From New York Times Bestselling Author, Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.
Sharing a summer house with a hot-as-hell roommate should be a dream come true, right?
Not when it’s Justin…the only person I’d ever loved…who now hates me.
When my grandmother died and left me half of the house on Aquidneck Island, there was a catch: the other half would go to the boy she helped raise.
The … go to the boy she helped raise.
The same boy who turned into the teenager whose heart I broke years ago.
The same teenager who’s now a man with a hard body and a hardass personality to match.
I hadn’t seen him in years, and now we’re living together because neither one of us is willing to give up the house.
The worst part? He didn’t come alone.
I’d soon realize there’s a thin line between love and hate. I could see through that smug smile. Beneath it all…the boy is still there. So is our connection.
The problem is…now that I can’t have Justin, I’ve never wanted him more.
Author’s note – RoomHate is a full-length standalone novel. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
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Penelope Ward continues to provide the world with these amazing men. The woman is a magician.
Just when you think you know exactly how the story is going to go, she puts a little spin on it. Nothing that will spiral you out of control, but it will pull you in and not let go.
“I never hated you. I couldn’t hate you if I tried. Believe me, I have tried.”
RoomHate. Just the name I was thinking, “oh hell yes this is going to be filled with dirty, hate screwing” and I love a good friends to enemies to lovers story. We will get to that, but this story gives you more than just two people from the past hitting the sheets, it gives you the smolder. The burn, the need that is just out of reach, the want. I felt the want right along with them. Even though the characters were frustrating at times, I loved their journey.
I also just adored Justin Banks. Justin is awesome. Amelia’s description of Justin is spot on: “Justin Banks was equal parts insane and adorable.”. Insane, adorable and can sing? Sign me up!
As much as I loved Justin and I even liked Jade, I loved Justin and Amelia together. Their flashbacks to the past, their dirty digs at each other in the present and the inner dialogue of their futures…did they have a future? You will want to know! This is a story you need to be “roomies” with.
RoomHate is a standalone, new-adult romance novel written by Penelope Ward. As the title suggests, this is one of those love/hate romances…except the hate part doesn’t last very long surprisingly. The two main characters have a lot of history together before they wind up as forced roommates and I enjoyed reading their background story. It made their present-day relationship struggles meaningful. I ended up liking RoomHate although I thought I would like it much more than I did overall. The flow felt very odd during the latter part of the book – it felt like pieces of the story had been removed as potentially stressful moments seemed to resolve themselves immediately which really made those parts a bit confusing and unnecessary to the story. Regardless, I thought RoomHate was an easy and sexy romance with substance. I would recommend it to fans of the new-adult genre. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
“Sometimes the thing we fear more than anything, is really what our soul craves the most.”
Great book!
As is the fashion after reading a Penelope Ward book, my emotions are a jumbled mess. But I wouldn’t have it any other way!!
If you are a Friend’s to lovers fan, than I think you should give RoomHate a try. This is more of a friends to enemies to lovers style story. Penelope added a different type element to your typical friends to lovers story.
But be warned that your emotions will be taken on an emotional rollercoaster!! Penelope gave us anger, love, romance, heartbreak, swoony times, and of course sexy times 🙂 I would say this book was filled with a lot of angst and sexual tension. As always Penelope gave us a story that will captivate you as a reader and you will have a hard time putting this book down. It was so good I read it in less than a day. I’m always kind of sad at the end of a Penelope Ward book, because I never want them to end.
As I have said before, I am a HUGE Penelope Ward fan and have read all of her books. She has yet to disappoint me and RommHate was no exception!!! I truly loved this book. I won’t go into detail about the storyline because I don’t want to post spoilers, but I have to be honest and say I was a little worried that Justin (H) might be the first Hero Penelope has written that I didn’t fall in love with. Well have no fear, I should’ve just trusted in Penelope, because by the end I was absolutely in love with Justin.
In this story we meet Justin and Amelia, they were friends when they were teenagers, but then something happened and Amelia runs away, leaving Justin sad and hurt. Fast forward 9 years and the two are forced together again, because when Amelia’s Nana died, she left her summer house to both Justin and Amelia. Forced to share this house, Justin and Amelia are made to look at their past and everything that lead up to their split. What happens after that is a a journey of forgiveness and friendship for two people who thought they would never see each other again. I absolutely loved the pace that Penelope took with this story and these characters. Nothing was rushed or unbelievable. She actually had these two characters become friends again before just jumping into something physical. As always she does add in a couple roadblocks for Justin and Amelia, so that their road to happiness is not an easy or smooth one. They do endure a lot of bumps in the road.
I also loved all the side characters we meet in this story. Not one really stands out to me, but they all lend their spin on this story.
