Never Kiss Your Roommate Paperback – June 1, 2021

I was about to not read this because of Seth's perspective (I only really enjoy lesbian perspectives) but I liked the premise and thought I would give it a shot. I was not disappointed. I like how this novel was a good half and half romance and mystery. It took me awhile to catch the subtle hints at who was The Watcher and what happened in Noelle's past instead of being able to figure it out right off the bat. I actually started reading this on Wattpad before it was published but only got through a couple chapters. So glad I decided to read the full published version.

great quality. great plot.

I was really excited to read this book. Then I finally got around to starting it from my giant too read pile. The character who is a POC is a terrible representation of a black woman. My daughter is biracial, and I couldn’t stomach reading very much because you want to throw it across the room.Sadly not an author I will trust to read again.

I love queer books but I won't lie, most of the time they're not exactly riveting. But this one added in some suspense and drama that made my heart race with anticipation rather than making me want to cover my face from second hand embarrassment. Heck, I even cried at a couple points, it was so touching and relatable! Great read, I borrowed it from the library but I'll have to purchase it so I can reread it any time.

“I still don’t really get it though. What do you like so much about reading?”I thought about it for a moment, my chin propped in one hand. “I don’t know, I . . . I like that it’s an escape. And I like that in almost every story, there’s a lesson to be learned, you know? There have been books that have completely altered the way I see the world, like, through fiction, I’ve come a little bit closer to understanding reality.”Oh. My. Goodness. This book. I'm on Cloud Nine after finishing it. It was so unapologetically Queer and beautiful. And it was fun to read about the book's journey from the Wattpad website to becoming published in the acknowledgments section.Never Kiss Your Roommate is a boarding school story full of Queer friendship and Queer romance. That's literally the book. Besides the minor Law and Order SVU side plot. It was kind of random and dark after all the fluff. But, unfortunately, terrible things do happen in reality. Hopefully, the author meant for it to be viewed that way and that they didn't use Queer pain for the drama.In a sudden moment of clarity, I thought if I could have shown my younger self any glimpse into the future it would have been this one; I would have wiped her tears away, kissed her on the forehead, and told her Look how much better it’ll get. You’ll find people you won’t have to hide from, and you’ll fall in love. With her, and with yourself too. Just hold on a little longer.I laughed and cried so much while reading. I already want to reread it. Please check it out.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. The title of this book was honestly what grabbed my attention first and the summary sounded interesting enough that I requested it and was lucky enough to get it. This book was better than I expected, for the most part.This is a YA book that takes place at a boarding school and is told between two perspectives (about an 85/15 split or so, maybe). Most of the book is told from Evelyn’s point of view. She’s new to this school, joining after some issues arose at her previous school. She finds herself roommates with Noelle. Noelle is a basketball player and is very abrupt. She’s not considered one of the nicer people in the school, but eventually her and Evelyn grow closer to one another. Seth is your other narrator. He is also new to the school and is insta-friends with Evelyn after a chance meeting on the train. He has to deal with some personal issues while also developing a crush on Jasper, Noelle’s best friend and school flirt.I was a bit wary of this book at first. I have a few preconceived ideas when I hear the word Wattpad and I do have some wariness to teenagers writing books. This book isn’t that bad. The writing is pretty good and does a good job at developing a scenery without over-focusing on it. The dialogue was pretty good as well.I really liked the characters in this book, and I wasn’t initially sure if I was going to. Evelyn is a sweetheart who seems to want the best for others and tries to help those that she can. Noelle is rude and standoffish, but she reveals a sweet side to herself as time goes on. Jasper has doubts about certain things, but he’s fun and flirty. Seth is a bit of a cynic, but he also has nice sarcasm and wit, and it makes things fun. The four of them together develop an interesting dynamic that makes it fun to read.I only had a couple of main issues with this book. One issue is that the last quarter or so of the book just didn’t feel right and well-developed for the story. It felt a bit out of left field. Not completely since there were hints that there was more going on with Noelle than we were being shown, but I just think it could have been left out or more integrated into the story in order to make it better.My other issue is that I wish there were more time for development between the characters. There is a decent amount of time, but I wish there were more with Noelle warming up to Evelyn and them growing closer. In that same vein, I wish the time split between the protagonists was either more even or cut completely. I would have liked more about Seth and Jasper, whether it be more in the same book or a sequel book that would have had the two grow and develop together.I enjoyed this book much more than I had expected to. It’s interesting enough if you like YA, but the ending does throw in some drama that didn’t feel necessary. I thought it was a solid read though. I don’t know if I’ll ever re-read the book, but I also won’t harshly criticize it.This appears to be a debut novel by this author (if I’m wrong someone please correct me). With that in mind, and keeping in mind that the author is 19, this is a good book. If I see another book by this author, I’ll probably check it out.

This is such a lovely book. Evelyn and Noelle and Seth and Jasper were such a nice group of characters. I really cared about them. The love between them was so sweetly written. The way that consent was so clearly a part of all of their interactions was beautiful and the book had particularly one of the most beautiful first time scenes I've ever seen. The funny ways that we all develop of thinking or behaving to protect ourselves were very well portrayed, and I felt like some of those bits of the book were written AT me! The various coming out scenes were very well done and I particularly loved seeing Evelyn grow in acceptance and love of herself, as someone who has struggled with being gay like she did. I melted at Noelle, who was so lovely and thoughtful. I also enjoyed the plot. While I was able to anticipate aspects of the mystery, I felt glad that there was a plot beyond two people breaking up for no reason other than to create tension. And the ending brought everything together so perfectly. It's everything I would want from a queer novel and I'm so glad it exists for people to read at that age. It says some beautiful things about love and also left me feeling hopeful for myself. Thank you for this novel

A cute wlw and mlm romance. I think there could have been a more equal split between the two narrators, but they didn’t develop seth’s character enough for that to be a possibility. The explanation of the dramatic event was a bit weak also.

This book is so amazing and good. All the characters are very interesting, the romance is fantastic. The book is so easy to read, for people whose native language isn’t english.The book has also really great quality and everything came perfect.

This was the first book I've read in one go in years. It was well-written and the story is super cute with a few sprinkles of darker topics. It was just a really nice storyline.