“Warmly funny and gorgeously sexy.”—New York Times Book ReviewA LibraryReads PickHouse Rules: Do your own dishes Knock before entering the bathroom Never look up your roommate online The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She’s the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton … the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara’s childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too tempting to resist. Unfortunately, it’s also too good to be true.
After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger. Josh might be a bit too perceptive—not to mention handsome—for comfort, but there’s a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn’t looked him up on the Internet…
Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton’s most scandalous story yet. His professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they’re lucky, they’ll help everyone else get lucky too.
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I can now officially say I’ve read a steamy romance and that would be The Roommate by Rosie Danan! I saw some hype about this book, and I didn’t even read the synopsis before deciding I had to read it, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I laughed a lot, and thought it was an incredibly fun read while also bringing up some important subjects. I had a fun surprise when I found out the main male character in this book was a porn star and I can tell you I haven’t read a book like this before. But I loved it and was really impressed to find out this is a debut as well. Clara and Josh are now one of my favorite couples, and I loved both of them individually as well.
I listened to the audiobook and was excited to find out it is narrated by Brittany Pressley & Teddy Hamilton. Pressley is one of my favorite narrators, and I realized I have listened to another book Hamilton has narrated (specifically The Friend Zone which I loved). If you like listening to audiobooks I highly recommend this one. They were perfect as Clara and Josh and I loved their narration for both characters. I haven’t read much open door romance so I was worried there would be too much steam for me (especially listening to it) but I loved the heat in The Roommate so maybe I do like them now! Either that or it was just Danan’s amazing writing skills, but I definitely enjoyed the ride this one took me on, and I can’t wait for her upcoming book!
The Roommate was such a fun read! What I loved about this book besides the humor, steam, and compelling story was the sex-positive writing, the intimacy, and the sex-worker storyline.
I adored the message of women seeking, finding, and expected pleasure with their lovers. It is one that is overlooked and detrimental to relationships.
As for the sex-industry, In many stories, adult workers are either scorned or seen as only sexual objects, making them one-dimensional characters. This story gives them depth, showing them as real people while highlighting the good and bad of the industry.
Now for the characters. I loved them, especially Josh. He was so damn sweet and sexy but flawed enough to feel real. Another aspect I enjoyed was the opposites attract theme (it’s one of my favorites), and it doesn’t get more opposite than an adult-entertainer and blue-blood under her parent’s thumb.
4.5 stars
This story is so different from what I expected, so much more and so much deeper. I actually wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it just yet as it was getting a lot of hype. I have issues with going into book/movies/tv shows with too high of expectations only to be let down. Not because the thing isn’t good, but because it doesn’t end up living up to impossible standards that have been set. Honestly, I thought it would take longer to get from my library than it did and I didn’t want to pass when it was my turn. I purposely didn’t read too deeply into any reviews in case there were spoilers. Let me tell you, that was a great decision. And rest assured, I will be giving no spoilers here.
First, let’s talk about how Clara came to be in California. Growing up rich and semi-famous on the East Coast because of her family, Clara felt it was time to step outside of her comfort zone and get away from the expectations put on her by her family and her community. Moving clear across the country to stay with the childhood best friend and “boy next door” (now a man) and seeing how she does making her own way is admirable. There’s the added bonus that she may finally make some headway in her unrequited crush on said neighbor boy now that she’ll be living with him. Of course, in the best jaw-dropping way, her plans get turned upside down. Instead, she’ll be living in the house with a total stranger. Not the greatest way for by-the-book Clara to start her new life.
While Josh isn’t some weird slob who totally turns Clara’s life to chaos by breaking her rules, he just doesn’t fit into her plan. Although, as she gets to know him, she finds she’s living with an extremely kind, helpful, compassionate, and funny guy. Now, that could be a problem. Especially once she finds out how he makes a living. Reminder: Clara’s family has expectations. That would include marrying someone from the “right” family. Josh is a nobody as far as her family is concerned.
Here’s where I get vague and gloss over some things so as not to give anything away. I just want to say that I was totally shocked that I hadn’t inadvertently found out certain things about this book. And quite pleased I got to discover these things on my own. On top of that, I found the storyline to be very unique. Sure, we have the roommates trope (which I love), but there is so much more at play here outside of that. I love the idea Clara and Josh come up with to help both of them professionally. I love the overall theme of people owning their sexual joy. Finding what makes them happy and realizing everyone is different…and that’s okay. And Clara really finds herself in this story. She goes from a sort of follower to speaking her mind and going after what she wants instead of what she knows everyone else wants.
