Rosie Butler, 32, shares a flat with her boyfriend of nearly 10 years, James. She keeps wondering if he will ever propose. Lately, he has gotten into pure eating with no carbs or sugar. Being a bit overweight, this is frustrating for Rosie who enjoys a nice bowl of pasta. To get that, she meets up with her girlfriends and eats what she wants.

Rosie works as a claims adjuster for an auto insurance company. Her boss is a jerk and a misogynist. When he calls her in to criticize her on her phone calls with customers, she sees red and quits. Going home, she finds James packed up and he was leaving a letter to her saying they are over. Wow! This day just got better and better.

As she tries to figure out how she is going to make ends meet until she gets another job, she realizes she will have to find a flatmate. She had noticed a nice but quiet man living in the upstairs flat. When they actually meet, she learns the he has just inherited the building and is redoing the top floor flat. When she tells him that she needs a flatmate, he asks if he can take the room as he needs a place to stay while his flat is being remodeled. His name is Aled Thomas who teaches school. They get along together and life is good for them. Rosie gets a job as a barista and loves it. Rosie is determined that she will not let herself become attracted to Aled but that is difficult to do as he is such a nice man. Can they just remain friends or will their togetherness lead to something more?

This is sweet, clean, and humorous novel that I’m sure will delight readers. The characters are real and the atmosphere described made me smile and feel like I was actually there. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Spare Room is a heartfelt,slow-burn romance that left me feeling all warm and happy inside!

In her 30’s and seemingly happy with her boyfriend of almost ten years, Rosie sets upon a journey of self exploration after their unexpected breakup. Left without James to help pay their rent she seeks help in the form of a roommate. This is just the beginning of a wholesome journey into Rosie’s love life, one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I’m not normally a lover of romance and tend to steer away from the genre. However, Starkey caught my attention and I knew I had to have a little delve. This was the perfect palate cleanser after recently reading rather a lot of fantasy.

This was such a cute, bubbly story with characters I fell in love with!

Thank you to Laura Starkey for the ARC and her publishers. It was a pleasure to read your work !

What I Liked:
- Rosie (FMC) is the sweetest, most endearing character
- The personal growth Rosie exhibits through the story
- The attractive “Nameless Neighbor” who moves into the apartment complex
- Rhianne and the other supporting characters
- All the British cultural references and the British English dialect
- Closed door, clean romance

I’ll admit, forced proximity is one of my favorite rom-com tropes, and The Spare Room delivered! I loved the slow-burn back-and-forth tension between flatmates Rosie and Aled. There was classic sexual tension (closed door) but also emotional tension that gave Rosie’s relationship more depth.

I enjoy reading rom-coms because I want the Happily Ever After. To me, the best romance stories have the predictable HEA ending but aren’t laid out so explicitly that you can predict everything that happens along the way. The Spare Room is a perfect example of this. The plot was well-developed and had me invested while I waited for Rosie’s happy ending.

I recently read The Sweetest Revenge by Lizzy Dent and couldn’t help but notice similarities. The Spare Room would be an excellent read for fans of hers or of Katherine Center, Josie Silver, and Sophie Sullivan.

Thank you, Embla Books and NetGalley, for the advanced reader copy.

Super cute! I really enjoyed this one.

If you enjoy a hot, brooding hero - this is your book. Light on the steam, but still pulls at your heart-strings. Give this one a read!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

I picked up this book hoping for a fun and flirty romcom, but I was disappointed by the lack of romance and character development. The premise sounded promising: Rosie, a newly single woman, rents out her spare room to Aled, her mysterious upstairs neighbour, and sparks fly. However, I felt like the author wasted too much time setting the scene and talking about Rosie's job and family drama, and not enough on the actual relationship between the main characters. I barely got to know Aled as a person, and I didn't feel any chemistry between him and Rosie. They hardly interacted, and when they did, it felt out of place. The book was marketed as a forced proximity, slow-burn romance, but there was almost no proximity and the plot felt like it just dragged on. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me.

This was a cute little rom-com read, however it didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

I felt the story was almost too slow, even for a slow-burn not a lot happens in the book until you’re almost at the end - the ML doesn’t move into the spare room until you’re 50% through the book, it definitely could have happened earlier. I felt like there was a lot of room to develop the characters and their back stories further, for example I didn’t actually know much about any of the characters appearance. Maybe a dual POV could have mixed the plot up a bit as we understood what the ML was thinking, as the story built up.

