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The Shameless Series #1
The Roommate
House Rules:
Do your own dishes.
Knock before entering the bathroom.
Never look up your roommate online.
The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She’s the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara’s childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too much to resist. Unfortunately, it’s also too good to be true.
After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger. Josh might be a bit too perceptive—not to mention handsome—for comfort, but there’s a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn’t looked him up on the Internet...
Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton’s most scandalous story yet. His professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they’re lucky, they’ll help everyone else get lucky too.
Do your own dishes.
Knock before entering the bathroom.
Never look up your roommate online.
The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She’s the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara’s childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too much to resist. Unfortunately, it’s also too good to be true.
After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger. Josh might be a bit too perceptive—not to mention handsome—for comfort, but there’s a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn’t looked him up on the Internet...
Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton’s most scandalous story yet. His professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they’re lucky, they’ll help everyone else get lucky too.
325 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2020
About the author
Rosie Danan
5 books3,033 followersRosie Danan is the award-winning, bestselling author of The Roommate, The Intimacy Experiment, and the upcoming Do Your Worst. Her work has been optioned for film as well as translated into 9 different languages and counting. The New York Times describes her writing as "warmly funny and gorgeously sexy."
When not working on her next book, Rosie enjoys jogging slowly to fast music, petting other people’s dogs, and competing against herself in rounds of Chopped using the miscellaneous ingredients occupying her fridge.
To receive first look updates on Rosie's books as well as bimonthly musings on savoring the good stuff, looking respectfully 👀, and building a creative practice that embraces unapologetic striving, subscribe to her newsletter: https://rosiedanan.substack.com
When not working on her next book, Rosie enjoys jogging slowly to fast music, petting other people’s dogs, and competing against herself in rounds of Chopped using the miscellaneous ingredients occupying her fridge.
To receive first look updates on Rosie's books as well as bimonthly musings on savoring the good stuff, looking respectfully 👀, and building a creative practice that embraces unapologetic striving, subscribe to her newsletter: https://rosiedanan.substack.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 14,310 reviews
March 7, 2023
Hello [one star rating] my old friend...I've come to [rant about you] again...
Also, hello soulless beings who are most likely to read my reviews when they are filled with hate and vitriol. How are you? It's been a while, since this year I've been trying weird things like "reading books I think I'll actually like" and "not being motivated by cruelty" and dumb cheesy stuff like that.
We're all back where we belong.
My reading this was a mistake.
I am forever trying to find more comfort books (as I am a person who needs a vast amount of comforting), but I am cursed to be the most particular in the genres that hold the most fluff and love and pure happiness (romance and contemporary).
Literary fiction that tears my soul apart? Fantasy that makes me low-level anxious for 500 pages at a time? Nonfiction that threatens to put me into an eternal sleep? All of these genres are more likely to get stamped with that Recommend shelf than books that are supposed to spark joy.
(Because I'm a largely joyless creature.)
I found this book to be very insta-love-y, which is the opposite of what I want in a romance novel, and also very smutty and sex-driven, which is...also somehow the opposite of what I want. Even though I already mentioned something as the opposite. I like romances where sex is PART of why the people are in love, not the REASON. I'm reading a book, not watching porn.
Which brings us to...the "plot" of this book. Our male lead is a porn star, and our female lead is a trust fund baby who decides to spend her ca$h on a porn-for-women startup that teaches you how to have good sex.
Ignoring the fact(s) that a) our main character is truly thinking with her downstairs brain, and b) the overhead funding of on-staff porn stars, video editors, makeup artists, writers, and so on does not make sense considering cost per subscription and number of reasonable subscribers, this book was annoying to me for reasons of Gender Roles.
Not every woman blushes at the mere mention of sex and hesitates to show her ankles for fear of knocking a man clean over. Some women - gasp - watch regular, good ol-fashioned porn. It's kind of insulting to me that the female equivalent of porn in this book is Learn Your Body. Infantilizing, to me.
I also have realized that while I love me some secret pining, being inside the head of a man who instantly falls in love with a woman and constantly talks about her brain and body and boobs is not fun for me. Or believable. I would like my male characters to have more than one personality trait, if possible, especially if that trait is Hung Up On Female Character.
Anyway. This is probably not a bad book to most people. It just couldn't have been less appealing to me.
Bottom line: Love to go looking for comfort and find only suffering!!!
---------------
pre-review
uh, this was...not for me.
review to come / 1 star
---------------
currently reading updates
trying to read a comfort book is such a blast for me because there's always an 87.9% chance i won't like it
Also, hello soulless beings who are most likely to read my reviews when they are filled with hate and vitriol. How are you? It's been a while, since this year I've been trying weird things like "reading books I think I'll actually like" and "not being motivated by cruelty" and dumb cheesy stuff like that.
We're all back where we belong.
My reading this was a mistake.
I am forever trying to find more comfort books (as I am a person who needs a vast amount of comforting), but I am cursed to be the most particular in the genres that hold the most fluff and love and pure happiness (romance and contemporary).
Literary fiction that tears my soul apart? Fantasy that makes me low-level anxious for 500 pages at a time? Nonfiction that threatens to put me into an eternal sleep? All of these genres are more likely to get stamped with that Recommend shelf than books that are supposed to spark joy.
(Because I'm a largely joyless creature.)
I found this book to be very insta-love-y, which is the opposite of what I want in a romance novel, and also very smutty and sex-driven, which is...also somehow the opposite of what I want. Even though I already mentioned something as the opposite. I like romances where sex is PART of why the people are in love, not the REASON. I'm reading a book, not watching porn.
Which brings us to...the "plot" of this book. Our male lead is a porn star, and our female lead is a trust fund baby who decides to spend her ca$h on a porn-for-women startup that teaches you how to have good sex.
Ignoring the fact(s) that a) our main character is truly thinking with her downstairs brain, and b) the overhead funding of on-staff porn stars, video editors, makeup artists, writers, and so on does not make sense considering cost per subscription and number of reasonable subscribers, this book was annoying to me for reasons of Gender Roles.
Not every woman blushes at the mere mention of sex and hesitates to show her ankles for fear of knocking a man clean over. Some women - gasp - watch regular, good ol-fashioned porn. It's kind of insulting to me that the female equivalent of porn in this book is Learn Your Body. Infantilizing, to me.
I also have realized that while I love me some secret pining, being inside the head of a man who instantly falls in love with a woman and constantly talks about her brain and body and boobs is not fun for me. Or believable. I would like my male characters to have more than one personality trait, if possible, especially if that trait is Hung Up On Female Character.
Anyway. This is probably not a bad book to most people. It just couldn't have been less appealing to me.
Bottom line: Love to go looking for comfort and find only suffering!!!
