A very cute and spooky read. The romance is steady rather than steamy. The humor is good and the read was quick. A good vampire book that is simple and sweet.

3.5 = Good+

What a hoot! First of all, I went into this thinking that the "vampire" thing was going to be a misunderstanding in the end, and that was not at all what happened. This is actually a vampire book/paranormal romance, which is clear from the synopsis if you read it carefully. Obviously I did not! LOL!

The characters here are a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed watching their relationship evolve over time. The ending was on the low key side, which was a bit of a letdown for me, but if you are looking for something fun and sexy without a ton of angst, I think this will be perfect! (Language, sex)

In this charming debut romantic comedy, "My Roommate is a Vampire" by Jenna Levine, artist Cassie Greenberg's pursuit of true love takes an unexpected turn when she stumbles upon a too-good-to-be-true apartment in Chicago. The catch? Her new roommate, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam, is anything but ordinary—sleeping during the day, conducting mysterious nighttime business, and speaking as if he just stepped out of a regency romance novel.

Levine skillfully intertwines humor, romance, and a hint of the supernatural as Cassie discovers Frederick's secret identity as a vampire. Amid heart-melting notes and a proposition that alters the course of their relationship, the novel delivers a slightly campy yet entertaining experience. With a predictable yet engaging plot, "My Roommate is a Vampire" provides readers with a light and enjoyable escape into the realms of love and the undead.

This is the romance to beat so far this year. I’m OBSESSED with this vampire rom com that’s described as Flatshare meets Interview with a Vampire.

Frederick is an old-timey gentleman type and Cassie is the soft-hearted girly who’s in over her head with her very odd roomie.

The letters! The 21st century lessons!! The Buffy binge-watching!!!

Romance lovers, you NEED this one!

I liked my roommate is a vampire. I thought it was pretty cute and goofy. The male main character made me giggle a bunch of times throughout the story. I thought his personality was really entertaining.

I’d say that I liked it, but didn’t love it. So I’d give it 3 stars.

I didn’t get sucked into the story or connect much with the characters. I also don’t like it when books reference social media or Taylor swift. I want to escape into a world without social media and pop stars, but that’s just a personal preference.

I also expected the story to be slightly different. I think I wanted the male main character and his apartment to be more gothic and creepy and there would be more of a traditional vampire lore. The book cover gave me that impression. I thought he would turn into a bat, and sleep in coffins, and hang upside down like on the cover. So I wanted more of a “the lost boys” or “Dracula” feel to it.

The ending also felt very random to me. I enjoyed the vampire and I’d still recommend this book to other people, it just wasn’t my favorite. It’s still cute though.

Thank you so much for allowing me to have an ARC of this! Several of my mutual booktok friends read this as well and said they loved it.

Book Review of My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

First Impressions: Cute As Hex
What’s Your Type?: Age Gap Romance, Forced Proximity, Roommates to Lovers, Slow Burn.
Meet Cute: Room For Rent
The Lean: Lust At First Sight
Dirty Talk: Say My Name, Say My Name
We Need to Talk: What Vampire?
Was It Good For You?: Stake Me

Content Warning: Blood bags and blood drinking because vampires. Also an arranged marriage.

First Impressions: Cute as Hex
The symmetry is working for me, and the depiction of the main characters is done well. They’re the cutest, and I ship them already.

What’s Your Type?
- Age gap romance
- Forced proximity
- Roommates to friends to lovers
- Slow burn, like really slow
- Insta lust/love

Dating Profile
Cassie Greenberg is a part-time artist, barista, and librarian. She’s trying to make art her thing, but our girl has bills to pay, and her art is unconventional, to put it nicely. Cassie is stubborn and self-loathing, making her a complicated character to root for. So, with a minimum-wage bank account and eviction looming, she has some decisions to make. Her rich and lovely friends try to help with money or a room, but she’s too proud to accept any charity; an endearing vice that leads her to our main undead man.

