Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory (Novel) #1

Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory (Novel) Vol. 1

Rate this book

From Fei Tian Ye Xiang, the author of Legend of Exorcism and Dinghai Fusheng Records, comes a brand-new story set in modern day!

Multimillionaire movie director Zhang Yuwen has it all—fame, fortune, and a successful career. But what he really craves is to create a novel he can call true art. Passionate about this dream, he abandons the film industry to pursue writing full-time, only to hit an unexpected roadblock: his characters feel flat, lacking the authenticity he longs for. The problem? Zhang Yuwen has spent most of his life alone and hasn’t had much real-world interaction to draw from.

As a single gay man with a luxurious villa full of empty rooms, Zhang Yuwen comes up with an unconventional solution. Why not rent those rooms out to other gay men and use them as inspiration for his novel’s characters? Enter his four new roommates: Yan Jun, a single father; Chen Hong, a fitness coach; Zheng Weize, a shy young livestreamer; and Chang Jinxing, a playboy and aspiring photographer. Each brings their own unique story and quirks, giving Zhang Yuwen the perfect opportunity to study real people up close.

But as Zhang Yuwen dives deeper into their lives, one question remains: can these very different men manage to coexist long enough for him to finish his masterpiece? Or will the chaos of living together become the real story?

380 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2025

85 people are currently reading
1077 people want to read

About the author

Fei Tian Ye Xiang

77 books144 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
65 (18%)
4 stars
152 (42%)
3 stars
107 (29%)
2 stars
25 (6%)
1 star
11 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
Profile Image for Alexia.
424 reviews
July 8, 2025
2.5 stars.

**DNF 70%**

I really wanted to enjoy this novel, especially since it's written by an author whose previous works include one of my favorite danmei stories. Unfortunately, I found this one to be a combination of boring, ridiculous, and somewhat crass. The premise initially drew me in with its intriguing setup, but the execution left much to be desired. All the characters felt underdeveloped and flat, which made it hard for me to connect with them on any meaningful level.

Take the protagonist, Zhang Yuwen, for example. He seems to be the archetypal heartthrob, but I genuinely struggle to understand why so many characters have crushes on him. Is it merely his looks? His money? He lacks a discernible personality, and his attempts at humor often come off as cringeworthy. The jokes, which are meant to be humorous, quickly became repetitive and tiresome, further diminishing my interest in the story.

The author's obsession with top and bottom became noticeably irritating very quickly.

Another frustrating aspect was the author’s portrayal of bisexuality. It’s disheartening to see a common stereotype perpetuated where every bisexual character is depicted as promiscuous. Just because someone is attracted to multiple genders doesn't imply they have an inclination to cheat or are indecisive in their relationships.

Moreover, the relationships depicted in this story lack depth and authenticity. They feel superficial, almost as if they exist simply to move the plot along rather than being crafted with care to show genuine connections. As a result, I find it hard to invest emotionally in who ends up with whom.

In conclusion, this book has been a significant disappointment for me, falling short of the expectations set by the author's previous work. I had hoped for a rich narrative with well-rounded characters, but instead, I encountered a story that felt rushed and uninspired.
Profile Image for Stacie.
340 reviews35 followers
April 17, 2025
The first modern Fei Tian I've read and I think I liked it! It has a few tropes I am not a fan of which I will list at the bottom in case it's considered a spoiler. I really enjoyed having a male author perspective in a modern danmei. There's A LOT of talk/explanation about the relationship dynamics of 1-0s/top-bottoms and IMO it feels much more natural and accurate knowing it’s written from a male author’s POV. I think this is going to be two volumes (50 chapters).

📚Funny, light-hearted slice of life with just the right amount of angst
📚Found family
📚Unknown CP (similar to Joyful Reunion)
📚Endearing characters that you will be pulling for and stressing about
📚Older cast of characters

I'm not sure if this is really a 5* book but for a short fun modern danmei I'll give it five stars (don't trust my rating system- everything is either five stars or no rating, nothing in between). I really like Fei Tian's writing style and sense of humor so reading a novel of his in a different genre was a lot fun. Now I'm so excited about reading one of his sci-if novels, Astrolabe Rebirth

