Making a fool of myself in front of the hottest guy on campus? Check! Then getting stuck as roommates with the same hottie? Check! Being completely humiliated by him on the very first night? Also check!
When Luca gets kicked out by her cheating ex-boyfriend, she's assigned to share a dorm suite with the biggest player on campus.
Ben Nowak isn't just brazen, he is brazenly sexy. A jerk with an irresistible smile that gets him whatever he wants. Luca might find him charming if everything he said didn't make her blood boil!
Surviving this semester means ignoring her new roomie, his stupid sexy smirk and his constant string of casual hook ups. It's the perfect plan. Until one night a mix up lands Luca in Ben's bedroom– and he sets her heart racing for completely different reasons…
Love Chaos has been hailed by booksellers as “incredibly funny and captivating.”
Note: thank you to NetGalley and the Author for providing me with an e-copy of this book! ----------------------------------------------------------------- My rating: 3.5 ⭐ ----------------------------------------------------------------- I am a HUGE fan of romances, especially those set at college/high school, I don't know why 😂
Anyway, when I read the synopsis for Love Chaos: Roommate Up For Grabs, it sounded like the perfect haters-to-lovers at college story (which are two of my favourite tropes put together), so of course I picked it up!
I'll be honest here, getting into the story was a bit difficult at the beginning, because I was annoyed by the main character, Luca, and how she overreacted to everything. I think as far as the context goes, she's supposed to be around 20-23 years old, but her behaviour honestly reminded me of a 15 year old high schooler. I almost DNF-ed the book, around 78 pages in.
HOWEVER, I decided to give the story another chance, and I'm glad I did!
While the first few pages and chapters are a bit annoying and slow, as the story went on, I started to like it. I loved how smoothly Luca's relationship with Ben, Toby and all the new people in her life progressed. And as I learned more and more of both Luca and Ben's backgrounds and the sort of past they had, I loved them more and more.
My verdict: if you're a fan of slow-burn, haters-to-lovers college romances which, btw, have FANTASTIC sex depictions this book is for you! Definitely recommend for 18+ though, cause there's a lot of mature content involved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT I LOVED: > Relationship development- unlike those usual romances where it's love at first sight and crash burn, this story worked well on the love at first sight thing and took its own time to make reader's comfortable with Luca and Ben's budding romance, and ultimately had me rooting for them so much too! A+ for relationship development, it was done beautifully. > The Friendships- be it Erdie and Ben, or Luca and Caro, or even Luca and Martha, I loved how amazing and encouraging and supportive the friendships were in this book! > Diversity representation- now, I'm fairly new to reading books with diversity and representation so I might not be the best person to push this to, but this book did handle LGBTQ rep as well POC rep quite well! I was so glad to have an Indian character (as I'm Indian myself) as well as see positive rep of having children really young! I love how carefully and beautifully that has been handled in this story! Props to you, author! ----------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
> Luca's attitude- Luca, as a character, didn't really hold my interest in this story. She had her up points (like a certain scene which involved her and Martha, or even her interacting with kids), but mostly she came across as immature and very very judgy to me, very quick to jump to conclusions. While it was amusing to see her embarrass herself like that in the beginning, towards the end it got repetitive and annoying, and I was cringing reading it!
Well, that's basically it! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, final opinion: I liked this book! It was perfect for a cosy read, perfect to make you happy and was a good read! Definitely recommend it to RomCom fans, and I hope to see more works from the author in the future! I think I'd like them too! 💕
Where to start with this book, that fills you with so many emotions as your reading. Yes, there are triggers in this book, she will tell of a physical sexual trauma not in detail just her experience, still tissues. So, beware if that is one. They do talk about a lot Ben’s one and done and MO. There is only one graphic scene but not overly toward the end. This now ends my PSA.
Jackle is a new author to me, incredibly talented, and quite funny. Yet, along with humor, the ability to weave a tale and string you along in such a colorful ride. The whole time the characters themselves are filled with mischief and cutting wit without malice although at times it may feel like it. Yet, each one both Luca and Ben is racked with demons from their past. We are taken on a wild, sexually charged banter of magnetic proportion.
This is the story of Ben and Luca two college seniors who live in Germany. It focuses on the mixup that happens when they put Luca in an apartment at the college with two guys, Ben and Toby. Toby at times has a fashion model girlfriend who is staying with him, Ellen. Ellen is the stir stick of the bunch. She really doesn’t like Ben at all. So, when Luca is coming in off a bad relationship, off men, & meeting Ben under odd circumstances prior to move in. She is the perfect target to bring over to Ellen’s way of thinking.
