Roommating is my first romance by Meredith Schorr, and the concept of unplanned roommates starting a romance sounded fun and inspired me to add it to my reading list. At the end of the day it’s an okay read that will appeal to some, good for a summer beach day.

Sabrina is busy with grad school and her job as a library page. Short on funds, she’s got an elderly roommate, Marcia, to help save costs. They get along very well and are great friends. When Marcia tells Sabrina that she’s invited her somewhat estranged grandson Adam to couch crash with them for a while, Sabrina is surprised and not sure how she feels about another roommate. But it’s going to be temporary, so she graciously accepts the situation.

Adam turns out to be a good looking and fun guy. He’s also a big reader and he and Sabrina have a lot in common, including working together when Adam gets a job at the same library as Sabrina. Sabrina is happy that Adam and Marcia are repairing their grandmother/grandson relationship, damaged when Adam’s father/Marcia’s son when Marcia came out as gay and her son kept her growing grandson away from her. The estrangement between mother and son remains, but at least Marcia has Adam back in her life and Sabrina is happy about that.

In close proximity, Sabrina and Adam can’t deny that there is some attraction between them, and eventually they end up having a secret relationship (that is destined not to remain a secret under Marcia’s keen eye). But Adam can’t live with them forever and when Marcia gently suggests that it’s time for him to find his own place, Sabrina and Adam have to decide if what they’ve got is worth pursuing.

The concept is clear and the hiccups for a relationship with a roommate are pretty standard, especially in those awkward first days when it’s easy to get in each other’s way until they realize that they like being so close together. There are some spicy scenes (when Marcia’s out) and lots of lusting going on before that. The book is told entirely from Sabrina’s point of view, and she reads very much like a person in her early twenties. I’d even say this is more of a new adult romance, at least from Sabrina’s perspective. As an oldie (over fifty), there was a lot of name dropping that I didn’t recognize, pop culture people and events that went over my head and that took away from my enjoyment of the story as I didn’t get the references. I think someone in their mid-twenties would probably enjoy this story more than I did for that reason.

What I did enjoy was all the family relationships, which are heavily featured. Besides Marcia’s coming out and how that affected her son and grandson, we also get a good portion of the story about Sabrina and her complex relationship with her mother (a single mom) and sister. Sabrina and Adam get a happy for now ending that is fitting for their ages and where they are in life. While Roommating didn’t completely work for me, I think there is an audience that will enjoy it, especially if chick-lit-style new adult romances are your jam.