Roomies by Christina Lauren
Marriages of convenience are so...inconvenient. For months Holland Bakker has invented excuses to descend into the subway station near her apartment, drawn to the captivating music performed by her street musician crush. Lacking the nerve to actually talk to the gorgeous stranger, fate steps in one night in the form of a drunken attacker. Calvin Mcloughlin rescues her, but quickly disappears when the police start asking questions. Using the only resource she has to pay the brilliant musician back, Holland gets Calvin an audition with her uncle, Broadway’s hottest musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway—until his reason for disappearing earlier becomes clear: he’s in the country illegally, his student visa having expired years ago. Seeing that her uncle needs Calvin as much as Calvin needs him, a wild idea takes hold of her. Impulsively, she marries the Irishman, her infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves and Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway—in the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting—will Holland and Calvin to realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?
A girl who feels indebted to her uncles, figures the best way to help them out is to marry a guy she has a crush on; simply to help him secure a visa.
4 out of 5 steam level
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
So... I read this book at the end of January. Yes I know, I'm that behind on reviews. And back in January I rated this book 4.75 stars...just shy of required reading. But alas, with the gift of time I now find myself grading this book higher. Mostly because I can only remember the good things. So this book is REQUIRED READING for Romance Lovers!I read this book in one sitting. One night. The whole book. I was so into it! This was a 2am book read for me!It was really funny, I laughed out loud multiple times. Which, honestly I'm kind of just expecting from Christina Lauren by now. This is another perk of reading romcoms, you can lay in your bed and laugh out loud, annoying your sleeping husband beside you.This book was just plain cute. I found myself smiling a lot while reading it. I really enjoyed it! Is there anything better than smile-reading? I submit not!Our main man, Calvin, was perfect. I mean, he's totally book boyfriend material. And he has an accent so that's an added plus. He was loyal and kind and talented. Did I mention the accent? Because he had an accent.Our main girl, Holland, was odd and quirky and really likable. In the first few chapters you already find yourself rooting for her to succeed.Here's a quick quote to wet your appetite for Roomies:
"Tonight I've concluded two things about gin: it tastes like pine cones and is clearly the devil's sauce."
I know I said I didn't remember what I disliked about the book, but as I was writing the "liked" section I remembered! Yay for the amazing power of memory! (I have to cheer my memory on because honestly, it's awful). The ending of this book left a few too many loose ends for my taste. I needed a couple of things to be a bit more concrete. Could I be more vague for you? YES! haha But I don't want to give any spoilers so that's as vague and precise as I'm willing to be. Overall though, I still loved this book so I'm keeping the five star rating.Interested in more of my reviews of Christina Lauren books? Check these one's out!Love and Other WordsJosh and Hazel's Guide to Not DatingThe UnhoneymoonersDating You Hating You
Do: plan out what you'll wear and who'll you take to the theater when this book becomes a movie! That's right this book IS becoming a movie- starring Jenna Dewan.Drink: gin. Not an alcohol fan? Full disclosure, I'm not either. In that case drink Gin...ger ale! See what I did there?Listen: Ho Hey by Lennon and Maisy