This book didn’t quite do it for me, but I’ll definitely give Levine’s next book a try. My Roommate Is a Vampire needed a bit more plot and character development, particularly for side characters. Thanks for the opportunity to try a new author.

I just loved this book! It was so fun and unserious and I had a great time reading it. Cassie and Frederick were entertaining and I loved their awkwardness and their eventual romance! There’s no third act breakup (love that) and the conflict was just so goofy. I’d explain but ya know, spoilers. Definitely hope everyone picks this one up for their fall / spooky season TBR

My initial reaction upon finishing this book was that it was a cute, albeit silly, paranormal rom-com about a girl who falls for a vampire, and while I do still think that the longer I sit with it the more fault I find with it in general. That's not to say it was bad, because it wasn't (I've read books that are so much worse), but for the most part I'm just left with so many questions about the world and the vampires that I'm a little disappointed. Without going into spoiler territory I feel like the questions Cassie asked and some of the concerns she had were honestly just dumb. For instance, she learns her roommate is a vampire and she wants to know why he didn't tell her before she moved it. Like, what? This isn't a society where people know vampires exist, why on Earth would he tell you that when you first met him? And let's be honest, would you even believe him? No, you would think he was just a crazy person. She also doesn't think to ask more important questions about vampires like, how many are there, do they kill people, how do you get turned into a vampire in the first place? None of that seems to cross her mind. I suppose one could argue that none of that is really the point of the book, and you would be right, but still, you got to give me something. The ending was also just flat out ridiculous. Granted, the whole thing was silly, but I feel like the ending really managed to jump the shark even with what was going on the rest of the book. It also happed very quickly, so take that how you may. I don't think that I would go so far as to steer people away from this title, but I'm certainly not going to be directing people to it unless they are looking specifically for vampire fiction, and even then I'm not sure. There was some promise here but to me it just kind of fell flat. I'll be curious to see what Levine's second novel is about, and from there I'll probably decide if it's something I will check out or not.

I knew just from the title itself that this was going to a fun read. And guess what? I was right!

This is the kind of book you can’t take seriously. Perfect for someone who needs to cleanse their palette, as I often do when I’ve read way too many thrillers. There were some laugh out loud moments. And the ending! I didn’t know how the author was going to do it but it ended just as whimsically as it began. It was perfect!

If Twilight was a rom-com, it would be this. I have to say I didn't know what to expect when I started listening to this one, but I ended up really enjoying it! The narrator did a great job. I loved the characters and found the whole thing to be ridiculous in the best way possible. The magic systems aren't really explained nor is the whole "vampire" thing, but I really didn't mind. This is a great addition to anyone's spooky season tbr if they're looking for something that's fun and light.

I thought My Roommate is a Vampire was a okay book, it was kinda campy, felt like it was going for a What We Do in the Shadows vibe. Like, regency vampires totally baffled and awkward in modern society. It was a good palate cleanser between books, but I got bored about halfway through it, and was ready to move on to something else. Because I was so un-invested in it, it was kind of hard to stick to and finish out. Cassie was fine, I guess, but I just really wasn’t that invested in her job searching, and I thought the whole resolution at the end was a bit odd and it felt rushed to me. Really? THAT is the solution to this big sweeping drama at the end? Uh. Okay. The entire ending and the arranged marriage plot were just bizarre.

I found it odd the things that Frederick was okay with versus what he wasn’t after waking up from his coma. Like, he was gobsmacked by a bikini, and a man in a dress, but had absolutely no qualms or issues with Sam and Scott being married. But also, he was so prudent about old customs and a woman’s honor –but then randomly admits he was a hedonistic apparently bisexual, individual before, but again, had issue with a bikini? It was just odd. I also was a little confused as to why he was so obsessed with her, she literally didn’t really do anything the whole time. They just happened to be around each other. I don’t know I know it sounds like I didn’t like this book, but its less that I disliked it, and more that it was just not all that remarkable for me. I will likely not remember it. I could see some people really enjoying it, but I just really need more from my books, I think.

This one is exactly what it says on the tin -

Struggling artist Cassie Greenberg is about to be evicted when finds an apartment offer she can’t refuse - $200 a month to rent a room, utilities included!
Potential new roommate Frederick J Fitzwilliam is a little…strange. Not to be disturbed while bed all day, out all night. Kitchen stocked with strange foods and without a dish in sight. Oddly formal and his style is something else.

