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A review by delightfulmayhem
The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
emotional
inspiring
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
3.0
This book is so emotionally raw, funny, hot, and moving. The story touches on themes of sex work stigma and sex positivity, religious practice and faith, and modern intimacy. Both the main romance and the individual journeys of the main characters were quite beautiful.
Naomi is first introduced to us in this book's prequel The Roommate, in which she is a badass, quick-witted, and assertive force of nature. She is incredibly guarded and puts effort into keeping most people at a distance. This sequel story centers on her journey about reconnecting with the parts of herself that she excised at a young age because of trauma, and figuring out how to integrate parts of her “old” self with her current self.
I really liked that even as Naomi became more open to emotional intimacy and less cut off from her own heart, she didn’t lose her hard edges. I hate it in any romance when “love” causes one or both parties to change their entire personality. What I loved most about this book is the was it successfully captures that early-dating feeling when you first meet someone you're excited about.
What stops me from giving this book an A+ is the ending which seemed very abrupt and cheesy. Overall, I had high expectations for this book because the prequel was so good. It just dragged in a lot of places for me. The dialogue and the banter was there, but the chemistry wasn't. The one sex scene was a bit disappointing. The story just felt like it was spinning in circles. I loved the idea, just not really the way it was executed.
Favorite Quotes:
• "You only get one chance to make a bad first impression."
• "I guess I get out of bed because I think about the connection that we all have, this fragile humanity, each of us insignificant and at the same time precious. A continuation of a species that is recklessly unique. I remember that life is a finite gift, and I'd be an asshole to waste it."
• "Whatever this is, this thing between us, it won't be easy."
"Whatever this is, this thing between us, I want it."
• "Love, like faith, asks us to be less selfish. Less greedy. It asks us to trust. To sit with our doubts. To keep coming back and proving our commitment."
• "One of the best things about love, real love, is that it doesn't demand perfection. It simply invites us to live up to our potential."
Naomi is first introduced to us in this book's prequel The Roommate, in which she is a badass, quick-witted, and assertive force of nature. She is incredibly guarded and puts effort into keeping most people at a distance. This sequel story centers on her journey about reconnecting with the parts of herself that she excised at a young age because of trauma, and figuring out how to integrate parts of her “old” self with her current self.
I really liked that even as Naomi became more open to emotional intimacy and less cut off from her own heart, she didn’t lose her hard edges. I hate it in any romance when “love” causes one or both parties to change their entire personality. What I loved most about this book is the was it successfully captures that early-dating feeling when you first meet someone you're excited about.
What stops me from giving this book an A+ is the ending which seemed very abrupt and cheesy. Overall, I had high expectations for this book because the prequel was so good. It just dragged in a lot of places for me. The dialogue and the banter was there, but the chemistry wasn't. The one sex scene was a bit disappointing. The story just felt like it was spinning in circles. I loved the idea, just not really the way it was executed.
Favorite Quotes:
• "You only get one chance to make a bad first impression."
• "I guess I get out of bed because I think about the connection that we all have, this fragile humanity, each of us insignificant and at the same time precious. A continuation of a species that is recklessly unique. I remember that life is a finite gift, and I'd be an asshole to waste it."
• "Whatever this is, this thing between us, it won't be easy."
"Whatever this is, this thing between us, I want it."
• "Love, like faith, asks us to be less selfish. Less greedy. It asks us to trust. To sit with our doubts. To keep coming back and proving our commitment."
• "One of the best things about love, real love, is that it doesn't demand perfection. It simply invites us to live up to our potential."