In The Roommate Experiment we follow Hunter and Dylan in dual POV from moving in together as roommates to discovering feelings for each other. At least for Dylan it's a journey of discovery because they have known each other for years as Hunter is Dylan's little sisters friend and they have spent part of their teenage years in proximity already. Hunter had a crush on Dylan for all these years but no one knows about it, not even her best friends. As they move out to live with their respecitive new partners, Dylan grabs the opportunity to move in instead. He has recently started dating Olivia and Hunter has to cope with the heartbreak of living with the person she's in love with but who seems to be loving someone else. But this wouldn't be a romcom if Dylan didn't eventually come to the conclusion that there are more sparks with his roommate than with his girlfriend.

This book is the third in an interconnected standalone series which I hadn't known before. There were some references to the other two books which I found to be a bit annoying as there is one couple which seems to be in a fake-engagement situation which was part of the story as everyone went to the engagement party, but it wasn't further explained. I have not experienced such deep entanglement with the other books of a series of romance before and would have prefered either more separation or more information.

The story includes some of your favourite romance tropes like the one bed trope but it felt a bit forced. I thoroughly enjoyed Dylan being dyslexic as I've not seen it in any book and it was very interesting seeing him cope with it and finding out strategies to not hinder him in his worklife. Other than that the workplace parts felt a bit boring and did not really add to the story and the characters. Also I'm not a fan of dropping the "L-word" so early in a relationship.

Overall it is a fun read but it will not make it into my top romances of all time.

I read contemporary and feel-good romance once in a blue moon, but after finishing Sunrise on the Reaping lately, I was craving something sweet, light, and quick to read — and this one definitely hit the spot.

We’ve got a classic friends-to-lovers situation: they’ve known each other for 11 years, and now they end up as roommates. Oh, and he’s her bestie’s brother. So yes… forced proximity, dual POV, slow burn, and just the right amount of romantic tension.

It’s the kind of story that flows effortlessly and simply makes you feel good. Perfect for the upcoming months.

Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for something cute and sweet.
And also — a huge thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books! At this point, everything from this publisher is an instant add-to-TBR for me.🩷

"Real love is knowing you don't have to be perfect to be enough"! There was definitely a lot of tension in this book. It's a slow build with heated glance and lots of longing!
Dylan and Hunter both have feelings for each other but the hurdle of Dylan's new girlfriend means they are both oblivious to how each other feels. The slow burn is perfection.I loved the way it was written, light hearted and witty but including some difficult themes without it becoming heavy.
It's time line pretty much runs alongside Rowena's and Adrian's book (book 2 in the series). It was fun to revisit them as well as Nina and Tristan! I love Camilla Isley's books for an easy read with lots of tension between the main characters! Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

(3.5 rounded up)
This was a nice and cozy light hearted read, and definitely a good break from all the heavy stuff that most books have nowadays.
The roommate experiment had me from the very beginning, the characters were really well written, and the slow burn was just right.
I felt at some points that all the Olivia problems were a bit dragged out.
This isn’t the usual sort of book i’d go for, but i’m happy i left my comfort zone for this one.
As always, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to read this book, all opinions are my own.

The Roommate Experiment follows Dylan and his sister’s best friend Hunter. I was drawn to this book for the tropes. I love a good roommates / forced proximity. However this book just felt a bit flat.

I did feel that the Olivia plot line was dragged out for too long. I can enjoy a good slow burn when done right but I felt this slow burn was almost a bit unnecessary. I just found myself getting more frustrated as it went on.

There were a lot of cute moment between Hunter and Dylan that I did enjoy but they weren’t enough to out shine the other issues in this book.

I do feel that some people will enjoy this book but it just wasn’t for me.

3.75 ⭐️

the slow burn was slow burning in this but really enjoyed it. I haven’t read the first two books (didn’t realise it was part of a series) however it didn’t feel necessary to have read them others, however i will be doing so as i loved all the characters within this book, Hunter was smart and stood her ground when needed to, Olivia was just annoying and snippy, which is great writing as the villain of the book! some of the parts with Olivia made me laugh.

The writing was really good and easy to follow, didn’t take me long to read at all, read this book in two sittings as i just needed to know how it panned out for them all!

i also loved the representation of issues between the main characters, its not something ive seen a whole lot within the books ive read and i really enjoyed it, it makes you think twice i feel about how many people suffer with things you can’t really see and have to make several adaptations to their regular lives!

thank you Netgalley & Boldwood Books for the ARC🙌

This was a fun, breezy read with some of my favorite tropes - forced proximity, slow burn, friends to lovers, only one bed, and no third act breakup! Hunter and Dylan and loveable leads and it was satisfying seeing the conclusion of the friend groups love stories and all of the happily ever afters. Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood for the ARC.

