Member Reviews
The Intimacy Experiment was so cute! I loved the Jewish representation (I feel like I’ve never seen that in any fiction book I’ve read before) and the sex positivity that this book conveys. I will say that I was expecting more steam. This may be steamy to some but I wanted more. The book also had an abrupt ending which I wasn’t a huge fan of. The characters were adorable though and I still want to check out The Roommate as well! Naomi + Ethan forever ❤️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
absolutely gorgeous and tender, this book did an incredible job balancing the intimacy of one's personal faith with sharing romantic intimacy in a realtionship. Such an incredible book
The Intimacy Experiment
By: Rosie Danan
Calling all fans of The Roommate, this book is for you!
Synopsis: The Intimacy Experiment follows Naomi Grant, cofounder of a sex positive start up company who dreams of teaching and educating others on modern intimacy, as well as Ethan Cohen, a charming non-conventional Jewish Rabbi, who hopes to attract a younger audience to his synagogue. The result, a seminar series on Modern Intimacy, love's latest experiment, but neither Naomi nor Ethan expected they'd be the ones putting it to the test.
Review: As an extension of The Roommate, we really start to dive into the back story of Naomi Grant, the experiences that led her to her chosen career, her continued relationships with Josh and Clara, and the growing attraction that occurs between Naomi and Ethan as she teaches a seminar series on Modern Intimacy. From their first meeting, the chemistry between Naomi and Ethan is palpable. The characters and plot discussions of this novel were written so well. It is not often enough that I find a romance with Jewish culture, woman empowerment, sex positivity, and a strong female lead in a novel that conveys both aspects of a sweet romance but also highlights meaningful and sensitive topics.
And the hero, well he loves Naomi for her past, present and future.
There is so much more than meets the eye with this novel. There is depth to these characters, there is growth in these characters, but there is also the steam and dialogue that you hope for in a romance.
This was such a fun read, and I definitely encourage others to pick this book up!
Thank you @rosiedanan, @netgalley and @berkleypub for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
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.
I definitely need to attend a real life Modern Intimacy seminar. I feel in love with the concept of this book before I even read it! A porn star walks into a synagogue is not just some punch line, it’s the beyond brilliant and unique setup for The Intimacy Experiment.
Naomi (former porn star and successful business owner) teams up with Ethan (Rabbi) to host a lecture series at his synagogue about dating. But as they teach others about embracing love they struggle to accept their own desire for each other. Naomi and Ethan test the boundaries of love with compassion, wit, and steamy chemistry 🔥
I admire the way Rosie tackles big topics with her intersections of sex, love, and faith. And at the center of it all she focuses on fighting exploitation and personal identity. She asks us to think about who we were, who we are now, and who we want to be.
There is so much to love about this book, but don’t just listen to me go see for yourself. This is a great read for someone in the mood for a swoon-worthy romance, but if you haven’t I highly recommend you also read The Roommate!!
4.5 stars!!!
THIS WAS SO GOOD. I love both Naomi and Ethan so much! Their chemistry was amazing, the side characters made this story even more interesting, and the overall plot was super fun! The Roommate was already such an amazing read for me, so I was excited for this one! But The Intimacy Effect surpassed all of my expectations and I loved it even more than the first book in the series! I super recommend Rosie Danan’s books!’
Funny enough, I listened to The Roommate last month, and this one became available on libby early this month. That's what I call perfect timing! While I enjoyed The Roommate quite a bit, I wasn't sure what to expect from this one because there were some things that I was really caught up on that bothered me and wondered if they'd carry over.
Huge disclaimer before I really get into my review here - I am not religious in any way, shape or form. Total personal decision, and I have absolutely nothing against religion or books that have religious aspects throughout them, a lot of the time it just doesn't catch my interest. In saying that, a lot of this book focuses on one of the main characters faith, and career as a Rabbi. While I found it interesting, and lovely how it intertwined with the connection between the two main character love interests. This book also followed the 'if they just said how they felt...' trope, which gets under my skin at times, but I realize books wouldn't be that good if that were the case. I did enjoy Naomi and Ethan's chemistry and the build up, I enjoyed how they played off each other and learned to grow together. Ultimately, it just wasn't the absolute book for me but I can totally see how people love it.
This is the second book in the series after The Roommate and this story focuses on Naomi after her sex positive startup, Shameless, has gone international and gotten very popular. Her only problem is no one wants to hire a former sex worker for lectures on higher ed, which is her next step in the business.
Ethan is a young rabbi and his synagogue is not doing well. Losing lots of members, he’s there to hopefully turn things around. He decides to hire Naomi to do a lecture series on dating to hopefully attract millennials. Naomi and Ethan start working together and as you can guess, a relationship develops.
Overall I enjoyed this one more than The roommate. It wasn’t as steamy and focused more on the relationship. Highly recommend if you are looking for a thought provoking romance!
