When she’d asked his name, he wondered if she’d pronounce it right, or if she’d ignore the h and lengthen the u, and he’d have to teach her, have to press his lips against her skin as he sounded it out. She’d pronounced it perfectly of course.
― Talia Hibbert, The Roommate Risk
This book was HOT. AS. HELL.
Ahem….
Jasmine is impatient. Jasmine is flirty and confident and impossible and bursting with life and passion. She is also living in a crummy apartment where she crashes when she is not working as a solicitor at a non-profit, or out partying in her free time.
When her room and most of her belongings are destroyed by a broken pipe/indoor waterfall-type situation, Jasmine does what she always does.
She calls Rahul.
Rahul is Jasmine’s best friend. He is perfectly controlled, perfectly calm, and keeps his life in perfect order. The only small bits of chaos he allows to slip in are from Jasmine. When Jasmine calls, he comes. He teases her but they both know he would do anything she asked. Because he is in love with her and has been so since they met in university years earlier.
Their friendship started with a drunken hookup. Jasmine went after Rahul and, after it was over, she gave him her ultimatum. They could be friends or nothing at all. She did not date. She did not have relationships, and she did not sleep with her friends. Stunned, Rahul chooses the least-worst option: remain friends with her, even though their brief intimacy had caused him to fall completely in love with her.
So, seven years later, Rahul invites Jasmine to stay in his spare room while Jasmine’s apartment is repaired. After a few days, Jasmine gives into her attraction for Rahul and, despite his overly-cautious nature, decides that having Jasmine as a friend-with-benefits now is worth whatever happens to their friendship in the long run.
I did not like Jasmine. I understand why she has so many issues with trust and intimacy. But the main thing that kept going through the back of my mind was, “this girl is a user.” She is and she knows it. She covers up fear with a “no fucks given” attitude, laughing off serious subjects, and drowning any remaining feelings in alcohol.
I felt bad for Rahul until I didn’t. By the end of the book, I still didn’t feel too bad for him. He put her on a pedestal and let her do whatever she wanted because she made him “helpless.” He is completely blind and refuses to entertain the idea of what life might be like after Jasmine. For how smart he is, this guy comes off as needy as hell. And he is so perfect, he comes across as quite boring.
Until they get to the sex.
It turns out that all of that control and angst and energy and seven-plus-years of pining needs to go somewhere, and Rahul channels it all into banging Jasmine six ways to Sunday. This is some premium, platinum-tier level smut.
By the end of the book, I had warmed up a bit to Jasmine. Rahul? Sure, I guess so. I’m just wondering how he became a sex god and who was unlucky (or lucky) enough to date him if he was hopelessly devoted to Jasmine the entire time.
I give this three stars for story and five stars for spice.
Content warning for mentions of neglect, abandonment of a parent, and drinking as a coping mechanism.
Talia Hibbert has a ton of interesting-looking books. If you have a favorite, please let me know in the comments.