bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Injury/injury detail, and Dementia
Moderate: Violence and Abandonment
lucygraham_27's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Violence
sami_leigh's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
πππππ/5
πΆοΈπΆοΈπΆοΈ/5
πΆοΈπΆοΈπΆοΈ/5
ββThank you.β For listening. And for tonight. And for making me feelβ¦ less alone. A little less burdened, even if only for a little while. βI think I really needed to talk to someone, and I want to make sure you know.ββ
π Sequel to The Spanish Love Deception
π MC is a romance author π
π Meet Cute > Friends to Lovers
π Forced proximity
π Fake Dating
π Banter ππ»
π Consent cultureΒ
π Well established secondary characters
π Lucas = cinnamon roll
π Nicknames
π Abuela raised a feminist ππ»
π Meddling family/Close-knit family
π Growth for our MCs; plot deals with major life & career changes, and reevaluation of self worth/love ππ»
β οΈ Mild violence, mention of panic attacks/disorder, description of major injury & accident, abandonment (mother), infidelity in past relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Violence, Abandonment, Injury/injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Infidelity
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Β I read "The Spanish Love Deception" last year, and loved it, so I was so excited to pick up Elena Armas's newest release. Overall, I thought this book was fine, but I did not love it as much as her debut book.
"The American Roommate Experiment" follows a young aspiring author named Rosie. Rosie has recently written and published a successful romance novel under a pen name. She has decided to take the plunge and go for her author dreams fulltime, so she quits her job and begins trying to write her second book, under a strict deadline. Unfortunately, she has extreme writer's block. Even more unfortunately, her apartment becomes unlivable, so she goes to stay at her best friend, Lina's, apartment until her apartment is fixed. Lina is currently enjoying her honeymoon and failed to inform Rosie that her very attractive cousin, Lucas, will be in town...and crashing at Lina's place. With nowhere else to go, Rosie and Lucas are forced to live together until they both can catch a break and go back to their normal lives.
With companion romance novels I often see that we get a taste of the other characters from previous books, but they are never a pivotal character to the new story. With this book, Elena Armas made Lina important, and I loved getting to see more from her and see that she is still in love with Aaron just as much as she was in "The Spanish Love Deception". I also really enjoyed seeing how much Rosie loves and cares for her little brother, however, his story takes an extreme and unnecessary turn that I did not enjoy seeing. I feel like I keep seeing this trend in romance novels of extreme plot twists that are really dark or really violent. I know these types of stories have an audience, but I do not like seeing them in romance stories that are pitched as a lighter, fluffier romance.
This book is well written and engaging, but I did think it was a little longer than necessary. I enjoy a slow burn from time to time, but this book takes a LONG time to finally get there and there is a lot of unnecessary plot that I did not want to read about. Rosie also began to annoy me because I felt like Lucas was so clear with his intentions and she was not getting it. I did enjoy that this book does alternate between both of their perspectives.
I will definitely pick up more from Elena Armas in the future, and I hope to find similar magic in another book of hers.Β
"The American Roommate Experiment" follows a young aspiring author named Rosie. Rosie has recently written and published a successful romance novel under a pen name. She has decided to take the plunge and go for her author dreams fulltime, so she quits her job and begins trying to write her second book, under a strict deadline. Unfortunately, she has extreme writer's block. Even more unfortunately, her apartment becomes unlivable, so she goes to stay at her best friend, Lina's, apartment until her apartment is fixed. Lina is currently enjoying her honeymoon and failed to inform Rosie that her very attractive cousin, Lucas, will be in town...and crashing at Lina's place. With nowhere else to go, Rosie and Lucas are forced to live together until they both can catch a break and go back to their normal lives.
With companion romance novels I often see that we get a taste of the other characters from previous books, but they are never a pivotal character to the new story. With this book, Elena Armas made Lina important, and I loved getting to see more from her and see that she is still in love with Aaron just as much as she was in "The Spanish Love Deception". I also really enjoyed seeing how much Rosie loves and cares for her little brother, however, his story takes an extreme and unnecessary turn that I did not enjoy seeing. I feel like I keep seeing this trend in romance novels of extreme plot twists that are really dark or really violent. I know these types of stories have an audience, but I do not like seeing them in romance stories that are pitched as a lighter, fluffier romance.
This book is well written and engaging, but I did think it was a little longer than necessary. I enjoy a slow burn from time to time, but this book takes a LONG time to finally get there and there is a lot of unnecessary plot that I did not want to read about. Rosie also began to annoy me because I felt like Lucas was so clear with his intentions and she was not getting it. I did enjoy that this book does alternate between both of their perspectives.
I will definitely pick up more from Elena Armas in the future, and I hope to find similar magic in another book of hers.Β
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, and Injury/injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship
hellowildflower's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/injury detail and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Violence
doodeedoda's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Cursing, Violence, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/injury detail
readwithria's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The American Roommate Experiment is one of the cutest books Iβve read! Itβs funny, heartfelt, sexy, and full of the most adorable moments Iβve read in a while.
Elena Armas can do no wrong, and her first foray into writing dual POVs is no exception! Lucas and Rosie both feel full of life, and their families and friends obviously helped to shape them into the people they are. All of their interactions made me giddy, and I couldnβt put this book down for a second! Their friendship was amazing, the growth both of them individually and them as a couple was beautiful, and I want nothing more than to cuddle on the couch with Taco and read this book again and again!
I canβt talk about this book without talking about Lina and Aaron. Lina obviously had to be involved as the best friend and cousin of the two main characters, and oh my gosh I loved it so much! Her energy, and Aaronβs perceptiveness, lended so much humor and lightness to the book. Sheβs the best friend that Rosie could ask for, and her love of her cousin Lucas was so obvious even from their first interaction.
The good in this book was amazing. The story was immaculate. The characters were even better. 5 stars.
Elena Armas can do no wrong, and her first foray into writing dual POVs is no exception! Lucas and Rosie both feel full of life, and their families and friends obviously helped to shape them into the people they are. All of their interactions made me giddy, and I couldnβt put this book down for a second! Their friendship was amazing, the growth both of them individually and them as a couple was beautiful, and I want nothing more than to cuddle on the couch with Taco and read this book again and again!
I canβt talk about this book without talking about Lina and Aaron. Lina obviously had to be involved as the best friend and cousin of the two main characters, and oh my gosh I loved it so much! Her energy, and Aaronβs perceptiveness, lended so much humor and lightness to the book. Sheβs the best friend that Rosie could ask for, and her love of her cousin Lucas was so obvious even from their first interaction.
The good in this book was amazing. The story was immaculate. The characters were even better. 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/injury detail
Minor: Violence and Panic attacks/disorders
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