how to feel out of your depth in a place you belong.

i adored this book! it was exactly what i was expecting and hoping for. it was lighthearted and made me laugh many times due to its dramatics.

the tension and chemistry between jasper and charlie was well done. it didn’t feel overbearing and i ate up every single crumb between them. they had a rocky start, honestly, but they managed. loved seeing them learn together their wants and what they’d do to protect their hearts.

charlie’s need to succeed while hiding the fact he’s trans is his main thing in this, it screamed soon to implode. a person can’t balance all that inside and expect a perfect outcome, but he had people around him who wanted to help which truly was a lifeline. it was difficult at first, because finding a friend is what everyone wants, but thinking you’d be safer without them as a form of self preservation due to having a secret that might be damaging to your education… a bit stressful. luckily, charlie found a community. a group of boys who all have their strengths and special interests. a place he felt comfortable and fit in with.

though i was confused by a handful of things the school did, so was charlie, so i can’t say i didn’t understand if the main character also didn’t.

overall, the message of this story is of listening and supporting. very glad i was able to read this.

i think this might be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” on paper, this book sounded like something i’d love, but for some reason, it just didn’t click. it wasn’t what i was expecting.

it’s a fun, fast-paced story with over-the-top characters and a silly premise. it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which some people might enjoy. i really wanted to love it, but the quirkiness and chaos ended up being a bit much for me. the romance between charlie and jasper didn’t feel developed enough.

over, it wasn’t a bad book. i just wasn’t ready for how silly it was.

It took me a little bit to get behind the premise of this story but once I did, I had a really fun time. The silliness of the characters reminded me so much of Gilmore Girls in the best way. I could see all of these shenanigans going down at Chilton and that really endeared me to the plot and the characters.

I'm such a sucker for a large cast of characters, and Powars did a great job at making each character distinct and individual and important to either the physical plot or the emotional plot, which meant that I didn't feel like I was combining characters in my head to make the book less crowded. The main love story was also silly and sweet.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing group for this arc in exchange for a review!

The book begins with Charlie making it to the school of his dreams. My eyes went misty learning its importance to his character, how it set the precedent for everything to follow with Jasper even when he least expected it. I am a sucker for second chance romance, and was so curious to see how the two would reconcile.
Originally I had been wary of Jasper at first, and felt Charlie's nerves when he set his eyes on a cardboard version of his surprise roommate in the first couple of chapters. What a strong first impression! The situation between the two seemed to escalate rather quickly, and the direction the story took for their friendship was a welcome surprise.
I was thrown off by the purpose of the club at first for its simplicity, but when poetry was a part of the mix I was looking forward to seeing how it played a part of the story since it was the initial foundation for the plot. I was disappointed at the lack of what was discussed as an important part of Jasper's backstory and would've loved to have seen more. As well as the letters that were the sole mission of such an old tradition.
One of the best parts of the books were the friendships Charlie was able to form with the other students. I expected snobby rich kids but was met with a supportive group of kids who truly loved what they did and did so in earnest. I understood Charlie's hesitance in befriending a single one of them under the pressure of being discovered, and believing the situation would best be navigated on his own. It's important to me find these kinds of stories where there's a sense of community to be shared intertwined with trans rep. Page did a wonderful job portraying Charlie's character and how isolating it can feel like when you're just trying to be yourself in an unfamiliar setting. Until you find your people, and can breathe a little easier each time.
The story was a bit slow to progress towards the ending, and it sort of dragged along once we didn't get to see any of the contents of the letters that were painstakingly delivered. Above that, I enjoyed the more bashful and unsure side of Jasper. Their dynamic after their "reunion" was both intense and endearing, and genuinely my favorite part of the book. The long lost love wasn't so lost anymore! I couldn't help squealing when both grew closer over each chapter after such an event.
Overall, the book was able to take me along for a lovely ride as if I were in a movie! I was cheering on Charlie and his friends throughout the story towards the very end, and would like to end it off with a favorite quote of mine with this quote in particular I feel speaks volumes on the story and what it offers you at its core.

"Maybe, with all these changes, we actually need to forget who we used to be. Instead, we need to work more on learning who we are now."

