I was surprised how much I liked it. Though, I will admit that it was slow going at first; but once it gets going, the going gets good.

Charlie is a Trans teen that got suck with a roommate even though he had asked for a single for dorm. You see how he took the time to 'be a boy', and how the other boys accepted him implicitly but he struggled to see that. Felt ever so lonely trying to adjust to new school, keep up with the grades, stress over having a roommate, stress over being found out... the principal threw him in a loop. Not realizing the principal did him a favor. He made great friends, and realized everyone is having similar challenge, doesn't matter if they are rich, smart, or top ranks.

Oh then there's Jasper, whom they've met 'before'. He's smart, top ranks, took little effort and get good marks, popular with other kids. You know the type you love to hate, and jealous of them. Underneath it all, he has a very clear view that he knows the moment he falls from grace, the kids will pile on because they're not authentic.

The dialogue is witty, the band of STIPS are truly a brotherhood. My favorite member is Blasé. This YA really shows true journey of any teen, add trans and awakening in the mix it really shows you growing is not easy for ANYBODY. This is a very tame, not super dramatic way to show/reflect challenges for kids who lives under pressure and give themselves more pressure to do well and achieve what is expected of them. At the end, there are true friendships, true relationships, and true feels in the there.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing for the ARC

Needed a pick-me-up today and I knew this would deliver. While reading, I kept thinking how fun this would be as a movie. It reminded me of She's the Man but with an actually trans main character. Page Powars writes such funny books, verging on ridiculous but with enough heart to still give them enough depth. This has some similarities with his previous book in terms of the secret club only the students know about, but it's also wholly its own thing.

I was so excited when I was approved for an e-arc of And They Were Roommates. The Borrow a Boyfriend Club was one of my favorite books last year so I was stoked to receive the opportunity to read his next release early.

Charlie has been accepted into the prestigious Valentine’s Academy for Boys, a dream come true for him. The only catch is having to keep the fact that he’s trans a secret. Shouldn’t be a problem since he plans on keeping his distance from his fellow peers and managed to snag a single all for himself. Except, apparently, the check for the room never arrived and instead of enjoying solitude in his room he is paired with a roommate. And not just any roommate, but Charlie’s ex from before he transitioned: Jasper. Charlie begins to see all his dreams crumble around him, except, as it turns out, Jasper doesn’t even recognize Charlie anymore.

I really enjoyed this story overall. I will say I did get confused at points, mainly about the school and some of the rules/ traditions, but it was still a fin read! I liked the characters and it was a little angsty at the end, but ultimately had a happy ending. Looking forward to Powers’ next work!

My feelings about this book are somewhat complicated. The representation of transgender teens is important, and I appreciated reading this book because of this. The relationship between Charlie and Jasper was well done and interesting—the conversations when it was just the two of them were layered and felt real. However, the school did not feel realistic or interesting to read about. It took me out of the story. The letters and STRIP also felt like they took away from the main story. The ending felt rushed in relation to how the school began to change. I wish the book had focused on the main dynamic of Charlie and Jasper.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

THIS WAS SOOOO FREAKING FUN AND CUTE!!!

I wil preface and say theres a lot of the world building that you gotta not think too hard about otherwise you’re gonna have a miserable time (the prestigious of the academy, the romanticization built classes, the fact that the whole boys school is have love letters written through 3rd party services 😭) However, if you just accept and don’t question too much of that, this book feel like a cheesy romcom movie, that will have giggling kicking yourself silly.

Charlie doesn't care about romance. He cares about keeping his scholarship to his boarding school and hiding his trans identity. He can keep his cool until he finds out he has a roommate. Not just any roommate, but the guy that kissed him (and several other girls) at camp before Charlie transitioned.

This romance was cute, slow-burned, and fun. I liked the characters. Some of them weren't super believable, but that's ok in a silly YA book. What I didn't like was when the characters got together, they seemed to act like pretty experienced adults. For boys that had barely (or hadn't) dated, and had kissed only a few people, they had moves that would rival some adults. There isn't sex or anything more than making out on page, but I just didn't find the kissing something two awkward boys exploring their first or second relationship would do.