The chemistry between Clara and Josh was up and down for me. But the scenes in which they almost innocently progress their physical relationship are fire. There were times I wasn’t feeling their connection outside of the bedroom, but between the sheets I was blown away. And it wasn’t just about the sex in those scenes. It was about how they interacted. Beautifully done. There were some great and touching scenes outside the bedroom, too. It was just a few times those scenes fell flat.
Now, I’m not giving this a full 5-stars because there were some areas of lag for me. But I’m definitely going to be keeping my eye on this author. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.
Thank you Rosie Danan, Berkley Pub & Netgalley for my #gifted copy.
5/5 Stars
5/5 Steam Rating
I hope you’re ready for the steam… this book will bring it!! I mean… one of the MC is a porn star after all. Socialite Clara moves all the way to the across country to move in with her long time crush and best friend. Unfortunately for Clara, she gets dropped of on the front porch and told that her best friend is leaving town to tour with his band and she has a new roommate. Enter Josh… Clara’s new roommate and a well know male porn star. With Josh’s help, Clara explores her sexuality and wants to share that knowledge with other women.
I loved the premise of this story and how it was executed. This is a story told from the POV of both Clara & John. I thought that the conversations flowed naturally and that the push/pull of Clara and Josh were entertaining and natural. Josh was my absolute favorite character of this story and honestly, one of my favorite book males in a while! I mean… can he be my book boyfriend?!
The only thing I wish was a bit different was that I was left wanting to know a little bit more about the Wheaton curse. This was a big driving force behind Clara and I just didn’t feel like I understood it enough. With that said, it was an overall small part of the story and didn’t have a big impact on my love for Clara & Josh’s story.
Can we just talk about how much I loved this book? Yes. Josh is incredibly sweet, endearing, and dare I say, steaming hot… I laughed, cringed, swooned, and turned the pages so fast. This is one of those hilariously funny and searing hot books that you can read in one sitting but then make yourself take a break because you’re dying to know what happens but you don’t want it to end. You cannot go wrong with this laugh-out-loud, sexy page-turner!
I just finished the audiobook for The Roommate and trust me, the hype is well worth it. Sex positivity, empowerment, and slow burn with lots of sizzle. Lots of delicious tropes – forced proximity, opposites attract, slow burn, friends with some benefits, pining for the wrong love – it’s all here. The banter is wonderful and there are no real villains except the system. There’s really nothing that brings a couple closer together than taking down the patriarchy.u2060
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Quick note on the audiobook – excellent, dual POV delivery. The voice actors for both Josh and Clara are perfect for their roles. Excellent work!u2060
The blurb and the cover had me excited to read this book. This debut author pulled me. I loved the fact that these roommates did not know each other.
Clara thinks she’s going to move in with her best friend she’s liked for a long time. Well things didn’t work out as she planned and now she’s living with a stranger.
The Roommate was an enjoyable read that had me laughing and enjoying these characters. Looking forward to more work from this author.
It’s no wonder this delightful romcom has been optioned for a film, because The Roommate played out like the best screenplays. Engaging leads, fun and meaningful secondary characters, real conflict, great setting, and issues people can find relatable.
Clara Wheaton has always been the buttoned down good girl in a scandal prone political family but one day she throws caution to the wind and follows the boy next door, whom she’d like to be the boyfriend-in-her-bed, to LA. But when she gets there she finds he’s on his way out the door for a band gig and oh, by the way, there’s some stranger off of Craigslist renting his room and sharing the apartment with her. Bye!
Clara, not surprisingly, doesn’t cope well with the idea of sharing a house and a bathroom with a guy whose surfer boy good looks don’t mean he’s not a serial killer or an embezzler…or internationally famous porn star Josh Darling.
There were some wonderful laugh out loud moments as Josh and Clara navigate life as roommates, not to mention how Clara deals with Josh’s professional life. He’s amused by this squeaky-clean, twin-set wearing socialite from Connecticut, until he begins fantasizing about getting her to loosen up a bit.
It’s been said a lot this year, but part of the joy of reading romance like this is it takes you away from your problems for a few hours, and you could do worse than to spend those hours with The Roommate.
This book has bravery and verve and some of the best sex scenes I’ve ever read. It’s a sex-positive romance where the hero is a porn star, of all things, and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if it wasn’t getting so many rave reviews. But the writing is REALLY good, and the story pushes some great themes about female desire and pleasure without getting too pedantic about it. Truly, it’s the opposite of pedantic. (Fans herself.) Highly recommended if you are not freaked out by novels about this topic.
