Under One Roof
Easy read
Sweet
Simple

Under One Roof The STEMinist Novellas #1

Ali Hazelwood2022
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new steamy, STEMinist novella… A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis—it leads to combustion. Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn… As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight. The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him…and the easier it is to love him. To read Sadie and Hannah’s stories look for the novellas Stuck with You and Below Zero, coming soon from Berkley!
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Reviews

Photo of Romy
Romy@abuliast
2.5 stars
Mar 31, 2025

Cutesy. Would not say it was good per se, but I can’t say it was so bad either.

+3
Photo of rhi
rhi@paedynsgf
3 stars
Mar 8, 2025

౨ৎ | in his sleep. i swear i’m going to kill him in his damn sleep. when he least expects it. and then i’ll celebrate by throwing empty bottles of creamer at his corpse.

— ★ 3/5

i mean this was good. but liam kind of annoyed me, and mara was just there. i know it’s a novella but i literally just read it and can barely remember the characters names. there was just no connection.

the sex scene was kinda bleh too. like the initial start of it ???? like what was happening.

+2
Photo of eden
eden@eternallysargent
3 stars
Nov 8, 2024

liam harding are u free friday night

Photo of Maggie Hotmer
Maggie Hotmer@maggielynn8
3.5 stars
Oct 18, 2024

*3.75 stars. This was a very cute novella. I really enjoyed the main characters and liked how they passed over a few months in such a short amount of time. I felt like I was in on their jokes and enjoyed their quirks. I did think that the ending was really sudden, I thought maybe he should have started by telling her how he felt first. Really sweet and can't wait to read the next ones.

+5
Photo of ang
ang @angslibraryy
4 stars
Jul 29, 2024

ali hazelwood dovresti essere la madre del mio futuro uomo

Photo of Christa Bell
Christa Bell@christalouwho
4 stars
Jul 11, 2024

It was cute and quirky even if the arranged meeting of the two main characters was a stretch. I found myself laughing out loud a few times quickly fell in love with all the characters. Was not expecting that much spice for a novella but I didn’t hate it.

Photo of p.
p.@softrosemint
2 stars
Jun 4, 2024

I am conducting an academic experiment (not scientific, literary. I am a humanties girlie. I lied, I am inbetween). Word on the street is that Ali Hazelwood keeps writing the same story over and over again and I am here to find out for the good of the nation.

Given that this is a novella, of course the space for development and build up is a lot more limited than within a novel. However, having read plenty of short stories and novel, I know that the word count limitation of the medium can be used to its benefit and that it need not cause the quality to suffer.

However, in the case of Hazelwood, a novella is used exactly like a one-shot fanfic and this is exactly how it reads. The whole time reading this, I cannot help but feel that I was meant to know who those characters were and that I have come here rooting for them to get together (I do not subscribe to the idea that an endgame is a foregone conclusion in romance. I do, however, subscribe to the idea that writers need to convince their readers to root for the couple).

What I could compliment, regardless of my misgivings, is that Hazelwood is a pretty competent sex scene writer, albeit the wish fulfillment aspect of the writing feeling a little too transparent, especially for traditionally published fiction. However, I think - and I can see how - this would appeal to some types of readers, just not really me.

Photo of 開花
開花@balintataw

light-hearted and fun! made me smile, giggle, and kick my feet like the hopeless romantic i am. definitely not groundbreaking in a this-will-change-the-world kind of way but it’s not bad in a i-should-not-have-read-this kind of way. just perfect for when ure in the middle of starting to read again and u just get that urge to watch a little story about two people who hate each other’s guts fall in love unfold.

Photo of kait
kait@kaitslibrary
2 stars
Apr 14, 2024

was i supposed to like this? because i didn't. i wanted so badly to get into ali hazelwood books and love them. i really did. and while i haven't read her other ones, this was one was just bad to me. maybe the others will be better and i haven't found the right one. but i have heard her books are all the same story recycled with different characters and i don't know that i want to sit through a story just like this but twice the length.