This is one of those books that starts off a bit chaotic but quickly pulls you into its fun, lighthearted energy. At first, it feels like the story isn’t taking itself seriously at all—the character names are ridiculous (in a hilarious way), and Jasper, the love interest, feels like he walked straight out of a cartoon. But as the story progresses, you settle into the vibe and just go with it.

It’s a super fast-paced book, the kind you end up reading in one sitting. The plot revolves around Charlie, a trans protagonist, and his involvement in a love letter mystery (which is such a classic teenage priority, making it even more believable and funny). The way Charlie’s identity is handled is done with a lot of care and respect, and it feels really true to how a 15-year-old would experience those emotions and struggles.

The side characters are definitely a highlight—Delilah, Xavier, Blaze, and Luis all add depth to the story, and I especially liked the reconciliation moments between Charlie and some of them, including his mom and Delilah. And then there’s Jasper, who at first seemed way too over-the-top to be a serious love interest, but as the book goes on, his motivations become clearer, and you get to know him better—turns out, he’s actually really sweet.

In the end, And They Were Roommates is a feel-good book with an adorable romance, a fluffy, silly plot in the best way, and characters that make the whole experience even more enjoyable. If you embrace the chaotic fun, it’s a really delightful read!

dnf at 42% because jasper annoys me i’m so sorry

i *really* tried this one because i wanted to give it the attention it deserves—i’m usually the first person to dnf things because my tbr could stretch from here to neptune, so i gave this one more than my usual 30 page try.

this book is very fluffy and goofy. easy to read. huge ouran hshc vibes. i kept reading jasper’s lines in tamaki’s voice. this book is wonderful in that it’s a trans coming of age story that doesn’t focus on transphobia. unfortunately, because of the silly energy, this one was not for me. but! i have faith it will find its audience, so i still give it a 3/5. i don’t have any actual complaints other than jasper being too much of a goof for my tastes, so i may give it another shot someday. i have a colleague who read this and really enjoyed it, so we will be submitting it as a recommendation for our collections team to acquire when released.

all opinions are my own. thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me an eARC.

The summary of this book was better than the book. I really didn't feel like any romance happened. It was just the main characters scared to be who they were. This was a huge let down.

I loved this book. I am a fan of Page Powars! I loved their first novel, The Borrow a Boyfriend Club. This endearing YA novel is so sweet and will undoubtedly be beloved for so many readers. I loved the two main characters, Charlie and Jaspser, so much. Powars so thoughtfully captures first love and self-love. I smiled from ear to ear, reading this novel.

This really cute. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I really loved the friendships Charlie made during his first few months at Valentine Academy.

As much as I enjoyed Powars' debut, I'm sad to say that I thoroughly disliked And They Were Roommates. This is shock; I requested an advanced copy purely because I thought I'd love this book just as much, if not more. Since this is a negative review, you can expect detailed reasoning on what went wrong for me.

First things first, we have to talk about how eerily similar And They Were Roommates is to Powar's previous novel. In this book, there is yet another student-run secret society aimed at creating romantic connections. If that didn't already happen, I would have been impressed by the idea. Instead, I was frustrated with this apparent plot repurposing.

To add on to that, for me, the romance element failed.

Three years prior, Jasper and Charlie met at summer camp. That's the start of their love story. But as a reader, I saw none of that development. By the time And They Were Roommates starts, Jasper only comes across as self-centered. The suite Jasper now shares with Charlie is filled with life-size photos of himself and endless printed copies of his poems. It's just not cute. From my point of view, there's no build-up to this relationship, so I struggled to comprehend why they ended up together. Plus, knowing the ways in which Jasper manipulated this situation to get what he wanted doesn't scream romantic to me.

As a whole, And They Were Roommates left me with more questions than answers. I might be a massive overthinker but some of these plot holes / inconsistencies are bound to bother other readers.

Mainly: Jasper, and later Charlie, write love letters for their fellow students. But if the campuses are strictly separated by gender, that means these two cannot writes responses on behalf of the girls. So what happens when a girl gets an anonymous letter? Of course she can write her own reply, but if the message was unexpected, doesn't it seem creepy that an unknown guy is hitting on her through a third-party service?

