Wow… I LOVED Spanish Love Deception, but it’s clear Armas was just getting started. The American Roommate Experiment was fantastic: witty, endearing, steamy and had packed so much heart. I loved Lucas and Rosie- Armas is able to craft such nuanced characters that makes the slow burn worth every second. Simply put, TARE is magic on every page and one of my favorite reads EVER. I already miss it and am so excited for the whole world to fall in love with Armas’ new book. If you thought you loved Lina and Aaron….. JUST. YOU. WAIT.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

After reading The Spanish Love Deception I was looking forward to reading this book. However, it really fell short of my expectations. In the Spanish Love Deception the characters really made the story, but in The American Roommate Experiment they are just so so.
Rosie is an author of a bestselling book, but is having trouble finding inspiration for her next book. She has been obsessing over Lucas for a while via social media. This took up some space in the book explaining, but was barely mentioned again. I was sure that it would play a bigger role. To put it simply, Rosie is boring. Her inner dialogue I wanted to skip past.
Lucas was also not very interesting. I liked the quiet type, but there was nothing else that made me want to read more. If Rosie was going to be so drab, I expected Lucas to make up for it.
Lina and Aaron's part in the story was the most interesting, which is not a good sign.
The entire storyline felt really disjointed. I understand a lack of communication happens in romcoms, but the week where they were all "we will just live in the moment" was ridiculous. I kept thinking that the idea of him going to culinary school would become a bigger thing and it never did. It was the perfect solution, so why did nobody bring it up? After the constant bragging of his cooking and how much he enjoyed it, it didn't add up. The start was really strong, but as it kept going it did not hold my interest.

This book will satisfy Armas's readers. It was fun and spicy. Lina and Aaron show up so readers who liked them in Armas's first book will be happy. This is a very solid romance.

Rosie has the worst luck - she quit her job to become a writer who now has writers' block, her apartment ceiling crumbled right over her head, and now she's sharing her friends' studio apartment with her friends' jet-setting cousin, for whom she has nursed a hearty Instagram-crush since learning of his existence.

This is an adorable rom-com to follow up on "The Spanish Love Deception". Our hero Lucas does seem a bit too good to be true, which is saying something in the romance genre, but the care he shows for Rosie and her plight does the job of making everyone reading wish for a guy just like him.

While I enjoy a cheesy romance, I “cronut” buy into the plot because of the insta-love. The characters and their problems fell flat. There was no satisfaction in reading this “blossoming” romance when there’s no buildup/reason why the characters would be so obsessed with each other right away.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC!

i LOVED EVERY SECOND OF THIS - friends to lovers has me by the throat always and this one wasn't any different. Lucas was mouthwatering, Rosie is an extension of myself, the smut was just spectacular and the tears that ran down my face at the end were just the icing on the cake. I think the pacing of this one compared to Spanish Love Deception was a lot better and the whole unfolding of the plot kind of felt more finished than the last one. I can't wait to get my hands on this physical copy so I can showcase it on my shelf of best friends to lovers books, ie, the best romance books ever. ok my tangent is done i am full of love right now and will go on my merry way

I loved the Spanish Love Deception but I believe the American Roommate Experience might have topped it! Such a fun and sweet story of love and second chances. Starting over can be scary, but it can also be a beautiful beginning. I loved the story up until the very very end. The ending felt a bit rushed to me but not enough to change my opinion of the book for sure. The American Roommate Experiment felt much more cohesive and relatable than SLD in my opinion.

Rosie has quit her job to focus on writing her next book... only she's got a secret. She has a terrible case of writer's block that is just getting worse as her deadline quickly approaches. Lucas is a world renowned pro surfer, but he has a secret that he's yet to reveal to his family. When Rosie's apartment floods, she moves into Lina's apartment while she's on her honeymoon. Unbeknownst to Rosie, Lina has promised Lucas use of the (one-bedroom) apartment while she's gone. Enter forced proximity and one bed.

A lovely story of the beauty of being transparent and the gift of being honest. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the first book of this series so much, I was highly anticipating this book! While this story didn't catch me quite as much as her first, it still contained the lovable characters, fun plot line, and all of the charm that I expected. I recommend this book to anyone who fell in love with Lina and Rosie's friendship and all of the family that comes with them!

