Music & Romance | Roomies by Christina Lauren [Audiobook Review]

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Don’t want to read the whole review?  Click to jump to the Skinny Review.

I wasn’t expecting much from Roomies. To be honest, based on the first couple of chapters that I read last year, it didn’t feel like the usual Christina Lauren book that I expected. Fast-forward to last month and I was broken!

I picked up the audiobook last month and I was able to get through the first few chapters! Before I knew it, I was hooked, even though Roomies read like women’s fiction than a contemporary romance. Not that there is anything wrong with women’s fiction, it’s just not a genre that I prefer to read.

This book changed all that! In fact, this was the book that made me pick up Wanderlust by Lauren Blakely! Nope, I do not regret anything!

Roomies is a sweet story and I loved it because of the story and not the romance. This is highly unusual for those of you who know my reading tastes. Holland’s character arc and development throughout the book was spot on and actually made me root for her!

Yes, I admit, the first half of the book had me hating Holland so much because she was basically acting like a doormat. I couldn’t believe that she was so selfless as to marry a guy (that she had a crush on, true) who was practically a stranger, who could have been an ax murder, without getting anything in return. I mean, come on! Again, I hated her – until she changed!

I’m not saying that Roomies wasn’t a good romance. I was, but it’s not what I’m used to with Christina Lauren’s books. This wasn’t sizzling at all but the chemistry between Holland and Calvin jumped off the page! But it did leave me wanting more of the signature CL sexy times!

This is probably one of those books that drew me for the story and characters rather than the romance. By the time I got to the last quarter of the book, I was emotionally drained! When Holland did a 180 and changed, I was sold! It was heartbreaking and I could not help but love how her character arc went.

What struck me as unique in Roomies is that it made me feel like I was in New York City! I have been to NYC once and I loved the energy! I felt NYC in this book! Christina Lauren is really good at making a reader feel like they are actually in the city the book is set (see Sweet Filthy Boy).

I have recommended Roomies to my besties and they loved it, too! Because of the slower first half-ish of the book, I recommend picking up the audiobook format. K.C. Sheridan is an awesome narrator and does an amazing Irish accent for Calvin.

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I’m not a fan of this bookstagram spread, though ?

 

Do you love books that don’t focus on romance?

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