Review - Roommaid
Title: Roommaid Author: Sariah Wilson Date Finished: October 3, 2020 Goodreads Links: [Book] [Review]
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review:
I was liveblogging this one on Twitter and I mentioned that this was going to be a book I finish in one sitting - and it was.
Oh my God I was not expecting this story - at all.
Madison is a twenty-something teacher who is the certified "black sheep" to her family because she didn't follow what her mother wanted. Not wanting to partake in her family's wealth and trend of marrying trash men for money, she wiggles out from below her mother's thumb (and gets cut off for her career choices) and starts to build her life up from the bottom - and part of that involves Tyler Roth.
Tyler's looking for a roommate who can help keep his dog company and tidy up a little around the house, given that his job means he's not around much of the time. Desperate for a place that won't haunt her, bite her or sting her, Madison ends up being his roommaid (hehe I love a good pun; also, I would LOVE to be this man's roommaid). He only has one rule - they don't date. Finding out that Madison allegedly has a serious boyfriend puts her at the top of the list.
But there's a few things he doesn't know - Madison doesn't know how to clean, doesn't know how to take care of pets, and she definitely doesn't have a serious boyfriend (not anymore)
When I started reading this, part of me felt like Madison was going to end up like all those other rich, prissy characters given that she didn't know how to do basic chores, but I was so wrong! At the beginning she might've but the author spins her into a wildly determined character whose need to stand on her own two feet stands out strongly throughout. Despite her upbringing, she was a balance between high-and-mighty and down-to-earth and she progressed towards the latter as the story went on, which was absolutely amazing to see. Seeing her scramble to learn how to clean, replacing the things she broke quietly through on was also endearing in a way, if you can suspend your disbelief at a grown adult who teaches second-graders not knowing how to do some of these things.
I'm just glad she didn't have to replace Pidgeon.
Tyler was easygoing throughout, sweet and adorable. He was a complete contrast to the other men we're introduced to in the story, like Brad, Madison's ex-boyfriend who can't take a hint or any of her sister's husbands. While Madison's constant "thirsting" over her roommate got a bit old at the end, honestly, I probably couldn't even blame her for it. Because as attractive as Tyler objectively is, he's an even better person and that shone through. Of course, since we stuck to Madison's POV throughout, there could've been a bias out there but I definitely would've loved seeing Tyler's POV. Not to mention, you can't go wrong with a good slow-burn.
The topmost thing? Tyler's assistance didn't overshadow Madison's own determination. In fact, I loved that even in the scenes where they were together doing something for Madison's benefit, he didn't turn into the primary character - he's just there to help, not to mansplain about her life.
I rated this 4 stars instead of 5 because of the ending, mostly. I saw it coming all the way at the dealership, when she said her name, but somehow I'd still expected it to be different than all the other cut-off-from-your-parents-but-they-want-to-control-you-anyway types. It also felt quite a bit rushed to me, and part of me felt like I'd missed something by the time I reached the end.
Still, I may even come back to this one book as another light read but I wouldn't mind reading a sequel! Shay and Owen, perhaps? ;)
I recommend this to fans of contemporary, slow-burn, rom-com, kickass female characters trying to build new lives for themselves and sweet men who know how to treat a girl ;)
