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randoreaderperson's review against another edition
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sissylala's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
katiakoerner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I just love the Christina Lauren writing style and this book was no different, a marriage of convenience trope after my own heart with an accent to boot, really enjoyed this one and resonated with the creatively diverse talented Holland just trying to find her way and be practical about limerence. Relatable.
lmrivas54's review against another edition
4.0
A marriage of convenience to a brilliant musician? Why not, if it’s to ensure that he stays in the US and can perform in your uncle’s Broadway play? It’s the perfect basis for a great book, with many layers of plots to entertain. I loved this book with just a couple of reservations, that I will disclose later on.
Holland is fascinated with this busker guitarist in a subway stop. For months she’s been stalking him, making unnecessary trips just to pass by the station and listen to him perform. One day she gathers her courage to leave him a tip and praise his music and when he raises his face and looks at her, she’s hooked even more. With green eyes, beautiful face and virtuoso music coming from his fingers, he’s her dream crush, nicknamed Jack for lack of more information.
Holland is the six child in her parent’s marriage, and as such she was sort of lost in the children shuffle. Her mother’s youngest brother Seth and his husband Robert fell in love with the baby and decided to help raise her. They had a close hand in her upbringing and they are now her favorite persons in the world. Likewise, she’s the daughter they always wanted to have. Her uncle Jeff is a financial analyst and her uncle Robert is a musical prodigy and composes musical plays. They moved to New York so Robert could fulfill his dream job, writing and directing a musical play. Holland followed them and they are helping pay for her apartment and found her a job. She works at her uncle Robert’s theatre and when the principal violinist has a tantrum and leaves the show, she knows just the person to fill that position, her busker crush guitarist. She drags her uncle to listen to him play and the cast on “Jack’s” future is cast.
Jack, whose real name is Calvin, aces the audition but there is one obstacle: he’s an illegal immigrant. Then Holland has the brilliant idea to enable him to stay and work: get married. Calvin is Irish, with a lovely accent, lovely body and beautiful face. He’s such a brilliant guitarist that Holland feels the compulsion to help both her uncle and Calvin. Living with such a hottie and nice person would not be a chore. So she makes the crazy proposition to Calvin and he accepts because performing in Robert’s play is his life ambition.
This marriage starts as a convenience marriage but then it turns into so much more. As their feelings deepen, and their marriage turns into a real marriage, Holland is assailed with so many feelings. She sees her uncles achieve success in life, and she sees Calvin finally doing what he was born to do, and she suddenly starts questioning her place in their life. As her uncle Jeff said once: “she sees herself as a supporting character, even in her own life story”. She has an MFA in writing and she used to write all the time, it was as necessary as breathing. But after she graduated, her creativity left her, and she felt like she was just existing, being a witness to other’s lives. Also, she has doubts about Calvin’s feelings, and several instances where the past intervenes increase that uncertainty.
There’s not a lot of sex, thank you authors, but there’s lots of feelings, heartfelt and warmhearted. I loved Holland’s relation with her uncles and even more their love and devotion to their niece. Even though Robert is her uncle by marriage, he’s the one she identifies more with, because even though she’s not a musician, she lives music, understands it and loves it. She’s generous, loves to help, and is insecure about her place in life. Calvin is a bit more obscure as a character. He’s lovely with Holland, and prodigiously talented, a Juilliard graduate, and very grateful to Holland and her uncle for the opportunity. Some of his actions leave a lot to be desired, and thus one questions if he’s feeling gratitude and lust, or real love. And this is where I have one reservation. If there had been chapters with his POV, the reader could have a better understanding about his thoughts and feelings. My other reservation was that the end came suddenly and I was expecting an epilogue. I wanted to see what was done about Lulu, who was supposed to be Holland’s best friend but was sometimes her worst enemy. But these were small reservations and the whole of the book was fabulous, entertaining, riveting, at times hilarious, and all over fantastic.
Holland is fascinated with this busker guitarist in a subway stop. For months she’s been stalking him, making unnecessary trips just to pass by the station and listen to him perform. One day she gathers her courage to leave him a tip and praise his music and when he raises his face and looks at her, she’s hooked even more. With green eyes, beautiful face and virtuoso music coming from his fingers, he’s her dream crush, nicknamed Jack for lack of more information.
Holland is the six child in her parent’s marriage, and as such she was sort of lost in the children shuffle. Her mother’s youngest brother Seth and his husband Robert fell in love with the baby and decided to help raise her. They had a close hand in her upbringing and they are now her favorite persons in the world. Likewise, she’s the daughter they always wanted to have. Her uncle Jeff is a financial analyst and her uncle Robert is a musical prodigy and composes musical plays. They moved to New York so Robert could fulfill his dream job, writing and directing a musical play. Holland followed them and they are helping pay for her apartment and found her a job. She works at her uncle Robert’s theatre and when the principal violinist has a tantrum and leaves the show, she knows just the person to fill that position, her busker crush guitarist. She drags her uncle to listen to him play and the cast on “Jack’s” future is cast.
Jack, whose real name is Calvin, aces the audition but there is one obstacle: he’s an illegal immigrant. Then Holland has the brilliant idea to enable him to stay and work: get married. Calvin is Irish, with a lovely accent, lovely body and beautiful face. He’s such a brilliant guitarist that Holland feels the compulsion to help both her uncle and Calvin. Living with such a hottie and nice person would not be a chore. So she makes the crazy proposition to Calvin and he accepts because performing in Robert’s play is his life ambition.