I honestly feel like my reviews and thoughts can never express how much I truly love Penelope’s book!! I guess to truly express the greatness that is Penelope Ward, you are just going to have to read her books.
RoomHate is a stand alone novel told solely in Amelia’s POV. There is NO Cliffhanger and it will leave you with a HUGE smile on your face 🙂
am an absolute blubbering mess. I started this book at 2 am. Huge mistake. It’s now 6:45 in the morning. I stayed up all night to finish it. One of the best books I’ve read in a while. You know how you just fall in love as you read something that touches your heart? This was one of those books for me. I do not normally give 5 stars to books because I use Harry Potter as my litmus test. Now, I’m not saying that this is the Harry Potter of romance. No. I am saying that I will reread this book. I will remember this book. This story will stay with me for a very, very long time. And, I hate the title. It doesn’t do the story any favors. Rename this book. It means so much more than hate.
RoomHate by Penelope Ward is such a wonderful story – really – it drew me in totally from the first page on. There was really nothing about the book that I did not like – it was just perfect from beginning to end and it had me laughing so hard at times that there were tears in my eyes. And all the lines that did that to me were somehow related to Bea. – I guess it is possible to throw out some words without being too spoiler-ish just so that you know what I am talking about when you come across the text in the book…
#coffee with milk
#Bea and the microphone
#hosing Bea
#pocketknife against intruder at the door
This author even made it possible for me to read AND enjoy a story where there is more than one women for the leading character. It was wonderful to follow the path that led to a transformation in the relationship of our leading characters. It was hard at the beginning to understand the reasons for their actions in the past but the further the story progressed the more insignificant those reasons became. And during all those reasons they had that kept them apart you as a reader wondered … what might be the best reason for them to be together …
I really enjoyed this book and the journey that these two characters went on. I definitely recommend this book and this author.
I absolutely loved this one! From beginning until end, I just can’t put it down. Loved the relationship between Justin and Amelia. All the feels from this book and all of the emotion, made this story even better. Love how the author can capture you. Definitely one of my favourites from Penelope Ward!
I love this story! Holy book hangover. 2 very strong characters, with a chemistry that is off the charts, you can feel the tension and love through Penelope Ward’s amazing writing. Justin is sweet, sexy and totally swoon worthy. While Amelia is so strong and confident with a vulnerability that makes you love her. Highly recommend reading RoomHate, prepare to laugh, swoon, squirm and shed a tear or two.
RoomHate was an excellent contemporary romance novel by the lovely and extremely talented, Penelope Ward. I loved her writing style and was immediately hooked to the storyline and characters. I am a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers concept in romance novels, and RoomHate definitely fit the bill. Justin and Amelia were truly amazing, and I fell in love with both of them from the very beginning. It took me a little while to warm up to Justin, but once I did, I was a complete goner for him. He was absolutely perfect, and I loved all of the things he did for Amelia. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better or more perfectly matched couple than Justin and Amelia. They truly were soul mates and I was so thrilled to read their story. It was written entirely from Amelia’s point of view, except the epilogue was from Justin’s perspective. RoomHate was beyond interesting and entertaining, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every minute of it. I would highly recommend giving it and all of Penelope Ward’s other novels a try. I sincerely doubt you’ll regret it!
I still can’t figure out why the hell I didn’t dive into this book the moment it started living in my Kindle. I had bet everything I had that it would be beyond awesome and a story that will spellbound me really tight. So, still this question hasn’t found an answer. But now that I have F I N A L L Y got to meet the incredible Justin and his Patch, I have to admit that it was far far far far more everything I had imagined or expected.
Even from the first chapter, I couldn’t put it down. The way Penelope chose to start telling their story really did the trick. As I was diving deeper and deeper into their magnificent journey, the instant connection I felt with them from the first chapter kept getting even stronger with every passing page. And let’s not get me started with the extreme reactions my body had every time Justin and Amelia had an intimate moment.
But, first, I must tell a short version of their story because it will be a crime not to since it’s so precious and wonderful. So, here’s how everything begun:
Amelia and Justin are around ten when they first meet. Justin was playing his guitar when he caught her watching him from her window. Since then, they became best friends. Five years later, Amelia runs away leaving Justin heartbroken and never sees him again until nine years later, when her dead grandmother makes them co-owners of her beach house.
Now, they found themselves forced to confront the past and every scar it carries with it. Both have suppressed feelings in them which they are trying really hard to keep hidden since their nine years “break” brought lots of changes. Although, it never got to change one thing; the most important, vital thing. The unconditional, soul deep, powerful, unforgivable way they love each other.