What I didn't love (maybe a spoiler if you don't like knowing tropes)
💔Initial relationships built on lies, hidden truths
💔Multiple possible love interests and of course the one I want the MC with is not the one he ends up with (at least in this volume)
Profile Image for Nel.
267 reviews49 followers
May 18, 2025
this novel is a good reminder that danmei written by men can be infused with all sorts of nonsense and biases (its always the bisexuals who get the brunt of it somehow) as well.
as far as a contemporary danmei goes, i think there are much better specimen out there. i didnt hate it but didnt like it either. its kind of in an indifference limbo for me. a very forgettable work overall.
Profile Image for Sollenbum.
80 reviews4 followers
June 8, 2025
The first volume of “Riverbay Road Men´s Dormitory” by Fei Tian Ye Xiang reads like a fun informercial about the life of gay men in modern China. The series has a male gaze on the characters in the book and as such it feels different from the many danmei books that have been written by women. The book is set in a grand villa in an affluent neighbour in a modern, Chinese city. The premise is that a reclusive and wealthy young man needs to connect with real people in order to give his writing a more real feel. His wealth has isolated him from people, because he can afford to avoid crowds and interaction between random people in general. This has left him with an academic understanding of human interactions, which is not conducive for novels that engage the reader on an emotional level. Zhang Yuwen, therefore, decides to rent out the rooms in his spacious house to gay men of various types. He gives himself a slightly deceptive identity as the sub-let landlord who also lives in the house in order to prevent money affecting the power balance between him and his tenants.

The tenants include a young man, caring for his niece, after her parents have died and left her orphaned. There is also bubbly young man, who tries to earn a living as a livestreamer. Another is a fitness trainer and the last one is an unsuccessful photographer who ends up in situations where his customers pay for his services both photographic and otherwise. They are all decent people trying to get ahead and live a fulfilled life. Perhaps a little unrealistically, they seem to bicker very little and they all embrace the foibles of the others in the house, including the small baby.

The plot is rather thin on the ground and the characters are all essentially flat. They are nice but perhaps not entirely psychologically convincing. Their life dilemmas are real, though, and what makes the book readable is seeing how they organize themselves into various constellations. Into the mix comes a man who swings both ways, but has begun pursuing the protagonist. This puts the cat among the pigeons.

This book is not deep and individually the characters are not riveting. However, the setting feels real and their problems are modern. Their concerns are grounded in financial hardship and navigating gay relationships. The mechanics of these relationships are discussed very frankly in the last chapter where they play truth or dare. It is a fun premise, but the details seem sincere. It will be interesting to see how they pair up in the next volume…
Profile Image for Melina.
33 reviews
April 20, 2025
I read so many plot-heavy books recently that I was in desperate need for some simple, fluffy slice of life romance and this was the perfect choice to fulfill that need.

I didn't really know what to expect when picking this up as 1. the book was so new that I didn't see many people discuss it yet and 2. this was also the first book from Fei Tian Ye Xiang that I have read.
One thing that I for sure didn't expect was the amount of spicy topics in this book and with that I don't just mean straight-up smut scenes but just how many conversations the characters had regarding their sexual experiences, their roles, kinks and so on... I've also never really read a book that focused so much on the dynamics in a gay relationship and actually talking out who is the bottom and who is the top. In most danmei I've read, those dynamics where just at some point defined based on their characteristics or just based on who got the upper hand during the first time. It was really nice to see for once a, what I think, more realistic portayel of a gay relationship. I guess that is probably also Fei Tian Ye Xiang's strength as he himself is a gay man and therefore knows much better what modern gay dating is like.
I definitely look forward to reading the second volume and also reading more books from this author!
Profile Image for ir.
249 reviews39 followers
April 26, 2025
the plot of this sounded so light and goofy that i was interested in giving it a shot and sadly, even though it wasn’t that good, it was still an okay read. the characters, humour, and everything is pretty solid.

i have someone who i want the main character to end up with but they weren’t in a relationship in this volume (and the relationship that the main character is in in this book isn’t something i’ve very fond of) but i have a little hope… i even wanted to spoil myself and searched it up but, apparently this danmei is brand new so i can’t find any spoilers.

i’m generally not a fan of modern romances so that might be why i wasn’t huge on this volume. though there was a lot of talk on how gay relationships actually work which is very refreshing for the genre and it always makes me happy that fei tian ye xiang is a gay, male author!

basically, a light read that you can pick up if you’re looking for a little fun. also, this danmei only has two volumes so it's a danmei that someone doesn't need to commit to or wait for that much which is nice.
Profile Image for Queens Love Books.
389 reviews4 followers
June 24, 2025
"Don't dwell on other people's flaws, and don't doubt yourself. Those memories also contain past version of you. Forget what made you sad, remember what made you happy. Pick up the pieces and move on."

description

Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory (Vol. 1) caught me off guard in the best way. I was only a couple chapters in before I realized I was completely hooked. The writing is sharp, the pacing is tight, and the characters feel incredibly real. There’s something about the way this story balances awkward humor and genuine emotion that makes it impossible to put down. It’s light on the surface, but there’s a depth here that hits harder than expected.

