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A review by alis_adventures_in_literature
The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
REVIEW
cw: anxiety, misogyny, mentions of death, cancer, organised religion
When the sex-positive start-up she co-founded becomes an international sensation, her responsibilities shift from the bedroom to the boardroom. Ready to conquer new worlds, Naomi wants to extend her platform to live lecturing, but higher education won't hire her. Ethan Cohen has recently received two LA Mag named him one of the city's hottest bachelors and he became rabbi of his own synagogue. Unfortunately, his shul is low on both funds and congregants so the board gives him three months to turn things around or they'll close the doors for good.Together, Naomi and Ethan host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems - until they discover a new one - their growing attraction to each other. They've built the syllabus for love's latest experiment, but neither of them expected they'd be the ones putting it to the test.
I really, REALLY wanted to love this book. I LOVED the first book, and I've also adored Rosie's most recent two books, but this one dragged.
I'd loved Naomi in the roommate, and, while I appreciate she was on a journey here, I felt like we'd lost the essence of Naomi somewhere along the way. Still, I liked how at ease she was able to make everyone who came to her seminars feel. As in the previous book, I also appreciated the positivity towards sex work. But my heart ached for Naomi when she spoke about how she always worried about being judged in one way or another, and it explained her seemingly hard exterior. Her recollection of high school broke my heart, and I was furious on her behalf at the way 'frat guy' spoke to her. But I chuckled at the scene with Ethan taking him to task. And drunk Ethan was ADORABLE. Speaking of Ethan, I loved how self-deprecating he was, and I also loved his relationship with his sister, Leah. She was funny and I loved the teasing between her and Ethan. Her arrival at the mixer made me cackle. But she also gave great advice.
At times I have to admit, I wished Leah was Naomi's love interest, because, while I ADORE a slow-burn, this was excruciatingly slow, mainly because the focus on religion was personally too much for me. Look, I realise Ethan was a rabbi, but I didn’t learn anything about Judaism that I didn’t already know, and, at times it felt like I was reading an introduction to Judaism handbook rather than a romance novel. And my goodness, it became boring very quickly. I hold my hands up. I'm not a fan of ANY religion, having spent the first half of my life being force-fed Catholicism, so perhaps that's why it irked me so much, and I would say this regardless of whatever denomination had been chosen... there was just WAY TOO much for a romance, and I couldn't push past it.
Not for me. DNF at 48%
Updated 23rd July
So, I decided to finish the book, but honestly, the above review still stands.
cw: anxiety, misogyny, mentions of death, cancer, organised religion
When the sex-positive start-up she co-founded becomes an international sensation, her responsibilities shift from the bedroom to the boardroom. Ready to conquer new worlds, Naomi wants to extend her platform to live lecturing, but higher education won't hire her. Ethan Cohen has recently received two LA Mag named him one of the city's hottest bachelors and he became rabbi of his own synagogue. Unfortunately, his shul is low on both funds and congregants so the board gives him three months to turn things around or they'll close the doors for good.Together, Naomi and Ethan host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems - until they discover a new one - their growing attraction to each other. They've built the syllabus for love's latest experiment, but neither of them expected they'd be the ones putting it to the test.
I really, REALLY wanted to love this book. I LOVED the first book, and I've also adored Rosie's most recent two books, but this one dragged.
I'd loved Naomi in the roommate, and, while I appreciate she was on a journey here, I felt like we'd lost the essence of Naomi somewhere along the way. Still, I liked how at ease she was able to make everyone who came to her seminars feel. As in the previous book, I also appreciated the positivity towards sex work. But my heart ached for Naomi when she spoke about how she always worried about being judged in one way or another, and it explained her seemingly hard exterior. Her recollection of high school broke my heart, and I was furious on her behalf at the way 'frat guy' spoke to her. But I chuckled at the scene with Ethan taking him to task. And drunk Ethan was ADORABLE. Speaking of Ethan, I loved how self-deprecating he was, and I also loved his relationship with his sister, Leah. She was funny and I loved the teasing between her and Ethan. Her arrival at the mixer made me cackle. But she also gave great advice.
At times I have to admit, I wished Leah was Naomi's love interest, because, while I ADORE a slow-burn, this was excruciatingly slow, mainly because the focus on religion was personally too much for me. Look, I realise Ethan was a rabbi, but I didn’t learn anything about Judaism that I didn’t already know, and, at times it felt like I was reading an introduction to Judaism handbook rather than a romance novel. And my goodness, it became boring very quickly. I hold my hands up. I'm not a fan of ANY religion, having spent the first half of my life being force-fed Catholicism, so perhaps that's why it irked me so much, and I would say this regardless of whatever denomination had been chosen... there was just WAY TOO much for a romance, and I couldn't push past it.
Not for me. DNF at 48%
Updated 23rd July
So, I decided to finish the book, but honestly, the above review still stands.