My Roommate from Hell is a ridiculously adorable romcom about Owen, a college freshman, who is assigned to room with an actual demon, Zarmenus. Humans have recently discovered a portal to Hell and this college exchange program is an attempt to solidify human-demon relations. Zarmenus is being pressured by his parents to be on his best behavior and prove to humans that demons aren’t as bad a centuries of bad press would suggest. Owen is nervous about the prospect of rooming with a demon, but has been promised a chance at a coveted internship if he can get along with Zarmenus for the full semester.

Unfortunately for Owen, Zarmenus is a prince who has never had to clean up after himself and is a typically terrible roommate, not to mention the dark creatures that keep popping up in their room. One thing leads to another, and the two decide to fake date in order to sell really their relationship.

I don’t read a lot of paranormal romance but I felt that the world-building aspect of the whole Hell is real situation didn’t overwhelm the plot and I’m always a fan of a fake dating trope. The book is also really funny and surprisingly sweet. I loved Owen and Zarmenus, but Bell the demon cat was probably my favorite character. I could definitely see this being a fun movie and, in some ways it reminded me of a less-intense version of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

The premise for this book was right up my alley and I’ve read and loved books from this author before. However, this one was a bit of a miss for me. I struggled with wanting the prospective couple to get together because one of them seemed to have very little respect for the other one, solely in regards to being an inconsiderate roommate. But it felt a little overly bad to me, where it was no longer endearing that they were so bad at it. This complaint was definitely a me thing as someone who has had really bad roommates before, so take it with a grain of salt. The other issue I had was how little chemistry the two characters had besides “he’s hot”. It seemed like there were no feelings for each other besides physical attraction. I didn’t feel any tension between them until pretty much the end. So for me, this was a 2.5/5.

VERY much a swoon worthy book! absolutely tore through this book because of just how amazing it was! one of the most well written Igbt books i've read and the yearning..... sooo good. love love loveee the fake dating and just wow what amazing characters! owen and zarmenus you will always be in my heart! make sure to read this in November!!!! Also, once again thank you net gallery for this arc copy!

This book subverted my expectations for sure. Romance is not typically my favorite genre (especially fake dating), but I thought that the trope was done well in this case. Going in I expected a one-note story full of the characters hating each other in secret, then being forced to put on a show, all the while ignoring their feelings. There was some of that, but Owen and Zarmenus's relationship felt well developed by the end.

I also enjoyed the fact that Zarmenus was not at all mean or brooding, which is a common occurrence with demon characters.

While I didn't expect it going in, the book was very cute, silly, and enjoyable.

This was so ridiculous and fun!!
It’s a light read filled with demons and humans interacting together and a cult trying to dismantle the demon college boy and send him back to hell and I enjoyed it so much. It made me laugh and smile!

I was looking forward to a lighthearted, funny book to read, and while it was both, it wasn’t what I expected. Unfortunately, this book contained one of my biggest pet peeves—non-communication.

“As I do, I try to think of a solution to this. I shouldn’t have to feel like I’ve stepped on his toes instead of the other way around. He’s the one who is being a bad roommate. I’ve tried my best to come up with something that could work for both of us. I truly have.”

Everything… except actually speaking to him.

“I maybe haven’t talked to him about the cleaning, but I have asked him about the hookups, and he missed the entire point of that. Why would asking him to cleanup after himself go any differently?”

Why bother trying to clarify or follow up? That would be something only an adult would do, not a college freshman…

This nonsense went on for basically the whole book—it seems to be Owen’s modus operandi—but I think it was most prevalent throughout the first 30%. I say ‘think’ because, at that point, I started skimming. I hoped the story would get better so I could actually pay attention and enjoy it, but I was more frustrated with Owen’s doormat behavior than he was with Zarmenus’s bad behavior. The whole story could have been 90% shorter had Owen just stood up for himself and said what he truly felt.

My Roommate From Hell was SO much better than I expected. I did go in with low expectations and ended up grinning like a fool the entire time. This is a super fun, surprisingly heartfelt YA rom com with just enough chaos to keep it spicy (figuratively, not literally because this is a sweet slow burn, just kissing).

We follow Owen, a tightly wound, overachieving college freshman who just wants to keep his head down and get through school... and Zarmenus, the literal prince of Hell, who's his new roommate. Cue eldritch horrors, ghouls in the bathroom, and a demonic cat named Bell that I would 100% die for.