Photo of Selin Igten
Selin Igten@emerense
4 stars
Apr 2, 2024

why did i enjoy reading this omfg

Photo of alya adlina
alya adlina@leyabrary
4 stars
Jan 30, 2024

so i rated this book 3.5 to 4 stars. i enjoyed this so much ngl very cute and sexy read. a lil bit cringe? yes. did i smiled so much over it? YES I DID. this enemies to lovers is SO CUTE ali hazelwood did great LIKE OFC ANY ROMANCE + ACADEMIA/STEM BY ALI HAZELWOOD SHE WILL NAILED IT. i would be honest the characters are okay i could see the development. BUT the plot hm i like it but i don’t really like BCS IT WAS TOO SHORT AND I COULDNT CONNECT WITH IT SO ITS KINDA FRUSTRATING BUT WTV at least i enjoyed this. liam and mara is the cutest NGL I LOVE THEM. don’t know how to do a review for this but in conclusion I LOVE IT. but before i end this mini review LETS JUST TALK ABOUT THE LAST 50 PAGES OH MY GOD ALI HAZELWOOD REALLY DID WELL IN SPICE SCENE LIKE I LITERALLY SCREAMING THAT WAS SO GOOD I LOVE THAT PART SO MUCH AND THE REASON WHY I GAVE 4 STARS!!

Photo of ady
ady@thespeerlies
2 stars
Jan 16, 2024

i literally didn’t feel anything oh god

Photo of micah
micah@micahleidoscope
4 stars
Jan 13, 2024

kicking my feet

+1
Photo of Soha
Soha@soha
3 stars
Jan 4, 2024

it's like they forgot to add in a chapter between 12 and 13 i wanted to love this as much as i loved the love hypothesis but i kinda expected to leave a teeny tiny bit unsatisfied because this was a novella. i have, however, realized that i love ali hazelwood's style of writing and i LOVE LOVE ABSOLUTELY LOVE that her female leads are steminists 🥰 looking forward to checking out more by ali hazelwood!!! ❤️

Photo of Renata
Renata@renata_library
4 stars
Dec 15, 2023

this was so cute and short pls- i loved it since the the love hypothesis i just have been waiting for more books/novellas from Ali so thank u lol i literally can’t wait for the next one, and the other and the other, and the other - “I know you want it hard and fast. Just, I think about this a lot. About you.” - “I can’t think when you’re around. I can’t think when you’re not around. It’s been a problem. I feel like I haven’t formulated a coherent thought in months. I feel like you won’t stop being in my head, and—” - “How hard it’s been, to—fuck—to keep my hands off you. How much I’ve wanted this, almost since the very beginning.” - “I like you very much, Mara. I like talking to you. I like watching you do yoga. I like the way you always smell like sunscreen. I like how you manage to say pretty much whatever you want while still being unbelievably kind. I like being in this house with you, and everything we do in here.”

Photo of Ester Waclavova
Ester Waclavova@esterka
3 stars
Nov 15, 2023

a nice little quick read for when in a reading slump

+4
Photo of honya
honya@honbon
4 stars
Nov 4, 2023

4.25! woah, i accidentally read the 2nd book in the series first which i actually liked a bit better than this but OMFGGGG. my expectations for love are up the mf roof rn because of mara and liam and they’re perfect relationship.. also their conversations🥹

Photo of Helena
Helena@helenasofia2005
3.5 stars
Jul 3, 2023

O livro e normal daria 3 ⭐️ mas o cap 13 é muito bom smut muito bom. O livro em si é fofo mas nada de muito especial é enemies to lovers mas não odiei como costumo odiar o enemies to lovers não é muito crianças da primária teve só um ou dois momentos assim mas de resto não hove mts comentários infantis.

O livro até é bom mas o smut é muito bom.