And They Were Roommates is a charming and enjoyable story with fantastic trans representation. I really loved the cast of characters in this book—each one brought something unique to the table, and I appreciated how they all supported Charlie on his journey toward self-acceptance and belonging. The plot was heartwarming and the concept was fun. I especially enjoyed the banter and love-hate dynamic between Charlie and Jasper throughout most of the story (primarily from Charlie's perspective). While this slow-burn YA romance was enjoyable, it leaned a bit too much into the "slow burn" aspect for my taste. I would have loved to see more development in Charlie and Jasper's relationship, giving their romantic connection more room to grow. But aside from that, this book is a wonderful representation of a trans experience, and it's something I wish I had when I was in high school. I’ll definitely be recommending it to my queer friends and book club!

Charlie is a late addition as a merit based scholar at St. Valentine Academy for boys and upon arrival realizes his assigned roommate is his summer camp first kiss, which occurred 2 years prior at age 14 before he transitioned. Jasper doesn’t recognize Charlie and as Charlie gets integrated into the school more secrets build, but this time some of them are mutual.

So much I loved about this (like all of it). The school and secret society within it is so campy and fun. The beautiful campus and shenanigans were the perfect balance with the high stakes of grueling classes Charlie needs to ace in order to stay and the angst of him making and keeping friends and defining his identity.

This is definitely a book I wish I had when I was younger. Yes it’s billed as “second chance” romance and some adult readers have found that to be too much but like that’s what it feels like when you are 16!! It feels so angsty and like your whole heart is broken and you’ll ~never love again~ like bffr we all know someone who once posted on their wall “another year without a valentine..” on v day when they were 16 like pls we were barely sentient but the feels were FEELING. This is very YA and not NA.

And also Jasper is a bit of a manic pixie dream boy at first but eventually I loved seeing all these characters grow and change through Charlie’s eyes including Charlie himself. We shouldn’t be finding YA love interests swoonworthy anyway so I’m happy there were other subplots and the romantic storyline wasn’t rushed.

Thank you to Macmillan children’s for the eARC! I preordered my own copy though too, it’s going to be in hardback and that just matched the extravagant vibes of St. Valentine perfectly

I was really looking forward to this one, but it was unfortunately a bit of a let-down. I found the characters hard to connect to, and I didn’t really think the main characters had any chemistry.

It took me awhile to adjust to the off-beat writing style and there were elements of the plot that felt a bit quirky and odd. The story fell very flat for me.

There were a few moments that made me chuckle and I thought the ending was cute, but this is definitely not one that will stay with me. My overall feeling was just meh.

Okay, this book was so good!! Charlie being little ball of anxiety, plus Jasper being a drama queen made for a really entertaining combination! This book is both quirky and incredibly charming.
I also loved that it took place in an Academy setting and thought, despite the highly competitive academic standards, the friendships that formed between the characters were really sweet. And seeing Charlie really come into himself, getting (reluctantly) involved, gaining confidence, and learning that the friendships he made along the way are just as important (if not more) as his academic success was, to me, the biggest takeaway -- the cherry on top of this sweet story! Highly recommend!

I wanted to like this so badly (I mean, look at the cover!) and I love seeing trans MCs in cute fluffy YA books. But alas, this just missed the mark for me- the pacing was all over the place, and the love interest's behavior towards the hero was more alarming than romantic, among other issues. I enjoyed some parts of this book, but overall it was a chore to get through and ultimately failed to live up to the great promise of the premise.

Before I write this review, I will state that I decided to DNF this book around 30% of the way in.
This story is lighthearted and sweet, and I did enjoy some parts of it. Charlie’s anxiety was heartbreaking to read about, and I did care about him. I also thought the author did an amazing job discussing how it is to be trans, and I think this book could help a lot of teens, especially queer and/or trans teens.
So while I do think this book is important, and definitely has its audience, that audience just wasn’t me. I may just be aging out of YA, but all of the characters were so overdramatic, and I couldn’t buy into a heartbreaking, world ending love at 13-14 years old. Jasper also mainly annoyed me, and I couldn’t see myself liking the romance. I think people who like younger feeling YA fiction and extremely lighthearted romances would enjoy this book.