Having said all that, I did enjoy the trans representation. Positive stories with transgender main characters are exactly what the world needs right now, so if you're looking for a YA story about acceptance and found family, check out And They Were Roommates!

Bottom line: The trans rep is the best part of this book...

I was excited to read this ever since I saw Page Powars' humorous "hear me out" IG post and knew I must read more of his writing. This book did not disappoint.

1. Reading this felt like I was getting soft pranked, again and again, with the humor dabbled into the margins. This is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time.

2. The book boyfriend that Jasper Grimes is. His sexy poet character was an enchanting, silly, multidimensional enigma that had my heart fluttering from start to finish. The romance is a sloooow burn, and it's worth it.

3. The theme of belonging was so beautifully done amidst all the humor. It's uplifting and hopeful and the sort of thing we need right now.

A spoilery quote below...
===================

"It all began when I brought that dreadful bookcase in our room. Why ever did I engrave our names like that? Have you noticed it looks like a wedding invitation?"

The way my heart seized when I read that ridiculous line. Chapter 39 had me GAGGED.

Thank you to Fiercereads and Macmillan for a chance to read an arc this book! 🖤

4⭐️ this was such a cute and touching book!! | tropes: trans mmc, forced proximity, second chance | digital

Overall Thoughts 💭:
Charlie is an awkward anxious academic which I related to. I felt bad about all the pressure he was under from his scholarship and having to fit into a new school. Jasper is a lot in the best and worst way. He was so overwhelmingly friendly to Charlie which I liked because I thought this would be a rivalry situation (it made sense later why he was so nice) and I enjoyed his character. I did struggle at times because as an introvert I felt bad for Charlie as he was very irritated with Jasper's behavior at times but as someone who is seen as too much at times I related to him as well. I loved seeing Charlie and Jasper grow closer and begin to understand each other as they dealt with the hijinks and ups and downs of their secret club (albeit unwillingly on Charlie's end). The side characters shined in this book, and I also grew to love them. Especially Blaze! There was a twist that I didn't see coming at all! I liked that the conflict happened sooner than I thought it would.

Oof. I have been highly anticipating this book for a couple years now, so it really hurt to end up not liking it. To start off with the positives, I really loved the academia vibes of this book. It reminded me at times of a classic movie with all the all-boys boarding school vibes. The plot had a lot of fun elements, but perhaps too much fun to the point that the entire plot felt preposterous and too many things happened to get proper closure on all of the subplots by the end.

This story is, at the crux, a romance, and I really struggled with that. I did see some romantic tension between Charlie and Jasper on page, but I needed more of an explanation of what drew Charlie to Jasper in the first place when they first met because, to me, Jasper just seemed like an annoying prick. I also just really detest this trend of second-chance romance in YA. Why did your summer camp fling when you were 13 ruin all romantic love for you? Are you okay? To see these two seemingly reconnecting to their "long lost love" when they're like, at most 16, just felt so unserious. Likewise, you cannot tell me this 16 year old is a best-selling poet when his book is the most basic tumblr poetry out there. Further, why is this 16 year old voted sexiest poet of the year lmao?? I loved the fun & silly vibes, but the entirety of Jasper and Charlie's relationship and Jasper's "career" made absolutely zero sense to me.

I really appreciated the trans representation and Charlie's struggles to see himself as enough. However, once again I was so confused/mind boggled by how this boy realized he was trans and within two years, at age 15-16, has already gotten top surgery (despite the mom being poor af?) and decided to go to this school that maybe is anti-trans because his mom went there and also his one (1) friend attend the sister campus, whom he'll have no contact with for the entirety of the term. And speaking of Delilah, I struggled to understand how she and Charlie were best friends when they only met two years ago, and she attends a school that doesn't allow cell phones during the year. Like how are y'all keeping in touch??

Finally, I do have to touch on the plot that brings out characters together; writing love letters for their classmates. With all of the angst and set backs that happened along the way, I thought this plot would end one of two ways, either with STRIP teaching the students to write their own, personalized love letters, or the campuses combining, rendering the delivery service obsolete, but instead neither thing happened and it just left me wondering, what was the point of it all??

