my rating of this book does not mean i didn't enjoy the reading experience.

it was a quick read, i read it in nearly one sitting (the writing style SUCKS but readability wise, it deserves the Pulitzer). i enjoyed the characters (for the most part) and the father-daughter relationship in the second half of this book really touched me. i'm also a big friends-to-lovers, second chance romance fan so this was definitely made for me.

my problem regarding this book lies with how stupid these characters were at times, how immature they could sometimes be, and how fucking awful Justin was to the supposed "love of his life". like, you cannot convince me you love this woman when you are constantly demeaning her and you turn her into an insecure mess.

the plot twist thrown in at 40% of the way through also was so out of left field and just unnecessary. truly would've rather this been a book about cheating. but it did give us some nice moments so i can't hate it entirely.

overall, this was an okay read. nothing to write home about. probably will read more from Penelope Ward going forward.

Roomhate or My Summer with the Incel

This was basically the story of a man who hated the girl he loved when he was a child because they never hooked up. I waited a few weeks between reading it and writing this review and I have already forgotten the reason that the main characters stopped talking to each other. As soon as they see each other again, at the summer home they have both inherited, he is aggressively terrible and toxic. It also included one of my least favorite tropes, which was nowhere in the description. Perhaps it’s listed as a content warning?

Despite all of the cringe I will say that this was compulsively readable, in so much as I did finish it. If you genuinely like enemies-to-lovers this might work for you, but you have to really like hateful angry men???

I have never read anything by this author, but I will be looking out for other books they write in the future. I really enjoyed the story as well as the pacing of the story.

This was enjoyable. The second half wasn't as enjoyable as the first half, but I really enjoyed the chemistry between the housemates, girlfriend included!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Roomhate by Penelope Ward!

When Love Moves In!!!!

Penelope Ward’s RoomHate is a steamy, emotional, and heartwarming romance that explores the fine line between love and hate. The book follows Amelia and Justin, childhood best friends who were once inseparable—until a falling out led them down different paths. When Amelia unexpectedly inherits a summer house, she learns she must share it with Justin, who now harbors years of resentment.

Justin’s hostility is evident from the start, and things get even more complicated when he arrives with his stunning girlfriend in tow. The tension between them is palpable, but as the summer progresses, old wounds begin to heal, and deep feelings resurface. However, navigating their past hurt, present emotions, and an uncertain future proves to be a challenge neither of them expected.

This book masterfully weaves in angst, humor, and intense chemistry, making RoomHate a compelling page-turner. The slow-burn romance, combined with heartfelt moments and unexpected twists, kept me hooked until the very end. Fans of second-chance love stories and enemies-to-lovers tropes will find this novel a satisfying and emotional read.

Well done!!! 5 Stars!!!!

This was a re-read for me but I remebered how much I loved this book. The forced proximity and enemies to lovers are so *chefs kiss*. Justin is the perfect broody book boyfriend. I just wanted to give that man a hug half the time.

I couldn’t put Roomhate down! Justin & Amelia were childhood best friends but had a massive falling out. Nearly a decade on Amelia’s grandmother passed away and leaves her beach house to both Justin and Amelia. Readers will love this if they enjoy forced proximity and also friends to lovers enemy to lovers. There is a few spicy scenes which were 🔥.

I was really hoping to love this one based on the premise but it was another great concept, not so great execution. The writing sort of fell flat for me and I struggled to finish. I liked the spice but didn't like the two main characters at all.

I had high hopes for this one based on the blurb, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to expectations. The beginning was strong, especially with the childhood backstory that helped explain their friendship. But as the story went on, I started losing interest. The biggest issue was the long wait for Justin and Amelia to finally get together—it dragged on too much. Overall, the book felt a bit aimless and just... alright. It didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Nostalgia is a powerful drug. I read this years ago and I was excited to reread but truly the MMC is awful at times. Not even alphahole awful just straight up mean. The FMC is a pretty normal girl and doesn't assume every man around her only speaks to her because they are interested and attracted to her but the MMC tells her that she's stupid for not realizing that.

I didn't mind the angst I just felt like it could've been written in a way smoother way. Even the subtropes and subplots from a distance I can totally be on board with, for example that he never wants to have kids but falls for her unexpected baby (not his biologically) and changes his mind through that real life experience. But it unfolds pretty clunkily. Also, the reason they didn't talk for 10 years was no reason to be so mean in current time, it was like no maturity gained in those intervening years.

Thank you to Bloom for the eARC. I was initially super excited to see this get an update but unfortunately I think the content is better suited for the 2010s.

This is a best friends to enemies to friends to lovers romance. So much regret and angst at the beginning as Justin and Amelia take over the house her grandma left for both of them. With flashbacks to their childhood that tell the story of where things went wrong, the story is so emotional. I love how Justin sings his feelings, especially when he doesn't know she's in the audience. And the almost instant connection between him and baby Bea <swoon>. It took them forever but they finally got their HEA.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Spicy, male female, 1st person single point of view (female main character with 1 epilogue and 2 alternate scenes from the male main character's pov), contemporary romance. So much angst yet still funny and sweet. I really enjoyed this author's writing style, and this was a perfect length read.

I really wanted to like Roomhate but it's hard when you dislike both main characters. The concept of 2 former best friends inheriting a summer house sounded perfect to me. That said, I did finish the book, it just wasn't my favorite but it was spicy so that is a plus in its favor.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC.

He's hard to crack...

Justin is a tough nut to crack. He and Amelia were friends. She broke his heart, now they are enemies and roommates ten years later when her nana leaves her house to the both of them. But Justin is not single. Justin was not likable. At all. They eventually reach a truce stage and then go their separate ways again and then reconnect almost a year later. Interesting pacing and the relationships are messy.

Amelia and Justin met as kids, they clicked right away and became best friends. They both had hard home lives and took solace in their friendship. They lived on either side of Amelia's Nana's house and her Nana was the one to take care of them. They had a falling out and haven't seen or spoken to each other in a decade. So when Nana dies and leaves the house to both Justin and Amelia, they need to put aside their difference and get along because they are stuck being roommates for the summer.

I wanted to love this one, or even like it but this was not the book for me. It has nothing to do with the skill of the author. This book had the perfect set up for me, childhood best friend's reconnecting with so much tension between them, but there was a trope in this one that was a huge part of a plot that is very rarely a hit for me. If i had known going in I would have skipped it, as it was set up to be a fail for me no matter what.

This was a childhood best friends to slow burn, forced proximity, single mom x musician romance that I absolutely became OBSESSED with. It was good on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Meghan Quinn or Melanie Harlow. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book was fun for those who enjoy a really grumpy mmc and enemies to lovers with some tension. I’m finding these things aren’t really my jam personally but I don’t fault the book for that. It was ok.

This was my first ready by Penelope Ward. Perfect for second chance romances with lots of angst! A little enemies to lovers and had lots of emotions with the added spice.

With Roomhate by Penelope Ward, you get friends to lovers, enemies to lovers and forced priximity tropes. A cute and easy read. I got the ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books | Bloom Books via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine