Book Review THE ROOMMATE PACT Allison Ashley

Thank you to the author Allison Ashley, publishers MIRA Books, as well as BookSparks, for an advance physical copy of ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴏᴍᴍᴀᴛᴇ ᴘᴀᴄᴛ.



This book is a sweet and chaotic story about two roommates, Claire, a tough and lovely nurse with a traumatic past that haunsts her and every relationship she's ever had, and Graham, the thrill-seeking extreme sportsman and firefighter who can't see himself as serious enough to have a serious relationship or capable of love. But what do two close friends do late at night when they've been drinking but make bad bets? So they agree to be each other's fall back plan if they each hit their fortieth and are still alone.

Making the pact suddenly allows Claire and Graham to be more vulnerable with each other. After all, why not? That's their future spouse! This vulnerability encourages them to be more open in their friendship, and eventually, to the idea of real intimacy and romance between them.

I like that this book does not fall back on the miscommunication trope for its primary conflict; it chooses something much more real and interesting -- PTSD. Characters with emotional disorders make for fascinating reading when the author treats them, the characters, and their disorders, with the respect they deserve. ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴏᴍᴍᴀᴛᴇ ᴘᴀᴄᴛ does such a great job with this aspect of Claire's character and I deeply enjoy and appreciate it.

This is a closed door romance, which I enjoyed in this case. At certain points, I wanted more descrtiption, and the longing elevated my connection with the story. 

A delightful read, a perfect summer romance that felt both comfortable and surprising. 

Rating: 🏡🏡🏡🏡 / 5 places to share
Spice level: 🌶 / 5 peppers
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: August 4 2023
Format: Advance Reader Copy, paperback 
Read this if you like:
👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 Sweet romance
👥️ Forced proximity 
👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 Friends to lovers
👤 Mental health rep 

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