What stood out to me most was how it explores feelings of inadequacy and isolation—especially when tied to money and status—without ever getting preachy. The story shows how small, everyday moments and connections can lift someone out of that fog, even temporarily. The characters talk in a way that feels natural—sometimes clumsy, sometimes too honest—but that’s what makes it feel authentic. It’s rare to find dialogue that’s this raw and still so entertaining.

If there’s one downside, it’s that the volume ends too soon. I wasn’t ready to stop reading. I’d drop everything to get my hands on the next installment. This is one of those books I can already see myself rereading, just to experience the highs and heartbreaks again. It’s different from other danmei I’ve read—special, even. I’m already impatient for more.

Date Read: 2025.05.13
Re-read: 2025.06.24
Profile Image for NiaKantorka.
270 reviews
dnf
October 24, 2025
dnf at 16 %

This is not my cup of tea. Everyone is lying and so far I liked the straight best friend the best because he thinks this whole idea is insane. Yeah, he has got a point. Another thing I dislike is the obsession of the author for who tops or bottoms. It might be relevant for his preferences as a gay guy but I find it a terribly boring problem for fictional characters to muse over so much.

Well, at least I only bought part one.

Profile Image for Rebecca.
1,441 reviews84 followers
April 22, 2025
With a very different feeling to most danmei I've read thus far, Riverbay Road Men's Dormitory is more slice of life than just romance.

Zhang Yuwen is the main character, a director who just wants to be a writer, but has spent so much of his life sheltered and alone, that he struggles to create believable characters. He opens his home to four other men, hides his identity, and begins learning to connect with others. Zhang Yuwen is clever and kind, and I loved seeing all his friendships (and possibly more) develop.

The others are all likeable, even if I personally liked some more than others. They're a great little group though, believably struggling not just with their relationships, but also with their careers, their finances, and what they want for the future.

This is a two volume series, so there aren't many chapters left, but I'm looking forward to seeing everyone (hopefully) get their happy ending.
Profile Image for Natasha.
100 reviews1 follower
May 19, 2025
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I expected. At times, I felt like I could skip the next 30 pages and not miss anything plot-wise. The last ~100 pages were definitely better than the rest of the book, and we got to know some of the characters a bit more, but others still felt pretty flat.

The relationship between the main characters was kind of boring? I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing (there’s often too much drama in BL), but I just wish there had been something more to hold my interest.

Profile Image for Susanna.
Author 52 books102 followers
April 20, 2025
Riverbay Road Men's Dormitory is a contemporary BL novel by Fei Tian Ye Xiang, the author of historical xianxia BLs, of which I’ve started Dinghai Fusheng Records and Legend of Exorcism. It’s set in a large Chinese city and focuses on lives of five men that come together by chance.

Zhang Yuwen is a wealthy man in his late twenties who for some reason that isn’t really understandable decides to abandon a career on a rise as a film director and become an author, for which it turns out he has no true skill. His publisher tells him directly that his characters are not realistic.

He comes up with a brilliant idea. Since he owns a large mansion where he lives alone, he decides to rent out four rooms cheaply and observe his lodgers in order to learn about real people. He chooses only gay men, being gay himself. He thinks he’s chosen them carefully, but he mostly went with their looks. Turns out, all of them have something to hide.

The biggest lie is told by Zhang Yuwen himself. He doesn’t want to disclose he’s rich, so he tells the house belongs to someone else and he’s only a caretaker. He goes to great lengths to maintain the lie.

Yan Jun is an office worker with a fairly steady income. He tells Zhang Yuwen he occasionally needs to take care of his baby niece, hiding the fact that that he’s her guardian and the child lives with him permanently. Obviously, Zhang Yuwen soon finds out the truth.

