This may be the first review I write that is almost entirely the bits I highlighted from the book. Maybe a little spoiler-y.

"I get out of bed because I think about the connection that we all have, this fragile humanity, each of us insignificant and at the same time precious. A continuation of a species that is recklessly unique. I remember that life is a finite gift, and I’d be an asshole to waste it...[why do you get out of bed in the morning?]”
“The world is cruel and unrelenting, full of pain and injustice,” she said again, leaning just slightly toward him, “and I am a stick of dynamite.” Ethan’s breath caught in his chest, but she wasn’t done. “Sometimes ineffectual, other times unnecessarily destructive, but, on occasion, enough to at least temporarily disrupt the rhythm of the patriarchal abyss threatening to stick down everything I care about and hold it hostage."

“I’ve spent my entire adult life in therapy learning to love myself, because I believed that if I loved myself, I wouldn’t need anyone else’s love. But that’s not really how it works, is it?” “No, I don’t think so,” he said softly. Naomi was so . . . gone over this man. No map, no compass. Gone. “I’m starting to think all those years of emotional depravation just made me hungrier. So, sure, I guess I’ll take God’s love. If he’s offering.” “He’s offering,” Ethan confirmed.

Also features really well-written smexy times (although def a slow burn to get there), humor, and a few glimpses of Clara & Josh from The Roommate (not necessary to read that book first, although some bits of The Roommate are spoiled by things happening in The Intimacy Experiment).

The characters and tone of Rosie Danan books remind me of Victoria Dahl's contemporaries, but since Victoria's switched to psychological thrillers, that's not necessarily helpful.

So: I would recommend this to fans of Christina Lauren, Courtney Milan, Alisha Rai, Rose Lerner, Kate Clayborn, Talia Hibbert, Alyssa Cole, Helen Hoang. It's smart, funny, sexy, culturally aware, and emotionally intelligent.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. Can I extra-nominate it for #LibraryReads?

This was a delightful surprise of a contemporary romance. I thought this was so smart, so fresh, so sex positive - and I loved how it incorporated questions of how faith plays into today's world and as a relevant element of two people figuring out how to come together. The only thing that didn't totally hit for me in this was that the dialogue, while sharp, didn't feel very lived in to me. It read more like a script or a monologue that, while funny or touching, often took me out of the flow of the book. Still, I loved this book's point of view and I want to read more from this author 100%

The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan is a great followup to the first book in the series, The Roommate. It can be read as a standalone, and focuses on Naomi and Ethan. It's a slower build and relies on less steam than its predecessor, but still had some good chemistry.

Ethan is a really sweet, vulnerable character, and the first Rabbi book boyfriend I've met - what a welcomed addition to romance novels! His meets his match (and his opposite) in Naomi, a sex worker who struggles with trust and what her religion means to her. This book gets a high five for great rep!

I love the sex-positive focus, and the wonderful representation of sex workers. This series is SO important to read to shift the negative stereotypes around sex work and its perceived immorality. It really focuses on sex education, and how it can fit in with religious faith, as well as dealing with community prejudice. These parts of the book are so strong, and often brought me to tears.

The balance between those sections and character development felt a little off for me, however, as I had a hard time connecting emotionally to either Ethan or Naomi. I wasn't devouring the book, and sometimes felt compelled to take a break and put it down.

Overall, this is definitely an enjoyable story that I think everyone should read for a perspective shift. It just wasn't a great fit for me.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am here for some more sex positive books 👏🏻 and ones that show how much we as a society judge others.

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleyromance for an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Can I just say how much I loved Naomi? I loved watching her grow from the the roommate to the end of this book. I loved watching her discover what intimacy can mean, and at the end had me tearing up. And Ethan...I love that he just accepted her right away and never made her feel bad or less than for her past. I really enjoyed that he wanted to show younger people that religion and their lifestyles can be complimentary. This book is all about accepting so many different ways of life and I’m about it. We all make different choices for a certain reason, and I’m not here to judge.

Rating: 🧪🧪🧪🧪 (.5) / 5

Danan's "The Roommate" was a shockingly perfect novel in my world. So when I was given the chance to read "The Intimacy Experiment" I was so dang thrilled. Because y'all these books do not disappoint.

