RoomHate

I still can’t figure out why the hell I didn’t dive into this book the moment it started living in my Kindle. I had bet everything I had that it would be beyond awesome and a story that will spellbound me really tight. So, still this question hasn’t found an answer. But now that I have F I N A L L Y got to meet the incredible Justin and his Patch, I have to admit that it was far far far far more everything I had imagined or expected. Even from the first chapter, I couldn’t put it down. The way Penelope chose to start telling their story really did the trick. As I was diving deeper and deeper into their magnificent journey, the instant connection I felt with them from the first chapter kept getting even stronger with every passing page. And let’s not get me started with the extreme reactions my body had every time Justin and Amelia had an intimate moment. ” The fact that you just squirmed in your seat is proof that you also have an illogical side. Maybe our illogical sides need to meet sometime.” But, first, I must tell a short version of their story because it will be a crime not to since it’s so precious and wonderful. So, here’s how everything begun: Amelia and Justin are around ten when they first meet. Justin was playing his guitar when he caught her watching him from her window. Since then, they became best friends. Five years later, Amelia runs away leaving Justin heartbroken and never sees him again until nine years later, when her dead grandmother makes them co-owners of her beach house. Now, they found themselves forced to confront the past and every scar it carries with it. Both have suppressed feelings in them which they are trying really hard to keep hidden since their nine years “break” brought lots of changes. Although, it never got to change one thing; the most important, vital thing. The unconditional, soul deep, powerful, unforgivable way they love each other. “ I wanted everything with you.” Their confrontations were mighty intense in a way that I felt as I was right there when they were happening. And no one can deny the overflowing passion in each and every one. I could feel it no matter if they whispering, yelling or talking in normal tone. Plus, the info I was getting as they were looking back all those years ago, remembering not only their moments but also what separated them, was keeping me at the edge of my seat. And when I thought that they would probably end with the expected HEA, Ward comes and just with the addition of Bea, crashes everything down leaving me staring open mouthed. Oh no! Don’t get me wrong! I may never had seen this development, but, without doubt, was the point were everything got so upside down and damn interesting, that I didn’t dare go to sleep – FYI it was close to 8am when I finished – until I reached the very end. And DAMN! The way Justin was with Bea? Simply. Swooning. On. The. Floor. And I close-to-quote Amelia here, “my ovaries had caught fire“. I was almost ready to jump in the pages and literally attack him but I got to keep myself under control. :p From the moment Bea showed up, I lost track of time and generally anything happening around me. And as the story kept unfolding, I was getting more and more in love. Every character Ward added in this story was incredibly well-written and with such personalities that took the story 10 levels higher. As for Amelia and Justin? Both are creatures with a tough exterior but when you look inside, you will find a heart of gold, miles and miles of strong feelings and an inner strength like anything you have seen before. And where the one was lacking the other went and filled the gab. Also, the amount of vulnerability Justin showed every time he was with Amelia or Bea or thinking about them, was the greatest thing since he portrayed a male who isn’t scared to show how he feels and would do anything to protect the two people he loves more than anything in this galaxy. The love, support, sweetness and passion that I saw flowing out of him towards these two females was mind blowing and had me close to tears. From the other hand, Amelia was one of the strongest female characters I have ever had the chance to meet. Her inner strength had really no bounds and when she was with Justin, it became unlimited. Although, some times she might was more insecure than she wanted to be since she was an independent woman, she never gave up on expressing what she was feeling. And more than anything, her undying love for Bea was something that didn’t leave my notice or my heart. I know I may have just written my longest review, but I couldn’t contain my thoughts in less. This book became one of my TOP FAVS and with no doubt, it will stay there for the rest of my life. Just imagine that even though I have finished it a little over 12 hours, I crave to read it again and again immediately. And that doesn’t happen often to me! If I would have to read one book for the rest of my life, RoomHate would probably be the winner. I definitely have hundreds of more things to say, but if I succumb to that desire, I would never stop writing. So, I stop here and I leave you with my heart full and a big giant huge THANK YOU to the gorgeous Penelope Ward for writing such a gem of the contemporary literature and one I will cherish forever.

