Room for Love [Paperback]

Andrea Meyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2007

Jacquie Stuart has just turned thirty-two and she wants to do a major rewrite on her life. Her salary at a snarky film magazine barely covers her mortgage, her bratty sister has staked permanent claim to her couch, her best friend is in an obscenely happy marriage, and the only guy who really gets her is gay. Worst of all, she keeps falling for broke, self-involved commitment-phobes. Needing moonlighting money, Jacquie gets the idea of investigating a new dating trend--looking for Mr. Right in the "Roommate Wanted" ads. After a bunch of colorful near-misses that bring her into the slums of the East Village, the brownstones of Brooklyn, and the dingier digs of the Upper East Side, Jacquie thinks she's finally found the man she's been looking for and stuns her friends by moving out of her beloved apartment--and into his. Complications ensue when her live-in love reveals some alarming imperfections, the irresistible artist who dumped her wants her back… and what is up with the mystery man living in the charming one-bedroom she left behind? Jacquie has been looking for love in other people's homes all over town, but could the key to her happiness lie right under her very own roof?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rich detail, a plot that lasts for a solid eight innings and a genuinely likable heroine give Meyer's conventional chick lit entry sparkle. At 32, Jacquie Stuart has pals who look out for her, an East Village miniloft that she owns, a managing editor's job at a tiny but respected film magazine and a history of falling for guys who don't want to commit. Witnessing her sister Alicia's and her co-worker Samantha's real estate–based romantic successes, Jacquie pitches an article to a well-paying women's mag proposing that pretending to apartment-hunt is the ideal way to meet men (a guy's home doesn't lie) and gets assigned the piece. After meeting a few frogs, Jacquie clicks with Anthony, a documentarian living in Williamsburg. Jacquie makes sacrifices, and old patterns soon start to emerge, leaving her with hard decisions. Elements of the denouement are convenient to say the least, but Meyer gives Jacquie some terrific foils (in friends Courtney and gay man Jeremy), and has poignant things to say about the struggle to find the right person. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

Unlucky-in-love magazine editor Jacquie may have found the way to meet a man and land an article in a major woman's magazine. Though she's just bought her dream New York apartment, she begins perusing roommate-wanted ads, looking not for the perfect pad but the perfect guy. After visiting a few apartments and scoring a few dates, Jacquie has the fodder for her article but not a perfect ending. Then she meets Anthony, and much to the chagrin of her friends and family, she sublets her place and moves into his. This tale about a single woman searching for love in the big city could easily seem formulaic, but Meyer's debut is smart, hip, and full of surprises. Readers are sure to be charmed by this story of a woman who realizes a sense of place can be as important as finding love. Kostovski, Aleksandra

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 291 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312370784
• ISBN-13: 978-0312370787
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,768,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very pleasant surprise, December 6, 2007

By 

Michael K. Singman-aste "MSingAste" (Alameda, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Room for Love (Paperback)

I can't remember the last time a book actually made me smile. (OK, I can: It was "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.") Happy endings rarely win their authors Pulitzers, but this book was exactly what I needed after a steady diet of heavy reads.

I have to admit that after the first two pages I predicted that I was not going to like "Room for Love." The quick descriptions of the heroine's co-workers (Zen Buddha boss, blond Barbie-doll, sweet spastic intern) warned of two-dimensional characters. I persevered, and was rewarded. Andrea Meyer shows a great flair for character development, breathing life even into the ancillary characters (and there were many), not to mention the cat & dog loving, cinephile narrator/protagonist Jacquie, on whom I was crushing by page 79. And like Jacquie, the dialogue was cute and witty, smart and sexy. "Room for Love" was a very pleasant surprise.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just my kind of book., May 16, 2010

By 

Lily Harper - See all my reviews

This review is from: Room for Love (Paperback)

Really enjoyed this laid back and funny romance. I just recommended it to my sister.

Give it a try, perfect chick read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars From S. Krishna's Books, September 4, 2008

By 

skrishna (http://www.skrishnasbooks.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Room for Love (Paperback)

I don't remember where I first heard about this book, but I thought the premise was incredibly cute - a girl who decides to try to meet guys through "Roommate Wanted" ads and writes an article about it. In these days of chick lit, it's not the most unique plot line, but I thought it would be endearing. I'm still not quite certain if I was right or not.

My main issue with the book was the fundamentally flawed main character, Jacqui. It's not that she isn't likeable, it's more that she isn't very much fun to read about. She obviously has major self-esteem issues and doesn't find a problem with sleeping with any guy on the first date. In fact, it seems to be her credo, as she is afraid that she won't be able to keep them if she doesn't put out. It's hard to believe a woman living in New York and working at a magazine in her 30's wouldn't have learned the lesson that sex does NOT buy you love (It's even harder to believe this after the relationship fiascos she has endured). I have some sympathy for her not having been taught this valuable lesson, but at the same time, these problems are not front and center. Usually when a character has issues such as these, they are dealt with in a strong manner in the book. Not so with Jacqui - they slip in and out of the sides of the story. While she does demonstrate some development through the book and grows as a character, that doesn't change the fact that I wasn't her biggest fan - she was just a bit too shallow for my tastes.

That being said, the book is similar to most other chick-lit novels. It is light and fun, with quirky secondary characters. While at the beginning, they are flat, two-dimensional characters, Meyer manages to make them more than they appear. She develops these personages well. Another treat in the novel is the view of New York City it provides; specifically, how difficult it is to find a good apartment, and how that apartment (and where it's located) define you. Those of you who watched the show probably remember Miranda's fear of moving to Brooklyn in Sex and the City. Meyer expands on that theme, making the real estate market of New York accessible to those of us who don't live in the Big Apple.

In sum, while Room for Love is quirky and cute, it has its fundamental flaws. However, I do look forward to reading any future offerings by this author, as she does show promise!