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 thought this book was written extremely well. I loved the characters of Calvin and Holland. I did not get a chance to read the first look so I had no idea what this book was even about when I first started it. Holland is just a city girl who is working on becoming her own person while helping out her uncles on Broadway. Calvin is a talented musician looking for his next big break. Being married to a man you’re obsessed with, but don’t even know can be tricky. Somehow Holland finds a way to make it work in her life. That is until chaos ensues and she begins to question many of the choices she’s made in life. Does Calvin love her? Does she even love him? Has everything really been a sham from the very beginning?? I really did love this story, and I think everyone should give it a read.
I have purchased several books by Christina Lauren, but this is the first one I’ve read and I can’t wait to read every other book they’ve written. I got this from the library after it was recommended in one of my Facebook groups. I didn’t know what it was about because I don’t like to read blurbs. I loved it! I love New York and musical theater and marriages of inconvenience. I loved Calvin and I really liked how every once in a while, Holland would remind us that he’s Irish by using the word “tink” for “think.” I loved Holland’s relationship with Jeff and Robert. I loved the backstage Broadway stuff. One thing I was disappointed by was something I’ve seen in lots of books, which is the couple is kept apart by a misunderstanding that could easily have been avoided if they’d just TALKED TO EACH OTHER. Despite that situation, which was eventually resolved, I really loved this story and didn’t want it to end.
What a great book! This was the expected roller coaster of emotion that I’ve come to love about the work of this author duo.
I had such a immediate attachment to these characters and their story and listening to the audio version of the book… well the narrator really sold the Irish accent and made the story feel real.
I would recommend this book and really – anything by these two to anyone who is a hopeless romantic looking for their next book addiction.
Happy Reading…enjoy!
You know how you meet someone and you instantly like them and want to be friends with them but if someone were to ask you why, you wouldn’t be able to give them reasons. Maybe it’s just because you can tell that they are good people? Well, it’s one of my favorite feelings and somehow Christina Lauren have managed to translate this feeling in just the first few chapter of this book. I’m unbelievable giddy about Holland and Calvin but I couldn’t pinpoint anything in particular that makes them stand above and beyond other fictional characters. They just do.
How do you write a review about a book that felt like it was about nothing but everything all at once? It feels wrong to say that the way I feel about Holland and Calvin is just about exactly how Holland felt about herself in this book. When trying to break down my thoughts for my review, the only remarkable thing that stands out about this story is the music and Calvin’s Broadway success, but to pretend that the story as a whole wasn’t remarkable is laughable at the very least.
I’m can’t be sure if I fell in love with Calvin and his music on my own or if I fell in love through the eyes of Holland and everything she saw IN him and felt FOR him. The real romance in the story didn’t come from watching Calvin and Holland fall in love but rather from the way that Christina Lauren were able to make me FEEL in love with them falling.
Why did I cry so much? Why could I feel my heart swooning so hard? How was it possible that I felt the same pain, the same passion, the same sadness and the same joy as them? I’ll tell you. It’s through pure, unadulterated, brilliant-fucking-fantastic writing. Honestly, you don’t need to know anything more, just go buy the book and read it already!
This is my favourite Christina Lauren so far. Who doesn’t love an arranged marriage romance. This one has all the feels, plus some really brilliant, believable and unique characters in the thoroughly engaging and plausible world of NYC music and theatre. I loved it!
I just loved this book. Calvin and Holland are wonderful characters. Beautifully written story about unexpected love and how it develops.
I was really enjoying this until the end. There’s no epilogue so I feel like it just ended and I have questions! Like, a whole bunch. Ugh, I feel incomplete. I was so into it then bam…the end. Oh well, I still liked everything before that.
I was prepared, and even tried, not liking this as much as the other books of theirs I’ve read, but alas, Christina Lauren is just consistently great. Very cute story, loved the characters, the tension build up, pretty much everything. If you’re looking for a great contemporary romance, or solid contemporary romance writers to follow, stick with Christina Lauren!
I really like this author. The subject was entertaining and the characters were people i’d Like to know ( well, maybe not the “best” friend). If you’ve got a thing for musicians, this book is right up your alley.
Fabulous. Fabulously sweet, swoony, and witty. So many sigh-worthy lines slipping out of Irishman Calvin’s mouth. I couldn’t get enough.
I’d been looking forward to read something from this author duo for a long time and I’m glad I finally made the time.
Roomies is a great story with an original plot, fun and fast paced. I really enjoyed everything about it, loved the writing and was impressed by their accuracy of the immigration interviews. I also found the characters to be very relatable and thought Calvin and Holland were perfect for each other.
