Thank you Netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.T

THIS BOOK IS STEAMY. I was not expecting it... but I am totally here for it.

It is such a fun book and had me hooked from the start, making it one of my favorite reads of 2020.

Clara moves to LA to live with her longtime crush Everett, but he leaves to go on tour with his band. She finds herself living with a stranger who happens to be a pornstar named Josh that rents a room from Everett. Joshua Darling opens uptight Clara's eyes to the adult entertainment industry and together. The story is engaging and full of both humor and steamy scenes.

This book was as soft and sweet as it was unapologetically sexy. The Roommate by Rosie Danan gives you a peek behind the (shower) curtain of a budding relationship between Type-A Clara and Roll-With-It Josh. When Clara’s laminated, alphabetized, and color-coded plans are upended and she’s left with a broken heart, she finds herself in an unexpected position with an unlikely partner. Josh has all the makings of a classic underachiever, except we see him win time and time again, not through happenstance but because of his drive and heart. The love story is sweet and filled with longing, but Danan does not leave the door closed between these characters and the horniness between them is omnipresent. This book vibrates with the power of pleasure, especially for those whose pleasure has often been ignored or marginalized. I loved every minute of reading it—I know you will, too.

the sex scenes were the best parts - but the rest of the story was good too

the "let's start our own porn company" thing was way less embarrassing to read about than i thought it was going to be. it's very refreshing to read about sex positivity in a way that isn't preachy.

both clara and josh were mature and tried to communicate honestly most of the time. their conversations were fun and sexy and playful. clara was the perfect amount of repression for me and josh was the perfect amount of smooth talking facade.

the ending was a bit too fast paced. i wish we spent more time with clara and josh individually throughout the entire novel, but especially when they were fighting. i don't particularly love epilogues and i don't think this one added much to the story - it would've been more interesting to read about the trial, to be honest.

every good love interest is named josh

<blockquote>“Until I met you I didn’t think there was anything worthwhile about porn.”</blockquote>

this is probably one of my favorite lines - it really shows clara being honest, both about her inexperience and appreciating josh. it's relatively early on in the book too, so it sets the tone of brutally honest shamelessness that allows their friendship and relationship to grow as healthy as it does.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing my review copy

Strait-laced Clara Wheaton has never done anything to upset her family. The upper crust Wheaton’s have enough scandal, no need for her to add to the pile. Moving across country on her own is totally out of her comfort zone. Of course, no one knows the real reason she’s moving is to follow her childhood friend and crush, Everett, in hopes that he will finally see her as more than just a friend. However, when arrives plans change, and she finds herself not rooming with Everett at all but with Josh. Josh is handsome and sexy as hell and someone Clara deems out of her league. After learning what he does for a living she definitely knows he’s out of her league.
Recently single, Josh finds himself in need of a place to stay and answers a Craig’s List add and finds himself rooming with Clara. He’s never encountered anyone quite like her. While she may not be what he typically is attracted to, he finds himself completely attracted to Clara. With Clara’s upbringing, Josh determines that she would never consider him a serious partner for her. He’s already a disappointment to his family and he’s not willing to be that to another person.
I wasn’t a fan of Clara’s. While Josh was likeable, there was something about him that just didn’t gel for me. The one thing I really did like about him was the fact that he wasn’t ashamed of his profession. His storyline didn’t go in the direction of “I do this only because I have to”. While it may not have been his first choice, he enjoyed what he did and eventually learned how to capitalize off it.
The overall storyline was good and different but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me.

I requested this title because honestly, I loved the cover and the synopsis made it sound like a cute romantic comedy. However, I was in for a BIG surprise.

The Roommate by Rosie Danan is the story Clara and Josh who unwittingly becomes well, roommates. They are polar opposites, but strait-laced Clara is determined to make it work, until she realizes what her new roommate, Josh, does for a living.

I have to admit that at the 20% mark I nearly added this book to my Did Not Finish list. The big reveal was not something I expected and quite frankly made me a bit uncomfortable, which is a strange thing to say for an avid romance reader, I know. However, I decided to continue reading and I am so glad I did.

Despite the central theme being what it was (no spoilers here), this story was incredibly sweet and romantic and yes even comedic. I adored Josh and Clara and even the supporting characters. It made me realize that I have a lot of preconceived notions about people who work in the same industry as Josh's character. Obviously, in the end this story is still a romance novel and therefore this happy ending is not the norm in said industry, but I loved that it made me step out of my comfort zone.

Rosie Danan's writing was excellent and kept me from leaving The Roommate as a DNF when things got uncomfortable. I am glad I took a chance on this story and I hope other romance readers do so as well. Josh and Clara will charm your pants off, promise.

This was such a fun book! Based on the premise, I had a feeling I would highly enjoy this one, and I wasn't wrong. I loved how sex-positive this book is, and especially how it humanizes sex workers. Clara and Josh had such INSANE chemistry, and this book was sassy and sexy as hell! Also, the smut was GOD TIER.

However, I feel like the ending fell kind of flat. I'm not a big fan of the whole third act breakup thing, and unfortunately, this book kind of has that. I wouldn't have minded it so much if the conflict hadn't been resolved so quickly. I feel like the characters needed more time to hash out their issues, but everything happened so quickly!

