The Roommate has been so hyped over the last few months, I was honestly a bit nervous to read it. I also didn’t know what a ‘raunch-com’ was, and I didn’t read the synopsis or any reviews before starting, so I had no idea what was in store for me.

So, what was in store? A whole lot of laughs and swoons. Great characters that were easy to root for. Sexytimes that nearly set my Kindle on fire. Without a doubt, The Roommate is one of my favourite books of 2020 so far, and it completely lived up to the hype.

I loved Clara. She was wonderfully quirky and she made me giggle so much. She was someone I could see myself being friends with, and I wanted her to see how wonderful she was and that she deserved good things, despite feeling like her family was cursed. She’d lived a safe life doing what was expected of her and doing her best to live up to the family name. The first spontaneous, out-of-character thing she ever did was move across the country to live with her best friend - and unrequited crush - only to discover he was actually ditching her right from day one to go on tour with his band.

Enter Clara’s new roommate, Josh. Oh, Josh. He was so swoony! Total book boyfriend material. He and Clara were so different, but they had sizzling chemistry and their banter was hilarious. I loved how the way he saw Clara was so at odds with how Clara saw herself, but he slowly pulled her out of her shell and made her see that she deserved better than unrequited love and living only to please her family.

I loved how sex-positive this book was. It shone a light on the porn industry and humanized sex workers when a lot of people are quick to dismiss and demonize the industry and all people involved. I especially appreciated the emphasis on women’s pleasure and how women deserve to enjoy sex as much as anyone else. You know how people often refer to romance in derogatory terms like ‘lady porn’? Well, this book was lady porn in all the best ways and was simultaneously a love letter to romance and also a big eff you to everyone who talks crap about it and the things that bring women pleasure.

So yes, The Roommate completely lived up to the hype. I loved the characters, I loved the romance, I loved the banter, the flirting, the sexual tension, and all the emotions. The Roommate is a fun, flirty, fantastic must-read for all romance fans.

I saw this cute cover and title and thought this was going to be a very specific type of book, and whoa baby, was I wrong! There is quite a twist that I was not prepared for. Not. Prepared. For. I have to give the author props because I’ve never read a book like this and that twist was unique! I really did like Clara and Josh’s characters and the opposites attract personalities! The Roommate was a little too steamy for my taste, but I know a lot of readers are going to love this one and I’m excited to put it on their radars!

Would you like your steam with a side of steam? Oh you would, would you? Then read The Roommate because HOLY STEAM BATMAN!
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So even though this book is hella steamy and the plot revolves around the taboo subject of pornography, this book was surprisingly insightful and clever and really worked to do away with the stigma that surrounds adult entertainment. Along with the insane chemistry between Clara and Josh, I found that part super cool!
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I knocked this down a star rating because the ending felt a little rushed to me. I loved the build up and teases during the rest of the book so I would have liked to have more of an ending that what was ther - but this is a super minor complaint. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and recommend you add it to your contemporary romance repertoire!

This unique, toe-curling romance follows Clara, an east coaster from a socialite family known for their ability to weather and bury scandals. She moves across the country in the hopes of finally seducing her childhood crush turned adult obsession, Everett. However, Everett soon informs her that he’s going on tour with his band and Clara is forced to share a space with a very popular adult film star, known as Josh Darling. Clara and Josh eventually team up to create a sexy and informative website focused entirely on women’s pleasure. And they just so happen to get fairly intimate with each other throughout the process.

This novel was such a breath of fresh air in a genre that tends to stick to the same tropes and character archetypes. The inclusion of a male hero who was a sex worker felt almost revolutionary, and it led to some ridiculously fun and intriguing storylines. This book was just so sex-positive and focused heavily on safe and pleasurable sex for all involved. It actively worked against the demonization of sex work.

Clara and Josh were wonderfully complex people, with realistic insecurities that impacted them as individuals and their ability to be together. Their banter was hella cute and their sex scenes were hot as hell. I loved this book so much and I can’t wait to check out Naomi’s (Josh’s ex and powerhouse porn-star in her own right) story next year!