You see, Ben tends to bring a different woman home every night, he’s a jokester, and she also finds out is a food bandit. Being gluten-free due to health reasons it’s not easy for her. She's not hard to convince. She doesn’t know however that there are qualities he keeps hidden to protect himself. Read Ben and Luca’s journey as they walk through the depths of hell, sexual banter, hurt feelings, and revealed secrets. As they find relief of not living in fear when friends help friends, see how trust can be built out of misconceptions, and asking for what you want can sometimes bring your biggest rewards in life.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Character development was necessary in this book, the author does a great job with that particular task. Even thought there was character development and the plot was intriguing, the enemies-to-lovers was poorly executed, I found a lot of this book to be very toxic and describing a borderline abusive form of a relationship.
Love Chaos was a sweet enemy to lover story between two college students who struggled with love in general. There were many funny moments but there were also many touching moments when it came down to the main characters. This story is a fast read with a happy ending.
3.5* This was a good story. I couldn't really connect with the heroine to me she was a bit whiny and seem to fly off the handle with Ben and the things he did but seemed to not know how to use her voice when needed. But both characters had a story to tell and I was intrigued to find out what it was.
I received an ARC and volunteered to leave a review.
I have never heard of this author before, but Love Chaos: Roommate Up for Grabs looked cute so I decided to give it a try. I have to admit, I was really surprised and impressed.
I was expecting something light and funny. And yes, there are several funny parts - a lot that made me grin, but it is much more. Love Chaos starts out when Luca finds out get got assigned a room with two guys and she is freaking out. I kept giggling as I read. Luca, coming out of a bad relationship, is jaded and hurt - but still a really sweet and strong girl. As I kept reading, because yes, I was hooked, I kept learning more about her. Her character is complex and I wanted to know more- and why?
That kept me reading a lot. The WHY? Sometimes I can read a book and figure out generally where the author is taking me and predict some of the outcomes. But these characters all have their own backstories that are surprising and really interesting. The hero, Ben, is complex, a little jerky at times, sweet at other times- but you know there is way more to him and I just wanted to know WHY. I LOVE Ben by the way.
Honestly all the characters are really well-developed with great story lines: the loyal and funny best friend, the kind of shady girlfriend of another friend. These characters are so well-developed that I'm now hoping this is the first in a series and that we will get to see their stories as well. I want to read more about Erdie and Caro and Martha and Toby. They are all great and I wanna see this bunch together again!
Love Chaos is a slow burn. It is fun and sweet, but it is also much more. A great read that I will read again. I'm gonna go follow this new-to-me author now!
This was the first book I have read by this author. A story with lots of fun dynamics between all the characters. College dorm assignment mix up leads to awakenings in many levels. I can see potential for at least 3 sequels. In the mood for some “dang, I would totally say or do that” moments? Grab this. In the mood for two people to discover their own truths as they find each other? Grab this. Enjoy!
Luca and Ben you can see have really great chemistry from the start. Although when they meet it’s not love at first sight. They have some great banter between them.
I absolutely loved this story. It's a comedy, but serious too, a bit of a groaner, and a bit of heart pounding. Love Chaos is an incredible story line that drew me in from page 1 and had me reading until I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer. Wonderful characters with depth and personalities! I really loved Luca and Ben and the banter between them! I was really drawn to Toby, too. I liked his level of friendship! The author was amazing with descriptions of the characters and places. I could draw a layout of the apartment from the visuals. Love Chaos reminded me of why Germany is on my bucket list. An overall great story by a new to me author!
Love Chaos by Ute Jackle is about a girl, Luca, who is done with boys. But her life gets thrown for a spin when her university places her in a dorm with 2 boys, one of whom is a serial womaniser.
I loved it. Yes it's a little cliche, and predictable, but its 100 percent cute. It's well written and the characters are likeable, relatable and leap off the page. My heart ached when Lucas did, and melted when hers did. This book gave me all the feels. It's a lovely, happy, funny, light read. I definitely recommend and would buy it for my shelves but Amazon doesn't ship it to my country. 5 stars.
Loved it!!! A page turner... Made me laugh at the hair styling scene I actually laughed out loud... I was wanting to smack Ben upside his head... A good book to recommend
So heartfelt, funny and heartwarming all wrapped up into one. My heart broke for the main character. I adored this book and cannot wait for the next one. Definitely one of my favourite reads of all time.
I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.
I gotta admit, Luca really annoyed me this whole novel. I'm actually surprised I finished it, but I wanted to know what happened in the end. Luca was very passive - she let everyone walk all over her and steam roll her into things she didn't want. I wanted her to grow a back bone and stand up for herself, but she really didn't throughout the entire novel and that just really pissed me off, to be honest.