This review contains a spoiler
+2
Photo of Charlsy Sekyere
Charlsy Sekyere@charlsy_s
2 stars
Jun 30, 2023

⭐️1.5-2 Honestly, I couldn't warm to Mara and Liam, as I found their interactions awkward and their little banter and overall interactions painfully humourless and really lame. They don't seem to have much chemistry or personality. I felt next to no emotional connection to Mara and Liam's romance throughout this short novella. It was unclear to me why Mara disliked Liam and vice versa. In my opinion, it was a poor way to implement the enemies-to-lovers trope, which was unnecessary for this short story. As a result, their dislike for each other seemed rather irrational. Lastly, the smut scene was random and unexpected. Now I do enjoy a good smut, but this one was pretty cringe-inducing and bland. This novella isn't terrible, but it's far from good. One good thing about this short novella is how short it was, so it didn't take a long time to read. In the end, I wouldn't recommend this short novella.

Photo of Tish
Tish@tissas1
5 stars
Jun 25, 2023

No one does romance like Ali Hazlewood. Can’t wait to read the rest of the novellas in this series!

Photo of eunice
eunice@aemarece
2 stars
Jun 19, 2023

this is honestly one of the books that i think i feel bad for not liking. only because a lot of my friends were raving about this prior to me reading this mini series. and, believe me, i tried liking it. i wanted to like it. i really did. but, to me, it was just .. average at best? maybe it’s because i despise insta-love and that’s one of the primary themes of this entire series. and maybe it’s because this entire series was just cliché. it was cliché in the sense that the tropes used were so badly written. like it was written just for the sake of being written. yeah. i won’t lie and say that some scenes weren’t cute. because they were. but that’s all there is to it, i think. and don’t even get me started on the sex scenes? they all felt so .. forced? and unnecessary 😭 it felt as though they were written for the sake of simply having sex scenes and it doesn’t matter if it looks stupid as hell or awkward as hell. i had to pause and stop reading multiple times whenever those scenes came up because they were just so awkward to read. but, anyway—overall, this book was basically not my cup of tea. and i personally don’t know if i’ll read any more of ali hazelwood’s books because i have this feeling her writing is simply not for me. but we’ll see, i guess.

Photo of nanafark
nanafark@nanafark
4.75 stars
Mar 29, 2023

apart from cringing a little at the intimate scene (i’d like to see slightly different dialogues there), it was overall lovely!

entertaining, light and funny as well as cute and hot!

on another note: i think that i prefer this way of storytelling, the personal pov in present tense (compared to the 3rd person describing in past tense, like it’s in The Love Hypothesis) and i always like the back and forth in time and how she describes the past and present in order to deliver the story.

+7
Photo of Kylie
Kylie@kylie_e
3 stars
Mar 27, 2023

It was a nice quick read.

+1
Photo of raine elizabeth chapman
raine elizabeth chapman@princess_ragen
5 stars
Mar 27, 2023

Honestly this deserves and will get a whole two page spread in my book journal.

Ali Hazelwood Book after book knows how to write the perfect romance and has highered my standards to unreachable heights and somehow this novella of 122 pages had managed to make me feel more than any relationship ever (Minus one :3)

The enemies to lovers mixed with a domestic homely setting and incredible smut is an amazing experience and ngl makes me want a relationship like that and a man like liam.

+4

Highlights

Photo of nanafark
nanafark@nanafark

What will I do with all this knowledge I have of his likes and dislikes? This knowledge of him? Where will it go once he’s not in my life anymore?

Photo of raia – inactive
raia – inactive@raieuh

“If I leave my job, who’ll keep you in the expensive multi-ply toilet paper lifestyle you’re accustomed to?”

Photo of raia – inactive
raia – inactive@raieuh

“You’re a lawyer. Can’t you, um, lawyer elsewhere?”

Photo of raia – inactive
raia – inactive@raieuh

He must be done with the celery, because he moves to slicing a tomato—is that my tomato?

Photo of raia – inactive
raia – inactive@raieuh

“I know you have been using my coffee creamer.”

“Have I?”

“You’re not as stealthy as you think, buddy.” I give him my best glare. “And if this is some kind of intimidation tactic, it’s not working.”

“Have you informed the police?”

“What?”

“This alleged theft of coffee creamer appears to distress you a lot. Have you told law enforcement?”

