My Roommate Is a Vampire

A few months ago, I read a sampler of 14 romance novels due between summer 2023 and next spring. One of the books highlighted was My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, a debut paranormal romance. Up until now, I’d read basically no paranormal romances; I didn’t think it would be my thing. But that preview of the first chapter was hilarious and I was convinced: I needed to read this book! Though I got it on release day in late August, I decided to save it for my October vampire reading challenge. (Look out for my other vampire book reviews in the coming days!) I read it, I loved it, and I think I actually really enjoy paranormal romances now. And vampire books. Who knew?!

Summary

Cassie Greenberg is broke and has few affordable housing options available to her. Her art career hasn’t taken off yet, and she’s in desperation mode. So when she finds a room available for only $200 a month in Chicago (suspiciously cheap), she takes it. Her new roommate, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam, seems a little odd and overly formal. But he’s nice and, well, really hot. So Cassie ignores the weird things about him and moves in. But soon it becomes clear that her strange roomie is actually a vampire… and she may be falling in love with him. 

Review

From the first chapter, My Roommate Is a Vampire is a ton of fun. Truly, my favorite thing about it may be how funny it is, and that humor is on full display from the get-go. When Cassie Greenberg sees a Craigslist ad for a cheap room, she ignores how old the poster sounds. But when she meets her new roommate, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam appears to be only a bit older than her, maybe mid-30s. So why does he talk like a duke straight out of the Regency romance novels he reads? Indeed, everything about this guy and his home is anachronistic. From his formal manner of speaking (including his insistence on calling her Miss Greenberg) to his lack of awareness of anything remotely modern, he’s more than a little weird. 

Now, you may have to suspend some disbelief. Why does Cassie move in with such an obviously strange guy? How does she ignore all the warning signs about him? True, she is not in the financial position to be choosy. And her personality does veer towards being open-minded and accepting. But even when she finds out Frederick’s dirty little secret (spoiler: he’s a vampire!), it doesn’t take much for her to be like, “You know what? I’m cool with that. He’s nice and he’s hot, so I don’t care that he’s an immortal blood sucker.” I can’t say I’d be so easily convinced, but Cassie has the right character for it, so I guess it works. 

Another point of ridiculousness is the third act conflict. Thankfully, it’s not the typical baseless breakup. Rather, it involves conniving family members and suddenly heightened stakes and a bizarrely flimsy rescue plan. It’s the kind of thing that, in a thriller, would need to be more developed and would certainly need a more realistic (and action-packed) resolution. But for this silly romance between a friendly vampire and his artsy roommate? It works! 

The whole book follows Cassie’s perspective, but we do get glimpses into Frederick’s mind. Each chapter opens with either an epistolary section written by Frederick or some other snapshot of what he’s up to. Sometimes it’s a letter he wrote to his mom; sometimes it’s a to-do list or a Google search; sometimes it’s texts he exchanged with his frenemy, Reginald. Additionally, within the chapters, we often get to see text exchanges between Cassie and Frederick. All of these add to how adorable this novel is. Overall, My Roommate Is a Vampire feels sweet and cute, though it does bring some steam, too. It also stars a creative and ambitious woman making her way forward in her career and learning to be kinder to herself. 

Final Thoughts

This is my first time reading a full-length paranormal romance, and I loved it. My Roommate Is a Vampire is as fun and cute as I’d hoped it would be, and I just loved these characters. I’m also excited that it seems to be the first in a series. Based on the epilogue, it looks like Reginald may be in for a love story next. I can’t wait to read it! 

Get the Book

You can buy My Roommate Is a Vampire here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
Series	My Vampires (#1)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Paranormal Romance
Setting	Chicago
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	Paperback
Original Publication Date	August 29, 2023

Official Summary

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

A September Indie Next Pick
One of Amazon’s Best Romances of September
One of Apple’s Best Books of September

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.