I had very mixed feelings on this book. I liked the positive look at intimacy and sex, but I just felt it was a little jumbled in the things that were happening to the characters..
I liked the relationship between Naomi and Ethan I liked. I really liked the look at the Jewish faith background and how it made each of these characters who they are.
But I wanted more of Naomi's backstory/decision to enter the adult entertainment industry.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

"One of the best things about love, real love, is that it doesn't demand perfection. It simply invites us to live up to our potential"

Rosie Danan is quickly becoming one of my favourite romance authors. She writes such well rounded, inherently flawed and incredibly beautiful characters. She talks about love and life in very real and messy ways and censors nothing. Her characters have these incredible revelations and poignant moments but she still manages to keep it light hearted, funny and sweet.

So sweet. I adored this and I adore Naomi. Ethan is great too, but Naomi. She's a queen in every sense, I honestly believe we can all learn a lot from Naomi.

Much like in the first novel, I love the way the author talks about the sex industry and sex work. How for many people it can be empowering, and for this character specifically, an incredible way for her to overcome trauma and turn a negative into something she was proud of. "I've been a social pariah for many years now, and I can tell you that it's worth it to not spend a second of your precious time on earth worrying about what other people believe you should do, believe you should be." "Your life is yours alone". Pure magic, I tell ya.

I also really loved the was Danan attacked the concept of Ethan and his faith. At no point does the book feel preachy or biased. She really looked at Judaism from all angles, pointed out the good and the bad and made her character someone who is inherently good, but never above anyone else.

I loved this book, I hope Danan keeps finding inspiration and giving us incredible characters to connect with and look up to.

Such an amazing follow up to The Roommate, just as raw and real as we all want. I absolutely loved the hot rabbi and ex porn star turned co CEO relationship it ripped my heart open and healed it all in a couple pages. The tension between the couple was to die for and I’ll never stop talking about how progressive this author and her books are! Phenomenal job, can’t wait for the next one!

Loved this book. Main characters were not typical romance novel characters. I loved reading a book that took place within my culture. Would love to revisit with this couple when they are older.

I had very mixed feelings on this book, but on the whole a positive continuation of the series that began with The Roommate.
The relationship between Naomi and Ethan is great and slowly built over the course of the book. Their work building their faith community through a variety of activities was interesting and thoughtfully done. I also enjoyed revisiting Clara and Josh.
However, the trip to Naomi's high school felt like an absolute waste with the build up of of the betrayal she suffered at that school and then instead of talking about something specific to the youth/her own experience there Naomi continued on the series that she was delivering at the Jewish community center. I wish a bit more focus was put on Naomi's backstory/decision to enter the adult entertainment industry.
I look forward to whatever Rosie Danan writes next.
Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a copy for review

I was excited to read this book because I loved The Roommate so much. This book was even better! Rosie Danan does such an amazing job of writing books with so much more depth than you're expecting. If I had any criticism it would be the book covers, they don't do the books justice!

Naomi Grant is one fierce woman. She is one of the founders of Shameless, a former sex worker, and is not trying to break into teaching about sex and sex education. At a conference, she gets asked by Ethan to come to teach a modern intimacy class for a failing synagogue, and the rabbi aka Ethan who asked her is the most perfect man she has ever met, and the man she cannot touch because well he's a rabbi. Little does Naomi know Ethan feels the same way about her. One steaming kiss in a sports shed is all that it takes for them to break down the barriers of their romance.

This feels a little like Fleabag, but with a happier ending for both people. I loved this so much. It was smart and the religion major in me really loved the weaving in of Judaism.

Alright Rosie. I think I love you.

This book was so true to its title. It really was a discussion of intimacy and what that looks like. It's not even strictly sexual intimacy either which I felt was important to the book.

I related a lot to Naomi, not the sex worker part but the defenses up part. Being vulnerable is hard for me, and I get how hard it is to be the one that has to get mushy.

Ethan also was a wonderful compliment to Naomi, a sweet as hell loving man who is genuinely supportive. Dan writes excellent male leads.