Zheng Weize is the youngest of the lot at 22. He tells Zhang Yuwen he’s a college student, but he’s never attended and he supports himself, unsuccessfully, with live streaming. He’s in constant need of money and caring attention.

Chen Hong is 29 and moments away from having to close his gym business, but he doesn’t disclose his financial troubles. For him too, cheap housing comes as a saving. Last tenant is Chang Jinxing, a photographer without a steady income. He’s the most handsome of the lot and knows it himself. He pretends to be successful and educated and is neither.

Because of the lies, it takes a while for the group to become comfortable with each other. But Chen Hong is good at forming groups by activating them. He takes them laser tagging and hiking and very soon they start to become a family. A family who needs love and sex and lusts after each other and eventually falls for one or more of them.

Zhang Yuwen has forbidden them from hooking up with one another. But that doesn’t stop emotions from forming. Most of them fall for Zhang Yuwen or Chang Jinxing. Things change though, when a straight guy the group meets in one of their outings, Huo Sichen, turns out to be gay and he and Zhang Yuwen hook up. Drama starts to climax during a New Year’s stay at a resort, but the book ends before we learn what comes of it.

This was a good start to a series. It’s told from several points of view, so we get a good understanding of everyone. The characters with their lies and needs were interesting and easy to root for, even Chang Jinxing. I wanted all of them to find their love and each man seemed to suit everyone else, one way or another. But I think the pairings that began to form here are only the beginning, and everything will change several times during the story.

Author’s views of relationships and sex, gay and straight, were rather odd, based on stereotypes and stiff traditions. These views were repeated and rehashed constantly throughout the story and they were rather annoying, something that would get the story trashed by readers if it was written by a western author. It lessened my enjoyment of the story a little, but not so much that I would abandon it. I have to know what will become of all characters and if they will find their happily ever afters.
Profile Image for Brigi.
922 reviews99 followers
July 19, 2025
This was fun, but there were also a lot of instances where stereotypes and just blatantly untrue things were said. Example: the bisexual guy likes to be both a top and bottom because he's bi, the top has to be this muscular man who has to provide for the bottom etc.

Although I must say, it did get better by the end and some of these preconceptions were subverted, but it was still treated as those things being the absolute truth and the subversions just quirky coincidences.

I did enjoy the cast of characters, though I do wish some of the roommates were more fleshed out. I am very curious about how their relationships are going to span out. I feel like except for Zhang Yuwen, the others might not end up paired up.
Profile Image for Iulia.
390 reviews
June 21, 2025
The way I felt reading this could be described with one single word: B-O-R-E-D

It's not like I've had a lot of expectations from Fei Tian, knowing I DNF'ed Seizing Dreams, but I was willing to give him more chances (probably because I already bought a few of his books). His modern books are definitely not for me.

Nothing really happened in this book, just endless talk about who's bottom and who's top (is it really that deep that you have to bring it up in EVERY conversation?). I didn't particularly care for any of the characters, not even the MC. I did like them, but I won't lose any sleep tonight if I don't know what happens to them.

MC isn't in a relationship with the guy I wanted him with, at least in this book. The "ML" is, frankly speaking, quite boring as well. I'm also not sure I vibe with this "Who's the love interest?" plot line. I wasn't sure who to focus on and I ended up caring about the wrong one.

All in all, I'm not sure I want to finish this series and I didn't appreciate the stereotypes the author portraits, including the typical "If you're bisexual you must be a wh*re because you have twice as many options". I was rolling my eyes at so many comments the characters made too.
Profile Image for Niki.reads.rainbow.
295 reviews27 followers
dnf
November 20, 2025
Dnf at page 81

I’m bored, the characters feel flat, there’s a biphobia, and who even asks people, if they’re too or bottom on their first meeting?
Profile Image for Dilushani Jayalath.
1,029 reviews197 followers
October 22, 2025
Well, I’ll be honest. When I first started this book, I really didn’t like it. I was regretting buying the second one before I even finished the first. It felt like a bit of a slog at times, and I wasn’t sure I’d even bother continuing.

But—surprisingly—I actually want to read the second book now. Somewhere along the way, the story hooked me. It’s probably a good thing this is only a two-book series, because it feels manageable and I’m now determined to see it through.

Also, I think I might be in the minority here, but I like Huo Sichen more than Yan Jun. There’s just something about him. I know he’s hiding something, and honestly, that mystery is a big reason I want to keep going. I need to know what his deal is.

