*Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this eARC; the review is my own.*

3.5 stars

This series has been pretty consistently enjoyable. I've been in the mood for come cute rom-coms to enjoy alongside some other books I'm reading, and these have satisfied that craving. Although this book could have been read as a standalone, I'm glad that I listened to the two previous books in the series first so that I could get a better understanding of all of the characters. This book and the second one (If the Ring Fits) take place concurrently after the first book (This Is Not a Holiday Romance), so I would say that they could be read in any order after book one.

Hunter (29) and Dylan (33) were obviously perfect for each other, but it was a little awkward knowing that she'd carried unrequited feelings for him for the last eleven years. That sounds like the makings of a sad stalker, but she didn't come across that way at all. Dylan was a nice guy who allowed someone else's (Olivia's) happiness to get in the way of his own for the majority of the book. I was a little disappointed with how that conclusion came about simply because he didn't really have to act, but it still worked.

One thing that irked me a little in this book was that the majority of characters outside of their friend group were rather one dimensional. Not every character has to have a huge backstory--that's not what I'm saying. But every guy Hunter met through the dating app turned out to simply be a foil to Dylan. The men she worked with tended to treat her condescendingly, making her prove that a woman was equal to the same tasks that they were. Dylan's girlfriend was annoyingly "perfect" but also crazy, clingy, obtrusive, presumptive. Where are the normal people, besides our main characters and the Thompsons' parents?

But I still enjoyed it.

Although it seems that this series has come to a close, I've already added a bunch of Isley's other books to my list for when I want something light and fluffy with what I'm assuming is a guaranteed HEA. Because why would I ever intentionally read a book with a romance that doesn't end well?

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!!

First of all - this cover? The pink, the couch, the skyline, the characters themselves? Really well done and it alone made me happy.

Hunter - ah, I loved her. She's been in love with her best friends brother forever, but sadly Dylan has barely even noticed her until he moves into her spare room. She thinks this is her chance to finally tell him how she feels and that when she does? He will of course love her back. The crush is just hilarious with how really embarrassing and awkward she is - I think it's funny because all women have been there. She's dreamed of him for years and has compared all others to him for years.

Only problem is he has a girlfriend and he kind annoyed me in general. He had feelings, knew all about hers, and was still a chicken? Also the 3rd act breakup made me flat out hate him cause GAH!

Overall - this was a cute and quick read with an easy to follow story and some amazing humor!

The Roommate Experiment is a charming, feel-good, slow-burn romance that blends classic rom-com tropes—roommates-to-lovers, only one bed, forced proximity—with a modern, nerdy twist. Hunter is an awkwardly lovable STEMinist harboring a longtime crush on her best friend’s brother, Dylan. When he moves in as her roommate, things heat up—emotionally and romantically.

Camilla Isley brings humor, heart, and swoon-worthy chemistry to the page, making this a perfect summer read. The banter is on point, the tension builds just right, and the emotional payoff is totally satisfying.

I really enjoyed the character's dynamic, and I was giggling and blushing with the romantic scenes, but I had a hard time with the dialogues. Some of them felt cringy and too formulaic for my taste. I've read a lot of romance at this point and I know is not a genre that's always suitable for me, so I think it's a matter of personal preference.

Overall rating: 3 stars
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pub Date May 27 2025

Thank you to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the next book in the series that follows on from the last book I posted. But you can read them standalone and still enjoy them if you want to read them out of order to I feel.

This one was fun, I loved the forced close proximity and I always love a brother’s best friend trope too!

From the blurb -
friend’s brother Dylan for years, despite barely registering as a blip on his radar. She’s not even in the friend zone—more like friend zone adjacent. But her luck is about to change: Dylan is taking over her spare room, and she’s being promoted to roommate. Could this be the moment Dylan finally notices her?

Not so fast. When Dylan moves in, he carries more than just boxes—he brings complications. Suddenly, the dream of living under the same roof turns into a daily struggle. Dylan is off-limits, for reasons Hunter couldn’t have anticipated, and the closer they get, the harder it becomes to ignore her feelings.

But Hunter’s determined to keep her heart in check—no matter how difficult the task. She just has to avoid ogling him in a towel. Definitely don’t imagine what’s under the towel. And try not to swoon when he bakes cookies.

But after he saves her from a terrible date and they’re forced to share a sofa bed at his parents’ house, her emotions reach a breaking point. She’ll have to either move on or move out. Will she tell him the truth—or lose him forever?

* ARC from NetGalley ✨

🛏️ “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.