Rosie and James have been together 10 years and she finally thinks he is going to propose. Instead he breaks up with her via a letter and immediately leaves their flat, leaving Rosie without a partner and a roommate. Aled, who recently moved in upstairs, offers a solution - he will move in with Rosie while building work is going on in his flat. It’s the ideal solution for them both, until they realise their feelings may be more complicated than just roommates.

This is a fun, standard romance with two very likeable characters who discover feelings for each other. Rosie is total sunshine, whilst Aled struggles to speak to most people except the students he teaches, but finds himself able to open up to Rosie.

A lot of the book focuses on fat phobia and Rosie’s self worth being so linked to her physique. As someone curvier than average I was a little taken aback in how accurate it felt to my own experiences, but also how much I didn’t really want to read my inner thoughts on the page. This is no issue of the author’s of course, and credit to her insight into Rosie’s character - but just wasn’t something I’d usually choose to read.

This is a closed door romance which are seldom for me, especially when the book hints at us getting more than a literal shut spare room door in the face come the time for these two to get it on. I also found it a little repetitive at times with Rosie’s inner monologue, and a very dramatic lack of communication/dramatic chase across the country drive, but overall it was fun.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is so cuteee- It was seriously so sweet I was smiling with every interaction Aled and Rosie had. This slow burn was so worth the wait. I loved the pining and the roommates to lovers dynamic they had.

I felt so bad for everything Rosie had to go through with her family and ex, but I am so happy she found Aled and his group of friends. The man was absolutely perfect - a professor who read books, watched romcoms, wore glasses, and recited poetry for her. 🫠 He was such a hopeless romantic. And Rosie’s character development was absolutely perfect! special thanks to the author and netgalley for the arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review 4/5 stars!!

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

I really loved the last Laura Starkey book that I read so I was very much looking forward to diving into this one. I was expecting feels, romance and some humour thrown in for good measure and the book delivered.

Rosie was definitely a loveable main character and I was rooting for her from the beginning. She'd found herself dumped, career-less and pretty miserable in her early thirties, but was able to use all of this to realise what she actually wanted from her life. I really admired that she was able to recognise her own faults in where her life had gotten to and take accountability rather than someone swooping in as her hero and rescuing her. With friends like Niamh and Rhianne, she didn't have much of a choice.

For me, this book was much more about Rosie and her relationship with herself as opposed to any romantic relationship that she may or may not have had on the horizon; and I loved it. I'm a sucker for a "turned my life around" plot line. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the romantic relationship that blossomed; being an English girl with my own marvellous Welshman, I can understand how Rosie fell hard. Devoured this book super quickly and it was just what I needed at the right time.

Rosie is living a settled life, a job that pays the bills, a flat she loves and a long-term relationship of ten years.

But when she comes home to her boyfriend with his bag packed and ready to leave a break-up letter; her world will soon change.

I loved the character of Rosie and felt I connected with her in so many ways.

Starkey writes a narrative full of personal growth for so many characters that this was an all-round-feel good novel, and I didn't feel any character was left out.

This writing style was easy to read and flowed that I read this in one sitting and will always look forward to this author's novels.

Thai book just wasn’t my style and I had trouble finishing it. I tried several times to pick it back up, but just not my thing.

Two unexpected flatmates. One shared space. Will they cross the line into love?

I enjoyed this cute little romance more than I should have!

Aled was a mysterious king and I loved him.

I rated this 3 stars!

"The Spare Room" by Laura Starkey is cosy, romantic fiction that makes you feel warm inside. It is the story of Rosie who's boyfriend James treats her like dirt then dumps her, and how she finds her own self confidence along the way to recovery.
Laura's characters were really well drawn, I especially loved Rosie and Rhianne, Alex's enthusiastic Welsh cousin.

If you are looking for a well written escapist book this is the one for you. I definitely will be recommending it. !!!

The Spare Room by Laura Starkey was an absolutely delightful rom-com.
Laura has a way of crafting totally lovable characters. I really enjoyed this quick-witted, heartfelt romance. This was an easy book to get lost in. The plot was fun, the story well developed, the writing was just fantastic and the characters were what truly made this such an enjoyable read.
A sweet roommates to lovers rom-com.

Thank You NetGalley and Embla Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Firstly, thank you to net-galley and the publisher for an e-arc!
I didn't hate this book, I also didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. It was alright. I'm not a huge "slow burn" fan and this is a proper slow burn. It's a nice enough read if you don't want anything too stretching or engaging, it would be perfect for a holiday read!

Spare room
2.75⭐️2.25🌶️

Contemporary Romance
Roommates to lovers
British Setting
Curvy FMC
BIPOC Side Character
Closed door romance

This book was cute and followed the familiar contemporary romance/romcom formula. It was all very predictable in regards to the plot.

The characters were well formed but I kept getting mad at the FMC being awed by the bare minimum… but maybe that was the point. She was also a little too self deprecating for me to enjoy being in her POV. I would have really appreciated this if it had been a dual POV story. To see some of the adoration and romance from then MMC’s POV.

I don’t really love pop culture references that box the book that I’m reading into a very specific timeline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Embla Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the cutest book! I love a roommate trope type book and this one did not disapoint.

