Super sweet love story. A marriage of convenience. Friends to lovers. Amazing supporting cast. And genuinely honest and charming writing from Christina Lauren. I read this book in two days and felt up swept up in the setting of Broadway in New York City. It's a fast and easy plot structure affording you the opportunity to really relax into the reading.

If you're wondering why not 5 stars? It's because I do think a little more depth to the story could of made it a little better and there was a section or two where I felt it started to drag in terms of advancing the relationship.

Overall though any romance reader will enjoy this. It's crisp and delightful to read with memorable characters full of charm and spunk. I fell for not only the main characters but the support cast as well and I loved the premise of how the two met and the why of their marriage. Roomies is perfectly entertaining and fun.

Theatre archivist Holland Bakker has crushed on subway musician Calvin McLoughlin for months. One night, after a few cups of liquid courage, Holland approaches Calvin to confess her undying love... for his music. When a subway attack leaves her unconscious on the rails, Calvin steps in to contact the MTA and the police, but he doesn’t stick around for small talk.

Determined to pay him back, Holland lands Calvin the Broadway audition of his life with her Uncle Robert, a famous director. Robert is blown away and immediately wants to hire Calvin for his musical’s orchestra, but Calvin reveals that he’s in the country illegally on an expired student visa. When Holland proposes marriage, the arrangement is just crazy enough that it might actually work.

There are a lot of romance tropes that I like, friends-to-lovers and fake relationships being somewhere near the top of the list. There are also a lot of romance tropes that I’m iffy about, and a marriage of convenience is one of them. That said, I thought that Roomies was an adorable and (quite nearly) perfect romance about two people who are thrown together and have to work to make it work.

So often in the romance genre, the heroine takes a backseat to the hero. And while, yes, Calvin was certainly something else (and I wouldn’t mind picking up my own Calvin on my next subway ride), Holland was a breath of fresh air. She’s neither a doormat nor a brat. She knows that she wants to make her own way in the world, but she doesn’t know how to start. She’s head-over-heels in lust with Calvin, but she marries him solely to give him the opportunity to realize his dream.

This plot could have gone in a lot of less-satisfying directions, but this author duo did a great job of making it feel realistic while still keeping it entertaining. I saw the first big conflict coming and it didn’t bother me. The second big conflict, though, seemed like a lot of drama for no real reason and felt a bit out of character. BUT, that’s the only real criticism I have of this entire book. Overall, it was cute, it was funny, it was swoony, and it was hard to put down. This was my first Christina Lauren book, but it won’t be my last.

Final rating: 4.5 stars, rounded up to ★★★★★

I received a free copy of Roomies from the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Roomies is unexpected and fun and romantic and I LOVED it! This isn't my normal read and I was not sure that I was the right audience for it, but as I was reading Calvin and Holland's story I didn't want it to end!

Everything about the evolution of this story is relate-able, readable and you really FEEL everything that happens to Holland. You can't get much better than a marriage of convenience turned romance in New York City and this book filled my heart with unexpected tenderness.

It is a very well written story full of all the emotions - well done! Thank you NetGalley - Christina Lauren (Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings) are an author collaboration not to be missed!

This was a really cute, really quick read (like, I read it in one sitting kind of read) - exactly what you'd expect from Christina Lauren. I've read almost all of Christina Lauren's books in the past two months, just marathoning them, so obviously they're really enjoyable. I highly recommend them if you're looking for sweet, fluffy reads with not a lot of angst. They're fun and lighthearted and I pretty much always like the couples. If sex scenes make you cringe, Christina Lauren probably isn't the author for you, though. This one is the lightest, as far as sex scenes go, so you could try this one out if you're interested! I'm a sucker for the fake dating/marriage trope so I was really excited about this one. I really liked Holland and Calvin and how they handled the snags their relationship went through, as well as how they handled their own issues throughout the book. So, yeah, another good romance from Christina Lauren.

Arranged marriage tropes in romance can be so much fun, and for the most part this book filled the bill. The best part was uncertain, tentative Holland getting the courage to speak to her six-month crush, and when it turned out he would be the best bet for her uncles to replace a departed musician in their musical theater hit, to act.

