This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on September 16th, 2024. Links provided.

I usually like to start these reviews with a persuasive first paragraph that summarizes the book. But to be honest, I really don’t know what I would even write if I tried to do that for Housemates.

I am going to try and provide my opinions as politely as possible but unfortunately, I really did not like this book. There were countless times that I truly contemplated just giving up, but I felt like I owed it to the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC and I didn’t feel I could give an honest review without finishing the book. While I know there is an audience out there that will enjoy and appreciate this book, I just struggled too much with the writing style, characters’ personalities, and plot to find any positive takeaways. After I finished the book I went back to NetGalley to look at the summary and I truly wondered if the person who wrote the summary and I read the same book. There were multiple times throughout the story that I either had to question who the author was even talking about or I had to roll my eyes at what felt like very pretentious characters. Also, I was honestly bored. From the beginning, I could not relate to any of the characters on a deeper level and so I just really had no motivation to care what happened one way or another. I am sad that this was my experience because I was originally really excited to read the book based off the summary. Hopefully, I am in the minority and more people will like this book than dislike it.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of Housemates in return for my honest review.

While Housemates contains a narrative with great potential, the book itself is unfortunately muddled by a frustrated framing device and puzzling choices about which moments and characters to focus on.

This introspective and engaging novel about two queer women traversing the PA landscape initially piqued my interest because I live in PA and Emma’s local.

Bernie (a photographer) and Leah (a writer) meet when they’re housemates. After Bernie’s famous photography mentor dies and leaves her his studio in rural PA, the pair set off across PA to chronicle their trip through photos/writing. I really liked the discussions about art and its impact on society. Emma's commentary about body image and the representation of a plus-sized character was illuminating as well. I"m also inspired to check out large format photography!

In life, people take the beauty in the everyday for granted. I adored how this book celebrated it, and created an engaging storyline around the idea. I was also thrilled to find out it was inspired by real-life lesbian photographer Berenice Abbott. I'm definitely going to read more about her.

There was a lot I really loved about this book, but also parts that didn't quite hit right for me. I loved the setting and character and sense of exploration woven throughout. Emma Copley Eisenberg's prose is beautiful, though at times meandering. This is a great fiction debut.

This was probably just not a good match for me. Literary fiction can be hit or miss for me as they usually require close attention and deep thought, things I’m maybe not good at. I think this was probably deep and meaningful to those who get this but I do not.

The point of view is a bit confusing to me. The narrator is a character who seems to be following (only sometimes literally) the main characters Bernie a Leah, two artists who become housemates. The narrator (is named eventually) is a photographer who is grieving the loss of her own “housemate,” not named but was a teacher. In her grief she becomes obsessed with the story of Bernie and Leah.

Bernie, a protege of a now disgraced famous photographer, moves into a house full of queer people. Leah, a writer, suggests a road trip across Pennsylvania to Bernie, partly to collect her inheritance from said famous photographer, part for a collaboration of photos and stories that will eventually bring success to the two.

The way this story told is very impersonal. The dialogue (with no quotation marks) is really stiff and emotionless. The way all the characters talk to each other is so odd, which might just be an artist thing, but doesn’t sound natural.

However I can admire some of the messages explored in this book. Leah’s journey in particular felt meaningful to me, from being nonbinary, fat, feeling under appreciated. Overall feeling like an object rather than a person. The plight of an artist is not anything I can relate to but I can appreciate it. Some commentary on social issues, grief, and poverty too, though I may have liked that explored more.

Overall I’d say this is… confusing. It was not entertaining, as I don’t believe it was meant to be, but it also wasn’t interesting enough for me to put in the effort to understand it on a deeper level. There is the weird narrator who is but isn’t part of the story, the dry dialogue, the jumping forward and backward in time. The technical aspects of photography and art in general. Like I said in the beginning, probably just not a good match for me, someone who (wants to be but sadly…) is not an intellectual or an artist. However I’m confident this will work for some people like it didn’t for me! 2.25 stars

I really wanted to love Housemates. The concept was right up my alley but sadly this one didn't work for me. The pacing was odd, as was the narration. Unfortunately, I didn't finish this one.

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

I enjoyed the artistic aspect of the main characters but I couldn't engage much with them for me to care about what happened to them. I didn't really understand the point of the dual pov narration and felt like the descriptions were way too detailed to my liking. It was okay, definitely not what I was expecting.

This was such a fabulous read - I loved the queer road trip, the conversations about art, and the adaptation of two historical female artists.

This is a much beloved new release and I see why... there is great queer representation with a focus on the body and art and relationships.. and all that is messy between those things. I found that by the end of the book I was going to miss Leah and Bernie. Although much of what you know about them is told from the perspective of an outside narrator who is desperate for involvement in their story, you also see some really tender and vulnerable moments that really set the tone for the novel.

This is the kind of book that makes you want to go on a road trip, fall in love and make a bunch of mistakes in your 20s. And honestly even after that age too. I think this work grows on you and I would recommend to read it slowly. Let the lives soak in and get blurred with yours a little bit.

Thank you NetGalley and Hogarth for the ARC.

I tried two different times and got to about 38%, but I just couldn't get involved with the characters. This is unusual for me, but when it happens, I realize it's just not a book for me. I think I needed their individual personalities to connect a little more earlier in the story.

