mrs_mander_reads
Written on Nov 25, 2020
"From subway to Broadway to happily ever after. Modern love in all its thrill, hilarity, and uncertainty has never been so compulsively readable as in New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren's (Beautiful Bastard, Dating You / Hating You) new romance. Marriages of convenience are so ... inconvenient. Rescued by Calvin McLoughlin from a would-be subway attacker, Holland Bakker pays the brilliant musician back by pulling some of her errand-girl strings and getting him an audition with a bigtime musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway--until he admits his student visa has expired and he's in the country illegally. Holland impulsively offers to wed the Irishman to keep him in New York, her growing infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves from awkward roommates to besotted lovers, Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway. In the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting, what will it take for Holland and Calvin to realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?"--
- ISBN10 1501165836
- ISBN13 9781501165832
- Publish Date 5 December 2017
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Simon & Schuster
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
leahrosereads
Written on Sep 2, 2019
This was just another cute, quick, fun read from Christina Lauren.
Lorelei's Lit Lair
Written on Mar 27, 2019
llamareads
Written on Nov 1, 2018
On the plus side, the book is frankly hilarious. I loved the fake text conversations and the vibrator in the couch scene had me giggling like a loon. I liked the author's writing style, and despite rolling my eyes constantly at how oblivious Holland is, I liked her, though her inability to actually get her life in gear reminded me of all the things I don't like in the new adult genre. I also loved the NYC off-Broadway setting.
The big issue for me was that the handling of the immigration issues felt completely tone deaf. Holland's uncles are rich and well connected, so they basically bulldoze through the process with money. I guess it helped that Calvin was white. I have many friends who've immigrated here legally and the depiction here is... well, pretty much completely false. Yeah, it's fiction, but it kept jarring me out of the book, nonetheless.
girlinthepages
Written on Jul 22, 2018
I loved reading about Holland's relationship with her uncles, how she had a relationship with them that was independent from that of the rest of her family- she truly was a daughter to them and it never felt like she was a "niece," she was just an integral part of their family. I also sort of loved how Holland struggled with knowing she was in her 20s and still being financially assisted by them- she is very privileged, no doubt, but I appreciated the acknowledgement that it's hard to be 100% financially independent out of college this day in age, especially living in a city like New York, and that it didn't have the glossy lies of YES THIS IS TOTALLY AN AFFORDABLE PLACE TO LIVE/THING TO DO AND A STRUGGLING WRITER WHO WORKS PART TIME CAN AFFORD A CUTE ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT NO QUESTION. Real talk, adulting is hard, especially in a major, expensive coastal city, and Holland's uncertainty and dependency (which she was well aware of) was refreshing.
No on to the main point of this story- the romance! While I've found myself quite burnt out on YA romances over the past few years, I'm happy to report that New Adult and Adult romances are still quite up my alley, and I loved the rather absurd yet fun premise of this one- getting to marry your Irish crush from afar due to a bizarre set of circumstances including expired visas, Broadway and a subway attack. Nothing could go wrong right? Though of COURSE things don't go *entirely* perfectly, I still thought it was so fun to see their progressing from strangers to something legitimate, and appreciated the at times cringe-worthy and humiliating moments, situations, and confessions that transpired because of course a fake marriage is going to lead to some problems.
I also liked that Holland was a smart girl. Not the pretty girl or ideal girl but not the ugly-ducking-gets-a-makeover girl either, she's just sort of normal with a good ear for music and a good brain and that's enough to justify a (fake) relationship with a ridiculously good looking musician...Holland just brought a sense of realness to a story that's admittedly pretty far fetched and I loved her for it. I haven't read any other books by Christina Lauren but if they can make all of their protagonists this relatable and representative of everyday women then that's perhaps the true magic of their narratives.
Overall: Roomies is a novel that should have had me rolling my eyes at the ridiculous premise, but that I ended up adoring for every aspect- the characters, the city, the chemistry, and the love, despite it all. I could reread this one over and over again, and I can't wait to get my hands on more books by this author duo!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
Leah
Written on Feb 20, 2018
The whole plot of this book is ridiculous. Like literally none of it is believable. Getting married to a virtual stranger because you like his subway music? Getting married to a virtual stranger you have feelings for IN THE HOPE HE WILL LOVE YOU BACK? Conveniently having an uncle on Broadway for this extraordinary talent to shine so he doesn’t have to bush anymore? I could go on and on. And I wanted to move past that, I wanted to just enjoy a fun romance but you know what? I couldn’t. Where’s the romance in agreeing to a fake marriage, when you have feelings for that person and you don’t tell them? That’s not romantic, that’s a lawsuit. You’re going into something with false pretences and Holland is okay with that!
It was just a stupid plot. I just couldn’t get past the idiocy of Holland. I just wanted her to get a bit of self respect.
