I AM EMOTIONAL. I laughed, I cried, I craved brisket. This is the best contemporary romance I've read in a while hands down!

The Intimacy Experiment is about Naomi Grant, non-practicing Jewish sex educator and ex porn star, and Rabbi Ethan Cohen, who I would protect with my life (more on this later). They embark on a mission to save Ethan's failing synagogue through a sex-positive seminar on modern intimacy to show that modern relationships and faith are compatible. This is clearly unpopular with a more conservative population and there is some backlash as they grow closer together and firmer in their mission to make Judaism more accessible to young people.

It is the sort of book that makes you swoon while also forcing you to consider your entire approach to life and faith. I know everyone is probably saying this but it really is what you wish Fleabag could be (because we all respect the artistic integrity, but please, just once, let them not walk away from the bus stop).

Like all great stories, the characters are what made it so good:
Naomi Grant was the bisexual lady boss we always deserved- when I say I would let her crush me under her stilettos, I mean it. Watching her slowly become more vulnerable was like watching the last stubborn bud bloom, so satisfying. But you never feel frustrated with her progress, though it is not always linear. Her life story just begets distrust, so you understand why she is so guarded, and why it is so satisfying to see her becoming more tender, more open to love. She is a complex character that the author did such justice.

Ethan. Cohen. A short king, truly. I guess calling characters cinnamon rolls is not a thing anymore, so forgive me, but I can't think of a better characterization. He is such a soft man, and totally unashamed of his feelings for Naomi and it made my heart grow three sizes to see a love interest who treated her work with such respect and care. I usually like my love interests dark and brooding and preferably fae, but I would take a bullet for this fictional man. I will hear no slander (not that there is anything to criticize about Rabbi Cohen, that clumsy, poetic fool). I would listen to him read the Torah all day.

I thought this book would be spicier, but I honestly didn't even think about how little spice there really was because the TENSION. The yearning was real. And as we all know, it's all about the yearning.

5/5 swoony, giggly stars

Much thanks to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for sending me the arc for my honest review!

"The Intimacy Experiment" follows Rosie Danan's previous book "The Rommmate," which I also read. "The Intimacy Experiment" is centered around Naomi, who first appeared in "The Roommate." While this book works as a standalone, reading "The Rooommate" first adds more background and context to Naomi's character. Naomi is a successful businesswoman and adult film performer who begins offering classes at a synagogue led by Rabbi Ethan Cohen. Despite their different personalities and jobs, a romance develops between Naomi and Ethan. Unlike "The Roommate," I found this book to be more of a serious romance with less humor. The book offers an interesting discussion of faith, particularly with Naomi's complicated relationship to Judaism, but while Naomi is an intriguing character, I thought she was better written in "The Roommate." The obstacles to Naomi and Ethan's relationship felt forced, and Naomi's personal struggles and the different facets of her personality weren't developed enough for me.

UNPOPULAR OPINION: Overall I was honestly pretty underwhelmed with this one. The Roommate came in HOT and I can’t believe I’m going to say this but The Intimacy Experiment was way more of a sweet romance that didn’t have a lot of steam, which was super surprising and disappointing. With Naomi having sex/pleasure be SUCH a big part of her identity in book 1, she didn’t seem herself in this book and it didn’t really work for me. 

I also expected more angst between her and Ethan, especially with it being a spiritual leader trope (which I’m also not a huge fan of in general), but it didn’t seem to create that much tension between them. You would think them not having sex would help create that angst, but it really didn’t and only caused me to wonder why she, Naomi Grant master of pleasure, wasn’t having sex with when they both obviously wanted to and they weren’t being held back by his religion. If I had to describe this book in one word it would be BORING. 

I hate to say this but I’m pretty bummed with this one and hope Rosie Danan brings back the steam and spark in her next book!

Loved the Jewish characters in this book- we need more representation! Loveable characters and enjoyable plotline.

While I loved everything about Rosie Danan’s contemporary writing style that gave us plenty of sex positivity and chemistry in The Roommate, The Intimacy Experiment just blew me away, I absolutely loved it.

One of the things I love most about a series is when an author is able to make side characters noticeable and interesting enough to want more about them in one book, while still managing to surprise us in their own book with personal growth, backstory and a unique character voice and viewpoint.

To me, Naomi was a perfect example of this - as we know her in book 1 as the fierce female badass, ex-girlfriend to Josh who become his & Claire’s close friend and business partner. As we begin book 2, we see her insecurities and a softer side that uses her reputation as a shield of sorts until she meets Ethan, a hot rabbi who tears down her walls.

