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.
National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.
(Summary from GoodReads)
I realize that
to some people, a relationship about two roommates may not sound like the most
fascinating plot of a novel. For some
people, roommates are just the people you happen to see when you’re home. When I moved into my first college dorm, I
was excited to meet my roommate and was pleased that we soon became BFFs. I’ve since avoided living with others,
because I can be a little messy and I like to have room for all of my stuff. Roomies is an engaging story about two girls
on the cusp of change and how living together impacts their lives.
Sara Zarr and
Tara Altebrando have written a book that even people who have lived alone
forever will relate to. When Lauren and
EB first start communicating, they both have a lot of uncertainty about
boundaries. How much should they
talk? What can be shared over e-mail and
what in person? Whatever happens is
going to affect whether they can get along in person. These questions arise not just for these
fictional characters, but perhaps for people in real life who have online
friends.
We get separate
perspectives from Lauren and EB, and I liked hearing how different their
experiences were. Their stories intersect in a way that was unexpected but
gut-wrenching and realistic. Both of
them did things that will make readers uncomfortable because they sound like
mistakes a real person would make. My
one complaint about their stories is that it sounded like each character was
facing a similar dynamic with her best friend.
I wish there had been more variation there.
Diversity is
well-handled in this book. It’s
something that both characters wind up feeling that they have to address. I appreciate that Zarr and Altebrando didn’t
shy away from some of the confusion these characters felt regarding race.
When I read Roomies,
I got a quick read that made me appreciate its storytelling and handling of
certain issues. There are a few plot
points that verge on being stereotypical of YA, and I think they hold this plus
the lack of truly outstanding prose (something which I am super picky about)
hold this novel back from being amazing.
Roomies will have a lot of appeal either to teens who anticipate sharing
a room in the future or adult fans of YA who want a throwback to their college
years.
Disclosure: I received a digital galley of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Other reviews:
Thanks for linking to my review (can you tell I'm still catching up from my vacation? haha). I like how you point out that their mistakes will make people uncomfortable, but that they're real. I love that point and I definitely felt that way when reading. And I agree, the way the authors dealt with diversity was really great to see.
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