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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn't expecting to like this book this much but it really was a fun read. The start of relationship is totally unbelievable and a bit unrealistic, but they were very, very cute together. The plottwist at the end made me lower a star though. The book already had enough angst and possible problems to work with so it really felt unncessary that the authors came up with that problem at the end.
This was so amazing I loved it with all my heart!
4.5 stars.
THIS. BOOK.
Wow, we are starting the year off in a great reading place. This is my first Christina Lauren book and my first completed audiobook. It was fabulous.
I have always thought that audiobooks weren't for me. But, now that I have experienced this particular one, I have a feeling that my aversion was with reading classics in audio form. I came to this conclusion because I had read Frankenstein for school through audio and tried to read Madame Bovary the same way and I retained absolutely NO information from those two novels. Oh my goodness are they convenient. I could listen on public transport, whilst doing chores, doing my make up etc. After a few hours of Roomies, I was looking for any excuse to listen to it which meant I was super productive. It was great. Needless to say, I will continue with audiobooks both by and not by Christina Lauren.
This could have very easily been a really trashy, poorly constructed rom-com book. But I was so happily surprised by it. It felt real and dealt with toxic friendships, insecurity in oneself and one's abilities, fear around love, familial relationships and putting others ahead of yourself. However, it was just funny and a good time on top of that. It is almost as if you don't notice those elements of substance until you think about the book and why it was so good.
I loved Holland as a character. I could actually see myself in her quite a bit. She felt really authentic. I don't have too much to critique about her.
Holland's best friend Lulu was (purposely) the worst. But in a nuanced way where you want to make excuses for her poor behaviour and then you get to a point where you just cannot condone it anymore. It was perfect because oftentimes it is really obvious who you should like in a book and who you shouldn't. She is one who slips between the cracks and I appreciated it from a storytelling perspective.
Robert and Jeff are the best. The. Best. Holland's relationship with the two of them was so heartwarming and just lovely to read.
There is one more person we need to talk about... Calvin (AKA my new boyfriend *wink wink*). He is an Irish musician and a gorgeous character. He is a good guy which is pretty unusual in this genre. He makes mistakes, but it isn't because he is problematic or douche-y, but because he is human. I found his role in the book refreshing when comparing it to the roles many other male love interests play.
This was a solid book that has re-read potential. Very happy I chose to pick it up!
THIS. BOOK.
Wow, we are starting the year off in a great reading place. This is my first Christina Lauren book and my first completed audiobook. It was fabulous.
I have always thought that audiobooks weren't for me. But, now that I have experienced this particular one, I have a feeling that my aversion was with reading classics in audio form. I came to this conclusion because I had read Frankenstein for school through audio and tried to read Madame Bovary the same way and I retained absolutely NO information from those two novels. Oh my goodness are they convenient. I could listen on public transport, whilst doing chores, doing my make up etc. After a few hours of Roomies, I was looking for any excuse to listen to it which meant I was super productive. It was great. Needless to say, I will continue with audiobooks both by and not by Christina Lauren.
This could have very easily been a really trashy, poorly constructed rom-com book. But I was so happily surprised by it. It felt real and dealt with toxic friendships, insecurity in oneself and one's abilities, fear around love, familial relationships and putting others ahead of yourself. However, it was just funny and a good time on top of that. It is almost as if you don't notice those elements of substance until you think about the book and why it was so good.
I loved Holland as a character. I could actually see myself in her quite a bit. She felt really authentic. I don't have too much to critique about her.
Holland's best friend Lulu was (purposely) the worst. But in a nuanced way where you want to make excuses for her poor behaviour and then you get to a point where you just cannot condone it anymore. It was perfect because oftentimes it is really obvious who you should like in a book and who you shouldn't. She is one who slips between the cracks and I appreciated it from a storytelling perspective.
Robert and Jeff are the best. The. Best. Holland's relationship with the two of them was so heartwarming and just lovely to read.
There is one more person we need to talk about... Calvin (AKA my new boyfriend *wink wink*). He is an Irish musician and a gorgeous character. He is a good guy which is pretty unusual in this genre. He makes mistakes, but it isn't because he is problematic or douche-y, but because he is human. I found his role in the book refreshing when comparing it to the roles many other male love interests play.
This was a solid book that has re-read potential. Very happy I chose to pick it up!
I don't know why I try. I'm really just not a fan of this genre. Full disclaimer I did not finish this one. It was too unrealistic and simple and I just found it very boring and ridiculous. Nothing about it gripped me.
To begin, I don't see the appeal of the green card marriage troupe in romance. How is such a situation at all romantic and not just tragic and complicated? The levity taken in this troupe is absurd and not sexy at all. Because of this, I found most of the plot to be silly and the main characters to be...unintelligent to say the least. I kept finding myself stopping every few pages so my mind could wander and it took me forever to get anywhere in the book. I know Christina Lauren gets a lot of fan love & that's great. Some people need books like this. It's probably a great book for romance readers. It was just soooo troupe(y) you know? Simple plot line, generic female protagonist ("who doesn't understand her own value/worth/talent"), misunderstandings between the two main characters and a guy who's too good to be true, yadda, yadda, yadda. Congrats, all the boxes are checked! It felt like such a formula book. I am not a person for formula books. I was bored and just couldn't wait for it to end. Then I gave up. The best thing I could say about it was that the writing was simple and straightforward. Christina Lauren know how to tell a story and give you a good sense of what's going on. So that's a plus. And that's basically all I can say about it.
To begin, I don't see the appeal of the green card marriage troupe in romance. How is such a situation at all romantic and not just tragic and complicated? The levity taken in this troupe is absurd and not sexy at all. Because of this, I found most of the plot to be silly and the main characters to be...unintelligent to say the least. I kept finding myself stopping every few pages so my mind could wander and it took me forever to get anywhere in the book. I know Christina Lauren gets a lot of fan love & that's great. Some people need books like this. It's probably a great book for romance readers. It was just soooo troupe(y) you know? Simple plot line, generic female protagonist ("who doesn't understand her own value/worth/talent"), misunderstandings between the two main characters and a guy who's too good to be true, yadda, yadda, yadda. Congrats, all the boxes are checked! It felt like such a formula book. I am not a person for formula books. I was bored and just couldn't wait for it to end. Then I gave up. The best thing I could say about it was that the writing was simple and straightforward. Christina Lauren know how to tell a story and give you a good sense of what's going on. So that's a plus. And that's basically all I can say about it.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book. It was light hearted but also packed a punch about finding self worth. What I didn’t like was that Calvin and Holland didn’t seem to have a relationship that was deeper than the physical.
I’m torn. It was fun and I wanted to love it but it all felt a little half baked. The pacing was strange in both character development and plot. What was looking to be a wonderful character fulfillment arc ended 3/4 the way through without a satisfying resolution.
On the other hand the two uncles are an absolute delight and make it worth the read.
On the other hand the two uncles are an absolute delight and make it worth the read.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No