What an amazing story!!! I devoured this book so much that I'm now concerned about my job. I loved the emotions and poetry's role in their relationship. The forced proximity, kinda enemies to lovers, and second chance aspects were all beautiful executed. The subplots focused on academics really hit me right in the emotions as well. And the best part is how supportive everyone is of Charlie; it always makes me so happy to read a queer romance where the characters get to be themselves. I can't wait for Powars's next book!

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the balance that this book was able to hold. Powars is able to keep the tone light, and relatable, while also not reducing any of the problems that Charlie faces throughout the novel. I think that a lot of younger trans kids will be able to see themselves in the novel, which is a beautiful thing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publish Group and Roaring Brook Press for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3

A delightfully dramatic YA romance following Charlie a teenage transgender boy as he navigates his very traditional all boys school and being roommates with the boy who broke his heart before he transitioned. Charlie doesn't believe in love. After Jasper broke his heart at summer camp a couple years ago, he's stayed away from it. Now, he's taking love lessons from the very person who broke his heart. I would've liked to see more between these two as their feelings for each other built up. The story itself focused much more on Charlie's academic standing instead,

While I enjoyed the romance between Charlie and Jasper, I would have been pleased without it as well. Charlie's story is beautiful and full of heartwarming moments. I enjoyed him as a character despite the fact that there isn't a ton of character growth; honestly, it's understandable that Charlie isn't aware of all the happenings in his best friend's life because he's going through a ton and his friend isn't sharing with him. His new friendships with several boys at Valentine's Academy was my favorite part. He finds a community of people who love him and will stand up against the school if it comes to it (spoiler alert: it doesn't).

Overall, I really enjoyed And They Were Roommates. I'm looking forward to reading more from Page Powars in the future!

Reading this book was an absolute joy. Following Charlie's journey as he navigates the new pressures of being at an all boys school and having a roommate for the first time, on top of hiding who he is from everyone around him; it was fun to see him figure it all out.
The other characters around him were so full of personality, that a lot of the times I was in stitches with laughter at some of the interactions everyone had.
I will admit, it was a little slow to catch my attention in the beginning, but once it did, I didn't want to put it down.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan for allowing me to read this early!

This has such an interesting concept and so much potential, but unfortunately, the execution fell pretty flat for me :( There were a lot of subplots that I felt like were touched upon too little/too much, and character relationships that could have been explored more to make the story more fleshed out.
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I feel like if we had gotten more background/history of Charlie, and what Charlie and Jasper's relationship was like before, it could have given more context to Charlie's attraction to Jasper. They're pretty opposite and had little chemistry on page, and I couldn't really see what Charlie saw in Jasper. I wasn't reading and dying for them to get together.
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I did really appreciate the transgender representation! It felt authentic and I really enjoyed reading Charlie's character.
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I did want to see more of Charlie's relationship with Delilah and his mom. The subplots with those two characters were just kinda there, and then at the end just easily resolved itself? The little interactions we have with Delilah and Charlie's mom made those conflicts kinda fall flat.
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While other side characters were all pretty quirky and a bit cringey(?)/ridiculous at times, it didn't really bother me.
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Lastly, I felt like overall this book felt more contemporary than romance. I also feel like a majority of the book was focused on the success of STRIP, and I honestly just wasn't too interested in it. If you're looking for a more light-hearted book with transgender representation in an academic setting, maybe check this one out? Idk maybe this one just wasn't for me.

I loved this book!! It’s the perfect romance for middle and high schoolers, and just a nice, warm, fluffy read overall. Even though it’s fluffy, it still does a great job of showing kids the trans experience without ever feeling forced.

Charlie’s character is very well-rounded, and you can tell that the author has lived through similar experiences. A lot of times in LGBTQ+ books, a trans character feels like they’re just written in as a side note, and their experience comes off as performative. Charlie didn’t feel that way, his emotions were so real and powerful that, as a cis female, I found myself feeling them too. That’s such an amazing quality for a writer to have.

The romance was a SLOW BURNNNNNNNN, which I’m usually not a fan of, but I really enjoyed it here. The plot had a great balance of romance and created well-rounded characters.

