2.5 stars -- "And They Were Roommates" bases its titular cliche for its attention-grabbing synopsis; coupled with the twist of the main character being a trans boy, the novel should be a romp. The execution, however, leaves more to be desired as I felt neither butterflies nor giddiness while reading. Instead of being absorbed in Charlie's predicament and immersed in the school setting, I felt detached and disconnected from the characters and story. A reason could be that we don't learn much about Charlie as a person especially pre-transition unless it's somehow related to Jasper and their past summer together. While the school setting is understandably intense yet unexpectedly welcoming, towards the end it reads like a bet to see whether Charlie will get to stay at St. Valentine's, while also coming across as quite juvenile. Although there are certainly good moments, I wouldn't say I liked reading this, but it's definitely an important one representation-wise and a lot of people will love it--especially for its trans rep in the current landscape/hellscape.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I really love second chance romances so when I found this book I thought it would be right up my alley. While I loved the dialogue between Charlie and Jasper, the story was a bit slow for me. The story was decent enough for a one time read. Would still recommend to my audience.

And they were roommates!

Thank you Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the ARC!

Charlie is ready for a fresh start at Valentine Academy for Boys, and has gone to great lengths to ensure that he will have the opportunity to be his authentic self, without judgement. Yet, this plan is thrown into chaos when his roommate is none other than Jasper Grimes, a familiar face from his past. Jasper knows a lot about Charlie, and his chance to finally have a fresh start seems threatened. But Jasper doesn’t recognize Charlie. And Charlie finds himself more and more drawn to Jasper, and possibly ready to be known fully, on his terms.

This was such a delight. A charming, unapologetically queer and fresh love story, filled with plenty of romantic tension and a big heart. Representation is so important, and we’ve got something truly insightful and powerful in And They Were Roommates. Highly recommend it!

I loved this book I love me a good second chance romance and this delivered I loved the banter between the two characters I liked Charlie and happy we got some good representation

i don’t necessarily gravitate towards ya too much anymore but when i tell you this needs to be your ya pick of next month, i’m not exaggerating IT HAS TO BE!! the best words to describe this book are cute and camp. that’s truly all you need to know going into it
the found family? so camp i will not get over it
and the love interest? the most melodramatic poet you’ll ever meet so incredibly camp
i saw another reviewer compare the vibes to she’s the man if the mc was actually trans and THAT’S IT THAT’S THE FUN, CUTE, CAMPY VIBES THIS HAS! it does feel very ya, but it hit the exact spot that i needed it to that i read this in one sitting

Thank you, NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book!

This story is for anyone who watched ‘Ouran High School Host Club’ and head-cannoned Haruhi as a trans guy. It’s fun and camp and full of characters you can’t help but love. And the slow burn was *perfection*. A super fun read.

“No, I don’t possibly have this disgusting disease you’re talking about.” “You mean lovesickness—?”

When Charlie ends up as roommates with the boy who broke his heart before he transitioned, his first thought is that Jasper is going to reveal his secret and get him kicked out of Valentine Academy. He doesn't expect to not be recognized at all. So he tries to maintain his distance, not just from Jasper but from everyone else, to try and hold onto his identity and his spot. But no matter how hard he tries, Jasper keeps integrating himself into his life and though he tries to keep those old feelings from coming back, he soon realizes that they never went away in the first place.

“Love is never not scary. It’s a matter of whether you’re enjoying that fear.”

There were so many things that I loved about this book. The pretentiousness, the dramatics, the big emotions of teenage boys and the way every moment, every interaction and every decision feels like it could make or break your life. Unlike the other boys on campus, Charlie's secrets have the potential to get him kicked out. But regardless of his attempts to remain a lonely enigma, he unintentionally creates a name for himself. He forms a circle of friends who he eventually ends up trusting. And it all starts and ends with Jasper, the one person he tried the hardest to stay away from.

“Just because you can do it all doesn’t mean you should, Charlie.”