That being said I did enjoy it, the story was sweet, very light hearted and I really liked Rosie as a FL.

Thanks for the eARC in return for my honest review.

This book had all the favourite tropes and Rom Com vibes, it was cozy and warm and was a really good read.

I really enjoyed the MMC and the FMC both a little naive at times but they were cute, I loved how homely they felt. Honestly this book just reminded me of comfort.

Now it was very slow burn, closed door romance, which I would have liked a bit more heat. I also would have liked to see more of the FMC ambition earlier on and seen her make more of herself although she did develop a lot in the book I felt like it was quick and missed a bit of the journeys

Overall this was a good read and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you @netgalley and @Emblabooks for sharing this ARC with me.

I feel like I just read a book about absolutely nothing. The Spare Room was so slow and nothing at all happened. I guess Rosie had a decent growth arc, but other than that, I was bored. I didn’t think it was funny at all, so I’m not sure where the “laugh out loud” in the blurb came from.

I received an advance review copy of The Spare Room for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My favourite romance of the year so far! This is so good I could not stop reading! It was so easy to fall in love with these characters; they felt like real friends. I didn't find the conflict far-fetched or fake as it can be in some romances.

Rosie can't even think about her heartbreak when she faces the more pressing matter of making rent this month. And in desperate times, she agrees to let her spare room out to her elusive upstairs neighbor. Aled needs somewhere to stay while his place is being renovated, and she gets to keep her home. It's a win-win situation... At least in theory.

Love a good, cozy roommate romance if done right. And this was one such!
I really enjoyed Rosie & Aled's banter and how it grew to a swoony relationship. The humor was very clever, too!

<i>Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.<i>

I loved this book. I loved all the characters & identified with them, even James. It’s such a lovely heart warming story. I read the entire book in one day & didn’t want it to end

I love a good romcom read and jumped at the chance to review this cute-sounding novel with the colourful cover.

Let me start with the good. This is a nice book to read if you’re looking for something extremely light. It’s a story about Rosie, who has been with her boyfriend James for the past 10 years. She comes home one night thinking that this might be *the* night and James will pop the question.

He does not.

The thing I liked about this book was the people – I loved Rhaina and Niamh; Aled was mysterious and bookish; Ellie is adorable. I enjoyed the relationship between Rosie and Aled; not so much the relationship between Rosie and James. There’s really not much else to say – it was indeed a very light read that was perfect for before-bed reading.

While the story was enjoyable, I wouldn’t say there was much substance to it. Bad things happen to Rosie and she doesn’t do a whole lot to change her life – in fact, with James, she was a bit of a doormat for him, letting him walk all over her.

The problems I had was that the story was extremely predictable. It’s not hard to figure out what’s going to happen, how the story is going to end, etc. Of course, with many romcoms, this can be the case – we all expect that happily ever after by the end, right? But the predictability went beyond that.

There was also an extreme lack of substance and character development. We meet Aled in the very beginning and the interaction between him and Rosie is just so … painful. It reads like it goes on for 10 minutes and Aled says nothing. It just seemed so unrealistic. I also really had no idea what either character looked like – I knew that Rosie was curvy (which is stated many, many times) and that Aled is very tall and wide, but I really couldn’t picture them in my mind.

Throughout the story, there’s a lot of talking, eating, swooning … and not much else. I think it might have benefitted from having dual perspectives throughout the story, but all we get is Rosie’s and she’s not the most exciting character. She lets James and her family take advantage of her and it’s very frustrating.

As for the romance, there’s not a lot of it. Rosie and Aled talk a lot but we never learn a lot about Aled’s life until the very, very end (and once I met his family, I would have LOVED to have seen more of them in the story) and Rosie’s family is insufferable. I’m on the fence as to whether or not they actually have chemistry beyond brooding, intense gazes, and the odd touch.

There’s also an issue about the pacing – “the spare room” is mentioned multiple times throughout the first half of the story, but doesn’t actually come into play until nearly halfway through the book.

Despite the negatives, I wouldn’t say it’s a terrible book – I did give it a solid three stars – but it’s one of those books you’d take with you to the beach, or read before bed, or in a doctor’s office, etc. It doesn’t have a lot that you need to remember as you read and can easily be picked up and put down.

Would I recommend this book? Probably not. If you’re just kind of on the fence about what to read, or in between novels, it’s fine to pick up, but I wouldn’t say that it’s an amazing read. I’ve read a lot of romcoms and chicklit and still think of some of them – this one was a little too forgettable.