I loved everything about this book. I am a New Yorker by birth so the setting in and of itself was spot on. I continue to marvel that two authors writing as one can pull off a “voice” that is so believable and, well, “in synch”. This is the second book I have read by this team and I plan to continue with any and all that I can locate at the library. Is it great literature? Perhaps not. Is it totally satisfying for anyone who likes a good romance that is a cut above the typical romance? Yes.
I got lost in this one. A delightful romantic escape with a strong heroine’s journey. Laugh-out-loud funny at a few points. Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is sitting on my Kindle right now and I can’t wait!
Christina Lauren has once again created a great romantic comedy. And this time the hero has a very sexy Irish accent. Calvin is one of my favorite heroes this year. He’s sweet and funny and a talented musician. I loved all the twists to this marriage of convenience story. My only complaint is that the book ended. I wouldn’t have minded a few more chapters. I wasn’t ready to say bye to Calvin just yet.
Holland is an aspiring writer who lives in New York. But, she also has a knack for scouting out musical talent and potential due to growing up around music. Her uncle and his husband practically raised her. That’s why when Holland’s uncle is in need of a new performer for his Broadway show Holland rushes to help him.
Enter Calvin McLoughlin, a subway musician and Holland’s crush–that she has never really spoken to. Holland mostly admires Calvin from afar until one day she gets the courage to talk to him. It turns out Calvin is an immigrant from Ireland. He attended Julliard and now he is just waiting for his big break. After learning this, Holland quickly puts two and two together: Calvin would be perfect for her uncle’s show! Everything works out perfectly…until they realize Calvin’s visa expired.
Naturally, Holland offers to marry him so he can be in the show. This way she helps out her uncle while also helping Calvin pursue his big break. What no one realizes is that this is also a win for Holland as she finally gets to know her mysterious crush.
This book is such a fun read. The premise seems outlandish at first, but it totally works! It’s classic Christina Lauren: entertaining, endearing, and romantic along with just the right amount of humor.
*4 Stars*
Copy kindly received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I finally picked this up because I’ve heard so much about this book, and I’m on a mission to clear out some of my older NetGalley approvals and get them read.
It took me a fair while to get into this book, I was probably nearly half way before I started really feeling invested in the characters and like I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.
The whole premise between Holland and Calvin is so far fetched yet is somehow still believable. Most likely because I’m sure there are lots of people out there who do this exact thing, or try to anyways.
I don’t really understand all of the musical lingo too much, but once they started living together things really picked up for me, and the book was more about the relationship between the two main characters, than all the other things going on in the background and setting foundation.
I really liked Calvin. He was adorable even if by the end he does some questionable things. I enjoyed he and Holland getting to know each other, and I liked how much of the time they were able to communicate well. Not all of the time, but a lot of the time.
Overall I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from Christina Lauren in the future.
I totally loved this book. The story of Holland and Calvin is sweet, funny and just plain good! Christina Lauren can do no wrong in their writing. They always bring the reader exactly what they need. Another win!
This was such a fun, entertaining read. From Holland’s quirky self to Calvin’s sweetness, and the bits of drama and angst mixed in, I thought this was a really great story and I totally enjoyed it!
Roomies is a complicated but sweet romance.
Holland has a crush on a subway musician. She’s taken by his music and has an ear for it. A significant thing happens that brings these two together. I loved Holland she has a huge heart and quickly finds herself fallen for the subway musician. Calvin, I also adored. He has a way about him that you instantly realize why Holland is so fond of him.
There’s a lot more to this story. There is quite a bit of humor, but also it has its serious moments. Holland has a lot of insecurities and is lacking in creativity for the profession that she has longed to have. But all she needed was her muse. Even though these two are thrown into this relationship, they learn a lot about themselves. Which helps them grow, becoming who they were meant to be.
This is my first Christina Lauren Book. I fell into it, not knowing anything really about it. I do that all the time. I go in blind and hope for the best. The story was highly enjoyable. Though, I didn’t connect with the characters on an emotional level. It was so worth the read.
Overall, I give this Four Boundless Stars
Roomies was a fun story, light and romantic. Heroine Holland is a young woman who has mostly been coasting through life, never really taking a starring role in shaping her future or job prospects. However, she works for her uncle, behind the scenes at a Broadway production. When she spots subway musician Calvin, she knows he’s the answer to her uncle’s casting woes. She’s also attracted to the handsome Irishman, who happens to be in the country illegally. When it becomes clear the production can’t go on without Calvin’s musical talent, Holland takes matters into her own hands and marries him to get him a Green Card. Will their relationship blossom into something more than a marriage of convenience, or will Holland’s heart get broken?
This is a lovely romance. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, major and minor, and wasn’t left in doubt as to a “happily ever after.”