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A review by surreptitiously
Roomies by Tara Altebrando, Sara Zarr
4.0
I received an advance copy of this from NetGalley.
When Elizabeth (EB) receives a letter naming her freshman-year roommate, she's excited. Finally, the idea of college is becoming more tangible! As she reaches out to her future roomie, Lauren, the two become entangled in a series of technological exchanges that spark the beginning of a complex relationship. Starting from the basic platitudes introducing themselves and squaring away the preliminary question of who is bringing what appliances, the girls begin to connect on a deeper level while dealing with the changes taking place and re-examining their family life. Both girls must deal with their families, current friends, and new summer crushes while anticipating a major change that will completely rock their world.
Each girl comes from a different background and upbringing; EB is from the East Coast and has lived with her single mother for most of her life. She's an only child who feels lonely, even around her friends, who seem to have more fun with one another without her. She suffers from the "grass is greener" syndrome. She feels mostly unhappy in her home life and hopes that relocating herself across the country will solve her problems. Lauren lives in Cali with a huge family and is only moving an hour away for college. She stresses over money and taking care of her 5 siblings, so she rarely allows herself downtime by herself or with friends. She hoped to have a single suite and not have to share her living space with a roommate, so she causes the relationship to start of rocky as she tries to remain as inaccessible as possible. She has an air of moral superiority and has her boundaries pushed throughout the course of the novel.
[b:Roomies|17573559|Roomies|Sara Zarr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1369636433l/17573559._SY75_.jpg|24513624] is an ambitious work that perfectly captures the emotions and complexities of the transition period between graduating high school and starting college. It recreates the nuances of social interactions to a tee with all the overthinking, hidden meaning, and unspoken social rules that come with navigating adult interactions. It lightly deals with sex and virginity; EB feels pressured by her friends and boyfriend for "being a prude," but I love that she stands up for what she wants and owns up to her decisions. The authors also touch on long-distance relationships and friendships coming to a natural end.
A reoccuring theme is technology being a hinderance to really developing a meaningful relationship with someone you've never met, something I feel is an accurate assessment although a little overstated. It is admittedly difficult to discern tone and personality from text, which can lead to insecurities and second-guessing a person's intentions. Lauren is constantly eschewing technology for being impersonal and creating faux personal relationships as exemplified by her constant waffling opinions and wild (negative) assumptions about EB's character. I feel her reasoning has more to do with her unwillingness to open herself up to other people and less of a technological fault.
Roomies is a bittersweet novel that triggers nostalgia from my college days. I recommend this to anyone looking for an emotionally intense YA read. People who have gone (or are about to go) away to college will especially relate.
When Elizabeth (EB) receives a letter naming her freshman-year roommate, she's excited. Finally, the idea of college is becoming more tangible! As she reaches out to her future roomie, Lauren, the two become entangled in a series of technological exchanges that spark the beginning of a complex relationship. Starting from the basic platitudes introducing themselves and squaring away the preliminary question of who is bringing what appliances, the girls begin to connect on a deeper level while dealing with the changes taking place and re-examining their family life. Both girls must deal with their families, current friends, and new summer crushes while anticipating a major change that will completely rock their world.
Each girl comes from a different background and upbringing; EB is from the East Coast and has lived with her single mother for most of her life. She's an only child who feels lonely, even around her friends, who seem to have more fun with one another without her. She suffers from the "grass is greener" syndrome. She feels mostly unhappy in her home life and hopes that relocating herself across the country will solve her problems. Lauren lives in Cali with a huge family and is only moving an hour away for college. She stresses over money and taking care of her 5 siblings, so she rarely allows herself downtime by herself or with friends. She hoped to have a single suite and not have to share her living space with a roommate, so she causes the relationship to start of rocky as she tries to remain as inaccessible as possible. She has an air of moral superiority and has her boundaries pushed throughout the course of the novel.
[b:Roomies|17573559|Roomies|Sara Zarr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1369636433l/17573559._SY75_.jpg|24513624] is an ambitious work that perfectly captures the emotions and complexities of the transition period between graduating high school and starting college. It recreates the nuances of social interactions to a tee with all the overthinking, hidden meaning, and unspoken social rules that come with navigating adult interactions. It lightly deals with sex and virginity; EB feels pressured by her friends and boyfriend for "being a prude," but I love that she stands up for what she wants and owns up to her decisions. The authors also touch on long-distance relationships and friendships coming to a natural end.
A reoccuring theme is technology being a hinderance to really developing a meaningful relationship with someone you've never met, something I feel is an accurate assessment although a little overstated. It is admittedly difficult to discern tone and personality from text, which can lead to insecurities and second-guessing a person's intentions. Lauren is constantly eschewing technology for being impersonal and creating faux personal relationships as exemplified by her constant waffling opinions and wild (negative) assumptions about EB's character. I feel her reasoning has more to do with her unwillingness to open herself up to other people and less of a technological fault.
Roomies is a bittersweet novel that triggers nostalgia from my college days. I recommend this to anyone looking for an emotionally intense YA read. People who have gone (or are about to go) away to college will especially relate.