Naomi is fiercely herself, perfectly real and honest about her wants, needs and desires. Deep down she has some issues that she keeps in check by keeping intimacy at bay. But what happens with Rabbi Ethan Cohen comes into her world, making her question all she ever thought she deserved? These two together have a slow-burn romance that builds from complex and charming to very, very sexy.

I didn't completely know what to expect out of a story about a Rabbi and a former porn star, but this was not it. I found myself thinking of how intimacy plays a role in all relationships. How much you share, when you share it and how it feels to be vulnerable. Danan makes unique pairings full of life lessons. Respect, honesty and realness is again a part to her writing and I am here for it. Now and forever.

A perfect book about personal identity and being true to yourself no matter the circumstance.

On a side note: this book helped me re-examine my relationship with Judaism and its role in my life which I am so grateful to Rosie Danan for.

📖 "The Intimacy Experiment" by @rosiedanan comes out APRIL 6, 2021

CW:trauma, revenge porn, slut shaming & anti-Semitism

💄Naomi Grant's journey from the first book continues here. Now that her startup has been quite successful, everything that she has ever wanted for herself may be up for grabs.. the only problem is, despite her qualifications and education, no university/college or any teaching platform wants to hire a former sexworker.

🕍 Enter Ethan Cohen, a young rabbi hoping to attract the younger demographic to his struggling synagogue. After hearing Naomi's empowered speech at a seminar, he offers her a job teaching a course on "Modern Intimacy".

🙋🏻‍♀️ Can be read as a standalone but I suggest reading the "The Roommate" prior to this.

✅ Love the peeling of Naomi's many layers including her bisexuality, added to the vulnerability & intensity of her character. It's rare to read a female character as fragile yet as strong as her who was unapologetic in who she was and wanted to be.
✅ JEWISH REPRESENTATION 👏🏻
✅ The continued positive discussion about sex workers that is dealt with in such a careful and respectful manner.
✅ THIS IS A FEMINIST BOOK. Crushing the "ideals" and perceptions of women and focusing on everything that makes us tick that should never be repressed or feel shame about.
✅ The relationship between Ethan and Naomi develops organically.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved that it wasn't as intense as "The Roommate" was in terms of steam yet there were definitely some fan-worthy moments, if you know what I mean. The MCs were such complex characters that shouldn't look good together on paper but they just make sense. Reading their journey in finding what they deserved for themselves & with each other was such a humbling experience.

🛍 "The Intimacy Experiment" is now available for PREORDER and will be out whereever you buy books on APRIL 6, 2021

🙏🏻 Thank you netgalley, berkley & rosie danan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Intimacy Experiment focused on Naomi and Ethan after the first book, The Roommate. Though it is the second book. The Intimacy Experiment can be read as a standalone.

What I liked was the focus on changing the narrative on negative stereotyping for sex workers. I think characters like Naomi are important to educate the public on sex work and the harmful assumption of its perceived immorality. I enjoyed Naomi's internal struggle with her Jewish heritage and coming to grips with her own sense of identity. Ethan was a sweet and loveable character who was easy to fall for. I enjoyed the opposites attract dichotomy.

I did feel that the book focused more on heavy hitting topics such as sex education, religious faith, prejudice against sex workers, etc... and less on character development. I had trouble staying engaged in the story and felt disconnected from Naomi. There was a lot less steam than I expected which wasn't necessarily a negative given that the book was dealing with heavy subjects.

All in all, I thought it was an enjoyable story.

I really enjoyed this book. Naomi is such a layered character and the emotional and personal growth really sings. There's a very relatable vulnerability when she's starting to allow cracks in her "take no shit" attitude that many will feel a connection to her with the tumultuous year we've been through. You really couldn't have asked for a better hero than Ethan, and his acceptance of Naomi as she is, prickly thorns and all is a lovely demonstration of "for better or worse" personified in a world where we're quick to trade someone in at the slightest conflict.