---------------
pre-review
uh, this was...not for me.
review to come / 1 star
---------------
currently reading updates
trying to read a comfort book is such a blast for me because there's always an 87.9% chance i won't like it
June 28, 2021
“...and they were roommates!
oh my god, they were roommates…”
i don’t want to say i went into this book with low expectations, but i will tell you that on my long list of possible romances to try it was...nowhere near the top. general fate and library availability were the primary forces working behind my choice to pick up The Roommate after a slew of literary disappointment. so, you can imagine my surprise and excitement when i tell you it did a LOT for me.
firstly, let’s just get this out of the way, this book was HOT. i would still consider myself very much a romance noob, and don’t see that self-proclaimed status changing anytime soon. but, if there is one subcategory i know well, it’s the cutesy rom-com that walks the line between general fiction and straight smut. The Roommate is deceptive, promoting itself with a cover/synopsis that *screams* more bants than bangs. however, rosie danan REALLY understood the assignment, and delivered sex scenes that were downright indecent (compared to a lot of other mainstream titles) with plenty of that good good soft shit in between. i will spare you the details because this is a family-friendly goodreads account (??) but there was a lot of lust happening between josh and clara from the start, and things escalated QUICKLY. if i had even a single pearl in my possession, i would have been clutching the fuck out of it for the majority of this book.
you know what else is hot?? sex positivity! the story is teeming with open communication about sexuality, sex work, and sex education. tons of valuable insight is provided into the world of porn, both in actively working against the stereotypes/demonization that society continues to perpetuate surrounding the subject and by including criticism of the qualities harbored within the greater industry that negatively affect performers.
the main thing that i think could have improved The Roommate is greater attention being paid to developing both josh and clara individually. together, they felt real. believable insecurities, plenty of attraction, and a good buildup of heat. alone, that realism dissipated fast. ultimately, we don’t know that much about their lives before page one, and what we do know is mostly glossed over and/or shoved into the last 20% of the plot (ex. clara has a really tricky relationship with her family that is mentioned regularly in conversation, but we never actually get to see their dynamic in action). in addition, i wish the couple’s connection had extended further past the purely physical. am i just projecting my own desire for unattainable levels of emotional intimacy onto these two fictional characters? no comment. i just know that by adding some depth (like if josh had expressed his interest in licking clara from head to toe while also theoretically enjoying a passionate speech from her on the use of chiaroscuro in caravaggio’s paintings) (art history whores unite), i would have been SO much more invested in their happily ever after.
in conclusion, good stuff! would rec! ok bye!
oh my god, they were roommates…”
i don’t want to say i went into this book with low expectations, but i will tell you that on my long list of possible romances to try it was...nowhere near the top. general fate and library availability were the primary forces working behind my choice to pick up The Roommate after a slew of literary disappointment. so, you can imagine my surprise and excitement when i tell you it did a LOT for me.
firstly, let’s just get this out of the way, this book was HOT. i would still consider myself very much a romance noob, and don’t see that self-proclaimed status changing anytime soon. but, if there is one subcategory i know well, it’s the cutesy rom-com that walks the line between general fiction and straight smut. The Roommate is deceptive, promoting itself with a cover/synopsis that *screams* more bants than bangs. however, rosie danan REALLY understood the assignment, and delivered sex scenes that were downright indecent (compared to a lot of other mainstream titles) with plenty of that good good soft shit in between. i will spare you the details because this is a family-friendly goodreads account (??) but there was a lot of lust happening between josh and clara from the start, and things escalated QUICKLY. if i had even a single pearl in my possession, i would have been clutching the fuck out of it for the majority of this book.
you know what else is hot?? sex positivity! the story is teeming with open communication about sexuality, sex work, and sex education. tons of valuable insight is provided into the world of porn, both in actively working against the stereotypes/demonization that society continues to perpetuate surrounding the subject and by including criticism of the qualities harbored within the greater industry that negatively affect performers.
the main thing that i think could have improved The Roommate is greater attention being paid to developing both josh and clara individually. together, they felt real. believable insecurities, plenty of attraction, and a good buildup of heat. alone, that realism dissipated fast. ultimately, we don’t know that much about their lives before page one, and what we do know is mostly glossed over and/or shoved into the last 20% of the plot (ex. clara has a really tricky relationship with her family that is mentioned regularly in conversation, but we never actually get to see their dynamic in action). in addition, i wish the couple’s connection had extended further past the purely physical. am i just projecting my own desire for unattainable levels of emotional intimacy onto these two fictional characters? no comment. i just know that by adding some depth (like if josh had expressed his interest in licking clara from head to toe while also theoretically enjoying a passionate speech from her on the use of chiaroscuro in caravaggio’s paintings) (art history whores unite), i would have been SO much more invested in their happily ever after.
in conclusion, good stuff! would rec! ok bye!
October 5, 2022
This is not bad but I expected more! I wanted to read something funnier, sexier and more enjoyable!
I love any story-line about two strangers: having totally opposite character traits, sharing a same house, forced to spend more time together, slowly leaving their comfort zones and something dazzlingly hot, sexy starts to build around them: yes, my friends: an incredible, fiery, passionate chemistry.
As soon as I read this book’s blurb, I screamed: “Yes” till my vocal cords hurt! ( I even forgot I was at the grocery store line when I was grabbing my ipad and pushing the request button. Now my local Trader’s Joe employees are giving me strange looks and performing 600 feet social distancing as soon as they see me walking. ) And guess what: I didn’t even know about the hero’s occupation: Yes, he’s a celebrity in the entertainment industry: he’s a famous porn star. So I got more excited because I can hear the “party-fun- humorous romcom bells” in my ears.
But unfortunately the plot that I visualized: the lovely and also annoying characterization and frenemies theme kind of undeniably hot and sexy story already left the building and there were only:
1) Unlikable heroine: Actually she was not unlikable, she was just flat, boring and her character was undeveloped. She just reminded me of a spinster with a stick stuck to her ass. Her name is Clara but she reminded me of Miss Rottenmeier from Heidi, instead of gold-hearted Clara. I did everything empathize with her. But taking risks to leave her privileged life, her pretentious, snob family’s scandals, running after a man named Everett (no better name choice) she’s having a crush for nearly two decades without back up plan, proper job opportunity already made me lose my sympathy points for her from the beginning.
2) ATTRACTION AND CHEMISTRY ALSO LEFT THE BUILDING: Josh is charming pop star but he is also smart, sassy and he didn’t choose this profession for desperation or making ends meet. He truly believes free expression and he’s open about the sexuality. So he doesn’t do anything reluctantly or without consent which worked for me. But from the beginning I didn’t see any chemistry and slow burn romance alerts between characters. I still don’t have any idea why they attracted each other. The emotional building of the story was missing element of the story.
3) IT COULD BE MORE ENTERTAINING AND EMOTIONAL: I wish there were more sexy, sassy, entertaining banters and awkward situations with full of clichés that we get used to read or watch at the romcoms. But I haven’t found them either. I cannot believe that I’m saying it but I wish there would be more cliché, more sighing, heartfelt, romantic moments or humiliating situations the characters find themselves into.
