Slow burn, friends to lovers, forced proximity, rom com read was amazing! It has closed door spice for those who love romance without the smut and plenty of laughs!
Read this one in a day! It had me grinning and cringing (with smiles!) at some of the more awkward and funny situations they got themselves into!

Okay, so I didn’t hate this book… but I also can’t say I loved it.

After reading the first book in the series (and not loving the years of low-key bullying between Tristan and Nina), I skipped the second and jumped into this one because I’m a sucker for a good roommate trope. Unfortunately, it just didn’t hit the way I hoped it would. The pacing felt slow, and the story dragged in places where I was expecting more spark or movement.

One of the biggest issues for me was the whole Olivia situation—it seriously overstayed its welcome. It felt like it took up way too much of the plot, and I didn’t love how she was painted as this over-the-top, borderline villain when, in reality, she just wasn’t the right match for Dylan. No need to go full "crazy ex" trope.

The romance itself? Meh. The ending was super rushed, and Dylan’s sudden “I’m in love with you” moment felt a little unearned, especially since the connection between him and the main character didn’t feel all that deep throughout the book.

That said, I do still like Camilla Isley’s writing overall. This one just didn’t land for me, but I’ve really enjoyed many of her other books, so I’m definitely not giving up on her. Hoping the next one brings back that spark!

Tropes:

Roommates

Forced proximity

Only one bed (…kind of, if you squint)

Best friend's brother

Found family

Final thoughts: Some sweet moments, but overall a miss for me in terms of pacing and emotional payoff.

3/5 ⭐️book three in Camilla Isley’s Funny Feelings series. After finishing and loving Adrian & Rowena’s book I was very excited to get this arc to review.

This cute romance is a very slow burn and I did at points find myself drifting and wishing it would speed up. I loved Hunters character and was so glad she got her happy ending.

Love the epilogue, really tied the series up.
Love Camilla’s books always a winner!

“The Roommate Experiment” is a rom-com by Camilla Isley. This book is the third in a series, but can be read as a stand-alone. This book has two POVs - Hunter (FMC) and Dylan (brother of Hunter’s former roommate). The two characters have known each other for over a decade before the start of the book. I’m glad that the two POVs were included. I’m not sure why Hunter’s work situation (with the project possibly being sabotaged) was included as I don’t think it added much, other than Hunter can (and should) stand up for herself. I found myself doing a bit more eyerolling in the last 10% of the book than I expected due to some of the lines (and it could be due to me having read a similar conversation in another rom-com a few weeks ago). I liked the inclusion of dyslexia and how Dylan deals with it. This was a cute fast read.

I wish I could say I liked this book. I did not the story has been told before and there really wasn’t anything new that made me want to read on- although I did. The characters were flat and not interesting. It just felt forced.

After reading the other two books in this series, I was very happy to read and review this latest one! It can be read as a standalone, but it was nice to have the backstory for some of the other characters. The story is about Hunter who has been crushing on Dylan, her best friend's brother over a span of 11 years. It had some funny moments and was a cute, easy read.

Sensitive topics included were fertility issues and dyslexia. I did enjoy this slow burn, closed door romance. The epilogue was great and combined all three books/stories into one.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books!

I devoured this book. I loved the close proximity aspect of this book, and how this was an actual slowburn. Their chemistry was actually there in my opinion, and there was a good amount of character progression.
Now what I didn't enjoy as much, is once the romance picked up, it felt rushed and kinda unrealistic. Maybe if the author would have started the romance aspect like 10% earlier and given them a better build up, I would have enjoyed it more. And as someone who usually doesn't read closed door romance, I think the lack of intimacy really hindered the portrayal of their emotional connection. The author still talked about it, but showing it would have done so much more for the story.
All in all I enjoyed it, I think there were some pacing issues, but if you are looking for a closed door slow burn romance, this is for you.

3 Stars
One Liner: Some nice moments

Hunter has been secretly in love with Dylan, her best friend’s brother, for eleven years. However, he sees her as his sister’s friend, and she hasn't expressed her interest so far. When both her besties move out of the apartment, Dylan becomes Hunter’s new roommate. This could be her chance, except that he has a casual girlfriend. Hunter tries to move on but ends up on miserable dates.
Dylan knew Hunter was good-looking, but he didn’t expect to feel something more for her. The timing seems to be all wrong, though. Should he break up with his new girlfriend to see where things go with Hunter, or should he play it safe?
The story comes in Hunter and Dylan’s first-person POVs.

