Reviews

Her Unexpected Roommate by Jackie Lau

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emilybordelovewrites's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted

jackiehorne's review against another edition

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3.0

Rose, who has watched her four other "Cider Bar Sisters" find romantic partners in the previous four books in the series, is sad and a bit jealous, despite being happy for her best girls. She worries that her treatment-resistant depression means she will never find a romantic partner herself. Her worry seems justified after she has an unusual (for her) hot one-night stand with a big beefcake of a guy she meets in a bar, and he later ghosts her. And when, nearly a year later, said guy turns out to be the roommate her friends found for her, Rose isn't at all open to listening to Cal's excuse for not calling (even though we as readers know it is a valid one). But as the two hang out as roommates, Rose gradually begins to realize that Cal isn't a jerk, but a kind, caring (and really smokin') guy. Who likes her, insecurities and anxieties and cute plushie friends and all...

Strong depiction of Rose's depression, although as someone with depression myself, I did find it a bit tiresome to read Rose's worries over and over again (I find my own depression tiresome, too...).

Did anyone else think Cal's intellectual disabilities went beyond the dyscalculia that Rose suggests he may be suffering from? Even taking into consideration my preference for quick-witted, bantering-type protagonists, Cal seemed worryingly slow at times.

Loved their embrace of their stuffed animal Instagram shenanigans...

nelsonseye's review against another edition

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3.0

Her Unexpected Roommate was a nice close to the Cider Bar Sisters series. I liked Cal, though I wish his challenges had been more developed, but Rose was definitely the main character. I could sympathize with her insecurities and anxiety and depression and her understanding of what she could have and what she couldn't and her ultimate acceptance that she could have a romantic relationship. The normalization of mental health issues and coping with them (not curing them) is something I really appreciate seeing in fiction and this author does it really well. I also liked the secondary characters (old and new) and the scenes with the plushies were quite sweet.

kimalah's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Her Unexpected Roommate is the final book in the Cider Bar Sisters series. Rose has treatment-resistant depression and anxiety. Her mother also had it, and eventually committed suicide. Cal is a very easy-going guy who likes Rose for who she is, depression and all. As someone who has lived with treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, Rose means a lot to me. The mental health representation is excellent. Rose’s thought processes and internal struggles are true to my experience. She knows and understands herself and her issues, and has developed coping strategies and self-care.

While the book is honest in its depiction of depression and anxiety, Rose also believes that she deserves a full life including love. In Cal, she finds someone who accepts her for who she is. In return, she does the same. It is a kind and nurturing relationship after they get past their initial stumbles.

There are some potentially triggering subjects in the story. Jackie Lau wrote a very affecting note at the front of the book. I recommend reading it and paying attention to her subject warnings.

Her Unexpected Roommate is a lovely ending to this series. It will stick with me for a long time.

Content Warnings

heydebigale's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was PERFECT. I was nervous to read it because of Jackie Lau’s very thoughtful author’s note at the beginning, but Lau took absolute care of her reader with this one. In the author’s note, Lau talks about this book is heavier than all of the other books in the series since the MC Rose deals with suicidal ideation and also lost her mother to suicide.

This book still made me laugh out loud multiple times!!

The depression representation in this book is A+ imho. I love that Lau showed a woman who was working on herself but was still not well.

Cal was the sweetest & most affirming MC. Loved him so much!!

Highly highly recommend this book!!!

Notes: Takes place in Toronto, Canada. Cal is white and struggles with dyscalculia. Rose is Canadian of East Asian descent and is also a fat woman who struggles with chronic depression.

