thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was a fun, fall for your roommate romance. We have Ariela as our protagonist. She has left her fiance, the only man she's ever dated to try to experience life as a single woman. She becomes roomates with Caleb, who is Ariela's opposite. He's a huge player, and does not do relationships.

It was enjoyable to see Ariela and Caleb open up to each other, and start catching feelings. This had some fun secondary characters, I enjoyed all of Caleb friends, and Ariela's family as well as best friend were all great additions. This book did end rather abruptly, making me think there will be a part 2 to this story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Select for the advanced listener copy. Savannah Davies was a wonderful narrator.
I'm rating this 3.5 stars.

On paper this book has everything I typically love. And there were some really good elements to it. But it was pretty depressing. The FMC was almost unbearable in her complete obliviousness. I almost DNFed in the first 20% because she HAS to leave him and she finally does and then within 24 hours she’s acting like she’s the victim. She was also so coddled by everyone it was almost unbearable.

I enjoyed Caleb and had this not been so depressing their romance would have been awesome.

Then the last part of the book, he is essentially raped, judges her for sleeping with the person she has repeatedly said she wants to get back with, and doesn’t tell her about Singapore and we don’t really discuss any of it. The book just ends.

The eye-catching cover and intriguing synopsis of this book immediately captured my attention. With its vibrant design and Rom-Com vibes, I, as a fan of the genre, was instantly drawn in. "Roommates" tells the story of Ariella Mason, a meticulous perfectionist who finds herself renting a room in her co-worker Caleb Black's apartment after experiencing relationship troubles. Ariella, introverted and striving for perfection, is paired with Caleb, a charismatic playboy with a revolving door of romantic partners.

Initially, I expected a light and fluffy read, but the story turned out to be much more emotionally charged than anticipated. As the reasons behind Ariella's need for a room slowly unravel, readers can't help but empathize with her. Throughout the book, Ariella and Caleb undergo personal growth as they navigate their own issues while attempting to establish a connection with each other. However, there is a significant amount of miscommunication and unspoken words between them, which may appeal to readers who enjoy the slow burn and tension created by such misunderstandings.

The constant back-and-forth of "Are they or aren't they?" did become tiresome after a while. By the time I reached the ending, it felt rather abrupt. After investing in the characters and their journey, I was left wanting a more satisfying conclusion. In a literary landscape where epilogues have become commonplace, it's only natural to desire a more substantial ending when reaching the final pages of a book.

Now, let's address the unexpected cliffhanger ending. Was it necessary? This book did not require a cliffhanger at all! It could have either had a satisfying conclusion or a disappointing one, but I would have preferred the former. While I understand that this is not a romance novel but rather women's fiction, so it doesn't necessarily need a neatly tied-up happily ever after, a cliffhanger was definitely not needed. Despite this, the book itself was enjoyable. I became invested in the dynamic between Ariella and Caleb, and I loved witnessing their tender moments together. The "he falls first" trope was well-executed and added depth to the story. Caleb's vulnerability was entertaining to read, while Ariella's struggles with moving on from her past relationship with Jasper could be frustrating at times. However, the introduction of a potential love triangle with the cliffhanger ending left me disappointed.

Overall, "Roommates" offers an emotionally charged story with relatable characters and moments of tenderness. While the constant back-and-forth and the unexpected cliffhanger ending may not appeal to all readers, those who enjoy women's fiction with a touch of romance will find this book engaging.

I’m gonna say 3.75 stars.
I was really enjoying everything but I didn’t love the ending. Of course I wanted them to end up together but I wanted more time to enjoy them together. I could have used a little than 2 sentences of them rekindling. Otherwise it would have been a solid 4 stars.

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!

I still have so many questions!?!?!?!?!?! Is there a sequel? I feel like this is a sign of great book. I am so invested in the characters and their stories that I want to know what happens next.
I loved watching Ariella and Caleb's friendship blossom and grow. It was so sweet. It felt like they both really needed each other. The narrator did a fantastic job - when she was voicing Ariella's mother she reminded me of Beyoncé.
I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book by Ola Tundun.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to arc review this book. I didn’t love this book but I didn’t hate it either. I especially liked the ending. This is a solid 3.5 rating and I would definitely read a second book if it’s a series. I would recommend it as well.

Thank you netgally and dreamscape media select for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review. I sooooo wantes to love this but betwren the narrator and the atory i only made it to 25% before dnf it. I didnt like the subject matter i didnt like the characters. The narrator wad a huve roadblock for me.

