I loved this book from its funny, awkward roommate scenes to the inclusion of infertility and dyslexia, to funny dog socks that made me laugh out loud. Overall. The amount of tropes and character depth makes this a quick, fun, warm-hearted read and reminds us of why we should never give up on love!

This book starts off with Hunter and Dylan becoming roommates. They have known each other for years due to Hunter being best friends with Dylan’s little sister. We quickly learn that Hunter has lots of unrequited love for Dylan, she fantasizes about how moving in can lead to sparks between them. Hunter quickly discovers that Dylan is in a new relationship and is disappointed to say the least. We also quickly learn that Dylan‘s new relationship isn’t built to last. That’s where my biggest complaint with this book begins because from about 35% to 75% of this book you’re just waiting for Dylan to man up and break up with Olivia like he says he’s going to. In the end, Olivia ends up breaking up with him and he doesn’t even have to deal with the fact that he’s been wanting to break up with her for weeks. Essentially half the book is wasted, waiting for Dylan to follow through. Fresh off a break up Hunter and Dylan are finally able to explore feelings that they both have for each other. From going 80% of the book with the male main character in another relationship to in one chapter professing their love for each other. And then that was literally it that’s the book.

Hunter has been in love with her best friend's brother, Dylan, for years. When their respective roommates fall in love and move in together, Hunter and Dylan decide to move in together also. Hunter thinks this will finally be her chance to express her feelings for Dylan, when he introduces his new girlfriend. Devastated, Hunter does her best to avoid being at home and get over her crush. But then Dylan saves her from a horrible date and the two end up going on a vacation and having to share a bed together. Is is possible Dylan feels the same way or will Dylan have to move on?

This was a cute romance but started to feel almost like a porno. Hunter even says it feels like they're in a daytime soap opera, with endless amounts of cheesy lines. Both Hunter and Dylan seem like teenagers with their first crush, getting horny from a hint of shoulder, a long neck, muscles, and long legs. It became very cringey.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

Hunter and Dylan are moving in together since her two best friends are moving out, one of which is his sister. Hunter has had a crush on Dylan since they met, and finds out he has a new girlfriend. While navigating a new living situation, she has to keep her feelings under wrap.

This was the slowest burn romance I have ever read, and honestly it made it feel more rushed than I would have liked. While I do enjoy the lack of third act breakup, I wish we had more of them together! Overall, I loved this series!

Thanks @netgalley and @Camillaisley for the opportunity to review this book. I’m usually a fan of @Camillaisley stories but this one too a while to read maybe because it’s a slow burn. This is a slow burn roommates to lover sister best friend read. FMC has feelings for her new roommate and the lm the roommates relationship is a little awkward because they have feelings for one another and neither knows about.

The Roommate Experiment, by Camilla Isley, is a light, fun read with laugh-out-loud moments. This rom-com is a fast-paced novel that is easy to follow, even if you're in a distracting setting (cruise). The characters are relatable, and the storyline keeps your interest. This is the third in a series, but it was great as a standalone. I'll definitely be going back to read the other two.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Thid was such a cute as romcom and an easy read. It was a great end to a three series book. I like that they are can all be stand-alone books but are part of a friend group series.

I have not read a Camilla Isley book before this one, but I'm a new fan!✨This book was funny.

This might be different from person to person, but I found the main characters to be very relatable.
There were moments while reading their inner thoughts/POV where I caught myself saying "that's me! omg I do that too, same!".

I adore me some sloooowwww SLOW burn so this was right up my alley!
I just personally wish we got more chapters on the main characters after they ended up together as a couple.

All in all I really enjoyed this and will be going back to read the other interconnected standalones in this series!
The side characters were super interesting (ESPECIALLY Rowena and Adrian!!) I want their story too🫶🏼

Camilla’s books are always a go-to for a light, enjoyable read, and while this one had its moments, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The premise was cute—a childhood crush turned roommate—but I found Hunter’s reaction to Dylan having a girlfriend a bit over-the-top and immature. She had built up this romantic fantasy in her head without really knowing where Dylan stood, which made it harder to connect with her at times.

