The American Roommate Experiment was another fun romance by Elena Armas, which featured Lucas, Lina's cousin from The Spanish Love Deception, and Rosie, her best friend.

Lucas and Rosie have a meet-cute, are forced into proximity due to their living circumstances, and start an "experiment" which has them sort of fake dating, in a cute slow-burn romance.

Lucas was the absolute sweetest, but due to a recent trauma in his life, he felt he was unworthy of Rosie. Rosie was lovely, but she too didn't believe Lucas could actually be attracted to her. Although it took them forever to finally admit their very obvious feelings, I loved them both.

Overall, The American Roommate Experiment was a sweet love story that any romance reader will enjoy. It was also nice to catch glimpses of Lina and Aaron.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This is a fun, steamy, and sweet friends-to-lovers follow up from Elena Armas after The Spanish Love Deception, which rocketed this author to fame in the world of book social media (yes, I am old, and realize this could have been worded better). This story follows side characters from the first book, Rosie and Lucas. Rosie just quit her job as an engineer to pursue her passion for romance writing. Lucas is the Spanish cousin of Lina, the main character of The Spanish Love Deception. He is recovering from an injury from his career as a surfer, which is taking a physical and emotional toll. Rosie and Lucas strike up a deal as temporary roommates and a dating experiment to help with Rosie’s writing block, but their attraction and friendship cannot be denied. Can they make it work when there are many factors working against them? This book started out a little slow for me (which is how I felt about The Spanish Love Deception too) but ended super strong. I really liked how the relationship built between the two characters and how they grew together, and the slow-burn steam was top notch. This book grew on me, and now I can say I honestly like it better than Armas first book that made her so famous. I thought the friendship, crush aspect of their relationship really worked for me, and Lucas was a great book boyfriend, which, I believe, is where Armas shines as a romance writer. I also think Armas has a talent for writing sweet, subtle acts of kindness, where the characters show their love for each other through sweet romantic gestures. I recommend this book for fans of Elena Armas, contemporary romance, and friends to lovers.

It started off a little slow!y and at one point I even considered abandoning it, but I am so glad that I didn't. The second half of the book was lovely and I really enjoyed it. I already have library patrons in mind that I will recommend it to.

After reading The Spanish Love Deception I was ready to read about Rosie! Remembering the mention of Lucas missing the wedding, I was happy to see the tie in here. I love a hood slow burn book and this didn’t disappoint, giving good character development throughout while continuing the story of Rosie and Lucas.

This is a sweet Romcom featuring some of the most loved romance tropes. I enjoyed the story and the characters.

This was so much better than the first one! Man. The chemistry was here. No problematic use of eating disorders! The characters were great. I wish this was her debut novel, but I’m glad she grew as an author!!

This is the first book I've read by Elena Armas. The Spanish Love Deception was so hyped up that I have put off reading it. When I had the opportunity to read The American Roommate Experiment, I decided to jump on it before the hype could scare me away.

Chipping away at a mental brick wall in her writing, Rosie Graham is faced with her actual walls crumbling around her - well, her ceiling caving in anyway. Escaping to her honeymooning bestie's apartment while it's vacant seemed like the best option. Until her smoke show Spanish surfer cousin, Lucas, shows up in the middle of the night expecting to stay there for a few weeks. They strike a bargain - a fake dating experiment to be exact. While living together. With only one bed. Lucas assures Rosie he won't fall in love with her, Rosie assures Lucas this is all to help her writer's block. What could go wrong?

This book was very charming. I wasn't expecting as much of a slow burn though! At about 30% I was considering putting this one down, but I'm very glad I kept going because the quarter of the book is a five alarm fire. *Clutches pearls* Sharpen your pencils Mariana Zapata, there might be a new contender for Slow Burn Queen in town.

The only criticism I have is Rosie's brother's plot. I am guessing there will be another book where Armas dives deeper into the glimpse we got into his drama. If not, that could have easily been edited out. It felt unnecessary and a tad clunky. Not to mention it being a cock block. *I said what I said.*

This book is perfect readers that don't mind a slow burn and want door wide open steam.

This book was the epitome of a rom-com. You get a kiss in the rain scene, angst, and fluffy moments but you also get character growth and realistic subplots. 10/10 recommend.