What a cute story. Years ago, at the young ages of ten and eleven, Amelia and Justin became quick friends. With an eye patch over her good eye, the last thing she wanted to do was meet the cute new boy but he didn't let her shy away. Instead, he patched his own eye, dubbed her "Patch", and so began a lovely friendship. However, things would change once teenaged hormones got in the way, and Amelia ran far... Now, her grandmother has passed and left the island home to both her and Justin, whom she hasn't seen in ten years. That first summer, the cohabitate, along with his girlfriend, and the animosity between Justin and Amelia is thick and strong. Now. This story is told completely in Amelia's point of view, aside from the epilogue. That said, as a reader I could feel that Justin's anger toward Amelia was every bit due to past hurts and feelings of unrequited love. But Amelia didn't get that. Watching these two battle living together for the summer and figuring out how to 'split' the house and their time at the house... well, when the feelings were of anger and bitterness, it simply hurt. These two had been the very best of friends and in the blink of an eye, everything had changed. However, watching these two learn to let go of the past and relearn their old best friend... that was where the loveliness of the story happened. This story takes place over a decent span of time -- a good two years or so. There was a lot of character growth between both Amelia and Justin. Amelia has trust issues to go through, and Justin has some other... familial issues to deal with, but these two were extremely fun to read. As a whole, their story felt very real. This was more than best friends to lovers, second chance romance, and sworn enemies coming together. This was a beautiful story of two people who made mistakes in their teens (who doesn't), and finding a way in the adult world to make life work with one another. Being thrown together in a house was simply the first step -- go Nana. The only thing keeping me from giving this story a 5-star, or even a 4.5-star, rating, would be the writing style. Now don't get me wrong -- I'm a Penelope Ward fan. I've not read many of her solo books, but I've read a few of her co-writing books for sure. She has a very easy writing style -- it's easy to read, easy to follow... But that said, I sometimes would miss the flow of a well-structured sentence. Many conversations felt choppy, and some of the monologue felt choppy, as well. I personally prefer fuller sentences that ebb and flow like a wave, and that typically isn't the way of Ms. Ward's writing style. Because of that, the book at times had a tendency of feeling much longer than it did. However, the storyline itself, the characterization, and my ever-favorite of the book, the epilogue, were all well executed. I enjoyed watching Amelia and Justin find their way back to one another -- and even enjoyed the flashbacks.

I have to start by saying that I just LOVE Penelope Ward and ALL her books!!!! So having said that it was no surprise at all that I absolutely LOVED RoomHate.....I now call it RoomLove....lol :) It peaked my interest from page 1 and it captured me right until the end. To say it was a beautiful story it is putting it mildly. It was simply amazing. I am not going to start to summarize this story or go into a big long story about it because quite simply all you have to know is that you have to read this, you should read this and you really want to read this. The story revolves around Justin.....the oh so hot, sexy musician and Amelia a school teacher who were childhood friends. Although they didn't know it at the time their friendship developed into a "love" relationship until they went their separate ways in high school for unknown reasons. They finally meet again when they inherited a summer home from Amelia's grandmother who passed away and now they are "room mates" in this beautiful home.....and so the adventures begin with Justin and Amelia. Could they go from friends to enemies to friends again and perhaps to lovers???..... this is what you don't want to miss and this is where you will discover Justin and Amelia's true characters and true feelings for each other. Penelope always writes stories from the heart and this one is no exception. It will make you laugh.....truly some funny one liners, it will make you cry, it will frustrate you, it will make you smile, it will make you sad but it will keep you hanging on until the end because you just don't want to miss one second of this story. I would give this more than 5 stars if I could and I highly recommend everyone to read this. Penelope Ward's words are magical and her writing is flawless because there is always a beautiful story behind it. Do yourself a favour and grab this book and sit back and immerse yourself into Penelope Ward's creation and you will certainly not be disappointed, you will only be reading with a big smile on your face. Well done Penelope Ward, I always love what you write!!!!!