Photo of raia – inactive
raia – inactive@raieuh

I glance up at him, notice the way he nearly fills the doorframe, and order my heart not to hiccup. It does it anyway—even adds a flip for good measure.

My heart’s a jackass.

Photo of Ian Brakspear
Ian Brakspear@ibrakspear

See, that's the thing I hate the most about adulting: at some point, one has to start doing it.

Page 12
Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

“Is this what you wanted, Mara?” He slides a finger under my panties and parts my folds. One single finger. “What you— Oh.” For a moment, I panic. I cannot possibly be wet, not yet. But then I realize that I am, and I can feel it and hear it, the slick slide of skin against skin, my own body already beginning to flutter. And Liam makes it clear that he likes it. “You,” he grunts into my ear. “You wouldn’t believe it, the things I’ve thought about doing.” “The . . . ?” “Is this how you wanted it?” “Wanted . . . what?” “You said you wanted to be fucked. Hard and fast.” Did I say that? I can’t recall. I can’t remember my own name, and then things get even worse: behind me, he goes on his knees. What is he—? “Off.” Liam tugs at my jeans and panties until they’re pooling around my ankles, then tosses them on the other side of the room once I’ve stepped out of them. “Good girl.”

Page 82

OHMYGOD 😳

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

His second thought was that he’ll finally go back to living alone. I try to crack a joke. “Why? Are you kicking me out?” “No. No, Mara, that’s not what I—” His phone rings, interrupting him. Liam gives it a frustrated glance, but by the time his eyes are on me again I’ve collected myself. If Liam wants to live alone, that’s fine. He likes me. He cares about me. He’s a great guy—I know all of that. But being friends with someone doesn’t equate with wanting to spend every single moment of your life with them, and . . . yeah. I guess that’s my own problem to solve. Something to work on once I move out and this part of my life is over. “Of course I’m going to look for a new place.” I try to sound cheerful. With poor results. “I cannot wait to walk around naked and gorge myself on creamer to celebrate Eileen’s excellent life choices and . . .” I can’t make myself continue, and my voice trails off. Liam’s eyes remain withdrawn. Absent, almost. But after a while he says, “Whatever you want, Mara,” in a kind, gentle tone. I manage one last smile and slip out of his office as the first tear hits my collarbone.

Page 75

Yikes 🫤

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

He doesn’t skip a beat. “The team leader position?” “Yes.” His grin is blinding. Then he tells, “I’ll call you back,” to whoever is on the line, totally ignores the fact that their reply is “Sir, this is a time-sensitive issue—” and tosses the phone on the nearest chair. Then he hugs me back. He lifts me up like he’s too happy for me to even consider stopping himself, like this phone call I just had that changed my life changed his, too, like he’s been wanting this as much and as intensely as I have. And when he spins me around the room, one single, perfect whirl of pure happiness, that’s when I realize it.

Page 73

AWWW.

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

I don’t get to finish the sentence. Because he picks me up, Snuggies and all, and lifts me across his lap until my ass is resting on his thighs. Which . . . Oh. This is new.

Page 71

🫦❤️‍🔥

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

“You know what’s really shocking?” “What?” “That Helena never tried to set us up. Like, you and me. Together.” “Yeah, that’s—” Liam falls silent abruptly, as though something occurred to him, too. He stares into the middle distance for a moment and then lets out a low, deep laugh. “Helena.” “What?” He doesn’t answer me. So I repeat, “Liam? What?” “I just realized that . . .” He shakes his head, amused. “Nothing, Mara.” I want to insist till he explains what revelation he appears to have reached, but he puts a controller in my hand and says, “Let’s play.” “Okay. Who am I supposed to kill, and how do I do it?” He smiles at me, and a million little sparks crackle down my spine. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Page 68

Mara… you’re living in her set up💀✋

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

“Also, after the interview they gave us information on the salary. It’s a big raise. I’ll definitely be able to move out.” His eyes harden, then switch back to a neutral mask. “Right.”

