This book was laugh out loud funny, quirky as all hell, and one of my new favorite paranormal romances. This was so fresh and inviting while also being thought-provoking and swoony. Highly recommend.

A laugh out loud and very entertaining paranormal romance! The story and characters are very quirky and overall this was a very fun read!!

5 STARS BECAUSE IM A WHORE FOR VAMPIRES SAWRRY. everything abt this is perfect. where is my vampire roommate turned lover.

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 Roommate is a Vampire is everything you would expect this book to be based on the title and cover. A perfectly delightful hilarious romcom.

Fredrick, a vampire who was asleep for 100 years, is struggling to adjust to the modern world. His fellow vampire "friend", Reggie is helping him adjust, but Reggie doesn't always have Frederick's best interests at heart. So... Comedy ensues. I especially loved the texts between Fredrick and Reggie.

Loved this book so much! It was fantastic on audio as well! Superb narration.

Smash or pass? PASS. 1.5 stars. Cringe from me.
No humor. No spice. No chemistry. No new ground. Bare minimum of conflict. And another manic pixie dream girl ala Jessica Day.

The cute cover and fun title sucked me in, but are wasted. The snippets from Frederick’s pov were the best part. Perhaps a dual narrative could have helped?

Also, the awkward in your face set up for a companion book was unnecessary.

(Also no elite private school would ever hire a random person without teaching experience, education, or a license. That was so eye-roll worthy. Same for working in a public library.)

Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for the arc.

My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine is currently scheduled for release on August 29 2023. 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 Roommate Is a Vampire is an engaging story that had a nice balance of character development, fun, and secondary characters I want to get to know even better. I liked both Cassie and Frederick as characters, and I liked the secondary characters as well. I loved the interactions as Cassie and Frederick get to know each other, and figure out living together, and their lives in general. However, I do feel like although there are hint to the past and the issues that family cause, I feel like none of it was really unpacked. There could have been a bit more depth to Cassie if we knew more about her, and that would have given the story more impact as she finds her way and made readers a little more invested in her success and happiness. With so much of Frederick a mystery for the first half of the book, for obvious reason, I felt like we almost understand him more because his secret are so much more a part of him and the title rather tells us what those secrets are from the very beginning. While I enjoyed the read, and going along for the ride, I honestly hope the author follows this book up with a book for Reginald- since he was my favorite character in this book.

My Roommate Is a Vampire is an entertaining romance. I think I will be looking for more from this author to see if the stories of the secondary characters continue.

Out tomorrow (August 29) [Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an eARC for review!]

Rating: 4/5 stars

Cassie Greenberg is struggling financially when she comes across an apartment listing that seems too good to be true—and finds herself living with a very handsome, very old, very undead roommate.

I LOVE vampires stories of all kinds, so I was super excited for this one, and it was everything it promised to be! It’s a super lighthearted, campy (in a good way!) take on vampire lore, and I breezed through it in only two sittings. I enjoyed the characters and found the plot refreshingly straightforward—plus, NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP, which should really be enough said if you know me at all.

Best of all, this book is also legitimately funny—I laughed out loud several times, and found the antics of the MCs to be delightfully ridiculous and super entertaining, which kept me invested in the story the whole time.

If you’re looking for a spooky season read that is more treat than trick, this one is absolutely perfect! I also *suspect* we might be getting a sequel/spin-off in future (this is unconfirmed but I really hope I’m right!)—if so, I can’t wait to see this world develop even further.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: vampires; forced proximity; flirting through really adorable handwritten letters

CW: Kidnapping, some minor violence

Attention BTVS fans --- you NEED to read My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine. This lovely light take on modern vampires will leave you breathless.

This book had a cute concept and did mamy things right, but in the end I think the story fell flat.

Frederick was funny and I really enjoyed his lack of awareness when it came to living in the 21st century. I liked watching his and Cassie's friendship evolve, but it definitely switched to lust too quickly for my tastes.

On that note, the spice scenes felt out of place (I think the author was going for a quirky feel to the story verging on childish, so when the spice hit it felt wrong). The final conflict was also resolved way too quickly.

All in all, the romance was cute, it has promise, and this book may be a hit for you if you enjoy spicy romcoms.

“And then it was over. He pulled back abruptly, resting his forehead against mine, breathing very hard for someone who didn’t technically need oxygen to survive.”

This book was so fun and funny, I was so here for it. Imagine your typical vampire, not the Edward Cullen or True Blood or Vampire Diaries but a literal vampire, and discovering that’s you’re roommate. Cassie was just so human like any of us, living life in her 30’s and trying to get through her career and afford housing. Then you have Frederick who is just so precious and hot. Like gimme.

It was funny and just the perfect transition from summer to fall and I’d read more from Jenna Levine, like thank you for writing this in the first place. I’m obsessed with the cover art!