Jasper is the kind of person you think you won't like, especially since we see him from Charlie's perspective, and his own opinion of Jasper is skewed by the past. But Jasper's smart and loyal and a true romantic. Add in the drama, the teenage angst and his charm and vulnerability, and much like Charlie, you can't help but fall for him.

“Why do you always hide your face?” Jasper says. “I like your face.”

From the moment they meet again, there's this tension between them. Sometimes it verges on hate and other times it's on the other end of the spectrum. But these two are utterly obsessed with each other and Charlie's attempts to pretend that he wasn't were some of my favorite parts of the book. His incrurable sickness, his constant questions about Jasper, the way every little thing about Jasper seemed to bother him but he missed those little things when Jasper wasn't around. He just cares so much even when he tries not to and the moment he finally accepts it is just so wonderful!

"It makes my head spin. Forces me to feel every conflicting emotion of the incurable sickness that I thought was cured."

This book wouldn't be complete without STRIP and the non-tutors. These boys are all so different and if it weren't for these circumstances, they never would have been friends at all. But they're so loyal and care so deeply about each other. I just loved how Charlie found himself this tight circle of friends who are exactly what he needed. Blaze, Robby and Xavier round out this book in so many ways. Their antics made me laugh so much and I loved getting to know them through Charlie.

“Charlie.” I’ve never heard his voice this soft before, yet there’s something more unrestrained that simmers beneath it, too, making my chest burst in ways I never knew existed."

This book reminded me a little of Page's first book. Not in the story (apart from the secret club within a club that's all about romance and young love) but in the characters and the feelings it brought out. It's so refreshing and joyous and I just enjoyed every second of it. I was already a fan, but now I'm even more excited for Page's future books!

Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. I really wanted to like And They Were Roommates, but I had a hard time getting into the story. I tried picking it up multiple times, hoping it would click, but it just didn’t hook me.

The pacing felt very, very slow, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged. I usually give a book a few chapters to pull me in, and if it doesn’t, I move on which is what happened here. I ended up DNFing it.

That said, I know this book has worked for other readers, so it may be worth checking out. Just wasn’t the right fit for me personally.

Based on the premise, I thought I would really like this book, but I think that the author was trying to do too much and it became increasingly over-the-top. While reading, I was often reminded of this exchange between Charlie and Nora at the beginning of Emily Henry's Book Lovers:
"“And the cast is caricatured—”
“Quirky,” I disagree. “We could scale them back, but it’s a large cast—their quirks help distinguish them.”" And They Were Roommates felt like this- a cast too big for the space which compelled the author to make each character quirky in a way that came off as unrealistic.

In addition, much of this sounded unlike any real boarding school I could imagine. A scholarship dependent on being ranked 1-5 in the class after your first semester? Two schools being so completely separated by gender that there is only one time for overlap each year (If this is so important to the school, then why are the summer camps co-ed?)

I think And They Were Roommates could have benefited from one more round of editing, scaling down the cast slightly, and building stakes outside of an unrealistic school system. This will find its audience though, and seems to already have, and I'm genuinely glad so many others are enjoying it.

Oh, this book is EVERYTHING to me.

I love a good "and they were roommates" trope in a book, but combine that with one of them secretly being trans and hiding the fact that he had a romantic past with his roommate before he transitioned? I'm completely obsessed.

This story is more than that, though. It shows Charlie's growth and acceptance for himself and for being a student at Valentine's Academy for Boys, which is such a huge part of this book on top of navigating Jasper Grimes as a person, roommate, poet, and past lover.

I can't wait for everyone to fall in love with the characters in this book. It's such a fun story to start off the summer and let's be honest, the title ALONE should peak everyone's interest.

Thank you so much Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Roaring Brook Press for the ARC. This was by far one of my most anticipated reads this year and I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to read this book.

This book is camp and I applied to be a counselor
🌟 95/100

“Next thing I know, he dashes across our room— or, rather, with so many books in the way , he hops— and snatches my hands. His flowery fragrance swirls around me, and his touch is as freezing as I remember it being. The cons of having a heart secretly made of ice.”

