Holy crap, my Twilight/romcom loving heart is full. This book was so cute! Quirky, funny, and wholesome!

The facts: supernatural romcom, forced proximity, omg they were roommates, opposites attract, etc.

Evicted from her apartment, Cassie needs a place to live and find a place charging $200 a month and it's super nice (wish this was my life omg). Such a low rent, so super weird, right? And the owner, Frederick, he's super weird too... Because he's a vampire.

I love a good note conversation, and this one delivered. This was charming and laugh out loud funny. I had a very fun time reading this. It was a lil awk at times, but honestly, it just helped make the book what it is--a fun and light time.

I really enjoyed this. Cassie is a down and out artist who’s facing eviction when she comes across Frederick’s too good to be true Craigslist listing for a roommate. It’s cheap though, so she takes him up on it. When he is revealed to be a 300 year old vampire, Cassie has to decide if she will stay and help him acclimate to modern life or flee.

Things I liked: wildly likable characters, really fun campy storytelling, spiciness, charming awkward Frederick.

Things I didn’t like: I could have done with a little more vampire centric spice.

Happy Release to My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, which is a unique opposites attract & forced proximity between unexpected roommates romance that offers a fangtastic good time. This story follows struggling artist & children’s library assistant as she accepts a Craigslist ‘s ad for a severely underpaid rent situation with quite a strange fellow in a fancy albeit outdated apartment. A welcome note from said peculiar roommate appears & the bizarre hijinks don’t stop there.

This book perfectly combines epistolarian novel with its’ letters, texts & correspondence peppered throughout with the most amusing paranormal romcom that takes magic realism to Chicago. Its’ easy & entertaining nature allows for amusing banter & laugh out loud humor along with an affinity for modern art & a dollop of pop culture.

This is a great romance for anyone that loves….
🩷Opposites Attract
💜Forced Proximity
🩷Epistolary Books
💜Vampires Trying to Assimilate

The way in which this man speaks is from literally another time but also exhibits an otherworldly attractiveness thanks in part to the nostalgic romantic vibes that presently I can only match with the phenomenon that is Bridgerton.

This is a wonderful blend of funny, adorable & heartfelt in a paranormal romcom that offers a cozy escape for any reader.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

I've been a longtime reader of Jenna Levine's (IYKYK) and was so pleased to get to read an early copy of MY ROOMMATE IS A VAMPIRE! The dynamic between Frederick and Cassie was great and watching her attempt to teach him to assimilate to modern times was very sweet and fun. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone and look forward to what Jenna writes next!

I've been enjoying the witchy rom com trend that has really taken off the past few years, so when I saw that Jenna Levine's debut novel was a vampire romcom, I just had to read it! I'm so glad I do too because this was just such a charming book.

Cassie is an artist who is struggling to make ends meet, so much so that she's being evicted from her apartment. When she comes across an ad for an apartment in a great neighborhood and the rent is only $200 a month, Cassie is of course suspicious because it sounds too good to be true, but she decides to take it because she really has no other viable option. Cassie is a fun character, a little messy and chaotic at times, but very likable.

I adored Frederick J. Fitzwilliam from the moment we first meet him. He may be a vampire but he looks and sounds like he stepped out of the pages of a Jane Austen novel and he is a cinnamon roll. We learn early on that Frederick was the victim of a prank (courtesy of his friend Reginald) that left him in a coma for 100 years. When Frederick woke, he had no idea how to function in such a modern society so he has been struggling to fit in.

While Cassie and Frederick rarely ever see one another, they exchange notes every day. The notes are super cute, filled with lots of flirty banter, and the two of them soon become friends.

When Cassie accidentally learns that Frederick is a vampire, after an initial freakout, she accepts Frederick's offer to let her keep living there in exchange for her help in making a modern vampire out of him. I loved watching their relationship evolve as Cassie gives him a makeover. So cute & so hilarious! And even though their relationship is a slow burn, there is definitely some steam for those who enjoy that.

There was some drama near the end that I could have done without, but overall I just loved this delightful paranormal romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Audio for the ARC audiobook!

A breezy supernatural romance with a 'quirky' artist and her vampire roommate. What could go wrong?
This was cute, bordering on cutesy at times, and a bit of a mashup of storytelling styles.
Mostly a fluffy romance with a couple chapters of spicy near the 80% mark, with uncomplicated characters that verge on two-dimensional for those characters that aren't our main couple. I honestly wish we could have had about one-third more of the middle part of the book when Cassie and Frederick are getting to know each other from their particular points of view. That was the best bits for me.
The ending 20% was just... a mess. Felt very much to me like 'Oh, I need to wrap up all these plot threads in a chapter or two in a shallow way'. It felt way too rushed and far fetched (yes, even in a vampire book). It felt like we needed to put the hero in peril so we can have the other MC go save them. It never felt like they were truly in danger and there were (pardon the pun) stakes.