When I dove into this book, I had no idea the hero was going to be a porn star or a "performer" as he prefers to call himself. It has been a while since I read the synopsis so I had forgotten all about it. So when I picked this book up because of it's cute cover thinking it was going to be a really sweet and funny romance, I didn't expect it to be so steamy. Imagine my surprise, lol. I didn't mind but it wasn't what I expected. I have to say the whole plot with the website project didn't really interest me all that much but I was very curious about the romance and how it was going to develop.

In this book, you'll meet Clara and Josh. Clara has a crush on her best friend and the day she moves in to LA with him, he tells her that he has to leave for a tour and oh yeah, he also rented the room to someone else. She was crushed and had to meet someone new the same day. That someone is Josh, also known as Josh Darling, a famous online "performer". Curiosity gets her and she decides to watch one of his videos. Both characters are so different from one another but they made a pretty cute couple.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

“And you seem like the kind of girl who would take notes.”

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Roommate is easily one of my favorite reads ever. I love that the author tackled such a controversial issue and made it something beautiful. Sex workers, porn stars - - whatever you personally call them - - are people. Yes, they let themselves be filmed having sex (and various other things) for money, but that's nothing for them to be ashamed of. They love and are confident with their bodies, which is more than a lot of us can say about ourselves. I think the prejudice stems more from jealousy than anything else, because the discomfort people feel is based on how our society views nudity, women, and sexual acts in general.

There is nothing wrong with liking sex or the people who choose to do it professionally, and I am ecstatic Rosie Danan used her story to highlight how sex workers are treated within the industry. What happens to Josh, Naomi and the others isn't a rare occurrence, but something that people currently struggle with today. The world has always treated porn like it was this "dirty" thing, and I'm happy to see it viewed as something other than a secret people keep beneath their mattresses. Porn can be beautiful and erotic, and loving your body that much is a level of comfort only a few people possess.

I also like that this book focuses on women's pleasure and the difficulties we sometimes face when trying to orgasm. Every person's body is different, so different methods might need to be used to achieve the ultimate goal (an orgasm, if that wasn't obvious). Clara believes women should be shown how to help themselves, and also given advice for their partners. The concept is so simple, yet overwhelmingly neglected. Sex and porn are more often than not geared towards men and their preferences, yet women are more likely to be taken advantage of in the industry. Seriously, there were so many important topics in this book, and I'm beyond thrilled to see them being discussed openly and without shame.

I am also ridiculously happy that the author didn't fall into old trope traps. Initially, it looked like Naomi was being set up to play the jealous ex-girlfriend, so I was pleasantly surprised when she became a friend and business partner. Her personality didn't change (she's a little rough around the edges), but she was an amazing character that I would love to read more about. Everett, Clara's long-time crush, was poised to be something she fell back on when things got hard, and I'm so glad his role was minimal and didn't really affect the story. His presence lingered in the background for awhile, but Clara didn't dwell on his abrupt departure and absence for too long (REALLY loved how the author handled that relationship).

The conflict was totally believable, since both Clara and Josh had more faith in each other than they did in themselves. He didn't think some socialite with a big heart could ever love him because of his profession, and she didn't think her body was worth the attention of someone as experienced as Josh. He thought this, she thought that, and it took the two having a very hard conversation for things to finally fall into place. The slow buildup of their friendship was perfection (particularly the text of him asking for toilet paper while making a funny face in the attached picture), and was just so believable. They went from being strangers, to roommates, to acquaintances, to friends, then to friends with benefits, and finally to lovers. It was slow, but also incredibly sweet and well-written. (Somehow this author managed to make it slow and steamy at the same time!) I honestly thought I was going to melt a few times.

There's also a large emphasis on family, even though their families remain mostly in the background. How their families feel about and perceive them is very important, although they handle it in very different ways. However, they both like to avoid inevitable confrontations until forced to face them. I enjoyed seeing them learn and grow separately as well as a couple.