4.5!

I love this!! I’m not a fan of romance or YA anymore, but this really did something for me. I loved all the characters so much. It was silly, with low stakes tension that made this such a light hearted read that I truly couldn’t put down. I ate it up and already recommended it to several friends!

My only complaint is that living in Charlie’s head was a bit draining at times. I think I would have preferred it to be third person. Charlie is Goob from that one meme where they’re inviting him to things and he walks by with his head down mumbling “they all hated me”
However, I simultaneously did the whole story from Jasper’s pathetic (lovingly) POV, stat!

btw, BLAZE #1!!

And They Were Roommates was easily one of my top reads of the year, and one of the easiest 5-stars I've given a book. :) I highly recommend if you're looking for a queer YA book with fantastic characters, witty banter, all the found family vibes, excellent slow-burn romance, and a plot that will keep you engaged from beginning to end. I'll be revisiting this book for sure! Thank you, Page Powers, for such an amazing novel. :)

(Longer review to come on my blog once this beauty is released!)

4.5 stars

This story somehow manages to be both ridiculous and unbelievable (the crazy boarding school experience) while also really and relatable (the trans rep and teenage behavior). I had a great time while reading this. Charlie is a good character to experience the story through. He is more down to earth and relatable among a cast of wacky characters. But they were all so interesting and super fun. The assumptions and decisions that Charlie makes towards the end without hearing out Jasper, while something that would really annoy me in an Adult Romance, was something that felt very real and on brand for a Young Adult story. We see very real teenage angst and emotions in the mix, and I enjoyed that, honestly. Overall, this was great. I think this is my new favorite book from Page Powars.

Sweet and charming, And They Were Romance is a fun romantic read with plenty of humorous characters and wonderful trans rep. Personally, I didn’t find the plot very gripping though, and there a quite a few plot points that seem like they needed more room for development that keep me from rating this higher.

For me, I didn’t find some of the plot points very gripping, which made it hard to focus. Charlie, upon entering this unique but competitive academy that has a romance theme (which is silly in a way I liked), has multiple points to navigate: self acceptance and outward acceptance as a trans boy who the academy doesn’t know who’s trans, his over eccentric roommate which was his first love but the roommate doesn’t realize, surviving the rigorous course work of the academy and his plot about dealing with being a tutor that is actually a front for a love letter/poetry distributing club. This all makes some sense together, but sort of make it so that they don’t all shine to their full potential.

I didn’t care much at all for the love letter writing plot where Charlie is trying to be a better poet at Jasper’s guidance and learn about romance… it wasn’t that exciting, even though on paper it ties into their relationship as a whole.

I think while the current present of Charlie and Jasper’s relationship is still entertaining, namely due to Jasper and his cohort’s very unique personalities, the backstory between them is half flimsy. Mostly because while, yes teenagers are super dramatic, it seems a bit weird to me that at age 13 you had a crush so bad that it ruined all your perceptions of love / you were still in love with them. I mean 13/14 to 16 is a very different place in your life and I don’t feel the weight of their past relationships to make me understand why they were so attracted to one another initially.

I think a lot of details needed more expansion or focus to make more sense. A lot of plot items on the surface is just fun or to move the plot forward, but looking at it a bit more it makes you question how exactly we got here like with their personal relationships or Jasper’s career. Maybe there were too many hijinks at the same time.

it’s still a cute read with humorous moments, a good balance of humor and seriousness - but just not as pulling as I was expecting.

this. was. so. good.

THANK YOU to netgalley and macmillan for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

"and they were were roommates..." "OH MY GOD THEY WERE ROOMMATES!"

i was head over heals in love with this idea of a story since i heard about it and when i got approved for the earc i almost screamed.

plot blurb:
charlie is an excellence scholar at valentine academy. that means he has to abide by the strict rules of the academy all while staying within the top five ranks of their second year class. it's an archaic kind of rule -- judging someone based purely off their academic prowress... especially when the number one rank gets a perfect 100 everytime just because he is the principal's nephew. jasper, said nephew, has -seemingly- never had to work for anything in his life. but charlie and jasper already have a history. two summers ago, charlie and jasper had a fling. however, that was when charlie was presenting as a girl still, before transitioning to charlie of today. so when charlie's check for an upgraded single room never gets to valentine's office, he has no other choice but to be jaspers roommate. dun. dun. DUNNNN.