Overall: Even though there are hot sex scenes, I didn’t find them convincing because I never believed that characters truly like each other and I didn’t believe in their attraction or chemistry. So this is unpopular review and I might have reserved my special place in the minority but I think I’m giving 2.5 stars and rounding them up to 3 ! I gave all the stars because I loved the hero and I also have to say: the cover of the book is so unique. I wish I could love the book as much as its cover but that’s not my cup of Chardonnay. I was expecting something more.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this ARC with me in exchange my honest review.
I love any story-line about two strangers: having totally opposite character traits, sharing a same house, forced to spend more time together, slowly leaving their comfort zones and something dazzlingly hot, sexy starts to build around them: yes, my friends: an incredible, fiery, passionate chemistry.
As soon as I read this book’s blurb, I screamed: “Yes” till my vocal cords hurt! ( I even forgot I was at the grocery store line when I was grabbing my ipad and pushing the request button. Now my local Trader’s Joe employees are giving me strange looks and performing 600 feet social distancing as soon as they see me walking. ) And guess what: I didn’t even know about the hero’s occupation: Yes, he’s a celebrity in the entertainment industry: he’s a famous porn star. So I got more excited because I can hear the “party-fun- humorous romcom bells” in my ears.
But unfortunately the plot that I visualized: the lovely and also annoying characterization and frenemies theme kind of undeniably hot and sexy story already left the building and there were only:
1) Unlikable heroine: Actually she was not unlikable, she was just flat, boring and her character was undeveloped. She just reminded me of a spinster with a stick stuck to her ass. Her name is Clara but she reminded me of Miss Rottenmeier from Heidi, instead of gold-hearted Clara. I did everything empathize with her. But taking risks to leave her privileged life, her pretentious, snob family’s scandals, running after a man named Everett (no better name choice) she’s having a crush for nearly two decades without back up plan, proper job opportunity already made me lose my sympathy points for her from the beginning.
2) ATTRACTION AND CHEMISTRY ALSO LEFT THE BUILDING: Josh is charming pop star but he is also smart, sassy and he didn’t choose this profession for desperation or making ends meet. He truly believes free expression and he’s open about the sexuality. So he doesn’t do anything reluctantly or without consent which worked for me. But from the beginning I didn’t see any chemistry and slow burn romance alerts between characters. I still don’t have any idea why they attracted each other. The emotional building of the story was missing element of the story.
3) IT COULD BE MORE ENTERTAINING AND EMOTIONAL: I wish there were more sexy, sassy, entertaining banters and awkward situations with full of clichés that we get used to read or watch at the romcoms. But I haven’t found them either. I cannot believe that I’m saying it but I wish there would be more cliché, more sighing, heartfelt, romantic moments or humiliating situations the characters find themselves into.
Overall: Even though there are hot sex scenes, I didn’t find them convincing because I never believed that characters truly like each other and I didn’t believe in their attraction or chemistry. So this is unpopular review and I might have reserved my special place in the minority but I think I’m giving 2.5 stars and rounding them up to 3 ! I gave all the stars because I loved the hero and I also have to say: the cover of the book is so unique. I wish I could love the book as much as its cover but that’s not my cup of Chardonnay. I was expecting something more.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this ARC with me in exchange my honest review.
January 24, 2023
I love the completely unique story that this book tells. Not only is Clara and Josh’s romance cute and super steamy, but this this book is INCREDIBLY sex positive. It does a great job of breaking down the stereotypes and demonization of sex workers while also highlighting some of the issues in the sex industry. Plus the book really highlights and encourages sex education and women not feeling shameful about their own pleasure. My only complaint is that I wish Clara and Josh’s characters and their romance were more developed and had more depth. 3.5 stars for the romance and that extra half star for working to brake down the stigma against sex workers!
September 27, 2020
4.5 stars
This book was so surprisingly good. I adore Josh and Clara together sooooo hard. And this is one of the steamiest romances I’ve read in a while because Josh is a porn star, and Clara ends up being roommates with him. And this has some of my favorite tropes like forced togetherness because of the whole roommate thing, and it felt pretty forbidden at times because of the whole ‘he’s a porn star’ thing. But I loved this book so much, these two characters had so much chemistry it was ridiculous and I was giddy the entire time I read this, their sparks were flying off the page. Their banter is some of the best I’ve read and they were just so damn cute together. And I love the discussion in this book about the porn industry and how we as a society view the people who create and participate in porn, it was all very interesting and it brought something new to a romance novel that I’ve never read about before.
But for real damn Josh and Clara are the new OTP I’ll be smiling for days thinking about these two. 💞
This book was so surprisingly good. I adore Josh and Clara together sooooo hard. And this is one of the steamiest romances I’ve read in a while because Josh is a porn star, and Clara ends up being roommates with him. And this has some of my favorite tropes like forced togetherness because of the whole roommate thing, and it felt pretty forbidden at times because of the whole ‘he’s a porn star’ thing. But I loved this book so much, these two characters had so much chemistry it was ridiculous and I was giddy the entire time I read this, their sparks were flying off the page. Their banter is some of the best I’ve read and they were just so damn cute together. And I love the discussion in this book about the porn industry and how we as a society view the people who create and participate in porn, it was all very interesting and it brought something new to a romance novel that I’ve never read about before.
But for real damn Josh and Clara are the new OTP I’ll be smiling for days thinking about these two. 💞
November 20, 2020
2.5 Stars.
I seem to be in the minority for this one, but boy did this book not work for me. First, I really couldn't connect with anything about this book. I listened to this on audio and was bored throughout the entire thing. I was never excited to pick the book back up and found myself listening to it more just so that I could finish and move on to something I cared about. The main problem? Clara. She was such a flat character and I did not care for her one bit. Her biggest "flaws" were that she was rich and had a big chest. Sorry, but I'm not impressed. She constantly talked about letting her parents down and how she was rich and would never be able to be with Josh, yet we literally never see her interact with her family. Sure she talks to her mom on the phone once or twice, but never do we see this tense relationship or understand her need to please her socialite parents. Also, CLARA HAS HER PHD and yet she moves across the country with no job to chase a boy she's crushed on FOR 14 YEARS!? Seriously!?!?!? And then she gets a job that has nothing to do with her degree. Why did you just waste all of those years AND MONEY to do nothing with those degrees? That made no sense to me and she only explained it by saying she had a degree rich people waste their money on. This annoyed me more than it should have, but come on.
As for the relationship between Josh and Clara, it felt very surface level and I didn't get at all why Josh liked Clara other than because of their physical connection. I didn't care about them and was annoyed with Clara's jump to conclusions at the end that causes conflict in their relationship. I just didn't buy into the romance and didn't really care for anything that happened in here. Sure Josh was cute and super sweet, but that didn't save this book for me.
