The Intimacy Experiment

3.5 stars rounded up because we need more romance novels with Jewish characters and themes. Rosie Danan had me at “rabbi and former sex worker,” but she had to work for it once I started reading. I loved the way Ethan made the case to young adults that Reform Judaism could help them find more meaning in their lives, and I loved his support and acceptance of Naomi, past and present. However, I felt like Danan kept telling me that Naomi was a hard as nails badass, but she never really showed that part of her personality (maybe I was supposed to remember her behavior from the previous book [b:The Roommate 45023611 The Roommate Rosie Danan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583339454l/45023611.SX50.jpg 69699115], but it's been a minute since I read it). So the whole “bitch goddess meets man of God” dynamic felt washed out. Also, while Naomi's reasons for not getting involved with Ethan were pretty straightforward (her reputation would hurt his career), his reasons were all over the place and not consistent - she couldn't possibly want me because I'm so boring, I can't ask her to make the sacrifice of being a rabbi's wife because my congregants come first, I can't have her because I always disappoint people (not sure where that came from....?) This is one of the reasons that I stopped reading M/F romances; the barriers to the HEA frequently seem arbitrary and contrived. Finally, there is a tone deaf scene towards the end of the book that troubled me. Naomi goes back to her old high school where her public humiliation and shame led her to become a sex worker. Instead of showing how much she has grown and changed, and helping kids who could easily be in the same position she was in years ago, she goes off script and rambles about surviving a relationship breakup and leaves without making a single personal connection. It felt like a totally inappropriate time for Naomi to work through her issues, and it made me mad at her selfishness. So in theory I loved this book, in reality I found some weaknesses. Still, in a world of tired plots and tropes, hats off (yarmulkes off?) to Rosie Danan for trying something new.