I requested HOUSEMATES after seeing its starred review, and woah, this is the real deal. I savored every minute of this novel. I laughed, I (almost) cried. It resonated with me on so many level. It's astonishing work. Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley.

This is an intriguing read. I was most compelled by Bernie and her journey of becoming a wonderful photographer (and the complicated dynamics that come with your former photography professor becoming disgraced/disavowed by the art community). There are a lot of characters to keep track of, though the author does a fine job of making each character distinctive.

I did get lost in the moments where a narrator gives us glimpses into the future - I wasn’t quite sure how to make sense of the narrator’s connection to the Housemate, Bernie, and Leah. Other than that, I enjoyed the story.

Thank you very much to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Read about 7% and unfortunately wasn’t feeling it :( Decided to DNF it and move onto one of the other ARCs in my library

“Housemates” by Emma Copley Eisenberg
Genre: LGBTQ/New Adult
Publisher: Random
Pub. Date: May 28, 2024

Mini-Review

Bernie and Leah meet when Bernie answers an ad that begins “Four Swarthmore grads, looking for a fifth housemate” and ends with “Queer preferred (we all are).” I had high expectations for this story, but was somewhat disappointed. Two quirky and Queer female pals embark on a road trip. The roommates, or side characters, are multifaceted, with several representations of various racial/ethnic backgrounds, gender identities. The narrative is passable but suffers from a few poor storytelling decisions. The author's writing style didn't appeal to me, but it may just be me. It may have been better as a short story rather than a novel because as a novel there are too many characters.

Leah and Bernie are two lovably flawed characters who embark on a road trip to make art and find themselves. I related strongly to the theme of being a few years post-grad and feeling the need to do something "more" with your life, but being tied down by various limitations. The side characters (aka housemates) are also complex and interesting, with lots of representation from different gender identities, races/ethnicities, socioeconomical backgrounds, etc. Overall it's a story with a lot of heart, and I enjoyed watching Leah and Bernie figure out how to turn their art into something meaningful for the community!

My only complaint is the writing style, which was told by an omniscient 3rd party narrator? I thought we would learn more about them and how they knew so much about the main characters, but that was left unexplained.

Overall, I liked this. I’ve seen a few other reviews disliking the writing style, which I completely disagree with. I thought the prose was well done and conveyed various tones really well. I also liked the particular details about large format and found all the characters really well drawn, even the people we only meet once along the trip. That said, I did not like the omniscient narrator. I didn’t understand it at all and I don’t think it added anything to the story other than a sense of confusion. Finally, I wish I had known more about the inspiration of the original Abbott and McCausland! Maybe that’s my own ignorance of art and queer history but I think that added an amazing additional dimension.

An okay story weighed down under some very ineffective story telling choices. Leah and Bernie were both interesting characters, well-formed and complex, and I was interested in them and their relationships with the other characters in the story, though I'm not sure I really understood their draw to each other. Unfortunately, that was the only aspect of this novel that I did enjoy -- the writing itself was clunky, the narrative chronology was not totally sensible, and the choice to tell the story through the semi-omniscient (?) POV of an unrelated character was very odd and did not, in my opinion, pay off. Some of these choices could work in a shorter piece, or if the story was overall compelling enough to either overcome or justify them, but the character work alone did not carry it for me.

I tried to love this book, but the writing style wasn't for me. It was hard to keep track of who was saying what, and I found myself often needing to go back a few pages to understand the connections being made. The story also took a while to get going - the first 60 pages felt like they were moving at a snail's pace.

But it wasn't all bad. The author did a great job of using the characters' diverse backgrounds to spark interesting discussions about art, relationships, identity, and mental health. These are big, important topics, and the book tackled them head-on.

The book also did a good job of showing what life in America is really like. It wasn't too negative or too positive - it felt real. So, while the writing style wasn't my favorite, the themes of the book really resonated with me. It's a book that makes you think, and those are always worth reading.

3.5/5

A unique writing style for a thought provoking story although a bit long-winded at times. The characters were interesting enough and I found myself relating to a few of Leah's quirks. I enjoyed being taken on the roadtrip through Pennsylvania and now I want to learn more about 4x5 large format photography!

I loved the main characters of this book! They were so flawed and that made them so much more engaging and relatable than some other stories that I've read. This was such an interesting journey of a book!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this prerelease copy of Housemates

A raw, sensual, story about life, love and art. The imbalance of love, the give and take and leveling out of a relationship.
Written about a time in our country, our world- that has had so much effect on us all. The turbulence of our lives during the beginning of Covid, Trump America, Black Lives Matter , the LGBTQ community, #metoo and how our way of living has changed so much, so fast. The question of the rules of our country and why it doesn’t feel like ours anymore. All done in a unique voice and writing style. Reading this is a reminder and a deep dive into those feelings we’ve dealt with continually.
I felt deeply for Bernie and Leah. They were written so well. So flawed and strong and weak and with so much pain annd love inside them. I definitely recommend this book for anyone wanting something thought provoking. Something real.

My favorite trope and excellent descriptions. Some scenes made me really
Stop and think.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where queer and quirky fic is popular.

Not much of a road trip book. But a gorgeous character discussion and j adores all the body positivity,! Would recommend

4.25

Setting: Pennsylvania
Rep: queer fat Jewish nonbinary protagonist; queer female protagonist; multiple queer and POC side characters

This was a surprisingly good book and a strange one too. It's pitched as a road trip novel but not much of it takes place on the road, and the trip doesn't extend beyond Pennsylvania. I enjoyed reading and found it very absorbing - I loved reading about the ritual of large format photography and how Bernie's narrative describes Leah's fatness (with really positive and sensual words) which I never see!

A very heartwarming book. I was pleasantly pleased. I cannot wait for this to be released in May for everyone to enjoy.