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.

Bernie and Leah are both struggling to find themselves. Leah is pursuing a PhD while working at an alt newspaper writing stuff she is not truly invested in and Bernie, who went to school for photography, isn’t getting anywhere with her art. Leah is in this sort of stilted relationship. It’s very hot and cold. And Bernie is a little awkward and timid in that area—she feels awkward and timid as she moves through the world. So when they meet and come together, neither of them really believes in themselves. But somehow, they begin to believe in each other. And they make art together that I think neither of them could have made or would have come to make on their own. Their relationship is transformative and alchemical.

Housemates is a joy to read. It is a moving commentary on the continuum of queer artists. It is an embodied embrace of fatness. It operates on several level at once, all of them profoundly moving

I think this book is well-loved for a reason, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me! I didn’t love the writing style, though I’m not able to pinpoint what it was exactly that didn’t do it for me. Overall I think a lot of people would really enjoy this book, despite it not being my favorite. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my honest review!

So witty and so fun!! It was the perfect American lesbian road trip novel that you can’t put down until you feel like the characters have become known

I will say this is the first time I have read about a fat character that felt real. There was no talk about her losing weight, she was actually fat and not just midsized, and Bernie found her beautiful. It was really appreciated. Also love the brief Pittsburgh mentions

I knew that I would be a sucker for this book going in, as a West Philadelphian and an admirer of Eisenberg's other writing, but I was really bowled over by how much I loved it. It's a road trip novel, but also a meditation on creativity, queerness, bodies, making art, and the messiness of love. Eisenberg writes characters beautifully—Bernie and Leah were so vivid I practically expected to bump into them at the co-op. And Bernie's relationship to large format photography, and the complicated mentor who taught her its ins and outs, felt bracingly honest about how human connections are never simple, and never just one thing. I loved it, and I can't wait for her next one.

So sorry, but one chapter in and I can tell this isn't going to be for me. The writing choices are just odd to me in a way that I can't exactly wrap my head around, and judging by the reviews the semi-omniscient narrator bit doesn't really pay off in any way or get better. Also, based on the synopsis I assumed this would follow young/millennial characters. These characters are boomers, FYI. I found it funny how the one woman in her 70s remarked about a delivery driver being underpaid...no boomer would ever actually think that, lol.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. what a lovely little queer roadtrip story! more of this please!! i think the writing was really good and the story flowed well.

- a photographer & a writer embark on a road trip across pennsylvania to accept a former professor’s inheritance & document america thru words & images
- incredible depictions of land, food, art, & bodies, and was a celebration of the many different facets of being alive
- it’s messy & it’s queer & i felt very seen in a lot of ways while reading this

“housemates” is a great example of “all vibes, no plot” and if you don’t mind that you just might enjoy this book. unfortunately for me that is the very last thing I’d want from a road trip novel. the trip itself took a while to set up (the first 30%) which made being bored during even more of a let down.

for a story centered around bernie and leah’s relationship, the author really sacrificed their character development by spending so much time on secondary characters like the narrator and daniel dunn. I couldn’t tell you how or why they fell in love but I remember several flashbacks from a nameless outsider who felt detached from the book the entire time. on a similar vein, “housemates” promises messy housemate dynamics, but whenever conflict arose between them it wrapped up so quickly it almost didn’t feel worth mentioning.

despite the overly descriptive narrative I was still struggling to differentiate between bernie and leah halfway in because they felt so similar. I didn’t feel like I knew anything about either MC outside of their body types and art mediums. interestingly enough this author has some great pieces about fat characters in fiction (unrelated to her book) and yet this fat representation wasn’t anything to write home about.

last thing re: characterization - I think the blm protest mentions and free palestine meme posting were attempts to give leah some identity but it came off as cringey/pandering more than anything else. bernie’s moment about being american had a similar effect because it was just as fleeting.

this was a fun idea that lost direction along the way. thanks to netgalley and random house for the advanced copy. all opinions are my own.

I LOVED this book. The writing is superb. The themes speak to my reader soul: the co-creation of art; the queer love; the existential work angst; the road trip to reignite the spark of creativity; the accessibility of art and education; the ode to Pennsylvania. I loved it all. The framed narrative structure was a clever choice that took me a minute to get used to, but I ultimately found it to be a brilliant way to add commentary to the story. Most of all, I loved the way the author wrote about photography and writing (and the intersection of photography and writing). If you enjoy character-driven lit fic, I highly recommend reading Housemates! Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth Books for my advanced reader copy.

I thought this would be an exciting road trip full of artistic insights but I was bored almost the entire time.

unfortunately had to dnf. i just couldn't get into it. i will try to read it again in the future. i would like to thank the publisher for sending me an arc. i'm rating this 3 stars, but please know that i don't think it is bad, it's just because i couldn't get into this.

House Mates by Emma Copley Eisenberg 4.25/5 ✨

This was an interesting take of a story told by an outside (yet slightly connected) character! I found myself really identifying with certain lines (see next slide) in a way that made me stop and immediately read out-loud to my partner. I found the relationship between Beanie and her mentor to be written really well. I felt like I could see the dissonance she was experiencing when reading about her experiences and what others experienced.

I loved that this was set in the state of Pennsylvania because there were places that I’ve been to having lived and worked in Central PA (also can’t forget the line about Penn State that made me actually laugh out loud!)
Overall I enjoyed this, and I think the things that made it less than 5 stars for me are just me being picky!

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy!