Review: THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT by Rosie Danan
The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan Also by this author: The Roommate
Series: The Roommate #2
Published by Berkley Books on April 6, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Pages: 336
Source: Netgalley
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FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Rosie Danan’s steamy debut The Roommate was one of my favorite romance reads of 2020. The plot was original, the characters were unforgettable, and the sexy factor was off the charts. This year Danan has gifted us with The Intimacy Experiment, a companion novel that features one of my favorite characters from The Roommate, former porn star turned businesswoman, Naomi Grant. I knew I would love The Intimacy Experiment, but what I didn’t expect was that I would actually end up loving it even more than the first book!
Naomi and Clara, the protagonist from The Roommate, are co-CEOs of a successful website that educates its subscribers about sexual satisfaction. Naomi has also decided she would like to teach some classes on relationships and intimacy and is looking for a forum where she can make that happen. As always, Naomi is smart, sassy, and determined to get what she wants, but she’s getting frustrated that she can’t get anyone to take her seriously. That is until she meets Rabbi Ethan Cohen at a seminar. Ethan has been trying to figure out a way to attract more younger members to his synagogue and when he hears Naomi’s passionate speech about what she wants to teach, he invites her to design a seminar series on Modern Intimacy. At first Naomi wants no part of this proposal, but then she reconsiders. It also doesn’t hurt that Rabbi Ethan is super sexy and Naomi is finding it hard to resist his charms.
There’s so much I enjoyed about this book but the chemistry between Naomi and Ethan was definitely a high point. I loved watching Naomi and Ethan design the course together. Even though they’re an unlikely pair, they just worked together so perfectly and the more they worked together, the more they became invested in each other. I loved the contrast between Naomi’s feisty independence and Ethan’s loyalty and devotion. Ethan is like a Golden Retriever and I just adored him and wanted Naomi to stop fighting her attraction to him.
If you enjoy romance that is a slow burn, you’ll enjoy Naomi and Ethan’s journey because fighting their attraction to each other is definitely a big part of the story. Also, where The Roommate is filled with sexy, steamy intimate scenes, this book features way fewer scenes of that variety. As much as I enjoyed the romance of Clara and Josh in the first book, I actually preferred the slower pace and the deeper issues involved as Naomi and Ethan were both so conflicted as to whether or not it would be appropriate for them to be together. I also liked that we got a little insight into the Jewish faith as Naomi, who is also Jewish, decides to take some courses to learn more about the faith she hasn’t practiced since she was a child.
One last thing I loved was the Intimacy seminar itself and the way Danan presents it. It’s as if we’re attending all of the courses as well. I loved watching Naomi teach, Ethan sitting in the audience lending his support, and also how enthusiastic the young attendees were as Naomi explores topics such as being honest with yourself and potential dates about what you’re looking for in a relationship, how to meet people in the first place, how to take a relationship to the next level, and how to survive a breakup. I thought the seminar was brilliant and wished I could have taken a course like it back during my single days. It would have made dating life so much easier to navigate!
If you’re looking for an original, sexy romance I highly recommend The Intimacy Experiment. The characters are immensely likable, the storyline is both fun and thought-provoking, and the ending will leave you with a smile on your face. I loved every page of it and look forward to reading more from Rosie Danan.
About Rosie Danan
Rosie Danan writes steamy, big-hearted books, articles, and tweets about the trials and triumphs of modern love.
The New York Times calls Rosie Danan’s debut novel, THE ROOMMATE “a book about people expanding into their best possible selves…warmly funny and gorgeously sexy.” The rom-com has been optioned for film, and a companion book THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT is forthcoming April 6, 2021 in both the US and UK.
After participating in the writing mentorship program Pitch Wars as a 2018 mentee, she was thrilled to rejoin the organization as a 2019 and 2020 mentor.
When not writing, Rosie enjoys jogging slowly to fast music, petting other people’s dogs, and competing against herself in rounds of Chopped using the miscellaneous ingredients occupying her fridge.
As an American expat currently living in London, she’s developed an incurable fondness for electric kettles.
Blogoversary Giveaway – The Bookish Libra is Turning 5 & I’m Celebrating with a Giveaway
Happy Blogoversary to me! I never imagined when I started my little blog that I would still be blogging and loving it 5 years later. I love celebrating blogging milestones, so I’m hosting a giveaway as a way to say thanks to everyone who follows and reads my blog. Thanks so much to all of you for your friendship and your support! The book blogging community is the best! 🙂
At first I was going to come up with a specific list of books for you to choose from, but there’s so many amazing books out there right now that I didn’t want to limit your choices. So, instead, I’m just setting a $25 value on my giveaway and letting the winner select a book (including preorders) of their choice (up to that $25USD value) from The Book Depository. The giveaway is also open internationally as long as TBD ships to you, so be sure to check their list before entering: (Countries The Book Depository Ships To)
Also, I selected The Book Depository since I really wanted the International option, but if you win the giveaway and prefer e-books to physical books and would rather have an Amazon giftcard or if you have a favorite Indie bookstore that will allow e-gift certificates and would rather support your Indie, I’m fine with making that switch as long as we stay at the $25USD cap.
