The Intimacy Experiment
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4.1 • 230 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
“Danan is becoming a go-to author.”—New York Times Book Review
Naomi and Ethan will test the boundaries of love in this provocative romance from the author of the ground-breaking debut, The Roommate.
Naomi Grant has built her life around going against the grain. After the sex-positive start-up she cofounded becomes an international sensation, she wants to extend her educational platform to live lecturing. Unfortunately, despite her long list of qualifications, higher ed won't hire her.
Ethan Cohen has recently received two honors: LA Mag nominated him as one of the city's hottest bachelors and he became rabbi of his own synagogue. Low on both funds and congregants, the executive board of Ethan's new shul hired him with the hopes that his nontraditional background will attract more millennials to the faith. They've given him three months to turn things around or else they'll close the doors of his synagogue for good.
Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems--until they discover a new one--their growing attraction to each other. They've built the syllabus for love's latest experiment, but neither of them expected they'd be the ones putting it to the test.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A rabbi and a porn star turned sex educator walk into a classroom: it sounds like the start of a joke, but it's the intriguing basis for the mostly charming latest from Danan (The Roommate). When Naomi Grant and Ethan Cohen cross paths at a teaching conference, Ethan proposes they work together on a seminar in modern intimacy at his synagogue. To a young rabbi with a shrinking (and aging) congregation, Naomi's charisma and expertise look like a godsend to entice new members. To Naomi, who associates organized religion with shame, Rabbi Ethan's model looks, sweet demeanor, and commitment to his faith spell danger. So though she's been searching for an opportunity to put her master's in social psychology to use, her initial answer is no. Though Naomi and Ethan eventually make an excellent team, external resistance and internal conflicts continually get in the way, and some of the conflict doesn't entirely gel. Naomi's bravado masks lingering hurts over being shamed for her sexuality as a teen, and the logic of how that formative experience led to Naomi's career in adult entertainment veers on cliched rather than convincing. Still the original setup and endearing characters largely make up for the flaws of this slow-burning romance.
Customer Reviews
Sexy and surprisingly educational
I was expecting a little more smuttyness due to the content in the first book in this series, but overall I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Naomi, was introduced in the first book but this story can stand alone. Naomi is a retired sex worker turned sex educator and entrepreneur. She meets Ethan, a former physics teacher and now rabbi, at a convention where he basically asks her to teach an intimacy seminar at his flailing synagogue.
The characters are well developed and have lots of smart, funny, and sexy banter. The conflict is realistic in this context and I wasn’t rolling my eyes which happens a lot when reading romance. The female lead is strong and not dependent on the male lead which is refreshing. The male lead is also not the usual “alpha male” typically portrayed in the romance genre. He’s more in tune with his emotions and those of others.
The characters’ dialogue regarding intimacy, sex, and religion is not only interesting but educational for the reader. The story also sets sex work and workers in a positive light (yas!) alongside religion and a little bit of science.
Like I said up top, I was expecting more sexy time with the characters. The 1.5 times they interacted sexually felt a little rushed but was well written. They did have sexual chemistry through out the book which was fun to read. Also, the ending was not my favorite. Not horrible, but just wasn’t satisfying. It felt cut off.
Hopefully there will be more books in this series as I’ve enjoyed the sex work aspect and the writing.
Dull
Lacked romantic suspense in comparison to book one
I’m a sl*t for religion
I expected more spice but I’m pleasantly surprised by the philosophy aspects! Maybe I waited for a moment in my life where I really needed some coaching on intimacy, or maybe this book is just beautiful, but I loved every minute of this. I love when books can intertwine philosophy & theology with romance. It strikes me as so much more realistic and grounded! This book is so tangible to me, and I’m not even Jewish! (It did also spark a lot of curiosity in me about Reform Judaism though so that’s also awesome)