The Perfect Roommate by Minka Kent is a full length , stand alone, romance novel.
All what Meadow Rain needed was a cheep room for rent. She´s quiet and seems a bit weird for a 22 year old. Her new roommate Lauren is a mystery. What Meadow doesn´t know is that she´s been set up . What seems to be a common college romance turns into something else entirely. The book is full of twists and turns - I never saw them coming.
I liked the characters and the book was entertaining. I read The Perfect Roommate in one sitting and give 4,5 stars.

3.5/5

This was so very short and fun!

When you need a new roommate, but things get weird...

This was quite an unsettling and twisty thriller, but it the ending was a bit predictable. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, once you've read enough of a genre, it is just inevitable that you can start being able to predict a story every now and then. And there are only so many endings one particular kind of story can have. (I more so try to judge a book on whether or not I had a good time reading it, even if it was predictable.)

This book was so quick to read and it felt easy to read too. I really enjoy that, when I can just zoom through a book without feeling it. This was just such an easy read, so I definitely want to check out other books by this author.

I could also totally see this as a movie!

The characters were strange and off-putting, adding the the general unease of reading a thriller like this, it almost made you suspicious of everyone (even if you didn't need to be). I guess the moral of this story is that jealousy can make people do crazy things!

If you're looking for a quick, easy and fun little thriller, here you go!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I LOVED THIS PHENOMENAL, TWISTY AND GRIPPING BOOK. I raced through it, it consumed me in all its pages. A shocking conclusion which left me gobsmacked! It was brilliant HOOKS YOU FROM THE START. LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT!

Meadow is a struggling college student who has nearly completed her studies but is in a bind. Her part-time cleaning job doesn't pay very well, she has no support from her family, her car is on its last legs, and now she's been evicted. She needs to find a new, affordable place to live quickly or face living in her car. She's thrilled to see a room for rent on a college message board. When she turns up at the house, she's immediately offered the room by the cheery, obviously wealthy Lauren. Lauren says her family owns the house, but they've cut her allowance in half due to her failing a class. She needs a roommate to make up the difference. Meadow gratefully moves in. A shy introvert, she intends to stay in her room and keep quiet during the last few months of school, but Lauren is having none of it. She gives Meadow a "glam up" makeover, followed by giving her most of her "old" clothes. She also insists that Meadow follow along when she and her best friend Tessa go out clubbing. Meadow is slowly drawn into a glamourous, popular lifestyle, and she's loving her newfound friends and confidence. Lauren has a seemingly controlling and jealous boyfriend named Thayer. Meadow begins to suspect that Lauren isn't being faithful to him, so she drops some hints to get him worked up. One of Meadow's housecleaning clients is a writer named Elisabeth. Elisabeth is the pregnant wife of one of Meadow's English professors. Elisabeth seems isolated and lonely, and Meadow feels protective of her. That's why she isn't pleased at all when she begins to suspect the professor and Lauren might have more than a student/teacher relationship.

Meadow is a bit of a puzzle. On the one hand, she proclaims to hate liars and value loyalty, but then she's scheming behind everyone's back to put things right (as she sees it). She steals, spreads false rumors, snoops through Lauren's belongings, etc. She also frequently acts without thinking, putting herself into a dangerous situation. I enjoyed the story and trying to work out why everyone was so invested in helping the poor waif that seemed to have little going for her. The conclusion was a bit drawn out but made sense in the end.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

The Perfect Roommate is another hit for the talented author Minka Kent. In this novel the emotionally abused young woman who is our protagonist Meadow meets Lauren, who becomes Meadow's roommate and introduces Meadow to a whirlwind of "good as new" expensive clothes, a new stylish haircut (with highlights), manicures, and expensive makeup. Beyond these superficial trappings, Lauren also becomes something Meadow inherently craves, an ideal new friend who guides her into the college social scene and expands Meadow's world as she and Lauren become best buddies.

Eventually, as a professor Meadow knows personally (if somewhat peripherally) as she works for and has befriended the man's wife) is murdered, Meadow almost accidentally begins to unravel the mystery of his death. As Meadow gets too close to the truth of what happened to her hunky teacher her world spins out of her control and numerous incidents of betrayal are exposed.. Like Icarus flying too close to the sun, Meadow falls from her newly acquired social and popularity perch, and mayhem ensues.

A 4 star read for me, my only criticism of this enjoyable and awesome story is that I wish that the crime would have occured earlier in the story rather than in the last part of the book, and having at least one wholly likeable character in this novel which would have allowed the reader to more closely relate to the story.

Meadow may have become this relatable character but she was just so damaged by a childhood where love and acceptance were not a part of her world.

If I am looking for an engaging thriller, I know I can’t go wrong with Minka Kent. Her latest, The Perfect Roommate was awesome!

I really enjoyed this book, Minka Kelly has a way with keeping you intrigued! Gripping and a quick entertaining read to get me through night shift!

I read The Perfect Roommate in one sitting. I was completely hooked from the first page. It’s a fast-paced, twisty thriller that keeps you guessing the whole way through. The writing builds this slow, creeping tension that makes it impossible to put away. The main character also felt really relatable in a way that made the story hit even harder.

If you like psychological suspense with a strong atmosphere and characters you’re never quite sure about, this one’s definitely worth a read.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter—twisty, fast, and just the right amount of creepy. If you love thrillers with secrets, lies, and messy friendships, this one’s a wild ride. Definitely a binge-worthy read.

This was a quick, twisty read that kept me turning the pages. The dynamic between Meadow and Lauren was eerie and addictive—watching their friendship unravel was like watching a slow-burn train wreck in the best way. While I loved the psychological suspense and the creepy undertones, I wish the ending had packed a bit more punch. Still, if you enjoy fast-paced thrillers with unreliable characters and secrets that spiral, this one is worth picking up.

I absolutely devoured this. It’s a really fun read which maintains a strong pace throughout. The author has created a main character who is not altogether likeable or trustworthy and that makes for a slightly unsettling reading experience. There are plenty of red herrings and confusion before a very satisfying conclusion, too.

This was one of those books that grabbed me and held on until I finished. I seriously couldn’t put it down.

Meadow is a relatable character to anyone with anxiety and the desire to just feel normal and fit in. The author does a great job with characterization in this story.

There were a few nice twists that are expected with any thrillers. Nothing too crazy or unbelievable and the ending wraps up the story without any loose ends.

I highly recommend this author.

I truly couldn’t put this book down! It was an engrossing and quick read. It felt pretty predictable but that can happen with a lot of thrillers. There were plenty of twists and moments that kept you interested. It was a good plot and the characters were well executed. I really enjoyed how nicely the book was tied up. There were no loose strings.

Thank you NetGalley for this book!