I listened to the audiobook (the narrator nailed the dual voices) for half of it, read the other half, and loved both!

A funny and charming vampire falls for human girl paranormal romance

My Roommate is a Vampire is a fun debut romance by author Jenna Levine. It has all the charming, feel good romcom vibes that will make you laugh and keep you smiling. I’m a sucker for anything involving a vampire and when I got to watch Jenna, a fellow Buffy fan, on Berkley’s Monsters and Mayhem event (it was so fun!) talk about the book, I knew I had to read it.

Cassie has an art degree but struggles to find good employment and needs to find an affordable place to live. Fate intervenes via an ad for an absurdly low rent room. Suspicious it’s too good to be true but desperate for a place, Cassie moves in with Fredrick J. Fitzwilliam. So what if he dresses, talks & acts like he isn’t from this century, is only up at night and has a room that is off limits to Cassie.

I loved Frederick’s character with his proper but definitely outdated vibes and his frenemy Reginald made me laugh so much. Their back & forth texts were hilarious. The romance was a bit of a slow burn (and remained low spice) but I adored Frederick and Cassie getting to know each other via their notes back and forth. I wasn’t a huge fan of the conflict towards the end but overall, this was a fun lighthearted paranormal romcom.

Cute enough but I wasn’t very endeared by the characters. It’s also supposed to be a vampire romance but it definitely doesn’t feel like it. Ultimately I felt like I was reading fan fiction but not necessarily in a good way, which it turns out I was upon further research. I think many people will like this, it hits all the points of a successful romance but to me it was just fine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and Ms. Levine for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. An honest review was requested but not required.

I can see that many people will like this - a sweet, fluffy, paranormal romance - but it didn't do it for me. Cassie is a definite Manic Pixie Dream Girl™ and the poster girl of the starving artist. She's being evicted and finds a super low-rent apartment to move into, but, why is the rent so low? Surely something is up with it?

Something IS up with it and Cassie ignores ALL her common sense and the major vibes and moves in anyway because, #savings. It should have been ultra obvious what was going on but she's such a MPDG™ that she just explains it all away and goes about her unpaid artist life.

Somehow, her new roommate Frederick falls in lust with her despite... not knowing her at all? I guess she's the first option he's had in a long time so availability is the key here. His backstory was a little confusing to me and I had some questions about how the vampirism worked (none of it was explained unless I missed it all). The climax (no pun intended) felt disjointed and anticlimactic. Like, threaten them with tiktok? that's it? jeez.

It was cute, and I read it quickly enough and didn't put it down, so I'll give it a round up for that. I can see the appeal to others, it just wasn't my cuppa.
⭐⭐1/2

My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Published: August 29, 2023
Berkley
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Pages: 352
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Jenna Levine works to increase access to affordable housing in the American South, by day. By night, she writes romance novels where ridiculous things happen to beautiful people. When Jenna isn’t writing she can usually be found crying over K-dramas, starting knitting projects she won’t finish, or spending time with her family and small army of cats.

“For you are anything but.”

Cassie feels like she has been struggling for a long time. She isn’t deterred, but she is frustrated. When she finds an ad for a person seeking a roommate for $200 a month, part of her is skeptical but also curious. Freddie has been gone for a long time, and he needs help getting reacquainted with modern life. He is nervous but hopeful that Cassie can help him.

This was sweet. I enjoyed the dynamic build-up between Cassie and Freddie. I liked how their interactions were authentic. From the nerves to the anxiety, I think all readers will relate.

Cassie was relatable. She was still trying to find her place, and she had tried and failed numerous times. She has a fantastic circle of friends, and her heart is so sweet.

Freddie was a brooding mystery. I enjoyed watching him evolve into the charming guy he is was lovely. It was fun going through his journey of modernization.

This was a different type of romance, but I enjoyed it. The humor was well-played and the spice was balanced with the plot. This was an enjoyable romcom with a nice pace.

I was so excited to read My Roommate is a Vampire. The premise, the Chicago location, the comp to Flatshare?? I was ON BOARD. Unfortunately, the execution left something to be desired, and I was seriously disappointed with the book.

I will be honest - if I had not been reading this for a review, I would likely not have finished it. My biggest problem with My Roommate is a Vampire is the writing style. It’s a little hard to explain, but it feels very flat. The characters don’t feel fleshed out, nor does the setting. I wasn’t able to immerse myself into the story, because there was very little world building, and not much depth to the characters. Additionally, vampire details feel almost shoehorned in at times, as if they are an afterthought and not the literal entire point of the book. The climax of the plot also worked itself out so easily, it was almost a let down. I was expecting some sort of vampire showdown at the end, but it was over in a few pages!

