The Roommate
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- Create Date：2022-08-02 21:22:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Caroline Macon Fleischer
- ISBN：B0B5FCWDRS
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Summary
SHE INVITED HIM IN， NOW SHE CAN’T GET HIM OUT 。 。 。
The most addictive psychological thriller you’ll read this summer。
Donna inherits a great house in California and she’s ready to start a new life。 But the nightmare has only just begun。
It’s almost impossible to wrap her brain around the fact that this place is hers。 A gift she never expected but it’s come just when she needs it most。 Donna was wondering where her life was going — a dead-end job in Chicago， an unhappy family life， no boyfriend。 But inheriting a beautiful， blue-painted house from her grandmother in California offers a fresh start。
And now she’s found the perfect roommate to help her pay the bills。 Joshua keeps the fridge stocked with delicious fresh food。 They watch cooking shows together and stay up watching late-night movies。 He’s not just a roommate， he’s a friend， and soon Donna can’t imagine life without him。
But Donna tries to ignore the doubts she begins to have。 Why does he have a key to the side door？ And what’s that smell coming from his room？
And when Donna brings home her new boyfriend， things start to spiral out of control。
How far will he go 。 。 。 ？
A dark and twisty psychological thriller with an ending you won’t forget。 Fans of Shari Lapena， Becca Day， Patricia MacDonald， Freida McFadden， Nicole Trope and Susanna Beard will not be able to put this book down。
The most addictive psychological thriller you’ll read this summer。
Donna inherits a great house in California and she’s ready to start a new life。 But the nightmare has only just begun。
It’s almost impossible to wrap her brain around the fact that this place is hers。 A gift she never expected but it’s come just when she needs it most。 Donna was wondering where her life was going — a dead-end job in Chicago， an unhappy family life， no boyfriend。 But inheriting a beautiful， blue-painted house from her grandmother in California offers a fresh start。
And now she’s found the perfect roommate to help her pay the bills。 Joshua keeps the fridge stocked with delicious fresh food。 They watch cooking shows together and stay up watching late-night movies。 He’s not just a roommate， he’s a friend， and soon Donna can’t imagine life without him。
But Donna tries to ignore the doubts she begins to have。 Why does he have a key to the side door？ And what’s that smell coming from his room？
And when Donna brings home her new boyfriend， things start to spiral out of control。
How far will he go 。 。 。 ？
A dark and twisty psychological thriller with an ending you won’t forget。 Fans of Shari Lapena， Becca Day， Patricia MacDonald， Freida McFadden， Nicole Trope and Susanna Beard will not be able to put this book down。
Reviews
Billie
，
SHE INVITED HIM IN， NOW SHE CAN’T GET HIM OUT 。 。 。Donna is so ready to start her new life。 But the nightmare has only just begun。Donna’s had enough of her dead-end job in Chicago， her unhappy family life， and total lack of boyfriend。 Then her grandmother leaves her this perfect turquoise-blue bungalow in the California hills。 Things are finally looking up。And now she’s found the perfect roommate to help pay the bills。 Joshua keeps the fridge stocked with delicious fresh food， they watch cooking SHE INVITED HIM IN， NOW SHE CAN’T GET HIM OUT 。 。 。Donna is so ready to start her new life。 But the nightmare has only just begun。Donna’s had enough of her dead-end job in Chicago， her unhappy family life， and total lack of boyfriend。 Then her grandmother leaves her this perfect turquoise-blue bungalow in the California hills。 Things are finally looking up。And now she’s found the perfect roommate to help pay the bills。 Joshua keeps the fridge stocked with delicious fresh food， they watch cooking shows together and stay up late sharing their deepest secrets。 He’s not just a roommate， he’s a friend， and soon Donna can’t imagine life without him。But Donna can’t stop the doubts creeping in。 Where did he get that key to the side door？ And what are the strange sounds coming from his room？Then Donna brings home her new boyfriend， and things start to spiral out of control。Her perfect roommate is about to become her worst nightmare。This is a gripping and thrilling read。Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously。Can't wait to read what the author brings out next。Recommend reading。I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher。 This is my own honest voluntary review。 。。。more
Chelsea Balch
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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange of my honest and unbiased review。 I really couldn’t get into this book。
Jess Louise
