Only the most important thing has been resolved (Calvin and Holland’s feelings towards each other) and that means that Holland can finally trust in her happy ending.

However, one of the cute elements of the ending is the recognition that everything has NOT been resolved. Towards the end the misunderstandings pile up in a ridiculous manner, and then everything gets resolved very quickly. Seeing Calvin pick up on gifts that no one else notices was incredibly sweet. Meanwhile, Holland doesn’t recognize her talents at all. Holland makes it possible for him to share this talent with a vast audience.

The passages that describe his playing are simply gorgeous. Calvin’s talent is obvious to everyone and Calvin is confident in his musical abilities. There’s a lot of contrast in how Calvin’s talent manifests itself and how Holland’s does. The best thing about the book is how Calvin and Holland appreciate each other. There are descriptions of good food, nice clothes, nightlife, and enough backstage drama to thrill the heart of any drama geek. He also subsidizes her rent, so she has a comfortable apartment and some spending money. Holland’s uncle, who adores her, provides Holland with a job in his theater, so she sees everything that happens backstage. Holland’s New York City is a dream version of New York. The story is told in first-person, from Holland’s point of view. Calvin is in the United States illegally and Holland, who is hiding the fact that she has a crush, offers to marry Calvin so that he can apply for legal residency and thus be eligible for a major role in the orchestra of a hit Broadway play (think Hamilton levels of hit). Holland, our heroine, has a crush on Calvin, a busker. Roomies, a contemporary stand-alone romance by Christina Lauren, is sweet, comforting, and sexy. The book exists in a space entirely its own, without a larger context. For this first review, the lens is very, very close to the book. The clearest way to describe these two reviews, which are at odds with one another, is to imagine viewing them through a zoom lens. The other was of pure, blinding rage brought on by the political and social issues that currently crowd my brain. One was great enjoyment in a lovely romance with great characters and dialogue and a comforting fairy tale atmosphere. Reading Roomies was a bizarre experience. Theme: Forced Proximity (stranded, safehouse, etc)

Read roomies by christina lauren