My only real issue was that I found Jasper a bit unlikeable just a tad too long. He felt more like a caricature for about 70% of the book. That said, when his character finally started to show growth, it was very well done. I just wish that development had come a little earlier in his relationship with Charlie.

Overall, this book was heartfelt, authentic, and so worth the read! I highly recommend to any middle-high schooler who might be going through something similar to Charlie.

When I tell you And They Were Roommates surprised me in the best possible way, please believe me. I couldn't put it down! I enjoyed every second of this lovely book. I laughed out loud several times and even teared up over these two goobers. I genuinely didn't want it to end.

The chemistry between Charlie and Jasper was EVERYTHING and I honestly loved the backstory! So clever! The side characters were great and also quite hilarious on their own. The setting added so much to the plot because everything was always high stakes. SO much was expected from the characters, it really kept me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next.

I will now read everything Page Powars writes and absolutely have preordered this book to have a physical copy for my collection. Just a triumph all around!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillian Children's Publishing Group for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed And They Were Roommates. It was a quick and enjoyable read that perfectly walked the line between cute and cliched. All of the characters were stellar and unique and while there was quite the cast, they all had individual personalities and I was rooting for each of them!

My one fear going into this was that there would be an awkwardness/anger when Charlie came out to Jasper, but I was dumb and should have just trusted the author because Charlie’s identity and coming out were handled really well. All around this was such an uplifting read and it mostly made me really happy to know that beautiful books like this exist about trans kids, because they were few and far between when I was the targeted age for this book. I loved Powars’ first book and this one cements his place as one of my must-read authors.

2.5⭐️ (I round up)

I was really excited for this book. I loved the cover and the premise. Unfortunately, the book fell short for me. First of all, I didn't like Jasper for most of the book. He was really annoying and pushy, and I didn't like his personality for majority of the book. Honestly, I felt myself gravitating towards the side characters more. A lot of the scenes felt a bit unrealistic to me and I had to remind myself that these characters are probably 15-16 years old. Some of their actions felt juvenile too, though I guess I should cut them some slack since they are still in high school. I was waiting for the big reveal on how Jasper broke Charlie's heart, but honestly I was really disappointed. <spoiler> Jasper accidentally wrote three girls love letters because of his flirty personality??? </spoiler> I can't even imagine how that happened. I will say that the friends Charlie makes were great and I loved the little found family he made for himself at the school. However, Blaze was a very interesting character that I did not understand at all. Also, the big conflict in the book felt a little silly. In a school of geniuses, the girls and guys didn't make the connection that <spoiler> since communication/visiting between campuses wasn't allowed, no one would have received a letter asking them to the dance?? Like they all stood separate instead of going up to their partners to figure it out? </spoiler> It didn't make sense to me. The ending was kind of cute, but the build up to it or conflict felt a little unnecessary. I didn't really why understand why Charlie was holding back after clearing the air. Overall, I think this book had the potential to be good but fell flat for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Page Powars for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Before I get into my review of “And They Were Roommates”, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s publishing group for the early eARC!

Let’s jump right in. This book was the perfect YA book! It was fun, adorable, suspenseful, and wasn’t too kiddish! (if you know what I mean.)

I fell in love with both of the main characters quickly and never wanted this book to end. Powars is an incredible author, writing interesting characters and setting an amazing plot!

This book was the definition of an easy cozy read that you could binge in a few hours!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4/5 stars

And They Were Roommates is an incredibly sweet romance, but it is also so much more than that—it’s a book for everyone who wants more queer love stories (especially in the YA genre) that celebrate trans joy and acceptance.

Characters:
The characters were probably my favorite part of this book. Charlie, our main character, is such a realistic portrayal of an anxious but incredibly smart teen, who is trying desperately to hide the fact that he is trans so he can stay at his all-boys boarding school. His relationships with Delilah and the boys in STRIP are so wholesome, and I adored the inclusion of uplifting and supportive male friendships. Jasper, Charlie’s roommate and ex, is such a ridiculous and dramatic character, and I loved him for it.

