I was so excited to read this ARC from Elena Armas, author of The Spanish Love Deception. Continuing in the world of the first book, we get a look into the life of Lina’s best friend Rosie.

This novel of forced proximity is an adorable look at “experimental dating” — dating your roommate with the hope of triggering your creative flow. Lucas and Rosie are the sweetest of friends, who bring along all of their past baggage and hardships in the quest for a deeper friendship.

It wasn’t quite a 5 star for me, but I will give it a solid 4+

ARC was provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4559746834

I absolutely loved Rosie and Lucas, I loved their meet-cute and the book only got better from there. It had many laugh out loud moments. I had liked Rosie when I read Spanish Love Deception and really enjoyed the evolution of her online stalking crush to love and Lucas smitten with her storyline. It all felt very natural.

The American Roommate Experiment is the type of romance story we all hope for. A serendipitous meeting, an all-in courtship, and the happy ending you root for from the beginning.

This book was a fun and quick read! I really loved The Spanish Love Deception so I was looking forward to reading about Lucas and Rosie's story (with hopefully some cameos from Lina and Aaron!). The chemistry between Rosie and Lucas was amazing and definitely on par with the emotional intrigue that was brought with Lina and Aaron. This was definitely a worthy successor!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

In some ways, I liked this better than [book:The Spanish Love Deception|54189398]. I could see how Armas has grown as a writer, and even though this still moves pretty slowly, and the plot isn't much of a plot, it's still really sweet, easy to digest, and the ultimate cotton candy for your brain.

I will say I did like this less in that the romantic interest was just too perfect for me. Even with his "flaws", he's pretty much a gilded figure with his effortless charm, his emotional intelligence, ridiculous good looks, and top tier cooking ability. As someone who was reading this in oversized sweats, and contemplating the destruction of the world, this didn't have the power to disassociate my brain completely from reality. The leads were also so into each other from the very beginning that the banter is cutesy flirting rather than the tear-you-apart-and spit-you-out enemies to lovers banter that I tend to gravitate towards as someone with the soul of a troll.

All in all, a quick, effortless read with some overly sticky sweet moments, and, to be honest, one that I've enjoyed, but probably will forget in a few days.

<i>I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </i>

I liked the concept of the book and the relationship between the main characters. It was hard not to fall in love with Lucas !

I will say that I couldn't get through TSLP but kept wanting to return to this one. The main difference is I really liked Rosie and Lucas. They are such sweethearts, though the slow burn was killing me. The chemistry was good. The sexy parts were very good. I liked the general plot. I'll be recommending this for folks looking for a good time. It's easy breezy, and I was so envious every time they talked about food.

I really love the voice Armas gives her characters, I find them so refreshing and relatable, I mean we’ve all had low key (high key) crushes on people through their Instagram lol. I really loved the kind of spin on a sunshine-y hero with a more introverted heroine. Both Rosie and Lucas were just so sweet and watching them come together and grow as individuals by knowing one another made my heart so happy. A feel good story? ✅ relatable characters? ✅ All the tropey goodness that comes with a great slow-burn book? ✅✅✅ I think it’s safe to say Armas has another success on her hands 😊

This book was phenomenal!!!!! I read the first book in this series and couldn't wait for this one to come out. I am beyond amazed with Elena Armas' writing. She is quickly becoming an always-buy author for me.

I really enjoyed this book! It had me hooked from the very beginning! This was my first read from this author and I want to read more!!

I am so happy that I got to read this book because I absolutely loved it! I think I loved it even more than TSLD. This was super cute! Reading Rosie and Lucas' story was just amazing. Lucas is 100% swoon worthy. The tropes (friends-to-lovers, fake dating and forced proximity) in this are done so well. Their dates were out of this world adorable and the food Lucas cooked sounded amazing. I loved Taco the doggy! As a side note, I would love sequels for both Olly and Charo! I need to find out what happens with them. And anything Elena writes, I will read.

This book was so lovely to read and a great follow up to Elena Armas' first novel. I fell in love with the two main characters instantly. I found myself giggling and kicking my throughout this book. It continuously put a smile on my face. Would definitely recommend this book to any romance novel fans.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC because WOW this book was like an ORGASM.
The buildup into the climax is something to be studied because no book has ever gotten it this right for me. I'm obsessed with Rosie and Lucas both collectively and individually. Elena, thank you for this masterpiece.

The American Roommate Experiment is an easy story to fall in-love with. It's got a a detailed romantic plot that focuses on the character’s developing relationship. It's refreshing to find a romance novel that not only focuses on the romance, but provides enough substance for that romance to carry the plot alone.

This book is such a joy and a wonderful follow up to the Spanish Love Deception. A different spin on the fake dating trope - the practice dating trope. I highly recommend this book!

I’ve almost exclusively read romance novels for the past three years and can honestly say that this is in my top three titles. Elena Armas easily holds her own alongside romance queens Emily Henry and Christina Lauren with this sweet, slow burn that I desperately wish I could read again for the first time.

Rosie has secretly quit her engineering job and began writing romance novels full time. Lucas is a professional surfer who’s endured some life-changing events. After an apartment accident and a calendar misunderstanding, both end up in Lina Blackford’s apartment at the same time. Because Lucas is the swoon-worthy hero we all deserve, he insists Rosie stays.

