This was so confusing, the two perspectives were so disjointed and some of their thoughts read a bit cringey.

"Home used to be a place where I happily shut myself away, but with you here it's a place where I feel safe to open up."

I really enjoyed reading Roommates by Ola Tundun over the last few days. The beginning really drew me in - what was Ariella up to, and why?! I enjoyed finding out about her and her relationship to Jasper, as well as why she ended it on a postit note and by packing up and moving out in the space of a few minutes before he got home from work. I enjoyed seeing Caleb discover why Ariella is the way she is, and going from being reluctant flatmate to good friend. Caleb was funny and smart and thoughtful, and I loved Ariella's guts in standing up to people, even if her indecision about her own feelings drove me crazy at times. When I had only 5% left of the book, I found myself wondering how on earth this story is going to be resolved in just a few more pages?! As it turns out, it ended as it began - in the middle of a scene. But it sounds like there will definitely be a sequel, so I'm excited for that!!

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of Roommates - it has been a pleasure! ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 from me.

When I started this, I was not particularly keen. Ariella is an unusual character and I found her decisions and ways of handling situations perplexing. Caleb is a playboy and it is suprizing that he agrees to Ariella rollercoastering him into agreeing that she becomes his flatmate. As I got more into the book, I got to know the characters better and to like the main two characters more and I did end up enjoying the book .
Ariella remains an enigma, do people like her really exist ? By that I mean veering from hiding emotions, obsession with her ex to showing great understanding with Caleb's family and friends.. The plot did grab me by the end though and I am glad I have finished it. Emotions are well dealt with , conversations are natural and descriptions of people well done.
A good read , thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

4,75 stars - rolling up to 5.

I absolute adored and loved this book, the characters gripped me quite fast, and I love how it shows life with its ups and downs. There was this one scene that gave me the ick so for me its not a full 5 stars, but it still gave me the giggles, kicking the feet and smiling emotions all over. Also really fun that Norway was mentioned quite abit!

Thanks the publisher and Ola for letting me read this. Ola seems like such a sweetheart. :)

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters. Ariella is a character I don't think we get to see a lot. I understood why it was hard to leave her ex when he was all she knew but she needed to discover herself without him. I will say though there were a good amount of times she and her ex annoyed me. Caleb was annoying at some parts too but with him, I did like how he cared about her. But then towards the end when she told him the truth about her and her ex while he was gone he walked out upsetting me. Also, I felt like he was SA, or the writing for that part confused me. The friend Tom also confused me because it seemed like he was into Ariella but also married and happy. I felt like the storyline of the abusive wife wasn't talked about enough. I really liked the mom overall she was definitely one of my favorites. Overall a good book and I will be reading book 2. I didn't like some of the comments made by the characters. It is the perfect read for fans of close proximity, friends to lovers, and a quick read.

This book was not for me and i feel it should have had some sort of trigger warning, the whole feel was just "off", i didn't like the referral that knitting / crochet was for "grandmas", there were several degrading comments, i didnt finish

Thankyou netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I... unfortunately didn't overly enjoy this book. I don't like to DNF books but found this difficult to get into. The book portrayed the chaotic nature of life as an adult but in tern the plot mirrored this. There was the presence of some solid tropes e.g.: he falls first, player MMC... it was all just very complex with the characters.
It had a lot of potential. The cover art is super cute.

Roommates was a friends to meet lovers romance. Honestly, I didn't really care for this book. But if you like friends to lovers this may be for you.

Ariella Mason has it all. From the outside at least. She has a perfect loving fiancé she's known since childhood. A job that she's respected and has moved up in. A loving family that supports her unconditionally. But on the inside Ariella feels trapped. So, when she moves out of their shared home and breaks up with her fiancé with a post it notes, safe to say, the people around her are confused. But when she moves into a spare room with a well-known bachelor at work, Caleb Black, she finally feels like she can breathe. While these two try to settle into some sort of routine, they find themselves actually enjoying each other's companies, against all odds. Caleb helps tightly wound Ariella loosen up a bit, while Ariella helps Caleb be more empathetic to the people around him, Through the book we see the characters dodge their way around rumors at work, ex-fiancés wanting answers, and disapproving family members.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it went a bit fast towards the end, but when I realized there will be a second book I was very excited we get to continue to follow Ariella and Caleb. journey!

Thank you to Netgalley, Storm publishing, and the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own!

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Roommates is the first book by Ola and it's quite a strong debut. The book wasn't what I expected if I am being honest. The book follows Ariella and Caleb who become reluctant roomies when Ariella leaves her perfect life , perfect boyfriend for a fresh start and moves in with her coworker .

Roommates is well written although it has parts where it snatched my joy but overall it's a perfect read for fans of close proximity, friends to lovers and a quick read.

