Roomies by Christina Lauren

Four out of Five Stars

One sentence summary: Wrapped up in an impulsive marriage to a stranger she's had a crush on for months, can Holland continue to care for everyone around her and still find herself?

First thought: I don't exactly know how to review this book. I finished it last night, and couldn't write a thing. It made me feel kind of raw and emotional- not what I was expecting after the giddy high of Josh and Hazel's story. 

Why I read it: I swear to you, I did not know that this was going to be a marriage of convenience trope! I mean I guess I should have seen the two rings on the cover of the book-- but really I bought it because I L.O.V.E.D Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren. 

POV: First Person, Female. Present Tense 

Setting: NYC 

Tropes: Marriage of Convenience, Musician  

Our Heroine: Holland. I loved her. She was selfless and as the book went on self aware. I think she might be one of the strongest New Adult characters I've encountered. While I'm not as listless as she was, I did really resonate with the relationships she had outside of her hero. Particularly the strained friendship with Lulu. So often we get a kick ass best friend, but the struggle those two faced was a different version of real for me. 

Our Hero: Calvin. He's not my favorite hero and that's not a bad thing. There are some heros that I fall a little in love with, some I sympathize with, and other who are just so incredibly sexy. Calvin wasn't any of those things for me-- I'm not sure if that's because I didn't get to experience his POV, or what. But he's the reason this book isn't a five star for me. 

Overall thoughts: With a title like roomies and some reviews that talk about comedy, I was really expecting another light hearted romp. But, this book put me in my feelings. For a while, I would waffle on the definition of New Adult, but I think this perfectly exemplifies it. Having just our heroine as our narrator gave us a broader scope of the struggles and doubt that we sometimes feel at the age of 25. 

Okay, so I know I went in with a lot of humor expectations, and I think that's why the book left me quite emotional. I mean there was one scene that had me laughing so hard I had to apologize to my husband. (To which he said don't, I love to hear your laugh. Swoon) But this was probably the first time ever, and maybe? a spoiler alert.. but I don't think so... anyway, the first time ever I was scared I wasn't going to get my HEA. I was angry, because how was Christina Lauren going to undo all this damage in a believable way with the few pages I had left-- but she did it!

I also liked how open our MCs were. We had a few misunderstandings in our book, but they didn't drag out chapter after chapter. While some could have been avoided, I think Holland and Calvin did an excellent job of talking things out.

The sexy scenes: These were confusing for our hero and as a reader. I mean, we expect and HEA, but I love knowing how our hero is feeling during these emotional times. As a reader, I felt a bit slighted-- want to know more, ask in the comments! 

The best part of the book: What I liked the most about this book is that it wasn't just a romance. It was also an exploration of Holland's love for her family, her strained relationship with her college best friend, and what it really means to find yourself. I'm not sure if I'd like more romance like that, I just think Christina Lauren did an incredible job with this one. 

Worst part of the book: Finally, an interview to test their marriage-- I guess I might need to look for more "green card" tropes! I was so excited for this part, but it fell a little flat for me. 

TLDR: Don't go in expecting a full on Rom-Com. This book was a bit more serious, but it was still an excellent read. 

How I read it: Paperback! Ordered from the "used" section on Amazon.   

Links: Roomies on GoodReads & Roomies on Amazon

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