Ben was also very aloof and flaky. He never said what he was thinking, always skulking away, and it was just a bit much for these two to act the way they did, yet be attracted to each other and not tell one another.
So I'm glad I got around to reading this, but I definitely won't be re-reading this story again. Maybe another reader will enjoy this storyline better than I did, though.
When Luca goes to check into her new dorm, she realizes there's been a mistake. Apparently they put her in the men's dorm where she will have 2 male roommates. Since it's so late in the game, she is unable to switch to a different dorm. When she meets her new roommates it's clear that she doesn't hit it off with one in particular and there's just something about him that rubs her the wrong way. This story kind of follows Luca as she navigates her new living quarters as well as dealing with some ghosts from her past.
I really liked the idea behind this book and was really looking forward to it but Luca really bugged me. She was so judgemental and at the same time had zero backbone. Go out with a guy who you don't like that bores you to death? Sure why not. Divulge personal information about someone else so that the focus comes off of you? Yup, totally cool. Allow yourself to be plastered with booze you don't want and be touched by someone you don't like just because they ask? I mean, does the word no even exist in this girl's vocabulary. Not to mention how psychotic she was. I'm not sure if she was 20 or 12. She stalks people, obsesses over Ben, talks crap about him when he doesn't show interest in her, and falls under peer pressure every single time.
I honestly wish this book was written in Ben's POV because I felt like his character had a lot more depth and maybe a bit more sanity. You just know from the moment that you meet him that he has a story to tell. He's quiet, but outspoken, and he always seems to be taking things in. I was a little frustrated that no one in this book had heard of Crohn's disease, and I honestly don't know why Luca wouldn't just say she has it instead of continuously allowing people to think she just didn't want to eat gluten foods because she was on a diet. However, when Ben found out that it wasn't just a diet choice of Luca's but an actual health concern, he takes it upon himself to deep clean the kitchen and refrigerator in order to make sure she doesn't accidentally come in contact with any gluten products. Not to mention when Luca stupidly lets herself be talked into trying a one-night-stand and ends up with some douche canoe who is super pushy, Ben steps in and not only protects her from making an idiotic mistake, but he also saves her from drinking a beer that the guy bought for her that she was going to dutifully drink. Yeah. I think I would have much preferred if the book was written in his POV.
While I really disliked the heroine, I will admit that I enjoyed the various characters we come across, as well as the character development. While Luca doesn't seem to do much growth at all, those around her were always evolving and changing. I think having that huge core group really helped this story out and made it more enjoyable. This was a fun short read and I really enjoyed watching the tiny shift of Luca and Ben's relationship over the duration of the story. The author has a good voice when it comes to story telling, and even though I dislike the main character, I still found myself wanting to pick up the book and continue reading. I look forward to seeing what else this debut author has to offer.
4 Stars Review by Lisa Late Night Support Group Up All Night With Books Blog
Love Choas: Roommate Up For Grabs by Ute Jackle is one of those stories that just sweeps you off your feet in a whirlwind of college living, hiding, family, friends and so much more. Ute takes on this reading endeavor that is not like other college stories I have read recently. She takes on some issues or situations that make it just a little more personal or realistic. And the way to words and captures the true feeling of this is brilliantly written.
When you start to book it will pull you right in. Laugh out loud that has you saying omg how embarrassing funny. And from there out is non stop.
this:
Making a fool of myself in front of the hottest guy on campus? Check! Then getting stuck as roommates with the same hottie? Check! Being completely humiliated by him on the very first night? Also check!
That alone had me dying to know what is going to happen. And to my surprise an amazing storyline with all the feels.
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review***
Read and Reviewed under Up All Night With Books Blog:
4 Stars Review by Lisa Late Night Support Group Up All Night With Books Blog
Love Choas: Roommate Up For Grabs by Ute Jackle is one of those stories that just sweeps you off your feet in a whirlwind of college living, hiding, family, friends and so much more. Ute takes on this reading endeavor that is not like other college stories I have read recently. She takes on some issues or situations that make it just a little more personal or realistic. And the way to words and captures the true feeling of this is brilliantly written.
When you start to book it will pull you right in. Laugh out loud that has you saying omg how embarrassing funny. And from there out is non stop.
this:
Making a fool of myself in front of the hottest guy on campus? Check! Then getting stuck as roommates with the same hottie? Check! Being completely humiliated by him on the very first night? Also check!
