🛏️ “WE ALREADY SHARED A COUCH- LOVE WAS JUST THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP.”

🛏️ Pick this up if you like/ don’t mind:
📌 book series ( this is the third book in “funny feelings” series however it can be read as a stand alone too)
📌 cute/ slow burn/ light hearted rom com
📌 room mates to friends to lovers
📌 secret crush/ best friend’s brother
📌 forced proximity
📌 one bed troupe
📌 dual POVs
📌 short chapters
📌 sexual tension/ closed door romance/ funny banters
📌 themes of dyslexia, endometriosis, infertility ⚠️

🛏️ This was my second book by Camilla, and once again, she delivered exactly what I was looking for. I don’t usually reach for romance novels, but when I do, I lean heavily toward closed door romances and Camilla has become my go to author for that. Her stories manage to be sweet, emotionally engaging and full of tension without getting overly explicit, which I really appreciate.
The book was light and I flew through the first half in one sitting. The chemistry and sexual tension between the main characters was spot on, just the right amount of slow burn to kept me hooked.
There were plenty of funny, charming moments, though I will admit a few parts tested my patience. Dylan the classic “nice guy” leaned a little too far into being overly considerate at times especially when it came to his breakup with Olivia. But then he completely won me over with that scene where he cared for Hunter during her period. It was thoughtful, gentle and honestly kind of swoon worthy. There’s just something about a guy who knows how to support you when you are not at your best, that’s a major keeper energy right there.
One of the highlights for me was getting to revisit old characters, especially Rowen and Adrian. Their story is my most favourite in the entire series, so seeing them again made me really happy.
Overall this was a fun and feel-good read. And let me just say, that epilogue? Absolute chef’s kiss. It wrapped things up in the most satisfying way. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

🛏️ PS: Apologies for the super late review of this ARC . In my defence, I was buried under a towering pile of thrillers that just wouldn’t stop coming.

In this funny and tropey romance book from the Funny Feelings series, readers meet Hunter when she discovers that her longtime crush and best friend’s brother Dylan is about to move in with her. Hoping he’ll finally notice her, Hunter is ready for the romance and happy ending she’s wanted, but Dylan comes with baggage and is not the easiest roommate at the beginning. However, their relationship begins to change as they get used to each other’s quirks and become part of each other’s lives, but the constant proximity is testing Hunter, who realizes she needs to move on or move out and break her heart either way. Full of tropes and packed with fantastic characters, readers will love the mix of emotions that Isley brings to the table in this latest book. Hunter is particularly interesting because her storyline does not only revolve around Dylan, who also has some interesting backstory elements for readers to discover. Their evolving dynamic will really pull readers into the story, and the tropes really further the plot along in some charming and fun ways. As part of an interconnected romance series, readers will love nods to prior books and really enjoy the latest instalment in this fun and heartwarming addition.

This was auch a cute read. I really had fun reading it.
Love the mcs soooo much
Big thanks to netgally for this book

The Roommate Experiment is a charming, slow-burn romance that blends heartfelt emotion with witty banter. When Hunter’s longtime crush—her best friend’s brother Dylan—moves in as her temporary roommate, tension simmers just beneath the surface. Told through alternating perspectives, the story captures the complexities of unspoken feelings, emotional vulnerability, and the messy road to love.

Camilla Isley crafts believable characters and a cozy atmosphere, though the pacing may feel a bit sluggish in the first half. The romantic payoff, while satisfying, arrives quickly and might leave some readers wanting more time with the couple post-confession. Still, this is a sweet, feel-good read perfect for fans of forced-proximity and best-friend’s-brother tropes.

A warm, swoony romance with just enough spice to keep things interesting

TV-16, for language, fade to black but kisses are steamy

Read this book if you love women in STEM, best friend’s brother, and men wearing backwards baseball hate. This book had New Girl vibes. The banter between them two was so good!

Thank you NetGalley and Camilla Isley for this ARC.

Now this was a fun, hilarious and giddy read. I loved this! I loved Dylan and Hunter in this, their chemistry, their banter and their passion? Unmatched. Such a good read and will have you kicking your feet!

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and fun read. I appreciated the closed door scenes and the chemistry between the two characters. I did feel this book would suit younger readers, but still an enjoyable and easy read. Good for the summer holidays.

ARC REVIEW:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hunter and Dylan have been running in the same circle for years. While Hunter has always harbored a crush on her best friend’s brother (Dylan), she manages to keep it a secret. But when her two best friends and roommates (Nina and Rowena) need to vacate their apartment in a hurry, she finds herself suddenly living with the man of her dreams. Will Hunter survive cohabiting with Dylan, or will her undisclosed feeling complicate the arrangement?

The Roommate Experiment by Camilla Isley is the third and final book in the Funny Feelings Series. While this series was written with the ability to pick and choose how it is consumed (as a whole or individually), I highly recommend saving this one for LAST (the epilogue is set five years in the future and catches up with the entire friend group).

This story is the epitome of slow burn! In fact, roughly seventy-five percent of the book is Hunter secretly pinning after Dylan. Although it is excruciating to see her struggle, it makes for delicious scenarios that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. With that said, the pay off is well worth it. Hello kitchen scene!!! The two of them together are like lightening in a bottle.

Be sure to read this book for:
-dyslexia, PCOS, and endometriosis rep.
-will they, won’t they
-forced proximity
-lots of chemistry

Special thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Camilla Isley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Living with a stranger and end up falling in love? Yes, please. This one nailed the “friends-to-lovers” college-roommate trope with chemistry that felt effortless and dialogues that made me grin out loud. The emotional growth of both characters hit a sweet spot—not too angsty, just enough depth to feel real. Plot twists kept me invested without derailing the cozy build-up. All the signs of a swoony binge-read that leaves a warm afterglow. I’m happily giving it 4 stars for delivering exactly the comfort and charm I wanted.

