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A review by livelyghost
The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I came into this with the lowest of low expectations. In fact, after reading The Spanish Love Deception I almost returned this book to the library unread because I was so disappointed with the first book in the series. I’m glad I didn’t.
This book is the opposite of everything I hated in TSLD. The characters are both sweet and genuinely like each other as people from the start. They respect each other. Other people have posted that this felt like one long miscommunication trope but I disagree, I feel like it was much more of a “fake dating and then talking about your feelings realistically” situation. Through the whole book Rosie and Lucas genuinely consider how the other is feeling, which seems rare in a lot of the romances I’m reading.
One of the only complaints I have is that I wish Rosie’s character was just a little more fleshed out. We know Lucas cooks, surfs, loves his dog, travels the world, is kind of a ladies man etc. Rosie, in comparison, feels a little two-dimensional. I would have loved to hear more about she decided to make a huge career change and what it felt like to sell her first book/rise to popularity as an author because that’s a major part of her character’s recent history. Instead we mostly focus on historic but somehow underdeveloped relationships with her brother and dad and her love of a vampire tv show. I loved that she wasn’t just a brunette klutz whose only defining feature was being clumsy/not taking care of herself/fainting, but I wanted more. It felt like a lot of her character was implied while Lucas was more explained. Maybe it was so people could see themselves more in Rosie (tbh works for me) but I think it was a missed opportunity to connect with her character more.
Finally, Lucas is fucking hot, and a huge part of the reason this gets four stars. A man who’s strong and athletic but has emotional range? Who loves to take care of people and centers their needs? Who acts respectfully but not in that gross “m’lady” kind of way? Who takes the time to plan meaningful dates? “This is what you do to me, Rosie”????? I’m in love, A+, looking forward to the next few weeks of this afterglow.
This book is the opposite of everything I hated in TSLD. The characters are both sweet and genuinely like each other as people from the start. They respect each other. Other people have posted that this felt like one long miscommunication trope but I disagree, I feel like it was much more of a “fake dating and then talking about your feelings realistically” situation. Through the whole book Rosie and Lucas genuinely consider how the other is feeling, which seems rare in a lot of the romances I’m reading.
One of the only complaints I have is that I wish Rosie’s character was just a little more fleshed out. We know Lucas cooks, surfs, loves his dog, travels the world, is kind of a ladies man etc. Rosie, in comparison, feels a little two-dimensional. I would have loved to hear more about she decided to make a huge career change and what it felt like to sell her first book/rise to popularity as an author because that’s a major part of her character’s recent history. Instead we mostly focus on historic but somehow underdeveloped relationships with her brother and dad and her love of a vampire tv show. I loved that she wasn’t just a brunette klutz whose only defining feature was being clumsy/not taking care of herself/fainting, but I wanted more. It felt like a lot of her character was implied while Lucas was more explained. Maybe it was so people could see themselves more in Rosie (tbh works for me) but I think it was a missed opportunity to connect with her character more.
Finally, Lucas is fucking hot, and a huge part of the reason this gets four stars. A man who’s strong and athletic but has emotional range? Who loves to take care of people and centers their needs? Who acts respectfully but not in that gross “m’lady” kind of way? Who takes the time to plan meaningful dates? “This is what you do to me, Rosie”????? I’m in love, A+, looking forward to the next few weeks of this afterglow.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail