"The Housemates" is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned. Emma Copley Eisenberg has crafted a compelling portrait of contemporary life, exploring themes of love, friendship, and identity with depth and nuance. For readers seeking a nuanced exploration of human connection, "The Housemates" is sure to satisfy.
While "The Housemates" is undeniably a compelling read, it is not without its flaws. At times, the pacing feels uneven, with certain plotlines receiving more attention than others. Additionally, some readers may find the ending somewhat abrupt, leaving certain threads unresolved.

This a well written novel, but it's not very memorable. I'm definitely in the minority here because a lot of other reviewers adore this book. I like that this book is sapphic and a little quirky. I think my main problem however is the character development. I just didn't feel like the characters had enough growth. Also, sometimes I was a little bored by the storyline. It's sweet and interesting but lacked conviction. This is a quiet and lovely novel, but I needed more plot and a more cohesive ending.

This was interesting? On one hand, I was very engaged and interested while reading this, but on the other hand, I felt a weird sense of distance/disconnectedness from the story, which is usually negative and associated with boredom, but in this case wasn't? I enjoyed the characters and thought they felt very real, but it also felt like they weren't fully fleshed out? The fact that the book is narrated through the perspective of a ??stalker artist lady?? (but also not in a creepy way??) was interesting and I won't pretend I'm smart enough to understand that choice, but it was cool.

Basically, I'm not fully sure how I feel about this book, but it definitely made me think and also was an enjoyable story! Read if you enjoy queer coming-of-age road trip vibes, being confronted with the world and change and the scary political situations of the times, an absence of quotation marks, and just enough pretentiousness to be interesting but not obnoxious.

The writing in this book has altered my brain chemistry. I have no idea how this book is doing it, but it is speaking to pieces of me I usually forget are there. There is something so human about the way this is written. Something so lived in and comfortable while at the same time confronting, forcing thought and reflection.

The call backs are really well done. The characters are real in a way that is almost too close. Like we’re viewing them through large format photography and seeing more about the situation than they saw in the moment. And maybe we weren’t meant to be this close, but somehow we’re in the backseat while Bernie and Leah roam rural Pennsylvania.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hogarth/Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Housemates is the story of two roommates, Bernie and Leah, as they travel from Philadelphia to Lewisburg, PA. The trip benefits both Bernie and Leah, as Bernie has been left as the sole proprietor of her former mentor’s estate, and Leah hopes that the trip will give her inspiration for a new piece that she’s writing for her job at a local newspaper. While this is the synopsis, I wouldn’t say that this book is exactly like this. It’s hard to encapsulate what happens in Housemates because I haven’t really read anything like this before. The narration style of this novel is what sets it apart from other books on the market today, and I can’t think of another way that this story can be told without this executive narration choice by Eisenberg. While this novel does not use quotation marks, which seems to be a marker in identifying emerging millennial fiction, I think that it does not hinder the story. If anything, I think that this helps present a detached narrative, allowing Eisenberg’s narration and the dialogue between the characters blend seamlessly into the plot.
Being a native of Southeast PA, and now going to college in Central PA, I really enjoyed reading this book for its depictions of Philly and the small towns that make up rural PA. It’s clearly evident that Eisenberg loves both Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania in her writing, which is what interested me in the book before reading and kept me hooked while I was reading. I also enjoyed the characters in this novel, though I don’t know if I would actually be friends with them in real life, or even if I would like them in real life. I can vividly see these characters as real people, which is both good (because Eisenberg’s writing brought them to life) and bad (because they are deeply, deeply insufferable people). I keep coming back to the narration of this book, which is a bit confusing to get into when you start the book—I won’t lie—but really does help to tell the story. This fly-on-the-wall, or “slid right through a crack,” perspective is what aids it, as its people living their normal lives, being observed by other people. As a perpetual people watcher, I can recognize this trait in the narrator.
Though I keep talking about how interesting the narrator is, I don’t really understand the importance of her telling Leah and Bernie’s story. That subplot wasn’t really well developed and seemed rushed at the end. Little interjections throughout the story piqued my interest, but I didn’t like how this plot point went nowhere in the story. It seems like Eisenberg could have taken more of a fly-on-the-wall approach to the book with herself as the narrator, but making the executive decision for the narrator to be a real person—incredibly distant and not related to Leah or Bernie at all—wouldn’t be the decision that I personally would make. As much as I liked this book, I felt that it was a little bit too on the nose about being woke and politically correct—though that’s really just a personal choice. I love that it covered these topics organically, but it felt incredibly redundant and almost entirely too excessive at times. Another small bone to pick, I just didn’t like how it was sent during 2018-2023 (presumably), but that the narrator refused to name social media apps.
But, really, other than these small issues with the story, I had a great time reading Housemates. I’m definitely interested in reading more of what Eisenberg publishes in the future, and I’m definitely going to look into the biographies of Berenice Abbott and Elizabeth McCausland now!