The deeper conversation of religion and romance was not off putting at all, and I liked learning more about Judaism.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone. It's a slower burn, and not quite as explicit as The Roommate. It is not lacking though because of that.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for the ARC

I usually don’t write reviews in this format but for Rosie Danan’s The Intimacy Experiment I just have these thoughts.

What I liked:

Ethan. I loved this character, what a wonderfully open, understanding man.

The positive representation of physical intimacy.

The authentic development of the relationship between Naomi and Ethan.

The bridging the gap between ancient Jewish teachings and the modern dating scene.

The supportive community that Ethan and Naomi build.

Ethan’s sister and the relationship Naomi has with her friends/business partners.

The idea behind the Shameless app.


What I didn’t like:

For such a sex positive book and the open discussions about sex and intimacy, there was surprisingly little sex in this book. Just one sex/love scene. One.

I needed more about Naomi’s decision making concerning her transition from a betrayal in high school to becoming a sex performer.

Naomi’s return to her high school seemed like a missed opportunity. When so many people have had their personal images unwittingly exposed on social media and the internet, it could have been a teachable moment on how to survive and thrive from this type of betrayal.

I did like this book, but I wanted to love it.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked The Roommate a lot, but I loved The Intimacy Experiment. I texted my friend Cat "I LOVE NAOMI!" uhhh maybe 20 times while reading. I definitely relate to her (and Ethan) way more as a character. She's prickly and funny and self-possessed -- all things I absolutely love in a character and in myself (on my best days). She reminds me of that Paul Simon lyric, "Why am I soft in the middle? The rest of my life is so hard." Naomi was definitely one of my favorite parts of The Roommate, because Clara was just so... nice. With Naomi you get what you get and you don't get upset (and if you do get upset that's your problem not hers). I also like Ethan so much. He's not smooth and he's not cool, but he's interesting and sincere. I was raised Catholic and for a long time I wanted to become a nun, not because I had any love for the church but because a life of service really appealed to me. I eventually became a public librarian; and Ethan became a teacher, then a rabbi.

I really liked the cultural setting for this novel, because it felt like a much more lived-in version of LA than you see in the first book. While the plot is ostensibly about Naomi and Ethan both navigating different parts of their Jewish identities, it's also about community. I really wish I could be part of that (initially) small community taking their Modern Intimacy lectures.

Overall I really enjoyed the writing too. Naomi shares my sense of humor and I love the opportunity to get behind her tough exterior.

This is one of my new favorite romances of all time! I loved Naomi's endearing prickliness in The Roommate, and was so pleased to see her get her own love story with the sweetest of cinnamon roll heroes. Her progression as a character--coming to accept her own softness, let people in, and overcome past traumas--was beautifully done and made me love her even more than I already did. The character of Ethan (hot rabbi!) was a treat through and through, and I loved how unequivocally he supported her from the start of their relationship. This was such a warm, lovely, hopeful read, and I can't wait to enthusiastically recommend it to everyone.

I loved the first book in this series, and was so excited to see that Naomi got her own story! Such great representation in this story and partners respecting each others boundaries and growing together. This is a fun romance read, but it is also introspective and delves into a lot of important topics.

I wasn't really sure what to expect in a book about a former porn star and a rabbi, but I was blown away by Naomi and Ethan's relationship and how they helped each other grow as individuals.

Naomi is desperate to find somewhere that will give her a chance to teach in person as an expansion of her popular sex-education website but is striking out until she meets Ethan, the rabbi of a struggling synagogue looking for creative ways to reach a new audience. As they work together to offer a multi-week modern intimacy series, Naomi and Ethan connection deepens and becomes something wonderful and enriching for both of them.

This book was an absolute gem, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance despite the iffy cover. Naomi and Ethan have personal issues to work through as their relationship develops, and it's all handled incredibly well and realistically. I loved that Judaism and what it means to each of them is such a central part to this story. The Intimacy Experiment is also incredibly sex positive, but it never reaches the line of romantica, so I think it would still appeal to more traditional romance readers.

