Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Roommate

Josh absolutely saved this book for me in the beginning. Clara's foolish "follow your heart" only to be left by the dumb guy she'd been chasing since high school, only to have her continue to pine after him once she decided to stay in LA, and I almost gave up on this book in chapter 2. But Josh's outrage and exclamation that her pleasure is just as important as any partner's and he would prove it to her right then and there and I was smitten with his golden retriever/sex god energy for the rest of the book.

Once Clara got shaken out of her east coast prudish ways she was so much more fun to read. I did want to shake them both through about 2/3 of the book and just say "TALK TO EACH OTHER!!!" so they could stop pussy-footing around their obvious feelings for each other. The "She's too good for me/I'm nothing like the kind of woman he'd want forever" schtick was real old, real fast. And while I'm not a fan of third act break-ups on the whole, seeing Clara drive out to what-his-nuts last tour stop only to realize she only liked the idea of him and told him that to his face, and for him to take the ego hit and let her go gracefully was a nice just desserts.

I did love the ultimate resolution, with the DA coming around, sticking it to the creeper porn industry guy, and the absolutely ADORABLE epilogue

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. Most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book.

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 🌶️

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takarakei's review against another edition

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lighthearted 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

3.75

Society girl moves to California in hopes of connecting with her childhood crush only to find out he's rented his room to a random guy (who turns out to be an adult film star). Education ensues...
Is the premise a bit absurd, yes. But I really enjoyed the message of sexual empowerment in this book.

4/5 🌶️

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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funny 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? Yes

3.5

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delz's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-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

4.0

Clara is a socialite with her life set. She’s 27, with a PhD in art history ready to start working at the Guggenheim Museum when she abandons it all to follow a man to California. The man, Everett was a life long friend/crush who has never shown any romantic interest in her, but he said she could crash at his house for the summer. When she arrives she finds Everett on his way out informing her she’ll be sharing the house with a guy he rented to on Craigslist. The guy, Josh “Darling” Clara finds out is a very “hot” porn star. Josh has been working in porn for about two years. He and his on again off again girlfriend, Naomi have set their own standards for what they will and will not do and the tide is turning in a negative way in the industry. Clara and Josh meet as both of them have made life altering choices and their worlds are about to collide.

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purplepenning's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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courtneydindin's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

Love!!! I already had been very excited for this book before reading it as I’ve heard great things about it, but I was quite pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I was really grateful for the emotional connection in Josh and Clara’s relationship as well as the lovely sexual chemistry. Josh’s character is gorgeous and sexy in a way that can be hard to describe when it comes to book characters, but it’s been done very well here. I really appreciate a book that features challenges the main character overcomes due to their romantic interest, gesturing to how Clara was able to get over her childhood crush who never truly appreciated her for the gem she is. Highly recommend!

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