Never Kiss Your Roommate by Philline Harms
Product details
Web ID: 16292289Made my heart melt.
I bought never kiss your roommate at the store, but I did read a little of it on Wattpad. The author did a really good job on the LGBTQ romance. The chapters flip between Seth and Evelyn. I was happy that we got his point of view, and that he got some romance as well. The book was really good, but the end was a little past fast-paced like the author didn't know how to finish it, but I guess it still worked out, the end went with the mystery of Noelle and her past life, that the reader doesn't know about. I really enjoyed the story, I can't wait to read more from this author. I highly recommend this book, is sweet, and cute, and has a mysterious vibe to it.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Cute LGBTQ+ romance
I received an ARC of Never Kiss Your Roommate by Philline Harms thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Review: Never Kiss Your Roommate is about a group of teens who live in at a boarding school for various reasons. The story POV alternates between two main characters, Seth and Evelyn. Both are fun characters, although Evelyn feels a bit forgettable. She doesn't have something that makes her 'unique'. Coming out is major, but (I hate saying this but) when every other character is out, her struggle feels less genuine. I know it totally is and her history explains her reasoning but I just wanted something else to define her. Yes, she is likable and I enjoyed her interactions with others, but... I don't know... I prefer the other characters. I did really enjoy watching the relationships develop, both friendships and romance. The writing was fantastic and all of the LGBTQ+ rep is amazing. I like the 'unknown' antagonist of The Watcher and how that unfolded. However, I wish there was more. I guess most of my complaints come down to wanting more depth, even if it resulted in a longer book. There was no doubt that I was going to finish, even if it was only to see more of Jasper and Elle and watching the romance build. Overall, I enjoyed the story. It reminds me of She Drives Me Crazy, which might be part of why this review is hard to write (I sound like I'm repeating myself a bit). However, if you enjoyed She Drives Me Crazy, I highly recommend Never Kiss Your Roommate but put a few weeks between them.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Gossip Girl but make it queer
Similar to Gossip Girl, NEVER KISS YOUR ROOMMATE by Philline Harms has the students at Seven Hills have to deal with The Watcher who shares all the latest secrets on their blog - the Chitter Chatter. The Watcher does not make it easy for insta-besties (but not exactly straight) Evelyn and Seth as they start their lives at the boarding school. Evelyn realizes she has feelings for her standoffish roommate Noelle and Seth has feelings for her best friend and school flirt Jasper. Just as things start to heat up, The Watcher strikes. Will the secrets revealed turn their happily ever after into happily near afters? Good things about book: -Excellent, excellent LGBTQ+ representation! Made my heart so very happy! -I love boarding school books. It’s a niche trope that I enjoy, so if you like that as well, you will enjoy it. -Jasper. (Maybe I just have a thing for Jasper’s?) I adored him and everything about this character. -It touched on multiple genres: romance, found family, family drama, thriller. If you love coming of age and finding yourself stories with excellent LGBTQ+ representation, this is the perfect book for you! NEVER KISS YOUR ROOMMATE is an easy read with lots of good moments, good characters, and a good representation story! Thank you to Wattpad Books for the gifted copy! Content Warning: (per the author in book) s ex, bullying, assault, kidnapping (more complete on goodreads); (from my reading) claustrophobia, stalking Follow me on instagram: @niftyreads
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
4.5 Stars - Really Enjoyed It
“What about this: You revise with me and in return you get a kiss after every correct answer. Deal?” “Deal, but only if I get one for every wrong answer you give.” Set in a prestigious boarding school in England, Never Kiss Your Roommate follows Evelyn and Seth, the two newest students, as they become friends, make memories and find love - Evelyn with Noelle and Seth with Jasper. When Evelyn meets Noelle, her roommate, Noelle is initially cold and standoffish, but eventually Noelle warms up to her, and they grow closer. Seth, on the other hand, has his eyes on the French boy named Jasper, who has a love for the arts and all things queer. Evelyn is literally the sweetest. She has eyes for Noelle and Noelle only, even though Noelle seems pretty intent on pretending she doesn't exist. She can be a bit naïve at times, and she definitely doesn't always think things through, but I love her all the same. Noelle, ugh ! Angsty characters just have a special place in my heart. It's like oh you hate everyone? I'm in love with you now, thanks. She's definitely a bit harsh with Evelyn in the beginning, but it's really the way she is with everyone so it's not like Evelyn's singled out. I love the interactions between the two of them, especially