"Housemates" by Emma Copley Eisenberg was so unbelievably close to being a 5 star for me. This story follows housemates, Leah and Bernie, as they go on a road trip in an effort to refuel their passion in art, all funded by grant money. But it is so much more than that. Eisenberg made an interesting choice deciding to take the reader on this journey over the course of three parts with the addition of an omnipresent narrator.

My biggest issue with this novel came forward in the acknowledgements and I haven't decided how I feel about it. As it turns out, this novel is deeply rooted in the lives of Elizabeth McClausland, art critic/writer, and Berenice Abbott, photographer, and her "Changing New York" art series. I almost feel duped because I thought Eisenberg's novel came solely from her ideas/thoughts instead of being a modernized imagining. However, it was partly my fault that I wasn't aware of the muses or their work. On one hand, I'm glad I can go deepdive into the history behind the story. On the other, I just wish Eisenberg had included an Author's Note at the beginning of the book; I'm sure I'm not the only person unaware of the influences. I will say, the choice of the narrator made all the more sense after the revelation of the real life influences.

This was the first novel featuring the pandemic that didn't make me cringe. Same thing goes for the social justice elements. It was all done in a way that was informative, without being too real or satirical. The way Eisenberg was able to feature human emotion was phenomenal. I wrote down no less than ten quotes, when I don't normally write down any. This is the type of novel that just gets better the more time you spend away from it. The defining characteristic of a great novel.

I know I'll be trying to get my hands on a physical copy as soon as it is published. I need to reread it with the insight the acknowledgements gave me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

I didn't like the way this book started out with basically stalking. And the lack of quotation marks is harder for me to read than it used to be.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this one. The writing style and omnipotent narrator were not for me. I thought the stalker-ish vibes of the first few chapters were very off putting. This might be a good read for others but unfortunately it was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This lands around 3.5 stars for me. Emma Copley Eisenberg’s writing is beautiful and tender. Housemates is based on Abbott and McCauseland, a queer couple who were known for their Changing New York project. Housemates, however, starts in 2018 and is a modern take on a roadtrip novel following housemates Bernie and Leah as they photograph Pennsylvania and share their work during the start of the pandemic.

Some aspects of this really work for me- and honestly I imagine this book lends itself to deeper study. Every now and then I read something and wish I were back in college English courses with the time and peers to really dig in, and this is one of those novels.

For a more casual read, the pace of the plot can be a little tediously slow. I like character driven novels, but at times I struggled to maintain engagement. I will also warn that readers who struggle with dialogue without quotation will find that here, as well. My last note is that the omnipotent narrator is a little confusing and unclear in purpose at times. I was unaware of the historical reference of the characters while reading and I think it makes more sense given that inspiration but can imagine others will struggle with this as well.

I do think this is a beautiful novel with a lot to say about queerness and art. I may just not have been the ideal reader, or I may just not have read it in the right setting to fully appreciate it.

I love a gay road trip book and this one did not disappoint! I'm so impressed with the way Bernie and Leah were written, their characters had depth, complexity, and felt so real. I loved how their relationship progressed, and I had a lot of fun learning about large format photography while reading. I will admit, I was not very keen on the third person narration that was interspersed throughout. I feel as though the story could have flowed more without these interruptions.

I liked this book, although I did find reading it to be hard work. The third person omniscient narrator added an interesting element to me, but other structural and grammatical choices made it a demanding read. You can see the arc of the story from the outset, but it remains an interesting journey.

I loved that it did not shy away from the bodies of these characters, the physicality grounded the story in contrast to the more philosophical sections. You spend a significant amount of time exploring the interiority of the main characters of the book, and this makes them very dynamic and real. The choice of large format photography was compelling and the real life individuals behind Bernie and Leah made for a fun rabbit hole after I finished the book. I found the tone and pacing similar to Brandon Taylor’s The Late Americans.

I've never read anything like Housemates--from its incredible cover to the found family roadtrip that shapes this story. I first saw Housemates on BookTok, and I'm so glad I did. Eisenberg is truly unmatched!

