A rabbi and a porn star walk into a teaching conference…yes, that is how The Intimacy Experiment begins. And it is no joke. (Ba-dum-cha, I’m here all week folks!)

I *really* liked this book! It’s sweet and steamy and the plot is detailed and compelling.

Ethan is a rabbi who is trying to reinvigorate and grow his synagogue’s membership. Naomi is a former porn star who is chasing her dreams of being taken seriously for her ideas, and teaching in a classroom setting. He’s almost too sweet to be real and she is assertive and very spiky. Naomi navigates her relationship with her past and her own identity as a Jew as Ethan’s navigating the politics within the synagogue and his own family dynamics.

I enjoyed Danan’s immersive descriptions of Jewish religious life and the way she brought philosophy through Ethan’s dialogue. It could have been so dry or boring, or overly religious ans stuffy, but I felt like he was so excited about his ideas and explained his thoughts and feelings so beautifully to Naomi (and us).

Both The Roommate and The Intimacy Experiment make excellent arguments about politics, religion, sexism, discrimination and sex workers and I am here for it. I can’t wait for Rosie Danan’s next book. I adore how she takes serious topics and weaves them into a sweet love story with plenty of spice to boot.