From subway to Broadway to happily ever after. Modern love in all its thrill, hilarity, and uncertainty has never been so compulsively readable as in New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren’s (Beautiful Bastard, Dating You / Hating You) new romance. Marriages of convenience are so…inconvenient. For months Holland Bakker has invented excuses to descend into the … has invented excuses to descend into the subway station near her apartment, drawn to the captivating music performed by her street musician crush. Lacking the nerve to actually talk to the gorgeous stranger, fate steps in one night in the form of a drunken attacker. Calvin Mcloughlin rescues her, but quickly disappears when the police start asking questions.
Using the only resource she has to pay the brilliant musician back, Holland gets Calvin an audition with her uncle, Broadway’s hottest musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway–until his reason for disappearing earlier becomes clear: he’s in the country illegally, his student visa having expired years ago.
Seeing that her uncle needs Calvin as much as Calvin needs him, a wild idea takes hold of her. Impulsively, she marries the Irishman, her infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves and Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway–in the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting–will Holland and Calvin to realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?more
I always enjoy CLo books but this one is a personal fav. The cast of characters is fantastic, the plot is addictive, and the story has a unique flavour.
I wasn’t expecting things to take the turn they did. Calvin has his secret and it takes Holland by complete surprise. Now she has to wonder, is he only with her to get his Visa or is it more? One of my favorite parts is watching how Holland relates to her uncles. They were her support system and part of what made her character feel so real.
I don’t think I’ve loved a book this much in a long time.
It wasn’t that the plot was particularly innovative or moving, though it’s a trope I enjoy. It wasn’t that it was set in NYC, where I also reside. It wasn’t because it’s a Christina Lauren, even though that’s the whole reason I picked it up in the first place.
I fell in love with these characters. They are all so unique and specific. They aren’t perfect and some of them are a straight-up dumpster fire (looking at you, Lulu). They’re human. And I appreciate that more than words can express at the moment.
Something about Holland resonated with me. I’ve felt her pain and confusion. I know what it’s like to be lost and working too long at a job that really should just be a job, a stepping stone to something bigger and better. Her emotions, her reactions, her complicated situations all hit home for me. It has been a long time since I’ve had such a clear, crisp image of a character. I wanted to reach into the pages and give her a hug.
I recognize that not everyone will enjoy this as much as I did. I didn’t think I would love it this much. I thought it would be an entertaining, light(er)-hearted read that would perfectly wrap up my vacation. But for me, it was all that and so much more. And that deserves praise.
I will recommend this to everyone.
I read this book in four hours last night, and good not put it down. Calvin is officially my latest book boyfriend.
½
If you liked the 1990 movie: Green Card with Andie MacDowell and Gérard Depardieu, you’ll likely enjoy Roomies. It has the shared similarities of a marriage of convenience that becomes something more and a musically gifted male lead, but there are plenty of differences that allow Roomies to be experienced as its very own story. I viewed this book as a new-adult/contemporary adult crossover: there’s plenty of deal-breaking secrets, relationship drama, and adult content to appeal to the new-adult fans while still being tasteful with the hope of a healthy relationship for the rest of us. Overall, I enjoyed Roomies and look forward to reading more of Christina and Lauren’s work.
My favorite quote:
“Gratitude can be deceptively deep sometimes.”
I won this book on Goodreads. I have not read anything from this author previously and found that I quite enjoyed this book very much. It was such a sweet story.
In this story Holland (interesting name) is a New Yorker aspiring to be a writer. With her MFA she has the means, but her head is empty of ideas. She has writers block before she even becomes a writer. She works with her famous Broadway Uncle to make ends meet. She feels as if her life is going nowhere.
Holland has a crush on a street musician, Calvin who plays the guitar in front of the train station. She takes the train everyday, even though it is out-of-the-way, so she can hear him play. His music is so captivating. One problem. He is in the country illegally. When her uncle is put in a position where his whole show can go under, Holland does the only thing she knows will work. She proposes to Calvin. Can these two pull off a fake marriage and fool immigration without Holland’s heart breaking?