I loved The Roommate and was so excited to hear that we are getting Naomi’s story in The Intimacy Experiment. Naomi is such a strong beautiful former sex worker looking for ways to branch to normalize sexuality while Rabbi Ethan is looking to increase members at this synagogue. They are complete opposites in that aspect but so perfect for each other. Ethan is the most adoring cinnamon roll MC and their connection is amazing!! I love how well the author incorporated Judaism into the story made that a big aspect of the plot

I was sooooo happy when I found out that Naomi was getting her own book....thank you Rosie Danan, thank you so much!! Then I find out that her love interest was going to be a rabbi?!?!
Danan has done it again and I have to say that Naomi may have surpassed my love for Clara with this story.
You see Naomi at her most vulnerable; moments when she is scared, hurt, in love.....this story just AHHHH....I hate spoilers so I won't go into detail but damn I can't wait to recommend this book to all my friends.
Will be waiting with bated breath for Danan to release her next title....while slowly re-reading both of her books until then!

The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan is a book that will stay with me for such a long time. I will look back on this book with love and I hugged it when reading so many times. I wish I could show every quote that made me love this novel so much, every moment that made me smile, every moment that made me feel empowered, but since this is an ARC I will just leave a list of all the things I love.

I love all the badass women quotes that will gave me strength and will give other women strength to love their whole selves, to have people love their whole selves, even the parts that they hate.

I love the Jewish representation. I felt I got to learn a lot about Jewish culture that I didn't know before and it felt so authentic.

I love that the Jewish representation was one of JOY. So many times, the representation only has to do with World War 2 and the Holocaust and I was so happy to see a book not rooted in trauma.

I love the in depth discussion about identity. The idea that you can be multiple different things at once, like being a sexual being and intelligent, being strong but also needing to lean on others sometimes, and so much more.

I love the continuation of the SEX POSITIVE discussion of her first novel in this series. So many young girls and young adults who grow into women are taught to hide themselves, to feel ashamed of their sexual desires and wants, to feel as if they must maintain this sense of innocence. This book crushes all these ideals that society tries to pressure on women.

I love that between all the serious topics and moments, there is this relationship between Naomi and Ethan that is both sweet and fluffy, but also powerful.

I love all the things listed above and so much more.

This book is completely bingeable and made me smile and feel empowered the whole read! I highly encourage everyone to read this book that not only tries to empower you, but shows JOY in the Jewish community.

The Intimacy Experiment is the second book in The Roommate series by Rosie Danan. I was excited to learn more about Naomi after meeting her in The Roommate.

CW: past revenge porn, anti-Semitism, slut-shaming

I love the premise of this book. In The Intimacy Experiment we get to see Naomi, a former porn star who is now the CEO for a sex education service, and we get to meet Ethan, a hot rabbi. This was compelling and I loved this unlikely pairing. I loved getting to know Naomi and her softer side. I also enjoyed Ethan and how modern he was in his practices. I loved Naomi and Ethan together; you could feel their chemistry the moment they met. I loved that The Intimacy Experiment examined what love is. I loved that Naomi doesn't let her trauma define her and that Ethan is with her as she grows and heals.

I loved seeing more of Clara and Josh, as well as the friendship between Naomi and Clara.

The Intimacy Experiment is unlike other books I've read and I love the sex-positive message and the love in this book.

I loved reading about Naomi's journey, she was a striking character that stood out from the last book. I deeply enjoyed the perspectives on spirituality in the modern age, refreshing to read about faith, love and intimacy from a nuanced point of view.

Thanks to NetGalley + Berkley Romance/Jove for the advance copy of THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT by Rosie Danan {pub date 4.6.21}

THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT is the adjacent romance sequel to THE ROOMMATE (which if you haven’t read yet, what are you waiting for!?!). It focuses on Naomi Grant, co-founder of Shameless (all about sex education) and a former porn star, and Rabbi Ethan Cohen who wants to start a lecture series at his temple on modern intimacy. Since it’s a romance, there’s no surprise that it’s all about Naomi +Ethan’s story - the modernization of a temple’s programming and their own hesitancies in relationships.

Honestly, I fully connected with Naomi and felt her struggles - her insecurities of past choices, uncertainty of faith and religion, + doing her best to find a path forward that’s true to herself.