Still, I had such a fun time reading it and I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a fun, sex-positive romance!

I was so looking forward to this book. Its themes of owning our sexuality and getting rid of misogyny are right up my alley. Unfortunately this book felt flat and one dimensional. When it could have dug in deeper to the emotional implications of being in the sex industry, the vulnerability of being unmasked against your will, or really any of the details of true intimacy in a new relationship, let alone with someone who has sex for a living, it chose to skim the surface and rely on tropes. In the end I never believed that they were meant to be together for more than just some fun romps. And for a romance, that's a fail in my book. Bummer.

Yay for positive porn! This delightful, raunchy love letter to pornography and the joys of sex made me absurdly happy.

Clara and Josh have what might the most original meet cute in history when California hottie Josh takes over the room of a house Clara has just moved into when her actual roommate (and long time crush) suddenly absconds on a tour with his band. Just to make things extra interesting Josh turns out to be Josh Darling, one of the most popular porn stars in the country. High strung, socialite Clara is all set to book a return flight to the familiar streets of NY but fortunately Josh talks her off the ledge and soon they're testing the waters of a tentative friendship.

Soon Clara's got a new job and a new appreciation for Josh's work and world and the two set out on a new business venture to help Josh get out from under the corrupt and oppressive production company that has an iron fist around the industry and treats everyone who works for them like dirt. For his part Josh is totally dazzled by Clara's smarts and kindness and genuinely good heart, things he doesn't encounter too often in his line of work.

But can a relationship between two such complete opposites really work?

Fortunately since this is a contemporary romance the answer is yes and the road to get our hero's there is full of witty banter, hilarious awkward and sexy moments and just plain sexy moments.

I am endlessly appreciative of Rosie Danan's sex positive take on porn and how, in the right hands, it can do more than just a little good for the world. Josh and Clara are terrific characters and if the end of their story is just a touch melodramatic I'll forgive it, I wanted them to have a glitzy, Hollywood ending and apparently so did Danan.

This is a delightful, just ever so slightly silly, sexy, romantic romp that I very highly recommend.

This book was so much fun! Just what I needed since I haven't been able to concentrate on anything heavy. Mutual pining is one of my favorite romance tropes, and this book has it in spades. The summary made me giggle --Connecticut socialist unknowingly moves in with a porn star--and it delivered on that and more. This is a must-read for anyone who likes romance, and I recommend it wholeheartedly

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read an early copy!

OMG I loved this book. It's exactly everything you want in a rom-com - funny, swoon-y, sexy, and sex positive! I devoured it in one sitting - straight cover to cover. I'd love a follow up book in the same world from Naomi's POV. I always hate reading books like this so fast because then I'm sad for the net few days that it is over. I hope Rosie writes another to fill the new hole in my heart.

The only thing I didn't like was when one the one antagonists was described basically as a fat, hungry slob. Words like 'portly' were used. I'd just like books to move away from demonizing fatter characters, especially when he was the only character described that way. Yes, LA valley agents can be sleeze-balls, but I don't think that needed to be shown through his weight.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3249791151?book_show_action=false

Oh, how I loved this book. Between the hardcore feminist message and incomparable sexual tension, THE ROOMMATE is officially one of my favorite rom-coms of all time, and I will read anything (I repeat: ANYTHING) that Rosie Danan writes in the future. This was cute, sexy, and all about female pleasure and the female gaze. In other words, it was perfect. Hands down one of my favorite books of 2020!

This was a fun story and I really enjoyed the positive depiction of those who work in adult entertainment. And Clara and Josh have great chemistry. I was surprised at the strong family themes throughout the story, but I loved seeing the expectations and pressures family can bring being explored.

In search of a contemporary romance read to escape into for a while? Allow me to tell you about the book that provided one of the most delightful reading experiences I've had in 2020: The Roommate. (Obviously, if you happen to be into the "and then they were roommates" romance trope, it is very much a given that this will tickle your particular fancy.) Clara Wheaton moves cross-country at the invitation of her childhood crush, only for him to leave her sharing a lease with a charming, handsome stranger named Josh who has made a name for himself as a porn star. Insert likable characters, witty banter, comedic shenanigans, heartfelt emotions, thoughtful commentary and the typical rom-com miscommunications, and the end result is this joy of a book! It had me laughing so hard I cried, text yelling at my friend DJ at just about every scene and deeply invested in this romance. Rosie Danan did such a great job bringing Clara, Josh and their love story to life in a way that entertained me from start to end. The Roommate was so much fun, dang it, and that's definitely something I know a lot of other readers will appreciate too. It's one of my favorite romance reads for 2020 and another title I'd recommend adding to your TBR!

I really liked this book and it has my favorite set up, the roommate trope! we follow our uptight, east coast socialite, clara, and she becomes roommates with josh, a laid back LA porn star with more charisma than clara knows what to do with. The opposites attract vibe of the story was really fun and I think the character's personalities complimented each other very well and the dialogue in this story was hilarious. This story also had so many heartwarming, cute moments of domesticity and i absolutely loved to see it. This was the forced proximity trope done right.