I seem to be in the minority for this one, but boy did this book not work for me. First, I really couldn't connect with anything about this book. I listened to this on audio and was bored throughout the entire thing. I was never excited to pick the book back up and found myself listening to it more just so that I could finish and move on to something I cared about. The main problem? Clara. She was such a flat character and I did not care for her one bit. Her biggest "flaws" were that she was rich and had a big chest. Sorry, but I'm not impressed. She constantly talked about letting her parents down and how she was rich and would never be able to be with Josh, yet we literally never see her interact with her family. Sure she talks to her mom on the phone once or twice, but never do we see this tense relationship or understand her need to please her socialite parents. Also, CLARA HAS HER PHD and yet she moves across the country with no job to chase a boy she's crushed on FOR 14 YEARS!? Seriously!?!?!? And then she gets a job that has nothing to do with her degree. Why did you just waste all of those years AND MONEY to do nothing with those degrees? That made no sense to me and she only explained it by saying she had a degree rich people waste their money on. This annoyed me more than it should have, but come on.
As for the relationship between Josh and Clara, it felt very surface level and I didn't get at all why Josh liked Clara other than because of their physical connection. I didn't care about them and was annoyed with Clara's jump to conclusions at the end that causes conflict in their relationship. I just didn't buy into the romance and didn't really care for anything that happened in here. Sure Josh was cute and super sweet, but that didn't save this book for me.
April 29, 2022
not me finally reading this book.. who is she? she’s grown! I liked it a lot tho 🥹 it was so funny, and it felt fresh???? idk if that makes sense but it felt NEW, it didn’t seem like a book i’ve seen before. u know? I loved the sex positivity, and the whole idea of destroying the stigma from the inside.. ✨ genius ✨
I really loved the topics, the couple and the plot. Naomi was lowkey my fav tho 🤺
“I think he might be the best mistake I ever made.”
I really loved the topics, the couple and the plot. Naomi was lowkey my fav tho 🤺
“I think he might be the best mistake I ever made.”
June 15, 2020
Omg, y'all. This book has the premise of my dreams and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. It centers around the romance between an uptight, shy girl named Clara and her porn-star roommate Josh and if that interests you at all I DEFINITELY recommend checking this one out. It was sassy and sexy and just an all around good-time lol. However, with all that being said, I do think I may have gone into this one with my hopes just a liiiiiiiittle bit too high. I did still REALLY enjoy it and a 4 star rating is obviously nowhere near a bad rating, but based on the premise I went into this thinking it would be an insta-favorite and it just didn't quite reach that level. TL;DR: This wasn't a new favorite, but it was fun and fast and I recommend!
November 28, 2020
I really liked this book and it has my favorite set up, the roommate trope!! we follow our uptight, east coast socialite, clara, as she becomes unlikely roommates with josh, a laid back LA porn star with more charisma than clara knows what to do with. The opposites attract vibe of the story was really fun and I think the character's personalities complimented each other very well and the dialogue in this story was hilarious. This story also had so many heartwarming, cute moments of domesticity and I absolutely loved to see it. This was the forced proximity trope done right and this relationship was incredibly fun to read about.
The story also delves into discussions about sex positivity, sex education, and it simultaneously validates performers in the adult entertainment industry while also calling out the unsavory aspects of porn production that often leaves performers at risk mentally, emotionally, physically and/or financially. I really appreciated what the book had to say on these topics.
cons:
I really disliked some of the relationship conflict near the end because it happens so quickly (this is a genre wide critique) and while the issues that arose made perfect sense, I honestly could not buy the resolution of those issues, I think more time should have been spent unpacking that final disagreement instead of brushing it all aside with dramatic love declarations and rapidly wrapping things up. Either the book should have been longer to accommodate this narrative choice or the argument could have been avoided entirely because there was enough external conflict to carry the story without it.
Also I really think this book wildly missed the mark in terms of clara's storyline about her family’s expectations, their prominence in the community, and her worries about reputation and the "society pages" and whatever the hell else. It really did not make sense to me that so much of her inner conflict revolves around this and yet we never encounter her uptight family at all on page and we don't see her resolving her issues with them. It was a weird choice, or maybe I just don't care about rich girl problems idk. So the ending was not as satisfying to me as I hoped despite this book being really enjoyable prior to then so I'm feeling conflicted on how to rate my experience with the story.
These criticisms seem kind of harsh but i truly did love 88% of this book,the ending just really threw some things off for me a bit. I'm hoping to reread when it releases and maybe the ending will hit different then.
3.5 stars
i received an arc in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.
The story also delves into discussions about sex positivity, sex education, and it simultaneously validates performers in the adult entertainment industry while also calling out the unsavory aspects of porn production that often leaves performers at risk mentally, emotionally, physically and/or financially. I really appreciated what the book had to say on these topics.
cons:
I really disliked some of the relationship conflict near the end because it happens so quickly (this is a genre wide critique) and while the issues that arose made perfect sense, I honestly could not buy the resolution of those issues, I think more time should have been spent unpacking that final disagreement instead of brushing it all aside with dramatic love declarations and rapidly wrapping things up. Either the book should have been longer to accommodate this narrative choice or the argument could have been avoided entirely because there was enough external conflict to carry the story without it.
Also I really think this book wildly missed the mark in terms of clara's storyline about her family’s expectations, their prominence in the community, and her worries about reputation and the "society pages" and whatever the hell else. It really did not make sense to me that so much of her inner conflict revolves around this and yet we never encounter her uptight family at all on page and we don't see her resolving her issues with them. It was a weird choice, or maybe I just don't care about rich girl problems idk. So the ending was not as satisfying to me as I hoped despite this book being really enjoyable prior to then so I'm feeling conflicted on how to rate my experience with the story.
These criticisms seem kind of harsh but i truly did love 88% of this book,the ending just really threw some things off for me a bit. I'm hoping to reread when it releases and maybe the ending will hit different then.
3.5 stars
i received an arc in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.
October 18, 2020
This was HOOTTTT. And so much fun!! I pretty much was giggling through this entire read. Josh is an absolute sweetheart of a hero, if incredibly horny (I mean, he IS a porn star) and Clara is adorably awkward. I love the roommates trope but throw in the great sex/sex worker positivity and this made for a fantastic, entertaining read. I’m so impressed with this debut! If you love eager to please heroes who will do anything to give the heroine the best orgasms of her life, you have to read The Roommate. 4-4.5 stars.
****
I am SO excited about this one. They’re roommates and he’s a porn star!
****
I am SO excited about this one. They’re roommates and he’s a porn star!
Shelved as 'd-n-f'
November 5, 2020DNF
March 20, 2021
Caution: Rated R for adult content and 🔥🔥🔥
This is a quick read about roommates turned more. 😍 It’s definitely a steamy read, so if you’re a prude about sex scenes, you’ll wanna skip this one. I loved the chemistry between these two characters. ❤️ There were some laugh out loud moments too. 😂 Enjoyable read.
This is a quick read about roommates turned more. 😍 It’s definitely a steamy read, so if you’re a prude about sex scenes, you’ll wanna skip this one. I loved the chemistry between these two characters. ❤️ There were some laugh out loud moments too. 😂 Enjoyable read.
February 5, 2021
⚠️⚠️Excessive heat warning 🌡🌡 in effect for entire length of this book! ⚠️⚠️
Sometimes I pick up these rom-coms so innocently. Perhaps naïve assuming they will be a fun, sweet read with a dash of romance to make me go..."awww”.