Really looking forward to seeing this book on shelves next month.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved the overall message of this book! From the unapologetic queerness and fatness to the social justice aspects, to the raw human moments. I do feel that it droned a little and at times was cringey because the characters are all very “hipster” in that “fatally cool” way. Otherwise I enjoyed the story and really appreciate being able to read it early!

If you're queer and from Philly, this book will know you too well. I loved everything about this novel. Gorgeous writing, perfect complex characters, all vibes.

3.5⭐️
Thanks Netgalley for the arc! I enjoyed this story, but did not fully resonate with the author’s writing style. It was very hard to get through the middle for me. I also enjoyed the narration, but I thought it could’ve been expanded on why the voice was through that character! It all wrapped up really quickly for me, and I wanted more!

I really wanted to like this! I was interested in it as an exploration of the meaning of place and home, and I found the photography element really interesting, even if I was initially put off by the realization that Bernie and Leah were, sort of, meant to be contemporary versions of Berenice Abbott and Elizabeth McCausland. But I really just didn't enjoy the writing itself. I found the third-person narrator distracting, and her narrative didn't really add anything to Bernie and Leah's. I really dislike it when contemporary novels use cutesy phrases like "the everything website" instead of Amazon, and I found it more annoying than charming when Eisenberg would describe existing songs or movies but then just...not name them. The "Dancing On My Own" example of this genuinely almost caused me to stop reading. I was eventually charmed by Bernie and Leah's burgeoning relationship, but the side characters were all so two-dimensional and weirdly cliche, they might as well have just been like Queer Person A and Queer Person B.

Also, I wish there had been quotation marks!!

While the plot moved along, I found this novel a little lackluster. I felt a little distant from the characters, and I was unable to connect with them. This might be because of the unknown narrator- maybe I would have felt a little different if either Bernie or Leah was the narrator. I became a little bored while reading and like there was a separation.

The sense of community is really strong in this book. I loved reading about all the roommates and some of my favorite scenes were the interactions between all of them. This is one place where the narration kind of works- a sly fly-on-the-wall type of narrator. The art appreciation is also very strong. I liked reading about photography.

This book will find the right audience, but for me, it kind of fell flat. 3 stars.

"The Housemates" is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned. Emma Copley Eisenberg has crafted a compelling portrait of contemporary life, exploring themes of love, friendship, and identity with depth and nuance. For readers seeking a nuanced exploration of human connection, "The Housemates" is sure to satisfy.
While "The Housemates" is undeniably a compelling read, it is not without its flaws. At times, the pacing feels uneven, with certain plotlines receiving more attention than others. Additionally, some readers may find the ending somewhat abrupt, leaving certain threads unresolved.

This a well written novel, but it's not very memorable. I'm definitely in the minority here because a lot of other reviewers adore this book. I like that this book is sapphic and a little quirky. I think my main problem however is the character development. I just didn't feel like the characters had enough growth. Also, sometimes I was a little bored by the storyline. It's sweet and interesting but lacked conviction. This is a quiet and lovely novel, but I needed more plot and a more cohesive ending.

This was interesting? On one hand, I was very engaged and interested while reading this, but on the other hand, I felt a weird sense of distance/disconnectedness from the story, which is usually negative and associated with boredom, but in this case wasn't? I enjoyed the characters and thought they felt very real, but it also felt like they weren't fully fleshed out? The fact that the book is narrated through the perspective of a ??stalker artist lady?? (but also not in a creepy way??) was interesting and I won't pretend I'm smart enough to understand that choice, but it was cool.

Basically, I'm not fully sure how I feel about this book, but it definitely made me think and also was an enjoyable story! Read if you enjoy queer coming-of-age road trip vibes, being confronted with the world and change and the scary political situations of the times, an absence of quotation marks, and just enough pretentiousness to be interesting but not obnoxious.

The writing in this book has altered my brain chemistry. I have no idea how this book is doing it, but it is speaking to pieces of me I usually forget are there. There is something so human about the way this is written. Something so lived in and comfortable while at the same time confronting, forcing thought and reflection.