This is what I call 'brain candy'. A book for poolside or a quick weekend read. Not something I'd pick up again, but might give another book by this author a go in the future. It was alright for an evening's diversion.

Cassie Greenberg loves art and being an artist. Trying to live on that as a career? Less loveable. So when she finds an ad for an apartment that sounds too-good-to-be-true she reluctantly jumps at the chance. But still—there has to be a catch, right? She just didn't think the catch would be her roommate being a vampire.

This was a cute one! Admittedly, it took me a while to really sink my teeth into it (Get it? Sorry—I'm done now). But once it had me, I just couldn't put it down.

I really loved the overall premise of this book once it's revealed what Frederick is looking for in a roommate, but it took a while to build to it and then felt like it passed by in a rush. They were some of the funniest scenes in the book. I even laughed out loud a few times.

My biggest gripe, however, is how quickly everything gets resolved. I saw the humor in it, but it felt too convenient.

The main premise, mentioned above, is what saved it for me. I would have loved more of those interactions, for sure. It does end up getting spicy closer to the end, but nothing too spicy. More of that would've been fun, too.

Still, I enjoyed the read and look forward to seeing more from this writer in future!

I received an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own!

My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine is not the type of book that I normally read. But I was looking for a story that would make me laugh, and My Roommate is a Vampire sounded like it would do the job. Boy was I wrong! I did not laugh once. The characters are not developed, and I was not a fan of Cassie. Cassie is thirty-two, but her attitude and lifestyle is similar to someone in their early twenties. Cassie obtained a degree in a field where there are few jobs (of course is up to her neck in student debt. She manages to get evicted frequently. Cassie moves into her spacious new abode with Frederick and gets upset that he does not have pots and pans. Cassie should not be judging Frederick (pot meet kettle) since she does not own pans either (nor dishes, silverware, etc.). I did not feel the chemistry between Cassie and Frederick. Both parties are instantly attracted to each other. I quickly tired of Cassie talking about Frederick’s attributes. The relationship took time to develop (it was like watching grass grow). The vampire aspect was weak. There were smidgens here and there. There is more about Cassie’s odd art pieces and how she creates them. I did enjoy the references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was not a fan of the foul language or the intimate scenes (they were too graphic for me). The story lacked humor. I believe some parts were supposed to be amusing, but they did not work. The texts between Frederick and Reginald (the only other vampire in Chicago and he is the opposite of Frederick) could have been amusing if they had been done differently. There is a situation at the end that was just ridiculous and so was the resolution. I thought the story was way too long (352 pages—good grief). The majority of the story is told from Cassie point of view (just small snippets from Frederick). I struggled to finish My Roommate is a Vampire. What should have been an amusing story ended up being ho hum.

This book was so funny and kept me engaged. I would definitely answer a craigslist ad to rent a room for $200, sounds like a scam but def would check it out😂
This vampire was very dapper and handsome and needed a little guidance on how to be a modern person. It's hilarious as they come to an agreement for her to show him all he's missed. Also, Reginald his bff + archenemy made me cackle and their text messages were so funny.
Also, loved that he wrote her letters since they had opposite schedules. They were definitely opposites attract.
Btw I'm also Team Giles iykyk.


Thank you berkleyromance for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

There’s something about paranormal romcoms that just make me so happy. Reading about Cassie and Frederick and their roommate turned romance story was a lot of fun!

Cassie was a fun character to get to know. She was your typical struggling artist, a bit scattered while also being loveable and relatable. Then there’s Frederick, a vampire that’s over 300 years old and is as formal and old-fashioned as they come. Yet somehow, they made a cute couple.

Probably my favourite thing about this book: there was no third act break-up! I know, I couldn’t believe it either. There is a final conflict for the couple, but it’s not based on silly arguments or issues that could have easily been solved with proper communication.

There’s a bit of spice in this one, but nothing too wild. It was definitely a fun and light romance, perfect for when you want to relax and breeze through a book quickly. I would love to read a spin-off or sequel to this one!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Berkley Romance for my gifted copy and having me on a blog tour!