This marriage starts as a convenience marriage but then it turns into so much more. As their feelings deepen, and their marriage turns into a real marriage, Holland is assailed with so many feelings. She sees her uncles achieve success in life, and she sees Calvin finally doing what he was born to do, and she suddenly starts questioning her place in their life. As her uncle Jeff said once: “she sees herself as a supporting character, even in her own life story”. She has an MFA in writing and she used to write all the time, it was as necessary as breathing. But after she graduated, her creativity left her, and she felt like she was just existing, being a witness to other’s lives. Also, she has doubts about Calvin’s feelings, and several instances where the past intervenes increase that uncertainty.
There’s not a lot of sex, thank you authors, but there’s lots of feelings, heartfelt and warmhearted. I loved Holland’s relation with her uncles and even more their love and devotion to their niece. Even though Robert is her uncle by marriage, he’s the one she identifies more with, because even though she’s not a musician, she lives music, understands it and loves it. She’s generous, loves to help, and is insecure about her place in life. Calvin is a bit more obscure as a character. He’s lovely with Holland, and prodigiously talented, a Juilliard graduate, and very grateful to Holland and her uncle for the opportunity. Some of his actions leave a lot to be desired, and thus one questions if he’s feeling gratitude and lust, or real love. And this is where I have one reservation. If there had been chapters with his POV, the reader could have a better understanding about his thoughts and feelings. My other reservation was that the end came suddenly and I was expecting an epilogue. I wanted to see what was done about Lulu, who was supposed to be Holland’s best friend but was sometimes her worst enemy. But these were small reservations and the whole of the book was fabulous, entertaining, riveting, at times hilarious, and all over fantastic.
izzylawrence_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
isitcake's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This was ok. Roomies is a bad title for it. Roomies implies they were roommates first and that leads to something more. In this case, they are literally never roommates because they have a marriage of convenience for Calvin to be legally able to stay in the US to play in the symphony for the musical act that her uncle is the musical director for. After they're married they move in together. But in that case they're husband and wife with a fake marriage. I also didn't really like Holland as a character. She's one of those girls who seems to have no direction in life and its only after discovering Calvin that she takes time to consider what she wants to do for a career.
Holland works for her uncles at the NYC theater where she does odd jobs, sell merch, etc. She often takes the subway to work just to pass this guitarist who plays in her station, who she dubs Jack, and hasn't worked up the courage to talk to for 6 months now. But when she finally does, she's robbed by some dude and pushed onto the tracks. There's a bit of a mixup as people think she jumped since no one else can verify that she was pushed and Calvin won't come forward. He later explains that he couldn't because he's in the country illegally. He came here.. 4-8 years ago from Ireland and has been lying to his mom that he met a girl, Sarah, or something.
When the latest show's soloist quits, Holland suggests that Calvin could be lead. Her uncle is all for it but then it comes out about him being there illegally, which nixes that plan. The props director suggests that she could marry him, which everyone dismisses. But later she's like huh I couldmarry him. She suggests it to Calvin and he agrees. They get married and he proves how talented a musician he is. At home she's uncertain what they're relationship is sine they're practically strangers. (HEY that would be a better title for the book) They do have sex and slowly admit they want to see if they can have a real relationship together. But then 2 things happen that tests it.
Holland's "friend" gets drunk and tells Calvin how Holland was obsessed with him for months. This was right after they had a scary obsessed fan event with crazy fans surrounding Calvin outside the theater. He questions if Holland is also just a crazy fan who took it one step further and jumped at the chance to marry him. Offended, Holland goes MIA for a couple days until Calvin grovels.
Later, Holland pays for Calvin's mother and sister to fly in as a surprise to see him and they start calling her Sarah and assume they've been together for years. Calvin has to explain who the real Sarah was, just some girl he had dated but then kept using her name to reassure his parents that he was able to stay in the US. This is Holland's turn to question if Calvin is just using her as a convenient body to stay in the US.
They make up. Calvin is successful as a musician. Holland discovers she's a great writer about music. And its HAE.
When the latest show's soloist quits, Holland suggests that Calvin could be lead. Her uncle is all for it but then it comes out about him being there illegally, which nixes that plan. The props director suggests that she could marry him, which everyone dismisses. But later she's like huh I couldmarry him. She suggests it to Calvin and he agrees. They get married and he proves how talented a musician he is. At home she's uncertain what they're relationship is sine they're practically strangers. (HEY that would be a better title for the book) They do have sex and slowly admit they want to see if they can have a real relationship together. But then 2 things happen that tests it.
Holland's "friend" gets drunk and tells Calvin how Holland was obsessed with him for months. This was right after they had a scary obsessed fan event with crazy fans surrounding Calvin outside the theater. He questions if Holland is also just a crazy fan who took it one step further and jumped at the chance to marry him. Offended, Holland goes MIA for a couple days until Calvin grovels.
Later, Holland pays for Calvin's mother and sister to fly in as a surprise to see him and they start calling her Sarah and assume they've been together for years. Calvin has to explain who the real Sarah was, just some girl he had dated but then kept using her name to reassure his parents that he was able to stay in the US. This is Holland's turn to question if Calvin is just using her as a convenient body to stay in the US.
They make up. Calvin is successful as a musician. Holland discovers she's a great writer about music. And its HAE.
sara11_reads's review against another edition
2.0
The green card/immigration plot is ridiculous but I was willing to go along with it since I liked all the characters. However, at about 75%, everything goes to hell. The Amanda lie from Calvin is dumb and comes out of nowhere. It makes no sense and seems like something the authors thought of at the last minute and just threw in to provide another complication. Holland becomes selfish and acts out of character. She decides to quit her job at the Broadway theater and work 3 nights a week at a restaurant so she can finally afford her own rent (instead of living off her uncles). Uh, I really don't think waitressing 3 nights a week while you write an essay for New Yorker in your spare time is a realistic way to pay rent on a Manhattan apartment. I never understood why Calvin's lie about Amanda is so much worse than Holland's lie about stalking the guy for 6 months.