My Thoughts:
Though the book can be a standalone, I would recommend reading book #2 first. Even better if you start at the beginning (I didn’t). But I read the previous book (If the Ring Fits), and it helped. That’s because the events in both books take place at the same time. Seeing Hunter and Dylan from Rowena and Adrian’s POVs first makes this book less awkward.
It’s interesting to revisit a few scenes from the previous book from other POVs. I like such experiments (another reason I recommend reading book #2 first).
This is my fourth book by the author. While I had minor issues with the previous three, I happily rounded up the rating to 4 stars. Unfortunately, this is the weakest one so far.
Firstly, there’s no denying the touches of humor in the narration. The writing style is light even when it deals with serious issues like dyslexia and endometriosis. This prevents the story from feeling too heavy or overwhelming.
Hunter’s crush/ obsession with Dylan feels authentic. It is painfully embarrassing at times, but that’s exactly the point. It was supposed to be that way, given she harbored feelings and spun fantasies for over a decade. Her reluctance, jealousy, anger, frustration, hopelessness, etc., come out very well.
Dylan started decent, but then got on my nerves. I tried to be patient and see things from his perspective, but there’s a thin line between being good and being a coward. Despite his other noteworthy qualities, he didn’t impress me. The break-up scene was crucial for his character arc, and it was messed up big time.
Not really sure how to classify Olivia. Clingy? Dense? Optimistic? No idea!
There are some spicy scenes towards the end, though it’s fade-to-black and closed door. The last quarter rather ups the sexiness, which wasn’t necessary, but okay!
Since this is the last book of the series, we get a combined epilogue. I like it a lot. It has happy developments and leaves one element on a hopeful note; the right way to conclude this series.
To summarize, The Roommate Experiment is a steady-paced and lighthearted romance that touches upon a couple of health issues (lightly). While it is not my favorite (Adrian is still the winner), I will continue to enjoy more books by the author.
Thank you, Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I think I’ve come to the unfortunate conclusion that Camilla Isley isn’t my cup of tea. I tried not a holiday romance and wasn’t wild about it but was willing to try the roommate experiment because I love a brothers best friend trope. I just find these characters to be annoying and immature. Hunter is like the quirky clumsy girl from every rom com trope but she’s also ~smart~ and Dylan is indecisive at best, borderline an emotional cheater at worst. I also thought it was bizarre when hunter and her friends just sat down and casually decided not to tell her friends baby daddy that he was the dad. What a weird conversation? Overall this was just unfortunately not for me. I am giving it two stars because I appreciate the endo and PCOS rep. Thank you for the ARC

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really don’t like leaving negative reviews but to be honest, The Roommate Experiment just wasn’t for me. I’d never read anything by this author before but I requested it because I like the tropes and it sounded like a fun read.

This might seem trivial but one of the first problems I had was both characters have names that could be either male or female so at the beginning I kept getting confused about which character each chapter was written from the perspective of.

I liked Hunter and the side-plot about her job but Dylan seemed really immature from the way he and his best friend still call each other by their basketball numbers to how conflict-avoidant he was with his ex-girlfriend.

From the moment Dylan moves in with Hunter, it feels like there’s just one after another of embarrassing incidents and it got to the point where I was cringing at how two adults could be so accident-prone. It’s obvious from their respective jobs that Hunter and Dylan are both intelligent but the way they interact with each other was really juvenile.

This was a dual pov slow burn, forced proximity, closed door romance. Hunter has been pining for her best friends older brother for over a decade and when he ends up taking over his sister’s lease in their shared apartment, Hunter is convinced he will begin to see her in a new light.

She has a plan to make him fall for her within their shared everyday lives which quickly gets more complicated when she finds out he has been seeing someone new. As Dylan gets to know Hunter better he starts to question if what he has been looking for all along has always been right in-front of him. I was really into their cutesy moments and their comfortable banter.

What I was iffy about with this part of the plot was that he was dating someone else while falling for his roommate. I also felt like Hunter’s best friend & Dylans sister was so not a girls girl with the way she was always prioritizing her bf and spilling Hunters tea in-front of him when he was also Dylan’s best friend. Overall, what kept me from loving this book was how long the slow burn went on for with little to no pay off. I would have loved more focus on when they finally got together rather than it happening & then immediately jumping to a 5 years later epilogue.