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MINOR SPOILERS！ i really enjoyed this book， i finished it within a day and really couldn't put it down。 this book is about donna moving to california for a fresh new start but her new roommate has other plans for her。what a good mystery read， it can get quite infuriating as donna seems to be ignoring all the red flags constantly shoved in her face and can seem to look a little bit stupid at times （like not asking joshua to leave when he got hostile and refused to pay rent etc） but honestly enjoy MINOR SPOILERS！ i really enjoyed this book， i finished it within a day and really couldn't put it down。 this book is about donna moving to california for a fresh new start but her new roommate has other plans for her。what a good mystery read， it can get quite infuriating as donna seems to be ignoring all the red flags constantly shoved in her face and can seem to look a little bit stupid at times （like not asking joshua to leave when he got hostile and refused to pay rent etc） but honestly enjoyed it。 i found this gripping and this book has brought me out of the start of a book slump so thank LOORRDD。 i found the twist quite late into the book but i kept with it and im glad i did :） if you're into mystery id definitely check this book out and see how you feel yourself :）Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this :） 。。。more
Phyllis Fried
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RidiculousThis was one of the worst stories。 It made little sense and the characters were unbelievable。 Even the end was predictable and not very surprising。
Steph Carter
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this was weird
Kayla
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don’t waste your time This was one of the worst books I have ever read。 I’m sorry I wasted my time reading it。 The idea was good but the execution was terrible。
Elizabeth
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I would like to thank Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for a review。。 Donna inherits a house from her grandmother Rudy。 She moves from Chicago to the house in California。 She needs to find a job quickly to pay her bills。 Her mother Addie offers to help her with some of the bills but Donna refuses。 She wants to make it on her own so she decides to look for a roommate to share the costs with。 She finds a man named Joshua and they decide to meet at a restaurant。 All g I would like to thank Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for a review。。 Donna inherits a house from her grandmother Rudy。 She moves from Chicago to the house in California。 She needs to find a job quickly to pay her bills。 Her mother Addie offers to help her with some of the bills but Donna refuses。 She wants to make it on her own so she decides to look for a roommate to share the costs with。 She finds a man named Joshua and they decide to meet at a restaurant。 All goes well and Joshua seems to be the answer to her quest for a roommate。 At first they get along really well。 Joshua is a pleasant companion。 He buys food， stocks the refrigerator and watches TV shows with Donna All is going well。 As the days go by， Donna starts to have doubts about Joshua。 He replaces the door knob to his bedroom with a lock。 One day when he is not home she decides to peek under the door and sees no furniture at all just a yoga mat in the middle of the floor。 In addition Joshua is becoming quite bossy he's refusing to pay rent and making demands。 Donna is very uneasy and doesn't know what to do。 I must admit that I enjoyed this book but some of the things that occurred were quite odd。 Donna seems to become increasingly wary of Joshua but refuses to ask him to leave。 Overall it was a good book and I do recommend it。 。。。more
jack
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Interesting storyPuts a new meaning to the term squatter。 If you like visiting the world of sociopaths， this is a book for you。 Everyone easily defined so no problem in keeping them all straight。 A couple of surprises and a shock。 Not bad for a fast read。
Intriga
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Donna is looking forward to a fresh start when she inherits her grandmother’s home in California。 She takes on a roommate to help cover the costs。 Donna thinks that her life is starting to go in the right direction。 Soon， trouble begins and she has figure out away out of this situation。 An intense psychological thriller that keeps the reader engrossed until the very end。 Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Joffre Books for this book， I received a copy for free， and I am leaving this review vo Donna is looking forward to a fresh start when she inherits her grandmother’s home in California。 She takes on a roommate to help cover the costs。 Donna thinks that her life is starting to go in the right direction。 Soon， trouble begins and she has figure out away out of this situation。 An intense psychological thriller that keeps the reader engrossed until the very end。 Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Joffre Books for this book， I received a copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Karina Ramos