That said, I did skim a fair number of parts. Some sections dragged, and I found myself just flipping ahead to get back to the characters or moments I cared about. But I didn’t drop it, and that says something.

Hopefully I’ll finish book two soon and finally move on to Peerless, which I’ve been saving.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
4,310 reviews69 followers
April 20, 2025
This is almost slice-of-life compared to virtually all other danmei titles I've read from Seven Seas. It's nice, but the biphobia and some kind of bizarre stereotypes do bring it down.
Profile Image for mara - hyrulevalkyrie.
246 reviews5 followers
April 23, 2025
Lovingly referring to this as “5 dudes in a room” or simply “5 dudes”, Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory is a hilarious, witty slice of life danmei that had me cackling and recommending it to anyone that would listen. I already have two favorite ships and am so excited to see where this story continues. Also!! I think this is a prime example of why reading works written by people that are actually in the specific community they are writing about is so important because tell me why this book actually taught me something totally new about sex??? Chicken-gege; I thank you 🙂‍↕️🤍
1,525 reviews51 followers
April 21, 2025
A really strong start that fizzled out in the last couple chapters.

To be perfectly honest, I couldn't quite understand how Zhang Yuwen was such a wildly wealthy film director and producer when he's laughably terrible at his new passion: writing novels.

While it is a different skill set, the emotional core should be similar, at least, for successful storytelling across different formats. And that's the part that the publisher keeps telling him is his main flaw: that he doesn't understand human relationships. So that felt like a bit of a plot hole that I doubt will be resolved in any way, at least not in explaining how he was good at writing and editing film scripts that presumably played on human relationships and emotions.

It probably would've been better to choose a different career for him (couldn't he have been a doctor, like his grandfather?), but the setup is just to get a very rich and rather bored man assembling a household of extremely poor and down-on-their-luck roommates from a variety of interesting careers and personalities. And that, for a while, is very successful.

I found it absolutely hilarious that for a good portion of the time, none of the new roommates seemed to have any intention of paying even the wildly reduced rent being offered to them for rooms in this luxurious villa. It was a little disappointing to see them finally starting to pay over time, because it was such a funny concept, and it's not like Zhang Yuwen cared about the money - he just wanted fodder for his books. But they weren't scammers...just across the board liars who'd really tried to play up their success so they could land a stable new place to live.

Yan Jun literally tried to sneak an entire baby into the house, somehow assuming no one would figure out that he had a one year old living in the house with them?? Chen Hong quietly moved all his exercise equipment into the house because his "hugely successful celebrity gym," where he'd been sleeping, went out of business. Zheng Weize was not a top, a university student, a licensed driver, or anything else he'd claimed to be during the housing interview. And Chang Jinxing lied about his education and his career, like pretty much all the rest of them.

In the end, though, they're all genuinely good guys, and solid friends to each other. Just having a really rough time of making it in a world where not everyone is born into immediate and largely unearned wealth, like Zhang Yuwen was.

He's a good guy, too, though, with a generous heart and open-minded acceptance for all these people whom he doesn't particularly mind taking advantage of him. He enjoys their time together and cares about all their life and career and romantic worries.

Romance is a big part of the plot, and for a while, I was having trouble figuring out where it was going to go. All of the new tenants briefly shoot their shot with their hot new landlord, although most of it's fairly casual and dissipates quickly.

Zheng Weize turns his attention to the far more charismatically attractive Chang Jinxing, in what seems like yet another of his doomed one-sided crushes. I'm not sure how I feel about the hints that they might actually form a real relationship, because I don't see a lot there in terms of lasting chemistry or compatibility...but who knows. Each of them needs someone a bit more serious and stable, but they're young and virile and attracted to each other, so it wouldn't be surprising for there to be a short-lived relationship blossoming for a while. (Although I wonder how Zheng Weize would feel if he found out what Chang Jinxing had gotten up to with Chen Hong over Christmas.)

Chen Hong has no hints of forming a relationship of his own, while Yan Jun is head over heels for Zhang Yuwen...which, for a while, felt like it could've been the endgame romance. After all, they were the first characters to interact, and they had a lot of significant emotional and bonding moments over the course of the story.

