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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Roommating shines as Meredith Schorr’s latest. An ode to librarians, book lovers & bookstores alike. We follow MC Sabrina through her journey in finding herself, family and found family. Chock full of love and humor with an octogenarian roommate (but don’t tell her that!), silly puppy antics and a swoony unexpected couch-hopper - I was hooked from the get-go! This book is a fresh take on cross-generational friendship and love.
ARC via Net galley
ARC via Net galley
This was a super cute book! I loved the forced proximity, the unique living situation, the hard conversations, and the NYC setting.
I've never heard of pairing young people with elderly for roommates but it is a great idea. I loved the bond Sabrina forged with Marcia. But I also loved her grandson moving in. It made for a great story.
I also loved the growth both characters went through. I loved that they both had to have family conversations and had to overcome some perceived mistakes.
This was a really good escape to NYC for some fun banter and spice.
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.
I've never heard of pairing young people with elderly for roommates but it is a great idea. I loved the bond Sabrina forged with Marcia. But I also loved her grandson moving in. It made for a great story.
I also loved the growth both characters went through. I loved that they both had to have family conversations and had to overcome some perceived mistakes.
This was a really good escape to NYC for some fun banter and spice.
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia
Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Pub & Meredith Schorr for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
First of all- this cover is BEAUTIFUL! Secondly- a book with elderly side characters/friendships will always win with me.
As readers- many of us love when our MCs have passions and careers in the library- if that is also you- please know that our FMC is working towards her MLIS while she works as a page at the New York Public Library- how perfect! Our MMC also is a reader. FUN!
The chemistry was palpable between our two MCs but their journey was.. spotty. VERY hot and cold- but that makes sense based on these character's backstories and history of mistrust.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Thank you Forever Grand Publishing for the ARC!
Roommating was such a refreshing take on a romcom. I really loved the element of Sabrina being roommates with a senior like Marcia, I think it added a fun unique element to the story. It also made it the perfect environment for forced proximity with her grandson Adam. The highlight for me though was definitely the character development and the way Meredith Schorr handles family conflict and communication. I truly felt like both Adam's family and Sabrina's family were very authentic and had a good balance of conflict as well as support. It made it easy to relate to Sabrina and Adam. In addition to refreshing family dynamics it was so nice to see LGBTQ+ senior representation as it's not something I've seen before and I felt like it was handled very well.
In terms of the actual romance part of the story, it was super enjoyable and had a great mix of tension, angst, and cutesy filled moments.
Bonus points for The Outsiders being mentioned several times because that's my favourite book ever.
Roommating was such a refreshing take on a romcom. I really loved the element of Sabrina being roommates with a senior like Marcia, I think it added a fun unique element to the story. It also made it the perfect environment for forced proximity with her grandson Adam. The highlight for me though was definitely the character development and the way Meredith Schorr handles family conflict and communication. I truly felt like both Adam's family and Sabrina's family were very authentic and had a good balance of conflict as well as support. It made it easy to relate to Sabrina and Adam. In addition to refreshing family dynamics it was so nice to see LGBTQ+ senior representation as it's not something I've seen before and I felt like it was handled very well.
In terms of the actual romance part of the story, it was super enjoyable and had a great mix of tension, angst, and cutesy filled moments.
Bonus points for The Outsiders being mentioned several times because that's my favourite book ever.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Workable Romcom With Slightly Too Much Bigotry. Ok, so I worded that title to get perhaps more eyeballs than a less confrontational title would have gotten. Here's the situation, and it is absolutely one that some will love and others will despise, so just be aware of it up front and make your own decision - but don't be mad at Schorr or me if you read the book and don't like it because of what I'm about to tell you, because if you read through the end of this review, YOU. HAVE. BEEN. WARNED.
The situation is this: There is an elderly character who reveals herself as bi and dates both men and women. Some will like this, some will stop reading right there and decide the book isn't for them. As I said, do what you will there.
My own issue, and the reason for the star deduction, is that this character has a more socially conservative son who is actively described as nothing but effectively pure evil. This particular character, always little more than a strawman as he never actually makes an appearance "on screen", is the closest thing to an antagonist the book has, and "strawman" really is the best term to use to describe him, as he is actively described as a bad person *specifically because of his conservative beliefs*, without ever allowing him on-screen to show a more fleshed out character. Now, my own standard for bigotry is both clear and consistent, as I've maintained it for my entire time as a book reviewer: Invert the demographics. If there is a problem, there is a problem in the original as well. Simple. Clear. Consistent. Here, if we made the LGBT character the evil one, off screen, with zero redemptive qualities and never giving that character a chance to be onscreen and defend itself... yeah, that book would have to be self published in today's market, and would still get the author cancelled. Thus, because there is a problem when we invert the demographics, there is a problem here - and thus, the star deduction.
But there again, there are many readers who will *love* that this character is portrayed in this manner - hell, there are some who will buy this book *specifically because* this character is portrayed in this manner. Again, dear reader of my review, you do you. My job is to discuss my own experience with the book and any issues I noted therein so that you can make the best decision for you, and I've done that here.
To be clear, other than the unnecessary inclusion of the character above, I thought this book worked reasonably well overall. Fans of romance novels/ romcoms, particularly of a Gilmore Girls type, will likely love this book. Those who think heavy pop culture references don't belong in pop culture items... likely won't like it as much. Readers looking for ghost pepper level spice/ a touch of drama with their sex scenes type of tales may not like this one as much, as the spice is closer to habanero or so, but also those who can't really tolerate much more than a warm glass of milk may also not like the spice that *is* present. Again, for my own personal tastes, the only two things that surprised me were the inclusion of the elderly bi character and the bigotry towards the socially conservative son - it is an interesting dynamic in that usually the child is the LGBT character and the parent is the socially conservative one. I thought the elderly character was done well, not forced at all, and played well in the story as presented. I simply wished the son were able to do the same.