The chemistry between these two is instantly warm and cozy, with plenty of heat on the back burner. When Rosie admits she’s struggling to find the inspiration she needs to meet the deadline for her next book in eight weeks, Lucas agrees to a dating experiment that will help her live the life of a romance-novel heroine. But it isn’t just the planned dates that inspire her: it’s also the way Lucas makes her food, asks her thoughtful and caring questions, and rocks his gray sweatpants over his perfectly-muscled legs that help her reach her daily word count.

This book ruined me in the best possible way and reminded me what I adore so much about this genre. This friends-to-lovers, fake-dating, forced-proximity (and one-bed moments!) story will have you abandoning your sleep schedule just to spend more time with Lucas. If you loved The Spanish Love Deception, you will not be disappointed. Somehow I loved The American Roommate Experiment even more and will be thinking about Rosie and Lucas’ love story for the rest of my waking life!

The American Roommate Experiment was a delightful read. It had me hooked from the first chapter. The book had characters that dealt with real-life issues that made the reader empathize with them. Both main characters had depth that is sometimes missing in a romance novel. This is definitely one to read and recommend to patrons.

I really enjoyed the Spanish Love Deception and was excited for Rosie's story. Last we saw her, Rosie was still working as an engineer, but in the year since, she's published a romance novel that becomes a viral sensation (kind of like the Spanish Love Deception, though the fictional novel in the book also involves time travel) and has quit her stable, steady job to focus on writing. She's got a contract for a book that's coming due very soon and she's stuck. When part of her apartment ceiling collapses, she heads to her friend Lina's studio to stay while Lina's on her honeymoon. What she didn't realize was that Lina promised her cousin Lucas - pro surfer and object of Rosie's long-term, long distance Instagram lust - that he could stay there as he wraps up a trip across the US before returning to Spain. The forced proximity/only one bed trope really works here, especially when Lucas offers to help Rosie by taking her on a series of very romantic dates designed to inspire her writing. If you've read romances, you'll know what happens next. This was a slow burn and while it didn't have biting, witty banter of the Spanish Love Deception, Rosie and Lucas do have a really nice, comfortable rapport that I enjoyed. Keep 'em coming, Elena Armas!

3.5/5⭐️

I want to begin by saying that I have very conflicting emotions about this book. I LOVED The Spanish Love Deception so when I heard that Rosie was getting her own story, I couldn’t have been more excited. I was desperate to get my hands on Rosie and Lucas’ story (and to get a look into Aaron and Lina’s life of domestic bliss).

The romance storyline starts right off the bat, which I enjoyed, with Rosie and Lucas having their meet-cute within the first couple chapters. When Rosie’s apartment becomes uninhabitable, she has to no choice but to stay at her best friend’s place despite the fact that said best friend’s charming, hot and flirty cousin already reserved the space. The two immediately become fast friends and learn to depend on each other, and what started as a silly infatuation quickly grows into more when Lucas agrees to help Rosie write her next romance book.

My largest critiques have to do with the two main characters in the book. Rosie is cute and sweet and all around lovable, and I really enjoyed her character when she was on her own or with others. However, as soon as she is around Lucas (which is about 80% of the book), she turns into this awkward, obsessive girl who can’t think beyond her crush on a cute guy. She’s always zoning out while daydreaming about him or staring at him for LONG periods of time. It becomes uncomfortable, embarrassing and awkward at a certain point. Thankfully, this does improve as the book progresses and she becomes more comfortable and open with her feelings for Lucas.

Similarly, I found we didn’t know much about Lucas until halfway through the book. This might have been intentional as the book is mainly told through Rosie’s POV, but I found his character very surface level. All we really know is that he’s flirty, hot and quick to make a joke in order to redirect attention away from his past. In the second half of the book, he becomes passionate, open, caring, protective, etc. and I just wish we got to see some of these traits before the 50% mark.

The book also felt like it was insta love yet a slow burn romance at the same time? Don’t get me wrong, I love a slow burn but if there is going to be Rosie level infatuation and they are living in the same space unsupervised, I want at least a kiss before we reach the halfway mark.

Despite all of the critiques I have above about the characters and the romance, I can’t help but really enjoy this book! When Rosie was sad, I was sad. When they did something cute together, I couldn’t hold back my squeal. I was very invested in this romance despite all my qualms with the book itself. I can’t explain why I liked it so much considering all the problems I have with it, but it was an addicting story!

This is by no means a groundbreaking piece of literature, and it’s not even the best romcom I’ve read this month, but I still really enjoyed it even with its flaws.

Side note: Charo sequel next??????

This book was sent to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Thank you to both!

Omg. The way the story is written the character development, the tears I’ve shed watching these characters go through so much vulnerability it’s completely awe inspiring.
We start with the main character Rosie who is in the middle of a huge change not only in her career but emotionally as a person with her family. She’s so relatable because it’s almost as if she’s having this moment of epiphany of wanting to chase her dreams even though it scares her.
Now include a Spanish sweetheart a Mr. Darcy reincarnated who not only cares about Rosie as a person but wants to help her gain confidence in her career by selflessly giving himself over to her devoting himself to her in a way that just stabs a knife in your gut with happiness.
Now I loved the Spanish love deception and when I say love I mean loved but the American roommate experiment?!! The friends to lovers, the slow burn,the fake dating, the one bed, the force proximity !! It gives so much more than book one and I’m so thankful for this ARC.