Big thank you to the wonderful Allison Ashley herself, on getting me this beauty...I had mentioned in a comment on someones post that my request via NetGalley had been pending for months and she was so sweet and got me a direct invite via NetGalley.

I was not prepared for how much I was going to absolutely love Graham *cough* I mean this book 🤭 I highly recommend reading Would You Rather first, if you haven't already...I was sure nothing could compare to Mia and Noah...enter Honey Graham 🥰 and Claire of course, their banter together is to good!

What you'll find:
💕Friends to lovers
💕Marriage Pact
💕Roommates with benefits
💕Forced proximity, sorta
💕Overcoming grief
💕Journaling via emails🫠
💕...the emails🫠
💕Cracked door🌶️

Some highlights:
"Because kissing Claire was like crossing the finish line and looking back to find you won the race. Exhilarating, satisfying perfection."

"Who was this man--tjis impulse-kissing, sweet-smiling, sugar-speaking man--and what had he done with Graham?"

Claire fit in with his family like the puzzle piece that had gone missing, but turned up one day between the couch cushions."

"Sometimes love likes to mess with us and remind us we're not the ones in control."
...Love sounds like an asshole."

Definitely check out Allison's hidden gems too: Perfect Distraction (so good) and Home Sweet (still need to read)

I love these pacts friends make with each other that they will do once they reach a certain age: have a bay with each other by 35 or marry each other by 40.
I liked both Claire and Graham, a nurse practitioner and a firefighter. They’ve made such a pact but when Graham gets injured, they alter it the arrangement to becoming bang buddies.
And of course we know what happens.
Graham is so sweet and Earnest and I loved his emails.
Can Claire move past her past ti grab what’s right in front of her?
Love life to the fullest and quit worrying about what might Happen and instead make life happen for you.

Nurse Claire and her firefighter roommate Graham make a pact - they will enter a friends with benefits arrangement as long as they are both perpetually single. But when Graham suffers an injury at work and Claire takes on the role of caregiver, sparks begin to fly with unforeseen consequences.

Easily one of my favorite reads of 2023, this dynamite roommates to friends to lovers is perfect in pretty much every way. The incredible banter between our MCs Claire and Graham, the love/hate relationship between Claire and Gertrude (Graham’s grumpy rescue dog) and of course, the many appearances from the characters in Ashley’s previous book, 𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, created the perfect, bingeable romcom.

Even better than just the physical book, I did this as an immersive reading, bringing in the audio to listen alongside it. Honestly, this is the best rom-com audio I have EVER listened to. Ann Marie Gideon does a remarkable job of bringing out Claire’s humor and wit, Graham’s charm, Gertrude’s snark, and making the whole listening experience pretty unforgettable. This one definitely left me with a bookish hangover.

While this is book two in an interconnected series, the author does a great job at recapping book one for the reader, allowing this to also be read as a standalone (though you’d miss cuties Mia and Noah so don’t do that).

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
•roommate romance
•forced proximity
•friends to lovers
•enemies to friends 🐶
•the wittiest banter
•closed door
•book hangovers

Thank you HTP Books for the ARC copy.

THE ROOMMATE PACT – Allison Ashley
Mira
ISBN: 978-0-778-33424-8
August 1, 2023
Contemporary Romance

Denver, Colorado – Present Day

Emergency Room nurse Claire Harper shares a condo with male firefighter Graham Scott and another female. Claire and Graham have become good friends, and one night while chatting with their other roommate, Claire and Graham make a pact: if they are still single by the time they’re forty, they will take the friends-with-benefits plunge. Both figure it won’t ever come to fruition, so they have a good laugh. As a firefighter, Graham is always exposed to hazardous working conditions, and Claire constantly worries about him getting injured. He is also a mountain climber, and one day while out with friends, he falls, breaking his leg along with a few other minor injuries. Claire is in a panic and refuses to leave his side. Graham will need someone to stay by his side for a few days, so she offers to stay home from work.

Graham and Claire have only known each other for a year, and soon they are talking about their past lives. They have a lot in common, as each is shaped by something that happened in their past. Their friendship turns deeper until they realize they are attracted to each other. It doesn’t take long before it takes a turn to the sexual side. Their other roommate is out of town and Claire has been sleeping with Graham to keep an eye on him at night. It turns out that their joking plan to have a friends-with-benefits relationship is happening faster than they expected.

