Roomies by Christina Lauren
Published: December 5, 2017
Rating: 3/5
Goodreads
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 big-time 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?
This book felt kind of ridiculous at times, which is just what I needed after finishing two very intense reads. However, some of the ridiculous drama which was a little *too* conveniently swept aside and detracted from the romance and story that was developing between Calvin and Holland. While I really enjoyed a lot of the build up in the beginning, the last third of the book felt rushed with random issues popping up as plot points.
One of the main redeeming factors in the book is Calvin himself, who is portrayed as being compassionate and caring. This description is thrown into contrast with his callousness towards Holland later on, as he seems unable to understand why she gets upset about important issues.
The story also ended quite abruptly, with a lot of questions remaining. I mean this literally, as in the last paragraph is almost completely rhetorical questions, with no real hope for a conclusion as this is currently a stand alone.
Overall an okay book for what it was. I thought it started off decently strong but towards the end the endless issues and misunderstandings started to drag a little bit. If there ever does end up being a sequel, I probably won’t pick it up. If you’re looking for a quick, mindless read with copious amounts of drama, this book is for you.