Page 63

💳💥

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

“How did the presentation go?” I look up from inspecting my shoes. “What?” “Your presentation, today? For the lead position?” “Ah.” Right. The presentation. The one I’ve been complaining about for days. The one I practiced with him yesterday. And the day before. The one he probably knows by heart. “Um, very good. Good. Well, okay. Passable.” “It’s getting worse by the word.” I wince. “It was . . . I stumbled a bit.” “I see.” “But maybe I still did better than Sean?” “Maybe?” “Probably.” Liam smiles. “Probably?” I smile back. “Almost certainly.” “What a speedy improvement.” I chuckle, and he pushes away from the counter and comes to stand right in front of me. Like he wants to be closer for this conversation. Closer to me.

Page 62

I love this.

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

He pauses, then exhales a laugh. “If I leave my job, who’ll keep you in the expensive multi-ply toilet paper lifestyle you’re accustomed to?” “You will, since you’re probably sitting on generational piles of old New England money. Plus, you could totally still be a lawyer for other, slightly less disgusting corporations. If there are any, that is. And if we strike this blood pact and I get the job, there’s something even better in it for you.” “You let me hold Sean’s head in the toilet bowl?” “No. Well, yes. But also, if I get a team leader position, I’d be making more money. And I’ll finally be able to move out.” Without needing to sell my half of the house. Liam’s expression shifts abruptly. “Mara—” “Think about it! You, walking around naked in a pleasantly freezing house, scratching your butt in front of a fridge full of tartar sauce, cooking tacos at three a.m. while listening to postmodern industrial pop on your gramophone. All around are giant screens, broadcasting video game playthroughs twenty-four/seven. Sounds nice, huh?” “No,” he says flatly. “That’s because I forgot to mention the best part: your pesky ex-roommate is gone, nowhere to be seen.” I beam. “Now, tell me you’re not going to love every second of—” “I won’t, Mara. I—” He turns away, and I can see his jaw clench like it used to before, when my presence in this house annoyed him and he considered me the bane of anything good.

Page 58

HE ALREADY FELL.

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

“So, since I have you here,” and to avoid dropping into awkward silence again, “what’s up with the pictures?” “The pictures?” “The black-and-white pictures of trees and lakes and stuff. Hanging on literally every single wall.” “I just like to take them.” “Wait. You took the pictures yourself?” “Yeah.” “Does it mean that you’ve actually been to all those places?” He swallows a spoonful of soup, nodding. “It’s mostly national parks. A few state ones. Canada, too.”

Page 48

Called it.

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

“Mara.” “Yes?” “You clearly are some kind of genius.” Uh? Am I? “Is this—are you—making fun of me?” He looks dead serious and faintly offended at the idea. “You’re basically a rocket scientist.” “Basically being the operative word.” “And Helena, who had ridiculous standards, chose you to work with her. You’re obviously remarkable.” Oh God. Is this a compliment? Am I going to blush? “Um . . . thanks?” He nods. “What I don’t understand is, why is someone as smart as you watching this shit?” I smile into my fried rice. “You’ll see.” One hour later, when Sheryl says, “I think our relationship has come a long way, but I am not convinced that it could develop any further . . .” I slam my hand on my armrest and yell, “Oh, come on, Sheryl,” just as Liam slaps his armrest and yells, “Sheryl. What the hell?” We turn to each other and exchange a brief, bemused look. Told ya, I think at him with a smile. His mouth twitches, like he heard me loud and clear.

Page 45

🥹🥹

Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

“What sport is that, again?” I look up from the coffee I’m furiously stirring. “Mmm?” “The Nationals. What sport?” “Ah . . .” I glance around the kitchen, looking for clues. Find a grand total of none. “I have no idea.” Liam dunks a tea bag in his mug, a gleam of amusement in his eyes. “Me, neither.” We leave the room from opposite doors. I wonder whether he’s aware that we almost smiled at each other.”

Page 38

💀💀✋

Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

He nods. “You know, when my sister was in college she used to have a roommate she hated. I’m talking warfare. They’d yell at each other the entire time. She once wrote an entire list of everything she hated about him on her phone and it crashed her Reminders app. It was that long.” Uh-oh. That sounds familiar. “What happened to her?” I cross my fingers that the answer won’t be She’s serving a lifetime sentence at a nearby correctional facility for shaving off his hair while he was sleeping and tattooing “I’m a bad person” on his scalp. And yet, what UPS guy ends up saying is ten times more disturbing. “They’re getting married next June.” He shakes his head and turns around with a wave of his hand. “Go figure.”