Leigha
Written on Feb 9, 2018
I pretty much hated C Lo's inaugural romance, Beautiful Bastard. I was hesitant to pick up this novel, but the cover and synopsis snagged my attention. Luckily, I enjoyed it so much I just might pick up another novel by these ladies!
Holland is an educated woman with a supportive family and enviable circumstances. Despite her knowledge and opportunities, she does not feel accomplished or satisfied. It would have been really easy for Holland to come across as a privileged spoiled brat. And yet, I completely and totally understood her point of view. I enjoyed Holland learning to find meaning and momentum in her life. This self discovery propelled her to remove negative or draining people from her life, something not many books in this genre show often.
The romance between Holland and Calvin is sweet, if predictable. Their friendship builds alongside their romance. While Calvin didn't have much depth to him, he was still enjoyable to read about. The plot tended to be bit over-dramatic, particularly toward the end of the novel.
tl;dr Contemporary romance fans will enjoy this sweet romance with believable character growth set in New York City.
EBookObsessed
Written on Dec 29, 2017
Holland is obsessed with a subway musician who plays classical guitar. She call him “Jack” knows his schedule and although she can walk the few blocks to work, she takes a train well out of her way just to hear him play. It is just a harmless infatuation until her uncle’s hit broadway show is about to lose their main musician just as a new lead is about to take the stage.
It is Holland who thinks that the new lead has a voice that would be better suited to a guiter soloist than their former violinist. She convinces her uncle to come listen to her “Jack” play and while he is reluctant, he goes. As soon as he hears the music drifting up the stairs, he understands what Holland is thinking and is introduced to Calvin McLaughlin. Calvin comes to the theater to perform for the cast and the producers and everyone agrees that Calvin is the perfect replacement.
But when they offer Calvin the position, one which has been his dream since he came to New York, he is forced to turn them down. Calvin stayed passed the expiration of his student visa, four years past his expiration. He is in the United States illegally and can’t take the job which was one of the reasons he wanted to stay in New York.
What starts off as a joke that Holland can marry Calvin for the good of the production becomes Holland’s decision for the good of the show. She goes to Calvin and offers to marry him. This would save the show and allow Calvin to fulfill his dream. She just needs to make sure the Calvin doesn’t know about her bizarre and slightly obsessive crush.
It was a nice story of two stranges who come to care for each other and dealing with issues of getting to know each other and the odd issues which come up with suddenly putting their prior lives on hold. As the production comes together, so do Holland and Calvin as their own feelings toward each other develop.
I was a little put off by Holland constantly berating herself that she just graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree but hasn’t begun writing anything yet. I mean, really, she is barely 25 years old and has no life experience but she sucks because she hasn’t written, or even started, the great american novel yet. I understand being nervous about her life choices but she spent more time berating herself on not writing than on what is she doing marrying a stranger.
I also believe that Calvin makes a choice near the end of the story, that is one of those big, clueless guy mistakes where he can’t understand the problem until someone all but draws him a diagram, but I would think would be really hard to get past. That whole twist was kind of over the top in a story where a girl fakes marries a man she met in the subway to keep in him the country, but overall I did enjoy this story and the romance between Calvin and Holland and how their fake marriage turns into a real relationship.
Since this is my first Christina Lauren novel, I don’t know if this was a plot twist that we would normally see, but on its own it was very delightful story.
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Dec 27, 2017
- Holland Bakker is a smart, kind-hearted wannabee writer, who works for her Uncle on Broadway. While not musically inclined she has a passion for music. I adored the setup regarding a talented young Irishman and could identify with her on so many levels. Lauren allowed us to be a part of this young woman's growth and I cheered from the sidelines.
- Calvin McLoughlin is a gifted musician whose passion is evident with each strum of his guitar. An Irishman with an accent that will melt your panties, and a shyness that makes him endearing I loved how Lauren peeled back his layers.
- While both characters grabbed my interests neither is perfect and both have secrets which made the arrangement trope work wonderfully. It isn't often we see the marriage arrangement in modern-day romances, but Lauren made it not only work but feel real. I loved seeing these strangers go from awkward to sizzling. Lauren allowed their relationship to slowly develop giving it depth and friendship. In doing so she allowed the reader to experience all the firsts and fall in love right along with them.
- Secondary characters added humor, warmth, interference and were well developed. This combined with the settings of the music house, subway, coffee shops and a tiny New York apartment brought the story to life. The performances were wonderful and my only regret is that we couldn't hear the performances, but Lauren gave us all the feels.
- The conflict(s) felt realistic and with them, we saw character growth.
- This is a standalone romance so the reader is rewarded with a resolution in their quest for happily ever after.
Kait ✨
Written on Dec 2, 2017