When another hot male character was introduced, a straight businessman named Huo Sichen, it seemed like a distraction to pull away from the romance at the heart of the story. After all, while Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen were striking up an unexpected friendship built off of common interests and good communication, it was one of those situations where Zhang Yuwen's attention was being pulled away from the good thing that'd been waiting for him all along, right at home...

...which, depressingly, is how Yan Jun feels even after it turns out that Huo Sichen is not straight, is in love with Zhang Yuwen, and is, at the close of this volume, very definitely dating him.

I'll be honest, Yan Jun's entire personality felt like it changed in the last couple chapters? It almost felt like Fei Tian Ye Xiang hadn't fully settled on the endgame for a while, and then once Huo Sichen became the clear winner, Yan Jun started being written out as...almost embarrassingly clueless. At the hot springs, he sits there smiling at Zhang Yuwen, confidently thinking that the relationship isn't all that serious and that Zhang Yuwen's far more interested in seeking him out instead of his own boyfriend.

In his interactions with the others, he also becomes loud and crudely flirtatious in ways that just didn't fit, at all, with how he was presented up to this point. It was weird and frustrating, because he'd been my favorite character up until the backstory chapter that kind of...mangled him. I don't get it. Was he too much of a distraction, after all, from the love story we were meant to be rooting for?

For most of the book, Yan Jun was a quiet, serious, hardworking guy who was really stressed out about raising a baby all on his own, while trying to hide so much of himself from others. He's closeted at work and far too exhausted and self-critical to pursue the kind of relationship he's desperate for. He's friendly and sociable but not outgoing; Zhang Yuwen notes the moments where it's clear Yan Jun wants to be a part of the bustling fun with the others, but it's difficult for him to find ways to break into those boisterous conversations.

Other than lying about having a child, he's also by far the most honest person in the house. He's the only one with a steady job - which is exactly what he says it is - and the only one who freely admits he didn't get a university education, expressing admiration for all the embarrassed liars who'd been boasting about degrees they'd never gotten. He's even-keeled and reliable and too aware of his own shortcomings to try to pursue anything with Zhang Yuwen - who's absolutely everything he wants in a partner but whom he sees as too far beyond him to seriously consider.

Until, suddenly, at the hot springs, when he sees Zhang Yuwen sharing a room with his boyfriend and decides Zhang Yuwen is in love with him instead?

Make it make sense?

I was frustrated by seeing his character kind of torn down by the end of this volume, because he really deserved a good love story of his own, even if it wasn't with Zhang Yuwen. So that's kind of a bummer. It also cheapens, a bit, the progression with Huo Sichen, to make him so obviously the winner. Even though there are elements where Yan Jun still could've been a better fit...like how Huo Sichen actively dislikes children, and Zhang Yuwen very clearly loves and wants kids. Which makes me wonder how that's going to work out in their future.

Anyway, love triangle aside (and this is why I hate love triangles so much), I did feel the intensity of Zhang Yuwen's chemistry with and attraction to Huo Sichen, and it seems to be genuine and mutual and pretty sweet. I'm not sure what's going on with Huo Sichen's secrets, and what he was crying and apologizing about when he was drunk...or why it was necessary to introduce the idea that he was impotent for two years before meeting him...? But I suppose those elements will all be revealed in the second volume, along with Zhang Yuwen finally admitting that he's extraordinarily rich and has been using all of them as research for his book.

I kind of wonder if he's going to bother writing the book, though. He seems to have lost a lot of interest in it and is just enjoying hanging out with his friends instead.
Profile Image for Ky !.
104 reviews7 followers
April 20, 2025
It was okay. Compared to what this author usually writes, it was pretty underwhelming. I liked the characters but they felt a little flat to me. The only one i ended up really loving was Yan Jun (if yuwen doesnt want you, im still here 🥹🥹🥹)

All in all, im a little disappointed considering i was pretty excited to read this.
Profile Image for Sidonie Becker.
59 reviews
September 24, 2025
DNF at 7%

I gave up half a page in of Chapter 3, the moment the MC asked the next love interest whether they're a top or bottom. Who does that? The MC or the author is so obsessed with tops and bottoms that in 3 chapters it was mentioned almost on every page. The concept of the novel sounded a lot of fun but I can't do this to myself.
Profile Image for mery☆.
178 reviews13 followers
May 28, 2025
if Yuwen does not end up with the person I'm picturing him with...I'm suing. I don't know who I'm going to sue, but I am.