Lauren does a lovely job with describing the theater world, and its magic. She made it clear that Holland has the family musical talent, though she has chosen the written word as her avocation. Except she hasn't written Word One since gaining her MFA, and instead has been working as a gofer for her uncles, despised by her boss Brian for the unspoken nepotism. (A small issue never quite addressed, but it is very small.)

Calvin is Irish, a brilliant musician who turns out to be classically trained. It's also clear that he's as attracted to Holland as she is to him. The first three quarters of the book I loved, culminating in the marvelous scene when they come together. But unfortunately, that was at the 3/4 mark. I hoped we were not going to have manufactured Climactic Conflict, but . . .

I liked the side characters, particularly the study of Lulu, who is longing for an acting career, but who really wants to be an eighties manic pixie dream girl, with all the collateral damage that implies. Also, Brian, Holland's mean, sarcastic boss, has an interesting arc. It could have been more developed, but I liked where it ended up.

The prose was vivid, graceful at times, a sensory feast when it needed to be. Altogether I enjoyed the read, despite what I felt were problems.

Roomies is a fun, flirty novel about finding yourself in New York City. I found the narrator, Holland Bakker, very engaging as well as all the supporting characters. And I loved the odes to the Hamilton musical.

This was a very fun book to read! I love the collaboration between the authors, and if anything, I loved this one more than all of the others I have read of theirs! I found the stranger to friend to husband story to be as quirky and complicated as it should've been. The secondary characters were well developed and added beautifully to the story.

A definite 4 stars for me! This is a quick fun read and I absolutely loved it!

My Library has copies of this book On Order. It appears this book is aimed at millennials and they'll probably enjoy this book.

I'm seriously in love with the "marriage of convenience" trope where someone undoubtedly catches some feels and things get messy and complicated. I love it. What I love even more is the unparalleled manner in which Christina Lauren weaves a romance. The combination of the two in Roomies is everything Christina Lauren fans would expect it to be, a beautifully written tangled web of emotion and music, deceit and sensual romance and I absolutely adored it. 

Christina Lauren's writing and storytelling, I swear, gets more seamless and more polished with each new book. I get as lost in their words as I do in their storylines. The lush romance, the complicated emotions, the quiet longing, the steamy sex, the painful heartache, all of it melds and morphs and evolves fluidly in Roomies and it's just pure DELICIOUSNESS. It's another stellar demonstration of the writing powerhouse that is Christina Lauren. 

Roomies is an absolute win for this pair. They can't write a bad book, they never stop surprising me, and they never fail to sweep me away in an unforgettable love story. And Calvin and Holland are certainly unforgettable. There are moments in this book that make my heart skip a beat just thinking back on them. This duo is a mess, quite frankly, caught up in their self-made web of secrets, lost in the chaos of their own emotions. But amidst all of that mess are the sweetest moments, the most heart-stopping scenes, the most decadent feels. It all comes together perfectly in this sweet, sexy, heartfelt package that I wholeheartedly enjoyed.

Full review to come. I adored this book, it was everything I wanted. Perfection!!

Without hesitation this has gone into my top reads of the year. The talent shone through with each and every page turn of this marriage to love, lovestory. The supporting cast were excellent, even Lulu who I wanted to strangle a few times too!

I near died at a certain point during Roomies, I couldn't get my breath quick enough with the explosion of laughter, I applaud books that can bring humour along with angst and raw emotion, a feast of literary deliciousness to dive into.

Both lead characters were created tremendously well, I had a lot of respect for Holland and how she dealt with things, the way she was written was an instant hit in my opinion. Calvin was a connundrum sometimes, I can see why Holland would worry about how things were going and what was real and what might not be. Loved it.

The consequence of being 'roomies' was never going to be easy, the easy solution the reader just knows is not going to be easily gained at all. The push pull was perfect. The well-crafted theatrical world was so easy to visualise and be happily drawn into, the characters, the music, broadway and of course immigration all came together for an outstanding read.