The story also delves into discussions about sex positivity, sex education, and it simultaneously validates performers in the adult entertainment industry while also calling out the unsavory aspects of porn production that often leaves performers at risk mentally, emotionally, physically and/or financially.

cons:
I really disliked some of the conflict near the end because it happens so quickly and while the issues that arose made perfect sense, I honestly could not buy the resolution of those issues, I think more time should have been spent unpacking that final disagreement instead of brushing it all aside with dramatic love declarations and rapidly wrapping things up. Either the book should have been longer to accommodate this narrative choice or the argument could have been avoided entirely because there was enough conflict to carry the story without it.

Also i really think this book wildly missed the mark in terms of clara's family prominence and her worries about reputation and the "society pages" and whatever the hell else. It really did not make sense to me that so much of her inner conflict revolves around this and yet we never encounter her family at all on page and we don't see her resolving her issues with them. It was a weird choice, or maybe i just don't care about rich girl problems idk. So the ending was not satisfying to me despite this book being really enjoyable prior to then so I'm feeling conflicted on how to rate my experience with the story.

3.5 stars but i suppose i'll round up.

The Roommate was sooooo much fun to read! I smiled so hard. My husband was making fun of me from across the room because of the gigantic smile on my face. I just couldn't help it. The Roommate was adorable, sweet, slightly innocent while also being extremely sexy. I don't know how Rosie Danan managed to combine those two things, but she did and she did it well.

What was so fun about this book? Well, it stars an uptight young women who is breaking free from her socialite upbringing. Clara thinks she's going to be roommates with her childhood best friend who she's had a crush on FOREVER. Everett throws a kink in her plans to seduce him when he rents out his room to someone else for the summer. Josh isn't at all what Clara was expecting for the summer -- he's a porn star. You can only imagine the shenanigans that take place once Clara figures out what Josh does for a living, and how things take a turn when Clara finds herself falling for Josh. It was all kind of crazy, sweet fun.

I guess what made me love this one so much was the writing and the romance. I am not a fan of third person, and this would have been that much better in first person, but I didn't care. I was so in love with the story and the way it was written. There was so much heart and that's what mattered. It was a fabulous read. I can't believe it was a debut novel! I cannot wait to find out what Danan has coming next.

First off, look at this cover! Right away, I knew I wanted to read about the characters on that couch, and thankfully, the story didn't disappoint.

Pairing a wealthy, sexually inexperienced socialite with a porn star hero as her roommate for the summer was pretty much everything you'd expect it to be, and yet I found myself pleasantly surprised at how sex positive and sweet the story was (it's sexy but not erotica).

I had a few editorial quibbles about some of the characterizations and conflict, but mostly that's just because there was so much potential with this story and setup. Overall, it was a quick, fun read, and I already can't wait to see what Danan writes next.

RATING: B+ (4½ stars)

*3.5* This was a really fun read! It offers a fresh twist on the "unlikely couple" trope with a prudish, good-girl finding herself roomates and eventually business partners with a well known porn star. The character and relationship development are well done and the steam-factor is just right. I will be reading more from Rosie Danan for sure!

I enjoyed this book, but immediately forgot I had even read it. While the concept is cute and original (shy rich gal trying to avoid the limelight runs smack into a famous porn star), what exactly happens in the plot was not. Clara is the quintessential poor little rich girl who is too naive to survive in Los Angeles let alone the socio-political maneuverings of rich society. She's a bit hard to root for. Josh is a woke porn star and the author uses him to make some excellent points about the industry and sex work...except the reality of that type of work is still dark and difficult. I enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to talking about some of the points the author made, but the premise and discussion points took precedence over the actual romantic plot. Which, honestly, is okay sometimes.

3.5 Stars
I can not in good faith give this 4 stars because it missed the mark for me in several places.

Positives: The premise of the story is about Clara a naive East Coast girl who travels across the country to pursue the guy she has been secretly in love with since she was a kid. When she gets to L.A. she finds the boy she moved across the country for has up and left with his band and in his place is a guy on Craigslist that applied to be a roommate for the summer. Her new roommate is not only hot but also a porn star. The story that follows is a sex positive story that is different than anything else on the market right now and will be catnip for those 50 shades of Grey fans. There is also some really great one liners and the banter can be great.

Negatives: This book needed to either have more sex in it to be an erotica or more romance in it to be a romance novel. It feels stuck in a weird place were it is sexually explicit but not in a thrilling way. The sex is very clinical in a way that it isn't in an erotica and the romance feels lukewarm. I needed more connection and more reason for these two to be together.

Maybe I just done reading about rich white girls who have sexual awakening stories? The writing is very good and there were several interesting characters. I loved Naomi and wished through parts of the book that I could be inside her head.

Give to fans of Helen Hoang, who can't wait for her to write another book already and 50 Shades of Grey fans.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic book. I found myself not wanting to put it down. The scenes are sexy and titillating. The realness of the characters and events make for a more interesting book. A wealthy socialite and a pornstar find themselves as roommates. His charming ways and her uptight ways make for an interesting clash. These two find love, but how feasible is it for them to make a relationship work?