One somewhat surprising thing about this book given my conversations on social media with Schorr after acquiring my Advance Review Copy of the book from NetGalley but before actually reading it is that Schorr was worried the book could be seen as "too Jewish". In reality, there is roughly a single scene or so where the actual Jewishness of some of the characters comes onscreen, and it worked well with the story told to that point. Again, some will have problems that there are Jewish characters here at all, despite no references to literally any country other than the United States (as this takes place in New York City with some scenes in Philadelphia, but even there, other than the bigotry noted above, even American politics isn't really discussed in the text here). Others will love that there are Jewish characters simply existing in New York. Again, you do you and make the right decision for you.
Just please don't 1 star this book over something I've already warned you about here. Do review the book though, and write about your own thoughts on the book. Maybe you think I'm an idiot. Feel free to call me out in your review. Maybe you think Schorr is an idiot. Don't be mean to her, but be honest about what you thought *without being mean*. (I don't care if you're mean to me, but authors are generally sensitive people. :D) Or maybe you think Schorr is awesome. Absolutely sing her praises if you think that. Authors love to see that. :) Me personally, I was disappointed in the presence of the one character, but overall I really do think Schorr is a talented writer, and I really do look forward to her future works. I just hope she can avoid repeating that one mistake. :)
Very much recommended.
The situation is this: There is an elderly character who reveals herself as bi and dates both men and women. Some will like this, some will stop reading right there and decide the book isn't for them. As I said, do what you will there.
My own issue, and the reason for the star deduction, is that this character has a more socially conservative son who is actively described as nothing but effectively pure evil. This particular character, always little more than a strawman as he never actually makes an appearance "on screen", is the closest thing to an antagonist the book has, and "strawman" really is the best term to use to describe him, as he is actively described as a bad person *specifically because of his conservative beliefs*, without ever allowing him on-screen to show a more fleshed out character. Now, my own standard for bigotry is both clear and consistent, as I've maintained it for my entire time as a book reviewer: Invert the demographics. If there is a problem, there is a problem in the original as well. Simple. Clear. Consistent. Here, if we made the LGBT character the evil one, off screen, with zero redemptive qualities and never giving that character a chance to be onscreen and defend itself... yeah, that book would have to be self published in today's market, and would still get the author cancelled. Thus, because there is a problem when we invert the demographics, there is a problem here - and thus, the star deduction.
But there again, there are many readers who will *love* that this character is portrayed in this manner - hell, there are some who will buy this book *specifically because* this character is portrayed in this manner. Again, dear reader of my review, you do you. My job is to discuss my own experience with the book and any issues I noted therein so that you can make the best decision for you, and I've done that here.
To be clear, other than the unnecessary inclusion of the character above, I thought this book worked reasonably well overall. Fans of romance novels/ romcoms, particularly of a Gilmore Girls type, will likely love this book. Those who think heavy pop culture references don't belong in pop culture items... likely won't like it as much. Readers looking for ghost pepper level spice/ a touch of drama with their sex scenes type of tales may not like this one as much, as the spice is closer to habanero or so, but also those who can't really tolerate much more than a warm glass of milk may also not like the spice that *is* present. Again, for my own personal tastes, the only two things that surprised me were the inclusion of the elderly bi character and the bigotry towards the socially conservative son - it is an interesting dynamic in that usually the child is the LGBT character and the parent is the socially conservative one. I thought the elderly character was done well, not forced at all, and played well in the story as presented. I simply wished the son were able to do the same.
One somewhat surprising thing about this book given my conversations on social media with Schorr after acquiring my Advance Review Copy of the book from NetGalley but before actually reading it is that Schorr was worried the book could be seen as "too Jewish". In reality, there is roughly a single scene or so where the actual Jewishness of some of the characters comes onscreen, and it worked well with the story told to that point. Again, some will have problems that there are Jewish characters here at all, despite no references to literally any country other than the United States (as this takes place in New York City with some scenes in Philadelphia, but even there, other than the bigotry noted above, even American politics isn't really discussed in the text here). Others will love that there are Jewish characters simply existing in New York. Again, you do you and make the right decision for you.
Just please don't 1 star this book over something I've already warned you about here. Do review the book though, and write about your own thoughts on the book. Maybe you think I'm an idiot. Feel free to call me out in your review. Maybe you think Schorr is an idiot. Don't be mean to her, but be honest about what you thought *without being mean*. (I don't care if you're mean to me, but authors are generally sensitive people. :D) Or maybe you think Schorr is awesome. Absolutely sing her praises if you think that. Authors love to see that. :) Me personally, I was disappointed in the presence of the one character, but overall I really do think Schorr is a talented writer, and I really do look forward to her future works. I just hope she can avoid repeating that one mistake. :)
Very much recommended.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The writing felt off and the characters were not deep enough for me to truly enjoy this
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3⭐️ Sabrina has moved in with Marcia. This relationship is honestly cute, and I really enjoyed the dynamic they had. Adam, Marcia’s estranged grandson, is coming for a visit to mend their relationship. But he is still trying to find himself. Marcia’s health declines, and she needs less stress in her life. Too bad Sabrina and Adam are creating more chaos with their mutual attraction and desire to not move out. But one of them has to go.
This had a lot of promise but the characters came across a little too immature for me. This is a me thing as Sabrina and Adam are in their early twenties and dealing with understandable life stresses.
Thank you @netgalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and the author for the advanced reader copy.
This had a lot of promise but the characters came across a little too immature for me. This is a me thing as Sabrina and Adam are in their early twenties and dealing with understandable life stresses.
Thank you @netgalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and the author for the advanced reader copy.