The Roommate Pact is my first book by Allison Ashley, but I don’t plan on it being my last. This friends-to-lovers romance had just come under my radar when I was invited to read it. Seeing the early glowing reviews from my fellow bloggers had me quickly accepting. And once again, they haven’t steered me wrong. I adored this one. Witty banter, moments that had me laughing, and heartbreaking moments that had me rubbing the pain in my chest.

When I started The Roommate Pact I’d either forgotten or didn’t know that our main characters, Claire and Graham appeared in Ashley’s previous book Would You Rather. In fact, it was the author’s note at the end of the book that brought it to my attention. So it didn’t affect my reading at all. But now that I know, I can’t wait to pick up Would You Rather and get a glimpse of how these two started.

Friends and roommates, Claire and Graham both have some baggage, issues from their past that keep them rooted in their current mindsets: Claire has sworn off dating adventurous men after witnessing her father’s tragic death and Graham has sworn off serious relationships. Period. But one night they find themselves agreeing to a pact: if they’re both single at forty, they’ll become friends-with-benefits. Just as Claire decides to not wait and give their pact a much earlier start date, Graham, a thrill-seeking firefighter, is brought into the emergency room where she works. She soon finds herself taking care of him, even sharing his bed when he needs her, and Graham finds himself being forced to be vulnerable. Their building feelings toward each other quickly overtake the relationship rules they’d set for themselves, creating quite the conundrum.

I was so here for this ride. It’s the perfect romance setup: two friends refuse to acknowledge they have feelings for each other, but are forced to face those feelings when life has other ideas. I also love a good friend group, and Claire and Graham have great friends. They know when to step in and offer advice and when to step back. They have history and have become a found family for each other.

I was rooting so hard for these two and the payoff was rewarding. Plenty of steam in this dual point-of-view romance, but with a surprise closed-door during the sex scenes. It clearly didn’t influence my rating for this one, but just took me by surprise. Probably because my reading experience was reminding me of Christina Lauren and Ali Hazelwood. And probably because I’ve read two romance novels back-to-back about friends-with-benefits and both were closed-door, which seems a bit contradictory, doesn’t it?!

The Roommate Pact has made me a fan of Ashley’s and now her previous book has moved up my TBR. And it’s definitely a book I could see myself re-reading someday. If you’re a fan of emotional, swoon-y romances, give this one a try. Oh, and there’s an adorable puppy, as well. And I’m not even a dog person.

3.5 stars! I really enjoyed this sweet romance book. It was a super quick read for me - read in just two days! I liked that they were roommates, turned friends, turned lovers. If you like this trope along with forced proximity you'll probably really enjoy this one!

I thought it was sweet and while there was some sexy tension between the two main characters, it was pretty much closed door as far as steam went. In truth, I was expecting more steam in this one considering the two mains had a bit of a sex pact going on. I really liked Graham and the way he opened up more as the story went on.

Parts of it felt a tad rushed to me but overall, I thought it was a cute book and enjoyed the story.

The Roommate Pact, by Allison Ashley, is a fun, sweet, and charming romantic comedy. Firefighter Graham and ER nurse Claire have been roommates and friends, but neither has had much luck in love. Graham and Claire make a pact that if by the time Graham is 40 and they are both single, they will become friends with benefits. However, after the pact is made, Graham breaks his leg in a climbing accident. Claire becomes Grahams bedside nurse. When they are forced together will they come together?
The story is funny and cute. Claire and Graham have great banter. Graham refuses to make any kind of commitment, except to his dog, Gertrude. Claire desperately wants to get married and have children. Despite both Graham and Claire stating that they aren’t interested in each other, there is clearly immediate sexual tension in the book. When Graham is injured and Claire has to help take care of him the sexual tension can no longer be contained. When they do finally come together, they have to decide if there is more than sex to this relationship.
I love the letters that Graham writes to Claire when he can’t talk after the accident. You can really tell that his feelings genuinely change throughout the book. It’s sweet to see him realize that he wants to do more than just sleep with Claire, and that he might have genuine feelings for her. I found Graham’s inner struggles to be compelling. Similarly, Claire has compelling inner struggles. Claire has to get over her childhood traumas before she can allow herself to be in a relationship with Graham. Their inner struggles add conflict to the relationship, and it adds some much needed depth to the story.
One small issue that I had when reading this book was the changing perspectives. Ashley changes between Graham and Claire’s points of views throughout the book. I always like to read a romance from the point of view of both characters. However, the point of view changes often, and it is sometimes hard to determine which character is talking. It made reading the book a little bit challenging.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes friend to lovers romance. It’s cute and sweet. It’s a very quick and fun read. It made me laugh and cry. This book did everything that you would want out of a romantic comedy

The Roommate Pact was a cute read! Claire and Graham were well developed, and I especially enjoyed Claire being in the medical field. It was very authentic in the way it was represented. The chemistry between the two characters were there, but when it got down to the nitty gritty- it was pretty lacking. The sex pact plot line but making it fade to black is just slightly disappointing.
I came into the ARC not knowing of the first book in this universe, so if I read it I feel like I would’ve enjoyed the book more. I had a hard time with the formatting of the book as well, with random text in red (mainly Graham’s emails), weird spacing between letters of words, and sometimes the sentence just cut off like the thought wasn’t finished. It was difficult to read with how often there was weird formatting issues. I don’t expect ARCs to be perfect, but I just feel like it should’ve been caught before becoming an ARC.

If you’re into roommate turn lovers, a sassy pet, and medical field representation- this book is for you!

I liked it, but didn't love it. I don't love it when I go to read a bo0k, and then realize it's a companion novel. I liked it fine. I didn't *have* to read the other novel to get the characters or follow the story at all, but it always feel a bit like FOMO when I realize I'm missing something.

As the sister of an ER nurse, I did like Claire. I liked how the author portrayed her work realistically, and her transition to NP seemed organic and logical. I know nothing about being a firefighter, so I can't follow Graham's side as well.

I didn't love the third act breakup, and the *dramatic life happening* leading to the reconciliation always seems a bit tired to me.

Thans, NetGalley!

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.