That alone had me dying to know what is going to happen. And to my surprise an amazing storyline with all the feels.
This book just felt so halfway for me. Also, the pacing was giving me a whiplash at times. I say halfway because when Luca started having sexual thoughts about Ben, I thought for sure the sexual tension would be so evident and strong — but it fell flat.
But I’m more disappointed at how misleading it was. I was expecting it to be steamy, almost in the level of Off Campus series. I think at some point this book had a set direction of where it want the story to go, but got lost.
The hate-love trope would have worked better if it was written in both Luca’s and Ben’s POV. Doing that would have given the readers knowledge of how Ben actually sees Luca (and not to mention, that would have been steamy). Without Ben’s POV, whenever he tried to “hide” his feelings and yet act so protective of Luca, it just didn’t do anything for me cause I didn’t have Ben’s side of the story.
I found the confrontation with Konstantin a bit off, and also everything that followed after.
I don’t think this was badly written, I just feel there could have been a better presentation/flow because the story had potential.
A story of a female Luca who gets kicked out of her apartment and needing a new place to live while going to school ends up in with two males Ben and Toby. She was put in the dorm with the guys because of her name and there are no other places for her. Now she is dealing with Ben who is bringing home a different woman every night and Toby who is with a model who does not like Ben. Luca also is dealing with a diet that is gluten-free and Toby wondering why the food tastes wired. Both her and Ben tell him about the gluten-free food but he just does not get it. Both Luca and Ben seem attracted to each other but each is dealing with issues from their past before they can have a future. It is a good story with the working of all of the dealings with the home and Ben and Luca. I also thought the whole gluten-free diet part of the story was a good touch since I deal with it every day now in my home with my daughter. Overall a good story. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
This was a fun read; but I almost stopped in the beginning. It took a bit to get into and being drown in the heroine's sorrow/troubles right off the bat gave me pause.
But I am glad I stuck with it! It sped up and turned into a realistic story (minus the models haha) that kept me up all night reading. Luca is mistaken for a guy on her dorm application; which can't be fixed. So either listen to her best friend and her new girl friend hook up daily or deal with two guys. How bad can it be? I loved that she didn't immediately fall for Ben and that it showed all aspects of his character. Both of them are flawed but their flaws make them more human and in the end bring them together. There are a lot of characters but I feel the author does a good job setting them up and giving everyone depth. I didn't get lost on any characters and after about 30% in the book it flowed real nice.
I was given a ARC copy for a honest review so here it is.....
Love Chaos was pleasantly surprising. I went into it thinking it was going to be the typical roommate to lovers tale but I loved how Ute Jackle wrote Luca's story.
I gave it 4 stars because I didn't notice a funny jump in the storyline. Not a bad thing and the story still played out great!
I'd love to see the stories of Luca's friends continue!
Overall I enjoyed the story and it was a good, entertaining read! Thank you Ute for the lovely book!
If you love haters to lovers college romances with some steeeaaamy scenes then this book is totally for you.
I admit that the first few chapters were a little slow for me but Luca & Ben both had some great character development and you'll love them both in the end.
The writing was great and I am glad to add this author to my go to author list!
College isn't just about learning. Its also about the experience. For Luca that experience is about to get a whole lot more awkward, tension filled lustiness complete with a ton of crazy.
This new adult romance has a winding road to happiness. Just keep your eyes open to avoid the pitfalls and you can make it out the other side unscathed.
I loved it, the story was very sweet and I loved seeing Ben and Luca falling in love with each other, but keeping their distance to the point, where neither of them knew what the other really think of the other.
I also really like the secondary characters, Toby and Caro, I kind of hope that they'll have a book !!
This was a cute book. There were a lot of serious issues discussed in this book, a lot of things people tend to ignore or dismiss. I liked that they explored the hard issues. I always Love a story that has a hate to Love relationship in it so this was definitely up my alley. Really enjoyed it.
Good story, really funny some times. Luca and Ben story is hot. Also I enjoy the other couples too, Caro and Martha and Rashami and Erdie. I receive an Arc from netgalley for a honest review.
Love Chaos Roommate up for Grabs by Ute Jackle is a wonderful love story, and my first book by this author. Luca is looking for college housing and she gets put in the only room available which belongs to two guys. Due to her name, they thought she was male. This is a very slow burn romance between Luca and Ben. I loved everything about this book! There are triggers, trauma, and sex in this book, if that is an issue for you. The story takes place in Germany, which I found interesting. The only thing I did not like about this book is the cover. The two people on the cover do not fit the couple at all, but I will over look that. I strongly recommend this book! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.