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Caroline definitely did NOT disappoint with this book。 For a while I've been trying to expand the different genres I pick up， and being new to thriller this was just everything。 Donna's grandma Rudy， her deceased fathers， mother， has passed。 Although she and Donna weren't close， for whatever reason she has decided to leave her home to Donna in her will。 Over the moon about the opportunity to move to a new state such as California， Donna take the trip with her mother Addie to visit her new home。 Caroline definitely did NOT disappoint with this book。 For a while I've been trying to expand the different genres I pick up， and being new to thriller this was just everything。 Donna's grandma Rudy， her deceased fathers， mother， has passed。 Although she and Donna weren't close， for whatever reason she has decided to leave her home to Donna in her will。 Over the moon about the opportunity to move to a new state such as California， Donna take the trip with her mother Addie to visit her new home。 Filled with beautiful turquoise colors， and touches of her grandma， Donna can't wait to make it her own。Not too much later Donna feels she is missing something， she isn't accustomed to living on her own and she's noticed some strange things about the home。 Including the side door which has a mysteriously missing key， and an overwhelmingly long snake skin appearing at her front door step。 Donna decides she needs a roommate until she an become accustomed to California and build a life for herself。 In comes， Joshua Flowers， an older gentleman who's responded to her craigslist ad about a wanted roommate。 Soon Donna starts to notice he isn't everything he's made himself out to be。 Did he jump the gun by rushing into allowing him to move in ？ Should she have had him sign a lease ？ Something is definitely off about this man。 I was on the edge of my seat until the very end of this wild ride。 One lesson I've definitely taken away from this， NO craigslist ads for roommates。 。。。more
R。Jane
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Thank you to Netgalley， the author and the publisher for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 I liked the originality of this psych/domestic thriller。 I've not come across a book like it， but it is much like a TV series on Netflix about bad roommates， which series had me hooked！ Donna packs up her miserable life and moves to California in a house she inherited。 In need of some cash， she goes to Craigslist for a roommate。 Things start to take a turn for the wor Thank you to Netgalley， the author and the publisher for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 I liked the originality of this psych/domestic thriller。 I've not come across a book like it， but it is much like a TV series on Netflix about bad roommates， which series had me hooked！ Donna packs up her miserable life and moves to California in a house she inherited。 In need of some cash， she goes to Craigslist for a roommate。 Things start to take a turn for the worst， odd things are happening around the house and it may well be the new roommate。 If you like following a fictional journey of a woman's battles， emotions， relationships， working out how to sort out dire situations and some sleuthing， this book is for you！ It is not the fastest paced thriller I've read， it was hard to pick up sometimes as I wasn't engrossed in it。 3 stars for me。 Reductions for slow pace， typos， grammatical errors， disjointed writing， and parts of the writing in third person and jumping between two characters thoughts in the same paragraph。 This is the strangest gripe I've had with a book， but where there is a mother and daughter and the mother has a more modern name such as Addie and daughter has an older style name as Donna， it confused the s*** out of me at the start。 I had to constantly remind myself。 The first couple of chapters were actually hard for me to follow because of it。*** *** spoilers below ******I reduced my rating because of the ending。 A huge build up to a quick twist， which was devastating and really made 3 of 4 main characters seem too dumb， which is not consistent with the balance of the book for 2 of them。 Who gives someone they've acknowledged could be lethal a deadly weapon？！ The ending ruined it for me and a close 3。5-4 star was reduced。 。。。more
Paeandbooks
