emilylovesbooks94 's review for:

Roommate Arrangement by Saxon James

4.0

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If I'm being honest, the beginning of this story confused me. Between Payne's divorce, Beau's crush, and the chaos of their living situation, there was a lot going on, and I couldn't wrap my head around any of it. I wasn't connecting with Payne, Beau's eccentricities tipped the scales from cute to uncomfortable, and the awkwardness of their attraction was overwhelming. I thought about leaving their book unfinished a couple of times, but I'm so glad I didn't because Payne and Beau won me over in the second half. The progression of their relationship was far from conventional, but I grew to love that about them. Beau and Payne showed their love in ways I wasn't expecting--with paper cranes and late night coloring sessions and thoughtful conversations about dragons jumping off buildings. Their journey was so uniquely them: fascinating and unexpected but utterly adorable once I gave it a chance. Though Payne insisted he wasn't relationship material, he treated Beau the way I'd want any boyfriend to treat me. I won't pretend that Beau ever started making sense to me, but I loved that Payne took all of his quirkiness in stride and even seemed to love him more for it. Their physical connection was off-the-charts, and in the time they spent together I could tell that they understood each other on a deeper level. I do wish it hadn't taken Payne so long to realize what he felt for Beau was more than a rebound fling, but luckily Beau was patient enough to wait for him to realize what everyone else had already figured out. I don't think this story needed the DMC chats to sell me on Payne's mixed feelings, but seeing Payne get to celebrate with a great group of guys at the end was a sweet way to tie off his character arc.

**I voluntarily read an ARC of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.