once Noelle starts to open up. It's cute. It's funny. Pure fluff, and it makes my gay heart sing ballads. “Is that a bloody kitchen knife?” “Well it’s not bloody yet.” Seth and Jasper might just be the complete opposite of Evelyn and Noelle. Seth is sarcastic with a dry sense of humor. He loves mysteries and true crimes, and his perspective was really enjoyable. Watching him pine for Jasper from a distance was adorable, and the little moments they had when they were alone... my beating heart be still. Their banter is freaking hilarious. And Seth's gay panic moments... so accurate. I really liked that the story was told in two POVs. Even though there were more Evelyn POVs, it was nice to be able to see the progress with Seth and Jasper, as well as whatever would happen when Seth wasn't with Evelyn. I absolutely love all the characters, which doesn't always happen. I usually find at least one of them annoying, but it wasn't like that with this book. What I didn't like: - Miscommunication Trope: I hate it with a passion. Nothing annoys me more. Like I get that with their age (17/18), it happens, and it was resolved fairly quickly if not dramatically, but it still grinds my gears. Like please if you're supposed to like and trust the person, take all of the five seconds needed to have a conversation instead of jumping to conclusions. - The pacing towards the end of the book was relatively fast. Everything escalated in the final few chapters, and though it was set up from the beginning of the book, I do wish that it was fleshed out more - since it was such a drastic change from the cute, fluffy tone that the book had already set. If there were more hints dropped through out the book, it would've better set up the SVU turn that it took at the end, and a few more chapters to allow it to play out would've eliminated the abrupt, "wow why are we going so fast" feeling. Overall I really did enjoy this book. The recommended age is 14-17, but I personally wouldn't recommend it to anyone below 16, specifically because the ending does lean more towards darker content that no 14 year old needs to read. All in all, I loved it! Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for the ARC. Final Rating: 4.5 stars Content warning Major: kidnapping, stabbing, blood, recount of abusive relationship incl. assault - physical and sexual Moderate: bullying, slutshaming, panic attacks Minor: outing (mentioned), homophobia, sexual content, claustrophobia
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Cute and queer, with a twisty end
3.5/5 stars Evelyn is new to Seven Hills, having switched schools when she was outed and bullied at her old school. Seth is also new, shoved into boarding school by his parents who are going through a messy divorce. Together, they struggle to fit in at their new school. Evelyn’s roommate, Noelle, is super mean at the start but Evelyn is immediately attracted to her, slowly crushing on her as she gets to know her. Seth hates his roommate, who is super messy and inconsiderate, so he spends a lot of time outside his room. Through working on the school play, he gets to know Jasper, whom he had admired from afar. Slowly, both couples, Evelyn and Noelle, and Seth and Jasper, become closer. Unfortunately, the school gossip blog is determined to separate them for reasons unknown. Who is running this blog? Why are they so determined to paint Noelle in a negative light? What is up with Evelyn rising through the ranks of attractiveness so quickly? And what is Noelle hiding? Why is she so standoffish and secretive about certain aspects of her past? With a lot of fluffy, cute moments, there are also moments of uncertainty and anxiety as regards what it means to be yourself and be out and proud about it. What it means to really embrace being vulnerable to another person. The chapters switch between Evelyn’s and Seth’s points of view. They meet while reading Agatha Christie on the train to Seven Hills, bonding over their mutual love of reading. Seth is more interested in the murdery mystery and crime solving aspects while Evelyn loves to lose herself in fiction as a retreat from the real world. Still, they are both in the same position of being new students at Seven Hills and form a fast friendship. They are both so uncertain in matters of love, both going into their first relationships. Seth, with his constantly fighting divorcing parents, doesn’t really believe in love but he’s willing to try, with Jasper. Evelyn is something of a romantic, believing in love and being all too willing to fall for Noelle. Their relationships are very mature, with each participant behaving rationally and expressing their feelings in a very real way, instead of just stomping about and trying to act all misunderstood when arguments are had. The story is set at Seven Hills, a boarding school in a castle, very much giving me Harry Potter vibes. I honestly expected something magical to happen and was relieved to see that while the castle and its surroundings were hyped up in the beginning to set the scene, they quickly fell into the background. The writing is well done, describing Evelyn’s motivations and thoughts regarding her crush on Noelle. It’s all very sweet and fluffy, with a good amount of school