This was such a cute story! Truthfully it took me a minute to get into (because I haven’t read YA in a while) but once I got rolling I loved it! The cast of characters was so chaotic and funny, the whole books is the definition of boys will be boys (but in the most non toxic way possible).

The romance was sweet, I think it might have been better if the characters were aged up a little. But I do have to remember 16yr olds have big feelings too.

Ultimately a wonderful LGBTQ book for young adults looking for their place in the world.

I definitely had different expectations going into this book than what it ended up turning out to be, but in the best way possible. The summary is what made me want to pick this up in the first place but by the end of the book, I think it’s missing a focus on the relationships of the characters that really made this book what it is. The story plot was a really good arc that tied it all together and intrigued me, but the characters are truly where this book shined for me!
Charlie is easily one of my favorite main characters that I have read from and I love that while his experiences with being transgender were a constant underlying factor, that was not all that made him up. The emotions and experiences we see through Charlie’s point of view were ones I feel that most people in his shoes would make, even if we all know they are not always the best. Powars did an incredible job of toeing a line that made Charlie truly feel like someone that is both relatable and real.
The love interest, Jasper, comes across as a little insufferable and full of himself but in a way that makes him so fun. He also felt like a real person instead of a character on a page for me which really just made me root for him so much. Especially as the book progresses and we hit the peak of the romance plot, I absolutely fell in love with the characterization of him. He’s built up as this character who is supposed to have a big head and an ego the size of a country but there’s these subtle moments we see through Charlie’s eyes that show more depth to him, even when the book isn’t told in his perspective.
The rest of the cast of characters and the way they interact with both each other but also Charlie truly made this such a solid read. I feel that emulating the found family trope or a close-knit friend group in non-fantasy settings can be difficult because of the nature of their environment but the way Powars wrote it was beautiful. If you’re looking for something that will feel like the characters are real people with real flaws, I suggest picking this up when it releases.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

SCREAMING DELIGHTEDLY this is such an adorable novel!!! this statement is not simple bias due to the fact that the author is as much of a haikaveh enthusiast as I am that he asked for Ben Balmaceda (kaveh's voice actor) to narrate the audiobook version of this--which I'm also looking forward to listening to btw!! the cuteness of this book is plain fact.
It's set in an all-boys school in new york, and it's a school with rigid, traditional ideals. our beloved main character Charlie is a trans man, so obviously he's afraid to show his true self to his schoolmates/teachers/admins who may cause his expulsion from the school if they find out that he's trans.
This fear is further exacerbated by the fact that, not only was his request to occupy a single suit denied, he now also has to share a room with a boy who broke his heart two years ago, back when he hasn't transitioned yet. Worse (or better? depending on what perspective we're going for haha) this boy does NOT recognize him. IM LAUGHING SO HARD. from this premise alone i was already hooked, and as charlie's journey towards courage and self-acceptance unfolded, i got even more compelled to read further.
this boy is Jasper, poet/model/top student extraordinaire. it's so fun to watch Jasper, a boy of words, get tongue-tied around Charlie. and it's equally as fun to watch Charlie, incredibly intelligent and handsome boy, be unable to consider the fact of Jasper's massive crush on him. in charlie's defense, jasper broke his heart a couple years ago. in jasper's defense--there is none, really. he works hard though and he GOES THROUGH IT in the funniest way possible, so i think he's allowed to be uninhibitedly in love with his roommate, as a treat.

Overall, such a lovely book, would 100% recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

And They Were Roommates by Page Powars was everything I hoped it would be. The story was enthralling and kept me guessing on what would happen next. It was a good balance of predictable and surprising. I did find myself kicking my feet a few times.

I find that I do not always like a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, but with Charlie and Jasper, it is very endearing. The driving force for Charlie is his goal was to lay low and rank in the top 5. However, Jasper and the other members of STRIP had other plans and it was delightful. It captures that true companionship can come from the most unlikely of sources.

I gave this book 4.5 / 5 stars and would most definitely recommend picking it up when it comes out in May. Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Roaring Brook Press for providing me with an advanced reader copy to read and review.

This was a pretty good ya romance. I liked the boarding school setting and following Charlie in this story. I didn’t particularly care for Jasper’s character especially at first which made it harder to get into the book, but I didn’t mind him as much as the story went on. There was a lot packed into this story making it overall an enjoyable read.