I saw the author promoting this book and was immediately drawn in by both the plot and the cover. I applied for an ARC approximately .02 seconds later, and checked my netgalley and email every 10 minutes for a couple weeks until I got it. What I'm saying is: I love the cover, love the concept 😂

This book had a nice, tight weave on the plot. Watching it all unravel was verrrry satisfying. Charlie is such a relatable character: watching him navigate the pressure of boarding school, the fear of failure, the dread of discovery, the hiding-who-you-are-becomes-hiding-who-people-thought-you-were, just everything? It absolutely screams of quintessential teenagerdom. And, of course, we love the beautiful, messy, authentic trans rep.

Special thanks to Bingo A. Dixon. Top tier character. Really, all the side characters were magical, I loved their humanization as Charlie progressed through his fear and leaned into his bravery.

You know what pissed me off, though? Jasper's bracelet broke and it DIDN'T MATTER. I was so ready for it to be a plot point 😭 Any other issues I had with this are of the sort that will likely be fixed in final edits!

And They Were Roommates
Page Powers
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:

Unspoken Guideline 20: And They Were Roommates should be read by everyone, immediately!

I had so much fun reading this book. It has been a while since I have read any YA and I’m so glad this was the first. While I am a sucker for romance, romance was a small part of this story. This was a story of belonging, finding your tribe and yourself and the struggles, not only of being a teenager, but a teenager who is trans and finding their way.

Charlie has so much going on! Transitioning, new school, isolation and having someone who can ruin everything sharing a room with you!!! That’s a lot for anyone to handle. He has some hectic moments of doubt and insecurity, but any teenager would have those especially a member of 🌈 community. I absolutely loved his relationship with Xavier, complete opposites, but they became close.

I wish we could have seen more of Jasper and his perspective and inner thoughts. I felt it would have added more to his character. He was a sweet guy. I’m pretty sure if you look up golden retriever, it would have his picture beside it. I loved his energy!

My favorite character was Blaze! I loved his extra-ness and all of his nerdiness! ❤️❤️❤️

I really enjoy this book and the authors writing. The story was well developed and pulled you in. I love seeing more trans representation. It’s so important to show the struggle our trans brothers and sisters go through. And They Were Roommates was a great second chances romance and a great way to start reading YA again!

Thank you to Page Powars and net galley for a chance to read this book early via an arc! The thoughts are completely my own and truly how I felt about the book.

I truly loved this book, definitely one of my fav books this year. The vibes were immaculate and it was such a fun read. I stayed up too late reading it and devoured the book quickly.

Charlie is a trans boy who starts at an all boy boarding school. He is trying to keep his head down and keep his trans identity under wraps in case it would be grounds for dismissal/ make him an outcast. Originally he’s supposed to be in a single room and instead ends up with a roommate who is a boy who broke his heart the year before he transitioned.

The book is sweet and captures teenage angst perfectly, as well as the added stress of transitioning and hiding it. It’s a lovely coming of age story and Charlie really grows into himself and becomes more confident. It also takes place in a boarding school and has love letters!! What more do I need to say! I definitely will read this book again and will purchase a physical copy for my shelf.

I am so glad books like this exist. However, I struggled to find myself fully immersed in the story. The premise was absurd. It definitely felt in the YA genre, which will land for many! Just full a bit flat for me.

I did not find the main love interest (Jasper) to be compelling. His aloofness and the forced proximity that came from his desire to spend time with Charlie felt uncomfy at best. Alas. I look forward to reading future books from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for a complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was absurd in such a hilarious way. It was adorable. Some words used were really cringey and the continuity of some of it was off, so hopefully that was caught before publishing. I do wish there was more time spent on the romance and after they both admitted they liked each other.
Overall, this was really cute. The epilogue was a little random and I’m not sure who would actually appreciate what Taylor set up, but to each their own.