Content Warnings

ssejig's review

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challenging informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Rose Pang is the last in her group of friends to be single. Would she like love? Sure. But she's got depression and her mental health is not the greatest. Should she be hooking up with a guy she just met? Maybe not. But he is really hot. Too bad he ghosts her.
Caleb Dempsey was just as into Rose as she was to him, but his phone was run over. No seriously. So he is pretty darn happy that his new roommate is the woman he hasn't stopped thinking about for the past seven months. Now he just has to make her believe that his story is true.

the_vegan_bookworm's review

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was my favourite book of the series, because I really liked Rose and Cal. As someone who also struggles with depression like Rose, it was just very heartwarming to see a dynamic where she is just accepted and loved as she is. The romance itself is also so wholesome and heartwarming.

Content Warnings

malin12ccf's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

CBR14 Bingo: Elephant (the elephant in the room very much being Rose's depression)

CW: mental illness, death of a parent from suicide (in the past)

Disclaimer! This was an ARC from the author. My opinions are my own.

Rose has treatment-resistant depression but nevertheless manages her job as an electrical engineer with the support of her therapist, her friends, and her collection of plush animals. Having watched all of her friends couple up, she's feeling rather lonely and sad, but rather than stay home and wallow, she gets dressed up and goes out. Her impulsive move pays off, and to her surprise, she meets charming and sexy Cal. They end up at his, spending a hot night together. Cal doesn't even seem freaked out when Rose wakes in the middle of the night and confesses that she needs a plushie to hug to sleep. They exchange numbers, and Cal promises to text her, and then never does. Rose, who thought they'd had a real connection and had gotten her hopes up, spirals further into depression as a result of her heartbreak.

Skip to a few months later, when Rose's roommate Sierra is moving out (to live with her boyfriend). Because of Rose's depression, Sierra and Amy (their friend and landlord) deal with all the hassle of finding a new housemate for Rose. So imagine Rose's surprise when the nice, friendly, and easy-going candidate they picked out turns out to be Cal. He claims he was going to text her and even excitedly told his friends about her, but then his phone got run over by a truck. He understands that Rose might find it awkward to live with him, so offers to move, but asks for a grace period of a few weeks to find a new place. Rose reluctantly agrees and hopes she can keep her heartbreak from showing.

Cal is determined to show Rose that he can be trusted but isn't going to try any romantic overtures if she's uninterested in him. He does his best to be the ideal housemate, doing chores, and cooking meals he knows Rose will enjoy when she comes home late from work. Not only does he not seem freaked out or put off by Rose's fondness for plush animals or her Instagram account for her big plush alpaca, he even joins in by buying plushie himself and making an account for it, "friending" Rose's alpaca. Rose becomes comfortable enough with his presence to agree to let him stay, but despite trying her best to tamp down on her inconvenient attraction, it only seems to grow. However, if she agrees to date him and things go wrong, she won't just be risking heartbreak again, she'll be losing a really great roommate in the bargain.

A lot of Jackie Lau's romances are very light-hearted and fun and focus on friendships, great chemistry between the lead, and lot and lots of descriptions of delicious food. This book has a darker subject matter, with Rose's really serious depression, and her fears that she might never find the kind of lasting relationships that her friends have because her illness makes her impossible to be with long-term. There is no suggestion that falling for Cal, who is understanding, supportive and sweet, is in any way going to cure Rose. She lives in the shadow of her mother's suicide, worried that if things get really bad, she might be tempted to make a similar choice.

This is the final book in the Cider Bar Sisters and it was nice to see all of the ladies get their happy endings over the course of the series. The supportive friendships of the women throughout the books is one of my favourite things about them (I don't drink alcohol and even when I did, cider wasn't really my thing, but it doesn't mean that I can't enjoy reading about good friends meeting for drinks). Having read a lot of her books over the last few years, I think Ms. Lau's writing keeps getting better and I can't wait to see what she's going to write, now that this series is completed.

Judging a book by its cover: I know Ms. Lau uses stock photos for the covers of her self-published novels and I wonder if she finds a suitable image BEFORE she starts describing the character in question. Because the guy on this cover looks so exactly like the hero in the novel that it would be almost uncanny if she wrote the book, then found the cover.

ekateclark's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

nelsonseye's review

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3.0

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