This one was so much fun. Just what I needed for a cozy Friday night curled up with a book. Thanks for the opportunity to read it early!

Camilla Isley books are usually hit or miss for me; this was mostly a miss. It was cute for sure, but the slow burn was unbearable especially with the prolonged side plot of Olivia. Those two were not a good match from the start, I don't know why they came to be and after a point it felt like Isley was just finding new ways to put off the inevitable breakup. I'm not opposed to forbidden romance, definitely not best friend's brother, but I found the way the bonds were dealt with a little icky. I love that Dylan bought some good Dyslexic representation and so did Hunter with endometriosis and PCOS. I wish there was more to that representation and more detailing with these topics not getting enough attention and being pretty misunderstood (I'm not diagnosed with any of them but always keen to learn more). This book wasn't hard to read and I would say it's entertaining, not something I would reread, however.

The Roommate Experiment is a sweet, funny and entertaining romance about Dylan (MMC) and Hunter (FMC) suddenly finding themselves living together after knowing each other their entire lives (Dylan’s sister is Hunter’s bestie).

I enjoyed the chemistry between them and I felt the author did a good job at portraying the forbidden element of their relationship.

That being said, the first kiss happening after 90% of the book was pushing the slowburn a bit for me. It didn’t give me enough time to enjoy their love story and this felt a bit rushed at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Camilla Isles for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really really enjoyed this one!! It had so many tropes that I just can’t resist!!! I am
A sucker for unrequited love especially when it’s a best friends brother! As well as forced proximity, and I ran and devoured this one!!
I loved that they were monetary equals and it was just so fun and swoony!!
Hunter and Dylan were a match made in heaven! I needed a good rom-comer and this was exactly it!

I am thankful to have been able to read this book ahead of release. This was my first time reading Camilla Isley, but the genre and tropes were right up my alley.

That being said, the book did not do much for me. I struggled with the character development and lack of emotional maturity from all parties. It seemed like they were all still in college, not well into their careers.

Dylan’s girlfriend Olivia felt like she was being villainized for just not being the right match, which didn’t sit right. It felt weird to demonize her for just being a nice girl. Did she do some things that might have been a lot for “some” early in relationships, sure. But that’s where the character emotional immaturity played in where communication from Dylan lacked.

Overall, it felt like it dragged longer than it needed to, even for a slow burn. I wanted more of Dylan and Hunter.

Okay, the way I ate this book up ! I would have read it in one sitting if I didn’t have to work !
It was so compelling, you needed to keep reading !
But yeah I should mention that I do looove a good slow burn and man did this deliver 😂
I related to both characters in some way so I really connected with the book. I will say that even if you can read it as a stand-alone, it’s way way better if you read the whole series.

About the story, was Dylan’s behaviour infuriating at times ? Yeah, but was it relatable and realistic ? God yes 🤣 I mean, once the book is over and you get all the puzzle pieces, you really understand him even better.
And poor hurting tortured Hunter, yeah I think if you can’t understand how she feels, being tortured into seeing the guy she likes with someone else then, lucky you !!

In summary, yes you should give this book a try 😉

Just finished The Roommate Experiment by Camilla Isley and I’m grinning like a fool. This was such a fun, feel-good read! The chemistry? Slow-burn perfection. The banter? Chef’s kiss. I didn’t want it to end! If you’re into opposites-attract stories with all the rom-com vibes and a cozy roommate twist, add this one to your list ASAP.

The Roommate Experiment by Camilla Isley

👻 standalone contemporary rom-com / part of an interconnected series
🍑 closed door/fade to black spice
👻 dual POVs
🍑 best friends brother and roommate
👻 forced proximity
🍑 women in STEM
👻 dyslexia, PCOS and endometriosis rep
🍑 only one bed

Firstly thank you so much to The Bold Book Club for this eARC!

~My Thoughts~
I really needed a break from reading fantasy and this truly hit the spot.

This book is a lighthearted, all the tropes kind of book. Perfect summery sort of vibes too 😍

So this story is part of an interconnected series with other couples but I read it as a standalone and I think it worked really well.

Hunter is truly a girls girl. She so relatable and very funny. She gives Bridget Jones vibes (hence the chosen quote). She’s also very natural with her inner monologue. Like sometimes unrequited love is icky and hard and she’s a very honest narrator.

I also love that we see her at work and how she deals with misogyny as a girly in STEM.

Dylan, bless the sweet hearted oblivious golden retriever boy that he is 😆 I loved reading his POV, especially when he couldn’t understand what was going on with Hunter. He was such a sweet bean. A dumb bean but a sweet one.