There really are so many aspects of this book to love, and it was the small details that really did it for me. The two of them watching Speed on the couch, him stealing some of her lasagna out of the oven, and her tricking him into liking vegetables. None of these things are glaringly portrayed, but subtly incorporated into the story. It made everything feel so much more real and relatable. They were both so down-to-earth and genuine, and I found myself wishing they were real so we could be friends. I absolutely loved The Roommate. I really, really did. (★★★★★)

After thinking about this for quite a while, I have come to the conclusion that I did enjoy the book but there was something missing for me. It was funny and I enjoyed the characters but there was just a little something missing for me that even months late, I can't put my finger on.

With that said, I would totally read whatever Ms. Danan writes next and am in fact, looking forward to what she publishes after The Roommate!

I was super excited to read this debut from Rosie Danan, but unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I couldn't stand the two main characters in here. I ended up putting the book down and not finishing. I stopped around 40% through the book as I just didn't care about what happened to the characters. It annoys me that Clara acts like a stuck up priss and acts like she's better than everybody when she's not. I also hate the author makes it seem like she's so innocent or whatever as well. As for Josh, I didn't like the porn aspect of the story at all. I'm not a prude but I couldn't sympathize to Josh for choosing that profession. They seemed to read kind of like YA except for the porn part on the side. Neither character seems to have much going for them. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this novel, but this wasn't my cup of tea. I decided not to post my review anywhere because it wouldn't be fair since I didn't finish the full book.

Josh and Clara couldnt be any more different if they tried, but when they end up living together they slowly learn that they balance each other out very well. What starts off as a platonic relationship, slowly grows when the two start to work together.

Clara and Josh are polar opposittes and truly belong together. This book was so much fun. Clara learns to be herself, she learns what is important and how to conquer her fears. Josh learns to truly love and believe himself. This book gave an insight to the porn industry and gave us some extremely well written and deep moments between the two.
This book was also very spicy, and it was an amazing story! I can not wait for the next book!

This is book was incredibly steamy and delicious!!! Definitely requires a cold shower after some of those scenes!! It was so well written and developed ! I feel Rosie did such an incredible job writing both characters and writing a world that was easy to get involved with. Not only was the romance good, the secondary characters were an absolute treat to read about as well!

It is easily one of my favourite romance reads of 2020 ! I am really looking forward to what else the author produces especially since this was her debut novel !!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for giving me this awesome book as an ARC!!!

THE ROOMMATE was a quick and steamy read that held my interest from the first page to the last. There was a playfulness to the characters, which the cover cleverly shows.

Clara is a wealthy socialite who gives up everything on the east coast to spend the summer with a friend in LA whom she’s loved from afar for years. But when he ditches her to go on tour with his band, things don’t go as planned. He’s rented out the house to a guy who answered an ad on Craigslist. When she and her unexpected roommate, Josh, first meet, sparks fly while both try to make the best of the situation.

Josh has an interesting job as an adult entertainer. He is only renting for the summer since he broke up with his girlfriend, who happens to be in the same line of work, and they star together often. It’s enlightening to see how Josh teaches Clara everything she wants to know about sex since they go into partnership together with Naomi on tutorial films. They sometimes have problems communicating, but they both listen to the other and get to know each other well in a relatively short span of time.

The story is filled with emotion, a lot of laughter, and a romance that feels real. Clara gets to know an aunt who left the family fold many years ago to make her own mark on the world. She takes Clara under her wing, and they take on some important work with some interesting twists.

There is more depth to the characters than I expected and a good flow to the story. I look forward to reading the sequel, THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT, which is due out next year.

This is a debut book by Ms. Danan, who first released it last year with the title, NEVER HAVE I EVER. I look forward to reading more of her books.

This was such a fun read! The main characters were well developed and likeable and the plot was unique and entertaining. It also surprised me with the intense romance scenes, which were well written and so steamy.

Clara is the perfect daughter. She doesn't cause scandals for her high society family by keeping her head down and doing what's expected of her. Because of the pressure, she's terrified of doing something wrong and keeps her feelings bottled inside. When she and her new roommate Josh have a connection, she can't believe he would ever want her beyond a one night stand. Seeing Clara's insecurities was so real and I felt for her. She's never had a guy treat her with love and respect so she couldn't see that Josh had real feelings. Clara goes through a lot of soul searching and deciding who she wants to be and I loved her journey.