Rounding up to 5 stars because I ultimately fell completely in love with both of the main characters, and their relationship, not even knowing that it was a reference to an actual artistic duo that operated in an entirely different era. Emma Copley Eisenberg is a totally rare type of talent. This is one of the best new releases I can remember reading.

Two housemates go on a road trip to re-ignite their passion for art!

The story is heartwarming, and many will come to love Leah and Bernie. My rating mostly reflects my dislike for its writing style. The choice to lead the narrative through a third party narrator made the plot hard to follow. I also dislike the lack of quotation marks around dialogue. If it wasn’t for the writing style, I would have enjoyed my reading experience more. I hope this book finds its right audience.

If you enjoy books written in unique narrative styles, and want a heartwarming tale about love, friendship, and art, this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for this ARC.

This book was so lovely. I felt like I was there with Leah and Bernie, and I think I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. It made me think about the meaning of love and art and community and balance and so much more.

This book felt so comforting to read, like a warm gay hug. The characters felt so complete and real, like queer and trans people that I’ve met in real life, and the lack of quotes with the dialogue worked very well actually; I never got confused about when someone was speaking. This was such a creative book, and unlike anything I’ve read before with its narrator being an older queer woman basically stalking (?) the two main characters, Bernie and Leah. I was unsure how the narrator pulled this off and knew so much about their journey, other than the few times she admitted that she lost track of them, but it was still interesting narratively. Sometimes I would forget about this other main character until she came in with an “I” statement and threw me off, since she’s kind of always hovering in the background in a way that she’s not always visible and apparent to the reader, much like her hidden presence in relation to Bernie and Leah. The generational differences in the queerness between the narrator, Bernie, and Leah was also commented upon by the narrator at times, mostly with envy at how their queer relationship was easier in many ways, not quite as taboo as it was for the narrator and her partner. Even though the story of the narrator and her “housemate,” or partner, was only revealed to the reader in brief snippets, these still felt so raw, heartbreaking, and essential to the story. It was so satisfying how everything connected and fell into place every time the narrator would make direct contact with Bernie and Leah.
The narrator’s perspective on Leah and Bernie’s relationship and dynamics with a whole life of queer experience behind her helped break up the story with some analysis of characters’ thoughts and actions from an impartial, or at least outsider POV, which I don’t often see in novels. I don’t know much about photography, but the descriptions of it in the book were very cool and kept my interest, so I’m sure they’re even cooler to someone who knows about photography. I also liked that there was lots of dialogue talking about more socially unrespectable behaviors, like nose and skin picking, but in a way that wasn’t shameful, just honest. There were also some nasty thought processes and descriptions, but I liked and appreciated those too. The conversations around class were especially poignant in comparing Bernie’s lack of money and two jobs to Leah and her friend group, who all came from wealthy backgrounds and could pursue higher education, startups, passion projects, etc., and it was interesting how the narrator pointed out how money and fame played into Bernie and Leah’s relationship, especially when Bernie started to have money of her own and didn’t depend upon Leah as much financially. Overall, this felt like a nuanced look into the lives of a messy group of queer and trans 20-somethings figuring out what they want from their relationships. I understand why people have been loving this book so much, and I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. This is the type of book that I need to sit with before starting a new one since it was full of so much goodness that I want to sort through.

I loved Housemates! It gets what it means to be a young person in this moment—it gets it exactly right, without making it feel bleak or eye-roll-y. The framing device worked wonderfully for me. Without it I think it would have been a fairly basic road trip story, but with the older narrator it becomes this poetic ode to love and art. I wish there was more about the narrator in the description!
The way this book describes bodies is also pretty singular. Extremely candid and specific, yet non-judgemental. I’ll be interested to see what reviewers make of that aspect.
Anyway this feels like it will be an It Girl book. Everyone should be talking about it.

4 stars

There's nothing like a creeper figure disguised as a mentor to haunt one's life even from the great beyond, and this book is a great reminder of how the ghosts of our past can control our futures and how - ultimately - we can take back that control, especially with a good friend along for the ride.

Bernie and Leah become housemates in a scenario that folks who dwell in certain regions will find hilarious and relatable, and they both come with their own baggage. Readers get insight into a former professor of Bernie's, and none of it is good (IMO!). Though any reasonable bystander wants Bernie to pry that little mollusk off, that won't be possible until the completion of a borderline epic modern quest. Leah, a fellow artist, accompanies Bernie on this journey, and what ensues is a revelatory, identity-based boon of self-discovery that really speaks to this moment.

Some of Bernie's thoughts and experiences are particularly heartbreaking to read, but they also reveal an intensely believable coming of age narrative that one hopes will end in a little more kindness to the subject at hand.

Readers who enjoy watching characters search for themselves and for meaning in these strange times will enjoy this effort from Eisenberg, who is now absolutely on my radar.

I could not put this down!! The story and shift between narrators felt very immersive and raw, and I loved the queer + fat representation this book provides. I really enjoyed reading the adventures of Bernie and Leah, and all their flaws and relatability. Emma Copley Eisenberg has truly written a remarkable novel! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Rounded up from 2.5 stars.

Housemates follows Leah and Bernie as they embark on a three week long road trip. Oddly, the story is told from the point of view of a third party semi omniscient narrator in a way that just did not work for me. The writing was hard for me to get through for such a short book and it felt like there was a wall between the reader and the characters in this story. I do think that there is audience that will love this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Housemates comes out May 28th, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a perfect book. Being a fat queer woman from Philly, this book changed me and my view of myself. The shifting of point of view and narrator was exquisite. The story unfolded at a perfect pace that kept me satisfied and also needing more. I read it all in one sitting.

I was not a fan of this writing style. It felt very technical and I couldn’t connect with anyone because there just seemed to be such little emotion. Prose does not fully develop characters/relationships and I feel like this could have benefited from more dialogue. This is another book that is definitely going to find its audience (and has already seemed to from other reviews) but it’s execution was just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

This book was entertaining and engaging. I wish we had more time with the older woman. I also had no idea it was loosely based off a real person until after reading the acknowledgements. Overall I enjoyed it but I don't feel the description is accurate to the book. I also love books that take place in communal housing and the unique interactions that come along with that.

I really love this beautiful book, I read it in just over 24 hours. The prose is lovely, well-crafted and smart, and the plot feels fresh and unique. The story feels written with love and care, even when the characters are annoying or unlikeable, and there´s a great generosity of spirit on these pages. This book is one I can imagine recommending to readers who want contemporary malaise with characters who actually do something--these housemates take risks, make choices, blow up their lives and face the consequences. Too, they´re young--students, baristas, organizers. I really appreciate how much of a role setting played in this story, and the ways the characters interpreted their own presence and belonging, what lengths they´d go to in order to build a community, a home. The sex writing is also great. This is a great fit for people who (like me) love books like SIRENS & MUSES and even the OG queer roadtrip novel, THE PRICE OF SALT, but it´s a journey (ahem) all its own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! This book was well-written and I could appreciate some of the stylistic choices the author made, however, it wasn’t for me. If you’re part of the art community or are very interested in photography, this book may be for you, but for me personally, it was a little long-winded and fell a little flat. While this book wasn't for me, I could see how others would love it.

Reading Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg was a real treat. I loved Leah and Bernie's road trip, with its joy and humanity, along with their using art to document life in rural Pennsylvania. The focus on large format photography was an interesting and engaging aspect of the story. The housemates capture a certain time and culture of queer people in the U.S. in the recent past. The narrator didn't work for me but didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book. Housemates will linger with me for a long time.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I was super interested in this ARC from the get-go because of the cover art and synopsis.

One of the main things I noticed was that the quotation marks are MIA. I mean, stylistically, I can kind of see the vision but as a reader, it was frustrating.

There was also just a lot of information and/or thoughts that spanned across several pages and I found myself having to reread or skim over some of the more trivial details.