And occasionally I come away with a hot🔥 and spicy number that knocks my socks off. As you can guess this was one of those times!
Clara comes from a family with status and wealth. Raised in Connecticut she has always toed the family line. Never straying out of bounds. Until now. Clara takes the biggest leap of her life (at least to this point...as many more are headed her way). She is moving across the country to LA to pursue her lifelong crush.
Only prince charming leaves her stranded and alone within hours of her arrival. Ok, maybe not completely alone. He’s rented out the second bedroom of his apartment to someone from Craigslist. Now that should start the warning bells 🔔 right there!
This Roommate has one of the more shall we say, “interesting” careers. And despite her squeaky-clean upbringing, Clara is getting caught up in her new roomy and his so-called business.
This was a fun and sizzling rom-com. It won’t be for everyone, but for those who like it spicy I think you will enjoy!
The characters were presented well and we basically saw Clara grow up before our very eyes.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an ARC to read and review.
Sometimes I pick up these rom-coms so innocently. Perhaps naïve assuming they will be a fun, sweet read with a dash of romance to make me go..."awww”.
And occasionally I come away with a hot🔥 and spicy number that knocks my socks off. As you can guess this was one of those times!
Clara comes from a family with status and wealth. Raised in Connecticut she has always toed the family line. Never straying out of bounds. Until now. Clara takes the biggest leap of her life (at least to this point...as many more are headed her way). She is moving across the country to LA to pursue her lifelong crush.
Only prince charming leaves her stranded and alone within hours of her arrival. Ok, maybe not completely alone. He’s rented out the second bedroom of his apartment to someone from Craigslist. Now that should start the warning bells 🔔 right there!
This Roommate has one of the more shall we say, “interesting” careers. And despite her squeaky-clean upbringing, Clara is getting caught up in her new roomy and his so-called business.
This was a fun and sizzling rom-com. It won’t be for everyone, but for those who like it spicy I think you will enjoy!
The characters were presented well and we basically saw Clara grow up before our very eyes.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an ARC to read and review.
March 23, 2021
This book was everything I was hoping it would be.
I went in with no expectations and was surprised by how much fun I had. It was addictive, funny, sexy, and sweet. I loved the characters, I love the discussions of sex work and the porn industry, and I just loved this book.
(Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for sending me this book!)
I went in with no expectations and was surprised by how much fun I had. It was addictive, funny, sexy, and sweet. I loved the characters, I love the discussions of sex work and the porn industry, and I just loved this book.
(Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for sending me this book!)
January 17, 2021
3.5 stars
The Roommate is Rosie Danan’s debut novel and once I saw the cover and read the blurb, I knew I had to read it. I love those forced proximity books and the fact that the roommates were strangers, gimmie!
Clara Wheaton is a socialite that just finished grad school. She’s decided to move cross country (totally not like her) for a man. One of her best friends, Everett, who she’s had it bad for for the longest time. As soon as she gets there she realized this was a huge mistake. Everett sublets his room out to Josh and has Clara living with a stranger temporarily while he travels with his band. What a warm welcome.
Clara and Josh are complete strangers but they get along well enough at first. Then Clara finds out what Josh does for a living. It doesn’t change what she thinks about him necessarily, but she sees him in a different light. And after finding out things going on with his career, she decides to help him with a cause she believes in.
I honestly expected to love this one, but unfortunately it was just okay for me. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. My only real problem with this one was I never felt the connection between Clara and Josh. I can find characters unrelatable and still love a book, but I have to feel their connection, the romance has to be real for me and unfortunately I never felt much between these two. I liked them both well enough, but I didn’t feel the spark.
Overall, this was a nice debut novel that I think a lot of people will love. It had some humor and steam and was enjoyable for me.
The Roommate is Rosie Danan’s debut novel and once I saw the cover and read the blurb, I knew I had to read it. I love those forced proximity books and the fact that the roommates were strangers, gimmie!
Clara Wheaton is a socialite that just finished grad school. She’s decided to move cross country (totally not like her) for a man. One of her best friends, Everett, who she’s had it bad for for the longest time. As soon as she gets there she realized this was a huge mistake. Everett sublets his room out to Josh and has Clara living with a stranger temporarily while he travels with his band. What a warm welcome.
Clara and Josh are complete strangers but they get along well enough at first. Then Clara finds out what Josh does for a living. It doesn’t change what she thinks about him necessarily, but she sees him in a different light. And after finding out things going on with his career, she decides to help him with a cause she believes in.
I honestly expected to love this one, but unfortunately it was just okay for me. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. My only real problem with this one was I never felt the connection between Clara and Josh. I can find characters unrelatable and still love a book, but I have to feel their connection, the romance has to be real for me and unfortunately I never felt much between these two. I liked them both well enough, but I didn’t feel the spark.
Overall, this was a nice debut novel that I think a lot of people will love. It had some humor and steam and was enjoyable for me.
“As far as I can see, Wheaton, you’re pretty damn extraordinary.”
February 6, 2023
Czy ta książka odmieni wasze życie? Nie
Czy będziecie się przy niej super bawić, a nawet lepiej niż super? Tak
Czy będziecie się przy niej super bawić, a nawet lepiej niż super? Tak
February 10, 2022
we love a soft "i love you" scene but we MARRY THE SHIT out of a "BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU" blurted out in the middle of a fight.
June 2, 2024
3.5 Stars.
A fun read. Might read it again in the future, idk.
For four years I added, removed and then re-added this book in my tbr-list constantly. I’ve been curious about this book ever since, but been so hesitant to pick it up. Though very recently, I read the second book of this series and kind of enjoyed it.
I can’t wait to pick up this book soon, and see if I’ll like it.
A fun read. Might read it again in the future, idk.
For four years I added, removed and then re-added this book in my tbr-list constantly. I’ve been curious about this book ever since, but been so hesitant to pick it up. Though very recently, I read the second book of this series and kind of enjoyed it.
I can’t wait to pick up this book soon, and see if I’ll like it.
July 24, 2023
2.5/5
I mean, całość byłaby jeszcze spoko, gdyby nie ta misyjna otoczka wokół robienia z gwiazdy filmów dla dorosłych bohatera kobiet, bo umie doprowadzić partnerkę do orgazmu i teraz stanie się specjalistą od nauki (bez studiów i jakiegokolwiek zaplecza). That was bullshit
I mean, całość byłaby jeszcze spoko, gdyby nie ta misyjna otoczka wokół robienia z gwiazdy filmów dla dorosłych bohatera kobiet, bo umie doprowadzić partnerkę do orgazmu i teraz stanie się specjalistą od nauki (bez studiów i jakiegokolwiek zaplecza). That was bullshit
November 27, 2022
A surface level romance. A heroine that I didn’t really care about (or actually didn’t really like. At all.) I don’t even know where to start, but everything about her or how she was just really annoyed me. Appreciated all the talk about sex workers and the stigma, but really didn’t care about the story or what was supposed to be a romance?
April 18, 2022
4.5 stars
I inhaled this book in one sitting after spending weeks slumping, if that tells you anything.