Overall I'd definitely read this book again and I would recommend this book for fans of other romance books. I have received this ARC for an honest review, all thoughts/ opinions above are my own.

A really good book! Laura's writing is really good and the Rosie's journey was amazing and she a really relatable character so it was easy to like and cheer for her. I really liked the chemistry between her and Aled, and their story was also cute, I do however wish they had something more, maybe if we could've seen dual POV I would've liked more. Overall it's a good read for someone who is looking for a cute read.

I devoured this!! I really enjoyed Rosie's journey to learning to love herself. The underlying statement of body positivity and learning to love yourself for who you are and not who you are to others is something I think we all need to hear more often.
I definitely saw myself in Rosie as I am also 32 and have also worked in an Insurance Agency. I can say I felt her pain to my CORE. I think Laura did an amazing job with character development. I felt so attached to the characters so early on in the story. I am actually jealous of Rosie's friendship with Niamh as well as her new friend she picks up along the way. The found family in this was spectacular. The closed door romance was great too. I didn't mind the lack of spice at all. The slow burn of Aled and Rosie was *Chef's kiss*. I would love more of their story!

I loved this book. The journey Rosie goes on throughout the story is fantastic. I found myself cheering her on at every step. I loved Aled's strong yet quiet presence throughout the book as well. Overall a very enjoyable read.

What a slow burn! I loved this book. Rosie was such a relatable character and I really enjoyed watching her grow throughout the book. While I loved Aled and Rosie, I wish they had a little more chemistry and wish we saw a little more of his character & personality. My favorite character of all was Rhinanne and would love to see her story.

Still swooning after finishing this great read. I throughly enjoyed The Spare Room. Rosie was an absolute gem of a character and I found her so relatable. The fat shaming she received from her family really annoyed me and James is a character that I truly hated. Absolute adored the fact there was a cat named Spingsteen too. Aled was just a sweetheart. Definitely book boyfriend material. With a fantastic cast of supporting characters, some real laugh out loud moments and following Rosie on her journey of self discovery, The Spare Room is well worth a read for any chick lit lovers.

An up close and personal romantic comedy read that will leave you smiling. Rosie is dressing up for a romantic evening with her boyfriend, only to find herself unceremoniously dumped as he departs their apartment. Heartbroken and short of money for the rent, Rosie invites her elusive but handsome upstairs neighbour to flatware while his flat upstairs is redecorated. Sworn off men after her breakup, Rosie finds herself thrust into Aled's company. Getting up close and personal on a daily basis, she can't fail to notice his impressive biceps. Lots of pent up emotions in one small space makes for a sparky read. Perfect for fans of The Flat Share. #thespareroom #laurastarkey #netgalley #embla #romance #comedy

The book isn't bad, it's just boring. Aled and Rosie are cute but I wanted more. It might have been better if it was dual pov but I don't know. The author tried to spice it up by having a third act breakup but the fight was dumb and didn't make any sense.

I received an arc through netgalley.

REVIEW
cw: body-shaming, gaslighting, mentions of dieting, cheating, bullying, and childhood trauma
When Rosie Butler is dumped by her long-term boyfriend, she has to find someone to help pay rent. Stat. In steps her elusive and extremely handsome neighbour, Aled Thomas, while his flat is renovated.
I loved this cute romance. Rosie and Aled were both interesting characters, each with their own insecurities and self-doubts because of the way they'd been treated, but I loved how supportive they became of each other, and how they flourished together. Aled was so swoon-worthy, and I really loved Rosie's kindness and empathy. They were SO adorable together, and even though the miscommunication was predictable, it was thankfully not too drawn out. The ending was so cute that it more than made up for it.
I empathised with Rosie at the insurance company. Having previously worked in call centres, both the calls and the assessments were painfully familiar. What I loved most, other than the romance, was how Rosie came to understand just how unbalanced her closest relationships had been. In comparison, Aled treated her as an equal right from the start. James was obnoxious at best, and her family was a whole other level of unhealthy. I loved it when she finally confronted her mother and James. I loved Niamh. She was such a supportive friend, and I empathised with her struggles as a new parent. I also immediately loved Rhianne, as well as the rough pub karaoke crew.
This was another gentle story of self-acceptance and finding agency from Laura Starkey.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️.5
Heat Rating: 🔥

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

Favourite Quotes:

'...Anyone worth bothering with will appreciate you as you are. They won’t fixate on what you’re not.'

'When you feel like your world’s blown up, it hurts – but afterwards, you don’t have to live in the place where you land.'

‘I’d consider myself lucky if she did have a “thing” for me. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that just because you don’t recognise her value, other people won’t see it. Plenty of us do, myself included.’

‘Becoming a parent isn’t about learning a new skill. It’s more like learning to be a new person – or a new version of yourself.'

‘When I got home from the hospital that day – back to the flat,’ Rosie went on, ‘I was gutted to find you gone. And I realised something: it’s just a building, a box. I’ve painted it and furnished it, but it isn’t my home anymore if you’re not in it.’

'You are beautiful and lovely, funny and bright and kind. You’re extraordinary , Rosie. Like I said, it shines out of you. You warm everyone you meet.’