I adored the romance between this very unlikely duo and would highly recommend it to fans of The Roommate (book 1 of the series), Talia Hibbert, and other modern and sex positive romances.

I didn't think Rosie Danan could beat her debut novel, but The Intimacy Experiment was so great! I love Naomi and Ethan's relationship - you can see why these two people need each other, love hanging out with each other, and the sparks are insane. Also, this book scratches that Fleabag/Priest itch that everyone in the world experienced.

This book is just such a great combination of sweet/tender and pining/sexy I couldn't put it down.

As soon as I finished reading Rosie Danan's debut The Roommate, I was like, "So help me GOD if Naomi doesn't get her own book..."

And not only did Rosie Danan bless us with this novel, but she made impenetrable (and apparently Jewish!) Naomi's love interest an adorable and sexy cinnamon roll rabbi. L'chaim indeed.

The Intimacy Experiment keeps up much of the tension we saw in The Roommate but with a more introspective and spiritual twist. Even if you're not Jewish or remotely religious, Danan does an excellent job walking the fine line of being thoughtful with the Jewish interludes but not preachy. There were a couple of sections where I wanted a little more of Ethan family, and the ending may seem a tad rushed for some people who don't love rom-com hijinks, but I really, really enjoyed this one. I have no choice but to stan.

And we need more Jewish protagonists and love interests all up in this genre!

Content warning: Mentions of death of a parent, misogyny, anti-sex work sentiments

Naomi and Ethan were both unique, lovable characters and I loved watching their relationship unfold. Fans of Danan's The Roommate will love seeing Josh and Clara reappear as side characters and get to see Naomi's character and past fleshed out. Naomi is a powerhouse of a character, and I loved seeing her softer side here as well as her badass side. A surprisingly deep exploration of the Jewish faith threads through the story as well. I would have loved to see a little more expansion of the issues that were touched on with Ethan's family, but overall was a huge fan of this heartfelt, steamy story.

I absolutely adored this book. I'm sure some of that was due to the diverse representation--like, I think this is the first mainstream contemporary genre romance I've ever seen starring a bisexual Jewish former sex worker (which may not seem like a big deal unless you are one, but trust me, it is!)--and because I enjoy romances which deal with religion in thoughtful ways, as this one does. However, it's not so niche that non-Jewish or non-religious readers wouldn't find it meaningful and relatable too. The title is also apt, because THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT touches on some of the challenges of modern romance and connection in the real world in a way I found refreshingly realistic, and the relationship between the protagonists is a great and all-too-rare example of a love story that's both appealingly escapist and yet aspirational for everyone as far as how they engage with the process and challenges of intimacy.

Naomi Grant is a former adult entertainer who now runs sex-education website Shameless wither her friends. Ethan Cohen is the rabbi at rapidly-dwindling synagogue. When Ethan approaches Naomi about teaching a series of seminars on modern intimacy as an untraditional method of growing his congregation, it seems like oil and water-- just like a potential romance between (former) pornstar Naomi and noble Ethan. But when the two can't deny the chemistry anymore, they agree to follow Naomi's modern intimacy syllabus as a roadmap in their own relationship. Unfortunately, they have to realize that love often has unexpected flat tires and detours....

Love, love, loved this story! More steamy romances featuring faith formation leaders, please and thank you! I truly believe that this book can help disenfranchised Jewish/Christian/[insert faith here] believers that not all congregations are boring and old just as the modern intimacy seminars helped bridge that gap for Beth Elohim. As someone heavily involved in her church with a strong background in faith formation, I loved seeing Ethan's struggle with work-life balance, how /human/ Ethan is and how he actively works to avoid being put on a pedestal by anyone, and how he yearns for love and intimate connection with a partner.

Diverse reads:
- Ethan and Naomi are Jewish.
- Naomi is bi, but it is a very, very small part of the overall story.

On the chaste to steamy scale, it's a 6.

I liked this book and thought the blend of Jewish faith, working on your personal intimacy issues, and Naomi and Ethan as characters were all good/fresh for a romance novel, but idk, this one just didn't grab me the same way The Roommate did.