This book was fun and flirty, but the male lead fell completely flat for me for a majority of the book. A secondary narrator would have sweetened this for me, I think! But Ariella was such a sweet and inviting female lead, and the reason I kept reading even as the plot began to feel awkward and clunky.
2.5⭐️ rounded up

3.5 Stars.
This book has some real life style writing. Some parts were just lackluster.

Ariella Mason has the perfect life.

Perfect job? Check.
Perfect home? Check.
Perfect fiancé? Check.

None of this is by accident. Ariella is a card-carrying perfectionist.

On the other side of the city lives Ariella’s polar opposite. Caleb Black is an unrepentant smart-ass, seat-of-his-pants, arrogant party-boy getting through life on charisma and raw sex appeal (his words).

So why, one night, does Ariella turn up with her bags, asking to rent Caleb’s spare room?

Ariella has done a complete 180 on her life. And nothing good could ever come of this… Could it?

Well first of all I didn't know there was going to be a sequel so when it just abruptly ended like that I was super displeased. Now that I read a review that said there was going to be one I am slightly less annoyed. However, I don't see how a full other book can be made up with these two unless there's a loooooooong break up after the rest of the truth comes out. I'm not exactly thrilled with the prospect.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select and Ola Tundun for the opportunity to listen to and review this book. Ariella and Caleb are a friggin' rollercoaster. He's a playboy and she's super sheltered and treated with kid gloves by everyone in her life. In a burst of independence Ari moves out on her fiance and starts renting a room from Caleb. We all know where this is headed.

If you don't like other woman/man drama then this isn't for you. There is also a case of coerced/blackmail sex. I enjoyed it overall and will pick up the sequel when I see it come up.

This book was really all over the place. I really was sucked in by the cover and to me it really deceives the reader by the cute enemies to lovers romance stuff but it really isn't that. It's very slow through most of the book and it really wasn't interesting. To me it was weird that our MC Alli just ups and leaves her lover Jasper just because she wants to "live more" like girl what? and don't get me started on the "manwhoring" and just heavy topics brought up. It's very not rom=com like and it wasn't really going anywhere for me. Sadly, the only thing I enjoyed was the narration of this book.

Everything in Arielle Mason’s life is perfect, or at least it seems that way on the outside. She has the perfect job, perfect family, perfect fiancé, but inwardly she’s dying to escape. When she sees that Caleb Black, a coworker who is also the office man whore, is renting a room out she jumps at the opportunity.

I really wanted to love this book and there were parts that I did love, but then others that I didn’t. I liked most of the characters, but then again, I also disliked them at the same time. My feelings on this book are contradictory. I liked Arielle, but I disliked how every relationship she had, romantic or otherwise, seemed to be toxic in its own way. There really wasn’t one relationship that seemed completely normal to me. I am not a fan of the way this book ended, I felt like there was more that needed to resolved and it would have only taken another chapter or even a few pages. I did enjoy this book and never at anytime did I want to stop reading it, but the feelings I have as I end it make it hard for me to give it a high star rating. Like I said before, my feelings on this book are contradictory, but overall I did enjoy this book and loved the roommates angle.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audiobook version of this book! The narration was great!

Roommates by Ola Tundan

The story was about Ariella Mason and Caleb Black. Ariella who left behind her perfect life and moved into her coworker Caleb’s home. They were in totally opposite personality. Ariella was a perfectionist while Caleb was dating extensively with his colleagues and even his neighbors. With their different personalities, would they attract to each other?

I was attracted by the book cover and the blurb. I noticed Roommates was Ola’s debut novel. The storyplot was good - Rom-com. The characters were well-created. It would be great if the story was less dragging.

I saw mixed reviews of this book going in but they all made me interested to read rather than discouraging. Overall, I enjoyed the book and the different ways the characters had to overcome their pasts and live beyond them but were also pushed to discuss and work through them. I liked the difficult conversations that were had and the way friendships and relationships seemed to unfold more naturally. The end though was so abrupt I couldn't believe it! I wanted so much more or to see how the characters worked through this last set of hurdles but it was just done and not even in a "it's ok, we see how this goes, we can leave them here" way. It was kind of disappointing. The rest of the book was so good though I feel bad that that's the thing that taints my opinion.

#arc
#netgalley
#roommates

I really loved this book, it has so many tropes that I know drive people crazy but I felt it was well executed.

Love Triangle
Miscommunication
Opposites Attract
Forced Proximity

The characters were deeply flawed, the situation was chaotic and messy and it truly was an enjoyable read for me.

The spicy scenes were extremely well-written and left me pretty hot under the collar.

