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A review by carlyoc
Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Short, sweet, and sexy.
Bonus points for asexual spectrum representation. Both of the main characters seem to be ace or demi but everyone experiences those things differently and they never actually affirm how they identify in the book so it's difficult to say for sure and you may or may not relate to their experiences if you are acespec yourself.
Mara is a recent grad school grad whose academic advisor/found family mentor passed away and left her a house in her will. The only catch: her surly nephew is already living there. Even worse: he works for a climate-destroying corporation, whereas Mara has dedicated her life to environmental protection. Right off the bat, Mara and Liam strike an antagonistic tone, which only slowly warms up to friendship and then something more.
I love that it takes place in Washington, DC, although the fact that Mara contemplates trying to get to work during a snowstorm seems absolutely unrealistic. She works for the government, which would have absolutely closed its offices the second a snowflake fell from the sky, or perhaps as soon as it was in the forecast.
The structure of the story employs an interesting device - the prologue captures the beginning of the scene when Mara and Liam finally get together. And the rest of the story begins six months earlier, slowly working its way towards that moment, with the chapter titles counting down - "Five Months, Two Weeks Ago," "Five Months, One Week Ago," and so forth.
This is a novella, but I wish it was longer. I would have loved to learn more about how Liam experiences his sexuality (he seems to be generally sex-averse or agnostic until he meets Mara. But is he experiencing sexual attraction or just the desire to please her and be intimate with her on every level?) and to see a few more scenes of them actually being cute and lovey dovey together. (And maybe a couple more of those steamy sex scenes...)
Oh well, closest I can get is to read the other two novellas in the series that follow Mara's two best friends as they find their own lovers, so that's next on my TBR!
Bonus points for asexual spectrum representation. Both of the main characters seem to be ace or demi but everyone experiences those things differently and they never actually affirm how they identify in the book so it's difficult to say for sure and you may or may not relate to their experiences if you are acespec yourself.
Mara is a recent grad school grad whose academic advisor/found family mentor passed away and left her a house in her will. The only catch: her surly nephew is already living there. Even worse: he works for a climate-destroying corporation, whereas Mara has dedicated her life to environmental protection. Right off the bat, Mara and Liam strike an antagonistic tone, which only slowly warms up to friendship and then something more.
I love that it takes place in Washington, DC, although the fact that Mara contemplates trying to get to work during a snowstorm seems absolutely unrealistic. She works for the government, which would have absolutely closed its offices the second a snowflake fell from the sky, or perhaps as soon as it was in the forecast.
The structure of the story employs an interesting device - the prologue captures the beginning of the scene when Mara and Liam finally get together. And the rest of the story begins six months earlier, slowly working its way towards that moment, with the chapter titles counting down - "Five Months, Two Weeks Ago," "Five Months, One Week Ago," and so forth.
This is a novella, but I wish it was longer. I would have loved to learn more about how Liam experiences his sexuality (he seems to be generally sex-averse or agnostic until he meets Mara. But is he experiencing sexual attraction or just the desire to please her and be intimate with her on every level?) and to see a few more scenes of them actually being cute and lovey dovey together. (And maybe a couple more of those steamy sex scenes...)
Oh well, closest I can get is to read the other two novellas in the series that follow Mara's two best friends as they find their own lovers, so that's next on my TBR!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual harassment and Misogyny