But you’re renting a room in a brownstone for a pittance and you just happen to want me to move in with you? Why me?” We all know it has nothing to do with my sparkling personality. He takes a sip from his coffee, and it seems to give him the fortitude he’s so far been lacking. Jack raises his eyes. “Honestly? You seem like the kind of person who likes to laugh. And I need some laughter in my life.

Lease on Love

Thank you, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review, and thank you Putnam for the gifted final copy.

After getting passed over for an overdue—and much needed—promotion, Sadie Green is in desperate need of three things: a stiff drink, a new place to live, and a one-night-stand. When one drink turns into one too many, Sadie mixes up a long-ignored dating app for a roommate-finding app and finds herself on the doorstep of Jack Thomas’s gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone. Too bad she’s more attracted to his impressive real estate than she is to the man himself.

Jack, still grieving the unexpected death of his parents, has learned to find comfort in video games and movie marathons instead of friends. So while he doesn’t know just what to make of the vivaciously verbose Sadie, he’s willing to offer her his spare bedroom while she gets back on her feet. And with the rent unbeatably low, Sadie can finally pursue her floristry side hustle full-time. The two are polar opposites, but as Sadie’s presence begins to turn the brownstone into a home, they both start to realize they may have just made the deal of a lifetime.

Lease on Love is the slow burn roommates to lovers story I didn’t know I needed.

When Sadie gets passed over for a well-deserved promotion then subsequently gets fired, she does what anyone would do to blow off steam: go out with her friends to get drunk. After a moment of drunken realization that she put her dating life on hold for her job, she gets on a dating app to fix that. Except, it wasn’t a dating app. It was a roommate-finding app. But it ends up being a blessing in disguise because she meets Jack, a man renting a room in his gorgeous brownstone for a pittance.

With the steal that is her rent, she’s finally able to pursue her dream of owning a flower shop. It’s also a blessing for Jack, who hasn’t dealt with the grief of losing his parents 7 years ago and could use a new light in his life. They’re polar opposites, but together, Jack and Sadie find the family they’re missing and heal some wounds along the way.

Overall, I adored Lease on Love. Jack was a complete sweetheart, and I just wanted to wrap him up in a blanket to protect his gentle heart. Sadie was a lot, but in an enjoyable way, especially contrasted against Jack. I loved the found family aspect Sadie had with her friends (that Jack is later included in), and the side romance between two of Sadie’s friends was an excellent addition to the story.

The lighthearted moments between Jack and Sadie (including so many punny nicknames) were nicely contrasted against the meaningful discussion of grief, trauma, and overall mental health. It’s one of my favorite things when I see characters in a book going to therapy. The book is also a love letter to NYC, and reading it made me fondly look back on the few months I lived in Brooklyn.

My only complaint is the ending. I loved 90% of this. I devoured most of it in a day, and it was a 5 star read all the way to the 90% mark, but the ending was pretty dissatisfying. The last-minute conflict felt forced, rushed, and out of character.

But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Lease on Love. If you’re looking for a slow-burn, roommates and friends to lovers romance with found family and punny nicknames, Lease on Love is for you.