Romance Annotation: The Roommate Situation by Katie Bailey

(Goodreads, Inc., 2023)

Title: The Roommate Situation

Author: Katie Bailey
Series: Only in Atlanta, #1
Genre: Romance
Publication Date: 2021
Number of Pages: 278 in paperback (but I listened to the audio)
Geographical Setting: Atlanta, Georgia
Time Period: modern day within the span of a few weeks (main story) and then ten months later (last chapter)

Plot Summary: After Jessica (Jess) Shaw breaks up with her cheating boyfriend, she decides to move from NYC to Atlanta to room with her brother, Aiden. However, when she arrives at Aiden's home in Atlanta, she finds out that not only is her brother out of town, but he has a roommate in the form of his best friend, Conor Brady. Therefore, newly-single Jess has no choice but to live with Conor while Aiden is away. As Jess and Conor proceed to live together as roommates, they start to become attracted to one another and must navigate their living situation and budding romantic relationship in this closed-door romance.

Subject Headings:   Closed-door Romance -- Fiction
  Roommates -- Fiction
Atlanta -- Fiction

Romance Appeals:
Emotional tone: The book is written with a dual POV with Jess and Conor which allows the tone of the book to be much more emotional so that "readers participate in the love story" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 216).
Characters: Conor and Jess both fit the mold that Wyatt and Saricks describe with Conor being "powerful, confident, and slightly dangerous" in Jess's eyes and Jess being "strong, bright, and independent" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 216).
Misunderstanding: The book definitely has a "misunderstanding between the protagonists" but Jess and Conor get their happy ending as expected (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 216).
Language: Wyatt and Saricks mention that romances have "extensive use of descriptive adjectives" and The Roommate Situation is no exception, especially with the dual POV (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 216).

Three terms that best describe this book: Clean, sweet, charming

Three Relevant Non-Fiction Works
1. Moon Atlanta by Tray Butler

Butler, T. (2015). Moon Atlanta. Avalon Travel Publishing.

Since the book takes place in Atlanta, I felt that a travel guide could be relevant, especially for anyone who reads the book and wants to orient themselves with Atlanta and the surrounding area.

2. The Art of Happy Moving: How to Declutter, pack, and Start Over While Maintaining Your Sanity and Finding Happiness by Ali Wenzke
Wenzke, A. (2019). The art of happy moving: How to declutter, pack, and start over while maintaining your sanity and finding happiness. William Morrow.

The beginning of The Roommate Situation sees Jess moving across the country to live with her brother, and I feel like this book would be a good resource for anyone who is also looking to move and start a new adventure.

3. Cheating in a Nutshell: What Infidelity Does to The Victim by Wayne & Tamara Mitchell

Mitchell, W., & Mitchell, T. (2019). Cheating in a nutshell: What infidelity does to the victim. Third Ghost Press.

Jess breaks up with her cheating boyfriend before the novel begins and has to reconcile her emotions throughout as a result. This book could help a reader understand that reconciliation or even help a reader who is dealing with the same situation themselves.

Three Relevant Fiction Works (& a Link to More Closed-Door Romance)
1. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
O'Leary, B. (2019). The flatshare. Flatiron Books.

This book's plot deals with a boy and girl have never met each other and are roommates, and while the plot of The Flatshare differs, it reminded me of the plot in The Roommate Situation to a degree.

2. Friend(shipped) by Savannah Scott
Scott, S. (2021). Friend(shipped) (A. McFadden & W. Damron, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Dreamscape Media, LLC.

For anyone interested in closed-door romance, Friend(shipped) is another one that falls within the category. (I actually discovered it on the same blog post as The Roommate Situation and I'm excited for it to be my next romance book!)
Here's the link to the blog post for anyone who is interested:
https://emmastclair.com/must-read-closed-door-rom-coms/

3. My Big, Fat, Fake Engagement by Lauren Landish

Landish, L. (2020). My big, fat, fake engagement. Independently Published.

If you are interested in reading more romance where the main character falls in love with her older brother's best friend, look no further! You'll find it here.

References
Bailey, K. (2021). The roommate situation (J. King & C. Rourke, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Eleventh Avenue Publishing.
Goodreads, Inc. (2023). The roommate situation. Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58345489-the-roommate-situation

Wyatt, N. & Saricks, J. G. (2019). The readers’ advisory guide to genre fiction (3rd edition). ALA Editions.