD in art history. Josh comes from a lower middle-class family, and Clara’s from a family of socialites.  Clara has a hard time talking to handsome men, and Josh is a porn star. However, as the novel progresses, they realize that they have more in common than they’d previously thought. *Insert groan here* (Just kidding, I love this trope).  Of course, they also have the most important thing that a romance novel needs--witty banter and great chemistry.  

There are other characters in the book that are also worth noting. I particularly loved Clara’s aunt Jill and Josh’s “coworker” Naomi. They were both fun and likable characters--either of which I would love to see starring in the next Rosie Danan book.  

The plot is quite simple, and the book relies heavily on a few tropes which I love. The roommates forced into cohabitation who, of course, fall in love, and the opposites attract.

Despite having read the blurb of the book, I was quite surprised by how steamy this book is.  Sometimes I think that publishers don’t realize how much we judge a book by its cover, and the cutesy pink hearts did not prepare me at all for way lay under the cover.

At first, I was irritated by the way the author seemed to be glorifying the porn industry; HOWEVER, as I read on it became clear that she turned this novel into a critique of the corrupt way that things are run.  I wanted to bring this up in my review, because at the very beginning of the novel, it seems to be all hunky dory, and I almost stopped reading because it gave me a queasy feeling. I want to warn readers that it gets more realistic and self-aware as the novel progresses. 

Another thing that I do still find annoying is when the blurb on the back of the book is misleading. They didn’t make a “rule” not to Google each other. In fact, Clara tells Josh about her rich family and their drama almost right away, and Clara doesn’t even have to Google Josh.  She finds out about his career path from her aunt who recognizes his picture (LOL).

I recommend this book for anyone looking for a steamy, yet sweet romance.

*This review will be posted to https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/ and other platforms on August 26, 2020*

This is a story of Clara who has moved from Connecticut to California to room with her crush since childhood, only to find he is leaving and has rented half of the house to Josh Darling, a porn star. This contains explicit sex, however, the story is funny and compelling. They are opposites in just about every way but manage to get along. Clara, a staid, uptight scholar loosens up and starts to live.

After I finish an amazing, 5-starred romance, I am always scared to pick up my next read. Will I love it a lot like the previous book I read? I don't know. That's always a very exciting and scary thing for me. To be in a high after a beautiful book, you want to stay in that high. Sometimes you will and sometimes it'll crash down. The Roommate took me to places I wanted to go and more. The level of happiness I was in while reading this novel is... BIG. Josh and Clara led me to a slow burn romance and brought me to the light at the end of tunnel.

This is a very magnificent debut! It's that book that you won't be able to stop reading after one chapter. I constantly was thinking "jusyt one more chapter and I can do this and that" but it never let me go? I wanted to keep reading and reading and find out how Josh and Clara will be together forever. I love that it has short-ish chapters, it's always easier for me to get into a book and each chapter makes you excited to know more.

The Roommate is about taking down a porn empire who has mistreated (and continues to do so) sexual workers and taking advantage of the power dynamics. But before that Clara, the heroine, moves to LA, thinking she will be roommates with her childhood best friend and the man who she is in love with. But nope, her friend is going on a band tour and has rent his room to a Very Famous porn star named Josh Darling. This is the roommates romance you want!! Their domestic dynamic is epic and you love to see it. But wow, their sexual tension? FIRE!!! Rosie Danan gives us a lot of moments in the slow burn that will be 100% worth it, don't you worry.

This is one of my favorite 2020 romances, for sure. An extraordinary tale of hilarious dialogue, romantic nights while eating breakfast food, changing the porn industry, and two people who are so very different but perfect together.

For a good time, read this book. Though it's a classic case of opposites attract, the story itself is surprising, sex-positive (and sex-filled), and super funny. I really hope the term "raunch-com" catches on because sometimes it's exactly what I want to read and I appreciate the specificity!

REVIEW |⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Roomate by Rosie Danan for release September 15

When trust-fund child Clara moves to LA in pursuit of her lifelong crush, she finds out he’s packing up and leaving on tour with his band. The last thing she expected was to find herself rooming with the Josh- a male porn star. Together, they join forces to advocate for better sex for women- challenging the porn industry.

I’m obsessed with this dual POV debut. I’m going to get right to it:

💖Danah’s writing is AMAZING. She writes with stunning prose and uses the most amazing descriptions and metaphors.