Frederick Fitzwilliam (what a mouthful: no pun intended) is a centuries-old vampire who grew up in some Regency era *waves hand dismissively*. All you need to know is that he’s old and doesn’t understand the internets, the TikToks, or modern anything. He’s sweet, endearing, and a looker to boot. He’s also in desperate need of someone to help him navigate the modern world, and although he has one friend and some family, he is set on using the random human who rents the room in his home.

Meet Cute:
Cassie is in desperate need of a place to live. Her BFF Sam finds her a room on Craigslist for a steal. $200 a month *jaw drop*. This ad seems like some trap or a misprint, but desperate times make for desperate people, and so Cassie reaches out to the owner of the ad.

After being in a coma for 100 years, Frederick needs a modern roommate to help him acclimate to the 21st century. His friend, Reginald, suggests getting a roommate to observe and help him navigate everything 2023. Reginald posts the ad, and Cassie applies. Et Voila, meet cute.

The Lean: Lust At First Sight
My previous comment about shipping the characters can be deleted from your brain, Men in Black style. The Vampire allure is strong, and of course, Cassie is pining for the hot, mannered, eloquent Roommate. You don’t get that from Frederick right away…until he sees her in a towel, and then his man urges take over. (I’m sorry; I will never say man urges again.) It’s all very surface level, and I grew bored with Cassie questioning her worth and Frederick babying her, telling her what a fantastic person she is.

Dirty Talk: Say My Name, Say My Name
The build-up to the sex scene was LONG, and I was tired of waiting. If you can get past Cassie and Frederick saying each other’s names constantly, along with the words “please” and “oh,” you shall be rewarded.

“His face was contorted into the same ecstatic, blissful expression he’d worn when he’d buried his face between my legs earlier that evening, and fuck if I couldn’t have spent the rest of my life looking at him when he was mindless with pleasure like this.”

Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose
I enjoy Levine’s writing style. It was descriptive and flowed nicely. The book was a quick read for me, and although I wasn’t in love with the characters, Levine added in sweet moments and interactions with side characters that helped push the plot along while adding some fun for the reader. There were pop culture references that I appreciated (BUFFY). Mentioning Taylor Swift in your novels will always get you bonus points from me.

We Need to Talk: What Vampire?
The concept of this novel is excellent. I wish it had a dual perspective. You get some vague backstory on Frederick and a little insight into his day and thoughts, but I wanted to meet his family, hear about life in the 1700s, and learn about other vampire powers because his “power” is HELLA weird. It’s a delicate balance between giving enough information and background while highlighting the romance, and I feel like adding Frederick’s point of view would have enhanced the reading experience. I won’t spoil anything, but I had a lot of unanswered questions that would have been simple enough to address while adding depth to the characters and the story.

I was disappointed that the vampire detail seemed like an afterthought. I wanted more vampire lore and to be engaged in that world, not watch some hot dude (vampire or not) fumble around a main character and try to order a coffee with ancient coins. Okay, that part was funny; I just wish Levine had Cassie and Fredrick run around the city doing more fun things and experiencing the modern world like he wanted.

The ending and ultimate resolution to the main miscommunication/problem felt rushed. I hoped for a more complex solution or engagement between characters, but it was pretty cut and dry.

Was It Good For You?: Eviction Notice
I wanted to love this one; I honestly did. Vampires and romance?! What a dream. However, I would need help getting past the one-dimensional characters…and, frankly, that’s a lot more work than this book was putting in.

This was heartwarming, entertaining, and absolutely adorable. I loved the little notes that they left for each other and the banter between all the characters. One of my favorite books this year. Linked is the interview/review I conducted with the author for the Feminist Book Club.

This was not the book for me but that's ok!

The characters read very flat and robotic, I did not feel any chemistry between them and definitely was not shipping them!

Took me a good while to get through this book from when I downloaded it because I kept putting it aside for others and only recently picked it back up to finish so that says a lot to me about my enjoyment level.