The American Roommate Experiment was just too much of a slow burn for my personal taste. There are slow burns that make you really want and hope for the characters to get together, but this one was so long and slow that by the time Lucas and Rosie were even teasing each other at the Halloween party, I did not care if they ended up together or not (even though I knew they would). I also found myself wondering why the side story of Rosie's brother Olly was important, other than just to make the story become even longer. Some of Rosie and Lucas' dates were fun to read about, but at times seemed beyond over the top that it seemed to be poking fun of itself when it mentions Cosmopolitan and 90s films.

Did I love The American Roommate Experiment more than The Spanish Love Deception? Yes!

Elena Armas has done it again and has written the perfect book boyfriend. Lucas is a sweet, caring, and kind soul that compliments Rosie’s persona. Their love story will have you feeling the angst and rooting for them all along.

Okay I read like this in one day like a maniac and I still don’t think I can articulate my thoughts yet but - AHHHHHH this book was so. FREAKING. GOOD. I didn’t think it was possible to top Aaron and Lina’s romance, but I adore Lucas and Rosie so much and the slow burn is SO GOOD - the way they both look out for each other melted my heart!!!! So much of this story was so relatable - Rosie’s dating and writing struggles, and both of them struggling to feel worthy enough for both each other and themselves! The airport scene RUINED ME. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you to Elena Armas and her team for such a wonderful, magical, heartwarming, hilarious happily ever after of a book!!!!!! Elena is an incredible storyteller and I love each and every one of her characters so much, and I know everyone will love this book when it finally comes out!!!

Okay I adored this book... I laughed and I also cried but every part of it was enjoyable. Lucas and Rosie are both such enjoyable characters and I loved their story.

The American Roommate Experiment was exactly the book I needed to read right now. Rosie Graham is in a writers block and feels the weight of her own expectations crushing her. Normally the go to, solid as a rock, responsible adult, Rosie took a leap of faith. Enter: writers block. Thankfully her best friend Lina’s super delicious cousin just got to town and is more than ready to help Rosie get out of her rut. Rosie, however, stands in her own way. As one of the most authentic heroines I’ve ever read, Rosie is extremely hard on herself, stuck in her own way, and relied on by her family. Watching her battle her vulnerability and stubbornness was the most magical experience. I can relate to Rosie so very much and I can’t wait for everyone to meet her. She’s the reminder we all need that it’s okay to be soft and strong. Thank you Elena for such a perfectly imperfect Rosie. Xoxo

I read the Spanish Love Deception after watching numerous Tiktoks, and thoroughly enjoyed it. So, naturally, I was excited to pick up the American Roommate Experiment. This is technically a sequel to the Spanish Love Deception, and while you could probably read the American Roommate Experiment as a standalone, I would not recommend it. Many of the minor characters that are introduced in the first book reappear in this one, and without context you may get a bit lost.

The American Roommate Experiment is the story of Rosie (Lina's BFF) and Lucas (Lina's cousin). Rosie has recently quit her job to be a full time romance writer, and Lucas is dealing with a career-ending injury. When they accidentally end up sharing Lina's NYC apartment, romantic hijinks ensue. Rosie is dealing with writer's block, and Lucas offers to help her out by taking her on a series of fake (but terribly romantic) dates. As anyone can guess, it doesn't end the way they thought it would.

I enjoyed this book just as much as the Spanish Love Deception. Honestly, I have a weakness for a male MC who speaks a foreign language, so that was nice. We did get to see Lina and Aaron quite a bit, and even a few of the extended family members made an appearance. In all, an enjoyable rom-com with a forced proximity trope, with something akin to a fake relationship trope.

Best book I’ve had the pleasure of reading recently. I guess it’s because I’m a physician who regularly takes care of patients with dementia, but the way Lucas did little things to comfort Adele was swoon-worthy. I loved Rosie as a main character. I think most people (men or women) can relate to her struggle of always trying to top your previous accomplishments. Lucas was a great support system for her. If anything, I wish we could’ve focused more on his struggles instead of just alluding to it in the first half of the novel. Will definitely add this to our bookclub schedule! I mean I went in knowing that, but it’s nice to know that I was right ;)

Last year, I stumbled upon The Spanish Love Deception on Kindle Unlimited & fell head over heels in love with it. Aaron & Lina were absolute perfection. Then it took off like crazy on social media & BookTok, and the next thing you know, this book is everywhere. Because of my love for the first book in this series, I have been dying to get my hands on The American Roommate Experiment. Part of me wanted to hold off and get a physical copy when it releases, but it kept popping up on NetGalley, and I couldn’t resist requesting a copy.

