*Grabby Hands* Release & Review - My Roommate's Girl by Julianna Keyes

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: My Roommate's Girl
Author: Julianna Keyes

Publication Date: June 12th, 2017

Category/Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

The day a judge gave me the choice between going to prison or going to college was the day I vowed to stop stealing. Never again would I see something beautiful and beyond my means and take it, just because I wanted it. Just because I could.

When I moved in with Jerry, it was with good intentions. I needed a place to live while I got my degree, and he needed a roommate. 

Then I saw Aster.

Blond and beautiful, good, pure, sweet, smart…and Jerry’s girlfriend. She was everything I never thought I could have. Except…maybe I can.

So I put a plan into action. Yeah, I’d probably go to hell, but it would be worth it. I wanted Aster. I wanted her yesterday and tomorrow and every possible way.

But you know what they say.

Be careful what you wish for…because you just might get it.

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

4 “Guilty Pleasure” Stars

ARC via NetGalley

Thank you!

I almost feel guilty for liking this book this much. Don’t get me wrong. This is my third Julianna Keyes’ book, so I should’ve expected it, but I still feel guilty that Aidan hooked me the way he did.

Aidan is a bad boy—and it has little to do with the fact that he used to steal cars, and a lot to do with the fact the he does horrible things in order to steal his roommate’s girlfriend. Worse yet, Jerry, the roommate, is such a nice guy that you can’t help but feel sorry for him. Sure he cheated and that’s unforgivable, drunk or not, but Jerry was so heartbroken by his own stupidity that he told the Aster, the girlfriend about it right away. You can imagine how well that went.

Well, the thing is Aidan is partly responsible for Jerry’s cheating. He paid a prostitute to hit on a drunk and pretty clueless Jerry. All so Aster would find out and break up with his roommate, leaving the path open for Aidan to make the move.

Dude, that’s just horrible. It’s… horrible. And still, I liked Aidan.

See. I have a reason to feel guilty.

I shouldn’t like a guy like him, but he kind of grew on me with time. Besides, I blame Julianna Keyes’ ability to write a convincing male POV. All your fault, author!

Now that I’ve transferred a little bit of my guilt, let me tell you what else I liked about this book: the complex characters.

As you can see, Aidan makes it hard for readers to like him by being a jerk. But he also makes it easy to like him because he’s trying to change, even if his initial actions don’t show that. But as we spend time inside his head, we get to see how he’s truly holding on to his scholarship – a special scholarship given to people who were once in trouble with the law as a way to rehabilitate them (I absolutely LOVE that, BTW). Aidan is starting to see a future that doesn’t involve crimes and prison, and I couldn’t help but root for him.

Aster, on the other hand, makes it easy for you to like her until BAM! A Gone-Girl like twist hits you in the face. I LOVED the way that twist was introduced and when it happened in terms of pacing. It shook things up and added a new layer to the story and the characters. It took Aster from the role of good girl and gave her the opportunity to be a stronger female character. She had a troubled past, but she wasn’t willing to let it interfere in her present and keep her from having a better future. It complemented Aidan’s arc and gave her one, too. I thought it was a really smart choice.

The romance had a little less heat than I expected, but maybe that’s because it focused on developing the characters as individuals. I still rooted for them to get together, especially once the truth about Aster came to light.

I also loved Jerry and Missy. I thought they were fun and added something different to the story.

This was another great New Adult book by Julianna Keyes. She’d already been a one-click author for me, and after enjoying my third book by her, I don’t see it changing.

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.