The Romance:
Speaking of Jasper and Charlie, I thought that the romance was really sweet. At first, the idea that Jasper had no idea who Charlie was and couldn’t recognize him after he transitioned seemed a little implausible, but when it was revealed that he thought Charlie was his ex-girlfriend’s brother, and Charlie told Jasper it was just him, I thought the dynamic was much more interesting! I also really loved how, after Jasper found out, he was still in love with Charlie and nothing really changed between them. As much as Charlie struggles in the book with his fear of being outed, when his friends do find out about his transness, they don’t view or treat him any differently.


Trans & Queer Joy:
This portrayal of trans and queer love was so heartwarming and, I think, incredibly powerful in its existence. Having stories like this, which address issues of transphobia and outing, but also show the immense joy and acceptance that trans people can experience when surrounded by loving and supportive friends and family, is so important for young queer audiences. If you’re sick of reading LGBTQ+ books which only focus on queer suffering (as important as those books are too), this might be a lovely change of pace.

Overall, I really enjoyed And They Were Roommates and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys queer YA fiction and romance. If you’re a fan of authors like Alice Oseman, Julian Winters, and Mason Deaver, I think you’ll love this book too!

This book was cute. It was a nice surprise going into this finding out there's good representation in it. The idea behind the book was cute and the execution was a lot of fun. It's a good, lighthearted early summer read.

It was a little hard to believe at times though which in turn made it hard to stay in the story. Between the skills of 15 year old poets and just how many things happen between the characters. But you know if you read it like a fun Netflix movie those things are just fine.

Otherwise it was a delight. Preordered a physical copy so I can read it again.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute YA rom com featuring clueless queer main characters at a hoity toity school for smart boys.

Not sure what era this book takes place in. The idea that love letters would be so popular was a bit antiquated. And there are no cell phones? So maybe this takes place in the 1990s or early 2000s. Hard to believe a teenager would be a great poet, especially after reading his mediocre poetry. Even harder to believe that teenage boys would be obsessed with sending love letters, but I guess it’s a bit more believable since there is limited phone access?

The two main characters are white men but there are side characters who are POC. Blaze is adorable. Xavier was so lovable, especially when Charlie comes out to him.

There are some surprisingly deep moments of reflection with regards to Charlie’s transness, like when he tells Delilah that he didn’t transition expecting life to be easier. Altogether this was a cute, lighthearted read.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for the opportunity to have read an advanced copy this book for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I DNFd this book. I was super excited because the concept was cool however it felt like a Disney Channel Original movie. That's not a bad thing but its just not something I enjoy. I am also not the target audience.

I was very excited to receive an arc of And They Were Roommates because I love school settings in books that aren't dark academia. I was also really excited and hoping for an angst and pining filled book but the tension didn't shine through for me.

It was a slow start but once I was 30% in, I was enjoying the writing and plot and didn't really want to put the book down.

However, as a few other reviewers have mentioned, despite Charlie being the main character, we as the reader don't seem to know a lot about him. We obviously find out that he's very driven when it comes to academics, doesn't like poetry or the gym, and is anxious about navigating his new world, all central points to the plot. But I wish we had seen more about what made him fall for Jasper, why he was close friends with Delilah, and what he's interested in outside of the school setting. It definitely felt like we were just told "work, school, studying, stress, etc" as a way to excuse us not learning more about Charlie.


Despite all that, I did still really enjoy this. It's a fun, lighthearted, cliché story that was refreshing to read. I do think my biggest issue was just me expecting angst due to the situation but it not being a main point of the book.

I am also an adult, and while I read and heavily enjoy a lot of ya novels still, I do think this is one that will be more enjoyed by young teens.

This book wasn't bad--it was just extremely familiar. There were so many similarities to The Borrow A Boyfriend Club (also by Powars) that it felt vaguely deja-vu-y reading this book. I would highly recommend reading both books, but not nearly back to back like I did.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book

This was so so good. Page has quickly become one of my favorite authors this year! I read Borrow A Boyfriend Club slightly before this one - and I just wished I had more of his stories to read, but I guess I'll have to wait!