Unfortunately, this was a disappointment to me.

Thank you to the publisher for the copy!

🩸 My Roommate is a Vampire 🩸

SUMMARY: Experimental artist Cassie Greenberg is desperate for a new place to live when she comes across an ad for an apartment that seems too good to be true. What she finds is a regency romance-style roommate whose peculiar habits lead Cassie to wonder if Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is hiding something. (Spoiler alert: Her roommate is a vampire.)

This book started out so fun! The author’s writing style is charming and approachable, and I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters as the stage was set.

That said, as the story progressed I grew more annoyed by Cassie and her general immaturity and ability to manage her own life. (Her [literal] trash art sounded terrible. I felt like a cranky old woman: Get a job!)

Also, the drama related to Frederick and his traditional vampire family seemed like an afterthought and fizzled out with minimal fanfare.

Frederick was a solid cinnamon roll softie, but my favorite character by far was the bonkers vampire Reginald who I could only picture as Laszlo Cravensworth from What We Do in the Shadows. If he had his own follow-up book, I would 1000% check it out!

Read this book if you’re looking for a cozy, low-drama romance between an old school vampire who falls hard for a modern day underemployed twenty-something human.

Thank you to @netgalley @berkleyromance and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review! This book is available everywhere!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I was so excited to hear about this book after attending the Booked With Berkley: Monsters and Mayhem event, and it was just as cute as I’d hoped it to be.

The characters, the storyline, the Twilight vibes, and the pacing were great!

I loved pairing this book with the audio, and I thought the narration was so good, and I would definitely recommend.

*many thanks to Berkley Romance, PRH audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy

This was such a fun and delightful read! It’s a paranormal rom-com that delivers just that! Frederick is a surprisingly sweet vampire and the book had me giggling quite a few times. Sometimes you need to pick up a silly read for a good time.

The Internet: This book is about a cinnamon roll of a vampire trying to figure out modern times, and a desperate, broke artist who just wants to be appreciated.

Me: Eh, sure, I guess I'll add it to my TBR.

The Internet: Did we forget to mention that they're roommates who totally fall in love in the tropetastic 'but they were roommates' style?

Me: *blinks* GIMMIE!

My Roommate is a Vampire was a fun, cute romp into the paranormal beings in the modern world genre. And by cute, I mean cute. This book was fluffy, and not at all on the dark spectrum like the majority of the contemporary paranormal romances. I really enjoyed the cuteness, and felt that both Cassie and Frederick were well written and likeable characters.

If I had a complaint, it would be that the last 50ush or so pages felt incredibly rushed and 2D in comparison to the rest of the book. I feel like there was something there that could have been more developed.

That being said, I still fully enjoyed the book and read it in essentially one sitting because I couldn't get enough of Cassie and Frederick.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC! (even if it did take me a few extra months to read and review it - sorry!)

Sadly, I didn't end up enjoying what was one of my most anticipated books. I found the love interest to be rather dull and lacking much of a personality. I wasn't very convinced of their chemistry.

Such a cute and fun read, it was a perfect fall read. I loved the writing style and would definitely buy more books from this author.

Am I in my cinnamon bun era?! Yes! Is this one immortal? YES!

If you enjoyed Twilight, I think you might enjoy this one. He’s a vampire but not the scary type. It’s funny but not over the top ridiculousness.

The book goes exactly how one thinks based off the title. The two end up as roommates. She’s obviously the human and he is a fish out of water in her lifestyle. Everything slowly advances from there. Definitely more on his part than hers but maybe that’s what happens when you’re 300 years old.

I would have liked more depth to the characters as individuals, then maybe it could have been a little just….more. But it is what it is and it’s a fun easy read!

I FLEW through this title. Cassie and Fredrick are sheer perfection. I love how Levine wove in the vampire aspect without it being incredibly gothic - it felt campy/creepy when necessary, but mostly normal for Fredrick. I'm also really excited when characters also work through STUFF, so seeing Cassie grow and accept who she is as an artist is super heartwarming. Knowing Fredrick is a vampire who can only conjure fruit when he's nervous will be my favorite weird power forever.

