'Sister Book Swap' - Month 1 - Review of Roomies by Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando

Wednesday 17 February 2016

Hi everyone! So if you saw last weeks post then you would have seen that me and Becca Jayne from Pretty Little Memoirs swapped books as part of a new meme on our blogs. I got Roomies by Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando to read and Becca Jayne got The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines to read. You can see our first posts here:- 
23 Review Street / Pretty Little Memoirs
So without further ado, here is my review of Roomies!


Roomies
By Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando
Publication Date: 2nd January 2014
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 279
Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed from Becca Jayne from Pretty Little Memoirs 


Amazon UK / Amazon US



It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.
As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. 
With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.




Becca had been telling me for ages that I should read Roomies, so when we decided to do 'Sister Book Swap', she didn't hesitate and knew exactly which book she was going to give me to read. As soon as I read the first chapter I knew I would love Roomies just as much as Becca did. 
Roomies is set in two different Point of Views, Lauren or Lo who lives in San Francisco and Elizabeth or EB who lives in New Jersey. Both girls are very different from each other although they do have two things in common. The first being they are going to the same university in just over sixty-five days and that they have been paired as roommates. 
Lauren is the one with the big loving family who are always there for each other no matter what and she is willing to give up her free time to help take care of her half a dozen younger siblings. Elizabeth has the complete opposite, it is only her and her mother as her father left when she was younger although with her mother actively dating in her free time, it just feels like herself mostly. 
When Elizabeth gets a email from her new university with the contact details of her new roommate, she decides to take a chance and email Lauren in the hopes of getting to know the person who she will be sharing a room with for the next year. Although they don't really get off to the best start, they did find mutual ground in certain aspects of their lives mainly that they both worked two jobs to save money for university and their friends and how things wouldn't be the same once the summer ends and university begins. 
As the weeks go on, the girls develop a good friendship, that allows them to talk about their families, love lives and things that they can and can't bring to university. Although nothing is every straight forward, drama worms it way into both Lauren's and Elizabeth's lives leaving them feeling hurt and unsure of what will happen when university begins. 
Roomies is a amazing story that represents teenagers and how they deal with all the pressures in life, mainly boys, friends and changes that are bound to happen. With it's loveable characters, Roomies draws you into the worlds of Lauren and Elizabeth making you feel as if you were a character in their wonderful story.
If I had to sum up this book in three words, they would be Memorable, Honest and Unforgettable. 

Questions
Becca Jayne gave me some questions to answer after reading Roomies.
Lauren's POV was my favourite and she was my favourite character. Who was yours and why?

I like both Lauren and Elizabeth but I would have to agree with you I liked Lauren a lot more than Elizabeth mainly because I could relate more to Lauren than Elizabeth. Lauren is more family orientated which made me like her more as it makes her whole personality more likeable and friendly. 

Did Roomies live up to your expectations and did it provoke any thoughts about your own life reading about theirs?

Roomies definitely lived up to my expectations and I loved the whole way it was written and the whole theme of the book as it tackled a lot of issues that young people face today when they have to make big life decisions and decide what they want in the future. It did slightly remind me of my university years, in the sense that it is a big change to go through and a big step towards a future which is unknown although that is what make it more fun, getting to decide how to live your life and the freedom to do it. 

Roomies is between YA and NA. How did this mixed genre appeal to you?

Yes, the mixed genre does appeal to me! I have read a few YA novels and quite a lot NA novels but to have a book genre in between is great. I would definitely love to read more books that have a mix of YA and NA!

If you had to share a college dorm room with any celebrity, who would you pick and why?

Umm, that's a hard question... there are so many different celebrities that I like especially from tv shows and movies. If I had to choose a celebrity to share a dorm room with, it would have to be Lucy Hale. The reason being, I love her fashion sense and she seems like such a lovely and friendly person so that we would get along just great!

Thank you so much for stopping by the first 'Sister Book Swap', check back the first Wednesday of March for the next 'Sister Book Swap'!

Here is the link to Becca's Review of The Vincent Boys.

Another day, another book, 

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