This book had so much to love. Naomi’s seminars on modern intimacy feel honest and current. She talks about consent, respect, and everything else that needs to have a place in a relationship.
Ethan and Naomi have great banter and chemistry. It starts out as a slow burn, which we love to see.
It focused more on other aspects of the MCs lives, like Naomi’s complicated relationship with being Jewish and struggling with her faith. I loved the Jewish representation in this book and I could see how so many people today could be able to relate to Naomi’s experience.
I definitely learned a lot about Judaism and religion after reading this book. I also loved learning about Naomi's past, and learns to accept the mistakes she makes throughout her life, instead of incorporating them differently and trying to take control. She is a great representation of a person who struggles with perfectionism. I also loved Ethan's character; one who struggles with grief and uses faith to get through his life day by day, but also learns that he can't always leave the ones he loves at arm's length; they will need them closer than ever if he wants to overcome challenges he may face. Definitely a wonderful read :)
This book was.... average for me and I'm a little disappointed. I blame a lot of it on the fact that I had high expectations due to how much I loved "The Roommate". If I'm being honest, I probably would have enjoyed this one a lot better if I hadn't read "The Roommate" and had no background knowledge of Naomi. To me, this book started out very strong and promising but strayed from the character groundwork that had been laid out for Naomi in "The Roommate" which is why I'm disappointed. It does get 3 stars though because the first 30% of the book was so good. Let's get down to the nitty-gritty!
What I loved:
-Ethan is such an interesting character, and I fell in love with him the moment we're introduced to him. I adore how adorable he is and the contrast he is against Naomi.
-The slow burn of this book is slowwwww and I honestly really enjoyed it during the first half of the book.
-Getting inside of Naomi's head was so interesting and I loved getting to see her calculate her decisions.
-The contrast between Naomi and Ethan was the most compelling aspect of this book and I loved how quick it was able to suck me in.
-All of the seminar scenes were great for me (except for the high school one)!
-Naomi overall is a character who speaks to me and I love how we get to see just how guarded she is of herself and her feelings.
What I didn't love:
-We are told Naomi is a very sexual, high libido individual but they don't kiss until 50% in and they don't have sex until about the 70% mark. This wouldn't be a problem as she is respecting Ethan's boundaries, but outside of the kissing scene and the one sex scene, we get none of the sexuality of Naomi that we were promised. She doesn't even masturbate thinking about Ethan which to me feels like a missed opportunity. if we hadn't had the background of her character (and that threesome between her, Josh, and Clara which honestly is more steamy than the entirety of this book) I wouldn't be so upset about it but because of it, I feel like I'm missing out on things I was promised. Not only that but she describes how dirty all of her thoughts are about him and I honestly felt like their final coming together was very tame and vanilla. The hottest scene in the book doesn't even involve her but Ethan after they watched one of her videos which doesn't feel right considering what we know about Naomi.
-I honestly would have loved to see Ethan get unraveled even more.
-There were a lot of scenes that didn't feel necessary and were overall distracting from the main point. The entire high school scene felt uncomfortable and out of place and is the one that sticks out to me.
-There were some motives that made me feel icky, such as the reason why she originally got into sex work.
-I wanted a little more of the pushback we were expecting with a porn star and a rabbi dating and I didn't feel like we got those conflicts.
-There are a few other things, but I'll end it on how I wasn't a fan of the last-minute breakup/get back together. It didn't feel suitable for their relationship and it felt like it was thrown in there just to have a conflict (even though Ethan quitting was conflict enough for me and could have been an interesting topic of stress within their relationship instead of the breakup occurring).
Overall, for me, this was a very meh book. There were missed opportunities that I felt knocked this one down a few pegs for me. I suggest for people who are reading it to consider reading this one before "The Roommate" and to see if that changes your first impression of the book. I've seen around that Berkley has issues with neglecting their sophomore books so I will be reading the next in the series, just with different expectations after getting disappointed with this one. Don't let me dissuade you from reading! Even if it wasn't the best for me, it might be for you! I always like to say that every book has its fans and there's no reason why you shouldn't at least give it a go!
*I received this ARC through NetGalley and voluntarily read this book. my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for giving me the chance to read an advanced copy!*
Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
After loving The Roommate last year, I was so excited to receive an arc of the Intimacy Experiment.
We got to see a little bit of Naomi through Josh and Clara's eyes but I'm so happy we got her story.
Naomi's story was so vulnerable. Her high school boyfriend used intimate photos she shared with him as revenge porn. She decided it would be up to her about who saw her body. The Intimacy Experiment started up where we left off with Clara and Josh.