Their confrontations were mighty intense in a way that I felt as I was right there when they were happening. And no one can deny the overflowing passion in each and every one. I could feel it no matter if they whispering, yelling or talking in normal tone. Plus, the info I was getting as they were looking back all those years ago, remembering not only their moments but also what separated them, was keeping me at the edge of my seat. And when I thought that they would probably end with the expected HEA, Ward comes and just with the addition of Bea, crashes everything down leaving me staring open mouthed. Oh no! Don’t get me wrong! I may never had seen this development, but, without doubt, was the point were everything got so upside down and damn interesting, that I didn’t dare go to sleep – FYI it was close to 8am when I finished – until I reached the very end.
And DAMN! The way Justin was with Bea? Simply. Swooning. On. The. Floor. And I close-to-quote Amelia here, “my ovaries had caught fire“. I was almost ready to jump in the pages and literally attack him but I got to keep myself under control. :p From the moment Bea showed up, I lost track of time and generally anything happening around me. And as the story kept unfolding, I was getting more and more in love.
Every character Ward added in this story was incredibly well-written and with such personalities that took the story 10 levels higher. As for Amelia and Justin? Both are creatures with a tough exterior but when you look inside, you will find a heart of gold, miles and miles of strong feelings and an inner strength like anything you have seen before. And where the one was lacking the other went and filled the gab. Also, the amount of vulnerability Justin showed every time he was with Amelia or Bea or thinking about them, was the greatest thing since he portrayed a male who isn’t scared to show how he feels and would do anything to protect the two people he loves more than anything in this galaxy. The love, support, sweetness and passion that I saw flowing out of him towards these two females was mind blowing and had me close to tears. From the other hand, Amelia was one of the strongest female characters I have ever had the chance to meet. Her inner strength had really no bounds and when she was with Justin, it became unlimited. Although, some times she might was more insecure than she wanted to be since she was an independent woman, she never gave up on expressing what she was feeling. And more than anything, her undying love for Bea was something that didn’t leave my notice or my heart.
I know I may have just written my longest review, but I couldn’t contain my thoughts in less. This book became one of my TOP FAVS and with no doubt, it will stay there for the rest of my life. Just imagine that even though I have finished it a little over 12 hours, I crave to read it again and again immediately. And that doesn’t happen often to me! If I would have to read one book for the rest of my life, RoomHate would probably be the winner. I definitely have hundreds of more things to say, but if I succumb to that desire, I would never stop writing. So, I stop here and I leave you with my heart full and a big giant huge THANK YOU to the gorgeous Penelope Ward for writing such a gem of the contemporary literature and one I will cherish forever.
“I notice everything about you”.
Right from the start I got the same feeling I got when I was reading Stepbrother Dearest (which is one of my favorite books!) which made me giddy with excitement. Just like with Stepbrother Dearest the characters hated each other. At least one of them did anyways. I was hooked from the first page and so happy I decided to read this book because it dragged me out my current book funk.
“Don’t apologize. But you don’t have to compete with anyone, Amelia. You never did.”
This book had it all!!! It had it’s funny moments (where I laughed out loud), sad moments (that broke my heart), jealousy, anger, happiness etc. Penelope use the right ingredients for this book and it came out perfectly. If this book was a dish I would’ve wanted seconds!
“You’ve taught me that love isn’t about words. It’s a series of actions.”
Let’s talk about Justin… He was just perfect, he just so manly and rough and also a bit mysterious. I totally understood why Justin was angry and disappointed at Amelia. I also understood her side of the story but I was 100% team Justin. However Amelia was young and got scared and did something that broke their beautiful friendship. I was on the edge of my chair from the second they were reunited at the summer house. Penelope provided us with the right amount of drama. Nothing was overdone, in my opinion she did such a great job!
“Thank you for eaching me that sometimes the thing we fear more than anything, is really what our soul craves the most.”
I loved the flashbacks of Justin and Amelia’s past, their friendship was just the cutest. Justin was so protective and so loyal to Amelia. He also wrote songs for her and some of them were really funny. He continued writing silly songs for Amelia in the present, one of them in particular called “she likes to Watch” was so awesome and funny. Justin is AMAZING!
“I know what it’s like to love you and lose you. I’m just so thankful that I have you now.”
There was so much tension between the two and the sparks were flying off them. I just loved how frustrated they became with each other. I loved their crazy banter, and I just couldn’t get enough. I am still thinking about this book and I wish it was longer. I would love a sequel because I just LOVE this book so much. Penelope has done it again and made me add another book to my favorites list. Don’t wait to read this book!! I am telling you just bring it to the top of your TBR list because you won’t be disappointed.
I should know…I mean, it’s Erin Noelle. I don’t think there are any of her books that I’ve read that I didn’t like.
*Well, there was this one part in the BBF Series, where she broke my heart, but she put it back together, too.*
The Perfect Life.
A lot of times in this story, a lot of parts of this story, there was a chord inside me that was struck. Hard.
There are a lot of painful, sensitive subjects dealt with in this book, but I felt there were dealt with in true Erin style – with class.
