THE AMERICAN ROOMMATE EXPERIMENT - Elena Armas

“𝑻𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆.”

Goodreads rating - 3.85/5 

My rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 

Book trope - slow burn, friends to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, best friend's cousin

Its a delightful and unconventional romantic escapade, blending humor, romance, and the challenges of pursuing one's dreams. Protagonist Rosie Graham finds herself in a whirlwind of problems, having recently quit her well-paid job to pursue a secret career as a romance writer. As if that's not enough, she faces writer's block and a literal ceiling collapse in her New York apartment.
The narrative takes an unexpected turn when Rosie, armed with her best friend Lina's spare key, discovers that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas. Unbeknownst to Rosie, she has been unknowingly stalking Lucas on Instagram for months. Lucas, playing the role of a Spanish knight in shining armor, offers her refuge in his temporary abode, introducing an irresistible blend of charm, a distracting grin, and a captivating accent. The setting becomes even more intriguing as Lucas, with a towel-clad nonchalance, decides to add another skill to his repertoire—cooking.
What follows is a proposition that sets the stage for the novel's unique charm: Lucas proposes an outrageous experiment to jump-start Rosie's literary muse and meet her impending deadline. The experiment involves a series of unconventional dates, each aimed at inspiring her romantic imagination. Rosie, faced with both the absurdity and potential brilliance of Lucas's proposal, decides she has nothing to lose.