Full review to come.

I could not put this down. And They Were Roommates is the kind of YA queer romance that fills your chest with warmth, longing, and deep appreciation for honest storytelling. Page Powers delivers elite-level banter and romance that rivals Lex Croucher’s, paired with the kind of slow burn that aches in the best way. From the moment Charlie walks into his dorm room and realizes his new roommate is none other than Jasper, his first kiss from writing camp two years ago, I was hooked.
Charlie is already navigating life under the radar as a trans student at a prestigious all-boys boarding school, trying to avoid any scrutiny. But suddenly, he’s living with the now-famous poet who broke his heart and just happens to be the principal’s nephew. The tension? Palpable. The chemistry? Off the charts.
Charlie is convinced he was just a forgotten moment to Jasper, but it's so clear Jasper sees something special in him. Watching that initial animosity twist into romantic pining—especially through flirty love lessons, covert school traditions, and delivering forbidden letters to their sister school—was pure gold. I was rooting for them every step of the way.
The slow burn was exquisite, and Charlie’s growth, learning to trust, to love, and to be loved, was beautiful. The blackout poetry, the literary nods, and the fierce emotions all made this book sing. I’ll be buying multiple copies for my classroom because this book celebrates identity, empathy, queer joy, mental health, and the power of being seen. Queer teens deserve their epic love stories too!
Page Powers, you’ve got a forever fan in me.

charming, fun, and over the top, and they were roommates is a silly romcom that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

i enjoyed all of the characters and their dynamics with each other. charlie and jasper have an ever evolving relationship throughout the book that you watch as they begin to develop feelings for each other after they accidentally come to be roommates while charlie tries to keep the fact that they used to know each other a secret. the other characters are really fun too (yes even blaze alpha destroyer) and it’s heartwarming how they all make charlie feel welcome at the school despite the traditional values the academy represents.

while this book is mostly just a fun time, charlie does experience the pressure of living up to the “excellence scholar” role and making the top 5 in his class to keep his scholarship. the school environment revolves around achievement so much so that the top students in the class get extra perks, and the class ranking is broadcast for everyone to see. i appreciated the conversations this book had about the stress of high achievement especially on top of charlie trying to keep up with his other activities.

where the book lost me though was the love letter plot. for the fact that this is pitched as a romance, the majority of the book is about secret the love letter delivery service (called STRIP btw) that i found incredibly uninteresting. i was expecting more buildup in charlie and jasper’s relationship with the love letter delivery service as a subplot but the main reveal happens halfway through the book, leaving the rest to work out charlie and jasper’s awkward relationship. everything about this academy is so focuses around the concept of love that i was wishing we would see more of that in actuality rather than it being left as just the atmosphere and the decoration.

and they were roommates is the perfect read if you just want a funny romcom with low stakes and exaggerated characterizations, but it falls short in the balance between plot and romance.

thank you to netgalley and macmillan for providing an earc in exchange for an honest review ♡

Honestly I wanted so much more from this book and it just BORED ME. YA is so fun because it moves pretty quickly and usually has pacing down, but this book was just so slow and then nothing really happened. Stakes were high, but in the end it didn't matter, and the characters were paper thin. The plot was a big nothing, it didn't make any sense and relied so much on lack of communication. I hated almost all of the characters you're supposed to like, Jasper included. I also hated Charlie's friend on the girl side of the school, because she just didn't seem to empathize with him at all and expected him to be a good friend to her when she really didn't even try.

Charlie was my main issue outside of the totally implausible plot, he didn't seem to really exist? He had no interests outside of school, no history outside of school, no personal feelings outside of stress over school and trans angst. His gender euphoria later in the book is awesome to read, but overall he's just a blank slate. I liked him being angry at Jasper because at least that was an emotion coming from somewhere. I did find his swearing off romantic relationships for two years Jasper's betrayal a bit much, especially when he didn't need that to be his foundational trauma, it could have very easily have been his parents' very messy divorce. Sigh. So painfully mediocre.