They never thought their pact would come true, but it does for Claire and Graham in THE ROOMMATE PACT. Friendship comes first, but they can’t deny a sexual attraction. Claire is actively trying to find men to date, though it has proven fruitless. Graham is your typical male in that he spends a lot of off-work time hanging out with his male buddies. They go camping, hiking, and mountain climbing. Unfortunately, one trip ends in disaster for Graham. He hates being immobile, and at Claire’s suggestion, starts a journal which is writing his thoughts into an email to Claire’s email address. She rarely looks at her email.

Claire is waiting for a decision on her Nurse Practitioner promotion at the hospital where she works. She is not fond of Graham’s dangerous job and leisure activities after watching her own father die in a plane crash. That fear has kept her from dating men like Graham, so having a fling with him is the only thing she plans to do with him. However, the sex is fun, and being around him makes her happy. But even as they grow closer, the more Claire realizes that she needs to take a break from him. Will she be able to do this without breaking hearts—hers and his? Will she get around to seeing the journal/emails from him that reflect his deepest feelings?

THE ROOMMATE PACT is an intriguing and funny tale about friends becoming lovers. They enjoy being around each other and think that is where it ends. But Graham’s freak accident changes everything. Will it end with a happy-ever-after for them? If you love an entertaining tale filled with lively banter and a few laugh-out scenes, then THE ROOMMATE PACT is the book for you.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

I enjoyed reading this book which follows roommate’s ER nurse and a firefighter who make a pact. I’m all here for these types of story and was glad to have the opportunity to read this book. Ashley was a fantastic writer when it came to writing the story. I loved the storyline and the way it was formed in the book. There were many conflicts and the pacing was perfect for the story. I do wish that this book was written in 1st person instead of 3rd person as I couldn’t put myself in the MC’s shoes.

This book is written in the dual perspectives of both Claire and Graham. Claire is an ER nurse who had a traumatic past. Graham is a firefighter who loves a good adventure and is injured. Claire has a great character development in this book but I wouldn’t say much for Graham. Graham was a sweetheart and I loved him a lot more than Claire who was sometimes annoyed me. There were good amounts of side characters who were perfectly involved with the story in the way they were supposed to. The romance is friends to lovers, roommates, and bargains. The romance wasn’t steamy liked I hoped and the chemistry between the couple was okay. In this case, it was just hard to put myself in the character’s shoes due to the 3rd person writing.

The ending was cute and I really liked it. I loved how the characters had their happily ever after because they deserved it. There were some few minor problems I had but that was just me. This book is very similar to When Sparks Fly so if you liked that book then you will enjoy this one.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

I am not going to lie- this book caught me completely off guard. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect and friends with benefits isn’t on my list of favorite tropes. I was pleasantly surprised with how everything was executed in this book! This might have been my first novel by Allison Ashley but it certainly won’t be my last! The story was engaging, humorous, and heartfelt!

If you like forced proximity, witty banter, and medical settings this is the book for you!

I can’t end this review without mentioning how much I adored Graham and his journaling(technically emailing) as therapy. It was one of my absolute favorite parts of the novel.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and Allison Ashley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

With well-developed characters who speak their mind and exhibit mature behaviours, The Roommate Pact is a lovely romance with minimal steam (although the scopes were high, the author chose to keep them low key!) that I absolutely enjoyed. Their banter and chemistry was so good as well! I also liked that Noah and Mia from Would You Rather made appearances, I loved being able to see how they ended up!

I really enjoyed the development of Claire and Graham's relationship through the dual POV. It was fun, sweet, and heartwarming as the book progressed. I especially loved Graham's story and how he worked through everything. This book has Mia and Noah (from Would You Rather?) making appearances, but can easily be read as a standalone.

My only criticism is I wish there was more character development on Claire's side. I didn't expect Graham's story to be so endearing and fully thought Claire's story would follow. Instead, the pacing of her story was off and I'm not entirely sure how content she was with her life outside of her relationship.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Claire and Graham are roommates- they are 31 and 36 respectively, though they act like they are 24 maximum. At some point they made an drunk pact that they would marry if they were still single at age 40 (which is flawed bc they are different ages…this pact is not gonna hold up in a court of law). Graham is anti-relationship bc some bortch was mean to him in JUNIOR HIGH and now his whole personality is based on a grudge he’s had for over 20 years. Claire and Graham decide to change the pact to become bed-buddies at age 40 bc Graham refuses to be an adult and have a committed relationship. At this point I was wondering if I’d have to read about 4 more years of these two mundane humans flirting like annoying teenagers, but they just decide to hook up now because they are both horny and neither of them can seem to get laid by anyone else…

…and then this book did me dirty. I patiently waited for these two adult children to finally partake in sexay times. There was so much lead up…lots of flirt fighting, heavy petting, and then when the time came to put the D in the V , Graham reached for a condom and then…fade to muthagrabbing black. The next paragraph is post coital pillow talk. Did I skip a page? Are they talking while they are boning?No- wait, they are done!? Why leave out all the good parts?! Was this book written by a nun?