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Talk about pest but in human form。 But the pest is harmful， and could kill you。Donna doesn’t sign up for this。 She inherited a house from her grandmother， that one she never expected she needed。 Soon she found a roommate to helped her withe the bills， and we’re met with Joshua。 Joshua seems normal enough。 Great roommate actually。 But obviously he’s not that good since he doesn’t know any boundaries; reads， wanting to know why he gotta pay the rent （？？？）。 It took a darker turn when Donna broughtb Talk about pest but in human form。 But the pest is harmful， and could kill you。Donna doesn’t sign up for this。 She inherited a house from her grandmother， that one she never expected she needed。 Soon she found a roommate to helped her withe the bills， and we’re met with Joshua。 Joshua seems normal enough。 Great roommate actually。 But obviously he’s not that good since he doesn’t know any boundaries; reads， wanting to know why he gotta pay the rent （？？？）。 It took a darker turn when Donna broughtbher boyfriend home， and she started to fear for her safety。 This is a good debut， but I was hoping for more backstory on Donna。 Thank you NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Sue Wallace
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The roommate by Caroline macon Fleischer。 SHE INVITED HIM IN， NOW SHE CAN’T GET HIM OUT 。 。 。This was a dark and twisted read with good characters。 I wasn't sure how I felt about Donna。 I certainly didn't like Joshua as I didn't trust him。 I did like Cole。 Wow I didn't see that coming。 5*。 The roommate by Caroline macon Fleischer。 SHE INVITED HIM IN， NOW SHE CAN’T GET HIM OUT 。 。 。This was a dark and twisted read with good characters。 I wasn't sure how I felt about Donna。 I certainly didn't like Joshua as I didn't trust him。 I did like Cole。 Wow I didn't see that coming。 5*。 。。。more
Vada
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A quick read with enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes with a great payoff at the end。 Donna's bits of growth throughout the book really resonated with me。 As she navigates her personal trauma and issues with Joshua it's easy to spot the self-gaslighting we are all guilty of。 I really enjoyed it！ A quick read with enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes with a great payoff at the end。 Donna's bits of growth throughout the book really resonated with me。 As she navigates her personal trauma and issues with Joshua it's easy to spot the self-gaslighting we are all guilty of。 I really enjoyed it！ 。。。more
Wendy
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I don’t often struggle to get on with a book but this one did not grab my attention in any respect。 Supposedly set in California the setting was not made real。 The characters to a man verged from unrealistic and unlikeable to loathsome。 The plot was weird。 I ended up fairly quickly scouting for typos and hoping in vain that something would improve。 I’m too old for this novel。 Two stars were generous。Thanks Joffe Books for the opportunity to read this debut novel and try to write an honest review I don’t often struggle to get on with a book but this one did not grab my attention in any respect。 Supposedly set in California the setting was not made real。 The characters to a man verged from unrealistic and unlikeable to loathsome。 The plot was weird。 I ended up fairly quickly scouting for typos and hoping in vain that something would improve。 I’m too old for this novel。 Two stars were generous。Thanks Joffe Books for the opportunity to read this debut novel and try to write an honest review， sorry I can’t do it justice。 。。。more
Louise Wilson
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3。5 stars rounded upDonna inherits a great house in California and she's ready to start a new life。 But the nightmare has just begun。 It's almost impossible for her to wrap her brain around the fact that this house is hers。 A gift she never expected but it's come when she needs it most。 Donna was wondering where her life was going = a dead=end job in Chicago， an unhappy family life， no boyfriend。 But inheriting a beautiful blue=painted house from her grandmother offers a fresh start。 And now she 3。5 stars rounded upDonna inherits a great house in California and she's ready to start a new life。 But the nightmare has just begun。 It's almost impossible for her to wrap her brain around the fact that this house is hers。 A gift she never expected but it's come when she needs it most。 Donna was wondering where her life was going = a dead=end job in Chicago， an unhappy family life， no boyfriend。 But inheriting a beautiful blue=painted house from her grandmother offers a fresh start。 And now she's found the perfect roommate to help pay the bills。 This is quite a good debut novel。 Joshua Flowers was only leant to stay temporary。 But he stays longer than she intended， but what is he hiding？ This is quite a dark and tense read。 The story is told from Donna's point of view。 The tension slowly builds。 I didn't like any of the characters。 Donna was the worst， she was so annoying。 Donna's situation gets worse when she get a boyfriend。 The big twist was predictable。I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #CarolineMaconFleisher for my ARC of #TheRoommate in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lisa Portes