But for that money in that nice a spot, she’s not passing it up. At least until some surprising things come out about her new roomie. The she’s second (and third) guessing *everything*

What I enjoyed -

Light and amusing, this could be the perfect book to balance out your spookier or moodier seasonal reads.

With how he’s using her to acclimate to the present after his Long Sleep you get all the ‘man out of time’ things as he learns. There’s the introduction to the internet, marathoning tv shows and even a makeover montage moment. The countless notes between them were great and you can’t beat kissing for science.

Reggie, Frederick’s friend, is such an entertainingly meddlesome trickster. Always helpful but in a way that might make a person regret asking.

What I could have done without -

There’s a couple spots where he was too caveman for my taste, mainly the bikini photo scene. I could go off on a tangent, but keeping it brief as I can - Men policing women’s bodies is a seemingly never ending issue in the world, and while surprise/shock makes sense for the story I could have done without his over the top basically angry reaction to it. Of course, it being a hot button issue, ymmv.

Without that this likely would have been a five star read for me.
Overall, it was a quick fun read and I look forward to seeing what the author writes in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

This was SO good. Like, surprisingly good. I laughed. I swooned. It was so unexpectedly cute. Loved it so much!

This novel by Jenna Levine was such a joyful read. This is a perfect romance for the transitional period between summer and fall. It combines the spooky and quirky features of vampires with the feel good energy of a rom com. There were times in this book I was laughing out loud. I would recommend this book to not only rom com readers, but also any reader looking for something light and enjoyable to read heading into the fall.

This rom-com is definitely a bit “kooky” as the author herself called it. I enjoyed myself but definitely picked up on a bit of goofiness. Nothing too deep is explored, so My Roommate Is a Vampire is more lighthearted and something you read when you’re looking for a bit of fun. The plot is very low stacks and reminds me of some cozy fantasy books.

I think one of my favorite aspects of this book is how easily Cassie accepts Frederick’s vampirism.

The characters are relatively well developed, and there’s lots of humor through the notes Cassie and Frederick leave for each other and the text messages between Frederick and his vampire friend Reginald.

My Roommate Is a Vampire is such a quick read and will leave a smile on your face.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The premise to this romance sounded great but the writing and characters unfortunately fell really flat for me.

This was a cute read. I enjoyed the unlikely relationship between Cassie and Frederick. The quirkiness of Cassie's personality with the staunch rigidness of Frederick worked. There were some plot holes that I really wanted answers to (what was this portion Reginald was working on and why did he give it to Frederick? Frederick's "gift", why he moved away from his family and the turning...you can't gloss over that. This missing detail would have made this a great read instead of just good, in my opinion, and maybe explain the relationship Frederick had a little bit more.

This was a cute book but it didn’t have as much depth as I usually prefer. Other readers will probably like it, though. I read it as part of a book tour

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley, and Jenna Levine for the advanced copy of My Roommate is a Vampire in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. A perfect palette cleanser, if you will. I absolutely love Levine's writing style and I was immediately drawn in by Cassie's character. I was immediately rooting for she and Frederick to get together.

Bonus points for being so much funnier than I was expecting! The scene with Cassie and Frederick in the coffee shop almost took me out. So hilarious.

EXTRA bonus points for no third act breakup!!!

Honestly this was just a really sweet and funny rom com with a delightfully spicy scene thrown in. I will absolutely be reading more from this author in the future!

My Roommate is a Vampire will be on bookshelves August 29th!

My roommate is a vampire was the last thing I ever expected I would end up picking up and reading. But here I am telling you that this is the best book I’ve read in a long time. Humor, romance and the perfect amount of tension. This is honestly such a perfect fall read and I’m definitely going to be getting a physical copy to read again!

****A huge thank you to Berkeley for allowing me to read an advance copy of My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine!
****
Hi its me again your resident will read anything vampire related and typically love it :) My Roommate Is A Vampire is going to hit all the romcom checklists with a little paranormal that will call to everyone who loves a vampire story.

While this was not an absolute love for me I think a lot of people will still enjoy it especially around spooky season to cleanse the palate of all things creepy.

My absolute favorite was pearl clutching Freddie. He's so formal and his attention to detail was amazing. I wish I had someone who would buy me the entire crate and barrel kitchen collection even if they did drink blood hahaha

The worst thing about this story for me was unfortunately Cassie the FMC. She irritated me to no end and y'all know if a character driven reader can not connect to the MC it makes the whole experience less than stellar. wanted to like Cassie really did but she was a bit too negative and whiny for me.

