The American Roommate Experiment

Both Rosie and Lucas doubt their own talents and suitability for each other and find these doubts impacting other relationships in their lives. As their initial attraction becomes a fully developed romance, they find ways to be honest about their goals—with themselves and others. Elena Armas uses the fake dating trope to argue that when real emotions emerge from an experiment, the positive impact has a ripple effect. Early on, Rosie avoids transparency with almost everyone she meets. She even has trouble revealing her flooded apartment to Lucas, insisting the hole in her ceiling is a “plumbing issue, nothing that can’t be fixed” (18). She is so dedicated to self-reliance and being a source of strength for others that it leads her to deception: After her career change, she fails to tell her father and brother about it and acknowledges “what a hypocrite [she is] for demanding the truth when all [she does is] keep secrets” (170). Regarding her career change, Rosie fears disappointing her father (who takes pride in her engineering job) and not living up to her new job as a romance writer (as she struggles to write her second book). She exhibits imposter syndrome, a phenomenon in which someone doubts their abilities and feels fraudulent and undeserving of praise or their place in life. However, Lucas and Lina are persistent in their belief in Rosie’s writing talent, and it is Lucas’s dating experiment that ends her writer’s block.

Rosie and Lucas’s experimental dates reveal not only the extent of Lucas’s doubts but also the depth of their bond. On their first date, the two share their dating histories, complete with comedic mishaps. On their second date, Lucas tells Rosie the truth about his leg injury, leading to a moment of romantic tension so incendiary that they literally burn their dinner. On their third date, Lucas admits, “I’m not running angel. Some days I’m barely even moving” (264). While Rosie becomes certain of herself—and of her love for Lucas—he cannot accept himself as part of her future. While Lucas can acknowledge the real emotions born of their experiment, he cannot accept Rosie’s faith in him; this conflict is in line with imposter syndrome, as he sees himself as a fraudulent love interest. He is similarly skeptical of Alexia’s suggestion that he attend culinary school, so caught up in grief over his loss of career (as a professional surfer) that he cannot acknowledge his other talents; this conflict is not quite the same as imposter syndrome but does prey on his lack of self-worth. By the end of the novel, both Rosie and Lucas tell Lina the truth about their arrangement and love. Rosie tells her father about Lucas and her career change, realizing that “without honesty, without truth, [they] never lived fully” (355). After a phone call with Lina, Lucas reevaluates his own worth and reinvents himself. In the end, Armas demonstrates that accepting familial and romantic love helps people live as their best selves.