This book hits all my favorite tropes:
✨ Enemies to lovers (but make it fake dating too)
✨ Opposites attract
✨ Bantery, borderline unhinged flirting
✨ Demons but make it college
✨ Soft emotions in between laughs

I LOVED Owen. He’s awkward, anxious, and painfully relatable. Watching him slowly let his walls down (and simultaneously yell internally about how hot his demon roommate is) made my heart happy. And Zar is an adorable menace who’s somehow both chaos incarnate and weirdly endearing.

Some of the scenes had me cracking up, like the ghoul situation or the random portals, but what really surprised me was how much depth there was under all the humor. Themes like identity, vulnerability, prejudice, and self-worth were handled gently and thoughtfully, without ever getting too heavy for the story.

My only complaint? I need MORE. More Owen/Zar. More demon-human shenanigans. More Bell.

If you're into books that are cute, chaotic, queer, and unexpectedly emotional, My Roommate From Hell should be on your radar. I would recommend it if you loved Red White & Royal Blue, because it's that meets Good Omens, but set in a college dorm room full of fire hazards.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Wednesday Books. All opinions are my own, and my opinion is: I LOVED IT.

This was INCREDIBLY good. I actually had quite low expectations, but they were very well surpassed. It’s a fun humorous YA read. I love a good rom com, but this one does it so well by still touching on deeper topics.

This was so dang cute and surprisingly hilarious. I wanted to shake Owen sometimes, and yell at him to open his eyes, but *shrug*. Owen was so nonchalant about everything from the ghouls in the bathroom, the creepy doll, and the random eldritch horrors. He was honestly so perfect for Zar.
This was pretty low angst and a quick read.


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



* Owen is a lot braver than he thinks. When I went to college, I hardly spoke to anyone for weeks and weeks, because I was too socially anxious to just try. It was hard making friends. I’m definitely the introvert that needs an extrovert friend to drag them around
* Man, I need someone who calls me out on lying about being “okay” like that
* WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE DOLL
* “We know, Zar never shuts up about you.” Like we all didn’t know he wanted that boy the whole time. This story would be so much shorter is Zarmenus had just kissed Owen form the beginning, instead of all the other guys
* Oh honey, there’s nothing fake about this
* Ouch
* “I want to roll around on his tongue until I’m slathered in his drool.”🔥

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

This was an adorable rom-com about college roommates, one of whom just happens to be a demon, who decide to fake date for various reasons. If you like your rom-coms fluffy and funny and adorable, this might just be the book for you.

My Roommate from Hell is a fun YA romance that I absolutely loved! Our main character Owen is off to college, where he ends up rooming with the Prince of Hell, Zarmenus. The pair have a rocky start, and don’t appear to be well suited as roommates. Their rocky start comes to a tipping point when Zarmenus asks Owen to be his fake boyfriend in order to help improve his image. Owen agrees and his life at college begins to change.

When I first started this book, I was a bit worried about not liking the main character as I found Owen to be a bit annoying and a goody two shoes. He tries very hard to be perfect in every aspect of his life which I found grating at first. However, as I kept reading and learned more about Owen, and as he evolved over the course of the book, I ended liking his character a lot more!

I love the parts where Zarmenus and Owen are together. They have such great chemistry and their banter is just perfect! The fake dating aspect is the best part of the book.

I would definitely recommend this book- it’s charming, fun and lighthearted. I ended up finishing it very quickly because I just couldn’t put it down!

The idea behind this book is super unique and it was pretty funny as well. In an odd way that even I don't understand, it sort of reminded me of Wizards of Waverly Place. I really liked Bell, the demon cat. I sort of expected with the uniqueness of the plot and the quirky demon additions (ghouls, the cat, fire nightmares, portals, etc) that it would stand out far more than it did. All the way around, it just felt sort of bland and it didn't really hold my interest. It is very, very much a slow burn as the fake-dating aspect doesn't even start until 40% in and by the time we finally got to it, I had stopped caring about the characters and their repeated back-and-forth antics.