This book was an amazing story. So sweet and enduring. A marriage of convenience story that is not like all the rest. It has some steamy scenes, but they are mild in comparison to most books on this subject. It is so romantic and innocent. I fell in love from the very first page. I could not put it down.
The characters were so wonderful. Did I mention Calvin is an Irish bloke. That’s right ladies, ACCENT!!! I love a man with an Irish accent. Yummy! Calvin is no different. I can just imagine him. Tall, dark and handsome. The banter between him and Holland will crack you up. I found myself laughing out loud several times during the book. These two characters really make a great pair and have a charismatic chemistry. Truly awe-inspiring.
A sweet romantic tale of two people struggling to discover themselves and fall in love. It will pull on your heartstrings and make you fall head over heels in love. I highly recommend this for those who love a good romance. Think The Proposal starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, but with an accent. 😉
A super charming romantic comedy/women’s fiction novel
Finally, we have a modern marriage of convenience tale in which the authors completely thought out all of the possible repercussions, including immigration interviews. I am so glad that that the details are realistic!
I found the novel to be highly entertaining, uplifting, funny, charming, hot, and adorable. It is a hybrid of a romantic comedy and women’s fiction. It is partly a romantic comedy because it is funny, romantic, and the choice of literary perspective. It is all in the first person past tense perspective of only one person: the heroine, Holland. We have the flow of Holland’s internal monologue in between her interactions with other people and what is happening around her. The novel is also partly women’s fiction because Holland grows as a person and slowly empowers herself. She has lots of self-doubt and is disappointed that she is not working as a writer after she graduated with her master’s degree. She impulsively marries the phenomenally talented guitarist on whom she has a huge crush so that he can work for her beloved uncle. Calvin is from Ireland and has an expired visa. Holland’s uncle has a hit musical play on Broadway but desperately needs a replacement musician. Therefore, Holland marries Calvin and gets to hear the gorgeous man play guitar in her living room instead of the subway. FYI, the love scenes are steamy.
I love getting the true flavor of living in Manhattan and working on Broadway. I really love Holland and Calvin; they are good people with some flaws. There was so much to love about this book. However, there were a couple of things that bothered me. First, Holland’s way of getting nervous at the drop of a hat was somewhat irritating in the first half. Why do we need to hear every time she holds her breath and every time her heart races? Second, I got a little emotionally exhausted toward the end because there were way more emotional highs and lows than any romance book that I can remember (and I have read hundreds). Other than that, I am highly pleased with the novel, and I plan to try more of Christina Lauren’s books in the future. I recommend this book to everyone who loves romantic comedies and steamy romance.
I received a free advanced reading copy from the publisher via Netgalley, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
Another wonderful book from Christina Lauren
This is another classic from Christina Lauren. Marriages of Convenience is one of the best genres in romance right now and it’s such a treat every time I see the trope used in contemporary romance.
Our main characters, Holland and Calvin have a meet-cute (or not so cute) when he saves her from an attack. She in turn, gets him the audition of his dreams and helps him launch a Broadway career until circumstances have them enter a marriage of convenience.
This book is spicy, witty, funny, and has a lot of emotion! We get dual perspective with chapters from both Holland and Calvin’s POV which makes the story all the more complete and satisfying. The backdrop of Broadway is also such a plus point as it adds a lot of character to the book.
One thing that’s really interesting about this book is that the marriage of convenience is for “immigration” purposes which certainly modernizes the whole concept and makes it very realistic!
Loved this book!