Cassie is like many artists, she loves what she does, but struggles to make a living. So when she sees a room in a gorgeous apartment in a great neighborhood, it seems too good to be true, but she takes it anyway. Her new roommate, Frederick, is hot, but a bit strange. He dresses and talks like he’s living in a regency romance, he sleeps all day, but he’s also very sweet.

This book was hilarious and a must-have addition to any spooky season reading list this Fall. The situations Frederick and Cassie ended up in had me laughing out loud at times, especially when she first moved in. I loved how their relationship evolved from strangers, to roommates, to friends, to lovers, and the sweet notes they left each other along the way. This book is definitely a bit ridiculous at times, but for me, that’s what made it so much fun to read

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for the advance copy.

I liked this book. I liked Fredrick and Cassie. For some reason the book didn't grab me and pull me through the emotional ringer though. And that's what I look for in a book. Cassie's just a little too accepting of Frederick's truth. His kidnapping and release seemed fairly easy too. Both could have elicited far more from the reader had they been more fleshed out. While I wanted more, I did enjoy the book and the prose was well done.

With rom com vibes and an interesting, unique premise, there's a lot going for this debut. I liked the concept of slowly coming to the realization that your mysterious new roommate is actually a vampire, I liked the epistolary element, and I liked the endearing hero. Exchanging notes and letters with a love interest is always a win for me, so that was lots of fun. However, our heroine is just too naive for me, and there were a few things that had me MAJORLY rolling my eyes. The particularly outlandish moments bring down an otherwise-interesting book, but there's certainly some potential within these pages. It's got some great moments and several that were truly kinda terrible, so it's an uneven reading experience overall.

The story follows Cassie, a woman in need of a place to live. When she finds an exceedingly inexpensive apartment for rent, she's sure that the situation is too good to be true. But eccentric as her new roommate may be, the rental is too good to pass up, and that's how Cassie finds herself living with Frederick. The good news is that they have completely opposite schedules - he seems to be nocturnal - and the man doesn't cook, so she's got the kitchen to herself. And while Frederick may be a little (or a lot) strange, he seems receptive to feedback and is always willing to learn. So the two soon strike up a tentative friendship with a hint of something more... at least until Cassie discovers the secret Frederick has been hiding.

Obviously, the concept is a little quirky in and of itself, so I liked that it leaned into the comedy aspect. This is a true rom com with a lighthearted feel and some funny moments. Frederick is definitely a fish out of water, and it was fun watching him acclimate to living in the twenty-first century. Those easygoing moments were the best parts of the book, and I could've done with a whole lot more of just Cassie and Frederick bonding. Unfortunately, I wouldn't say that's the focus of the book, and the romance takes awhile to get going. Once it does, things progress so quickly that it all felt so surface-level - Cassie even acknowledges that she barely knows Frederick, and things were still at a "HFN" level when the book ended. What really loses this points from me though is the handling of the vampire element itself. It was almost treated with a shrug, like "I wish he'd told me sooner," rather than the major revelation that it is. At one point, Cassie compares Frederick's omission to lying about her job, and... yeah, no. So there were definitely things that I really enjoyed about this, but the overall story ended up leaving me disappointed.

I struggled with this review because I’ve been loving vampires and vampire legends since I was a kid. I’ve been sitting here trying to reconcile my view of what a vampire book should be and what the author wrote. And you know what, that is one of the stupidest things I’ve done in a long time. There is no reason for me to do that because there is absolutely plenty of room for any and every vampire story, no matter how dark or light-hearted they are. I’ve rewritten this review twice now and had to take out a lot of my own conjecture about what I thought the book SHOULD have been instead of reviewing what the book IS about.

Take 3:

My Roommate is a Vampire is a cute and fun read with a devastatingly handsome vampire who finds himself lost in the 21st century after being in a coma for 100 years. Coma you say? Long story. With the help of his best friend, Frederick puts an ad online to search for a roommate to help him navigate the new world and educate him on all the things he’s missed. Needless to say, the ad sounded super creepy, unbeknownst to Frederick, and Cassie–in dire need of a place to live–is the only one who answers it. Frederick never thought of having a female roommate but there’s something about her that keeps him transfixed.

Cassie is a down-on-her luck artist with a master’s degree and no prominent job prospects. She’s working two part-time jobs and on the verge of eviction when she finds Frederick’s too-good-to-be-true roommate ad. Taking her best friend for backup, she meets Frederick and tentatively agrees to move in. Despite Frederick’s unusual schedule and his weird 18th century décor, things seem to be working out. Frederick hasn’t embraced texting or email, preferring the “old ways” of communication by writing letters. They leave notes for each other every day/night to communicate. Pretty soon, the chemistry between the two start to sizzle and their correspondences become a courtship of sorts, both second guessing their feelings for the other.