Josh doesn't do relationships, mainly because of his career as an adult entertainer. So he doesn't know what to do about his growing feelings for Clara. Josh may have confidence in the bedroom, but he doesn't think he's good enough for a wealthy, high society woman like Clara. It was kind of nice to have a male lead that had some insecurities and watching him fall for Clara was the sweetest thing.

This was a great story, with plenty of drama, romance, and fun bits to keep it moving. I'm looking forward to more books from Danan!

I received this advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The premise of The Roommate was really cute, and there were certain aspects of this roommates-to-lovers contemporary romance that I liked. The emphasis on female empowerment, the power of people to change, etc. However, I didn't find the writing super compelling, and it took me forever to get through a 300-page romance (that should've been a page turner). The story was definitely unexpected, but I found myself getting more frustrated than enamored with the two main characters.

Who would have ever imagined a romance that a porn star and a sheltered society girl would have me talking about it non-stop but it has.

The Roommate by Rosie Danan is everything I could have wanted in a romance read and more. It is funny, sweet, and oh so steamy.

The chemistry between Clare and Josh is the perfect amount of angst and swoon and you will be fanning yourself in breathless anticipation.

I could not get enough of this book and everyone needs to read this book.

The Roommate by Rosie Danan deserves all the hype. It's one of my favorite romances I've read this year. It's funny, swoony, and extremely sex-positive. It doesn't villainize sex-workers.

Clara Wheaton, East Coast trust fund baby from a conservative family, moves to LA, after an invitation from her long time friend and childhood crush, Everrett. She hopes they finally can take their relationship to the next level. Once she arrives in LA, Clara finds out that Everett doesn't plan to stick around in the City of Angels, and she ends up sharing a house with Josh, who is subletting a room from Everett, and who happens to be a famous adult performer (a.k.a a porn star). Sparks fly between Clara and Josh, but they are total opposites. Josh is sex on legs, and Clara has never experienced an orgasm with a man. Not to mention, Clara's scandal-averse family will never accept Josh, and Clara is not planning to disappoint her mother or embarrass her family name.

I loved this book, and I adored Clara and Josh together. Also, it was interesting to learn about the adult entertainment industry, with its problems, and the stigma attached to it. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who love opposites attract trope and fans of The Kiss Quotient.

Clara Wheaton can’t believe that she left her privileged East Coast life for a shot at love in California. She should have run back home when everything started to fall apart the minute that she arrived. But pride is a painful thing to swallow.

Then there’s the problem of her new roommate. If she looked up the definition of sin, she’d find a picture of Josh. He’s sex on legs with the face of an angel. And she has no idea how they are going to survive the entire summer living under the same roof.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but frankly, Everett didn’t tell me he had to go out of town until right now and, no offense, I’m sure you’re probably nice, but this” – she gestured to the space between them – “falls a little outside my comfort zone.”
“Hey, me too.” He put his hand to his heart. “I’ve seen a lot of made-for-TV movies, you know. You’re exactly the kind of pint-sized, tightly wound socialite who goes crazy and paints the walls with chicken blood. How do I know I’m safe from you?”

Josh Conners doesn’t exactly make his living the conventional way. He doesn’t feel the need to apologize for it either. After all, in Hollywood, there are worse ways to make ends meet. He’s worked hard, has a loyal following and even earned a stellar write up in Cosmo. The last thing he needs is to be stuck rooming with the prim and proper Clara.

Until he discovers that they can make each other burn hotter than the California sun.

Now that they are working together to demystify female sexual pleasure for the masses, Clara works her way under his skin and into his heart. But can their searing summer romance turn into the love of a lifetime?

“Jesus, Clara.” He ran his hand through his hair. “You’ve dated a bunch of lazy assholes if they let you get away with that shit. Sex isn’t about efficiency.”
“Maybe not for you,” she said under her breath.
Josh’s gaze bore through her for a moment, so deep she wondered for a ridiculous instant if he could see through not only her clothes but her skin as well, to the yawning chasm of insecurity underneath.
He got to his feet. “You know what? No.”
She followed the movement of his arms as they crossed in a show of defiance.
“No?” Clara liked her bone-dry lips.
“No,” he said again as if even more convinced of what needed to be done. “This is unacceptable.”
“It is?”
Josh shook out his neck and shoulders, like a swimmer preparing to dive before a race.
“Take off your underwear,” he said, his voice calm and deadly serious.
Clara’s eyes went heavy-lidded at the conviction in his words, but then her mind caught up with her body. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I’m going to rectify this situation,” Josh stated simply. “Right now.”
“You can’t be serious.” She tried to laugh but couldn’t in the face of his stoic determination. “This is insane.”

