Review: Love Chaos Roommate up for Grabs by Ute Jackle

Love Chaos Roommate up for Grabs
by Ute Jackle
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication date: April 26, 2020
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

Making a fool of myself in front of the hottest guy on campus? Check!
Then getting stuck as roommates with the same hottie? Check!
Being completely humiliated by him on the very first night? Also check!

When Luca gets kicked out by her cheating ex-boyfriend, she’s assigned to share a dorm suite with the biggest player on campus.

Ben Nowak isn’t just brazen, he is brazenly sexy. A jerk with an irresistible smile that gets him whatever he wants. Luca might find him charming if everything he said didn’t make her blood boil!

Surviving this semester means ignoring her new roomie, his stupid sexy smirk and his constant string of casual hook ups. It’s the perfect plan. Until one night a mix up lands Luca in Ben’s bedroom– and he sets her heart racing for completely different reasons…

When Luca goes to check into her new dorm, she realizes there’s been a mistake. Apparently they put her in the men’s dorm where she will have 2 male roommates. Since it’s so late in the game, she is unable to switch to a different dorm. When she meets her new roommates it’s clear that she doesn’t hit it off with one in particular and there’s just something about him that rubs her the wrong way. This story kind of follows Luca as she navigates her new living quarters as well as dealing with some ghosts from her past.

I really liked the idea behind this book and was really looking forward to it but Luca really bugged me. She was so judgemental and at the same time had zero backbone. Go out with a guy who you don’t like that bores you to death? Sure why not. Divulge personal information about someone else so that the focus comes off of you? Yup, totally cool. Allow yourself to be plastered with booze you don’t want and be touched by someone you don’t like just because they ask? I mean, does the word no even exist in this girl’s vocabulary. Not to mention how psychotic she was. I’m not sure if she was 20 or 12. She stalks people, obsesses over Ben, talks crap about him when he doesn’t show interest in her, and falls under peer pressure every single time.

I honestly wish this book was written in Ben’s POV because I felt like his character had a lot more depth and maybe a bit more sanity. You just know from the moment that you meet him that he has a story to tell. He’s quiet, but outspoken, and he always seems to be taking things in. I was a little frustrated that no one in this book had heard of Crohn’s disease, and I honestly don’t know why Luca wouldn’t just say she has it instead of continuously allowing people to think she just didn’t want to eat gluten foods because she was on a diet. However, when Ben found out that it wasn’t just a diet choice of Luca’s but an actual health concern, he takes it upon himself to deep clean the kitchen and refrigerator in order to make sure she doesn’t accidentally come in contact with any gluten products. Not to mention when Luca stupidly lets herself be talked into trying a one-night-stand and ends up with some douche canoe who is super pushy, Ben steps in and not only protects her from making an idiotic mistake, but he also saves her from drinking a beer that the guy bought for her that she was going to dutifully drink. Yeah. I think I would have much preferred if the book was written in his POV.

While I really disliked the heroine, I will admit that I enjoyed the various characters we come across, as well as the character development. While Luca doesn’t seem to do much growth at all, those around her were always evolving and changing. I think having that huge core group really helped this story out and made it more enjoyable. This was a fun short read and I really enjoyed watching the tiny shift of Luca and Ben’s relationship over the duration of the story. The author has a good voice when it comes to story telling, and even though I dislike the main character, I still found myself wanting to pick up the book and continue reading. I look forward to seeing what else this debut author has to offer.