Thanks Netgalley & Boldwood Books for the ARC :)

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a cute read. I haven't read the series, but after reading this book, I will definitely go back and read the other two. This book had me cackling at some moments. I was rooting for Hunter (FMC) and Dylan (MMC) the whole time. I wish he didn't have a girlfriend, as it made the situation a little too grey for me, but I thought it was necessary to the entire plot.


Read if you like:
- Only one bed
- Forced proximity
- Best friend brother

Very slow burn
The characters took some time to warm up too.
Nothing really happens till the last 20% of the book.
Cute read overall but felt average to me.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this arc.

I love a cozy romcom when I need a little cheering up so this was perfect yesterday when it just wasn’t my day. It has some of my favorite tropes: best friends brother and forced proximity/roommates.

This was just a fun, cozy, sometimes, spicy! I loved it.

Camilla Isley is an auto-read author for me. I have yet to be disappointed by any of her books!

The Funny Feelings series is a collection of interconnected standalone and follows a trio of friends who all met one horrific halloween, wearing the same Elle Woods costume. Absolute icons in my opinion.

This book makes my swifty heart soar, Hunter our FMC is so adorable and quirky and love sick. Reading her unfortunately antics and the drama she ran into, living with Dylan (her best friends brother and the reason for her love sickness) was so funny. Watching them orbit around each other was hilarious. I also loved that Camilla kept us up to date on the other couples as well- that is my favourite part about interconnected stand alones, I always miss the characters from the previous books - so I love getting to watch them live out their HEAs.

Not only was The Roommate Experiment hilarious, but it also covered some heavier themes, such as struggling with dyslexia and infertility issues. The representation in Camilla's books is always great, I always feel like she gives a deeper overview of the human experience, while also keeping it light and romantic.

If you enjoy pining, angst, forced proximity and OF COURSE one bed. This book is for you, it checks all my rom-com boxes and I cannot recommend it enough!

Thank you netgalley for the review copy :)

The Roommate Experiment is a light, feel-good romantic comedy that blends forced proximity with slow-burn chemistry in a way that’s charming and heartwarming. Camilla Isley delivers a clean and cozy rom-com that's perfect for fans of witty banter, opposites-attract dynamics, and low-drama love stories.

This is such a funny, at times emotional, and angsty book. We get to see Hunter and Dylan. If you have read the other two books in the Funny Feelings trilogy, you will love getting to see some of my favorite characters again.

I am so glad that there was an epilogue that let us see all of the characters in the future.

Also….. Theo…..

When you read the book you will know exactly what I mean.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own!

This was an easy and fun read with forced proximity, which I love. The actual chemistry between the couple wasn't really there but I still giggled my way through the book.

This book offers a breezy, heartwarming escape, filled with witty banter, endearing mishaps, and just enough chemistry to keep the pages turning. The love interest is suitably charming, with enough depth to make their dynamic engaging, even if some of their conflicts feel a bit predictable.

While the book excels in humor and sweet moments, the protagonist’s personal growth occasionally takes a backseat to the romantic plot. A deeper exploration of their emotional journey could have added more weight to their happily-ever-after.

That said, the supporting cast adds plenty of fun, and the romantic tension is well-paced, making it easy to root for the central couple. The writing is light and engaging, perfect for readers looking for a feel-good story with a few laughs along the way. If you don’t mind a little predictability and enjoy banter-filled romance, this book is a charming pick—just don’t expect too much introspection between the meet-cutes and grand gestures.

This third book in the Funny Feelings Series offers a delightful roommates-to-lovers story. While it can be read as a standalone, knowing the backstories of the side characters enhances the narrative. Dylan swaps apartments with his sister Nina when she moves in with her boyfriend (and Dylan’s best friend). Consequently, Dylan finds himself rooming with Hunter, Nina’s best friend who harbors a long-standing crush on Dylan. Amidst this romantic entanglement, Hunter also has to navigate Dylan’s new girlfriend, Olivia. The story revolves around a compelling will-they-or-won’t-they arc, even though it’s presented in a closed-door setting. The build-up and payoff are both entertaining and satisfying. I highly recommend checking this book out.

Thank you, Boldwood Books, for providing this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.