A review by pagepixie
The Roommate by Rosie Danan

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

I love when a book surprises me and this book certainly did. I expected it to be surface level, cheesy romcom that really leaned into the porn aspect in an erotic way. While I was right that it was definitely an erotic romcom centered around porn, it was also so much more that that! 

I actually feel like I learned a lot reading this book. I learned about sexual pleasure but also a bit about the porn industry and some struggles that the characters face that are probably similar to what real performers go through. 

I think the idea of Shameless as a website is AMAZING. I’m not sure if anything exists like that these days but definitely not on a scale that it should as I have never heard of one. 

I found the dialogue between Josh and Clara to be witty and fun from page one! I loved the progression of their relationship and the way they both slowly realized that they weren’t just lustfully obsessed but actually in love with each other.

I wasn’t super bothered by their fears and worries and insecurities about how their relationship would work like I would be with other miscommunication tropes. It made sense here for both characters to question each other based off their own life experiences. 

I didn’t find Clara to be a little too judgmental. My heart broke for Josh at least twice when she rejected him. I wish Clara had apologized to him more than he apologized to her. She has some strong prejudices against adult performers, which she works through (mostly) but I think her judgements are supposed to represent society’s general view. So many people consume porn but how would they treat the people who star in it in real life? 

Did I mention it was also just sexy? The author got creative with her sexy scenes and built SO MUCH TENSION. Loved it. 

Overall I really enjoyed this book! And a have a few friends in mind to lend my copy to. 

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