This book (and the first) are so unique, full of the perfect amount of steam, heart and a fun storyline that keeps you turning those pages, Danan has certainly made herself an auto buy author for me!

I was a huge fan of Danan’s The Roommate, so I was pretty keen to get to see more of Naomi and her POV. She surprised me a lot, so getting to spend some time in her head and see her as the romantic interest was definitely a treat.

Honestly, I was a bit weary when I read the premise of this book. Whenever the love interest is a religious figure, I worry that the proper care may not be taken or that it will be offensive to that religion. However, this was not the case as Danan herself is Jewish, and she ensured that the representation was not harmful to the community. I myself am not Jewish, but I am a follower of a Abrahamic religion, so I do feel capable of speaking on the religious sensitivity piece of this.

I know some reviewers were disappointed by the lack of steaminess or sex scenes compared to The Roommate, but I felt like the way this story was written made snese with the heart of the plot and the who the characters were as people. I appreciated that Naomi and Ethan solidified a deep relationship first and that they were able to grow together with a solid foundation. It’s what Noami wanted, it’s what Ethan needed to help him as a Rabbi.

Similarly, to the first book this one is full of sex-positivity and humanizing the adult entertainment industry. It’s great that even though Ethan leads his flock religiously, he never tried to use religion to morally degrade or humiliate Noami. Instead he met her where she was at, and liked and appreciated her for who she was, her past and all. He never tried to hide or change her and that was instrumental in the foundation of their relationship.

This was a really fun, heart-warming read, which also presented pertinent and relevant issues. If you’re a romance fan, then this one's for you.

While this book was enjoyable and had swoon worthy moments, I felt a bit disconnected. It was well written and fast paced, but there was just something I couldn't connect to. Now this doesn't make it a bad book, but it just wasn't a book for me. I will still read Rosie Danan's next release, and I hope you give this one a chance!

The Roommate was one of my favorite books of 2020 and when I found out that Naomi will get her own book, I was beyond excited.

The Intimacy Experiences dives deeper than the author’s first book, but keeps up much of the tension. I love that the story is about people who are trying to heal and put themselves back together after experiencing trauma and creating a community based on love, openness, and empathy. The Jewish representation in this book was great and I think author did an amazing job incorporating that seamlessly into the plot and character's backstories.

In terms of opposites attracting, Rosie Danan is becoming a go-to author. Her second book, THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT (Berkley, 336 pp., paper, $16), dives deeper than her first. The story is built around people who are trying to put themselves back together after trauma, and building a community based on love and empathy and deeper truths. If this sounds like philosophy or theology, that’s one of the pleasures of a romance that so richly uses Reform Judaism as a lens into its characters’ inward journeys.

I’m always interested in romances involving religion that do not fall under the Christian euphemism “inspirational romance” — and Danan’s book is at its very best when it’s connecting faith, trust, strength and desire in complex ways.

Sometimes a romance separates sex from intimacy to explore the space between. In Cecilia Grant’s “A Lady Awakened,” for instance, the initial plan is for the heroine to get pregnant: The sex starts early and the romantic feelings follow later. “The Intimacy Experiment” flips this script: The blunt bisexual sex educator, Naomi, and a hot thoughtful rabbi named Ethan hold off from touching for a good, long, aching while, even though both are experienced and Naomi in particular has always found sex to be simple and easy. There’s a lovely scene where she realizes she doesn’t want sex yet, and doesn’t know why, and she and Ethan work out what that means in a way that makes them both feel more emotionally invested even though the physical stuff is on pause.

It’s a powerful, thoughtful moment in an ambitious and rewarding story.

I hadn't read the Roommate but I absolutely loved this book - it wasn't what I was expecting and maybe that was because I hadn't read the first book in the series but I am definitely going to be checking it out. One I would recommend for sure.

After reading Rosie Danan's surprisingly delightful debut, The Roommate, I was excited to see where'd take Naomi Grant, who very much stood out from the moment she was introduced, in The Intimacy Experiment. And this shouldn't come as a shock but her second novel was just as good! Danan continued to perfectly blend steamy and humorous moments with important themes regarding faith, accepting one's self, and sex positivity. These aren't easy elements to mix together but she makes it work and I just loved Naomi and Ethan's story so much.