Cassie comes across as a total manic pixie dream girl, as she’s an artist who does “strange” art that nobody understands (except of course Frederick, the vampire main character). Frederick has supposedly been sleeping for the past one hundred years and yet knows what kiwi fruits and TikTok are somehow. I could not tell you why either of them liked each other, except that they are nice to each other (Frederick does say something about Cassie’s passion at a certain point, I will give him that). Also, there’s a part where Frederick gets so mad about a picture in which Cassie is wearing a swimsuit, and it just didn’t feel like it fit the character’s personality, and made me feel a little icky as a reader. I understand that the idea was to show that Frederick was from a different time with different morals (and how much he liked Cassie), but I don’t think it’s great that the main demonstration of that was over Cassie’s attire. I think there were plenty of other things that could have been good examples of this - the speed of cars, smart phones, the fact that the Sears Tower is literally DOUBLE in height of the tallest building in the world in 1920 - so many changes that he could have freaked out about. (And other ways he could have shown he liked Cassie, also.)

I think what did keep me reading was the excerpts of Frederick’s communications at the beginning of each chapter. I really enjoyed those, especially the text messages. They were funny and it was nice to get a peek into Frederick’s brain, as the entire book is told from Cassie’s point of view otherwise. I wish that the vibe of those sections could have been spread out through the whole book. Additionally, I did like the detail about the vampires living in Naperville. That was very amusing as a person who lives in the Chicago suburbs herself.

Overall, My Roommate is a Vampire felt very juvenile, and was a less than enjoyable read for me. I don’t know that I would recommend this one to most readers, but from the Goodreads rating, it does seem there are some people who have enjoyed it, they are just not me.

Content notes: Obviously there is some reference to blood and drinking blood, also a brief non-violent kidnapping at the end

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC. Thank you to PRHAUDIO for my complimentary audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was a bit nervous going into this one because I’d seen some unfavorable reviews.
Was My Roommate is a Vampire the next great American novel? Well, no, but it was a nice,quirky, fun romcom perfect for October reading. Not scary at all and just a tad bit campy.
While parts of the book may seem unbelievable, remember to just go with the flow and enjoy the process.

I found the narrators voice very pleasant and I enjoyed her different voices for the characters.

This was a mostly very sweet vampire story that, even when there were some high stakes, didn't really feel that memorable. I liked both main characters, but wish that there had been more relationship development there rather than the big dramatic plotline.

There were aspects of this that were really intriguing. It was an interesting combo of "chick lit" and fantasy romance, and the use of vampires, vampirism, and the anachronisms of the exceedingly long-lived for comedic effect worked really well. It was ultimately just a little too half baked for me—a lot of time spent on the main character's self-fulfillment and human career goals, while the arguably much more exciting, and definitely more urgent, <spoiler>vampire love interest kidnapping and imprisonment</spoiler> all happened off screen. Just overall I felt the author and I did not share priorities.

Read if you like:
🧛‍♂️ Vampires
🎨 Quirky Artist FMC’s
✍🏻 Notes back and forth
😂 Funny Convos
🤷🏼‍♀️ Books that don’t take themselves seriously
🥵 Vampire Spice

If you have ever wanted to bang a vampire (metaphorically speaking obviously)… then this book is for you!

This book was exactly the light and fluffy vibes I was needing this week! This one is one that I strongly recommend all the Romcom peeps read for spooky season as it was just so much fun! I love that it didn’t take itself too seriously because sometimes that’s exactly what I need in a book.

The letter writing was freaking adorable and honestly good letter writing will always get me.

I also lovvveeeed how old fashioned everything about Frederick was and smoking hot to boot?! Count me in, ya girl is drooling over his sweetness, thoughtfulness, and then ability to get his girl to see all the stars 😉

Honestly, if you need fun, please read this one this fall as it just made me happy and I couldn’t have asked for me.

Thank you so much Berkley Romance for my ARC of this one!

When I read “My Roommate is a Vampire” by Jenna Levine, I found it a witty and fun romance. I love the set up for Cassie to end up living with Frederick. The emails and various forms of communication at the beginning of each chapter give us a touch more insight to Frederick and enhance the story. Both characters are complex and unexpected in their reactions to others and each other. Cassie and Frederick’s dynamic is carefully built as they grow closer especially once Cassie learns the truth about Frederick. 

I love the witty tongue in cheek style of the writing. It allows Cassie to be imperfect and more interesting but also makes Frederick such a fun character. The vampire rules and the Buffy references were a home run to me, especially since I was a huge fan of Buffy. The secondary characters like Reggie and Sam hold attention as well. And ultimately the story has a super romantic and sweet ending. 

If you like witty and fun romance, I suggest checking out this paranormal tongue in cheek novel by Jenna Levine. The characters are delightful, the story is humorous and the romance is hot. With hot vampires and creative artists, how could you go wrong?