I inhaled this book in one sitting after spending weeks slumping, if that tells you anything.
December 30, 2020
I did rate this a week or so ago, but it has disappeared.. 🙄🤔
Rtc
Rtc
February 26, 2021
the way i didn’t care....
t’was eye-opening tho
t’was eye-opening tho
October 3, 2020
This book was extremely hot. Also, it was my favorite romance of 2020.
This came as a huge surprise. I don't usually rate romances 5 stars, because it's very hard to surprise me, since I've read so many books of this genre. However, this one was extremely refreshing and well written.
It all starts with Clara, a girl with very conservative upbringing, moving to LA to live with her lifetime crush, only to be dumped and find out that she's actually having a porn star, Josh Darling, as her actual roommate. They develop a friendship and so much more after that, even though they inhabit completely different worlds.
I related so much to Clara and her control freak ways, though always with a spark of curiosity, but I do think that Josh is the highlight of this book. He was one of the most original heroes I've ever read, absolutely dreamy but his character had a lot of depth, especially because of his profession. I think that this book did for the porn industry what The Girl in 6E did for cam girls, and I found it so interesting how Rosie Danan managed to balance the romance with the other plots points within the story. I also can't believe that this was a debut, because the writing was amazing. One would think that a romance so filled with sex would get tiring, but it didn't. The steamy scenes were extremely sucessful *fanning myself* and they had a lot of originality.
I can't recommend this one enough (and also, the audiobook was amazing)!
This came as a huge surprise. I don't usually rate romances 5 stars, because it's very hard to surprise me, since I've read so many books of this genre. However, this one was extremely refreshing and well written.
It all starts with Clara, a girl with very conservative upbringing, moving to LA to live with her lifetime crush, only to be dumped and find out that she's actually having a porn star, Josh Darling, as her actual roommate. They develop a friendship and so much more after that, even though they inhabit completely different worlds.
I related so much to Clara and her control freak ways, though always with a spark of curiosity, but I do think that Josh is the highlight of this book. He was one of the most original heroes I've ever read, absolutely dreamy but his character had a lot of depth, especially because of his profession. I think that this book did for the porn industry what The Girl in 6E did for cam girls, and I found it so interesting how Rosie Danan managed to balance the romance with the other plots points within the story. I also can't believe that this was a debut, because the writing was amazing. One would think that a romance so filled with sex would get tiring, but it didn't. The steamy scenes were extremely sucessful *fanning myself* and they had a lot of originality.
I can't recommend this one enough (and also, the audiobook was amazing)!
Shelved as 'not-interested'
September 4, 2020Note to self: The hero is a porn star.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2021
2020 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo: Apple Orchard
Content Notes:
The faded wallpaper exuded kitschy charm, fighting for her affection, but she couldn’t shake the crushing weight of her disappointment. Clara wiped off the seat of the sofa before sitting down.
“So this is how it feels to be well and truly fucked.”
“I get that a lot,” said a low voice behind her.
Super charming and sex-positive re: sex work. I wrote down a bunch of complaints as I was reading, but honestly the couple’s chemistry is so adorable that I hand-waved nitpicks that normally would’ve bugged me. The Clara heiress conflict got a bit old/contradictory/confusing at times. If she has a trust fund, then why did she need to room with Josh once her friend bailed on her? I don’t know. I rolled with it. Also super weird that her family is in the background and never makes an appearance like one would predict. Clara keeps worrying about how they’d react to her new venture. Literally who cares, and the book agrees with me because we never find out! Several aspects around that socialite characterization/storyline struck me as odd or just bored me.
The whole project depended on his ability to craft the next Kama Sutra, and he couldn’t shake the nerves threatening to eat his intestines.
There’s this throwaway line about the Kama Sutra that pissed me off. I am projecting here because it is truly minor, but god do I hate any mention of the Kama Sutra in western contexts. So it clearly wasn’t that minor to me because I’m still seething enough to point it out here. This is my complaint for posterity. Moving on.
As usual in recent contemporary rom-coms, the third act breakup happens wayyy too late and is resolved wayyy too late. This is not news if you know me, but I take all opportunities to air my grievances re: this topic. Not going to write a longform review to gush over everything I liked (I liked a lot! It wouldn’t be a very interesting review because I’d summarize most of the book), but two major takeaways are 1) Josh is a golden retriever in human form and 2) It’s a real cute romance with pining, hot sex, and roommate/friends-to-lovers vibes. I’m not a socialite, but I seriously related to Clara with her prudish tendencies, love of lamination, fear of driving, and using higher education as a way to “extend the exit ramp to adulthood” (oof, that line struck a chord). Nitpicks aside, I recommend THE ROOMMATE. Definitely check out an excerpt to see if you click with the writing.
Also: this is the first book I’ve read that has perfectly captured my terror/anxiety/panic over driving. Whew. Clara’s POV is way too close to comfort. I’m impressed that she mostly gets over her fear during the book (I assuredly have not). I have to give props because the book nails that terror; reading those scenes was like reflecting a mirror over my amygdala. I got my license after failing the test twice when I was eighteen, and then promptly never drove again. And unlike Clara, I will never move to Los Angeles, thus living out a blissful carless existence in urban environments with good (well, livable) public transit. 😂 Not even a cinnamon roll of a porn star could make me want to drive. Sorry, Josh. You’re cute but not that cute.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Notes:
The faded wallpaper exuded kitschy charm, fighting for her affection, but she couldn’t shake the crushing weight of her disappointment. Clara wiped off the seat of the sofa before sitting down.
“So this is how it feels to be well and truly fucked.”
“I get that a lot,” said a low voice behind her.
Super charming and sex-positive re: sex work. I wrote down a bunch of complaints as I was reading, but honestly the couple’s chemistry is so adorable that I hand-waved nitpicks that normally would’ve bugged me. The Clara heiress conflict got a bit old/contradictory/confusing at times. If she has a trust fund, then why did she need to room with Josh once her friend bailed on her? I don’t know. I rolled with it. Also super weird that her family is in the background and never makes an appearance like one would predict. Clara keeps worrying about how they’d react to her new venture. Literally who cares, and the book agrees with me because we never find out! Several aspects around that socialite characterization/storyline struck me as odd or just bored me.
The whole project depended on his ability to craft the next Kama Sutra, and he couldn’t shake the nerves threatening to eat his intestines.
There’s this throwaway line about the Kama Sutra that pissed me off. I am projecting here because it is truly minor, but god do I hate any mention of the Kama Sutra in western contexts. So it clearly wasn’t that minor to me because I’m still seething enough to point it out here. This is my complaint for posterity. Moving on.
As usual in recent contemporary rom-coms, the third act breakup happens wayyy too late and is resolved wayyy too late. This is not news if you know me, but I take all opportunities to air my grievances re: this topic. Not going to write a longform review to gush over everything I liked (I liked a lot! It wouldn’t be a very interesting review because I’d summarize most of the book), but two major takeaways are 1) Josh is a golden retriever in human form and 2) It’s a real cute romance with pining, hot sex, and roommate/friends-to-lovers vibes. I’m not a socialite, but I seriously related to Clara with her prudish tendencies, love of lamination, fear of driving, and using higher education as a way to “extend the exit ramp to adulthood” (oof, that line struck a chord). Nitpicks aside, I recommend THE ROOMMATE. Definitely check out an excerpt to see if you click with the writing.