This is the only place I'm publicly sharing this review.

this one was hyped up a lot for me before it came into my hands, so it definitely had a lot to live up to. and it really did! i think this is one of very few recent books i can think of that intersperses queer pop culture in a way that doesn't feel premature and cringey, which is a feat. i really loved both the main characters, and even though photography is not an art form that i'm that well versed in, i came away with an appreciation for it.

This was beautifully written and I loved the queer representation. However, I just couldn’t connect to the characters. I felt like they were lacking depth unfortunately.

2.5 rounded up to 3 stars. This was a big letdown for me after hearing so many great things about it pre-release! This novel follows a home of roommates, two of which embark on a roadtrip to one's former disgraced professor's home who has left her a collection of her art upon his death. They turn the road trip into an art project with one contributing journalistic writing and the other photography along the way. This was an interesting commentary on art, how we create and consume it and who deserves to get to create art and whose we should consume yet it fell flat for me. The chapters were much too long, the plot felt slow, and I did not feel connected to the characters. I do believe many people will enjoy this book as there were such beautiful sentences I highlighted several that took my breath away and there was great commentary on gender, weight, and art in our society but these were not enough to make up for the unenjoyable reading experience for me.

I was very excited to read Housemates. Art, travel and love are a few of my favorite things. Unfortunately this book did not live up to the hype for me and took me too long to get through. I felt no connection to the characters and their story felt so flat. I feel as this book was descriptive of everything but the characters and their plot. Additionally, I did not like the narrator, it made no sense to me. As well as the lack of quotation marks and vague descriptions of companies like Amazon and social media apps. It felt so redundant. The only thing I enjoyed about this book was the art. Emma well described the photographs, processes and even the feelings of finding inspiration (or shimmer as mentioned in the book) as well as losing inspiration and motivation as an artist.

Regrettably, I overall just did not enjoy the book. Wasn’t for me.

A tender portrayal of queer people trying to find their place in the world. Beautifully written. Topical. I definitely want to read more from this author.

This review was published on my Goodreads account on August 18, 2024.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this eARC for free in exchange for an honest review.

I have found myself choosing to read many books set in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas over the past few weeks. I have a familiarity and an appreciation for the city, and I think it makes such a wonderful setting for stories.

“Housemates” follows Bernie and Leah, two queer roommates/housemates/artists (Bernie a photographer, Leah a writer/journalist). Bernie is essentially an outsider in the house — she is the last one to join the group; she is of a different socioeconomic status than the other housemates, etc.. All of the housemates are civically engaged Millennials who are artistically talented.

We learn that Bernie had a strictly platonic relationship with a legendary photography professor who has died, Daniel Dunn. While Dunn created amazing art, he left behind a history of sexual improprieties and, therefore, a complicated legacy. Bernie and Leah embark on an art project and become romantically involved. This story follows them as they create and perfect this project, but it also examined their relationship as well as the relationships of their housemates around them. All of this is going on in the throes of Trump’s presidency, COVID, and the Black Lives Matter protests.

What worked for me: the characters. The dialogue. The setting(s). I do not consider myself artistic in any way, so it was wonderful to read a story about folks whose every move is creative.

What did not work for me: the “narrator” (?) who had a housemate romance story all their own years before. Ann, the narrator, a queer photographer themself, sees Bernie and Leah out and about, follows them home, and then somehow knows how the story progresses? Was this stalking? Magical realism? Something else? It was confusing and occasionally distracting for me.

All in all, this was a 3.75 star read for me, rounded up to 4 stars.

I was super excited for this but it generally fell very short. From the title and description, I thought this would be a much more domestic story about friendship, housemates, being a young person etc. I’d say the first part was very much that, and I enjoyed it! When they go on their roadtrip, I also enjoyed that but felt like we didn’t get enough time. They only go on the roadtrip around halfway through, and it doesn’t feel like it gets done properly. I think if this book wanted to be queer love on a roadtrip, it should have been, but it tries to hold onto the housemate premise with a very very weird omniscient narrator? That never gets a proper explanation?

Also the descriptions of activism and conversations around bodies are important, but I just didn’t think they were especially compelling in this novel.

This book just felt confused about what it wanted to be, which is a shame because I did enjoy the characters. I’d be interested in reading something from this author that focuses more heavily on the interpersonal relationships of their characters without the awkward need to include plot details.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my copy of this book.

this is a book about a place i love very much, my home state and my favorite city, and when you love a place it's impossible to think anyone else who loves it is doing it right.

A queer road trip story?! Yes, yes it is! Seems like it would be my jam, and it wasn't bad by any means (I flew through it). Buuuuut. Idk. Some things just didn't hit like I wanted them to.

We are told this story from the perspective of an older queer woman who claims to be watching our two friends, Leah & Bernie, as they embark on their back roads tour of Pennsylvania. A writer and a photographer, Leah & Bernie are drawn to each other artistically and plan to combine their writing and photography for one big, coming-of-age project. The two are roommates, along with an additional cast of characters that Eisenberg introduces us to. Everyone is queer and fun and pretentious and annoying all at the same time (we contain multitudes). But. Idk. The characters were underdeveloped and overly tropey. I don't think I'll miss any of the characters. Maybe Leah.. Maybe.

This one wasn't for me. I didn't understand the use of an external narrator at all, especially in scenes that she couldn't possibly have witnessed. I also don't feel like I got to know Bernie at all, and there was no chemistry between her and Leah. Also their being housemates didn't really matter? This one left a lot to be desired for me.