loved the story and the characters, but the way it was written annoyed the shit out of me :) and so many scenes were SOOO rushed, like chill for a second, come on...
1 review
April 21, 2025
absolutely enjoyed this book. The guys interactions are great. They are funny and supportive and are becoming real friends. I won't say anything to spoil it but the couple who is just starting near the end is not who I want to see together.
Profile Image for Rae.
646 reviews
April 30, 2025
What a fun little family group. I almost don't want any of them to get together and they all remain friends instead. I thought everyone was unique and interesting. Fei Tian doesn't shy away from making people a little terrible and the worst sometimes which is so true to life. I thought his characters were actually super realistic and well done. The whole group together was so fun and fulfilling for anybody who loves found family. I enjoyed who Zhang Yuwen ended up dating in this novel although I know people have other opinions (valid because the novel showed us that pair often and alluded to it a lot). I'll be curious to see in book 2 if Yuwen stays with his current boyfriend or if he will end up with the narrative's other main choice. Overall a fun and kind of silly story. A breath of fresh air in a bit of a dreary modern world.
Profile Image for Jayson (hiatus).
66 reviews
May 26, 2025
Slice of life heaven. Excited for the sequel to give us more developments 🤍
Profile Image for Chloe Kemp.
52 reviews
June 29, 2025
Light enjoyable read but has a significant fixation on top/bottom roles throughout. I hope we get more depth to the characters and their relationships in the second volume.
Profile Image for Em.
141 reviews1 follower
April 17, 2025
Really enjoyed this aside from a few random moments of biphobia. A light read with plenty of romantic intrigue and a cute found family setup
Profile Image for Knigoqdec.
1,181 reviews186 followers
November 8, 2025
Един успял млад мъж решава да обърне нова страница и да се опита в попрището на писател. Само че се оказва, че текстовете му са много изкуствени и в тях няма нищо от живия живот. Ю Уън не познава особено добре хората, емоциите и света около себе си.
Ами добре - той има голяма къща. Веднага измисля план - ще обяви някои от стаите за наемане на много ниски цени и с определени условия, така че да може да се възползва от наблюденията си върху бъдещите си съквартиранти в полза на книгата си. Речено - сторено.
Почти веднага открива четирима млади мъже, които отговарят на условията му и са готови да докажат, че могат да му плащат наема за това страхотно място в богатата част на града.
Те са много добри момчета, макар и бедни като църковни мишки. Разбира се, няма да позволят на Ю Уън да разбере за последното, ако зависи от тях.
(Шестият го "улавят" след първата им съвместна дейност като съквартиранти по-късно, но той е малко по-различен.)

В интерес на истината, това ще се получи като много шантав сериал, който бих гледала. Повечето от героите са симпатични, макар че изпитвам леки затруднения да харесам Чан Дзин Син, фотографа. Най-симпатичен ми е Йен Дзюн, момчето с малката принцеса.
Много ми се искаше отношенията между отделните двойки да не остават в калъп. По едно време имаше добро разпределение, което излизаше от обикновените стандарти, които очакваме за такива истории, но накрая май излиза, че няма да го бъде. Много се надявам да греша, защото ще е скучно всичко да мине по очакван начин.
Реалната причина да избера 3 звезди (и половина) за тази книга е, че откривам за странно как провеждат постоянно разни подробни "женски разговори". Просто не си представям винаги и по всяко време да се интересуват дотолкова един от друг, с такива подробности и с такава готовност да се преценяват и анализират 24/7. Щях да се забавлявам доста повече, ако през цялото време се занимаваха най-вече със схемите си как да лъжат Ю Уън, че не са му дали едва-едва изкараните си пари за наема и после са само на инстантни спагети не защото много искат, ами защото нямат пукнат грош :D
Имаше една-две откровено казано прекалено пикантни сцени, но прекалено в смисъл на това, че леко излизат от добрия тон и в края на краищата оставят чувство на лека погнуса, дори и като основа да не се случва нищо особено. Поне за едната сцена останах с впечатлението, че е по-скоро излишна.
Като заключение - симпатична книга с хем свежа идея, хем добре позната на всеки зрител/читател, оставил зад гърба си множество ромкоми и произведения тип "живеем под един покрив и ни се случват само щуротии". Въпреки това щеше да е добре героите да са малко по-помислени в отделни ситуации, така че да се извлече максимума от историите и характерите, които могат да представят.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.