Everything’s going well until the vampire is let out of the bag by Frederick’s “unhelpful” best friend and it snowballs from there. Can Cassie accept that Frederick is a vampire? Will Frederick be able to save this newly blossomed friendship? Is Frederick’s best friend getting a kick in the pants? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

This book is a super sweet meet-cute that will warm your heart and make you smile. The characters are lovingly thought out. The storyline is interesting and the writing held my interest until the very end. It was so fulfilling to watch the chivalrous relationship between Cassie and Frederick develop into a fiery, all-consuming passion. The chemistry between the two is palpable. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

The author shows a lot of promise and I am looking forward to her next adventure.

What a sweet romcom! I finished a back-to-back intense thriller so reading this right after was truly a breath of fresh air! I enjoyed the romance between Cassie and Frederick, and even the funny texts between Frederick and Reginald. This was a quick and entertaining read. The story is admittedly predictable and very YA-ish, but sometimes we just need a lighthearted book to tide us over busy days and enjoy our weeknights without needing to dissect an intricate plot. Love that Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Crash Landing on You were mentioned in the book!

Hi and welcome to my blog tour stop for Jenna Levine's My Roommate is a Vampire! A big thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

​Summary:
True love is at stake in this charming, debut romantic comedy.

Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it’s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she’s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch—only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.

Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency-romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn’t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they’re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren’t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean...

Cassie’s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.

My review:
This is the first book I’ve read with a cinnamon roll vampire lead & I was immensely charmed. He is so considerate & formal in his speech & has beautiful stationary.

I didn’t think I was looking for the two latter things in my romance heroes but I guess I am.

Jenna Levine’s My Roommate is a Vampire is adorable, with a roommate romance between Cassie, an artist who initially feels like a failure, & her kind of strange, rich roommate Frederick who turns out to be a vampire who’s been in a coma-like state for decades.

They begin to send letters back & forth to each other & after she learns what he is, agree that she will help acclimate him to modern life by giving him tutelage.

There are some funny misunderstandings, a kissing for science plot point, & even a “who did this to you?” moment so basically a cornucopia of awesome things.

Balancing the sweetness & the adorability is Cassie’s growing self esteem which Frederick helps along by helping her see how wonderful she is & how talented she is.

And I never knew I was missing a reference to MFA student loan debt in romance but I loved it here.

This book is quick & winsome & exactly what I needed in that moment. Super cute & I can’t wait to see what Levine writes next!

5⭐️. Out today!

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

Cassie needs a new place to stay and Frederick needs someone to introduce him to modern society. Cassie is being evicted. As a struggling artist and art teacher, she isn't rolling in the dough, but when she sees a Craiglist ad for a roommate wanted, and the rent is only 200 dollars, she has to inquire. It seems very sketchy but when she meets Frederick she feels slightly more at ease, but she doesn't know what he is hiding.
Frederick has been in a coma for 100 years and is stuck back in the early 1900's, not only with his mentality, but his wardrobe and lack of knowledge about anything technology based. He needs someone to help him modernize. Cassie seems like she would be perfect, but when is the right time to tell your roommate that you are a vampire?
Cassie unforunately stumbles upon his secret before he can tell her and you can imagine how mind blowing that is for her. Frederick seems so sweet, and she wants to hear him out, but she is scared. Rightly so. She can't move past how sweet he is, how he genuinely seems to care and how gentle he is with her. Frederick knows he has no business feeling the feelings he does towards a human, it can only end in disaster, right?
Well the heart wants what the heart wants, even if it isn't beating.
I really enjoyed this cute story. It was very light and different from other paranormal reads for me and I really liked how the ending was done. These two warmed my heart.
Thank you to Berkley, Netgalley and Jenna Levine for an early copy.

3.5⭐️ rounded up

Cassie is a struggling artist and the eviction notice on her apartment is proof of that. So when an apartment listing pops up on Craigslist that looks too good to be true, she is just desperate enough to jump in headfirst. Her new roommate is definitely weird - sleeping all day, out all night, and speaking as formally as the characters in the Regency romance novels he leaves laying around. But when Cassie finds a stash of blood in the refrigerator one day, everything clicks into place. Her new (very sexy) roommate is a vampire…and he needs her help.

