Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Penelope Ward
Description
Sharing a summer house with a hot-as-hell roommate should be a dream come true, right? Not when it's Justin...the only person I'd ever loved...who now hates me. When my grandmother died and left me half of the house on Aquidneck Island, there was a catch: the other half would go to the boy she helped raise. The same boy who turned into the teenager whose heart I broke years ago. The same teenager who's now a man with a hard body and a hardass personality to match. I hadn't seen him in years, and now we're living together because neither one of us is willing to give up the house. The worst part? He didn't come alone. I'd soon realize there's a thin line between love and hate. I could see through that smug smile. Beneath it all...the boy is still there. So is our connection. The problem is...now that I can't have Justin, I've never wanted him more. Author's note, RoomHate is a full-length standalone novel.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member AddictedToMorphemes
Amelia Payne is a schoolteacher working in Providence, RI when her beloved grandmother, Nana, passes away and wills half ownership of her Newport beach house to her as an inheritance. The other half is left to Justin Banks, Amelia's childhood best friend. Justin now works for a software company and
When they were kids, Justin was the best friend anyone could ask for. He was always there for Amelia, protecting her from embarrassment or dangerous situations. They helped each other by giving each other a place to go when they needed to get away from their own dysfunctional families. When they were in their teens, their feelings started to change, but they hadn't reached the point of admitting them to each other before a misunderstanding occurred and Amelia suddenly moved away and refused any contact with him. Amelia's later attempts to reconcile their friendship were ignored. The two have now been estranged for over 10 years. Amelia's impulsive actions caused an extreme shift in Justin's behavior and personality.
This is where my problem lies with this story. He became such an incredible jerk (putting it kindly--insert a more choice word selection) that, for me, it ruined the inevitable happy ending to their story. His rudeness and crass behavior went so beyond the pale that it actually made me angry. I know there are all types of people in the world and all types of people who love them, but I thought this was a poor example to people of just accepting dominance motivated by anger. People are worth more than this and deserve better treatment.
I really liked the concept of the book, the early friendship and how mature Justin was as a child. I wish we could have seen more of that maturity when he was an adult. Yes, he was hot and their chemistry was high, the slow burn and build-up before they actually got together was effective. Unfortunately, his bluntness when telling her she looked like a whore when she would get dressed up and his vulgarity when meeting Amelia's friends for the first, and subsequent, times was so over the top and crass that I had a hard time falling for the guy. If Amelia had woken up or grown up herself, this relationship would not have happened. We did see growth in Justin at the very end, but by then my opinion of him was already ruined.
I do have to say, however, that this does represent the "New Adult" genre very well in highlighting all the ups and downs of relationships, the temporary willingness to put up with being treated poorly, and ever-changing emotions that people in their 20s often experience.
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also sings and plays acoustic guitar at various gigs in New York City. His singing career is just starting to really take off, as he has a beautiful voice, a great talent, and massive charisma that draws people in. When they were kids, Justin was the best friend anyone could ask for. He was always there for Amelia, protecting her from embarrassment or dangerous situations. They helped each other by giving each other a place to go when they needed to get away from their own dysfunctional families. When they were in their teens, their feelings started to change, but they hadn't reached the point of admitting them to each other before a misunderstanding occurred and Amelia suddenly moved away and refused any contact with him. Amelia's later attempts to reconcile their friendship were ignored. The two have now been estranged for over 10 years. Amelia's impulsive actions caused an extreme shift in Justin's behavior and personality.
This is where my problem lies with this story. He became such an incredible jerk (putting it kindly--insert a more choice word selection) that, for me, it ruined the inevitable happy ending to their story. His rudeness and crass behavior went so beyond the pale that it actually made me angry. I know there are all types of people in the world and all types of people who love them, but I thought this was a poor example to people of just accepting dominance motivated by anger. People are worth more than this and deserve better treatment.