This story had a lot going for it......
-Decent plot
-amazing side characters I loved (Reggie needs his own story seriously he's hilarious
-age gap
-vampires
-forced prox
-So man one liners
-Buffy References

Overall this was a decent read and I will definitely check out Jenna's other books because if this is her debut I can not imagine how good her stories are going to become as she progresses as a writer.
3-3.5 stars rounded up for the Buffy references. Team Spike 4evaaaaaa

My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine is a debut paranormal romantic comedy. Cassie Greenberg has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Applied Arts and Design and loves being an artist. Unfortunately, she can’t earn a living that way so she works part-time at a coffee shop and part-time in the children’s section of her local library in Chicago, Illinois.

Unfortunately, she’s being evicted from her apartment and needs to find a new place to live. She finally decides to answer an ad in a great part of town. The only concern: the price is too low for the area. With few alternatives, Cassie becomes roommates with Frederick J. Fitzwilliam. He sleeps all day and is out at night on business. They leave notes for each other and rarely talk until Cassie finds bags of blood in the refrigerator and runs out of the apartment.

Cassie is kind, generous, and can get brusque when she’s stressed. Frederick is thoughtful, compassionate, formal, and has a straightforward manner. The other characters are a mixture of friends, family, and antagonists with varying degrees of depth.

Filled with awkward and the occasional laugh-out-loud moments, this was an entertaining and light read. There are no spicy scenes until about three-quarters of the way through the novel. There’s also not a lot if conflict until the second half of the book.

Overall, this was fun and charming, but the ending was too quick and easily resolved in this slow burn romance for me. While there wasn’t enough depth to the plot for my tastes, I still enjoyed it. Those who like light and funny paranormal romances will likely find this one entertaining.

Berkley Publishing Group and Jenna Levine provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for August 29, 2023.

Struggling artist Cassie Greenberg once again must leave her apartment and find another one she can afford. When she is shown a Craig’s List add for a too good to be true room in an elegant apartment building, Cassie goes against her better judgment asking to meet the owner. Cassie knows something is a little off, but the charming old world style manners of man she meets help her decide to take a chance. Frederick J. Fitzwilliam has an odd schedule of only appearing at night and seems clueless about common things such as kitchen appliances; however, he and Cassie get on well until she makes a shocking discovery.

Once Frederick admits he is a vampire and explains to Cassie that he desperately needs her help learning how to function in the modern world, they form a working relationship that slowly turns into something more. Cassie has her own issues with feeling out of step and inadequate for someone in her thirties who works more than one part time job not in her desired field of teaching art. Cassie is the type of artist who uses mixed media that is not to everyone’s taste. She takes pieces of trash and mixes it in with landscapes to try transforming them to something else.

Frederick spent a century in a coma so he is seriously out of touch with any sense of the modern world and would do better in a Jane Austen type setting. With one crazy vampire friend whose “help” usually does not often work out so well, Frederick knows he needs Cassie’s aid to blend in learning confusing tech and social media that drives most folks these days. Frederick’s courtly manners and Cassie’s wild child mode of living make for interesting roommates. The challenges they face go beyond their vastly different upbringing including Frederick’s very unpleasant mother who is still around trying to run his life making unreasonable threats and demands.

This quirky story has some fun and entertaining moments as well as some send ups of popular vampire literature and TV shows. Less appealing is a three hundred plus year-old man who puts up with a domineering mother even if it is mostly in letter form until she decides to act. The cover art shows the rom-com side; however, Cassie’s continual angst and fretting over her lack of success in the art field throws it more into Women’s Fiction territory so that the romance is a less developed part of the story.

2.5 Stars
I wanted to love this so much, I'm a sucker (ha, get it?) for a good vampire romance plot but this one bored me so much it took me over a month to get through it. I was not a fan of Cassie from the beginning (I couldn't stand how ignorant she was from the jump), and the chemistry between Frederick and Cassie wasn't believable to me. Also, the climax in this was incredibly underwhelming, and please don't get me started on that ending lol. I wish we got more of Frederick's backstory, the little bits that were from his perspective were the only parts I found amusing really. Maybe this one just wasn't for me...

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the Arc!

Super campy and hilarious paranormal romance. Vampire romances are usually violent and angsty, but this one was soft and cute.

It did seem like Frederick fell in love with the first person he spent time with, which was sweet but also a little unbelievable. Overall, a fantastic debut!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.