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️Random notes from my read: CAN BE CONSIDERED SPOILERY⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

* Jasper is both socially awkward and a little full of himself. It’s kind of hilarious and I love him
* Charlie is kind of mean sometimes and also expects jasper to still talk to and seem interested in him, when he’s made it clear he wants nothing to do with jasper
* Okay, that was kind of crappy, jasper
* Also crappy of you Charlie
* I have to remind myself these are teenagers
* Okay, but that’s a good Robert Frost poem
* Okay, what is actually up with this P. M. mess?
* Jasper coming out swinging with the emotional maturity! Heck yeah
* “I try to find the logical map for him meaning friend again.” *snort laugh*
* Jazz hands!
* Hahaha he thought he was falling for her brother. Hilarious
* Not the wedding invitations! Lolololol
* HISSING BASILISK
* Not just normal, but very very normal lol
* Not the koolaid man run!
* I would marry Delilah
* I was NOT expecting Jasper to be my favorite. Man, he oozes emotional maturity
* What an interesting choice of the start of a love letter. Going to give someone a heart attack lol



Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC and allowing me to provide my honest review

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: 3 stars

Overall, this is a cute story but it fell a bit flat for me. I enjoyed getting to know Charlie's character as he figured how to navigate the world as a trans boy. Page did a great job of illustrating the overthinking and anxiety that comes with being trans, and the struggle to make genuine connections with others while in the closet. I also loved the found family elements and the wholesome friend group.

However, I found myself struggling to really get into and feel invested in the story. I didn't find the main conflict (jasper and Charlie's falling out at camp) to be believable and I didn't feel chemistry between them. It felt like the author was telling me these characters had a passionate and emotional past and connection, but I really didn't feel those feelings come through throughout the story.

It had funny moments and a cute ending, but I can't say this one will stick with me.

A delightful and engaging romance. The tension between the two main characters as their relationship develops over the course of the book makes for a delightful romantic read. And the development of Charlie's self-confidence and ease is inspiring to follow. Well written, with humor, sincerity, and romance throughout.

This book was extremely cute and so funny. I laughed out loud on multiple occasions. The romance was so sweet but the story was so much more than a romance. Charlie's journey of coming out of his shell was so beautifully written. Every character was so unique. None of the side characters bled into the background. I loved that everything was just a little bit over the top. Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and I really enjoyed the light academia setting.

I also felt like it gave a lot of insight into what it's like to be a trans boy but also a teenage boy in general. I truly appreciate that perspective. This is such an important story! I definitely want to go read the author's other work.

I received an Advanced Copy From NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

So I want to preface this by saying I am not a trans person and I think more weight should be placed on reviews written by trans people. Trans readers could have different perspectives and experiences that connect to this book.

This is a Ya with some angsty romance. Charlie is a trans boy who's entering a prestigious boarding school on a very strict and competitive scholarship while hiding that he's trans. Through a mix-up he is accidentally given a roommate. The roommate is Jasper, who broke Charlie's heart the year before he transitioned. And now Charlie has to deal with an extremely competitive education, balancing his life, and dealing with his feelings and friendship with Jasper.

At first, Jasper was a little difficult to like. It starts with him having a literal poster of himself on the ceiling lol. BUT, once I imagined him as a young Stede (from Our flag means death) I found him quite charming.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. It's not just a cute angsty romance, it's a story about self discovery, discovering true friendships, and the importance of learning healthy boundaries. I think this is an amazing book not just for young trans people, but anyone who felt like maybe they just didn't fit in "the right way". It's also probably a great book for friends of trans people, to help get a deeper understanding of how they're feeling. Anyway, it was a very cozy and charming read and I really sped through it since it was deeply charming.

SIDE NOTE: In this story the sophomore Charlie has had top surgery. In many states you must be 18, and sometimes 21 to have top surgery. And while some states allow you to be 16, many doctors will not do it that young. I assume the book is written this way because the reality of breast binding and the body dysmorphia would make this story a lot more heart breaking. Top surgery is a life saving surgery. If you are unfamiliar with gender affirming care and surgery, please please look this up.

This book was so cute and fun. I totally misunderstood that it wasn't a college book, and instead high school but I still had a great time reading it. Loved the trans rep and queer romance. Loved the side characters as well!