Episode 32: Moving In Together
Summary: Today, Holly and Devin explore the rest of what happens after “and they were roommates!” by discussing books featuring people who move in together. While this theme might feel squarely in Devin’s wheelhouse, but not to worry - murder can happen when you move in together, too. They agree that similar to any forced proximity narrative, a roommate situation really amps up the pressure and forces both the reader and the protagonists to ask “how well do you really know someone?” Of course, for Devin’s books the answer is likely “enough to tongue kiss them, at least” and for Holly… well…
Topics Discussed:
The Heart (3:07): Devin discussed Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur, a novel following childhood best friends Margot and Olivia after a chance encounter brings them back together…and lands them as unexpected roommates. Olivia is recently divorced and back in Seattle, as the wedding planner for Margot’s best friends. Margot doesn’t do relationships, but watching her best friends all get married leaves her feeling behind. Devin’s key takeaways were:
This sapphic romance and the wider series by Bellefleur refers frequently to astrology. Devin drew a connection between astrology and the LGBTQIA+ community, quoting Chani Nicholas from an article in the Advocate:
“When a lot of the religious institutions or traditions that we come from have shunned us, on a deep soul level, we want to be seen. And when we grew up in a culture that doesn't see us, that doesn't witness our gender, that invisibilizes us, that makes us into something that we're not, we need ways of being reflected that feel true.”
This book has a little bit of many of Devin’s favorite tropes - mutual pining, forced proximity, childhood friends to lovers - you name it, Bellefleur crushes it. Margot and Olivia as protagonists are really well rounded, easy to empathize with, and have a lot going on in their lives beyond romantic relationships.
Five chili peppers warning! This book is steamy - so graphically intimate that some folks on Goodreads knocked off stars. So beware if that isn’t your thing (especially dirty talk) - but clearly it is Devin’s so she highly recommends.
The Dagger (19:10): Holly discussed the book 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard, a novel with one of the best taglines ever. This Covid-era thriller starts when Oliver and Ciara have a few great dates and then strict lockdown restrictions land them as roommates… but within 56 days there’s a decaying body in the apartment and detectives are left to figure out what went so horribly wrong. Holly’s key takeaways were:
Howard uses different points of view very effectively, especially working inside such a tight timeline from the investigation back to their first date, less than two months earlier. Her narrative structure that weaves across the timeline keeps the reader guessing as to who is the perpetrator and who is the victim.
While generally it is still too soon for Holly to seek out books that include Covid, this novel worked very well because the pandemic acted as a catalyst for the plot, but wasn’t *the* plot.
What should be an exciting positive time at the start of moving in with a romantic partner quickly turns into a pressure cooker environment that goes from zero to 60, and Howard explores not just how little Oliver and Ciara know about each other but also how much we as the reader know and assume about our protagonists.
Hot On the Shelf (34:06):
What’s Making Our Hearts Race (36:23):
Devin: Extraordinary on Hulu
Holly: Crash Landing on You on Netflix
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