Also: this is the first book I’ve read that has perfectly captured my terror/anxiety/panic over driving. Whew. Clara’s POV is way too close to comfort. I’m impressed that she mostly gets over her fear during the book (I assuredly have not). I have to give props because the book nails that terror; reading those scenes was like reflecting a mirror over my amygdala. I got my license after failing the test twice when I was eighteen, and then promptly never drove again. And unlike Clara, I will never move to Los Angeles, thus living out a blissful carless existence in urban environments with good (well, livable) public transit. 😂 Not even a cinnamon roll of a porn star could make me want to drive. Sorry, Josh. You’re cute but not that cute.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Read
November 5, 2020The Roommate was a fresh concept that tackled sex positivity, the adult entertainment industry, and the true work of intimacy in a story that was as sweet as it was original. I enjoyed the steady pace of building interest between Josh and Clara, and I loved that Josh knew his body and wanted to know Clara's in a way that was intimate and personal. For being a book that talked so much about sex and pleasure, it was incredibly focused on what underlies healthy sexual intimacy: trust, communication, a foundation of safety and being known.
The secondary plot really builds with what Josh is facing within the industry, and what he, Naomi, and Clara set off to create together (I don't want to get into details to avoid spoilers) and while I loved that, I was curious if we were ever going to see how this played into Clara's family life and dynamic. That never got developed deeply but its echoes carried through to the end, in which Clara realizes that the safety of what she's known and expected isn't the comfort she expected it to be, but that instead comfort is found in loving the people you take the greatest risks for.
The secondary plot really builds with what Josh is facing within the industry, and what he, Naomi, and Clara set off to create together (I don't want to get into details to avoid spoilers) and while I loved that, I was curious if we were ever going to see how this played into Clara's family life and dynamic. That never got developed deeply but its echoes carried through to the end, in which Clara realizes that the safety of what she's known and expected isn't the comfort she expected it to be, but that instead comfort is found in loving the people you take the greatest risks for.
January 16, 2023
For a book that is supposed to be "sex-positive," it sure does have quite the judgy stick up its ass.
From referencing "whatever depraved shit [people watch] on the internet" to Clara being disgusted at the mere concept of watching porn, with an internal dialogue that is, in essence, 'ew, I don't want to see women on their knees with come on their face because it's degrading.'
🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
1) It all depends on how it's done.
2) The most important factor is what we don't see, the conversations behind the scenes and how above board and safe everything is.
3) Degradation is a specific kink and people of all genders partake in scenes with it, so how about we stop yucking someone else's yum?
Clara also uses the term "debauchery" more than once and this had me irate. From an evolutionary perspective, sex is as natural to our species as eating or sleeping.
(I'm looking at it from the very zoomed-out perspective of human evolution. I'm not referring to those on the Ace spectrum and the myriad of other mental, physical, and spiritual reasons why this isn't the case for certain folk.)
There's zero chemistry between the FMC and MMC. And based on all the set-up, I don't buy for one second that she'd let him go down on her, not in a romantic way but an I'm a porn star and want to prove that someone else *can* give you an orgasm. Your problem is that all the other shmucks you've been with are just useless. Oh, and this means nothing. Totally objective over here. Proving a point. kind of way.
OMG AND. This "sex-positive" novel has the MMC completely stop making porn pretty much the minute he meets the FMC.
Do you know what would actually be progressive? Him continuing to be a porn star while the two of them navigate a new, unconventional relationship together.
There's a scene where a bunch of industry people go over for a BBQ and play Never Have I Ever. Someone says "never have I ever slept with someone for a million dollars" and one of the adult film stars retorts with puritanical indignation "I didn't do it!" 😲 Ma'am. WHAT. In this economy? WHY EVER NOT???
And, as if that all weren't enough, the whole idea of the startup being for women's sexual health doesn't make a lick of sense. The issue is cishet MEN. The MMC should be teaching MEN how to properly pleasure those with biology different from their own.
Because if the author did 0.5 seconds of research she'd see that lesbian, bi, and pan women report significantly higher sexual satisfaction rates. The problem isn't women, ffs.
I'm left here absolutely shocked that the author really said I feel confident in my knowledge of how the adult film industry works, in sex work, and in what it takes to launch a startup to write a whole-ass novel about these things.
How embarrassing.
All in all, I am shocked I made it to 56%
From referencing "whatever depraved shit [people watch] on the internet" to Clara being disgusted at the mere concept of watching porn, with an internal dialogue that is, in essence, 'ew, I don't want to see women on their knees with come on their face because it's degrading.'
🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
1) It all depends on how it's done.
2) The most important factor is what we don't see, the conversations behind the scenes and how above board and safe everything is.
3) Degradation is a specific kink and people of all genders partake in scenes with it, so how about we stop yucking someone else's yum?
Clara also uses the term "debauchery" more than once and this had me irate. From an evolutionary perspective, sex is as natural to our species as eating or sleeping.
(I'm looking at it from the very zoomed-out perspective of human evolution. I'm not referring to those on the Ace spectrum and the myriad of other mental, physical, and spiritual reasons why this isn't the case for certain folk.)
There's zero chemistry between the FMC and MMC. And based on all the set-up, I don't buy for one second that she'd let him go down on her, not in a romantic way but an I'm a porn star and want to prove that someone else *can* give you an orgasm. Your problem is that all the other shmucks you've been with are just useless. Oh, and this means nothing. Totally objective over here. Proving a point. kind of way.
OMG AND. This "sex-positive" novel has the MMC completely stop making porn pretty much the minute he meets the FMC.
Do you know what would actually be progressive? Him continuing to be a porn star while the two of them navigate a new, unconventional relationship together.
There's a scene where a bunch of industry people go over for a BBQ and play Never Have I Ever. Someone says "never have I ever slept with someone for a million dollars" and one of the adult film stars retorts with puritanical indignation "I didn't do it!" 😲 Ma'am. WHAT. In this economy? WHY EVER NOT???
And, as if that all weren't enough, the whole idea of the startup being for women's sexual health doesn't make a lick of sense. The issue is cishet MEN. The MMC should be teaching MEN how to properly pleasure those with biology different from their own.
Because if the author did 0.5 seconds of research she'd see that lesbian, bi, and pan women report significantly higher sexual satisfaction rates. The problem isn't women, ffs.
I'm left here absolutely shocked that the author really said I feel confident in my knowledge of how the adult film industry works, in sex work, and in what it takes to launch a startup to write a whole-ass novel about these things.
How embarrassing.
