Book Review: The Invisible Roommate by Timothy Janovsky
Official Synopsis: Gerard Wells loves music but hates fame —not ideal when he’s the youngest member of the chart-topping band of brothers, We the Wells. Cracking under the spotlight, Gerard runs away to a small, remote island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. There, he goes by “James” and takes up residence in a crumbling Victorian house on the island’s shrinking shoreline. Little does he know, he’s not the studio apartment’s only inhabitant…
Mysterious and moody Emory Griffin never planned to be a test subject for his own groundbreaking invisibility research. He also never planned on sharing a room with a world-famous pop star, but needs must when you’re an unemployed graduate school drop-out who’s wanted by the local police.
With nowhere else to turn, the unlikely pair agree to be temporary roommates. Their forced proximity and vulnerability lead to an unexpected romantic spark. As Halloween approaches, their secrets and feelings grow harder to keep hidden, testing the strength of their newfound bond. Could this be a love that neither of them saw coming or an experiment set to go horribly wrong?
Gerard Wells and Emory Griffin are two people who feel lost in the world's they are in, or invisible to the people around them. Gerard feels like his family, which is also the band he's in, doesn't understand or see him, and he's tired of being thrown into the spotlight instead of getting a break. Emory has always felt invisible, especially after his mom left him at a fire department one day and never came back. When Emory accidently turns himself invisible and becomes a criminal on the small island of Ipring, where he is hiding out trying to figure out how to make himself visible again in the room that Gerard is now renting.
Gerard, who has been going by James on the island, is shocked to find an invisible man in his room, he is also shocked on a rock star and a scientist can have some much in common. When they plan to cohabitate the room for a few months, they don't expect to fall for each other as well. As both their time on the island comes closer to the end, Gerard and Emory have to figure out who they both want to be when this is all over, and how visible they hope to be to everyone around them.
I really liked the idea of this book and the way it was set on a small island where it is hard to keep secrets, but how the people on the island protected them both from anything. I think the overall story was really sweet and I liked the idea of having them not be able to fully 'see' each other for a bit. Emory is definitely a standoffish character and you can see why once you get the backstory. Gerard is just hoping to find peace with who he is and how that fits into the dynamic with his family. I think the characters were well thought out and I liked the journey they took.
I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars!
The Invisible Roommate comes out September 29, 2026!
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