I was completely captivated by the narrative, drawn in by the initial aspects of the story. However, my excitement soared when the new character emerged, promising fresh and thrilling possibilities. The only wish I had was for a briefer introduction to the first element, creating more space for the enthralling tale of the new guy to unfold.

The storytelling was vivid, weaving a tapestry of emotions and anticipation. The author's ability to create such intriguing characters left me eagerly turning the pages, hungry for more insights into the complexities of the newfound connection. With a bit of tweaking to balance the story's pacing, this could easily become a masterpiece, showcasing the brilliance of the narrative. An exhilarating experience with the potential for even greater heights!

3.5 stars - This was a really fun slow-burn, closed-door romance. I really liked the main characters (and the side characters), even if there was a bit too silly at times. The main character, for,at least the first half of the book, was very down about her looks, which some readers will not love, but is understandable considering her family. I really liked the mmc. He’s pretty much my favorite type of love interest- not at all smirky and winky. He’s a bit shy and holds back (and his feelings are slightly mysterious throughout a lot of the story), but is always kind. The main character’s relationship with her family (although luckily not my personal experience) will definitely be relatable to lots of women. I do appreciate how things ended concerning her family. I like that things were left feeling hopeful. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely check out other books written by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Embla for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

This is a cute rom com with a sweet romance involved, but it is also a much deeper message of loving yourself first. We all have things about ourselves that we don't like and that takes a hit to our self-esteem and confidence, but what if you lived your whole life hearing that you weren't smart, were too fat and just a silly woman? How would that affect the love that you have for yourself? Rosie finds herself at a major crossroads in life starting with the end of a 10-year relationship that spirals into a life makeover. Will she find the courage to love herself and in turn find true love or will she fall back into bad habits brought on by years of verbal beat downs from her parent and former boyfriend. This one definitely has a happy ending and is a really cute story, however, the message it also puts forth is one that all women of all ages should read, hear and take to heart! I am absolutely this author's newest fan and can't wait to read more from her!

This was perfectly lovely but unfortunately not a favourite. A solid 3 stars.
It was sweet, and I read it super fast, but I just needed a little bit more romance between our MMC and FMC.
A favourite part of the book for me was definitely the relationship between the FMC and her best female friend. I loved that their had each others back despite their little arguments!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Embla Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

A genuinely sweet, cosy read. Definitely a book for a light-hearted reading session. It made me chuckle more often than not and giggle like an idiot in the late hours.

Can I just say, Aled? Yes please and thank you.

The character growth throughout the book for all characters and just the MCs was great. Their struggles and insecurities are things that aren’t rare to come across, so watching them work through these was really heart-warming.

Also the most relatable quote, ‘You will pry my kindle from my cold, dead hands’

For anyone who loves slow-burn, this is definitely a book for you.

A wonderful slow burn, forced proximity rom-com.

What really stood out for me were how relatable and likeable (most) of the characters were, the ones that were meant to be that is. The two MCs Rosie and Aled were warm and authentic and I loved reading how Rosie grew to be a stronger more confident person throughout the book. The romance was very sweet and, even though it was a slow burn there was enough romance splashed throughout that you didn’t feel like you had to wait until the last page for any closure.

While I enjoyed the light-hearted nature of most of the book, Starkey also addressed some more complicated subjects around self-worth, family favourites and being under-appreciated which added an extra layer of depth.

Despite the slow burn I found the pace enjoyable and never seemed to stall. Everything was wrapped up quite quickly before the epilogue and I would have enjoyed having a bit more in the resolution or a chapter from Aled’s POV.

A fun, easy read, clean romance with many laugh out loud moments.

I hadn’t come across this author before but I will be seeking out the back catalogue after this wonderful book. The main character was delightful to meet, as were the other characters in the book. It was great to see her standing up to the not so wonderful people in her life and really finding her own little place in the world which made her happy despite it going against what everyone expected of her. I will definitely recommend this book to others.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

I really enjoyed this story. Its a sweet romance that follows Rosie as she encounters life changing situations. The book is about self development, realising that their is life after things ending and family resolution.

I actually wish the book was longer so we could have seen what happens after the ending.

The characters aren't hugely developed and it isn't a very descriptive book but it was enjoyable nonetheless. If you're looking for easy to read very slow burn romance then give this a try.

3.5 stars.