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klsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There was a lot of bizarrely intro-level sex-positive feminism, including some sections that read as ignorantly anti-kink. Don't go here for nuanced discussions about sex, gender, or class. I don't want to yuck somebody's development, though. This COULD be a good intro for people trying to reckon with negative assumptions about sex work, female pleasure, and porn. I wouldn't recommend it for folks who have done deeper work around sex positivity.
This was a good brain break, and some of the writing was really nice and occasionally funny, but you get what you see (or less?).
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
kashrae99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, and Medical content
Minor: Infidelity
meech1e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident
dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
While The Roommate was not everything that I thought it would be when I first got it, I do think this rom-com of embracing who you are and finding people who can accept that is a worthwhile read.
Danan does a good job with developing the relationship between our two main characters, Clara and Josh. The meet-cute worked well and I liked how Danan focused on the personal growth that Clara and Josh go through because of their relationship. Despite his reputation, Josh really is a nice guy and throughout the book he learns how to challenge people’s misconceptions about him as well as challenge himself to try new things. On the other side of the coin, Clara is able to step outside of her comfort zone and abandon the preconceived notions that her family has in place for how she should live her life. That being said, you get some really solid character development as well as a well-developed relationship in Danan’s debut rom-com.
Another thing I want to point out is that The Roommate tackles a lot of topics relating to intimacy. Yes, there are a lot of spicy chapters, and I’m not really a fan of books with a lot of spice in them, but I did enjoy Danan’s messaging behind the topics of intimacy her book addresses.
Now, I really did enjoy Danan’s writing style. Her signature blend of humor/satire and heartfelt moments made The Roommate an enjoyable read. Tying in the complex topics of love and intimacy with humor and in a eclectic group of main and side characters, The Roommate does provide the comedy and tender moments needed for a romantic comedy.
Even though there were some things in The Roommate I wasn’t a huge fan of, I did think it was a good read. If you like your rom-coms on the spicier side but want a romance with solid character development and you like the roommate romance trope, you definitely should give The Roommate a try.
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Car accident
purrson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Car accident
nomatophobia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Sexual harassment
wrappingpaper's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really loved all the characters in this book. It took me a while to warm up to Clara (girl FORGET Everett) but I grew to love her as she grew more confident and independent.
I think the way the author uses this book as a criticism of corruption in the porn industry is super interesting because I wasn’t expecting to see such topics in a romance novel. Imo the author did a great job - I really felt her passion on the matter.
Overall I would’ve preferred for them not to spend so long doing the ‘oh I’m gonna try to ignore my feelings bc they don’t feel the same way’ bc spoiler alert: THEY DO but they got over it eventually lol. Great chemistry between the characters and I loved the dual pov :)
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol
kashiish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.0
“i was stupid and scared. do sure you would reject me that i pushed you away. i wanted to point to you as proof of my own inferiority. i let society’s opinion of my worth declare me unqualified, before you got the chance. i thought if i could start by helping you get your job back that maybe you’d at least let me talk to you about the rest of it, the ‘loving you’ part.”
Graphic: Car accident
psistillreadyou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Sexual assault
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not.
Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
This was a steamy fun “teach me” romcom. It was hard for me to feel bad for Clara in the beginning because I was like “honey buns, what are you DOING?!” (wrt moving across the country to LA to move in with her bff that she has had unrequited love for in the past decade or so just because he suggested it?!). However, I can’t blame anyone for doing something wild for love and shooting their shot! Except, her bestie Everett immediately leaves her to go on tour with his band and rents out his room to Josh, adult entertainment star, so Clara spends exactly zero time with the guy she moved across the country for. Again, couldn’t be me (I think & also because I am perpetually convinced no man is worth that😭) but I understand why she tried.
Anyway, this was steamy, funny, and a fun lil romp to read in one sitting. Josh and Clara had lots of tension, and their dynamic of experienced x sheltered was entertaining but I also don’t entirely know how I feel about the trope of “teach me” in general. I clearly have lots to unpack in my own biases here 😂 I liked that Josh called out Clara’s financial privilege because she was a bit sheltered and naive. I also understand that the feelings were reciprocated but it made me sad that she fetishized him the moment she found out he was a porn star. Like I just imagine that happens to so many adult entertainers and the fact that she couldn’t not think about him sexually once during any interaction was wild to me. The steam is probably 2.5-3/5 🌶️
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Car accident and Panic attacks/disorders