I always look forward to settling in to a CL novel. For me, this book had more of a contemporary romance than romcom feel as well as being a slow burn story and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a little sluggish to start with, but once we got the dynamics of the couple and their circumstances it rolled along quite nicely. It’s a tale of a marriage of convenience with one side, Holland, with a major crush on her guitar busker Calvin. When see sees a solution to both Calvin and her uncles problems, she jumps at the chance to help them both. Little does she know, that it wasn’t as simple as she first thought. I went on the roller coaster with Holland with her emotions and thoughts and it bought me to tears a few times. Calvin had been in the States for years with study and beyond, but he still had his thick (or is it tick) Irish accent, and I loved reading his lines trying my best to emulate him. I appreciated that their HEA wasn’t a simple fix but I did want more, I think we needed an epilogue to know what happened after the last chapter. Some things were left unanswered and I think a huge family reunion might have given me a complete sense of closure. I still recommend you give this one a go.
Oh, this was a good one.
Holland, the leading lady of this story, is a girl with a huge crush on a guy she doesn’t even know the name of. She only knows that he’s good looking and can make magic happen when you put a guitar in his hands.
She was super relatable in some ways, which made me empathize with her instantly. I mean, lusting over and low-key creeping on a hot, musically gifted guy from afar? I can get behind that! She was insecure, and self-conscious and felt guilty about her privileged life. I liked her instantly.
Plus, the writing was so smooth and the story flowed so effortlessly.
Holland and Calvin were perfect and I loved them.
And I loved the book. It was the perfect blend of happy, sad and sexy. It had enough angst and drama to keep things interesting, but all around it was just an uplifting, heartwarming story. I awwed out loud a bunch of times and by the end I was stupidly smiling at the screen of my kindle. What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic. And the relationships that take work and require putting in some effort are some of my favorites, because when the couple finally gets their happily ever after, it feels like they legitimately deserve it.
This is a perfect palate cleanser book. Something light, fun and cute, but with some real meat to it. I’ll definitely be checking out other books by this author (or should I say authors?)
I’d say this was a 3.5-4 star read for me. This was the first book I have read by these authors. I was able to read some of the first couple chapters on BookishFirst.com and I couldn’t wait to read more. Unfortunately, I did not win the book on that website so I patiently waited for it to be released. It did not disappoint from the chapters I had read previously.
The main character, Holland, was very relatable to me. I’m super awkward and love books. A lot of her internal thoughts and actions, I could see a little of myself in there. Calvin, oh Calvin, I can just imagine the accent. Of course I was rooting for these two.
The writing moved fluidly and kept the story on pace. I had a hard time putting this book down. Also, the setting is New York City and I think the authors did a wonderful job placing the story and making you feel like you are in NYC.
Christina Lauren are a dynamic romcom duo. I can go into any of their books and know that I’m in for a few laughs and a MC to get behind and root for. After reading The Unhoneymooners, I had to get my hands on the back catalog and fly through them asap. Roomies is no exception.
Holland has a little case of infatuation for the stranger and his guitar. After an adorable and questionable meet cute, she gets Calvin introduced to her uncles and an audition for the part of a lifetime. The only problem is Calvin is an illegal resident. Naturally, the solution is to embark on a marriage of convenience and pretend they’re madly in love. Only Holland isn’t quite pretending.
I really enjoy a good fake relationship trope with a side of unrequited love. The relationship journey and plot are strengthened by the perfect supporting cast and I can’t help but adore Holland’s uncles in particular. As always, looking forward to reading more from this author duo.
I cannot say enough good things about this book! I’ve read, and enjoyed, many books by Christina Lauren but this one was, by far, my favorite of theirs! This story completely sucked me in and I stayed up until 2:30 am to finish reading it. I love these characters and am so sad to be finished with them. This book could have had a thousand more pages and I wouldn’t have been upset. Ha! Holland and Calvin take the “fake relationship” genre to a whole new level by getting hitched very soon after meeting. Since they did it to get him a Visa, their whole plan is a huge complicated mess without even taking into account the fact that Holland is harboring feelings for Calvin! Whew! This is a book that I will definitely read again…and again!