Naomi is still the co-founder of the sex-positive start-up with Clara and Josh, but she wants to try her hand at live lecturing. Unfortunately, higher ed isn't willing to hire her. This is where Ethan Cohen comes in. He's become a (young) rabbi of his own synagogue but its numbers are dwindling fast and if he doesn't turn things around soon, they'll have to close. To attract a younger crowd, he hires Naomi and together they host a seminar series on Modern Intimacy. Not only do people connect with their lectures but naturally, Naomi and Ethan grow closer and soon their attraction to one another is hard to ignore.


I very much shipped these two! On the surface, they seem like complete opposites who wouldn't work. But we really get to see their relationship grow plus how and why they connect. The development of their closeness felt so believable. But it wasn't just the relationship. We also see how they grow as individuals and how their pasts and faith play a role in that too. Like this relationship, the book at the surface level may seem like just sexy, fun times (which were certainly there!), but there's so much more than that. I found the discussions about faith very thought-provoking and like its predecessor, appreciated all the positive themes on sexuality and love.


Do I recommend? I do! If you enjoyed The Roommate, you won't be disappointed with this! And if you haven't read either book, you definitely should.

This was such a fun read! I loved the development of Naomi and Ethan's relationship through discussions of religion and intimacy as well as plenty of snappy banter. The thoughtful portrayal of the ways religion and sex-positivity can intertwine felt like a very fresh perspective for romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ebook in exchange for a review.

So, I read The Roommate and enjoyed it enough to anticipate the sequel when I found out
Naomi, friend to Clara and Josh from the first book would be the protagonist.

I wish I could say that the sequel didn't disappoint but that wouldn't be very honest of me. A story of a former porn start turned sex educator and Rabbi falling in love sounded like a very one of a kind story, but aside from the vastly different background of the characters, The Intimacy Experiment was like any other okayish romance book. It had its moments of potential, but they were quickly followed by really dry spells. I didn't feel particularly connected to any of the characters either.

Honestly it was fine. Not good at all, but not terrible. Just simply not for me.

Man, I HATED Naomi in the first book. Even though she wasn't exactly the girlfriend, she acted like a jealous one. But she totally redeemed herself in the Intimacy Experiment. I loved her relationship with Ethan. I read this in one sitting, it was so good.

The Intimacy Experiment was delightful! I thought it might be a better than average contemporary romance and I was right, but I was surprised at the depth of feeling and the hints of Jewish mysticism. Naomi, a former porn actress turned sex educator, and Ethan, a Rabbi, were both smart, self aware people who were capable of growth, and their relationship felt real to me. Plenty of humor, too!

Oof this follow up novel from Rosie Danan doesn't disappoint! And wow, is it just as steamy and fun as The Roommate! I personally loved the dynamic between Naomi and Ethan, especially how it developed throughout the book.

First off, I love Rosie Danan's writing and I LOVED The Roommate. I enjoyed The Intimacy Experiment but I think I enjoyed the first in the series a bit more. The Jewish representation was awesome and I think Danan did a great job incorporating that seamlessly into the plot and character's backstories. I think I just related more with Clara in the first book than I did with Naomi. Overall, I still really enjoyed reading her story and will pretty much insta-buy anything in the series or from Danan!

This was very enjoyable! I was glad to read the follow up to The Roommate. Both address important societal issues while offering a fun romance. I hope to see more books from this author.

This felt like a really unique spin on a romance novel. I liked that it deal more with the emotional side of a relationships, while it's predecessor The Roommate, focused more on the physical side of things. Naomi's journey of looking inward, in terms of faith, self love, and trust, was very well done. The Intimacy Experiment was sexy, funny, and heartfelt. I'm looking forward to whatever Rosie Danan comes up with next.

Came for the romance, stayed for the representation. The connection between Naomi - a hardened former sex-worker turned sex educator looking for a classroom - and Ethan - a young Rabbi seeking to revitalize his community and save his synagogue - is palpable from the very start. Their journey together is so endearing and honest. And their challenges so very relatable, even if you don't share their particular histories or professions. But what really go me was how beautifully, refreshingly and honestly Jewish is was. The board politics, the constant conflict between the desire to revitalize and modernize but still stay true to the old traditions, even and especially within the Reform movement who literally changed the rules to modernize Judaism and then got stuck in those new (at the time) ways. I never felt more seen than when Naomi wanted so badly to be a part of a Jewish community, educated herself in the hopes of being accepted, only to get rejected by the people who should have welcomed her readily.