BOOK: ROOMMATES
AUTHOR: OLA TUNDUN
PUB DATE: SEPT 2023
REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
👩🏽‍❤️‍👨🏼👩🏽‍❤️‍👨🏼
When I started this book, I understood and liked Ariella. She just wanted to discover herself, no problem with that. But, I did not like Caleb throughout the book, he literally slept with any straight female that walked. Then he suddenly changed just because 'he fell in love. Yeah, right.
👩🏽‍❤️‍👨🏼👩🏽‍❤️‍👨🏼
Their relationship started off on a wrong note and I hated that Caleb didn't come clean. If this was real life, their relationship would never last. Caleb is a no for me, I've never not liked a mmc like him
👩🏽‍❤️‍👨🏼👩🏽‍❤️‍👨🏼
I'm definitely team Jasper, I accept that he could have done some things better, but he's not as selfish as Caleb. He would have been better. At the end of the day, Ariella's indecisiveness annoyed me
👩🏽‍❤️‍👨🏼👩🏽‍❤️‍👨🏼
I didn't like this book because of personal reasons, but you might like it better than I do.

This book could've easily been a 5 star book to me if it had at least one more chapter, right now it sits at 4.5 cause those likes 4 chapters had me in a crisis.

Ariella and Caleb had a chokehold in my life for the last two days. Every thought was about them and every time my work phone rang I wanted to scream cause people were interrupting the beauty of the book. The friendship is chef kiss, the way this man was falling for this girl and not realizing it, AAAAAAAAh.

I hate love triangles and I hated every single second of the conflict of going back to Jasper or not, but it still didn't make me hate the book. I loved it.

Not your typical roommates romance story that is on the market today. The story starts off well and engages the reader from the first chapter. However, the characters were so irritating and immature and nothing was really resolved throughout the book. A few plot holes that needed expanding aswell. Overall, a decent read for a debut author

This was the first book by this author and won't be the last - this is a story of how someone's life may look perfect, but it isn't and how they have the ability to change it. Ariella looks to have the absolutely perfect life but she is unhappy so moves out of the property she shares with her fiancee and moves in with Caleb as a flatmate, and the book is their story as flatmates.

An enjoyable, funny and sensitive book, I would recommend this to others.

I have so many thoughts about this book. And I’m not even sure I want to go through all of them. I’m overwhelmed and dissatisfied after reading this book. Let’s start with the elephant in the room being the fact that this had a cliffhanger. WHY??? This book definitely did NOT need a cliffhanger! It was either a cliffhanger or a terrible ending. In that case, I wish it’s the former. I understand that this isn’t a romance novel and that it’s women’s fiction, and it didn’t technically required a happily ever after tied up neatly in the end but… it still didn’t need a cliffhanger 😭. The book itself was entertaining for me. I got attached to Ariella and Caleb’s dynamic and I love seeing them together especially when they get along and have those “sweet nothing” moments (iykyk). I really love that this was a “he falls first” trope, I think it fits really nicely in this book. Caleb was down bad and it was fun to read. Ariella was a lot of times annoying especially when it comes to her relationship—or rather her finished relationship with Jasper. I understand they’ve been together for a long time and it’s not really easy to move on just like that but come on, Ariella. Bffr. I hate that this is becoming a love triangle with the cliffhanger.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ari and Caleb’s romance on The Roommates is a whirlwind and the emotional roller coaster they road mimicked the back and forth so many couples go through until they feel settled and confident that’s they made the right choice. Although their love story was the main storyline, the secondary characters were also stars and I would love to see more of their stories throughout this series. This novel was so much more than a romance as it tackled race, death, workplace dynamics, abuse, and more, making it a well rounded storyline with unforgettable characters.

I picked this up because of that cover and I wasn’t disappointed. A delicious study into house sharing when the people involved have little in common. Lots to unpick and unpack relationship wise.

This heartwarming and witty tale takes you on a rollercoaster ride through the lives of two seemingly mismatched individuals, Ariella Mason and Caleb Black, and it does so with an abundance of charm and humor.

Ola Tundun masterfully crafts a story that's both hilarious and heart-wrenching. The witty banter between Ariella and Caleb is a true highlight, making you root for them despite their differences. Their journey to self-discovery and personal growth is beautifully depicted, offering readers a message of hope and the possibility of transformation.

"The Roommates" is a refreshing take on romance, offering more than just a love story. It's a tale of self-discovery, acceptance, and the unpredictable nature of life. If you're a fan of authors like Mhairi McFarlane, Beth O'Leary, and Sophie Kinsella, you're in for a treat!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Storm Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you so much!

This started off quite well and I was excited to see how it was going to go but by the end I was disappointed, it just kept going back and forth and nothing really happened? The ending was so weird, it was like half a chapter, so abrupt, I was so confused. I’m guessing (hoping?) the author will bring out the second part but I don’t know if I will bother reading it 🤷🏽‍♀️

This book was not for me. I struggled to connect with it and some of the plot points really had me cringing and not liking how sexual assault was tossed in and not really addressed. I wanted to like this book but it really did fall flat for me.