Reviews with content warning for Cursing - The Roommate

Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

The Roommate by Rosie Danan

31 reviews

74laura74's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

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janjanjukebox's review against another edition

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challenging funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Roommate by Rosie Danan 325/319 pages
The Roommate #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, New Adult, Adult Fiction, Humor wa

Featuring: Sex - detailed and descriptive, Los Angeles, CA, Affluent Family Legacy, New Beginnings, Porn Industry, Politics, Profanity, Discussion Questions

Rating as a movie: NC-17/X for strong sexual content, vulgar language and themes

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My thoughts: page 15 of 319 - Romanticizing a jerk, why am I not surprised?
33 - This makes no sense. Her aunt was 19 ten years ago but she is pushing 30 now? Are they the same age?
44 - Not at all what I was expecting.
183 - I think I got the gist of the story and this book is more than steamy. I was not prepared as the cover reminds me of teen romances from the early 90s, it's not Zane but it definitely it's Robyn Carr.
243 - I'm not sue why this isn't considered at least borderline erotica, it checks all of the boxes except for a scene every other chapter but when one is 7 pages long, why not?

I was not ready! I have to prepare myself for content levels. I remember being completely knocked off my feet when I book I thought was Little House on the Prairie turned into The Color Purple on me, The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty if you're curious. This wasn't as bad but I had similar experience. I added this book to my TBR last year after my library suggested it, the cover reminded me of Sweet Valley High. I was expecting a fluffy contemporary romance, I still don't know how it got that category. It doesn't need a sticker but its out there. Take all of the words you usually hear when referring to genitalia and sex in a romance novel and exchange them for the words you'd hear in a porno or explicit rap song. Next take the typical Robyn Carr scene and go into more details and repeat. This is what they call a sex positive book. I had to take breaks because I can only read so much D & P at a time, at least Zane has an actual story in between. This book probably didn't get labeled anything because it's mostly talk. It was okay overall. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't also reading other books with more substance. This book was good junk food, I'm in no rush to read the next book, The Intimacy Project, but it's in my stack and since I now know not to be fool by the Kristy For President-esque cover I should be able to finish it quickly.

Recommend to others?: Maybe. It was a good book but if you don't like a lot of excessive language it's not for you.

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lizgonzo's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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chichio's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

So I started reading this to take a break from all the dark, emotional, honestly depressing shit that I normally read lmao and it was good for like… 65-70% of the read.

It was sexy and cute… like any other romance with a sprinkle of spice. It wasn’t crazy good though and I’ll probably forget all about it after I post this review 😅 It really was just a filler read.

Main bone to pick with the whole thing is how insufferable Clara got during the whole “lover’s conflict” portion of the book.

It was weird to see her acting like that despite being so open, sex-work positive for the large majority of the book. I also find it hard to believe that someone as smart— the author’s words, not mine— as Clara would invest in a business called Shameless without thoroughly thinking through what that could mean for her other career.

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kfmcf's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

4.5

Okay first off - this book has a lot of spice BUT I do want to preface this warning by saying that it is strongly connected to the plot. If you have read The Kiss Quotient, you will most likely understand the sentiment.

I have been waiting to read this book for awhile. I had it on digital hold for months before apparently my library lost its license to the ebook or something and I couldn't get it. Then I put it on hold for a physical copy and got it a little bit ago. With my Neverending list of holds, I finally got a chance to read it and I'm so glad I did and that that wait was worth it. This book shines a glaring spotlight on both the stigma and the treatment of adult film workers in and outside of the industry. It doesn't shy around touchy subjects of many kinds and I greatly appreciate its grit.

The leads of this book are great, though I will say that Josh is written slightly better than Clara. Clara's character development does seem a *tiny* bit stark also, but not egregiously so. They're path to relationship is intriguing and fiery and I definitely rooted for them. I also appreciated the side characters of the story and the depth they added (super excited for Naomi's lead turn in the sequel!)

I also want to call attention to the epilogue of this book. It is around three pages, short and sweet, and shows just a glimpse of the future. That's all an epilogue needs. I know u get super salty about epilogues but I am passionate about it and will die on this literary soapbox.

Overall, if you're looking for a thought-provoking medium burn with a heckin' lot of spice - this is one for you.

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marybsimp's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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miglena's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The book has forced proximinity, roommates to lovers, and subverts tropes like longtime friends to lovers and women hating each other who have been with the same man. This book is about sex workers and the porn industry and how they navigate the industry. It's also about love and how societal shame and stigma can be a barrier to fearlessly loving someone. It was Feminist, and I appreciated the sex-positive nature of the book. The sexual content wasn't that graphic (compared to other romance books).
This book felt rushed towards the end and I wish we got more on their background and childhoods. I easily would've read another 100 or 200 pages for more character development and background and more romance overall. The writing was good, reminded me of wattpad in a good way. It was interesting and different than the other romance books I've read this year.

Here are some quotes that I loved: SPOILER

"Change always comes with a closing cost.... But it's still worth trying. Not because the odds are particularly good, mind you, but considering the alternative. There's value in the struggle. Value and touching the raw and bloody parts of our souls, opening them up to the sunlight, and hoping they heal."

"I'm sorry I was too scared to accept it before. I always thought love was supposed to make you itchy. A crawling out of your skin kind of obsession. I thought love was synonymous with pining and logging. That I had to hurt.... But love isn't like that. At least not for me. Loving you is like sinking into a warm bath after a lifetime of feeling cold down to my bones..... It's having someone see me, past artifice and the posturing, and decide I'm more than enough.... My love for you isn't an addiction. Being with you doesn't provide some warped sense of validation for my life. You were never a fling I had to get out of my system. Our love feels like... Freedom. The kind people give their lives for."

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lexizee's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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macaronsandmermaids's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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100_pages_hr's review

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lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I first read this because I love forced proximity. When I first learned Josh's career I would have expected to hate the book on principle, but surprisingly I liked many parts of it. I think the redeeming factor was that in spite of his job he still had boundaries that he stuck to and he hated the big side of the industry. I liked how in the end everyone was fighting against that side of it.

I'm still very much against what he did for a living, but the company Josh, Clara, and Naomi started was definitely built for different reasons and had better motives.

I liked seeing Josh's growth through the book. I also liked how Clara learned what was important to her.

I'm curious to see where book 2 takes us...

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