If you’ve read Georgia’s previous novel, The Friendship Fling, you’ll know why she’s been named the ‘British Emily Henry,’ and I’m so excited to share about her most recent novel, The Roommate Rule. The features Ava’s best friend Dylan, who is heading on an unplanned trip to Wales with a man (Ava’s twin brother Max) whom she’s only met once.
What I enjoyed most about the book was how Max gently pulls away Dylan’s layers, allowing her to be her true self, and how Dylan, in turn, gives Max the safe space that he needs most. Will they break the roommate rule?
Get an inside look at The Roommate Rule with Author Georgia Stone.
When did you first get inspired with the storyline for your latest novel, The Roommate Rule?
The second Max sauntered onto the page in my debut, The Friendship Fling, I just knew I had to write a whole book about him. From his sister’s POV, we see there’s more to him than meets the eye, and I thought it’d be really interesting to dive deep and peel back those layers. So, while I was finishing my first draft of TFF way back in 2022/23, the ideas for Max’s story started brewing. Since I gave him a career as a travel influencer in TFF, I knew his own story had to take place on one of his trips; it was just a matter of where and with whom. I ended up leaving the tiniest hints about TRR in TFF, and I love the idea of someone reading the books out of order and noticing them in retrospect!
This book is set on the coast of Wales. What drew you to the more rural setting?
The first and boring reason is that I wanted to prove to myself that I could write a book set somewhere completely different from London (which is where I set my debut, but also where I live, so it came to me pretty easily). A coastal setting felt like the perfect challenge—hopefully it paid off.
I toyed with a few different locations, but ended up going with Pembrokeshire in part because I took a field trip there when I was a teenager and realised I could draw from some of those memories for the setting. But I also just thought, in general, that Wales deserves more love! There are so many romance novels set elsewhere in the UK, and I wanted to draw attention to this little (not that little, actually) beautiful corner of it.
What sort of research did you do for the book?
I am not the most outdoorsy person, so I had to research a lot of the activities the characters participate in, just to ensure I was at least giving it a modicum of accuracy. Do I remember the difference between a paddle and an oar? No, but I did while I was writing.
I also Googled the local area a lot, mostly to bring realism via tiny details; things like finding out when blackberries are in season, when you’re likely to see seals while swimming, what the popular names were for people born in XYZ year—stuff like that! I also research where some of the real locations in the book are (some are fictional, though!), but if I’m honest, I took some creative liberties with the actual geography of the place.
What did you enjoy most about writing Dylan and Max and exploring the budding chemistry of their storylines?
As much as I enjoyed writing Max bringing Dylan out of her shell and semi-aggressively forcing her to live life on her own terms, more than anything, I loved watching Dylan very gently, very gradually give Max a soft place to land, to the point where he lets himself be
vulnerable with her and shed that bravado. I think, in general, actually, watching them both give the other exactly what they need was so special.
Was it difficult flipping back and forth between Dylan and Max’s POV’s? Or did you write the storylines separately first?
I tend to write chronologically, so since this book is a single timeline, I wrote it all in one go rather than one POV first and then the second. It takes me a little while to get used to each main character’s voice, but once I’m settled into it, I don’t find it too tricky to switch. I’m also a big outliner, which helps, so I knew from the start which scenes I wanted from each POV and what kind of things they’d think and say during those scenes. Occasionally I’ll reach the scene and realise I actually want to switch POV for better narrative impact, but generally I stick to the plan.
Are there any similarities between Dylan and yourself?
We’re actually pretty different, which made writing her POV difficult at the start! It took me some time to figure out who she is but I got there in the end. In terms of our similarities, we’re both close with our siblings, both love a spreadsheet, and are both chronically incapable of asking for help. Also, most importantly, we would both crumble under the attention of a flirty 6’5” man with silly tattoos. It is what it is.
Without giving anything away, what was your favorite scene to write between Dylan and Max?
I love the entire birthday section of the book, which is definitely multiple scenes but we’re going with it. Those scenes contain a few of my favourite lines, and there’s a lot of vulnerability on both sides that was really fun (and chest-achey) to write. It took me some time to get some of the wording right but I’m really happy with how it ended up.
How do you feel being compared to fellow author Emily Henry?
I’m honoured! She’s one of my favourite authors ever, and I swear, reading Book Lovers and meeting Nora and Charlie in 2022 unlocked something feral in me.
But in all seriousness, I love these comparisons. I love her dialogue, her imagery, how there’s emotional grit but the tone is rarely too heavy for me, how her relationships feel realistic, how her love interests have their own arcs alongside the main characters. My favourite romance authors inform how I write simply by teaching me what I love to read, and boy has Emily Henry taught me what I love to read.
Are you working on your next novel, and if so, can we get a sneak peek?
I always have projects on the go, and I am currently working on something I started back in 2024, but its future isn’t fully set in stone yet, so I’m reluctant to share anything! Having said that, just know that I’m always leaving crumbs of future ideas in everything I ever write…
