Roommate

By: Sarina Bowen, Heart Eyes Press LGBTQ

Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Stephen Dexter

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

Wanted: One roommate to share a three-bedroom house, split the rent, and ideally not be the guy I can’t stop thinking about. 

I’m a man with too many secrets, so the last thing I need is a new roommate with a sexy smile and blue eyes that see right through me. Eight years ago, Roderick left town after high school. We’re not friends. I owe him nothing. But back then, I let one of my secrets slip, and he’s the only one who noticed.   

Part of me knows I should run far, far away. But the other part wants him to come upstairs and spend the night. But if I let him in, I could lose everything. 

Seeking: a room to rent in town. I’m tidy, have no pets, and I will feed you homemade bread.  

I should probably add: gay AF, and has no filter. It’s no wonder my new landlord is so wary of me.  

A smarter man would ignore those hot glances from the broody lumberjack. He may want more from me than another fresh-baked pretzel. But if I push my luck, I’ll end up back on the street. 

Too bad I’ve never been smart with my heart....

©2021 Sarina Bowen (P)2021 Sarina Bowen

✫✫ 4.5 Stars ✫✫

I was dying for this book to come out and I gotta say the story and narration was everything I wanted it to be. I love Sarina Bowen's books and her characters are also so interesting that you just want to be friends with them all. Kieran is my favorite type of guy, he is quiet and observant. I loved how much he grew and came out of his shell in this book. He just needed someone to put him first and show him that he mattered. Rodrick was hard for me to grasp but that I think is a production issue for me(see end of review). In the beginning he seemed more serious and had a lot of people let him down in life and was now just trying to find his place. Once he found his place he seemed to loosen up and be himself. I really enjoyed their story and loved the way they became what mattered to each other and knew that anyone who didn't see them for who they were didn't matter. I also loved all of the side characters, especially because it felt like visiting with old friends. The steam level of this book was surprisingly not what I expected but it just made this book more about the love story than the sex, not that i would have minded a little more steam.


The narration was incredible. Teddy is my favorite male narrator so I knew he would be perfect but I have to say, Stephen Dexter was very surprising in this book. He did an amazing job at giving every character their own voice and with that gravely smooth voice I am hoping we hear more from him.


Ok so here it is my one and only issue with this audiobook production which I am not blaming either narrator for, I think maybe it's more on the editor/proofer for not noticing or who ever is in charge of giving the narrators direction for the characters (I don't know the actual process). I really struggled getting a grasp on Rodney's character because each narrator made him seem like a different person. I don't expect both narrators to be able to give the character the same voice but it should flow at least and this did not. One made him seem a little feminine and almost chipper, while the other made him come across a little lost, guarded and not feminine at all. I honestly would have liked him either way but I need consistency. (This is just a listeners 2 cents and I didn't let this change my rating of the book or narrators)

the slow burn

I was highly anticipating this book as I adore HIM/US. So I stopped everything and binged this. It started great but seem to get stuck in quicksand. The hardest thing for me is this was the slowest slow burn that has ever burned. The fire wasn't hot enough to justify the burn. Not enough sex to sooth the angst. The tension was great but I just got tired. The constant back and forth of I think I love him but i cant come out and he acts like he loves me and says he loves me but I don't know if he loves me felt like an endless hamster wheel that just suddenly stops and ta'Da-I struggle no more. Ker had zero experience, never discussed his sexuality ever but poof he's been delivered.. hello Hallmark movie. I just never connected when they came together. The family drama plot twist was interesting but the delivery fell flat and tossed in at the end. I loved these 2 guys as individuals Rod and Kerian are such fun and awesome guys. When they were alone together- I just swooned. The real passion that jumps out at you is in the food/chef/baking scenes.

Teddy Hamilton & Stephen Dexter... and the narration was great...most of the time. There was a period of time in the middle that they both started voicing Rod incredibly flamboyant. SD in particular sounded all out fem. They reigned back in but it was jarring in several places. Outside of that the narration was great and Stephen Dexter really stood out in a great way.