The American Roommate Experiment is a standalone novel that takes place some time after the epilogue of The Spanish Love Deception and follows Rosie (Lina’s best friend) and Lucas (Lina’s older cousin). There’s forced proximity (lots), an unrequited secret crush, THE EXPERIMENT or in other words yes, A DATING EXPERIMENT. Yes it is everything you could imagine and better!!! This is a slow burn romance where you can feel the tension pouring out of the pages and made me want to scream- JUST DO IT ALREADY!
Fans will not be disappointed with Armas newest novel!

This was one of my most highly-anticipated reads this year. I was such a big fan of TSLD & absolutely fell in love with Elena’s writing. I felt like this story took a bit for me to get really into, and that’s because it was such a slow burn, but the tension was there from the very beginning. Once Rosie & Lucas finally (FINALLY) gave in to their mutual pining, the fireworks show was so spectacular, I couldn’t peel my eyes away. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were so many LOL moments, and Lucas was the absolute sweetest cinnamon roll hero.

So I liked this a lot better than the SLD.

I liked the Dual POV. I liked the overall cast of characters. (At the beginning at least) I really appreciated their banter and thought the slow burn and pace was doing well. I liked the one bed and forced proximity trope. Now the first third of the book is a solid 4 stars.

I found when the slow burn ended things went downhill and fast. Their fake dates were very romantic and I liked the premise of it but I did not appreciate the emotional immaturity of Lucas when it came to not realizing the emotional impact these dates would have on Rosie.

I found the middle was quite draggy. I also found the subplot with her brother kind of random and unnecessary.

The spice in this book was very oddly placed and I personally found the way these two characters acted (in the shower scene in particular) quite odd, why would she barge into the bathroom when someone is showering?!

Overall, once again my biggest issue with my second Elena Armas book is the pacing. I really would enjoy her books more if they had better rhythm and less fluff.

The American Roommate Experiment was an absolute journey. The whole book is a delightful blend of cheese and passion, with an emotional rollercoaster on top - ALL THE FEELS. By the end, I wanted to experience falling as hard in love as the protagonist had, and wanted my very own Lucas. If you enjoy gut-wrenching, anxiety riddled, will-they-wont-they romance with plenty of heartwarming moments and payoff, this is a must.

The American Roommate Experiment is a phenomenal follow-up to The Spanish Love Deception. The story is set in the same world following Lina's best friend, Rosie, and Lina's cousin, Lucas. The book could be read as a stand-alone, although Lina and Aaron do pop up making it fun for readers of Armas' first novel. The story is a sweet, slow-burning romance perfect for anyone looking for a rom-com to devour. Highly recommended!! Be sure to check out The American Roommate Experiment today.

This book was so cute I devoured it in less than a day.
The main character, Rosie, was so funny and I could relate to her always being the "fixer" and the one who had a plan and put everyone else first. There were times the book got a little awkward, where either the MC or the MMC wouldn't know what to say or would just stare at each other that I imagine in real life would be super uncomfortable, but other than that I loved the story and the two of them falling in love. I didn't know this tied in to the other Elena Armas book, The Spanish Love Deception, so that was a pleasant surprise when Lina and Aaron were background characters in the story, Despite their appearance, it definitely isn't necessary to have read that one to read this book, it was just a nice nod to the previous story and more time with characters I had previously fallen in love with.

One (minor) complaint I have is the fact that the main characters decide that friends don't say "Thank you" they come up with their own term to use, which made me cringe every time, just like Joe and Love saying "I wolf you" (and since there was a Joe/You reference in the book I imagine this may have been the inspiration for it). I simply can't imagine people in real life coming up with things like that, so that would take me out of the cute romance for a moment, but the chemistry between the characters quickly brought me back into it.

Overall, such a great book that I absolutely devoured, and I can't wait to read more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The American Roommate Experience is a stand-alone in the Spanish Love Deception World that features Rosie (Lina’s best friend) and Lucas (Lina’s cousin from Spain). This story starts right off with a meet cute between the two characters and because of some underlying circumstances they both end up staying in Lina’s studio apartment together while her and Aaron are away on their honeymoon. Rosie and Lucas hit it off right away, but are set on just being friends since Lucas is only in the states for a few weeks before heading back to Spain. Rosie has quit her job at InTech and has released a best selling romance novel, but it struggling with writers block while working on her second novel. Lucas suggests that he take Rosie out for some experimental dates to try and give her some fresh material for her new book. Of course things get complicated and the two start to fall for each other! Let me tell you this is a crazy slow burn, but so worth it. You’ll also get a little glimpse of Lina and Aaron in this book as well which was cute! Overall, it was a really great story and I think I enjoyed this one even better than the first book. 5 stars!!