anxiety and stressful situations thrown in to tone down the fluff. I do think it’s odd that Evelyn and Seth fall for Noelle and Jasper, who are also best friends. It felt very much like a hot people club, where all the hot people get together and date each other, except a lot less heteronormative than a lot of other books usually spin it. Also, the title is something of a misnomer. It seems that kissing your roommate works out pretty well, so why is there a warning against it in the title? I was very curious about the mystery surrounding Noelle and her behavior and presence at the school. She seemed to get in trouble a lot, but she wasn’t kicked out or expelled for her rule breaking behavior. And who ran the school gossip blog? Just the little mysteries kept me going, though to be honest I was there for the relationship fluff. There is a lot of emphasis placed on normalizing queer relationships and on asking for consent for even the most basic of touches. It is very respectful and mature. This book is very cute and fun, the relationship stuff being dealt with maturely, for the most part. There is a little bit of freaking out and overreacting, but for the most part, the relationship drama is pretty low key. About two thirds of the book is very lighthearted and romantic, the last third delving into solving the heavy mysteries. It seemed a little unbalanced and disconnected in retrospect, and a bit rushed and overdramatic at the end because of this. Evelyn is also disproportionally represented, with more chapters from her point of view than from Seth’s. While I know Evelyn is the main character, it seems odd to tell the story from Seth’s point of view but not to give his story just as much weight. He has a lot going on in his life and his struggles seem cheapened because they weren’t given enough attention. With the gossip blog, I get some serious Gossip Girl vibes, as well as some similarities with Private by Kate Brian. The emphasis on queer relationships and consent is much appreciated and is a good lesson. This book would be good for younger teens but would probably fall flat with older readers or people who read a lot. It also takes a turn for the last third that might be off putting for readers expecting an entirely light hearted relationship focused book.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A couldn't put it down!!
I loved this book, It plays with my emotions, and seems to have exactly what I needed. Here are a few notes I jotted down: - While Evelyn and Noelle clearly have a bad start, they soon get close simply because Eve decided to defend Noelle. - When the author added the self-defense scene, I LOVED IT. They got closer by the minute and were just simply adorable. I loved seeing them get closer together. - I enjoy how Noelle was tough before but became really soft after getting close to Evelyn. - I love how the author adds a different point of view, and that OTHER point of view also falling in love. It's really sweet. - The play was great, and it added more sexuality in the book, I could feel Seth and Jasper getting closer by the minute. - I love how there are certain points where you HAVE to take the book seriously. - I enjoy how she added stress into the book, something a few people don't do. - The ending escalated very quickly. I Loved this book, a five-star from me. I am DEFINITELY recommending this to my friends, and this is now one of my favorites.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Terrible Representation
I would like to thank NetGalley for the copy and the opportunity. I did not finish this book due to the lack of good representation in this book. I cannot speak for the black community as I am an Asian reader. However, I found that this book reinforces harmful stereotypes. I do not recommend this book at all, and there are better sapphic books out there written by POC authors.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Slow Burn Debut
Evelyn and Seth meet on a train as they travel to Seven Hills, an exclusive boarding school, neither wants to go there, but their parents insisted. Evelyn is assigned to room with Noelle, who no one in the school likes and is known to chew up new roomies and spit them out. Seth is assigned to room with a slob who insults his sensibilities. Harms has written a slow-burn romance between Noelle and Evelyn and Seth and heartthrob Jaspar. She touches on several current issues. The author’s writing didn’t carry the weight of the story, it wasn’t awful, but it was hit or miss. The characters were likable but amorphous. One assumes that Harms will learn how to better pace her future books – waiting to put the major conflict until three quarters of the way through the book only serves to make the ending seem rushed and the first three-quarters of the book rather mundane – hopefully she will at least foretell the conflict better as well. If you are looking for a mostly character-driven story or a slow-burn romance, this book should be at the top of your to-be-read list. If you don’t think a YA book is your cup of tea, think again. Some of the best writing available is to be found in the YA genre. My thanks to Wattpad and Edelweiss for an eARC.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com