I really liked the concept of the book, the early friendship and how mature Justin was as a child. I wish we could have seen more of that maturity when he was an adult. Yes, he was hot and their chemistry was high, the slow burn and build-up before they actually got together was effective. Unfortunately, his bluntness when telling her she looked like a whore when she would get dressed up and his vulgarity when meeting Amelia's friends for the first, and subsequent, times was so over the top and crass that I had a hard time falling for the guy. If Amelia had woken up or grown up herself, this relationship would not have happened. We did see growth in Justin at the very end, but by then my opinion of him was already ruined.
I do have to say, however, that this does represent the "New Adult" genre very well in highlighting all the ups and downs of relationships, the temporary willingness to put up with being treated poorly, and ever-changing emotions that people in their 20s often experience.
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LibraryThing member pcorrea3
HOLY WOW!!! I feel like I have been saying this for every book that Ms. Ward writes. She sucks me right in and holds me until the very last word. RoomHate touched every emotion from laughing to crying and hope to hate. When a book does all that you know it is awesome.
Justin and Amelia start out as
While being forces to face the past, and live in the present can they get through the hardest decision that tore them apart so many years ago? Will their love be enough? The tears of happiness and sadness were so worth getting to the end of this story. The fight for what they truly want is amazing. The feelings come right off the pages and into your heart as you read. I wish there were more than stars and more than 5… I would give this book 10 HEARTS for breaking mine and putting it back together!! BRAVO Ms. Ward!!!
Justin and Amelia start out as
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friends, the best of friends that grow until tragedy strikes and they are torn apart. They live their separate lives and make what they believe are happy choices for themselves until one day they are thrown back together. It is then that the emotions of the past emerge and reality sets in.While being forces to face the past, and live in the present can they get through the hardest decision that tore them apart so many years ago? Will their love be enough? The tears of happiness and sadness were so worth getting to the end of this story. The fight for what they truly want is amazing. The feelings come right off the pages and into your heart as you read. I wish there were more than stars and more than 5… I would give this book 10 HEARTS for breaking mine and putting it back together!! BRAVO Ms. Ward!!!
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LibraryThing member CarleneInspired
After catching her boyfriend of two years cheating and losing her grandmother, Amelia does the only thing she think she can do, run away to her grandmother's beach house and take a breather. Except, her grandmother left the house to her and Justin, the boy she used to love who now hates her. When
RoomHate was one of those books that everyone else was reading and I hadn't heard of it yet. Don't you hate that? So, I one clicked it the minute it came out and read it when I had a free chance to do so. Super glad I did, because I love love love enemies/friends to lovers stories. This one was certainly not a let down, especially with the unique twists Penelope Ward tossed in there. I didn't go into it expecting anything, but I can say this, Penelope doesn't follow the cliche route, it's unique, it's funny, and there's a lot of drama, the good kind of course.
Amelia is such a great character, she's a caring and devoted friend, she's a bit clumsy with her emotions, and she's a genuinely good person. She's also been through the ringer and if I were her, I would've taken a summer break as well. Then there's Justin, and his model hot girlfriend Jade. Justin is the kind of character you hate to love, his actions are terrible at first, he's moody and rude, but overtime he changes, he figures out what's going on in his mind and becomes this person you want to know. I really liked that his change was gradual and that his relationship with Amelia wasn't just this thing right from the start. While I normally hate a love triangle situation, this one doesn't at all feel like it, because the characters truly are keeping their distance and don't want to recognize their feelings. I really liked Jade as a secondary character as well, she was welcoming and brought a lot of history to the story that readers needed to understand who Justin had become outside of what Amelia knew of him. With a super engaging plot, Penelope brings Amelia and Justin together over the two part novel; there's hatred, friendship, a lot of chemistry, and a whole lot of denial. Who in their right mind stays for the summer in a cabin with the person they once loved and now hates?! Then there's the twist, and I almost considered the book down, which is why I dropped this from 5 to 4, but it's so worth it. The twist will make you question everything and certainly leaves you wondering what is going to happen as you turn the pages.
This book was laugh out loud funny and at times I wanted to toss it across the room, it's definitely the kind of book you react too. It's also full of sexy moments that'll have you swooning. The characters are not perfect characters, each has their own flaws that are very apparent, but I liked that about them. I like a real character and most of the flaws were things I could relate to or understand. These flaws, and the twists, are what makes this book so different from the cliche. Each scene was fresh, I didn't get bored, and I certainly was surprised until the very end. I really enjoyed RoomHate and absolutely suggest it. I totally get the hype!
