A review by samanthaardenlockheart
The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

​​<i>There <b>are</b> spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i> 

This excellent romance book by Elena Armas is about two very lovable characters named Rosalyn Graham and Lucas Mart​ín. Rosalyn Graham, better known as Rosie, was staying in her best friend Catalina Mart​ín’s apartment as there was an accident at her own place, leaving her unable to stay there. She could not even go home and see her father since she was hiding the secret of quitting her entire career. And as a young woman who recently abandoned her promising said career as an engineer to be a romance writer, it was clear that she was in a rather difficult time in her life. So when the opening scene revealed someone trying to break into that very apartment, her problems seemed to compound tenfold. In a panicked state, Rosie had dialled 911 and was convinced someone was going to come in and harm her—a very rationally thought, mind you. But as it turns out, our other main character, Lucas Mart​ín himself was the one trying to break in. <i>Yes</i>, the very same Lucas that Rosie had a secret crush on for well over a year, keeping up with him on social media without him knowing. At first, things were pretty awkward, but the two of them ended up growing very close with one another, divulging secrets, Lucas cooking dinner for them, and them watching Netflix together. Their chemistry was completely clear from the start, and the fact that they had to deal with forced proximity was something I loved immensely!! ​​🥰

However, this proximity is an important plot point. See, as Rosie is a romance writer, she was not feeling very inspired throughout the first hundred-or-so pages of this book. But then, when she was on the phone with her best friend Lina, she thought of the idea of getting a muse to inspire her writing—specifically, the idea of going back on dating apps and finding someone on Bumble or Tinder, for example. Funny enough, Lucas eavesdropped her <i>entire</i> conversation, much to Rosie’s dismay as she revealed many of her secrets to Lina making her madly blush at the thought of him hearing those things. But Lucas overheard it, he casually proposed a plan for her to find a muse: go on four dates together that mirror stages of falling in love and getting to know a person. In other terms, this was considered Rosie and Lucas’s experiment, hence the title of this book. Their first date was a cute trip to a record store, then a date night at a pizzeria named Alessandro’s, a Halloween Masquerade Ball, and finally, a rooftop date. I will not go into all of the details about the dates since you must read them for yourself. You best believe that Lucas went over the top to fill Rosie will love and inspiration for her new novel. ✨💖

Additionally, the main plot point of this story involved the romantic, sexual, and emotional tension that these dates created between the two main characters. Although Rosie and Lucas knew they were supposed to be “experimental” dates, both of them couldn’t help but feel very real emotions, which of course led to them falling in love with one another. I think both Rosie and Lucas fell in love with each other long before either of them could admit it; their friendship and relationship were so similar that it is hard to tell the two apart. But Elena Armas did an excellent job at articulating heartbreak towards the end of this book when Lucas had to leave Rosie standing in the airport, even though she wanted him to stay with everything that he was as a person, and not what he could offer. The feeling of sadness and missing someone against your best interests is a human thing, and I <i>sincerely</i> appreciate how she wrote about that concept. Heartbreak is a part of life, as long as you have a heart. It is irrational, messy, and sometimes stupidly inexplicable. But once again, it is life. 

Luckily, this book had a happy ending that meant so much to me. Lucas Mart​ín came back to Rosalyn Graham in the midst of her heartbreak on New Year’s Eve. He got ahold of the book she wrote, and through that, he was able to see for himself the depth of her love for him, and the man that she saw in him. It made Lucas realise that he deserved Rosie, even if he didn’t feel worthy of her. Ultimately, this is one of my new favourite romance books. It is a testament to love and truly accepting a person for everything that they are, and not what they have to offer. It is about becoming someone’s best friend, being their greatest adventure, and certainly their <i>true love</i>. One day, I hope my romance life turns into something like the love Rosie and Lucas share. It is currently January 15th, 2023 at 11:08 p.m. at the time of my writing this. Until then; I shall keep reading and living my loves out through these beautiful romance books.💖✨💖😊✨💖