Naomi is busy with their company Shameless and looking for opportunities to teach in person. Because of her background she's constantly denied. Then she meets Ethan. He's looking to build his synagogue's membership by connecting with younger generations and making them feel more welcome. He offers Naomi a lecture series on modern intimacy which she initially refuses (until prodded by Clara.)
I adored everything about the relationship between Ethan and Naomi. It's no wonder Ethan was so sought after on the marriage market. He was always supportive of Naomi and seemed to bring out her tender side that she kept hidden. Their chemistry was off the charts. There were some hard to read but important moments about the discrimination they go through (such at Ethan's crisis training) because of being Jewish. It was also interesting to see Naomi build a deeper relationship with her religion.
The Intimacy Experiment still delivered on the steam, but there was so much respect and tenderness between Ethan and Naomi. I loved everything about this book and would have read it one sitting if I could've ignored my other responsibilities. I cannot wait to see what Rosie Danan writes next!
Ethan is one of Los Angeles's most eligible bachelors, and he's also a freshly minted rabbi with his own synagogue. Unfortunately for him, he was hired because the synagogue isn't attracting patrons or funds, and if he doesn't get people excited about coming to worship, then it's lights out. At the same time, Naomi has crafted a sex-positive educational platform that has become a hit around the world, but she wants to gain insights and remain personal by bringing her platform to students in person. Unfortunately for her, she can't get educational institutions to entertain her unconventional course as a matter for study. With both Ethan and Naomi trying to find a path forward, they team up to use his synagogue to host a seminar that she's crafted on Modern Intimacy. That's when they begin to realize her love lectures are so potent, that the two of them are ready to stay after class to put it to the test.
First things first, Naomi started out as a character in Rosie Danan's first book, The Roommate, so if you want more of her back story, you'll (want to) have to check that one out. Having said that, The Intimacy Experiment works just fine as a story on its own, and it's certainly an interesting premise to find a rabbi and a former adult video entertainment worker thrust together by need, and soon enough, by desire. What makes this compelling is, of course, the fact that people in Ethan's congregation have things to say about their potential pairing, and he also has his duty and commitment to his faith to think of. Naomi is doing all of this not for the money, but because it's something that fulfils her. I appreciated that the story remained faith-positive and sex-positive, and didn't feel like it had to act as if intimacy and faith were unable to become entwined.
If you've read The Roommate, you'll know what to expect, because this one does get hot and heavy. In case it wasn't clear from the premise, this is not a young adult story. I am a grown woman, and I had to step outside for some fresh air a few times when Ethan and Naomi took all that modern intimacy to a more private place. These two are beautiful, adorable, and sexy as all get out together, and I wish that more stories would tackle the intersection of faith and sexuality with such frankness and steam. Come for the seminar, stay for the heat, and hope beyond hope that this rabbi and his modern lady have what it takes to find excitement, intimacy, passion, as well as some commitment and love, before the seminar is through. The Intimacy Experiment's results are in, and they say you should get intimate with Ethan and Naomi's story now. Bring a fan and some iced tea along for the ride.
I read this after seeing it was a Library Reads pick and I wasn't disappointed. I have no idea how I missed this author but I went back and read her first book and have since ordered both for the library. A non-traditional look take on contemporary romance that I really enjoyed.
This one was such a blast! I had high hopes because I loved The Roommate, and this definitely lived up to my expectations. It was fun and raw. It felt quieter than The Roommate, but in the best way possible. It was sweet and tender at times, but it still had the amazing banter and wit that we saw from Naomi in the first book! Cannot wait to read more about these characters, and I hope Rosie continues with this world!
When Naomi starts teaching a Modern Intimacy seminar series at a synagogue in hopes to attract more millennials to the faith, sparks start to fly between her and Ethan (the rabbi and one of LA Mag’s hottest bachelors). From the book blurb: “Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems--until they discover a new one--their growing attraction to each other. They've built the syllabus for love's latest experiment, but neither of them expected they'd be the ones putting it to the test.”
I read The Roommate in January, and I had really mixed feelings about it. However, there is nothing I like more that a sequel/series, and I’m so glad I read The Intimacy Experiement. I will say that if you’ve read The Roommate, you know what Naomi’s (and Josh’s) former job was - and it really doesn’t get deeper than this was her job (where The Roommate described Josh’s job in SO many details that it took the fun out of the steamy parts for me). This was fun! It is the perfect beach read - I read it in an afternoon in my backyard. Highly recommend!
Thanks to @NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my ARC!
An ex porn star and a Rabbi .... not exactly what comes to mind first when you think of contemporary romance.... but this is so well done! Opposites attract with a touch of insta, yet forbidden love, this book will make you swoon and learn something too!
While I didn’t particularly love Naomi’s harsh personality at first, she grew on me throughout the story as I learned more about her and she opened up. Now Ethan - he was the sweetest guy right from the start! He was humble and I admired his conviction. I loved the Jewish representation and learning more about Reform Judaism through this story. There was less steam than The Roommate, but when it started, it was seriously hot!!