💖Both Clara and Josh have wonderfully executed character ARCs that say consistent throughout.

💖I loved the relationship between them. Josh is such a sweetheart.

💖This story brings up the stigma of the adult entertainment industry in such a smart way. It also points out the double standard between male vs female entertainers.

💖The steam was SOO well done. It was insanely hot, but not to the point of detracting from the story. Though I will say, if you like closed door romances, this won’t be for you.

Seriously, do yourself a favour and pre order this one! It’s definitely a favourite of the year 🙌🏼💗 massive thank you to Rosie Danan, Berkley, and Netgalley for access to this amazing ARC.

Friends, there is nothing like reading a debut romance and loving it.  Surprising, funny, sexy and original, The Roommate is on my shortlist of favorite books of 2020.  It’s excellent.

Clara Wheaton has loved Everett Bloom since they were small children.  Their families, part of the Connecticut east coast elite, are close friends, and their parents always hoped Clara and Everett would one day wind up married. Unfortunately, Everett has so far seemed immune to any pressure from his family - or Clara - to take the friendship to the next level.  But when Everett encourages Clara to “follow her bliss,” after completing her doctorate, and move in with him, Clara impulsively (uh oh) does.  Her bliss, if you haven’t guessed, is Everett.  Except Everett, a musician in a not very successful rock band, is following his own bliss (not Clara) - and going on a summer tour.  He picks Clara up at the airport, explains why he won’t be sticking around, tells her he’s found someone to sublet his room for the summer, and drops her curbside at his LA house.  Clara tries not to freak out and we all mentally agree Everett is a jerk.  She’s just managed to quell her panic and is exploring her new home, when a deep male voice responds to her utterance: “So this is how it feels to be well and truly fucked,”  with “I get that a lot.”

Josh Darling couldn’t believe his luck when he found this cheap summer sublet.  After his most recent break-up with on-again/off-again girlfriend Naomi, he was convinced he’d be sleeping on friends' couches all summer.  He’s surprised by his buttoned-up new roommate, but since she is clearly having a bad day, he does his best to put her at ease.  She finally introduces herself, telling him a little bit about herself and the circumstances that brought her to LA, and he shares that he works in the entertainment industry and lucked into the sub-let.  Clara is still clearly uncomfortable, so he tries to put her at ease by teasing her about her fancy degree and background.  Annoyance quickly replaces her nerves, and she breaks out a laminated list of apartment sharing rules for the summer.  Josh thinks they’re funny, Clara isn’t amused (and she’s trying desperately not to gawk at her handsome roommate), and they pass the afternoon figuring out how to live together.

Although the apartment sharing situation starts off awkwardly, Josh and Clara quickly form a tentative friendship.  That all changes after Josh encourages her to call her mother’s sister.  Aunt Joan relocated to LA after an impulsive decision led to her banishment from the family.  Joan now owns a successful PR agency, and much to Clara’s surprise, is happy to meet her.   After giving her aunt the highly condensed version of her move to LA, she casually mentions the name of her new roommate.  A name, it turns out, her aunt recognizes - Josh Darling is a porn star and minor celebrity.  Clara - predictably - freaks out.  Her disastrous move to LA is a scandal in the making, and now she can’t stop imagining Josh naked.  Later that night, after trying and failing to resist, she googles him.  Flushed with arousal and caught up in the scene, she fails to note Josh’s arrival at the apartment.  Oops.

Almost immediately after Josh catches Clara watching him perform, their conversation devolves into a discussion of Clara’s lackluster sexual history, and Josh’s prowess at giving women pleasure and orgasms... which he’s happy to demonstrate and she quickly allows.  Look, this is an only in Romancelandia plot twist, and while I thought the scene was sexy and hot, it was a tad disappointing in its predictability.  But much to my surprise, The Roommate quickly pivots in a different direction.

While Clara is trying to discover herself, find her way, and confront her fears, Josh is at a professional cross-roads.  Josh likes to fuck, and he gets paid for doing something he enjoys, and he’s quick to defend his career choice.  Unfortunately, despite his popularity, he’s locked into a contract that mostly only benefits his employer, and Black Hat Studios is now pressuring him to join their hardcore, extreme division.  Josh wants to work in the adult film industry, but can’t see a way forward... until Clara shows him a different path.  Intrigued by Josh’s insistence that female desire and pleasure matter, and determined to help him, Clara suggests he start his own production company with her financial backing.  Utilizing Josh’s skill set, and industry knowledge, the company could produce films to help women erase the stigma against female desire and empower them to pursue pleasure.  Plot twist!