So, I liked this story. I found myself looking around to see if other’s noticed my undetectable blush. The writing was easy to read and had a healthy dose of humor. I enjoyed the story’s plot and the lessons that Josh and Clara learned. Oh the lessons. This book is one the promises to get the reader hot and bothered.
The Roommate was a really sexy and fun read. I had been recommended this book countless times by friends and I’m really glad that I finally had a chance to read it. The book features many of my favorite tropes including: forced proximity, friends to lovers, opposites attract, and also some workplace taboo.
I’ll admit that I was a bit wary going into it since the hero is a porn star, but Josh was such a sweetheart that he won me over. He was adorkably sexy and was a great complement to Clara’s ultra ordered and organized personality. I loved watching them challenge, but also support each other throughout the book. The banter between Clara and Josh was amazing and the scene in the diner with Clara’s Chagall drawing was one of my favorites in the book. Their friendship translated into sizzling hot chemistry and their scenes together definitely had me fanning myself. I loved and appreciated how sex positive the story was and it helped me also evaluate and reconsider some of my own preconceived notions. I really enjoyed Naomi’s character and am excited that she is getting a book next. The Roommate certainly lived up to its raunch-com name!
I was very surprised at how much I loved this book, normally I don’t like books set on this theme, as it is such a cruel and disgusting industry. BUT THE CRITICISM SAID IN THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING THAT MANY WANTS TO SAY. A history made in a light way, seen from both sides, both his and hers, and the vision of pleasures both on the male side and mainly on the female side. A sexy, well-developed book, with fluid and incredible writing, which also presents various angles and perspectives of our life, the difficulty in accepting us, family life and communication, our acceptance, no matter what they talk about. A perfect sync.
I loved the book and hope to read more from the author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Pub for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
If you love a good steamy romance you should go buy The Roommate by Rosie Danan today. This book is this unique blend of sweet and over the top sexy at the same time.
The plot centers around Clara Wheaton, and East Coast socialite, who relocates to the West Coast to be with her childhood crush. When she gets there she’s perturbed to discover her friend is going on tour and has left her to share a house with roommate he found on the internet, Josh. Oh and by the way, Josh happens to be a porn star!
What follows is a very sweet opposite attracts story of two people getting past their differences to become friends and then more. But come on, Josh is a porn star, so the sexy bits are down right steamy hot.
Beyond all that though this story is about people finding strength within themselves and shedding the expectations of society to live their own best lives.
So … for people who love steamy hot romance with a fun story line, go preorder right now! If you are romance lover who prefers things to fade into black, this is not the book for you. This book is full blown, lights on, steamy goodness.
I think the best description of this book that I’ve seen is Raunch-Com. Holy Steam, Batman! Not even going to lie, I blushed several times reading this one and I was the only one home at the time!u2063
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It’s an interesting take on the porn industry and the stereotypes that surround the performers. Clara and Josh were great characters but an unlikely pair, in my opinion. The story was entertaining and I enjoyed it overall, though I do think the ending wrapped up a little too quickly.u2063
The Roommate by Rosie Danan was an opposite attracts story that was fun to read. With a easy-going porn star and an awkward and uptight woman, what can go wrong? Clara is as straight and narrow as they come. Josh is anything but. And now they are unlikely roommates. Their story was funny and charming as you see them explore out outside their comfort areas.
Happy reading!
Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
Josh is a porn star who’s proud of his gifts on and off the camera. Clara is a straight-laced socialite from the East Coast who dropped her entire life to move to the opposite coast to room with her forever-crush, Elliott. Only when she arrives in LA, he picks her up and literally drops her off at the house telling her he’s going on tour with his band and that he’s rented out the other room. Even despite this inexcusable and god-awful behaviour, she still lusts after him. Come on, girlfriend. Josh finds Clara’s buttoned up demeanor amusing and slightly appealing but he has no intentions of getting mixed up in her mess. His best intentions don’t hold up though when he finds out Clara has been researching his day job.
As she and Josh get involved she helps him see a bigger future for himself. One where he has control over his name and his career. They come up with a brilliant project and marketing idea and decide to pursue it. They both become advocates for sexual empowerment, especially for women. Clara evolves into a vastly different person from the one who first arrives in LA.
The story also removes the ‘othering’ of adult entertainers by giving us a glimpse into the workings of that world. It can definitely be manipulative and because those in porn are treated as inferior by the rest of ‘polite society’, they don’t get the attention or support they deserve when it comes to asking for better working conditions.