After reading and loving The Roommate last year, I was eager to get my hands on @rosiedanan follow up. It did not disappoint.

The premise of THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT sounds like the beginning of a cringey joke- "A rabbi and an ex adult film star walk into a bar."  The real premise is this: Ethan hires Naomi to lead a series of seminars on Modern Intimacy in hopes it will boost his congregation numbers.  I'd describe this contemporary romance as a 'Romance with Heft'. It had the swoony kissy-kissy elements that I enjoy in a romance but it also had a thought-provoking layer.  I love how Danan slowly built Naomi and Ethan's growth both together as a couple and on their own. It is an unconventional relationship and it's handled with tenderness, vulnerability and honesty. It felt genuine. I am neither Jewish nor an ex-adult film star, but I had no problem believing the unique challenges they faced.

The Modern Intimacy seminars not only framed Naomi and Ethan's jpath, but normalized intimacy without being heavy handed. It was my favorite element.

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 about my eggplant scale. It's how I gauge the level of steam/sexytime. It's also personal and subjective. What is a gentle rolling boil to one reader may be a 3rd degree burn for someone else. In this case- I gave it all the eggplants and I was HERE.FOR.IT! ⁣

Ahhh this is Scary Naomi’s story!! Turns out she’s not so scary on the inside, although I definitely wouldn’t go against her. Naomi has had great success in her career as a former adult entertainer and current sex-positive educator/entrepreneur. She would love to branch out from her online platform and actually talk to real people, but nobody wants to take the chance on her. Cue Ethan Cohen, the hot young rabbi of a dying synagogue. Ethan has this crazy idea of creating a lecture series on modern intimacy in order to drum up fresh new congregants and save his synagogue, hosted by none other than Naomi Grant. It’s a little crazy, but he thinks it’ll work.

Naomi is startled to discover just how attracted to Ethan she is. He’s unintentionally making her think about reconnecting to her Jewish roots way back from her previous life—something she never thought would ever happen. Plus, thinking about the stages of intimacy and relationships has her thinking funny things about the good Rabbi Cohen, who would never be able to think about her, a former adult entertainer, in any sort of permanent capacity, right?

I really enjoyed The Intimacy Experiment. I always appreciate getting a perspective from characters who have lived different lives from my own, and I loved having Jewish characters represented. Naomi is a complex woman, and Ethan is just the sweetheart to try to dig beneath her layers to her gooey insides. Their chemistry is definitely off the charts. I do like my spice in books, though, and I have to say that I wish we had gotten another spicy scene between Naomi and Ethan! I can talk myself around it by saying that Naomi has done enough performing for others in her time, I guess. But what we did get was hot!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for a review!

DNF this title. Appreciate the attempt to continue the storyline from The Roommate (which I really enjoyed) but the character of Naomi is just unlikeable to me. Will try again later.

Naomi is a former porn star who is hoping to expand her sex positivity business to in person teaching but having a hard time doing that when she encounters a young rabbi, Ethan, who wants to expand the congregation by attracting a younger audience. He decides to do so by hiring Naomi to teach about modern love. Naomi is someone who struggles with how people treat her due to her current and past business ventures but is still trying hard to be her true genuine self, so I loved seeing the contrast between her tough "you can't mess with me!" side vs her more vulnerable wanting to be accepted side. Sometimes she did go a bit much with the innuendo, but I could understand why. However, Ethan was my favorite character!

That being said, some of this book was just a bit beyond what I could believe, and it was uncomfortable reading about a rabbi having sex.

What I liked:
- the relationship development between Naomi and Ethan. We saw both characters grow in their security in themselves and one another.
- the steam is off the charts
- Ethan brought out the soft side of Naomi. Not in a negative way, but helped her polish her edges a bit.

What didn't work for me:
- I had a hard separating reality from fiction. I live in LA and some of the locations/directions described in the book felt unbelievable to me.
- I had a difficult time merging religion with this sexual relationship. For me, it was not that she was an adult movie star. It was more the fact that in religious leadership, one is to be above reproach. This did not seem to be the case with Ethan. Maybe I need to do more research into reform judaism.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I just had a few hangups that kept me from feeling satisfied.