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What a ride！ Macon Fleischer creates such odd， vivid characters - filled with foibles， oddball humanity， and malevolence。 Donna's hapless， millennial， off-center heroism - her yearning， searching， almost screwball thinking alongside the meticulous， deliberate， and yet strangely vulnerable maliciousness of her foe never cease to come at you sideways and get under your skin。 On its deepest level this novel is about the thwarted dreams of women。 With the exception of Lydia， the no-nonsense salon ow What a ride！ Macon Fleischer creates such odd， vivid characters - filled with foibles， oddball humanity， and malevolence。 Donna's hapless， millennial， off-center heroism - her yearning， searching， almost screwball thinking alongside the meticulous， deliberate， and yet strangely vulnerable maliciousness of her foe never cease to come at you sideways and get under your skin。 On its deepest level this novel is about the thwarted dreams of women。 With the exception of Lydia， the no-nonsense salon owner， our heroine Donna， her mother， her dead-grandmother， even her gruff， ice-chewing great-aunt speak to us from inside a vortex created by what they want and what the world actually is and has to offer。 Like Lena Dunham， Macon Fleischer centers her women with all their charms and imperfections。 While some might find the plot at times tests the reader's suspension of disbelief， there's a kind of horrified tongue-in-cheekness riding through this novel - as though the story itself is freaked out by where it's going and anxiety giggling。 I finished it in a sitting - a terrific summer read。 。。。more
Ariel Tuladhar
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My Review… 2。5 ⭐️••Title: The Room MateAuthor: Caroline Macon FleischerGenre: ThrillerMy Rating: 2。5 ⭐️Pub Date: July 28， 2022•••Firstly， a huge thank you to @netgalley and @joffebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review…••Brutal Review Incoming: Alright。 There was SO much I did NOT like about this book， so this review is going to mostly be DISLIKES。First thing that triggered me was the blatant few times politics were mentioned。 I genuinely HATE when a book has political slanders or com My Review… 2。5 ⭐️••Title: The Room MateAuthor: Caroline Macon FleischerGenre: ThrillerMy Rating: 2。5 ⭐️Pub Date: July 28， 2022•••Firstly， a huge thank you to @netgalley and @joffebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review…••Brutal Review Incoming: Alright。 There was SO much I did NOT like about this book， so this review is going to mostly be DISLIKES。First thing that triggered me was the blatant few times politics were mentioned。 I genuinely HATE when a book has political slanders or comments （even if I agree with it）。 It's just tacky。Secondly， the writing in this book was ALL over the place， and extremely。。。。。choppy。。。。 I think that is a good explanation。 Basically， the author would just write things， and not really explain or describe things well。Thirdly， I think just like a few other books I have read recently， the MC was just plain STUPID。 She made stupid decisions， terrible choices and was in a situation and being mopey about it when it was COMPLETELY her fault。Fourthly， that fucking ending has me ENGRAGED。 Although I sorta， kinda saw something similar to that coming， I am PISSED。Fifthly。。。（Is that a word。？） I saw the one big "twist" coming from a MILE away。 *sigh*It receieved 2。5 instead of 3， because of only the ride。 The book was not TERRIBLE， it just wasnt great。 。。。more
zasou。reads
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Donna is surprised when she inherits her grandmother's house， since she wasn't close with her。 She moves in， but soons finds herself lonely， so she places an add on Craigslist to find a roommate to keep her company。 She meets Joshua and they click immediately。 Until he moves in and turns her life into a nightmare。Donna's character was really annoying to me。 There were sooooo many red flags with Joshua， and it takes her way to long to figure out something's wrong。 So I really couldn't relate to h Donna is surprised when she inherits her grandmother's house， since she wasn't close with her。 She moves in， but soons finds herself lonely， so she places an add on Craigslist to find a roommate to keep her company。 She meets Joshua and they click immediately。 Until he moves in and turns her life into a nightmare。Donna's character was really annoying to me。 There were sooooo many red flags with Joshua， and it takes her way to long to figure out something's wrong。 So I really couldn't relate to her （or any other character for that matter）。 But then again， if she was good at spotting red flags， there probably wouldn't have been any story to tell and the book would've been done after 50 pages。。。 but still， I find her gullability a little unbelievable。 This domestic thriller was dark and twisty （although unsurprising to me）， and fast paced， I couldn't put it down。 I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Joffe Books， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Mars
