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NetGalley Review of The Invisible Roommate

Posted on September 22, 2026April 15, 2026 by caritagardiner
Screenshot 2026-04-10 at 10.14.57 PM (opens in new tab)

title: The Invisible Roommate

author: Timothy Janovsky

publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

publication date: September 29, 2026

pages: 320

peppers: 2 (on this scale)

warnings: parental abandonment (in past)

summary: When Gerard Wells tries to escape his pop-star life by retreating to an island, his rental apartment comes with an invisible roommate wanted by the islanders for theft. The two cohabitants need each other's silence, so they strike up a deal to share the space.

tropes:

  • famous person-normie
  • only one bed
  • we need each other
  • never been loved
  • no family-big family

what I liked:

  • sweet falling in love
  • small town
  • invisible imaginings
  • I can fall in love without ever seeing your face

what I didn’t like:

  • I wasn't expecting the book to be so Christian and church-oriented. The religious symbolism was too much for this reader.

overall rating: 3 (of 5 stars)

As always, you can click on the photo above if you want to buy the book.

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WHAT I DO

I serve as a class dean and teach English to high schoolers at a boarding school in Connecticut. I’ve earned a Bachelor of Arts (Amherst College), an Education Master in Learning and Teaching (Harvard University Graduate School of Education), a Master of Arts in English (Bread Loaf School of English), and most recently a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a certificate in the online teaching of writing (Southern New Hampshire University).

As a writer, I hope to capture the complexity and joy of life in the New England boarding school world. On this site, I share what I know about trying to write fiction while deaning, teaching English, coaching, and doing the other tasks associated with helping to raise over six hundred other people’s children.

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Read my recent “Why” Wednesday Blog Posts

  • NetGalley Review of The Invisible Roommate
  • NetGalley Review of Christmas at Honeycombe Bay
  • NetGalley Review of A Season for Falling
  • 403. Why Criticize
  • NetGalley Review of So It Grows
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