ARC Review- The Accidental Housemate by Sal Thomas

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cath is a widow (well kinda—they never married), and is struggling to stay afloat, trying to balance three kids and a job. Her eldest is off to college, and she just got sacked from her job at the school. Needing a source of income, she agrees to take in a houseguest while they finish up their own schooling. Expecting a teenager like one of her own kids, she’s surprised at the very-much-not-a-teenager man who has come to live with them. He exudes a confidence that has Cath automatically feeling negative. Must be nice to be so good looking, confident in yourself, traveler, and no responsibilities.

A lot of Cath’s negativity bias is stemmed from her not feeling like she has lived up to her potential or her idea of success. After being sacked, she tries to still teach some of the kids to help them prepare for their upcoming exams. She ends up using social media as a way to reach them since they’re always on their phones, and accidentally ends up becoming a local influencer. Not used to feeling so much positive attention, she starts to become wrapped up in the “fame”. The other moms at the daycare suddenly like her, other influencers are reaching out to her, she’s invited to an influencer conference! Not to mention Dan (the housemate) is helping her with the videos. She’s starting to feel like someone. She has never felt this positive since Gaz passed. However, as her popularity grows, her personal relationships start to suffer.

I went into this expecting a typical roommate romance, but ended up completely endeared about this story of a mom just trying to make it, be a good mom to her kids, figure out who she is, and how to love herself and accept the love that is all around her already. The characters are all lovable, and while Cath herself is frustrating at times, her stubbornness and mindset is understandable given everything. I just wanted to shake her to wake up and realize the opportunities all around her. But it was a journey she had to go on, and it was a delight to read.

Thank you NetGalley, One More Chapter, HarperCollins, and Sal Thomas for an early copy of this gem. All thoughts and opinions are my own.