No giveaway accounts, please.
The giveaway runs from now until April 12, so be sure to get your entries in by then. I’ll be contacting the winner via email. Thanks again for all of your support! ♥
Reviews: The Future Is Yours & The Memory Theatre
The Future Is Yours Goodreads Author: Dan Frey
Publication Date: February 9, 2021
Publisher: Del Rey Books
I am a sucker for time travel books. I have always been fascinated with the concept of time travel and the consequences it can have. So, when I read the synopsis of Dan Frey’s The Future Is Yours, I knew I had to read it. He puts a very unique spin on time travel, as it is not a person that is traveling through time, but rather information. “If you had the chance to look one year into the future, would you?”
The book centers around best friends Ben Boyce and Adhi Chaudry and their start-up company called “The Future”. Adhi created a computer that can connect to the internet a year in the future. You can see where you will be working, if you are still alive, who won the Super Bowl etc. If it is online, you will be able to access it. What starts out as an exciting adventure, however, soon turns to greed, jealousy, and possibly the end of the world as we know it.
The book is told through text messages, emails, blog posts and Congressional inquest transcripts. I really liked this unique way of having the story unfold. We would get chapters from the Congressional inquest which raised questions about different issues with the technology and then we would get corresponding chapters with text and e-mails that would give more info about what was going on and what these issues were. I don’t want to say too much about what issues were arising, but I will say that there were some problems with the beta testing and the future that was originally seen is changing and not for the better.
I also liked how the author used the difference in Ben and Adhi’s personalities as both a pro and a con as the story progressed. Ben is outgoing and loves the limelight. He is getting the investors onboard and also advertising The Future to the world. Adhi, on the other hand, is quiet and has some mental health struggles. He is happy to just stay in the background. When they were first starting out this worked well for them. They were able to balance each other out. But then the company starts taking off, and Ben is becoming more arrogant as the fame and fortune goes to his head, while Ahdi, who is questioning if the world is ready for this technology, starts to go MIA. As I was watching their friendship unravel, I couldn’t help but hope that they would be able to overcome this rift and not only fix this technology before it destroys the world, but also their friendship.
The one issue I had with the story unfolding via text messages, e-mails, blog posts and transcripts, is I couldn’t really feel any connection to Ben and Ahdi. I also would have liked to have seen more of what the technology could do and how it was affecting the future.
But even with those issues, I still really enjoyed this book and couldn’t wait to find out how it was going to end. While I did figure one small thing out, I didn’t realize the scope of it until it was revealed. I also like how the Dan Frey left it open ended. Usually I like the books I read to have a conclusion, but sometimes a book needs to leave you thinking. The Future Is Yours does just that. 4 stars
The Memory Theater Goodreads Author: Karin Tidbeck
Publication Date: February 16, 2021
Publisher: Pantheon Books
When I read the synopsis for Karin Tidbeck’s The Memory Theater I was very intrigued. This looked like it had the potential for a great fantasy book. Unfortunately, it was not quite what I was hoping for.
In a world parallel to ours exists a mystical realm known as the Gardens. The Gardens is ruled by Lords and Ladies and for them it is paradise, their days are filled with games of croquet, feasts, and dancing. But for their servants who serve them it is torture, that will eventually end in death. These servants are children that have been lured into this realm and their true names are stolen. They have a vague memory of life before the Garden but cannot remember who they are or where they lived. The only way to gain all their memory back and be free is if their master tells the servant their true name. When one of the Ladies, Augusta, is banished from the garden her servant, Thistle, escapes and sets out to find her and make her tell him his name so he can return home to his parents.
Thistle is joined on his quest to find Augusta by Dora. Dora was actually born from the earth in the Gardens. Her father is one of the Lords, but it was Thistle who was tasked with caring for her. I really liked the bond Thistle and Dora had. They were like brother and sister. They had each other’s backs and would do anything to keep the other safe, be it in the Gardens or on their travels to find Augusta.
And don’t even get me started on Augusta LOL. She was one mean character. Once she was banished from the Gardens, she started her own journey to find a way back in. She was determined to get back and did not think twice about killing anyone who got in her way. As I was reading, I really hoped that she was going to get what was coming to her.
Throughout the book we are introduced to a few unique characters that help Thistle and Dora on their journey. My favorite was The Memory Theater, who are a group of actors that travel between worlds and act out real life stories that have happened. And they don’t just act them out, they actually become the characters they are playing and feel the emotions of those characters.
This would have been a much more enjoyable read for me if we were given more worldbuilding, as well as character development. I like to visualize in my head what I am reading, and I just couldn’t do that with this book unfortunately. Even though I did struggle with that aspect, I did like the book and the ending had me turning the pages to see how it would all play out. And I will say I was happy with how the story ended. 3 stars