Since the first time Penelope Ward posted the blurb for Roomhate I wanted to read this book so bad! Let me tell you that I was not disappointed. This story had just the right amount of sexy, angsty and heart-melting moments. I have devoured it in only a few hours. What I love about Penelope's writing is her incredible talent and ability to make you lose yourself in her books. She will make you laugh out loud in one moment and make you cry in the next one. One thing is sure though, she will always make you feel. This book was no exception to that. But first let me tell you what this book is about: Nine years ago Amelia left Providence behind and moved to New Hempshire. Now she is twenty-four, single and a teacher. Her grandmother has recently died and left her half of her summer house in Newport while leaving the other half to the only person she has ever loved: Justin Banks. The blond haired and blue-eyed boy that played the guitar and became her best friend. They were literally unseparable, until they weren't anymore. After discovering a secret he was holding from her, Amelia runed away leaving everything behind. After so many years without any contact between them Amelia needs to face Justin again. But the pretty boy from then has turned into a gorgeous grown up man with scruff and tatoos who hates her with great passion. Now they need to live together because neither one of them is willing to give up the house. But this is not the worst part. The worst part is that he didn't came alone. His girlfriend was with him. Justin and Amelia will soon realize that there is a very thin line between love and hate and that their connection is still there. No matter how much they both fight it, the chemistry between them is undeniable. You know what they say: We learn to appreciate what we had when we lose it and that we tend to want things we can't have anymore? Yeah, that's exactly what Amelia feels. But sometimes things unexpectantly take a turn for the better and in the end everything turns out the way it was always meant to bea. 5 stars for Penelope Ward.

This is only my second Penelope Ward book and I am now a forever fan. I read Neighbor Dearest first and then this all in one weekend and what a fabulous Penelope Ward weekend I had! This is the story of Amelia and Justin who were best friends from when they met in childhood till they were fifteen years old. Both of them did not have the best of parents and Amelia's Nana Beatrice took care of them. Having absentee parents, both gravitated towards Amelia's grandma and each other. They became secretly in love with each other but not one of them acted on it for fear of losing their friendship. One day, Amelia discovered a dark secret that Justin has been keeping from her. She was immensely hurt from his perceived betrayal and impulsively ran out of his life and lived with her father in another state. By the time she came to her senses, Justin cut off any communication with her. Fast forward 10 years later, Nana passed and left the beloved beach house to both of them. Justin was unforgiving and quite brutal when they first met at the beach house. He even brought along Jade his girlfriend much to Amelia's chagrin. Even though he was cruel, Amelia decided to kill him with kindness. It was not easy to live in the house with him with the lingering and growing attraction she has for him. She had to admit that she never stopped having feelings for him. Then began the long and winding road towards their happily ever after. I like Ms. Ward's characters from what I read so far - the heroines are such strong women and the heroes although alpha males are caring and loyal. Most of them are broken but the fragments come together into beautiful complete pieces towards the end of the story. Her characters are engaging. Their fears and insecurities are realistic, just like any other person would experience. Their personalities are consistent and perceptive. Their past molds them into the adults they become. In Justin's case, he never wants to be a parent because of who his parents were and was afraid he would end up like them. I love reading about the thoughts and emotions running through the main characters' heads and hearts. I love the direct, no-bullshit dialogue and that the honesty is raw and open. It took Justin awhile to figure out what he really wanted and it takes an earth shattering event to help him reach a conclusion. The hospital scene really squeezed my heart and I may have shed a few tears but it was Justin's moment of truth. Amelia also realized that she had been fixated on labeling their relationship that it stops her from bringing down the walls she builds around her heart. Who would want to be hurt by the same person again? I am finding Ms. Ward's books definitely a cut above the rest. When I thought I loved Neighbor Dearest, I have to say I love this book more. The setting of the book was a simple one, the beach house, but it was never boring. Ms. Ward words are heartfelt and insightful. The book truly speaks to the reader. I could not put it down and read it in one sitting. I was excited that Ms. Ward's characters do crossovers in her books, Jade being Chelsea's sister in Neighbor Dearest. The best thing about reading these books are they standalone and yet the characters have their own separate stories and yet, are linked.

I just finished this book with tears in my eyes! What a beautiful story, so well structured and even better characters development. Justin and Amelia were born to each other. The hate, the fights, the memories, everything screaming “please, you are soul mates, BE TOGHETER!” I love Penelope writing, she’s a special one, when becomes to writing amazing characters. I love them both so deeply that I couldn’t begin to express myself clearly. JustIN was the perfect balance of sexy, hot, amazing and caring guy and Amelia was this presence that you couldn’t ignore even you want it to! I’m still in tears for the last chapters, because it doesn’t matter how misplaced thing seems to be, they happen the way it should, no doubt! I love it! THIS IS A MUST READ, PLS

I loved them both. The fact that I completed this book in one sitting tells that I couldn’t put it down. Their story is so good. I actually like all of Penelope’s books.