I thought this book had a bit of a slow start, but it finished up so strong. I can’t wait to read more from Danan in the future!
You wouldn't think a rabbi and a porn star would make for such a sweet love story, but anything is possible! Rosie Danan's sophomore offering is a success. Her characters are relatable, swoon-worthy, and you will find yourself rooting for them. The religious themes and social expectations present in this book also make this more than your usual rom-com or beach read. It adds layers worth exploring.
I haven't read The Roommate yet but that didn't stop me from enjoying The Intimacy Experiment as a standalone.
There's great sex positivity, Jewish representation, tenderness, funny moments, good chemistry, steam & philosophical banter, which gave me lots of food thought. I thought the exploration of sex and religion (in addition to misogyny, consent and resilience) was an interesting take on the romance novel.
I loved the inner reflection and character growth that both Ethan and Naomi undergo. Though I have to admit I wasn't totally swept away by their romance. I think we needed to see more of Ethan and Naomi's developing relationship and I felt that the ending was a little rushed.
That being said #TheIntimacyExperiment kept me up way past my bedtime, it was such a page-turner and I can't wait to read more of Rosie Danan... starting with The Roommate!
Huge thanks to Berkley Publishing for providing an eARC for review.
The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
I have a new favorite couple: Naomi and Ethan!!! I just love these 2 complete opposite characters! Naomi’s a sex worker turned sex educator who projects a tough girl image while Ethan’s a non-traditional rabbi with modern ideas to bring his congregation back to church who’s really a softie at heart. From the moment they met up until the end of the story, the current between the 2 was sizzling nonstop!!! 🔥🔥🔥
After meeting in a conference, Naomi was invited by Ethan to lecture on Modern Intimacy as part of his campaign to attract more Jewish people to join his synagogue. As Naomi goes through the steps in dating and forming relationships, both started to fall for each other. They decided to take things slow by following Naomi’s syllabus, hence the intimacy experiment. For the first time ever, Naomi felt her defenses crumble and was willing to let Ethan see her vulnerability and true self. However, just when things between them are starting to fall into place, their commitment to each other was tested. Because their worlds are polar opposites, their relationship was seen as controversial and became a hot topic. Soon, it became fraught with rejections from the public and even from the board members of the synagogue. Will both give up on their new-found love for the sake of their careers? Or will they fight for their hard-earned feelings against all odds?
This book is actually the sequel to The Roommate. I haven’t read it but The Intimacy Experiment can be read as stand alone. I enjoyed this one so much that I want to read the first book too, just so I can get to know the love story of the other characters, Josh and Claire.
Read this if you like modern romance with lots of heart and heat, and of course if you enjoyed The Roommate.
My rating: 🔖🔖🔖🔖.5/5
A huge thanks to berkleypublishing, netgalley and the author for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Naomi Grant has made a name and a career for herself out of being sex positive and progressive. There are many people willing to take the former porn star's advice when it comes to relationships and sex, as is evidence by the successful sex-positive start up she has cofounded. However, when it comes to more the more traditional educational platforms no one seems willing to take the risk. That is until Ethen Cohen, one of LA Mag's hottest bachelors, and new rabbi of a flailing synagogue approaches her with an offer to teach a course on "Modern Intimacy." Ethan needs to turn around attendance at his new shul if he wants to keep their doors open (and himself employed). He is hoping a nontraditional approach may bring in some more millennials and lapsed Jews who may have felt unwelcome or disconnected from their community of faith in the past. As Naomi and Ethan spend more time together working on their seminar, it's hard to ignore the attraction between them. And what better way to test the syllabus than to embark on their own "Intimacy Experiment"? But as attention around the seminar grows and the feelings on both ends get deeper, will Naomi and Ethan be willing to confront and overcome all the obstacles of religious traditions and modern intimacy or will they have to embrace a lesson letting go?
This is an incredibly unique romance story and I could not get enough of it. Love seeing a couple Jewish protagonists and a story that creates space for both faith and physical intimacy. The author plays with so many different facets of community (workplace, religion, education) and dating in the modern world. I found Naomi to be an extremely relatable protagonist and was really intrigued by her backstory and how it played into the powerful business woman persona she has created. Although there is a religious element to this novel, Ethan is a rabbi and does share some Jewish philosophy throughout the books, it never felt preachy to me and I think readers of all faiths will still enjoy. I felt this novel was more about community and the religious aspects could be extrapolated as a part of a larger conversation on faith.
I was rooting for these two until the end. It's a great read whether or not you have read Rosie Danan's first book "The Roommate." This novel stands alone although the characters from the first novel do put in an appearance (I read "The Intimacy Experiment" first and loved it so much I went back and read "The Roommate").