This book could have easily gone on longer, I was that invested in it, in them, I would have been very happy for a lot more. Definitely a great read and sorry it had to end. I received Roomies via netgalley, my review is my own and based on my reading experience, which in this instance was easily and 6 star read.

Roomies was all over the place for me. I liked the concept but had a hard time buying it as it was happening. I thought Cal and Holland were a great match and some real chemistry so that made things easier. And Hollands uncles were AMAZING. Lulu, not so much, but that all worked out in the end so I can be happy about it. I got frustrated by the lack of communication, sometimes in books that is just too much for me, as it is here. The best part was the ending, it felt right and good and while it's a happily ever after it's not the over the top sort.

This was really good. The dynamic between the H and h were well written. I felt really bad for her though. Unrequited love sucks. The constant questioning if motives. Is he just grateful, does he truly mean it. Great story.

I read Roomies from beginning to end in one session. I don't even think I came up for food or water. But who needs food and water when you have Calvin and Holland in your life? Christina Lauren do it again.

This is a great new book from the duo behind Christina Lauren. I really enjoyed it! It had their signature humor and excellent story development. I will gladly recommend this!

I am convinced that there ins't too much author duo Christina Lauren can't write and I definitely love every since thing they put out!

Roomies was such a tender, sweet story that surprised the heck out of me. Of course it had Christina Lauren's typical sexy scenes and there was some laugh-out loud moments (at least for me), but I was really surprised by how emotional the book was for me.
It could have been my mood as a reader and maybe others won't have the same reaction, but it was just SO sweet!

This was fine! I found Calvin to be a believable object of Holland's long-term crush and Holland to be a sympathetic narrator. The idea of thinking of one's self as the sidekick was a good way of talking about mid-twenties anxiety about the future, which made Holland feel realistic. Obviously the relationship was contrived, but I'm sick of romance novels throwing dumb conflicts into the story when there are plenty of real ones. Holland's anxiety about some girl Calvin was going to go on a first date with before they met is a lot less interesting than the actual conflict that comes from living with a stranger and actually getting to know your crush. I didn't want artificial obstacles to their happiness when their living situation was obstacle enough!

Not as raunchy as Christina Lauren's other stuff that I've read, so it'll be easier to recommend to people without making myself embarrassed!

There are two things I love in my romance novels……one is the talent duo of Christina Lauren and a theme of marriage of convenience! So Roomies was just what I was looking for!
Calvin rescues Holland from a subway attacker, and when Holland pays him back by getting him his big musical break! Everything is going amazing, Calvin gets his break but it is halted when his illegal status is uncovered….. Well what do you do when the hot illegal Irishman is being treated to have to leave the country?!?! Well if you are like me and Holland you offer to marry Calvin to keep him in New York! Oh and by the way of course Holland is completely in love with Calvin!
I loved this book! It was so much fun and romantic! I love how the authors write this amazing love story! I look forward to read more ( and everything they write) from Christina Lauren!

*slow clap* Christina Lauren has done it again with a sweet, sexy, absolutely adorable, and downright entertaining book about love, ambition, following your dreams, and becoming who you were meant to me. I was first introduced to the duo this summer by a fellow book seller and friend, and have since gobbled up nearly everything they have written (and will continue to do so). That being said, Roomies is definitely in my top two favourites of their work!

The love story is sweet, beautiful, slow-burn sexy, and literally had me giggling with joy to myself into the small hours of the morning. Like their other books, Roomies highlights the need for women to embrace who they are, both in relationships and in their careers, and this is handled extremely well.

I finished this book feeling overjoyed and inspired. I would recommend it to any fan of contemporary romance, but also to those who are just looking for a fun, entertaining, and happy read. Roomies is not as entrenched in the conventions of the romance genre as some of Christina Lauren's other books, so would serve as an excellent stepping stone for those who want to give romance a try.

But to long-time fans of these queens of romance... you're in for a delightful treat!

Loved the story of Holland and Calvin. Fun sweet read.