That said, I did enjoy watching their friendship develop as they spent more time together at home. There were some sweet, quieter moments where Dylan’s protectiveness toward Hunter added a nice layer to his character and helped shift the dynamic between them.

Overall, a decent read, but not my favorite from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved this book. It was funny, romantic and entertaining. Can't wait to read more by Camilla Islay. I'm definitely going to go back and read the others in the same series, although this was perfectly good as a stand alone novel too.

The Roommate Experiment is a charming, feel-good romantic comedy from Camilla Isley. Hunter has been harbouring a secret crush on her best friend's brother Dylan for years, but she discovers it's going to be a lot more difficult to keep her feelings in check when he becomes her new roommate. The forced proximity brings an element of humour to the story, and I enjoyed seeing Dylan start to notice Hunter in a different light too.

As with the first book in this series, This Is Not a Holiday Romance, the friends and family bring a lot to the story and I loved seeing their stories progress in this book too. The book made me laugh and it was an easy read, but be prepared for a slow burn and a bit of exasperation at Dylan taking so long to finally make a move.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the e-ARC.

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC. The Roommate Experiment is a light, feel-good read with a charming setup. It was my first time reading this author, and while I appreciated the cozy vibe, the pacing didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The romance is an extremely slow burn—so much so that I found myself losing interest at times, wishing things would move along. By the time Dylan and Hunter finally came together, the book was nearly over, and their relationship felt rushed. I would’ve loved more time with them as a couple.

3 stars.

I really like Camilla Isley's books. I like her writing style, characters, story lines. Sadly this book was not the best for me, but that's because of me - I don't like love triangles. Most of this book main characters are not together (they are roommates though) and MMC has a girlfriend. I struggled with that a lot! I even skimmed a bit when I got too annoyed. However - I still liked this book, because the last 25 % were SO GOOD.

So I'd say that the pacing was a bit off - the first 75% were too long and slow, and the last 25% too short and very intense and a bit rushed.

WHAT I LIKED: the last 25%!

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Well, Dylan having a girlfriend most of the book was difficult for me. I felt that the good part was way too short and rushed.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Pov: dual, 1st person
Heat: closed doors
Pacing: sloooooowburn
Communication: ok I guess?
Third act: smooth sailing
Ending: HEA with a lovely epilogue

Main characters:
* Best friend's big brother
* Cinnamon roll hero
* Roommates to lovers
* Opposites attract

What?
* Forced proximity
* One bed

Where?
* New York

Drama?
* Love triangle (MMC has a girlfriend)

Other vibes:
* It has always been you

Sat and read the book in one sitting. I enjoyed the characters and the dual POV. The tropes in this book were well executed and had me rooting for the characters to be together. There was a lovely light hearted humour that ran throughout the book…all i’m gonna say is pink and lace and had me laughing at 4am. But also touched on some more serious topics. Definitely worth the read!

Camilla Isley has became a fav author of mine , however this book I was so annoyed with the FMC Hunter like it made the book miserable at parts and I k would have to put the book down . She has been into Dylan for a long time I get it but it became what felt like obsessive .

I really love Camilla Isley, okay? I love her. She's a Swiftie, she gets me out of every book slump, I love her.

Will I stop complaining about some stuff in the books? Never.

So: The Roommate Experiment is Dylan and Hunter's novel. The story has been teased since This Is Not a Holiday Romance, which starred Dylan's sister Nina and his best friend Tristan. Their story was also alluded to in the second novel, If The Ring Fits.

Hunter had been in love with Dylan for 11 years, yet she hadn't made that move. That's widely relatable... until we find out that Hunter is literally perfect. Dylan describes her as a Victoria's Secret model, super tall, always extra fit, the most gorgeous woman he's ever seen. Yet he hadn't acknowledged her for years.