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he shows up with his girlfriend in tow, things get a lot more complicated, because the feelings are still there, just hidden under a pile of hate. Amelia doesn't do hate though and even though she can't have Justin, the chemistry and feelings are still there.RoomHate was one of those books that everyone else was reading and I hadn't heard of it yet. Don't you hate that? So, I one clicked it the minute it came out and read it when I had a free chance to do so. Super glad I did, because I love love love enemies/friends to lovers stories. This one was certainly not a let down, especially with the unique twists Penelope Ward tossed in there. I didn't go into it expecting anything, but I can say this, Penelope doesn't follow the cliche route, it's unique, it's funny, and there's a lot of drama, the good kind of course.
Amelia is such a great character, she's a caring and devoted friend, she's a bit clumsy with her emotions, and she's a genuinely good person. She's also been through the ringer and if I were her, I would've taken a summer break as well. Then there's Justin, and his model hot girlfriend Jade. Justin is the kind of character you hate to love, his actions are terrible at first, he's moody and rude, but overtime he changes, he figures out what's going on in his mind and becomes this person you want to know. I really liked that his change was gradual and that his relationship with Amelia wasn't just this thing right from the start. While I normally hate a love triangle situation, this one doesn't at all feel like it, because the characters truly are keeping their distance and don't want to recognize their feelings. I really liked Jade as a secondary character as well, she was welcoming and brought a lot of history to the story that readers needed to understand who Justin had become outside of what Amelia knew of him. With a super engaging plot, Penelope brings Amelia and Justin together over the two part novel; there's hatred, friendship, a lot of chemistry, and a whole lot of denial. Who in their right mind stays for the summer in a cabin with the person they once loved and now hates?! Then there's the twist, and I almost considered the book down, which is why I dropped this from 5 to 4, but it's so worth it. The twist will make you question everything and certainly leaves you wondering what is going to happen as you turn the pages.
This book was laugh out loud funny and at times I wanted to toss it across the room, it's definitely the kind of book you react too. It's also full of sexy moments that'll have you swooning. The characters are not perfect characters, each has their own flaws that are very apparent, but I liked that about them. I like a real character and most of the flaws were things I could relate to or understand. These flaws, and the twists, are what makes this book so different from the cliche. Each scene was fresh, I didn't get bored, and I certainly was surprised until the very end. I really enjoyed RoomHate and absolutely suggest it. I totally get the hype!
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LibraryThing member samnreader
This is an author who elicits strong emotions in me based on her characters, plots, and the like. The premise of her books aren't often plausible, but the heroes tend to be flawed (which I like). That was especially difficult to get over in Justin at times, but good lord, I loved him. While he was
Ultimately, the development and reconnection in these two won me over, although I felt the book was at times disorganized or like some development was unnecessary. IT didn't stop me from reading it obsessively. Justin's honesty, without being 100% forthcoming was a very nice balance.
I also want to know what the hell is with Ms. Ward's obsession with the men &breast milk
I loved that he was a "normal" musician. One issue I had was that I'm not sure Amelia should've shouldered so much blame for their falling out. The premise was, in this case, utterly preposterous.
Sorry my thoughts are a bit disjointed, I'm tired tonight! I don't know how to tag this book- second chance ,friends to lovers, hate to love. It has all those. I love all those.
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a bitter jerk for the first half of the book, the flashbacks established him as a rock-steady friend.Ultimately, the development and reconnection in these two won me over, although I felt the book was at times disorganized or like some development was unnecessary. IT didn't stop me from reading it obsessively. Justin's honesty, without being 100% forthcoming was a very nice balance.
I loved that he was a "normal" musician. One issue I had was that I'm not sure Amelia should've shouldered so much blame for their falling out. The premise was, in this case, utterly preposterous.
Sorry my thoughts are a bit disjointed, I'm tired tonight! I don't know how to tag this book- second chance ,friends to lovers, hate to love. It has all those. I love all those.
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Original publication date
2016-02-03