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Review
3.5 stars
This is a really surprising read. Fun, funny and romantic, yet very unexpected with some deep messages, I loved these characters, and I really enjoyed their story.
Clara Wheaton has upended her privileged, socialite life on the East coast to move to LA to be with her best friend, and the boy she has crushed on for as long as she can remember, Everett. She’s moving into his spare bedroom and looking for a fresh start for herself, hoping that this will finally be her chance to make Everett see her, and see how good they can be together.
But she arrives in town only to find out that Everett has gone on tour with his band, leaving her to live with a complete stranger who has rented out Everett’s room for the summer. Josh seems to be a nice guy, even if he is ridiculously good looking, and he and Clara immediately click. Their banter is absolutely fantastic, and it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship… until Clara learns that Josh is an adult film star, and is the hottest new name in porn.
It adds an interesting dynamic to their growing friendship (and their inconvenient attraction) as their easy conversation opens up to all things sexual. And when Josh learns of Clara’s lacklustre sexual experience, he offers his very particular skillset to help her out.
Things get steamy as Clara gets a glimpse of what she’s been missing. It opens up a whole new world to her, and as she slowly starts to shed her inhibitions, she gets drawn further and further into Josh’s world. And when an idea to help Josh out of a tough situation suddenly turns into a business opportunity, neither of their lives will ever be the same.
“The scary things, the ones you spend the most time and energy talking yourself out of, are the ones that make life worth living.”
As I said before, this is a really unexpected read. I thought it would be a simple roommates/opposites attract romance, and while it is that, it’s also so much more. It’s a fun, funny and light-heart romcom, with themes that explore the adult film industry, the way its performers are stereotyped and treated, the lack of open sexual discussion and the stigma around women’s sexuality.
It’s a story of growth of Clara. She starts off as shy, prudish and somewhat sheltered girl, and her eyes are opened (sometimes in hilarious detail) as she bravely jumps into a whole new world. But she’s following her heart, and she has Josh by her side, and as the two of them navigate their adventure together, they continue to explore their own explosive chemistry, they grow closer, and the more open Clara becomes about all things sex, Josh is happily along for the ride. Their friendship develops beautifully into romance, the sexual tension is fantastic, and you can feel the emotion that builds. They fall for each other slowly and naturally, and I loved watching it happen.
“I think you might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
There are still hurdles to overcome – very understandable ones – and we get some drama and a little bit of angst as they figure it all out, but overall this is a fun, sweet and sexy romance with a lot of heart, and I really enjoyed it.
3.5 stars.
I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Stella Bloom and Teddy Hamilton, and they do a great job with it. Definitely one worth listening to!
Shameless
The Roommate (#1)
Review
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The Intimacy Experiment (#2)
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