The call backs are really well done. The characters are real in a way that is almost too close. Like we’re viewing them through large format photography and seeing more about the situation than they saw in the moment. And maybe we weren’t meant to be this close, but somehow we’re in the backseat while Bernie and Leah roam rural Pennsylvania.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hogarth/Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Housemates is the story of two roommates, Bernie and Leah, as they travel from Philadelphia to Lewisburg, PA. The trip benefits both Bernie and Leah, as Bernie has been left as the sole proprietor of her former mentor’s estate, and Leah hopes that the trip will give her inspiration for a new piece that she’s writing for her job at a local newspaper. While this is the synopsis, I wouldn’t say that this book is exactly like this. It’s hard to encapsulate what happens in Housemates because I haven’t really read anything like this before. The narration style of this novel is what sets it apart from other books on the market today, and I can’t think of another way that this story can be told without this executive narration choice by Eisenberg. While this novel does not use quotation marks, which seems to be a marker in identifying emerging millennial fiction, I think that it does not hinder the story. If anything, I think that this helps present a detached narrative, allowing Eisenberg’s narration and the dialogue between the characters blend seamlessly into the plot.
Being a native of Southeast PA, and now going to college in Central PA, I really enjoyed reading this book for its depictions of Philly and the small towns that make up rural PA. It’s clearly evident that Eisenberg loves both Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania in her writing, which is what interested me in the book before reading and kept me hooked while I was reading. I also enjoyed the characters in this novel, though I don’t know if I would actually be friends with them in real life, or even if I would like them in real life. I can vividly see these characters as real people, which is both good (because Eisenberg’s writing brought them to life) and bad (because they are deeply, deeply insufferable people). I keep coming back to the narration of this book, which is a bit confusing to get into when you start the book—I won’t lie—but really does help to tell the story. This fly-on-the-wall, or “slid right through a crack,” perspective is what aids it, as its people living their normal lives, being observed by other people. As a perpetual people watcher, I can recognize this trait in the narrator.
Though I keep talking about how interesting the narrator is, I don’t really understand the importance of her telling Leah and Bernie’s story. That subplot wasn’t really well developed and seemed rushed at the end. Little interjections throughout the story piqued my interest, but I didn’t like how this plot point went nowhere in the story. It seems like Eisenberg could have taken more of a fly-on-the-wall approach to the book with herself as the narrator, but making the executive decision for the narrator to be a real person—incredibly distant and not related to Leah or Bernie at all—wouldn’t be the decision that I personally would make. As much as I liked this book, I felt that it was a little bit too on the nose about being woke and politically correct—though that’s really just a personal choice. I love that it covered these topics organically, but it felt incredibly redundant and almost entirely too excessive at times. Another small bone to pick, I just didn’t like how it was sent during 2018-2023 (presumably), but that the narrator refused to name social media apps.
But, really, other than these small issues with the story, I had a great time reading Housemates. I’m definitely interested in reading more of what Eisenberg publishes in the future, and I’m definitely going to look into the biographies of Berenice Abbott and Elizabeth McCausland now!

Rounding up to 5 stars because I ultimately fell completely in love with both of the main characters, and their relationship, not even knowing that it was a reference to an actual artistic duo that operated in an entirely different era. Emma Copley Eisenberg is a totally rare type of talent. This is one of the best new releases I can remember reading.

Two housemates go on a road trip to re-ignite their passion for art!

The story is heartwarming, and many will come to love Leah and Bernie. My rating mostly reflects my dislike for its writing style. The choice to lead the narrative through a third party narrator made the plot hard to follow. I also dislike the lack of quotation marks around dialogue. If it wasn’t for the writing style, I would have enjoyed my reading experience more. I hope this book finds its right audience.

If you enjoy books written in unique narrative styles, and want a heartwarming tale about love, friendship, and art, this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for this ARC.

This book was so lovely. I felt like I was there with Leah and Bernie, and I think I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. It made me think about the meaning of love and art and community and balance and so much more.