Happy Pride Month! This was such a cute and quick read that had me laughing from start to finish. I loved the authors idea of hell and the soft magic system that played such a small but fun role in this story. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

This was such a fun YA paranormal romance. The concept was so fresh and I liked exploring the world where humans and demons learn to coexist. Both characters were great to follow but in particular Zarmenus had great character growth and had won me over by the end of the book. I will definitely be recommending this one when it comes out!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

This is a very sweet story! Owen was just adorable and his consternation with Zar and the situation of rooming with him was really funny. I would say this is a fairly standard YA college romance with the paranormal twist.

Rating: 3.5 rounded up

This young adult romantic comedy was such a fun and entertaining novel! It was heartfelt, lighthearted, emotional and hopeful. This book also comes with fantasy elements, which I loved! I felt that the author did a wonderful job at creating the plot of the story and I found it to be well executed. It is beautifully written and contains lovable characters. I felt like I related to the character Owen the best, because of his awkwardness and softness. This book is about two young college boy roommates that are completely opposite of one another. One of them likes to party, comes off as very annoying, loud and rude. The other roommate likes to study and work hard for his future. However, you can feel the chemistry develop between these two main characters.

These boys start off as enemies, then became lovers. They start a fake dating trope, for reasons of their own. This builds a strong bond between these opposites. Both the main characters and side characters really stood out in the book to me! Some of the themes explored in this book are opposites attract, acceptance and authenticity, first love and identity, and reality versus fantasy. This book is one of a kind, full of humor and a bit chaotic! Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Cale Dietrich and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for this charming electronic arc of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I think readers that love a great young adult romantic comedy, mixed in with some chaos, would really enjoy reading this book! Content warnings include bigotry, religion and kidnapping.

This book is expected to be published on November 11, 2025!

Hell Yeah!
I felt a lot of emotion reading this book. Owen was a very relatable character and his flirting with Zarmenus, especially while they were fake dating, really made me smile. I loved the connections to real life with how the stigma from demons seemed to symbolize the hate currently destroying the world, especially here in America, it was empowering. And like the driver told Owen, their relationship was great for helping change peoples minds and normalize demons. I also really loved Ashley, Tyrell, and the rest of the cast of friends.

Also, not exactly a part of the story, but when I read the end of the acknowledgments, I thought it was absolutely perfect and I applauded! YES!!

This was a fun story! I really liked how the author made the Hell dimension and incorpated it into the story. Zar was a great character but his development was a bit weak and shallow. I really wanted a bit more from him. I liked Owen and found his inner panic completely relatable. Some of the plots points seemed a but too easy, but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I really liked all the side charcters and felt they rounded out the story nicely.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an early copy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC of this deeply unique and fiery romance! I was immediately drawn to the cover and the clear divide between the two main characters. When I read the synopsis, I noticed that our protagonist was named Owen; which just happens to be my nephew's name. I kept getting more and more excited, and when I saw that the overarching trope was 'fake dating', I knew this was going to be the book for me. It absolutely did not disappoint! I fell head over heels for both Owen and Zarmenus, and I could not get enough of the Will They, Won't They from the very first chapter. Not to mention the way that the author was able to create a reality in which Hell is real and devils were (mostly) welcome on earth.

We start with Owen, who is going to college without the presence of his best friend. Feeling totally out of sorts, he hopes he will be able to make friends easily and pursue his dreams at the same time. He is surprised, however, by a living situation he did not expect. When he walks into his dorm room, he is met with the Prince of Hell himself. Owen is wary of Zarmenus but decides to give him a chance, and it goes about was well as you might expect-- at least at first. Zarmenus is totally unused to not only normal human life, but also to taking care of himself in any way. From rubbish around the room to a ghoul in the bathroom... it's a living nightmare. Owen almost gives up, but then a twist of fate brings the two into a mutual agreement to act as boyfriends; one that changes not only their lives, but the world at large.

What I loved about this book more than anything is how tight and genuine the narrative is. With a fake dating romance, there is usually a lot of miscommunication and hurt feelings, and that gets really grating to read. However, the author here has taken that miscommunication and given the characters the ability to talk and work out their problems before the situation escalates to an unbelievable level. Of course, I was also smitten by the flourishing relationship between Owen and Zarmenus, the long distance friendship between Owen and Ashley, and the view of a college life I never allowed myself to have. This was such a cozy, lighthearted, and meaningful read. I very much recommend that YA romance lovers take in this novel and lose themselves in the heat of the moment.

honestly it's been a while since I read anything YA, kinda got bored of the genre, so it was a pleasant surprise how much I enjoyed reading this book