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This is a dark， suspenseful thriller set in sunny California that you need to read until the end！Having inherited a house from her late grandmother， Donna moves all the way from Chicago to California to turn over a new leaf and settle into her grandmother’s turquoise-painted place。 Despite the generous inheritance though， Donna still needed to manage financially which resulted in her， scouting for a potential roommate to help alleviate her financial burdens。 After a bit of searching， Donna found This is a dark， suspenseful thriller set in sunny California that you need to read until the end！Having inherited a house from her late grandmother， Donna moves all the way from Chicago to California to turn over a new leaf and settle into her grandmother’s turquoise-painted place。 Despite the generous inheritance though， Donna still needed to manage financially which resulted in her， scouting for a potential roommate to help alleviate her financial burdens。 After a bit of searching， Donna found the perfect roommate， Joshua Flowers — an older， seemingly responsible man whom she connected with so easily。 There were some red flags at the start but Donna let these pass due to her friendly， easygoing connection with him。 A few weeks and months have passed with them living under a single roof， and Joshua’s true colours started to show。 Tensions rise and domestic drama escalates… The ending caught me by surprise！This novel was thrilling in a creepy way。 There were heaps of dark elements in the plot and negative emotions were also at play。 God， I hated Joshua so much， which is a sign that the author did great with building his character！ In contrast to the grim aura of the novel， I loved how there were characters whom Donna can trust and go to for moral support。 This novel also raises awareness on squatting/tenancy legalities and domestic disputes — an unexpected bonus， given that I didn’t know much about these before。 😳4 stars！ 🌟🌟🌟🌟Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for giving me access to an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Carlos Murillo
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Creepy， strange， unexpectedly hilarious at times， The Roommate is a fantastic debut novel by Caroline Macon Fleischer。 On the one hand this book can really get under your skin like the best nightmarish thrillers， on the other， it's equally successful in sending up the tropes of the genre in ways that are deft and funny。 Creepy， strange， unexpectedly hilarious at times， The Roommate is a fantastic debut novel by Caroline Macon Fleischer。 On the one hand this book can really get under your skin like the best nightmarish thrillers， on the other， it's equally successful in sending up the tropes of the genre in ways that are deft and funny。 。。。more
Val
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This book has everything。 Noir vibes， a nightmare premise involving California property laws， and something sinister hiding in the closet！ I read this in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down。
Shianyka Wood
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This was not my favorite read of the month。 It was just ok。 We are following Donna who inherited a house from her grandmother on her father’s side whom she barely knew。 I think her mother described her perfectly later in the book when she said she lacked ambition and was sort of lackadaisical。 Donna becomes lonely living on her own and decides she needs a roommate for company and to help with bills。 She places an ad on Craigslist…like， what could possibly go wrong！ She meets Joshua and honestly， This was not my favorite read of the month。 It was just ok。 We are following Donna who inherited a house from her grandmother on her father’s side whom she barely knew。 I think her mother described her perfectly later in the book when she said she lacked ambition and was sort of lackadaisical。 Donna becomes lonely living on her own and decides she needs a roommate for company and to help with bills。 She places an ad on Craigslist…like， what could possibly go wrong！ She meets Joshua and honestly， he seems off from the beginning。 Donna soon finds out how off he is。 Like I said， this was just an ok read。 The main twist was predictable and the ending was almost unbelievable。 。。。more
Matthew Moynihan