Read this if you like:

📖 Second chance romance
📖 Boarding school settings
📖 Lgbtq reps
📖 Found family

Thank you to @fiercereads for the gifted arc.

This was utterly ridiculous, and I loved every second of it. Charlie is a new student at Valentine Academy For Boys and his goal is twofold: maintain his standing so he can keep his scholarship, and keep his trans identity a secret. However his plans are immediately derailed when he gets assigned Jasper Grimes as a roommate. The same Jasper who broke Charlie’s heart before he transitioned. While he hasn’t recognized him yet, it’s only a matter of time before he does and it could ruin everything for Charlie.

Jasper and Charlie are so Tamaki and Haruhi from Ouran HS Host Club. One of my favorite tropes will always be the melodramatic egocentric character is secretly overcompensating for how lonely and sad they really are. Jasper is a flirtatious vain poet. Like having a cardboard cutout of himself in their room kind of vain. He’s overly positive, a big believer in romance, and absolutely obsessed with Charlie. And a Charlie is the exact opposite in every way. He’s insecure, awkward, and frazzled at all times. He’s been burned by love, has a more cynical outlook on life, and tries to avoid Jasper at all costs. But as the story progresses we see Charlie learn to open himself up to others, to gain confidence, form friendships, and fall in love. And we get to see Jasper’s softer side as well, his own shyness and insecurity. I do wish we learned a little more about Jasper. While we know about Charlie’s home life we don’t really get to know Jasper’s, and even his relationship with his aunt is skimmed over.

A large plot point is STRIP, Valentine’s official tutoring service that has actually been used as a cover for the student’s century long love letter smuggling operation. No communication is allowed between Valentine Academy and their sister school next door, but STRIP is a way around this rule. After being dragged into STRIP by Jasper, Charlie begins to form a friendship with the top students behind this operation. The very eccentric group consisting of buff Xavier, horse obsessed Robby, the fantasy roleplaying 12 yr old Blaze, and of course our resident love poet Jasper. This group offers a very absurd and hysterical influence to the story.

This was a fun romance with charming characters and outlandish scenarios. Very humorous and over the top, I think many people will enjoy this.

The description of this book really grabbed me. It had a lot of great aspects to it, but overall was not what I expected. With that said, I’m not the target audience though, and I think this story would work really well for others. The characters were difficult to connect with and at times were unbelievable. There were a lot of quirky personalities and it became a little too distracting. Likewise, some of their actions and dialogue seemed over exaggerated and inconsistent with what seems logical. I don’t mind that, but in this case it just got hard to follow. I also had a hard time with the part of the plot about writing secret letters. The stakes just did not feel reasonable to me and it was hard to feel connected to it.
While this wasn’t a book I personally enjoyed as much as I wanted to, there are some things I did enjoy and thought were done well. I really liked the representation, not just with gender and sexuality identity, but with race as well. I almost wanted a little more of this, especially with the separate boys and girls schools. The main character’s anxiety and difficulties were also handled well, and brings awareness to a lot of outdated ideas, especially in regard to transgender teens.

This book had a good and compelling storyline and a synopsis that drew me in. The writing was technically good and easy to read and comprehend, maybe even playing more towards the gen z idea of simplicity. The descriptions of characters and places was able to pull a picture to my mind and imagine it all. I liked that it was told from a first person point of view. I felt like it helped me connect with Charlie and feel his anxiety and pain and loneliness. While I had many good things to say about this book, there were some things I didn't like about it. I felt like while physically the setting was good, the reality of it felt a bit skewed. not in the sense of the boarding school, it doesn't seem far fetched for parents to send their kids off like that. But I felt it was a bit odd to have these freshman and sophomores in high school talking about their one true love. Teens do always tend to think everything is the biggest of deals, but I felt like there needed to be a bit of realism in "We don't 100% know what the future holds but for now this is great." While I understand that it's just Jasper's character, he seemed very over the top. It was kind of jarring. If that's what the authors meant to do though, then great job. I think it could have been cute to have a little flashback and Charlie and Jasper at camp 2 years ago at some point. And I felt like the story danced around the word transgender for a bit too long. It's only said once in the whole book, and even then it's in the last like, 20 or so pages. I understand not wanting to say it to friends or teachers or anything, given the situation and setting, but I feel like even in the privacy of his own thoughts it should have been mentioned. Not using the word until the end of the book felt a bit too "hiding" for me.

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!)