I love a marriage of convenience story. You’d think one that involves a green card would be trite, overused. Not this one. I loved every minute of this lively, engaging prose. As a writer, I have to admire the way these ladies(Christina and Lauren) managed to surprise me with their clever zingers. When a slacker finds herself drawn to a busker in the subway, you think this is going nowhere. But he’s a hot Irishman and you can’t really blame her for the crush. Things begin to move fast and I just couldn’t put this romance down. Good stuff! I was in the mood for a light, happily ever after. Thanks, authors!
I did enjoy this book but not as much as Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating. But there were so many things happening that makes me laugh a lot and face palm whenever something goes very wrong!!!! A stalker romance that is about a girl who loves the music that a guy is using and fell in love with. It was so funny how things had changed for the two of them and it would make a funny movie. I will definitely watch it!!!!! I will continue on with reading their stories because I need all the laughs.
I really liked this book. Yes, it is ANOTHER “marriage of convenience” story, but this one has lots of fun and humor in it. After he rescues her from a harrowing scene in the subway, she feels compelled to repay him in someway. When she finds out that he is hoping to get to Broadway, she has the strings to pull to help him. Of course, he leaves out one little detail. See, he is from Ireland and he cannot legally stay in this country past his visa. Sure, in the beginning their relationship is just for convenience, but boy does it take off. They finally realize, after lots of mayhem and misunderstandings on both their parts that they really do love one another. It is a predictable ending to a “cutesy” story but, we all need these kind of books once in a while. Jamie Rutland Gillespie
Ah! Where do I start with this one? I always, always, always enjoy a Christina Lauren book! I know that is a ton of exclamation points. But it is so true. I have never read a bad book by these aurthors. I love the rom com, romance, and steamy words that fill these pages. And throw in a sexy ass Irishman? I am so down it’s not even a question. I love the idea of Roomies. I love the somewhat slow burn of the two main characters. I found this book sweet and endearing. And it’s these stories are always loaded with romance. The idea of someone here illegally and falls in love with a beautiful woman…really had me intrigued. Not because it does not happen. But because we seldom read about it in fiction. Or at least I haven’t read alot about it. Anyway, this is just another fantastic novel on the list of these writers!!
Another great read by Christina Lauren. Love to see such a relatable book boyfriend and a heroine I’d like to go out to lunch with. Wonderful book that put a smile on my face
More like 3 and a half stars. If I had read this book without ever reading another book from Christina Lauren, this would have a four or five star rating for me. However, I am such a huge fan and I adore their books, so it is a rather high bar they have set.
I really liked the characters, excellent writing (as per usual), but the story line was a little too far fetched for me (or maybe it just didn’t resonate with me?). Even still, I was entertained and enjoyed the book. I would definitely recommend.
His left hand pulls out the notes as if it’s as simple as breathing.
Roomies is about a music virtuoso, who is also an illegal immigrant. Calvin stayed in the US hoping to catch his big break. Now, many years after his Visa has expired, he is offered the job of a lifetime, his dream job. Enter Holland, the niece of the musical’s producer who wants to hire Calvin. Feeling a sense of obligation to repay her uncle for all he’s done for her, Holland offers Calvin marriage and the opportunity to stay and work in the U.S.
It’s meant to be a marriage of convenience. But how can Holland just turn off the feelings she’s developed for the street musician she’s been secretly watching over the years.
Having him here feels like finding the key to unlock a mysterious chest that’s been 23sitting in the corner of my bedroom for a year.
Y’all, this book was SLOW BURN ON DYNAMITE. Imagine the stick of dynamite with a very long wick— but once the fire reaches the dynamite, it explodes. That’s what this book did. I loved everything about it. The writing is so good, so descriptive, yet not overly flowery, and the chemistry between these two is undeniable! It was funny and sexy, too!
Don’t be surprised, okay? But I think …” he looks around at the mess of my bed. “I think we finally consummated the marriage last night.”
This theory is supported by the obnoxious hickey on your shoulder.
This book was such a treat. I love this writing duo and cannot wait to read more from them!