The Roommate cleverly dovetails three seemingly disparate plot threads - Clara’s search for an identity; Josh’s positive experiences in a notoriously exploitive industry; and opposites/friends/roommates falling for each other - when Josh and Clara (and Naomi) partner up.  Shameless, the new company, forces Clara and Josh to spend more time together while slowly but surely cranking up the sexual tension, helping Clara find herself and Josh find purpose.  Neither believes they can have a future together, and Naomi, their third badass partner, explicitly warns Josh not to mix business and pleasure. Clara - convinced Josh belongs with someone like Naomi (smart, tough, and sexually confident) - doesn’t believe she can attract a super hot, sexy and sweet porn star.  Josh doesn’t think he’s good enough for Clara. And yet.

Clara’s characterization is much like you expect.  She’s a controlling and controlled Type A personality, who is slightly repressed and more than a little lost.  Her one attempt to detour from life’s predictable path backfired, and she’s slightly overwhelmed by the drastic changes in her life.  Less predictably, she faces her choices head on and makes the best of them.  She trusts her instincts about the business, and despite feeling like a less experienced, outsider, she gamely goes all-in.  Josh works in an industry known for exploiting women, but he contravenes our expectations at every turn.  He’s a charming, underachiever who pretends to be unaffected but is actually Extremely Soft (credit:  @rosiedanan), and Clara can’t resist him (neither can we!).  As you’d expect, the steam level is quite high for much of the novel, but it isn’t gratuitous.  The scenes that feature Clara and Josh are particularly well done, and they wonderfully illustrate the intensity of their emotions and physical connection.

Although I like almost everything about this story and its sex-positive, female empowerment message, it’s an idealized version of the porn industry.  Danan narrowly focuses our attention on the villainous Black Hat, but only fleetingly references the challenges performers face, and the often traumatic backstories of its entertainers.  This is a light hearted depiction of the porn industry, and while it works in the context of the story, I can't think it’s accurate or realistic.  I also had a hard time segueing from Josh’s hearty sexual appetite to his laser focus on Clara so quickly after they meet... but since I was highly entertained by his constant state of sexual frustration for most of the novel, I can forgive it!

The Roommate is a delightful opposites-attract romance I couldn’t put down.  Likable principals, great secondary characters, clever plotting, funny dialogue, and lots of sex... it’s one of my favorite books of 2020.

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This was a fun and steamy romance with a great sex-positive message. However, while the characters did have good chemistry together, a lot of the plot conflicts get resolved way too quickly and easily (won't say specifics for spoiler reasons) and not everything in Josh and Clara's backstories made sense to me logically. But it's pretty easy to push those things aside and just enjoy this very open-door and surprisingly sweet romance for what it is.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, but it wasn't everything I hoped it would be and I cant quite pinpoint why. I think the fact that Josh was an adult entertainer I thought the book would be a bit more steamy and it wasn't. There were a few good scenes but everything fell a little flat.

I also felt like the characters backgrounds weren't as fully developed as I would have liked and so I wasn't as invested in the story or their relationship.
I did appreciate the sex positivity throughout the book so I bumped my review up to 4 stars.

This was so much fun! The perfect steamy rom-com to read this summer. I can't wait to read more by this author.

This is was a funny, sweet, and sexy read. The main characters were polar opposites but had great chemistry. I look forward to Rosie Danan's future novels.

I loved every possible second of this book! Sex positive, feminist and gloriously unashamed. I would recommend this book to EVERYONE. It's sex ed with romance.

The Roommate is a quick, enjoyable read. Many predictable romance elements are present—that’s how we know it’s a romance, right? What sets it apart is the setting in the adult entertainment world. That was a new one to me. I learned some things about that world and the personal and professional challenges faced by the people who work in it. There is plenty of hot sex along with a pretty decent plot. The main weakness is the lack of main character development. It isn’t clear to me what personality traits attracted Josh and Clara to each other. Josh’s ex was by far the most interesting character. Even so, I’d recommend The Roommate to romance lovers who want a different setting for old familiar themes with some different social and workplace considerations brought to light.