The Roommate is a sublime combination of sexy and smart! Not only is Rosie’s Denan’s debut surprisingly soulful, her characters are sweetly awkward in ways that only fan the flames of their feverish chemistry.

But it’s not just about sex. Not to say that Clara and Josh don’t burn up the pages - because, oh my!! It’s also about being brave enough to live life on your own terms. And I simply adored every second of their journey…

I spontaneously combusted from how ding dang _hot_ this book was and it killed me and I am writing this review from beyond the grave.
Listen, this book. I went in being like "well I'm kind of a prude so I don't know if a romcom about an adult film star is really the book for me" but I saw that it was being compared favorably to The Kiss Quotient, which I loved, so I thought I'd read a chapter and see if I was interested. I read the entire book in that one sitting. The characters were believable and relatable and the steam was so satisfying and, like I said, the hotness killed me and I died.
I thoroughly plan on buying my own copy and will insist that all my coworkers I made to read The Hating Game will read this as well. 10/10 stars, for sure.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-copy of this book.

This book was so cute!! It was the perfect combination of tropes for a romcom. Clara moves to California to chase a childhood crush, said crush ditches her to go on tour with his band, and leaves her to share his apartment with a strange guy. Strange guy turns out to be fun and hot and...a porn star.

This book is extremely sex positive, which is refreshing, and steamy without being uncomfortable. The chemistry between Josh and Clara is on point, and their banter is fantastic. I like how it focused on an industry that we don't see much of in literature, and brought up some aspects that we don't normally consider.

I do wish Josh had a different name, because I have read SO MANY books with the male MC named Josh lately. I also wonder if their relationship is, in fact, realistic - I mean with someone as straight laced as Clara, do I really think she'd hook up with a porn star?? I also wonder how her family reacted to this development, if it was indeed for the long haul.

A fun read, definitely recommend to those that enjoy romcoms and don't mind steam.

If you were to ask me what the most hyped romance novel of the last half of 2020 is, without a shadow of a doubt, it’s The Roommate. If you’ve read other reviews posted in this blog, you know I’m mostly terrified of hype, so why did I read this book right away? Simple – a lot of romance bloggers I follow on twitter won’t stop talking about The Roommate, and when I read the blurb, I was hooked. How can I not be hooked!? I was also lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book (I screamed so loud when I saw the email), and as soon as I had enough free time, I sat down and read.

And read. Read. Read some more. Never mind that I have to wake up in four hours for work – I have to finish this book! This hasn’t happened in a while. When I finished, I can barely keep my eyes open because I was so tired, but I had the most gigantic smile on my face. This book is so good! There’s nothing I love more that when the hype for a book is deserved, and it’s incredible to me that this is Rosie Danan’s debut. The Roommate delivers in all fronts!

The Roommate opens with Clara, our heroine, on the way to the house where she’ll be staying for the summer. She’ll be staying with Everett, her childhood best friend, and also the love of her life. Clara is a bit apprehensive since what she’s doing is so out of character, but she’s also confident that Everett will realize that he’s in love with her, and that they’ll live happily ever after. Unfortunately for Clara, Everett literally drops her off in front of the house, gives her a hug, and jets away to join his band on tour. What’s worse is that Everett rents his bedroom to a random guy from craigslist, and now Clara has to live with a stranger. Jeez. Thankfully, said stranger, Josh, is nice and definitely not a murderer, and he and Clara hit it off…. Until she discovers what he does for a living.