All in all, I am shocked I made it to 56%
August 7, 2020
Sweet, sexy, sizzling, swoonie, sassy, and so much fun! Rosie Danan has written a clever and entertaining opposites attract romcom. Clara comes from a conservative proper East Coast family and has just moved to LA to force things with her lifetime crush Everett. BUT Everett is off touring with his subpar band and now Clara finds herself living with a complete stranger. Josh is the darling of the adult entertainment industry and does not quite know what to think of uptight Clara. What follows is an engaging story full of heat and humor. Love the relationship that developed between Clara and Josh. Josh was seriously one of the best guys I’ve read about, he was so considerate and respectful it was quite refreshing. I love the endeavor that these two started together. Clara really as uptight as she was she really had an open mind and was willing to learn, listen, and let go. The story addressed a lot of the issues in the porn industry as well as giving the performers a human face. Great story, fabulous cast of characters, slow burn romance, sizzling chemistry.
This book in emojis 🔥 🕯 🎥 🛀🏼 🎬
*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
This book in emojis 🔥 🕯 🎥 🛀🏼 🎬
*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
February 3, 2024
2.5/5
Okay, hear me out. I think the reasons why this book gets such a low rating for me was that:
1. My high expectation on it:
The first time I was reading the synopsis, I know I'm going to love this. I just love the roommate trope. And my friend could not even stop gushing about this either, so double the high expectation. But then... I think this book was not just for me. A bit disappointing (I’ll tell more why).
2. I think I read too much romance these days...
Because of my rudiment in reading romance, maybe that's why I find this book to be mediocre (probably a bit below average too). I love contemporary romance for its simplicity but that doesn't mean you can't surprise me with some immaculate writing or plot. So I'd have to say this one is as basic as I can get from any romance books. Plus the romance is very insta-love so I am not particularly amazed by it.
3. I don't like Josh as much
My friend just finished reading The Kiss Quotient while I'm about to start this book and we kind of exchange our thoughts on it since I've read TKQ. And she said, now that we talked about it, she felt that this book is somewhat similar to TKQ because of the stigma on these two distinct characters in the books. Except, Josh is Stella but I don't like Josh.
I honestly hate his remarks to Clara sometimes. I hate how it's easy to undermine Clara as a person just because she is brilliant, socialite, all in all, had it better than him? Doesn't mean you get to reduce someone's struggle though because you think you had it worse. I know this may be Josh's flaws but I just think he got some sticks up his ass because Clara has been nothing but a sweetheart to him.
I am trying to be understanding of Josh. And I like what this book gets to teach me about adult performers, especially the margianalized idea of this occupation. I am not one to forget about human decency just because you don't have the jobs that society don't value so highly. So even if I don't get to truly understand what he been through, I know he must have it rough. Still, doesn't excuse the asshole-ish attitude tho.
So, to my friend, Mars, you lied to me ＼(´^Д^`)／ This is no Kiss Quotient.
4. I'm not a fan of big gesture.
I think the scene of admitting mistakes and professing love on live tv or radio (or in public in general) is getting pretty lame (for me). Personally, I like small details/attention to discrete things. I enjoy the book more towards the ending but this scene particularly is not in my best interest. I felt like, ah we're doing the cliche again (but I love cliche???) Where did this go wrong? So I guess I just don't like big gesture. No offence to those who do. We all just have different love languages and I respected that.
The other thing?
Maybe on Jill's appearance in the book. I feel like she was not talked about that much unless necessary although I feel like her character is as important to the plot.
All the bad reviews aside (this is kinda funny) but the few things I like about this book is:
Clara and her skirts. As a reader, I honestly focused a lot on the details of the characters' outfit. When I read one that doesn't fit my fashion sense, it could also demote my favouritism on them. And tbh, I saw lots of female MC who was described to be wearing pants or jeans. I love pants though, they are as comfortable as they get but I also love skirts and idk why some authors don't like their characters wearing them. Therefore, when I read the word skirt associating with Clara a lot, I knew I love her.
Josh and his detest towards ketchup. That one, I can relate to a spiritual level and maybe the only time I'm Team Josh. Other than that? Meh.
Aaaand that's about it.
Okay, hear me out. I think the reasons why this book gets such a low rating for me was that:
1. My high expectation on it:
The first time I was reading the synopsis, I know I'm going to love this. I just love the roommate trope. And my friend could not even stop gushing about this either, so double the high expectation. But then... I think this book was not just for me. A bit disappointing (I’ll tell more why).
2. I think I read too much romance these days...
Because of my rudiment in reading romance, maybe that's why I find this book to be mediocre (probably a bit below average too). I love contemporary romance for its simplicity but that doesn't mean you can't surprise me with some immaculate writing or plot. So I'd have to say this one is as basic as I can get from any romance books. Plus the romance is very insta-love so I am not particularly amazed by it.
3. I don't like Josh as much
My friend just finished reading The Kiss Quotient while I'm about to start this book and we kind of exchange our thoughts on it since I've read TKQ. And she said, now that we talked about it, she felt that this book is somewhat similar to TKQ because of the stigma on these two distinct characters in the books. Except, Josh is Stella but I don't like Josh.
I honestly hate his remarks to Clara sometimes. I hate how it's easy to undermine Clara as a person just because she is brilliant, socialite, all in all, had it better than him? Doesn't mean you get to reduce someone's struggle though because you think you had it worse. I know this may be Josh's flaws but I just think he got some sticks up his ass because Clara has been nothing but a sweetheart to him.
"In your rush to protect yourself from heartache, you're always the first to jump to conclusions"
I am trying to be understanding of Josh. And I like what this book gets to teach me about adult performers, especially the margianalized idea of this occupation. I am not one to forget about human decency just because you don't have the jobs that society don't value so highly. So even if I don't get to truly understand what he been through, I know he must have it rough. Still, doesn't excuse the asshole-ish attitude tho.
So, to my friend, Mars, you lied to me ＼(´^Д^`)／ This is no Kiss Quotient.
4. I'm not a fan of big gesture.
I think the scene of admitting mistakes and professing love on live tv or radio (or in public in general) is getting pretty lame (for me). Personally, I like small details/attention to discrete things. I enjoy the book more towards the ending but this scene particularly is not in my best interest. I felt like, ah we're doing the cliche again (but I love cliche???) Where did this go wrong? So I guess I just don't like big gesture. No offence to those who do. We all just have different love languages and I respected that.
The other thing?
Maybe on Jill's appearance in the book. I feel like she was not talked about that much unless necessary although I feel like her character is as important to the plot.
All the bad reviews aside (this is kinda funny) but the few things I like about this book is:
Clara and her skirts. As a reader, I honestly focused a lot on the details of the characters' outfit. When I read one that doesn't fit my fashion sense, it could also demote my favouritism on them. And tbh, I saw lots of female MC who was described to be wearing pants or jeans. I love pants though, they are as comfortable as they get but I also love skirts and idk why some authors don't like their characters wearing them. Therefore, when I read the word skirt associating with Clara a lot, I knew I love her.
Josh and his detest towards ketchup. That one, I can relate to a spiritual level and maybe the only time I'm Team Josh. Other than that? Meh.
Aaaand that's about it.
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