TARE picks up after TSLD’s epilogue. We meet Rosie, Lina’s best friend, and Lucas, Lina’s cousin. Rosie has to find somewhere to stay temporarily after the ceiling of her apartment caves in, and Lucas is taking some time off after a surfing accident that ended his career. Lina & Aaron are off on their honeymoon, so Rosie decides to stay in Lina’s apartment while the repairs are done on her apartment. The first night, Lucas shows up, who also has plans to stay in the apartment. Thus, we have the forced proximity trope. As Rosie struggles to write her next great romance novel, Lucas decides to help her get past her writer’s block through fun and romantic “experimental dates.” While they promise to not fall for each other, we know how it always goes in a good rom com. The question is, how will the overcome the things that stand in their way of a relationship?

I liked this one a lot, but it did fall short of TSLD’s perfection. There were some magical 5-star moments in here. All of the elements for a perfect sequel are in here, but some of the scenes/moments needed some fine-tuning..more details in some places to create depth & less details in other. My biggest complaint with this one is that I could not picture or hear these characters in my head, which is what slowed me down the most. I was literally googling male Spanish voices to try and hear what Lucas sounded like. I don’t know why it was so hard for me to develop their appearances and voices, but I do think that this book would be a great audiobook for this reason alone. I am curious to hear how the audiobook narrators can translate these characters. I think it would remove my big frustration from this book.

Do we get Aaron & Lina cameos in here? Yes! 🙌🏻 The way these two were included in the story was absolute perfection & made my heart so happy!

I also loved the snippets of Spanish that Lucas spoke in here. Was I googling what some of them meant (even though context mostly gave it away)? Yes, I was. I love that Elena Armas is bilingual and her first language is included in here. That part worked so well.

All of this to say…it was truly enjoyable. I loved being sucked back into this world. The complaints I had could very well be non-issues by the time this book is published in September. If there’s a third to this series, I will 100% read it. It Elena Armas publishes any other books, I will 100% read them. I’m completely sold on her! I can’t wait for you to get your hands on this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The American Roommate Experiment is set to be published September 6, 2022.

I loved reading The Spanish Love Deception and I was so excited to read The American Roommate Experiment. The book has the same charm as Elena Armas' debut. The characters were charming and I believed in the chemistry between Lucas and Rosie. The only thing that fell short for me was the plot. Somehow this slow burn felt unnecessarily slow.

If he wanted to he would.

After reading "The Spanish Love Deception" I could not WAIT to get my hands on this book. The American Roommate Experiment is set in the same world as The Spanish Love Deception, shortly after Lina and Aaron's wedding day. The story follows Lina's best friend Rosie who is embarking on her new career as a writer and struggling a bit to accept this new identity and the uncertainty that comes with it. When a freak accident leaves a hole in the ceiling of her apartment, Rosie escapes to her best friend Lina's apartment (who is on her honeymoon with the swoon-worthy Aaron) to seek refuge for a few days. When Lina's cousin Lucas, who Rosie may or may not have been cyber stalking for the last year, shows up at the front door to stay, Rosie's plans are flipped. When Lucas offers to help Rosie with her writers block, the "experiment" is born. Rosie swears to herself she can keep her feelings in check and be able to say goodbye to Lucas when his trip is up. But Lucas is working through some demons and an identity crisis himself, and Rosie may be exactly what he needs. As their friendship grows, Rosie and Lucas will both have to decide if they deserve the happiness they could provide each other.

I don't think I will be able to do this story a service with words, but I will try. I fell in love with Aaron and believed him to the the book boyfriend to end all book boyfriends...until I met Lucas. Lucas's heart and humor shone through on every page in every word he spoke and in every single kindness he performed for someone else. I found myself falling for Lucas throughout the book and screaming at him "YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING!" I have never been so invested in two characters as I was with Rosie and Lucas. This was a beautiful story with rich, complex and lovable characters that could make you believe in fate and true love. I will be thinking about their story for weeks to come.

This was very sweet. If you enjoyed the Spanish Love Deception, this story is in a similar vein with lots of tropes and romance. It was definitely a very fun read through and through. Rosie, the main character (Lina) from the first book’s best friend, has quit her job to be a romance writer. Dealing with an apartment crisis, she temporarily seeks shelter at Lina’s studio apartment only to discover that Lina’s cousin Lucas is staying there also. Rosie and Lucas are both passionate characters with deep personal narratives that enrich the story when they work on themselves before falling in love.

So grateful to read this one early. I’ve been looking forward to it and it did not disappoint! I think I had a cheesy smile on my face the whole read. I just finished reading and I already miss them. Can’t wait to recommend this to everyone!