For me this was a mostly fun melodramatic slow sweet read that was just ok for me.
2.5-3ish

I wanted to love this, but.....

Teddy Hamilton is a one click for me and Sarina Bowen has written some of my top MM reads of LIFE so I was soooooo excited to start this. That being said, I dove right in with both feet. Stephen Dexter is a new to me narrator and I thought he was a good Keiran. I had a harder time with his secondary character voices. They sort have blended together. Teddy was awesome in true Teddy fashion. This story though, even with all the drama just fell flat for me. I kept waiting for the story to go somewhere, but it never did for me, Loved the cooking and baking component, but other than that, I hate to say, I wanted to just get to the end. Uggghhh.

Wonderful opposites attract M/M love story

I love this! It took me a while to get into M/M romance. Ironically, I didn't think they had much romance. I needed to find a writer that I enjoy. I also want to like, and hopefully love the characters.
I knew a little bid of Kieran (from the True North series). This is a standalone. You can read or listen to this without reading the TN series. Kieran and Roderick are so different. At first, Roderick seems more bold, but he does get knocked down a bit. Kieran is just starting to become independent.
He cares a lot for his family and doesn't want to shake things up . Kieran and Roderick become friends first. I think that this is new for Roderick. He's been rejected and betrayed. I love how determined he is. He picks himself up and doesn't wasted time whining about his troubles.
Reread in my future (I did this with Loverboy too). Read this or listen to the audio. Enjoy.
I love the ending. PS, Grandpa Shipley is awesome. Plus, there's another supporting character or two that may surprise you!
I always love Teddy Hamilton's narrations. I really enjoyed hearing Stephen Dexter as Kieran. *A wonderful tease to an upcoming spin off series Vino and Veritas !! PS. I did go back and listen again to my favorite parts. The first 10-15 chapters is wonderfully setting up the relationship between Kieran and Roderick.

Just what I wanted

Not an overly complex story but filled with warmth and coziness. I know that might sound unexciting, but when you’re in the mood to retreat from personal angst and just enjoy a romantic escape this hits the mark. Narrators, Teddy and Stephen, bring life to the words and bring you into the lives, struggles, and romance of the main characters. Sarina Bowen’s story was just what I needed!

Beautiful!

Sarina Bowen writes beautiful m/m books tackling difficult and realistic hurdles to happiness. Roderick and Kieran came from very different backgrounds and experiences but found that opposites do attract. Their relationship grew very organically and slowly until they finally admitted their attraction. Their story is a study in common themes experienced by the LGBTQ community. Stephen Dexter and Teddy Hamilton were brilliant and brought these two characters and their extended families to life perfectly. Definitely worth a credit. Bravo Sarina Bowen!

Love love love !

Once again Sarina Bowen delivers a story that is sweet, honest, (sexy) , and not angsty!
and I CANNOT say enough good things about the narrators . *mwah*

Finding Your Truth

This was such a sweet and sexy MM romance! Kieran and Roderick were such a great complement to each other and they had truly amazing chemistry. Seriously. Some of those scenes were scorching hot! I both listened and read this one and let's just say that Teddy Hamilton and Stephen Dexter nailed it. They both gave emotional and heartfelt performances and voiced a variety of characters very well. Their "enthusiasm" during the more intimate scenes left me fanning myself.

Roommate featured many of my favorite tropes - forced proximity, grumpy + sunshine, friends to lovers, and even a little second chance-ish vibes because of Kieran and Roderick's history. I really enjoyed seeing Roderick open up Kieran's world and watching both of them really come into their own. There is some drama and mistakes are made along the way, but it felt true to the characters and was understandable. The True North cameos were a treat and I really liked the breadcrumbs that were left for Sarina Bowen's new spin off world of books. Roommate is a great feel good romance!

Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 4.5 stars
Story 4.5 stars

Disappointing and boring

I was so excited for this book. I pre-ordered and couldn’t wait for it to arrive. “Him” is my favorite M/M and I enjoyed Bowen’s “Heartland ” very much. And I like these two narrators. “Roommate” was boring and the narration was a mess. I didn’t like Roderick at all and the tension which kept the couple apart was contrived and annoying. And the uninteresting story was made less enjoyable by the narration. The narrator who read Kieran read Roderick’s dialogue in a very different voice than the narrator who actually read Roderick, which made it hard to follow. It was as if there were 3 characters not 2. Half the time I couldn’t even remember which character was speaking. All the delicious tension and love and friendship that made “Him” so compelling was completely absent here. I almost DNF, but got through the whole book. but by the end I just didn’t care about either of these characters and I just wanted it to end. The relationship was too insta love and Roderick was a drama queen.

Amazing

This. Book. Is. Amazing. Also the narration is fabulous!! Teddy Hamilton is one of my absolute favs, and now I’ll also be adding Stephen Dexter to that list! They did a great job.

Hooked from chapter 1

I was excited to see another Sarina Bowen book come out. She brings such depth to the characters with some complex and compelling story telling.
Narrators do an amazing job to the character development. Love all of Teddy Hamilton’s work and now found a new love for Stephen Dexter.
Hopefully we hear more from these 2 characters. But definitely excited to hear more from the vino & veritas bar.

Enjoyable story

I liked this book and I’m looking forward to more stories from Sarina Bowen. She’s a talented author.

Another winner from Sarina Bowen.

Despite the slow start, (way too much background story which could have been crafted into internal monologue during scenes once they'd met) I would say this book is probably up there with 'Him'

Great story, excellent narration

I really loved this. Sarina Bowen is a talented writer, of course, so I didn't really have any doubts. I jumped straight into the audio without reading the book first (a rarity for me) and I'm glad I did. What great performances by both narrators - I'd heard and liked Teddy Hamilton before, but Stephen Dexter was new to me, and I was really impressed by the depth of feeling he brought to Kieran's character. I liked the development of their relationship, and the story was both sexy and emotional - the performances brought me to tears once or twice. Great story and excellent narration.

☆☆☆☆

Good book. I'll give it 4 stars. loved the narration. just wish it was a little bit longer and maybe a touch more angst.

Thank you, Sarina!

The books was hearty and light at first, and grew deeper, as it went on. excellent narration ❤ teddy was perfect as the witty Rod, and it was my first time listening to Stephen, but it won't be my last.
I love the true north univers, and I can wait for more.

More books narrated by Dexter-Hamilton please....

Firstly a great combination of narrators, I always give priority to any book that has Teddy Hamilton or Aiden Snow but now I am adding Stephen Dexter to that list.

Sarina, this story was SO enjoyable and hit quite a few emotional strings for me personally. All the characters were very relatable without being larger than life or ridiculous. Just the right amount of conflict, romance, hot scenes and resolution.

I did not want the story to end, indeed I have listened through 3 times already. I would love to listen to more stories around these characters and this setting.

Wholesome story with great narrators

I loved the characters and story progression and the voice actors made it so much better.

Not what I originally thought it was, much better!

Loved the performance by both narrator's both did each character proud!

Had this title in my wish list for months. yes i judged it by the cover as sexy as he is i didnt want the teen at college or just out of college bagging a gay roommate and the straight one having to pretend etc. definitely not this story!!! so much more depth go the characters please give it a go. well written leaving you being invested in both and as always wishing for their HEA xxx

Perfection 👌🏻

Absolute perfection. The characters are strong, funny, driven, and authentic. Even the side characters are well-written and adorable.

The story is fun, light with lots of hot scenes, and a good balance between tension, heartbreak, and genuine love.

And the acting... well, I would listen to Teddy reading a math book. I love him. It's my first time listening to Stephen, and now it's on my fav narrator's list ❤