I thought The Roommate was charming and it’s kind of different from some other romances I’ve read recently but there’s one thing that was nagging at me as I read it. Clara is super conscientious about her family’s image – she’s either thinking about it or talking about it – and thanks to shady family history she knows the consequences of bad publicity. Which is why I thought I’d missed something when she seems to jump into something with Josh. If she’s always so worried about not letting her family down, how does she reason this out in her head? To be clear, I’m not asking for Clara to justify her decisions. I just wanted a better understanding of how she went from point A to point B when she’s otherwise always consumed with propriety. My confusion was spurred on by her taking a job working for her aunt who’s been ostracized by her family for unbecoming behaviour. This aunt has since gone on to have a successful PR career and has recently landed a high profile client and Clara is brought in to work closely with them. Clara’s actions seem out of character for someone who’s a list-maker, rule-follower and who’s so intent on not drawing any negative attention to her family. My point is that it’s not clearly shown how she compartmentalized everything because she’s smart and incredibly thoughtful, so surely she would’ve known that there’d be repercussions if someone got wind of her side projects.
Regardless, The Roommate is a fun and enjoyable read. It’s honestly quite a sweet story about that journey towards owning one’s sexuality and being unashamed of it. There are also other things that take up space in the story such has the lives of the adult performers. They aren’t just presented as just porn stars but as multi-dimensional individuals with their own fascinating backgrounds. The Roommate was something a little different and I’m happy I read it.
I’m not normally a fan of third person POV, but after so many friends were raving about The Roommate, I knew I had to read it. I was blown away that this was a debut novel, and loved so much about it.
Smart, quirky and cute Clara is quite the enigma to brandnew roommate and porn star Josh, who no matter what he does, can’t seem to figure her out. The two opposites who were thrown together by chance discover that they have more in common than they realize. Clara, daughter of a wealthy socialite family, PhD in Art History and people pleaser, makes the wild choice to leave all of her current plans and moves to California when her childhood crush, Everett, invites her to live with him. Josh Darling, porn star sublets said childhood crush’s room after his porn star girlfriend kicks him out and when Everett’s band goes on tour last minute. Prim and proper Clara has all of her ideals questioned as Josh starts to tear down her walls. And Josh is blown out of the water as she has him questioning the industry he’s in. Together these two use both of their talents on a project to create an amazing change in an industry dominated by dirty dogs and encourages women to take back their bodies and pleasure.
What I loved the most about this book was the question of art and pornography. It’s a question that often came up in all of my art classes, and always causes me to pause and ponder. Clara was always afraid to produce her art for others, scared she’ll show too much of herself to those who view it. With the help of Josh, she’s also learning to embrace her body and the power she has over it. But through the project with Josh, she finds she’s wanting to use those art skills so that other women can embrace the power of their bodies as well.
If you want not just an entertains read with great banter and story telling, then read The Roommate! It was excellent and I can’t wait for the sequel!
Thank you to Netgalley, Rosie Danan and Berkley Romance for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.
Wow, who could have expected a slow-burn about the porn industry? This was funny and sweet, sex-positive, and very hard to put down.
Although I have mixed feels about The Roommate, what really stood out was Clara and Josh’s droll banter. Their conversations flowed across the pages, keeping me highly entertained with sharp intelligence, dry wit, and wicked humor. The romantic relationship fell shy of the anticipated mark, because while they had the flirting and physical chemistry down pat, emotionally, things were meh.
My main gripe is the last portion of the story. Up until chapter 30, I thought the story was going pretty good and if things had stopped there, I’d give the book 4 stars. Alas, the last minute drama llama precipice didn’t mesh and Clara’s glossy, albeit rushed, apology to Josh fell way short of the intended mark! The story threads wrapped too quickly and super tidy to provide a satisfying closure, leaving me disappointed.
First off, look at this cover! Right away, I knew I wanted to read about the characters on that couch, and thankfully, the story didn’t disappoint.
Pairing a wealthy, sexually inexperienced socialite with a porn star hero as her roommate for the summer was pretty much everything you’d expect it to be, and yet I found myself pleasantly surprised at how sex positive and sweet the story was (it’s sexy but not erotica).
I had a few editorial quibbles about some of the characterizations and conflict, but mostly that’s just because there was so much potential with this story and setup. Overall, it was a quick, fun read, and I already can’t wait to see what Danan writes next.
RATING: B+ (4½ stars)
(Note: I received a review copy of this title courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.)