Books Like American Roommate Experiment I Roommates to Lovers Trope
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The American Roommate Experiment is the sequel to the TikTok sensation of The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas. Elena was a guest on the podcast, and we chatted about both books in this episode. Tune into the Elena Armas Author Interview here.
Why Do Roommate-to-Lovers Romance Books Work?
Roommate romances explore the forced proximity between the characters and push them to get to know each other better because they share their space. A lot of times, the characters are attracted to one another however they are afraid of acting upon it because of the consequences. A common trope that you may find in these romances is friends to lovers.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN ROOMMATE EXPERIMENT BY ELENA ARMAS
From the author of the Goodreads Choice Award winner The Spanish Love Deception, the eagerly anticipated follow-up featuring Rosie Graham and Lucas Martín, who are forced to share a New York apartment.
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.
ROOMMATE TO LOVERS ROMANCE BOOKS RECOMMENDATIONS:
Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Hook, Line, and Sinker begin with a year-long text exchange that reflects how both Hannah and Fox are slowly becoming best friends. Hannah and Fox share their day-to-day activities, songs, and what they are struggling with. They have daily check-ins.
A work trip leads Hannah to spend a few weeks in Westport, WA where Fox is located. Due to her sister’s in-laws’ visit, Hannah ends up staying in with Fox. Yes to a short-term roommate agreement.
Both Hannah and Fox are attracted to each other. However, they are not acting upon it because they fear ruining their friendship. Fox wants to break free from the womanizing image he has, and Hannah is trying to figure out her career. However, ginger massage oil leads to a sexual encounter, leading them to explore their relationship further.
Like any other Tessa Bailey book, Tessa packs high heat and off-the-charts chemistry between the characters.
My favorite part of Hook, Line, and Sinker was the epic ten years later epilogue where we catch up with Piper, Fox, Hannah, and Brandon.
The book is available on Kindle Unlimited
Maddie and Aiden are best friends who happen to live together. They are attracted to each other, but they won’t act on their feelings.
A group trip pushes Maddie to ask Aiden to be her fake boyfriend. Like any other fake relationship, both characters discover that they have feelings for each other and want to make this relationship real.
What I like about this book is that this is a rom-com full of banter and setup. This book has the signature RS Grey touch of easy-going rom-coms.
This is an early Lauren Layne book, and it was perfection.
Parker and Ben are BFFs who happen to be living together. Parker wants to explore casual sex similar to Ben. However, she struggles with keeping things casual until she hooks up with Ben. As you know, feelings start to form when we mix sex between two characters. Both Parker and Ben explore other relationships only to realize that their true significant other is each other.
The book is available on Kindle Unlimited
This is book 5 of the Brentwood Boys series, which is a Baseball Romance series that can be read as a standalone.
The Change-Up is a best friend to lovers who are sharing their space. Maddox, who is a reformed bad boy, is smitten by Kinsley. This book explores the characters as they grow and connect.
If you are a fan of reformed bad boys and baseball romance, you must pick up The Change-Up by Meghan Quinn.
Tracey Livesay Girls Trip series features strong female friendships that have your back no matter what.
Like Lovers Do is the second book in the series, and it features a strong female protagonist with Dr. Nicole going for a fellowship and standing up for what is right. Her landlord/roommate Ben has been her friend who decides to help her out with a work situation. In exchange, Nicole agrees to take a trip with Ben and act as his fake girlfriend. I love that Tracey tackles heavy subjects in her romance. Even though this is a slow burn 🔥 romance, both Ben and Nicole’s chemistry is explosive.
Clara is straight-laced, prim, and proper with a Ph.D. However, she hasn’t had a lot of life experience beyond school. On a whim, Clara picks up her things and moves to LA to follow a guy. Well, the guy leaves Clara stranded, living with a random roommate.
Her new roommate is Josh, a Cinnamon Roll hero you want to have as a book boyfriend. The Roommate is a raunch-com that features a slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance. In terms of the heat 🔥I would say it is medium.
If you enjoy The Roommate, may I suggest reading the follow-up The Intimacy Experiment, which was hands down a five ⭐️ read.
RELATED: If you are curious about what Rosie Danan recommends for books to read, please tune into their author interview.
Holland has been obsessed with Calvin’s singing for months. Calvin has an opportunity to star in a Broadway show however he is in NYC illegally. Holland offers to marry Calvin so he can get his green card. To make sure that the marriage looks real to the immigration officers, they move together. During this time, a couple of exploring their feelings, and well, the rest is history
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If you are looking for a laugh-out-loud series that is binge-able, the Shacking Up series is for you. This series is great on audio. As a whole, I considered this an almost perfect series.
Shacking Up is book 1 in the series, where Ruby is down on her luck, gets evicted from her place, and kisses a guy who gets her violently sick on the day of her audition. Ruby needs a break. Ruby gets hired as a live-in house and pet sitter for an exotic animal. Guess what the house is owned by the guy who gets her sick. The situations in this book are outrageously funny. The chemistry is white-hot, and this book packs up the heat 🔥.
If you are a fan of The Off-Campus series, you must know that The Chase is part of the spinoff book that follows a new set of hockey players.
After reading The Score, we meet Summer and her instant crush for Fitz. In The Chase, Summer ends up moving into the college hockey house where Fitz lives. Summer is obsessed with Fitz, but Fitz keeps his distance because he doesn’t want to deal with Summer’s drama. Summer is persistent, and a relationship forms.
I will admit that when it comes to the Briar U series, I was a bit disappointed with this series. I felt something was missing in comparison to The Off-Campus Series. I think the character’s maturity is so present in the first three books of the series.
RELATED: What to Read After The Off-Campus series (College Hockey Romance Recommendations).
Sydney catches her boyfriend cheating on her, so when the gorgeous guy in her building offers a place to live, she takes upon it. Ridge and Sydney start to write music together, and feelings develop over time. This book features Colleen Hoover’s signature emotional rollercoaster.
There is a love triangle in this book. If you hate this trope, then it is best to skip it.
Mara and Liam inherit a house that they must share in this novella. Both Mara and Liam are at odds. Throughout the story’s first half, the characters hate each other and try to push them to move out of the house. However, the attraction is palpable, and finally, they act upon it. This is a short novella that is best experienced via audio.
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Are you a fan of forced proximity romances where the characters may be friends or enemies but because they share a space, you know feelings will develop? If you love Roommates to Lovers romances, let us know in the comments which ones are your favorites.