This was a great follow up to the Spanish Love Deception. It was great to see how Rosie's life progressed and how she met her love interest! The characters had great chemistry and it was a quick fun read.

This novel is the second in the Spanish Love Deception series, but the first that I've read. I like that we got pieces from both viewpoints here, and the reader can see how the characters begin to converge emotionally.
Rosie Graham has just quit her job to tackle writing full-time. She has saved some money and figures she has enough for a year or so to focus on her writing. She has a published novel that was well received. She hasn't told many people about this risky move yet, just her best friend Lina and her ex-boss Aaron. But writer's block has hit her hard, and she has barely written a thing. Then there is a issue at her apartment and she has to vacate while things get fixed. She has keys to Lina's place and figures she won't mind as she is out of the country for a while on a trip.
When she arrives at Lina's she is soon unnerved by someone else entering the apartment and discovers that Lina has already let her cousin Lucas take her place for a while. Rosie has been secretly checking Lucas out on his Instagram account and learning about him. So meeting him in person is a pleasant shock, but one that leaves her unbalanced.
Lucas is going through some personal issues that take a while to be revealed. He is a competitive surfer who has traveled the world and now is taking a break to figure out his future. He is surprised by Rosie's presence, but welcomes her and they soon work out a way to share the place for the short while that Rosie needs to stay.
There are lots of little side stories that come up, such as issues with Rosie's father and brother, the issues with Rosie's place and the contractor who is responsible for the repairs, among others.
Lucas spends his days doing touristy things, while Rosie tries to write, and then usually makes a first-class dinner for them. So a man who's sexy, Spanish, and a good cook is a big draw.
When he discovers Rosie's writer's block, he comes up with a plan to get those juices flowing again.
I liked Rosie's quiet independence, and how the situation of being dependent on someone else causes her to be off balance. Her relationships with her father and brother are close, but we don't see any depth of character for them here.
We get glimpses of Lucas' family too, an outspoken cousin, his grandmother who he is very close to, and his lovable dog who he misses. So we see his personal side in a good light.
The book moves quickly, and the tension is there right from the beginning, giving the reader a good idea of which way things are going.
A fun read.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. I feel so honored to have been able to read this book!

The way Rosie and Lucas met was done so well! They were so cute together and I love that Rosie finally found inspiration. These characters are so lovable! The pining, the longing, the aching, the chemistry, and the connection Rosie and Lucas have for one another had my heart ache for them. I just wanted them to find happiness! I could feel the sparks between them!

I’m so happy that Rosie was able to follow her dream! She is so hard on herself and I definitely sympathized with her in that way. I also loved the unrequited crush she had on Lucas and it made her even more relatable as a character.

Lucas really knows how to pull at your heart strings! My heart really went out for him and his obstacle made himself open up and become so vulnerable. Lucas is just so lovable and funny. It was great to see how he complemented Rosie with being an extrovert. I loved how Lucas would flirt with Rosie in Spanish and it just made my heart flutter. He has got it soooooo bad for Rosie and ah the way he cooked for Rosie was amazing.

Rosie and Lucas…. their love is everything!
I love how much Lucas cared for Rosie and how helpful he was. He was amazing as a support system and I really enjoyed how he wanted to give Rosie the world 🥺

This book was was funny, charming, and yet so wholesome all at once.

The only reason this wasn’t rated higher was because of the writing style. It felt a little choppy to me and I really don’t ever want to read another book that has sentences start with the word “and”.

Other than that, the story, the plot, the characters… done so well!

Great romcom! My first book from Elena Armas and I need to go back and read her other.

I loved Rosie so much. She was very relatable. She stalked Lucas on insta prior to meeting him and had to hide her huge crush. This was the trigger to the whole ups and downs of the relationship. Rosie and Lucas navigated their "experimental" relationship.

This was a book that made me fall in love with love all over again.

A wonderful story of friendship and blossoming romance. Waiting for the right love and being willing to accept it. Believing you’re worthy. These ideas are woven into this sweet story of friends deciding if they can be lovers. A strong female lead and a positive male lead who stress communication and honesty at all times. Some pieces of the story are not terrible original but they fit Rosie and Lucas’ story.