i loved this. charlie was so realistic in terms of his perspective on love. charlie very much does NOT believe in love. kind of same my dude. jasper, meanwhile, is an internet acclaimed poet (i was thinking rupi kaur but as a teenage dude) and lives his life as a stereotypical heartbreaker. they were really dynamic characters while still being cliche and stereotypical in the best way possible. (think romcom vibes).

this is a sloooowwwburn. like 89% of the way through the book slowburn. praise!! i love a good slowburn.

this book is proof that queer romances can feature trans stories which feature transness as a central crux of the story without focusing on the deeply depressing and scary nature that can come with being trans in a world that may not accept you. i read for escapism and this book provided that. but at the same time it was true to life. a very good balance if you ask me.

PLEASE pre-order this book or reserve it at your library. it is so good and i cannot recommend it enough!

2.5⭐️
The book is sold as a rom com and I unfortunately didn’t laugh or grin once. Also. Am I crazy or did the author definitely read Ouran High School Host Club?? Jasper is Tamaki, the love letter writing club is the Host Club, the rich academy etc etc?

It’s difficult to tell a story about “geniuses” then fill the pages with poetry to back it up that comes off as trite, and simplistic facts and figures to appear smart. All the characters are unbelievable, broad, alien people - no one would act or speak how any of these people do. When I let go of reality and fell into the fever dream and just pretended I was reading a manga or anime script it was easier to swallow, but that isn’t the same as enjoying myself. Charlie is pined over for apparently no reason, he is literally nothing but short and mean to Jasper, stand offish or awkward with others, and doesn’t take any responsibility or show any honesty for quite some time.

The plot is contrived and unbelievable and the setting is the same, there’s really nothing to latch onto here. I can’t speak to the accuracy of Charlie’s trans experience but I hope this book lands in the hands of those who need it or those who get it. Mine were not the hands.

I love reading YA with wonderful queer rep and this book is exactly that! This is my first book by this author, and it won’t be my last!

Charlie is hiding his trans identity at the all boys boarding school when a mishap has him rooming with his ex WHO DOESN’T RECOGNIZE HIM!! 🤭

This was one of my fave books I have read all year! I am completely enamored with literally every single character— I want a full series of their time at school, plus a prequel, plus a spin off series of their sister school!!! As a former boarding school student, Charlie felt so relatable. I loved seeing his growth throughout the book and the support he received along the way was so tender. I couldn’t put this one down. This book exceeded my expectations! (Grateful to have received an advanced copy to review!!!)

This book was just sweet and wholesome and it made me feel a lot of feelings. I loved the dynamic between Charlie and Jasper and how their relationship changed and grew as they both changed and grew.

The conflicts throughout the story made them work hard for their eventual HEA and I loved every minute of it. There's something special about the cast of characters, they're all little weirdos and I want to be friends with them all.

I'm looking forward to reading what else Page comes up with in the future, this book was straight up good.


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Roses are red, violets are blue. This book was, or simply, so cute! I enjoyed (a good majority of) this story a lot. I definitely think one of the highlights is the unexpected friendships Charlie made throughout the story, and how he slowly opened up to them and, in turn, himself. These side characters (especially the eccentric young genius, Blaze) really stood out for me!

The setting of Valentine Academy really helped to make Charlie feel more isolated in his feelings about himself and his situation in the beginning, but I really did love how it became more of an exclusive little club he was a part of. I will admit, there were some interesting tonal quirks with how some characters spoke and acted compared to others that took some getting used to.

The relationship between Charlie and Jasper was very cute. It was definitely a slow build to a sudden admission of feelings that I didn't think fit completely with how the story was going. HOWEVER I'm a sucker for grumpy/sunshine dynamics, so their relationship was still very cute!

Overall, I really enjoyed this story! I've never read a story with a trans main character, and it was admittedly refreshing to read a fish-out-of-water story with this perspective. 3.5✨