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This book is one I’ll sit with。 It has an overall simple （if unsettlingly realistic） premise and， on one hand， plays out in many ways that might feel expected and classic for a suspense thriller。 It would be easy to write this off as a good addition to an already strong genre but the characters bring something more than standard archetypes。 Donna， Joshua， and Addie （the three most important characters） all feel like real people to me， and frankly feel like the kind of people that wouldn’t have b This book is one I’ll sit with。 It has an overall simple （if unsettlingly realistic） premise and， on one hand， plays out in many ways that might feel expected and classic for a suspense thriller。 It would be easy to write this off as a good addition to an already strong genre but the characters bring something more than standard archetypes。 Donna， Joshua， and Addie （the three most important characters） all feel like real people to me， and frankly feel like the kind of people that wouldn’t have books written about them。 They aren’t the shiny， sexy archetypes of many stories， they’re messy， self conscious， and more than a little vindictive。 At first， some elements feel a little unbelievable， but as the fast paced and easy to read story rolled by， I kept thinking of people I knew who might actually end up in a situation like this， or who have ended up in situations that thankfully didn’t resolve as this story did。 I think there’s some really interesting stuff going on here especially with explorations of modern connection and performative personality that a more typical entry into the thriller or suspense space would skip for more “readable” tropes。 I’m sure I’ll give this another read and feel like I’ll find more hidden in it。 But if that’s not your thing， it’s a high speed read filled with tension even at surface level， so hits on multiple layers。 I’m interested to see what this writer does next。 。。。more
Danielle
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I can’t。 This book is ridiculous。Donna is going to her new house with her mom。 She inherited it from her grandma（dad’s mom） that she never really knew。 She’s come to California from Chicago for a fresh start and she is already somehow the least likable person in the entire state， which is amazing。 Even immediately throwing grandma’s slippers in the trash upon arrival！This is already unnatural because I don’t have much background of what she did do and how she got here and why。 She’s just suddenl I can’t。 This book is ridiculous。Donna is going to her new house with her mom。 She inherited it from her grandma（dad’s mom） that she never really knew。 She’s come to California from Chicago for a fresh start and she is already somehow the least likable person in the entire state， which is amazing。 Even immediately throwing grandma’s slippers in the trash upon arrival！This is already unnatural because I don’t have much background of what she did do and how she got here and why。 She’s just suddenly in this fancy house she can’t afford so she has to get a roomie。 A young girl applied but she was too normal and that made Donna insecure so she chose some dude named Joshua Flowers because he would probably gas her up。 Definitely doesn’t sound like someone on Catfish。Things hit a bump before he even moved in because he mentioned being envious that she got that house and that he’d be paying rent and she wouldn’t。 Huge red flag。 Sometimes she wants him to be her bestie and sometimes he’s a tenant。 This is painfully awkward。Why is he there？ Will he murder her in this home and if so， will anyone care？ Not me。 🐍 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review。 。。。more
Rekha Rao
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What a gripping， intense， suspenseful， completely engrossing and mind-numbing psychological thriller！ Joshua was such an annoying character。 I could sympathize with Donna's helplessness - her only mistake was to trust a stranger。 It is easy to say stand up and fight for what's right but not everybody has the courage to do it。 As Joshua's harassment begins， Donna is unable to fight back。 She's being manipulated but she doesn't have the courage to take a stand and tell him that he cannot boss arou What a gripping， intense， suspenseful， completely engrossing and mind-numbing psychological thriller！ Joshua was such an annoying character。 I could sympathize with Donna's helplessness - her only mistake was to trust a stranger。 It is easy to say stand up and fight for what's right but not everybody has the courage to do it。 As Joshua's harassment begins， Donna is unable to fight back。 She's being manipulated but she doesn't have the courage to take a stand and tell him that he cannot boss around。 Then， she learns something shocking about Joshua。 Did she blindly trust someone who could only end up as her worst nightmare？Excellent storytelling and character development。 The story kept me guessing till the end。 Speaking of ending - I did not see it coming。 There was so much tension and suspense built at the end - and things ended quite explosively for Donna， I must say。 The Roommate by Caroline Macon Fleischer is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read this year。 And this book is Caroline's debut novel。 What！！！ Absolutely fantastic debut， Caroline！ 。。。more
