I adjusted the strap of my backpack nervously as the Uber pulled into the curved driveway of my new home—or rather, the home I was about to share with complete strangers. The house was ridiculous. Huge glass windows, sleek gray walls, and a steel-framed door that screamed modern money.

Mom had married some tech exec named Harrison while I was away at college. I hadn’t even met him in person—just a blurry FaceTime call with awkward smiles. And now here I was, standing in front of the ...