At any rate, this was a DNF bc I’m too salty to continue reading this PG-13 nonsense. I’d stick with it if I cared a smidge about these characters, but I don’t so goodbye. Read this if you love literary blue balls.

Smut- 1.3 stars
Romance- 2.5 stars
Story- 2.1 stars
This book pretending to be steamy and then slamming the door right in my pervy little face- neg 59.8 stars

I loved Claire and Graham’s story! The characters are well developed and the dialogue is witty and funny. I thought the plot moved at a good pace and it had a cute storyline. In the acknowledgment section at the end of the book, author Allison Ashley said that these characters were side characters in the book “Would You Rather”, however, this is a stand alone book and is easy to enjoy without having read the previous book. Thank you NetGalley and MIRA for an ARC.

If you love friends to lover's trope you will find this book to suit your taste. I enjoy a romance novel from time to time, but I personally struggled to get through this book. While it is well written, and the characters are easy to relate to I found the main characters not the type of people I would be rooting for. Allison Ashley did a stellar job with the flow of the book and making it a book that romance lovers will enjoy for a classic summer beach read.

In the Roommate Pact, Claire and Graham decide to try to be friends with benefits. The only rule, no emotions involved. Turns out being roommates and lovers without emotions isn't an easy task. This is a cute story but I often found myself wanting more. More spice, more character development, more details. It was a little too sweet for me. Might be good for someone who isn't ready to jump head first in the romance genre.

2.75 (rounded up to 3)

I loved Would You Rather by this author, and this is probably one of my most anticipated releases for the year but I was also apprehensive because the tropes are some of my least favorite and I knew could lead the book to be more lust focused (which is my biggest pet peeve in romance books).

Sadly, I was right. I think many will enjoy this book and be excited that it feels more steamy while still remaining on the more on the cracked door/less descriptive open door side. I also really didn’t care for the story line or the characters. I cared enough about the story to want to finish it and not DNF the book, but it just wasn’t a favorite for me. For me, if this had stayed a roommates fall in love/we will get married at this age pact instead of being a sex pact it would have sold the book for me. I felt like there was so much focus on the physical side that it was so distracting to the story. For me the key moments that redeemed this story were the secret emails, family dynamics, the little dog, and working through their past. I thought I would really like the cameos from Nick and Mia but I felt like even they were so focused on talking about their physical relationship whenever they were popping into the story. I just felt like this story could have been so much more. I know part of the draw of these characters is they need to work through some of their issues and face their past, but they also came across as really immature for them being in their 30s (at least in my opinion), but this also could have been due to the focus in the hook up culture and living with roommates in their 30s. I also felt like sometimes the medical content was a little much for someone who is squeamish in that area- it was kind of borderline too much for me at times but others times had me laughing out loud. Without giving away spoilers, some of the bigger reveals in the story feel flat to me, especially with the main male character and why he was the way he was.

Overall, I will probably be in the minority on this book. I’m still willing to give this author another try, especially if it is more like Would You Rather.

Content notes: medical content/injury details, death of parent, navigating childhood trauma, anxiety, moderate amount of language, a few cracked door/fade to black/open door scenes but they were less descriptive than most spicy books-however the physical side of the relationship is the main focus of this story and I feel like it was weaved into almost every chapter in some capacity through dialogue, daydreaming etc. so it doesn’t feel like a true cracked door or less open door book, minor side characters with alternative lifestyles

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review!

Allison Ashley’s 'The Roommate Pact' is a witty, funny, and touching rom com that features a blend of two of my favourite tropes: 'when we're forty' marriage pact meets friends with benefits pact.

Housemates and friends Claire and Graham’s friendship takes a turn when Graham is injured and after a rock-climbing accident and Claire, an ER nurse, takes on caring for him at home.

The strength of this book is the characters and the depth Allison Ashley gives them. I loved their banter and chemistry and how they slowly open up with each other, revealing their deep-seated issues. Claire whose daredevil pilot father died performing aerial tricks, doesn't want to raise a family with a man who holds a dangerous job. Meanwhile firefighter and rock climbing Graham has created the persona of the easygoing, no commitment guy to hide his feelings of inferiority after being shamed for being working class.