I was super invested in the relationship between Ari and Caleb but audacity of the ending of this book!

I’m furious, I need answers right now! I’m not used to being left in a cliffhanger in contemporary romance and I’m not sure I liked it. The book ended so abruptly that I was startled by it.

I’m hoping there is a book two, but for those who read romance for the HEA, you aren’t going to get that satisfaction here.

3 stars, would have been 4 if it didn’t leave me hanging.

I’m a little unsure how to rate this book. The first like 40ish% was okay. Probably 3 stars even though it was a bit slow and repetitive. Then the next quarter of the book dropped to a 1.5 stars. The characters’ motivations/changes didn’t make sense, the pattern was overly repetitive, none of the characters (except maybe Em) are likable, and the lack of communication was annoying. Then the last like 10 chapters were unbearable with the last 3 being just ATROCIOUS with no follow up. AND it ends abruptly and unfinished.

I think most of my issues are with the editing, publishers marketing choices, and unnecessary plot pot pourri.

Additionally, the synopsis is completely different from the book. This is not a rom-com. The synopsis does not mention a sort-of, wannabe, forced love triangle. It misleads that she ran away from her entire life, but this isn’t true. She stays at the same job, in the same city, with the same friends, close to her family. It doesn’t even allude to the fact that this is not a stand-alone. And it leaves out all the necessary trigger warnings. But we’ll get to that later.

I mention this because I am not the target audience for this book. Had the synopsis been more accurate, I probably wouldn’t have even requested this. I do not enjoy love triangles, miscommunication, cheating, rape-culture, or completely naive and helpless FMCs. So take the rest of this review with that in mind.

I’m no particular order, here are some things that readers should know going in:
1. This is told in dual POV with MANY scenes out of order and told twice from each character’s POV. This slowed the pace for me A LOT. And I’m not sure why the author/editor chose to rewind time so many times.
2. The steamy parts don’t happen until almost 63% in, but then it’s full steam ahead. I love a good slow burn, but this was drawn out and even then didn’t really make sense.
3. Ariella mentions every single chapter how she’s still in love with Jasper (her ex-fiancé), so why doesn’t she go back with him? Why does she leave him in the first place? No real explanation is given.
4. She also suffers from inexplicable panic attacks. Again, no explanation given.
5. There are a lot of hit button issues thrown in without exploration, repercussions, or discussion, including drugging people’s drinks, non-consensual sex, man-whore shaming, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, workplace bullying and sexual harassment, cheating, drug use, alcohol as a coping mechanism, classism, racism, misogyny, manipulation…
6. Toxic relationships. Ari has absolutely zero positive relationships- family, friends, or lovers. Everyone manipulates, uses, and pushes her around. And she lets them. Through the entire story. No character growth.
7. Caleb’s sudden change from “I only want casual sex” to “I’m in love” comes out of nowhere where no real introspection or explanation. Unbelievable. And he doesn’t even really stick to it.
8. I could go on.

Some Pros:
1. I really wanted to like this book. It started out promising then took a deep dive off the WTF cliff for me. I think with some finessing of the synopsis, this book could find the right readers.
2. There is a lot of diversity in this book without it being necessarily a big deal to mention (except the classism). It just is, which is lovely.
3. I liked the narrator of the audiobook but wished there was a bit more distinction between male and female voices. Sometimes it was hard to tell who was speaking during dialogue exchanges.
4. Tundun is a debut author and I applaud her efforts. Writing a book and putting it out there is a huge accomplishment! I think she’ll settle in to her style and hopefully get a better editor in the future who can notice the meandering/disjointed plot and lack of consistent characterization. Like I said, I was cruising happily through the first 40-50% of the book before it got weird.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Woman leaves fiancé. Moves in to a shared flat. They hate each other and are opposites. A friendship grows. It ends up turning into more.

The story starts out without much background information, and takes a while to reveal it. It is a bit difficult to get into it without some of that information. I like the characters, flawed and human. It’s fiction meant to be possible in reality, yet it isn’t, I wished the toxicity would be dealt with more, or at least pointed it out. Like: This.Is.Rape. The ending was abrupt. I’m assuming for a sequel, but would have been nice to have more loose ends tied up.

Overall though, not a bad listen.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

If you go into this thinking it’s going to be a cute RomCom you are going to be disappointed. It’s not a bad book but the cover and short description are a little misleading. There are a lot of triggers that are not addressed in the eAudio ARC but if cheating, anxiety, domestic abuse, and really any kind of abuse are triggers for you, I would skip this one. I was really hoping I would love this book. But it was just ok.