The American Roommate Experiment, all I can say is this book is full of romance, friendship, respect, butterflies, chemistry, tingles, fireworks and love. When I first heard the title of the book, I knew it was going to be the trope where the main leads are going to be roommates somehow and there might be some kind of experiment going on with their relationship, and man, I was so certain I was going to enjoy reading this book.
My favorite romance book, Spanish Love Deception was getting a sequel?? I was over the moon when I heard the news and couldn’t wait for the book to be in my hand. Elena Armas had already won the hearts of many book lovers. It was no surprise when the news came out and it blew up the whole social media.
Her debut book, Spanish Love Deception was a successful book and has received so much attention and love from the audience. She was able to gain so many fans in a very short time. It is still very famous among most book lovers. And Aaron Blackford, the main character in the book, probably is the most popular book boyfriend everyone dream of.
Synopsis:
Rosie Graham has a problem. A few, actually. She just quit her well-paid job to focus on her secret career as a romance writer. She hasn’t told her family and now has terrible writer’s block. Then, the ceiling of her New York apartment literally crumbles on her.
Luckily she has her best friend Lina’s spare key while she’s out of town. But Rosie doesn’t know that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas, who Rosie has been stalking for lack of a better word on Instagram for the last few months. Lucas seems intent on coming to her rescue like a Spanish knight in shining armor. Only this one strolls around the place in a towel, has a distracting grin, and an irresistible accent. Oh, and he cooks.
Lucas offers to let Rosie stay with him, at least until she can find some affordable temporary housing. And then he proposes an outrageous experiment to bring back her literary muse and meet her deadline: He’ll take her on a series of experimental dates meant to jump-start her romantic inspiration. Rosie has nothing to lose. Her silly, online crush is totally under control but Lucas’s time in New York has an expiration date, and six weeks may not be enough, for either her or her deadline.
Strong and brave Rosie meets Fun-loving guy Lucas
Rosie, at the first impression, she already proved that she is a great friend. She is a great daughter too. She has a family including her father, brother, and herself. Being the eldest in the family is not easy and she did well in fulfilling every responsibilities.
I think being the eldest in the family itself makes us mature and it becomes our nature not to be dependent on others. Rosie is also like that. When things get hard, she keeps to herself thinking she can’t be a nuisance to others. It is a great quality but it is kind of exhausting and the emotions keep on building up until it gets burst into a huge volcano.
In another hand, Lucas is a lovable man. The people around him can’t help but fall for his charms and personality. He is so much more than he thinks. That is why Rosie also can’t help but to fall for him too.
He is full of charms. He is helpful. He cooks well, might as well be a chef. He makes sure that Rosie enjoys every date he had planned and he also makes sure Rosie is comfortable around him. He doesn’t cross the so-called friendship boundary. He is loved by his family members.
Moreover, he is a dog person. He already has set the standards so up high, I just can’t even fathom. I can say that he has successfully stolen my heart as well as Rosie’s heart by his gentleness and softness.
And, the way they meet each other is a whole different level of embarrassment. It is so hilarious and funny at the same time. It was also sweet to see their love dynamics from being friends to being attracted to each other to finally admitting their feelings.
Slow Burn:
Slow-burn romance is so frustrating yet so tempting. There are the moments I was like just do it why are you making me frustrated by making her frustrated? you know that feeling when something should happen but the person is making it so difficult to happen and he or she doesn’t take action. I felt the same while reading this book.
I was so done with the way their relation was moving ahead but that is the main reason it becomes more special when Rosie and Lucas finally become together. Elena just knows her reader and knows how to use slow burn to make us feel frustrated but later gives us much and more cute and sweet moments to forget that it was even there.
In this book, you can definitely expect slow-burn romance but before that, you can also expect some sizzling chemistry oozing between them while doing the roommate experiment which I thoroughly enjoy the whole time.
Friends to Lovers
Before The American Roommate Experiment, Spanish Love Deception was enemies to lovers trope but there is change in this one- the main characters first become friends and then lovers.
It is refreshing to see such a change and experience the friendship first which is genuinely built on trust and respect. It was also fun to read when actually Rosie is the one who has a huge crush on Lucas and had stalked his past social media account before but she accidentally happens to meet Lucas in an unexpected time and place and then later, becomes his roommate. I loved it when I first read it in the synopsis and who doesn’t love such romantic trope, right?
Self Love
Both of the characters are givers rather than takers. They care about their close ones first and then later think about themselves. They have a lot to give to other people but when it comes to themselves, they don’t know what to do. Not only Rosie but somewhere Lucas also has less self-love and less self-confidence.
Rosie, we already know had a well-paid job and works way too hard. But, she was skeptical about quitting her job and actually achieving her dream goal. She was afraid to let down her family in some way. This shows how much she had less confidence in her ability to achieve her dream.
On the other side, Lucas is not so different than her. Lucas is a very fun-loving and easygoing guy that everyone loves. He helps Rosie in all matters and makes her feel safe and secure. He cooks well and can literally make everyone fall in love with him in a second. But, he himself doesn’t believe that he’s worth it and he has every right to desire what he wants. He doesn’t believe he has beautiful future ahead of him.
After they meet each other, they slowly begins to depend on each other emotionally. They see each other through each other’s eyes which includes so much respect and love for each other. One person can make a huge difference in another’s person life. And, that is shown beautifully in the book and more importantly, it encourages self-love and self-confidence.
The reappearance of Lina and Aaron
I was so happy when Lina and Aaron made their first appearance in the book. They are my favorite characters and I just love them a lot. They are really sweet, cute, and good-looking couple. I know, The American Roommate Experiment is not about them but they had a small role play and it was significant for Rosie and Lucas’s relationship.
As Lina is Lucas’s cousin and Rosie’s best friend, it is kind of obvious, she is going to help one way or another in making their relationship or she might be one of the obstacles in their relationship, you don’t know until you read it. Lina, as she was before in Spanish Love Deception, I missed her a lot. She is feisty, brave, and though, short can kick someone’s ass too. Aaron and Lina had already married and living the best of their life. I was just happy to see a little glimpse of their married life.
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed reading The American Roommate Experiment but it failed to beat up Spanish Love Deception. I think I love enemies to lovers trope than friends to lovers trope lol. But, this book is amazing and after you read it, you wish that you had Lucas in your life.
Have you guys already read this book?? If not, what are you waiting, just go and read and enjoy.
If already read it, let me hear your thoughts about it in the comments !!
If you like k-drama too, read my recent review – Alchemy of Souls: Light & Shadow
Read my another book review – Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