Romance wise, I really enjoyed it. It felt like it developed really naturally and the tension (we 👏 love 👏 only 👏 one 👏 bed) was just done so well. It wasn’t too much and felt really genuine too.

Overall, this was the perfect sweet read. If you love any of the above tropes, or are just looking for something lighthearted and cute, this one is for you 😍

The roommate experiment release on 27th May!

Thank you to NetGalley and BoldwoodBooks Books for the eARC!
2.5⭐️ This book has a lot of the tropes that I typically enjoy: one bed, forced proximity, slow burn, even best friend’s brother. It had its cute moments, but overall, I found the romantic relationship between Hunter and Dylan to be shallow. The majority of their feelings for each other were based off of how physically attractive they found one another, and I kept finding myself waiting for more substance to the relationship.

I liked Hunter and the subplot with her career. It’s always nice to see a woman succeed! However, I find Dylan to be immature. His relationship with his best friend gave me High School Musical, Chad and Troy, Ball is Lyfe vibes, which wasn’t exactly what I wanted from a man in his late twenties-early thirties.

Overall, I liked the premise and the use of popular tropes, but I wanted more depth from the story.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this!
I LOVE Camilla Isley, and the Funny Feelings series has been really enjoyable so far. We finally get Hunter's book, in a forced-proximity, roommates to lovers romp that is just adorable.
The dual POV in this just works. Isley does a great job developing both of their voices: Hunter and her life-long pining for Dylan and trying to find her footing, and Dylan's sudden realization of how their friendship is rooted in something more. I love that Dylan was a good guy and never actually cheated on his relationship, the friendship between Nina/Winnie/Hunter and its importance to the overall storyline, and the growing tension and chemistry between the leads.
As usual in Isley's books, once these two reconcile their feelings we go warp speed through mostly closed door romance and their love affair. But honestly? It just warms my heart. The epilogue in this was so cute and I'm a little sad to be leaving this group behind!

Thank you Net Galley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I always hesitate to leave a negative review, but I have to be honest—The Roommate Experiment just wasn’t for me. While I was drawn to the book because of its fun tropes and premise, I quickly realised  that Camilla Isley’s writing style might not be the best fit for my taste.

That being said, I didn’t hate this book—but I also can’t say I really enjoyed it. One of the biggest hurdles for me was the whole Olivia situation. Her role in the story felt disproportionately large, and her characterisation as an exaggerated, almost villainous figure didn’t sit right with me. At its core, Olivia simply wasn’t the right match for Dylan, but the way the narrative handled their dynamic made it feel unnecessarily dramatic.

Additionally, the pacing was sluggish in places where I was expecting more energy and movement. I found myself wishing for more spark between the main characters and a stronger sense of momentum in the story.

On a positive note, I did enjoy Hunter and the subplot surrounding her job. However, Dylan’s characterisation made it difficult for me to fully invest in the romance. His immaturity—especially his ongoing habit of calling his best friend by their old basketball numbers—combined with his avoidance of difficult conversations with his ex-girlfriend made him feel less developed as a romantic lead.

Ultimately, while this book had elements I typically enjoy, it just didn’t hit the mark for me. However, readers who connect with Camilla Isley’s writing style might still find enjoyment in The Roommate Experiment.

I didn’t realise this book was part of a series but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The chemistry between the characters was second to none and if you enjoy slow burn and best friends brother tropes then this really was a slow burn.

The way it was written made it a quick, easy, escapist read. I enjoyed the characters in the book and the dual POV. The way Hunter was written as a reserved character sat well with me as being a main character of the book and made her so relatable.

Overall it was a fun, engaging read and for those that have read the series this book and the epilogue wrap it up neatly for you.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Camilla Isley delivers a romantic comedy with a mix of awkward moments and sweet tension. We follow Hunter, who's had a long-standing crush on her best friend’s brother, Dylan. When fate lands them as roommates, the stage is set for a classic romcom.

The book has all the elements for a great romcom: unrequited love, slowww burn, forced proximity, baked goods, and a shared bed at the parents’ house. There are genuinely funny and heartfelt moments scattered throughout. Isley’s dialogue is breezy and fast-paced, making this a quick read. There was a lot to like about this book.

That said, the book didn’t quite hit all the marks for me. The central conflict (why Dylan is “off-limits”) lacked the punch or complexity to make the tension truly compelling. I love a slow burn, but this just did not seem to time out well with the story and plot. The chemistry was lacking between the two main characters, and Dylan needed more development in my opinion.

Overall, this is a fun and easy read for those who enjoy the friends-to-lovers trope with a comedic twist.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the chance to read and review the book!