This was one of my most anticipated books - the premise sounded super fun and that cover is to die for. Unfortunately, My Roommate is a Vampire really did not land for me. I understand the angle the author was going for - Frederick was a man out of time, trying to assimilate to the present. However, he felt really one dimensional and his dialogue wasn't so much man out of time as it was awkward. I also found he had very little chemistry with Cassie.

I also kept waiting for more vampire stuff. There was none of the longing glances, the tension, the neck staring I had hoped for. In fact, I think if you removed the vampire stuff, large parts of this wouldn't change. The ending also really felt half baked to me. If these vampires are willing to imprison someone to force a marriage, it seems unlikely that they'd be cowed into releasing him by a human with a video recording. Overall, this was a letdown for me.

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

I was ecstatic for the release of this book, as it sounded exactly like the sort of romance I would love, and I’m a massive fan of this author. That meant I was beyond excited when I was approved for this ARC, and dived into it right away! It’s taken me a bit to sort of figure out my final thoughts about this book. I wanted to separate my actual reading experience from the excitement and hype I had for the book, so I could better understand what I actually thought of it.

The best way to describe this was that it’s a super fun book. It’s perfect for reading in one sitting, and I found myself quickly turning page after page shortly after I’d started it. I just remember having so much fun with the first 70% of this book, which I’d read entirely in one day. And overall that’s the main word I’d use to describe the book, fun.

Unfortunately, it isn’t exactly memorable. While it was fun, it also had some issues that made it not feel long-lasting to me, and I don’t think it will be a long-term favorite I find myself returning to time and time again. I think this was partially due to the pacing, and how the way I ended up portioning the book while finishing it. Like I said above, I read about 70% of the book in one day, and finishing the last 30% over the next two days because I ended up being a bit busy. I definitely think it’s possible that, had I finished the book in one day, I would’ve liked it more than I did. In the end, that final 30% of the book ended up being my least favorite, and it left me feeling a bit disappointed by the book (as the ending often shapes my final thoughts of a book). It just felt extremely chaotic and rushed, with way too many plot points suddenly needing to be resolved in the final few pages of the book. It heightened the drama to an almost absurd level due to the speed at which everything unfolded, and it just didn’t work for me.

That isn’t to say that my issues were only with this final part of the book, it was just that the way it ended made me notice other things about the book, specifically the pacing, I realized that while I was enjoying the way the romance built up, the amount of time it took to get anywhere meant there was very little time for more end-stage romance moments to happen (the scenes after the love confession, where we see how the couple actually works together and get to see cute moments between them). It left this sort of odd feeling for me, where the book read really quickly, yet still took a while to really get anywhere romance wise. And then when we finally got to that point, there was almost no space left in the book to see what it actually meant and see them happy, which was just really unfortunate. It meant my excitement while reading really tapered off near the end, because I saw myself getting closer and closer to the end of the book while still hoping for a lot more to still happen, both romance and plot wise. I wish there had just been more space for this at the end.

Overall though, it was a fun and quick read and I did enjoy myself overall, especially for the beginning half of the book! While it’s not the favorite I hoped it would be, I’ll still be checking out future release by this author for sure!

*Review will be live on my blog on November 24th

My Roommate is a Vampire offers a delightful twist on the conventional vampire romance genre, presenting a refreshing and wholesome take on the everyday struggles of love, friendship, and, of course, supernatural cohabitation. The series combines humor and heart in equal measure, steering clear of the typical dark and brooding vampire stereotypes. The charming characters and their endearing interactions create an overall sweet and enjoyable atmosphere. The show manages to strike a balance between the supernatural and the mundane, making it a standout in the genre. For those seeking a lighthearted and wholesome escape with a touch of the supernatural, My Roommate is a Vampire proves to be a delightful choice.