My Roommate Is a Vampire follows Cassie Greenberg, who loves being an artist. Unfortunately, art doesn’t pay the rent, so on the brink of eviction, Cassie decides to find herself a roommate. When she answers the ad for a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful neighbourhood, Cassie can’t believe her luck: there has to be something wrong with the apartment. As it turns out, there is a catch. Her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam may be charming and talks like he’s walked out of a regency era novel, but there are secrets he hides, one in particular, as Cassie realises when she finds bags of blood stocked in their shared fridge…and suddenly, there’s more at stake than just her new accommodations as Frederick proposes a deal unlike any other.
My Roommate Is a Vampire had a lot going for it. With a fun premise, kooky characters, and some very fun interactions, the novel definitely had me invested. I loved how awkward Frederick was and how he tried to learn “how to be human” in this very contemporary setting he wasn’t used to at all. Cassie, meanwhile, has a true passion for her art and is willing to stand up for her values and her talent when people try to tell her that making a living with art isn’t what she should be pursuing. Together, Cassie and Frederick had an interesting chemistry and their set-up as roommates caused many hilarious incidents, one of them being Cassie finding out Frederick’s little secret.
Overall, I did have some issues with the novel though. For one, the characters felt a bit one-dimensional. Cassie defines herself through her art and Frederick’s personality was very much based on him being a vampire and his past that the reader learns on very late, which made him a charming but almost interchangeable love interest. There are of course a lot of funny moments with him googling certain things he doesn’t know or asking his friend for help on how to be “hip” but through that, the reader doesn’t really get to know him.
I also did wish that the vampire aspect was better connected to the overall plot of the novel. Frederick’s backstory is quite important, yet comes in quite late after teasing it many times which might count as a slow burn but feels frustrating at a certain point.
While it also impacts the romance, it often feels quite distanced from the overall story arc and makes other plot lines and scenes between for example Cassie and her friends (or Cassie and her love for art) struggle to live up to their full potential because the connections between it all aren’t as clear as they could be.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed Levine’s witty writing and especially Frederick’s dry humour, his attempt at acclimating to the contemporary world and his clear devotion to making Cassie happy right from the beginning. If you ever wanted a roommate who knows how to compromise, you’re sure to fall head over heels for Frederick.
Lovers of paranormal romance and the roommates trope will find a delightful romp in My Roommate Is a Vampire.
My Roommate Is a Vampire is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 29th.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
True love is at stake in this charming, debut romantic comedy.
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.