When I started getting close to the end, I wanted to find a way to prolong the book. In my opinion, this is one sign of a truly wonderful read.
Entertaining
Justin and Amelia are two childhood best friends who grew up together and both had feelings for each other. Amelia and Justin are separated and later reunite to share a summer home, that was left to them after a death in the family. You could feel the tension between these two in the first half of the book. I felt bad for Amelia because Justin was a complete jerk but I couldn’t blame him. Things eventually loosen up and you can feel them slipping back to their old ways. I’m really trying to stay spoiler free but I loved how Justin stood up to the plate and was there for Amelia in her time of need. Those scenes hit close to home and I loved the song “Daughters” that he sang in the book. I loved the dual POV. I loved the flashbacks of Justin and Amelia from when they were younger. The author took the time to give us the backstory and build the relationship so we could feel it on so many levels. The feels throughout this book were something else! This how you write a book!
This is my first book by Penelope Ward and I have no problem admitting, I might be slightly obsessed.
When reading, it’s easy to become lost in the world created for you, but the small, real life elements of this book brings you back to reality (in the best way possible) every time. When I read a romance I want believability-unless it’s of an otherworld nature. Roomhate has that believability!
Go ahead, buy it, read it and fall in love with the characters. I know I did!
INTENSE FRIENDS-TO-HATE-TO-LOVE ROMANCE!!!
I LOVE a good friends to lovers romance but there’s just something about two childhood best friends experiencing something that turns their friendship to hate and then years down the road they get a second chance to get it right!
I loved this one! All that history that made up their friendship laid the foundation for such a sweet and sexy romance!
From the first chapter I was captivated by Justin & Amelia’s relationship. The friendship that they formed early on that evolves into something that is borderline more than friends but they haven’t quite crossed that line yet. Then something happens that causes a huge rift in it and instead of confronting the issue, Amelia runs! Hearts break; hatred and regret forms..making that rift impassable!
Years later, when the one person left that ties them together dies they are forced to reunite in the most treacherous way! At the place where it all started except Justin isn’t Amelia’s anymore..he belongs to someone else now.
Hatred lives where love used to…or so Amelia thinks!
When the lines are close to being crossed and the most unexpected thing happens; it no longer matters what Amelia wants. Justin has choices to make of his own.
I went into this book because I first met Jade in Neighbor Dearest. The heroine of Neighbor Dearest is Jade’s sister. There are only a few brief moments of her in that book and none go in depth but I loved her personality so much and already had a slight gist of what happened here. Of course I wanted to torment my heart so I read RoomHate because I wanted to better understand Jade’s story. Now let me tell you, I never expected to like Justin or Amelia because I LOVED Jade and I met her first! My loyalties were with her!
But like I said…there’s just something about two childhood friends who grow up feeling like they belong to each other and ONLY each other.
If you’re looking for a reading order for this…keep in mind that these are all complete standalones! you don’t have to read them all. Each book gives enough insight into those characters past so you don’t have to have read others first. However, if you’re looking to read a world! Then read in this order:
Stepbrother Dearest
RoomHate
Neighbor Dearest
Jaded & Tyed (bonus short story available in paperback)
” … . . ‘ . ‘ .”
: childhood friends to hate to lovers, roomates, angst, slow burn, surprise pregnancy with a twist and steam
I can’t believe I haven’t read this before!! Not only this book has lots of tropes I love, but also it has one of the most unique storylines I have ever come across.
Roomhate follows the story between Amelia Payne, a middle school teacher, and musician Justin Banks. They were best friends when they were younger, but one decision changed their lives forever.
Back to present time, when Amelia’s grandmother dies she leaves her summer beach house to Amelia, but there is a catch; the other half belongs to Justin, her first love and best friend.
What Amelia doesn’t expect is that Justin will go to the house the same time she goes and that’s when the story kicks off.
At first there is a lot of resentment and hate, but when old feelings resurface their tension becomes unbearable.
Besides the tension and longing, I love how there was no cheating or other women drama, plus it took them a long time to cope with their feelings.
Overall, if you love any of the tropes mentioned above, I would definitely pick this one out. Highly recommended!!
Overall, it was a good story. Justin and Amelia were good characters and I liked to see how their story developed.
I liked Penelope’s writing and I’ll for sure pick her other books soon.
This book is so real you will be stunned when certain things happen, for they normally only happen in real life to screw us up. And it’s beauty resides in that, in the cruelty of our world and in the hope that those who fight will conquer it all.
Justin and Amelia have a story of a kind, starting during their childhood and never truly ending. But that is not what makes it special. The problems they face, the bond between the two that grows even stronger, the unexpected that turns into exactly what they wanted the most. That is what made this book worth it for me.
I totally recommend it because it is about a true love story.