The American Roommate Experiment

When the ceiling of Rosie Graham's apartment collapses literally in front of her, she figures she'll just crash in her best friend's apartment while said friend is on her honeymoon. There's only one problem: her friend has promised the apartment to her cousin from Spain, Lucas Martin, who is on vacation in New York. After an awkward first meeting, Rosie and Lucas end up being friends and agreeing to share the loft apartment until Rosie's home is habitable again. But as the two of them share the space and get to know each other better, it becomes clear that there's the definite potential for them to be more than friends and roommates.

This romance started off strong with an excellent meet cute and some decent banter but it ultimately show more ended with a fizzle. Armas crafts a slow burn romance and the plot element I didn't get into in my summary, of Rosie having writer's block and going on pretend dates with Lucas as inspiration, makes for some fun interludes. But the whole "my feelings are real but his/hers are just for the fake dating" of it all goes on too long. Also, there is some strange English phrasing (from characters who are supposed to be native English speakers) that a good editor should have caught. Plus the ending was a little too saccharine for me. Not a terrible read, but not one I'd heartily recommend either. show less

The opening meet-cute here was really bad. The author made our MC, Rosie, seem neurotic, illogical, and incompetent. That was entirely inconsistent with everything else in the book. Throughout the story Rosie shows herself to be smart and brave and the stalwart friend/sister/daughter there to anchor everyone around her. Lucas, our other MC, is pretty hot from the start. He is a Spanish surfer with a substantial IG presence and is the cousin of Rosie's best friend. I won't go into the details, but the basics are that Rosie has left her engineering job to write romance, but after a successful first book she has some serious writer's block and cannot get in touch with her romantic side. Lucas, with whom she becomes instant best friends show more (and whom she has been following and lusting after on IG for ages), sets himself to teaching her about romance. It is all very swoony, lots of longing. There is no sex until about 75% in, but the sexual tension is well-deployed and very hot and the sex, when it arrives, is on the page, very steamy, and a little dirty in a very good way. Lots of tension stems from the ticking clock of Lucas' visa which is about to run out, but both MC's have chosen to keep secrets from their families (but not each other) and that provides a great second level of tension. It is all quite lovely. I would love it if Armas' writing was a little tighter, and honestly if it was a little better. The secondary characters are not well drawn at all and since we spend a lot of time with them that is an issue. Armas also gets a little too sappy and makes Lucas a little too perfect, but it is still a fun ride.

I listened to this on audio, and let me say that the male narrator has an insanely sexy voice. It matters not what he is saying -- the way he says "Lucas" is ridiculously alluring. I am wondering if he has a Cameo or Only Friends account where I can pay him to talk to me as a drift off to sleep. (kidding-not-kidding) and the female narrator is also quite good. i definitely recommend the audio. show less

Rosie Graham is trying to get her second book written having quit her job after the success of her first book. With a deadline looming the last thing she needs is that the celling of her apartment falls in and she has to move out. She moves to her best friend's apartment while her best friend is on her honeymoon only to find her best friend's cousin also plans to use the apartment. The same guy she has somewhat stalked on his instagram. But now he's dealing with the aftermath of a serious injury and trying to see what to do with the rest of his life and he didn't plan on falling for her. He's also just on a tourist visa so there's a time limit on how long he can be there.
He suggests helping her with her writers block by romancing her show more but things stop being just to get her over her block. The story alternates between the two of them and there's occasional overlap as one reacts to something the other does. It's a fun read with interesting characters the chemistry between the two was great and the way things were resolved is a good compromise between both. show less

Sigh. This was recommended as a good way to get into the Romance genre, especially the friends-to-lovers trope. And yes, the writing was good, I recognized all the beats, I kept reading. At the same time, it made me feel old because the characters were so young and naive (sometimes plain stupid). I don't mean in the key genre requirements (eg that they don't recognize the genuineness of the other's feelings etc), I'm talking about things like Lucas acting all macho-threatening to Rosie's landlord. Same thing with the premise itself - a woman achieves such success with her debut romance novel that she can afford to quit her high-profile engineering job? Um, if only....

When the roof literally falls down in Rosie Graham's apartment, she decides to stay in the apartment of her friend, Lina, who is on her honeymoon. After finally getting settled in, a bang on the door makes her fear that the apartment is about to be robbed, but it turns out to be Lina's cousin, Lucas. They decide to share the apartment as friends, but each is keeping secrets that could change the course of their friendship.

The American Roommate Experiment is the companion to The Spanish Love Deception and follows characters from that book. This romance is fun and cute, but the characters are so friendly and likable that there is never any real conflict, making the story a bit boring. The dating experiment that Rosie and Lucas decide to show more embark on is enjoyable, but without much in the way of steam or substance. Overall, The American Roommate Experiment is successful at developing the friends to lovers trope but doesn't offer much else for the reader. show less

After reading Armas’ debut, The Spanish Love Deception, I can honestly say this is a big step in the right direction. A lot of the issues I had with her first novel were non-existent in TARE. You can tell that the author is honing her skills and I am excited to see more of her work. :)

It was at times a little too cheesy for me but by the time I got the middle of the book, I was hooked. Thoroughly enjoyed!

“Being used by beautiful women is something I don’t mind in the slightest.”

What a fun sequel to “The Spanish Love Deception”. Rosie and Lucas are such cute characters that are immediately lovable! Their story is full of flirting, joking, miscommunication, trying to get their lives together, but most importantly love, even if it takes them a while to figure it out.