With those issues in mind, I don't know exactly how this book would have worked for me. Perhaps Jasper being less of a prick. Perhaps a better conclusion to the issues between communication on the two campuses. Perhaps side characters (especially the mom and Delilah) that feel more like real people instead of props. It's not that this was a /bad/ book, and I hope it finds its audience. I fully realize I am not the target audience and am highly analytical, so the issues I have with reasons behind character actions may not bother others. I hate to give this a "bad" rating, especially to a trans author and book I was so anticipating, but I do have to be honest about my thoughts. Thanks so much to Macmillan Children's for the chance to read this book early.

Page Powars the man you are. As soon as I learned that Powars’ sophomore novel was on netgalley, I was on there faster than you can say Valentine. Powars has such a way with writing characters that you can laugh at, yell at and giggle and kick your legs at. And They Were Roommates had a cast that was so wonderful and had me cackling so loud that I was scared I was gonna wake someone up. Powars is so talented at writing books about Trans joy and with the state our country is at right now it is so desperately needed.

I’m not really a fan of this particular subgenre, but I have to say that this changed that. This story was so cute and wholesome that I just couldn’t put it down. I was constantly kicking my feet and giggling as I read.

I loved the slow-burn aspect (I’m a sucker for slime-burns) mixed with the second chance. This second chance was so unique I just couldn’t pass it up.

The entire story was executed perfectly, and I couldn’t thinking anything that I truly disliked. While I do wish there were more kisses or a more thorough sit down between Charlie and Jasper, I still love how everything played out.

Five stars for sure!!

Thank you Roaring Brook Press and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. All I can think is “Awww…”! Charlie is beginning his first year at St Valentine as the Excellence Scholar. That means he’ll have to rank in the top five students in order to stay at school. He’s off to a bad start when he finds out he has a roommate when he specifically paid for a single, the school says they have no record of this. But he has to have a single, he didn’t tell them that he’s trans and if anyone finds out he’ll likely be kicked out. St Valentine has all kinds of weird traditions and roles, they even keep the boys and girls from communicating except for at the mixer they have every year. Things get even more complicated when Charlie’s roommate, Jasper turns out to be the person who broke his heart two years ago. This was in Charlie’s before life but Jasper is sure to recognize him. Except he doesn’t but Charlie is still on pins and needles waiting for him to. Jasper it turns out, runs an against school rules love letter ring between the boys and girls school. In order to get his own room he strikes a deal with Jasper, he’ll help him write some love letters and in exchange Jasper will find a new room which should be easy as he is the Principal’s nephew. But as the two spend more time together will their growing feelings complicate things? And if Jasper finds out who Charlie is will that mess up his chances at staying at St Valentine? I loved this group of awkward boys! Blaze has to be my absolute favorite!!! Charlie and Jasper are so cute, I love the progression of their relationship! A charming story full of love that’s completely swoon worthy! A not to be missed second chance romance!

This was an absolutely fantastic book!

Set at an elite private boarding school where male students are segregated from their female counterparts, Charlie fears his secret being discovered.

Realizing upon arrival that there has been a mix-up and he doesn’t have the private room he paid extra for and finding his new roommate is none other than the boy that broke his heart a couple of years before, Charlie’s excitement turns into distress.

Add to that the stress of being on a scholarship that requires he rank in the top five of his class to stay at school and you’ve set the scene for an overwhelming first semester.

Charlie and Jasper were fantastic characters. This young adult book gives just the right amount of angst to keep you eager for more.

This book contains transgender representation, which is more important now than ever.

Do yourself a favor, and grab a copy of this one when it’s published.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.

What a fun read! This was such a lighthearted and heartwarming read! Charlie and Jasper felt very realstic, both in their personalities and how teenagers would handle their relationship in this situation. I also loved the supporting cast of characters. They were hilarious and really increased the amount of hijinks in this book. I really enjoyed that this book wasn't just about Charlie finding romance with Jasper and finding out what really happened during that summer, but also about finding a friend group for himself. I also found the pacing and writing of the story to be enjoyable.

Overall, I really enjoyed getting to read And They Were Roomates and I already know which of my friends I will be recommending this book to once its released!