Page 27

lol.

Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

I wonder who the photographer is, but I can find no signature. It’s probably some starving Georgetown MFA grad, anyway. They poured their soul into the series hoping it’ll be bought by someone who appreciates art, and instead here it is. Owned by a total ass. I bet Liam didn’t even choose them. I bet they were just a tax-deductible purchase for him. Maybe he figured that in the long run a nice collection is as good as stock dividends.

Page 26

Or maybe it’s him 🤨

Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

Third, and this is less of a statement and more of a question: Would you mind it if I killed your nephew? Because I am very close to it. Like—sooo close. I am basically stabbing him with a potato peeler as we speak. Though it occurs to me now that maybe it’s exactly what you wanted. You never mentioned Liam in all the years I knew you, after all. And he does work for a company whose main product is greenhouse gases, so maybe you hated him? Maybe our entire friendship was a long con that you knew would end in me pouring brake fluid in the tea of your least favorite relative. In which case, well done. And I hate you.

Page 25

💀✋

Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

“Do you, um, live here?” “I think so,” he says, as though too wonderstruck to remember. Which makes me laugh. “Great. I am here for . . .” What am I here for? Ah. Yes. “I was looking for, um, Liam. Liam Harding. Do you know where I can find him?” “It’s me. I’m he.” He clears his throat again. Is he flushing? “That is, I am Liam.” “Oh.” Oh no. Oh no. No, no. No. “I’m Mara. Mara Floyd. The . . . Helena’s friend. I’m here about the house.” Liam’s demeanor changes instantly. He briefly closes his eyes, like one would when given a tragic, insurmountable piece of news. For a moment he looks betrayed, as though someone gave him a precious gift only to steal it from his hands the second it was unwrapped. When he says, “It’s you,” there is a bitter tinge to his beautiful voice.

Page 16

Yes, it is I. I am she, she is me.

Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

“Fun fact about Liam Harding . . . You know how Helena was like, the Oprah of environmental science?” I chew on my lower lip. “And she always joked that her entire family was mostly liberal-leaning academics out to save the world from the clutches of big corporations?” “Yeah?” “Her nephew is a corporate lawyer for FGP Corp.” Just saying the words makes me want to gargle with mouthwash. And floss. My dentist will be thrilled. “FGP Corp—the fossil fuels people?” A deep line appears in the middle of Sadie’s brow. “Big oil? Supermajors?” “Yep.”

Page 13

Marshall and… who could Liam be 🤨

Photo of Keira 💫
Keira 💫@dirtyhandssidechick

It was so lovely of her to leave you her D.C. house,” Hannah says. She must have moved to a better fjord, because I can actually make out her words. “Now you’ll have a place to be, no matter what.” It’s true. It’s all true, and I am immensely grateful. Helena’s gift was as generous as it was unexpected, easily the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. But the reading of the will was a week ago, and there’s something I haven’t had a chance to tell my friends. Something closely related to houses on fire. “About that . . .” “Uh-oh.” Two sets of brows furrow. “What happened?” “It’s . . . complicated.” “I love complicated,” Sadie says. “Is it also dramatic? Let me go get tissues.” “Not sure, yet.” I take a fortifying breath. “The house Helena left me, as it turns out, she didn’t really . . . own it.” “What?” Sadie aborts the tissue mission to frown at me. “Well, she did own it. But only a little. Only . . . half.” “And who owns the other half?” Trust Hannah to zoom in on the crux of the problem. “Originally, Helena’s brother, who died and left it to his kids. Then the youngest son bought out the others, and now he’s the sole owner. Well, with me.” I clear my throat. “His name is Liam. Liam Harding. He’s a lawyer in his early thirties. And he currently lives in the house. Alone.”

Page 12

What in the roomhate😭✋