I adored 'Would You Rather' featuring secretly pining best friends Mia and Noah marrying for health insurance purposes and ‘The Roommate Pact’, featuring their other best friends Claire and Graham, is a worthy successor. Allison Ashley creates compelling characters that I wish were my friends while deftly balancing humour with some beautiful tender and poignant moments (Graham's emails waaaah!). I couldn’t put this book down.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

A book filled with great banter and swoon worthy characters!

This book was so good!! I loved the dynamic between Claire and Graham, they were just the perfect match!

If there is anything you need to know about me, it is that I love when the fmc takes care of the mmc in books, and this hook did that perfectly!

The tension in this book was through the roof!

And Graham? Well, he had me blushing and giggling throughout the entire book!! And those emails!!? Are you kidding me! This man is a green flag and you can’t convince me otherwise!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Allison Ashley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review! It is much appreciated.

This was a fun little binge read! This story had great characters, great banter and a swoon-worthy hero.
Roommates, Claire and Graham, make a pact that if they are single in four years, they would get together.
However, once Graham gets injured, Claire puts her nursing skills to good use and takes care of Graham through his healing and recovery.
The forced proximity changes all that as they can no longer deny their attraction. I loved that HE fell first, especially since he swore off commitment years ago. The letters really did me in! * SWOON*
If you like spicy romance, this may not be your favorite as the sexy scenes are a fade-to-black. I did not realize there was a book before this one, but it did not take from this story. It stood alone just fine. There are plenty of cameos from Noah and Mia from Would You Rather if you happened to read that one first.

This was an excellent example of what I look for in a romance read - plenty of banter, heart, and an engaging story that’s easy to dive into and get lost in. (A one sitting read 😊)

Claire and Graham were both great characters- they felt authentic and interesting, together and individually. I love that the two had banter and chemistry, but each clearly had their own arc of growth and self discovery. How it all played out felt true to life, I also appreciated that it was fade to black. I got the tension, banter, story and a book I can recommend to any of my friends and family.

I absolutely adore an epistolary element- so the inclusion of texts and email / journal confessionals was a hit with me. I also really loved to see some MCs that had careers and full lives but were in their 30s and not ‘settled down’ yet / still figuring things out.

I hadn’t realized this one was part of a standalone romance series, but as with most in that genre it stands on its own (though I’m excited to go try the first and see Noah and Mia’s story unfold now too).

Definitely one I will recommend to friends and enjoyed. I look forward to trying more from this author soon!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-arc!

I absolutely loved this book!! Everything about Graham and Claire was amazing from the start. I liked the banter between the two and the development in the conversations. From them being smart and sarcastic toward each other to just straight romantic as the book progresses. You just feel the emotions that Graham and Claire were experiencing.

Graham was one of my favorite leads that I have ever read. I love the falls first and falls hard trope and that is exactly what this man is. Claire was also amazing in her own right. Knowing what she is looking for from the start and never backing down from being herself around him. Watching these two slowly realize that the other one was the person they had been looking for was so cute and enjoyable.

The issues that came up in the book felt very real and didn't seem to just randomly show up when there needed to be some conflict, which sometimes is hard to come by.

Overall, if you like friends to lovers, forced proximity, and adorable sassy Yorkies who somehow always know what's up, you will find something in this book that you like.

Omg was this book fabulous. I didn't want to put it down! Allison Ashley has a great sense of humor in her romance novels! This book follows Claire and Graham, they're roommates and friends. Can they add lovers to the mix, too?

Claire is a no nonsense er nurse who lost her dad at a young age. Graham is an emt/ firefighter and adventure junkie. One day, a firefighter is brought into the ER, and a switch clips in Claire! She's pissed off at Graham when he doesn't answer her texts and goes spiraling. When she finally gets home, they kiss... what happens next? Read this great book to find out.

*** 3,5 stars

thank you to netgalley and harlequin trade publishing for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts <3

the roommate pact follows claire and graham an their somewhat opposites attract, friends with benefits romance. claire is an er nurse who wants absolutely nothing to do with the dangerous activities graham loves to entertain himself with. they make a pact that if they are both single when they’re forty they’ll become friends with benefits. when graham get injured while rock climbing, claire steps in as his caretaker and even stays in his bed with him. the lines between their no strings arrangement begin to blur and they don’t know if for now is enough for them.

i liked this and found myself really invested in their story. they were cute from the first moment with their banter and forced proximity roommate situation. i wish there had been a little bit more in terms of their relationship because it seemed to develop rather quickly for my taste. i generally liked both of the characters and really found myself empathizing with what kept them apart, but found the solution was also quick. all this to say, i would still recommend this for people looking for a sweet friends to lovers, forced proximity romance.