Cydni Seifert
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A creepy and thrilling novel with a protagonist （Donna） who I was really rooting for from beginning to end。 Really great setting and atmosphere as well。
marcymariereads
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This book was OK。 It wasn’t amazing， but not terrible。 The book cover + synopsis were great。 It drew me in right away。 I felt the middle of the book dragged on。 The main character drove me nuts， but I feel her personality had a lot to do with her parental relationships。 I was frustrated that everyone blew off her problems with her roommate。 This whole fiasco could have been avoided…。but then there would be no story， right？！ I feel like this book could easily be turned into a Lifetime movie。 3。5 This book was OK。 It wasn’t amazing， but not terrible。 The book cover + synopsis were great。 It drew me in right away。 I felt the middle of the book dragged on。 The main character drove me nuts， but I feel her personality had a lot to do with her parental relationships。 I was frustrated that everyone blew off her problems with her roommate。 This whole fiasco could have been avoided…。but then there would be no story， right？！ I feel like this book could easily be turned into a Lifetime movie。 3。5 ⭐️Thank you Joffe Books + Net Galley for the ARC of this book。 。。。more
Gina
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There’s an eerie， dreadful quality to this book that will permeate deep into your very soul — and that’s what you want from a thriller！ This was deliciously horrifying。 The protagonist is aggravating and oblivious in such a profound way that it made me question my own ability to trust others or persevere through gloomy， uncertain times。 It will definitely stay with me for a while。 The author’s writing style keeps you hooked。 It’s minimalistic prose with selective details that cause one laugh and There’s an eerie， dreadful quality to this book that will permeate deep into your very soul — and that’s what you want from a thriller！ This was deliciously horrifying。 The protagonist is aggravating and oblivious in such a profound way that it made me question my own ability to trust others or persevere through gloomy， uncertain times。 It will definitely stay with me for a while。 The author’s writing style keeps you hooked。 It’s minimalistic prose with selective details that cause one laugh and/or shudder。 The limited third person point of view allows readers to recognize Donna’s shortsightedness while also accessing her inner turmoil。 You will not be able to put this book down！ 。。。more
Susan Blades
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Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC。 The Roomate is the story of Donna， a 25yo that moves to California from Chicago after inheriting her grandmother's house。 She takes on a roomate but their relationship quickly sours。What I liked about this book: the story moved along quickly。 The chapters were short and it wasn't too long。 The author did a great job of creating a sense of dread。 What I didn't like: the characters。 I felt like none of the characters were developed well。 Donna was annoying and Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC。 The Roomate is the story of Donna， a 25yo that moves to California from Chicago after inheriting her grandmother's house。 She takes on a roomate but their relationship quickly sours。What I liked about this book: the story moved along quickly。 The chapters were short and it wasn't too long。 The author did a great job of creating a sense of dread。 What I didn't like: the characters。 I felt like none of the characters were developed well。 Donna was annoying and made terrible choices but there was no true insight into who she really was or what made her do the things she did。 There were random strange physical descriptions （at one point it was written that she had a "big butt"） but none about her personality。 I became more and more frustrated with her poor decisions。 The relationships between the characters had no dimension and all seemed odd。 Lastly， the dialog and interactions between the characters was just bizarre- at one point I wondered if the book was poorly translated from another language。 It was a really good premise-how do you get rid of someone that won't leave your home？ - but the execution just fell short。Edit: I edited my rating because despite my critiques above I keep thinking about this book， and did enjoy reading it 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Roommate
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Roommate&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Roommate&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0