The Roommate Experiment 💞

I was lucky enough to read The Roommate Experiment as an ARC from @netgalley

The Roommate Experiment is book 3 of Funny Feelings by Camilla Isley but it can also be read as a standalone (which I did).

It’s got quite a few tropes, so if you enjoy:
💞 Best friends brother
💞 Forced proximity
💞 One bed
💞 Closed door romance
Then this is for you!

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was great and there were some really funny parts in it as well.

This was a nice light read, but it kept me wanting to read it. I would definitely recommend.

what a lovely way to end this series. these couples all just made so much sense, and i especially enjoyed the banter in this last book. overall very fun, very enjoyable, and you actually connect to the characters.

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

The Roommate Experiment is the third book in Camilla Isley’s Funny Feeling series. Although I haven’t read the first two books, I never felt lost while reading this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and now plan to go back and read the first two books in the series. I loved how the book ended.

#TheRoommateExperiment #NetGalley
Publication date- May 27, 2025

This is my first Camilla Isley book but it definitely won't be my last. I immediately wanted to read the rest of this series, The Roommate Experiment was such a fun, cosy and funny romance. I can't resist the best friends brother trope and this did not let me down. Although (with most rom-coms) there were a few cringe bits it was still heartwarming and I didn't want to put this down I was loving it so much. I highly recommend for any romance fans.

Book 3 in the Funny Feelings series and follows Nina and Rowena's other friend, Hunter as she navigates her crush on Nina's brother (and new roommate), Dylan.

Hunter has loved Dylan for 10+ years and now he's moving in with her and she dreams of them spending time together and Dylan slowly falling in love with her but her dreams are shattered when Dylan asks if he can bring his girlfriend round.

So Hunter puts some distance between them and tries not to be home when Dylan is home so she doesn't have to watch him with Olivia, but while she's avoiding him, he's falling in love with her until finally he's single again and his friend Tristan tells him Hunter has been in love with him for years.

I think this book was the weakest of the three but I still enjoyed it and it tied everything together, even if it kept all the romance mostly within the family/friend group.

I don't know why Hunter wouldn't confide in her friends though, they clearly knew she was in love with him and had been for years but they didn't actively encourage her going after him until the very end and I think they should have. Even if she didn't take their advice to start with. But more than that, why didn't Hunter actively try and win him over when he was single which was for quite a long time?? She didn't even make any effort to become closer to him in the 10+ years she knew him. She could have had him years ago!

I do wish the books had more spice though.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The Roommate Experiment is a roommates-to-lovers, forced proximity, STEMinist rom-com perfect for fans of Lynn Painter, Sarah Adams, and Abby Jimenez.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Cute Ending Can’t Save a Frustrating Start

The Roommate Experiment had all the makings of a sweet rom-com, and to its credit, the ending delivered. I finished the book with a big, goofy smile thanks to a heartfelt epilogue that hit all the right notes.

But... getting there wasn’t easy. Most of the “romantic tension” came while he was still technically dating his unhinged (and wildly inappropriate) girlfriend. Yes, he tried to end things a few times. Yes, it wasn’t a serious relationship. But the fact that he was clearly falling for Hunter while still entangled with someone else made it feel just a little too close to cheating 😬.

The story finally started to click after that breakup. The chemistry became more believable, the banter sharpened, and the characters actually opened up to one another. Even with a bit of secondhand embarrassment, the back half was fun and charming. No third-act breakup drama, which I appreciated 🙌.

Camilla Isley’s writing is easy to enjoy, and the premise had a lot of promise. I just wish the emotional payoff hadn’t taken so long to arrive. In the end, while the final chapters were adorable, they couldn’t quite make up for the uneven pacing and early frustration.

A strong finish, but overall, just an okay read.

Tropes featured in this book:
🏠 Forced proximity
☀️🌧️ Reverse grumpy-sunshine
💕 Friends to lovers (with a complicated twist)
😬 Slow burn
🫢 No third-act breakup (thankfully!)

Thank NetGalley for the ARC and this was my honest opinion.

they do not kiss until 90% into the book.

i also did not enjoy the writing style of this one. it felt very immature somehow and there were so many scenes that made me want to physically gag because it was so cringey.

i would maybe recommend this book to a high school kid whose just being introduced to romance. there's mentions of sex, but the scenes are closed door and only happen once.

This is a highly entertaining read which returns to a group of friends that readers of Camilla Isley's books will have met before. In this story, we are introduced to Hunter a career woman who has hidden her feelings about a friend's brother since she was a teenager. Now they are out together into the same flat as Dylan becomes her new roommate after her two close friends have moved out. As the story alternated between Hunter and Dylan's point of view, you see how feelings develop. Friendship is an important element of the story and they are both afraid of affecting their wider friendship group.

For a large part of the story, Hunter has to watch as Dylan has a girlfriend. He in turn spends an awful long time trying to do what he feels is the right thing. At times, you wish that he would be firmer but he does emerge as a likable and kind person. There are plenty of amusing moments in the story and a good variety of characters.

In short: friends to lovers

Thanks for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. I loved this book, it was such a fun lighthearted read. Perfect book for the summer, to read by the pool or beach. I enjoyed watching their relationship progress. Highly recommend.

It felt too long for what it was. I struggled to get to the half way point. It's sad for multiple reasons, I have enjoyed the author's previous works and this trope is one of my favourites.