The Roommate doesn’t have a lot of characters – most of the focus is on Clara and Josh and how they grow as individuals, as well as how their relationship develops. We see how they get to know each other; how they learn to lean on each other; how they eventually inspire each other; and ultimately, how they work together to achieve a common goal. A big part of what makes this book shine is how well-developed Clara and Josh are. I related so much to the both of them. Clara, after spending most of her life catering to her mother’s whims, decides to spend a reckless summer in Los Angeles. She’s so vulnerable and so out of her depth, but what I adore about Clara is that she’s not scared of facing her fears head on. Josh, meanwhile, despite being looked down on by so many people because of his job, is so kind and is so happy to help Clara. However, Josh is also going through a lot – like so many people, he doesn’t have a relationship with his parents because of his job, and he’s not getting paid enough either despite being incredible at what he does.

Clara and Josh’s relationship is so multi-faceted and has so many layers. They develop a deep friendship almost right away; they become business partners; but at the same time, their romantic relationship develops slowly and surely. Their romantic relationship is the sexiest slow burn! Josh and Clara inspire each other to think better of themselves; that they can push boundaries; that they’re worth more; and that they can be whoever they want to be. Through Clara encouraging him, Josh decides not to compromise his morals and beliefs just for a higher paycheck. Clara thinks of herself as plain and boring, but Josh challenges Clara to see herself the way Josh sees her. She’s more.

Another reason why I loved The Roommate so much is its unflinching portrayal of the sex industry. We learn how adult film stars are treated by studios, and how they are constantly harassed by the people they work for. A common theme in the book is how adult film stars are just like you and me, and I could not agree more. Naomi, Josh’s ex, is an adult film star, also another favorite character of mine. She’s so strong and confident, and I enjoyed how we see her and Clara’s friendship grow. I hate, hate the evil other woman trope and I’m so glad that this was not the case here.

All in all, if you can’t tell by now, I loved The Roommate, and it’s for sure one of my favorite books of 2020. I also just discovered that Naomi will have her own book next year and I AM SO THRILLED, because one, it’s Naomi, and two, we are not saying goodbye to this world!!!

3.5 'Shameless' Stars!
ARC provided by the the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rosie Danan’s debut novel The Roommate definitely caught my attention with its adorable cover and enchanting blurb. I thoroughly enjoy forced proximity books and this got even better when I realized the protagonists were strangers forced to be roommates. Danan’s debut was sweet, full of sexual tension and entertaining and I am glad I decided to give it a go!

So, as I said, The Roommate is Rosie’s first novel and it tells the story of Clara Wheaton and Josh Darling. Clara comes from a wealthy family, she is a socialite and, all of a sudden she has just decided to move in with her best friend / longtime crush. Problem? Emmett has no idea about her feelings and he is leaving on tour with his band. Enter Josh. Her new roommate. A complete stranger who now Clara has to spend the summer with and share the space. Things get even crazier when Clara discovers Josh’s job and she gets involved in it.

Josh was absolutely the bomb. He was a big tangle of hormones trying to lure her to an untimely end. A bomb masked by cheesy jokes and kind eyes. One that could blow up her whole life if triggered at the wrong moment.

The premise of this story is what got me all excited. Roommates, strangers, their backgrounds and sexual tension? Oh yeah, I loved what this novel promised. Did I get what I expected? Yes. And no. I enjoyed the story as a whole and the back and forth between Clara and Josh. Their strange friendship / relationship was exciting and I definitely enjoyed their interactions. I did expect more though. It took me a while to get into the story and the writing style. It felt slow at the start and the actual romance did not develop until the third half of the book. I found that the spark between the couple was missing until that part and that is what messed it up for me. The last half of the book is what gripped me, it was entertaining and I enjoyed how Rosie developed the romance between Josh and Clara.

“My love for you isn’t an addiction. Being with you doesn’t provide some warped sense of validation for my life. You were never a fling I had to get out of my system. Our love feels like... freedom. The kind people give their lives for.”

Therefore, I am rating The Roommate with 3.5 STARS. It gave me a pleasing reading experience but I just was expecting a bit more. It was a good read and I liked the storyline and the crew of characters introduced. I loved Clara and Josh as couple, their strange connection (being from so very opposite backgrounds) and how their chemistry and emotions developed towards the end. A charming and sweet debut novel that I am sure many romance lovers will enjoy!