A review by emilylovesbooks94
Roommate Arrangement by Saxon James

4.0

If I'm being honest, the beginning of this story confused me. Between Payne's divorce, Beau's crush, and the chaos of their living situation, there was a lot going on, and I couldn't wrap my head around any of it. I wasn't connecting with Payne, Beau's eccentricities tipped the scales from cute to uncomfortable, and the awkwardness of their attraction was overwhelming. I thought about leaving their book unfinished a couple of times, but I'm so glad I didn't because Payne and Beau won me over in the second half. The progression of their relationship was far from conventional, but I grew to love that about them. Beau and Payne showed their love in ways I wasn't expecting--with paper cranes and late night coloring sessions and thoughtful conversations about dragons jumping off buildings. Their journey was so uniquely them: fascinating and unexpected but utterly adorable once I gave it a chance. Though Payne insisted he wasn't relationship material, he treated Beau the way I'd want any boyfriend to treat me. I won't pretend that Beau ever started making sense to me, but I loved that Payne took all of his quirkiness in stride and even seemed to love him more for it. Their physical connection was off-the-charts, and in the time they spent together I could tell that they understood each other on a deeper level. I do wish it hadn't taken Payne so long to realize what he felt for Beau was more than a rebound fling, but luckily Beau was patient enough to wait for him to realize what everyone else had already figured out. I don't think this story needed the DMC chats to sell me on Payne's mixed feelings, but seeing Payne get to celebrate with a great group of guys at the end was a sweet way to tie off his character arc.

**I voluntarily read an ARC of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.