“The American Roommate Experiment” by Elena Armas (“The Spanish Love Deception”) is a lighthearted, friends-to-lovers rom-com. It is a spin-off of her first novel, “The Spanish Love Deception,” following the main character, Lina’s, best friend, Rosie, and her cousin, Lucas.

After the ceiling in her apartment collapses, Rosie has no choice but to stay in Lina’s apartment while she is away on her honeymoon. What Rosie does not know is that Lina’s cousin, Lucas, was supposed to be staying there as well.

Lucas has been traveling across the United States and had planned to stay in New York City for three weeks. Rosie has quit her job as an engineer and is currently working on her second romance novel, however she has severe writer’s block.

With her deadline fast approaching, the two of them decide to share the apartment, and during that time, Lucas has promised to help Rosie find her inspiration. They plan to go on four experimental dates to help Rosie find her spark.

Armas does an amazing job creating a fast friendship between the two characters. They fit together so effortlessly and it makes the story feel more real. The book opens with a hilarious meet-cute between the two and the story takes off from there.

“The American Roommate Experiment” is every romance reader’s dream novel. Armas packed as many tropes as she could into this book, including forced proximity, friends-to-lovers, the one bed trope and fake dating.

Sometimes when authors try to cram so many typical romance tropes into one book, it can seem like they are trying too hard, but Armas makes it work. The story flows really well and it is the perfect slow-burn romance. 

One thing Armas did in this book that she did not do in her first was have a dual point of view. Many readers voiced that they would have liked to see Aaron’s point of view in “The Spanish Love Deception,” and she took that suggestion and applied it to “The American Roommate Experiment.” 

Some authors struggle with writing from multiple points of view, but Armas proved it to be another thing she is great at. Reading the story from both Lucas and Rosie’s perspectives made the story even more enjoyable. 

The majority of the novel has a very lighthearted feel to it, but there are some scenes that will play with your emotions. Armas writes characters’ emotions very well and she is able to make you feel what they are feeling.

One thing Armas could have done better is the time jumps. There are a few chapters where a lot of time goes by and it did not seem necessary for that long to have passed. It would have made the ending more impactful if she had not let so much time pass in between scenes. 

That being said, Armas followed through with her promise of another great romance novel. For fans of “The Spanish Love Deception,” Armas included scenes with Lina and Aaron, which gives readers a small glimpse into their story after the ending of their book. 

The ending of “The American Roommate Experiment” is sure to leave you emotional in the best way possible. Armas wrote a few grand gestures in this novel, but the final one is sure to make you swoon. 

Image from Elena Armas via authorelenaarmas.com