While her unrequited love would've made sense if she were normal, making her absolutely perfect kinda ruins the fun. What are the odds of her being this perfect, fit, smart, and everything, yet she wouldn't get a second glance from Dylan for over a decade? Come on.

I feel like rom-com authors nowadays focus so much on writing the perfect book boyfriend (don't worry Dylan, your turn is coming) that they completely forget to write relatable women. The fact that all the women are extra tall, gorgeous, and thin BUT CURVY IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES is just how men write women and it's exhausting.

Now about Dylan: this absolutely perfect Adonis who actually cleans up after himself, gets upset about forgetting the dishes, and cooks and bakes, despite being a successful finance hotshot but also an avid gamer? Yeah right. Sure. This is even more impossible than all the romance. Sure, we write to forget the day-to-day struggles, but this is more sci-fi than Dune.

The Roommate Experiment also left me high and dry. I've been complaining about the third-act breakup in Camilla Isley's novels since... the beginning, I guess?. But their relationship happened immediately.

I physically can't wait for the next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books, everyone should read this gem.

This was a fun read. It was well written for the most part, there were a few instances where the phrasing threw me a little bit but generally it was easy to read. The plot was well paced, until the end. I feel like it all ended very suddenly. There was definitely tension but it could have been drawn out more, especially with Dylan, I could have done with more pining from him. But I definitely rooted for Dylan and Hunter. Hunter annoyed me at times and Olivia felt like a cartoon villain in the end, which I wasn’t a massive fan of.
All in all, this was a fun, easy read.

I hadn’t read the first two books in this series, and, while I definitely didn’t need to know Nina and Tristan and Rowan and Adrian’s stories, I will probably go back to read them.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Roommate Experience is a heartfelt, slow-burn romance that explores the tension, humor, and vulnerability of unspoken love.

For eleven long years, Hunter has quietly carried a torch for Dylan—her best friend’s older brother—ever since they first met during her college days. What began as a harmless crush has grown into a deeply rooted longing that has brought more heartache than hope. When her best friend Nina moves in with her boyfriend (who also happens to be Dylan’s closest friend), Hunter unexpectedly finds herself sharing an apartment with the one man she’s never been able to forget.

Dylan, blissfully unaware of Hunter’s feelings, is in a new relationship with the seemingly perfect Olivia—who, as it turns out, may not be quite as flawless as she first appears. As cracks begin to show and red flags surface, Dylan starts to question what he truly wants in a partner. Meanwhile, Hunter does everything she can to keep her emotions under wraps—navigating awkward encounters, emotional slip-ups, and the challenge of living in such close quarters with the man of her dreams.

As their tight-knit friend group subtly nudges them together, Dylan begins to see Hunter in a new light—realizing that maybe the person he’s been searching for has been right in front of him all along. With a blend of laugh-out-loud moments, emotional depth, and tender romance, The Roommate Experience is a charming, if predictable, tale that will resonate with anyone who’s ever loved from afar and dared to hope for more.

The Roommate Experiment by Camilla Isley is a friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, SLOW burn romance.

Hunter has been secretly in love with Dylan, her best friend’s older brother, for the past 11 years, despite him barely having her in the friend zone. Hunter is now imagining their happily ever after now that they are roommates, only to find out that Dylan has a new girlfriend. This is the third book in the Funny Feelings series and can be read as a standalone (I have not read others in the series). There was a lot of funny banter between characters and hilarious situations they got themselves into. The book was incredibly slow burn, with their first kiss not coming until about 90% of the way through. I would have liked for the Dylan/Olivia relationship to end sooner so we had more time to read about Dylan and Hunter together. It felt like they went from just friends to “I love you” in seconds. This was a fun and light read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My first ARC and 25 book of the year!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Close proximity, slow burn, friends first, sister’s best friend, best friend’s brother, mixed feelings, crossing lines, successful FMC, chosen family, sensitive MMC. A great easy holiday romance read with likeable characters (maybe except from Olivia 🫣) and predictable plot but still didn’t stop me from enjoying, especially while my MMC was watching the football