This story felt like TWILIGHT fanfiction, but in a way that made it less awkward (no hate to TWILIGHT, I too still weirdly love it in my heart of hearts). Frederick is very much stuck in the nineteenth century and Cassie is very much a modern day girl. Both characters are written in ways that feel very authentic to who they needed to be in order for the story to work.

There were times when the pacing of the story felt a bit off, dragging in some places and moving quickly in others. The jump between the mundane and exciting gave me a bit of whiplash at times, though the nature of the story called for it in a sense. While it was a bit choppy, the overall story came together in a fun, campy way.

One of my favorite things in this story was the referencing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one of my all time favorite television shows. As with most media that involves vampires, Levine plays with different folklore surrounding them, picking and choosing the parts that would serve the story the best. I loved that she used Buffy as a reference point for Cassie and Frederick and allowed that to be part of Cassie’s “education” - it really took me back to my fangirl roots!

That being said, (and this is definitely just a difference in personal taste/preference) the spice felt a little bland. After quite a bit of slow burn, I think I expected a lot more fireworks that what I feel like we get. Maybe it’s my weird love (read: obsession) with vampires, but it definitely could’ve been a lot spicier and gone a lot harder. Which is not to say that what we got was bad, I just personally think that it could’ve been even better.

Cassie’s struggles as a wayward creative was the most grounding part of the story. She fell in love with something in college and went all in, only to find that the real world is not really that wonderful to creatives. As a writer, I found myself feeling deeply for her and relating to the imposter syndrome she felt. I’d imagine a lot of creatives would feel the same.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.

This is a funny and quirky debut with a great premise.


This book was almost a standout read for me: it’s got a great premise, Cassie is a strong main character, and there's a good cast of supporting characters. The only problem? The vampires are boring. Cassie’s a down on her luck artist looking for some sort of break. She’s a character you can’t help but root for: she’s charming, hard working, kind and just can’t seem to make it work. When she meets her new roommate, the mysterious, handsome and wealthy Frederick, sparks fly. And this is where I got stuck. Frederick is a vampire who was made in the early 1700’s, and was asleep for the past hundred years due to a friend’s prank gone wrong. This would have had him living during the turn of the 20th century. But somehow Frederick, and every other vampire we encounter, still acts like it’s 1815. They don’t even seem out of touch but simply out of time. Which, if you’re the living undead and you want to assimilate with the masses of humanity, it seems to me you’d keep up with the times, at least in the very basic sense.

Secondly, while Cassie and Frederick fall for each other, we only see the story from Cassie’s point of view, other than some letters we get from Frederick to Cassie. Frederick comes off with a very “Mr. Darcy” vibe which only takes him so far. We don’t get to see enough of him to get a good sense of him and the life and experiences he must have lived. I don’t know about you, but if I met a person who’d lived through the last few hundred years, I’d sit them down and ask them so many questions. Cassie, however, doesn’t seem curious at all. And herein lies the rub. I’m not sure why Cassie and Frederick are attracted to each other: Frederick is instantly smitten with the young, human Cassie and Cassie longs for him aggressively. But I don’t know why. I don’t feel like we learn enough about either of them to understand how they are so instantly connected to each other. I think having some of Frederick’s perspective would have been helpful here in connecting the reader to him.

I loved the premise of this book, and I really enjoyed the setting and the wider cast of characters. The story is set in Chicago which I like because it's a very random city compared to other vampire stories (Paris, London, New York). Cassie’s struggles in finding her career path and life path is heartwarming and will resonate with anyone who’s struggling to carve out their own path instead of doing what’s expected of them. I was rooting for her from page one. I think this would have been a standout read for me if all of the characters and their desires and struggles were just taken a stretch further to help readers better understand the why.

This is a promising debut novel with a fun premise. I’ll be reading Jenna’s next book, for sure.

Thank you Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Roommate is a Vampire was pure escapist fun! Cassie Greenburg is an out-of-work artist in Chicago on her way to being evicted. The apartment ad she finds next sounds too good to be true - but how can she resist when the rate is so low and the neighborhood is sublime? Her new roommate, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam, is a bit odd, sleeps all day, and is barely home at night. But, he stocks the kitchen with fancy cookware, writes her sweet yet formal letters, and is interested in her art. As Cassie learns his secret (ahem, it's in the title) - what will come next for this unlikely pair? I enjoyed this quirky, campy read set in modern-day Chicago. Jenna Levine created a delightful little story and pairing in Cassie and Frederick, and I was in from page one. I recommend this to rom-com fans who like a hint of the paranormal, such as The Ex Hex or the Stay a Spell series.
Thank you to Berkley for the advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.