My Roommate from Hell was such a fun, lighthearted, and unexpectedly emotional ride. Cale Dietrich blended romance, comedy, and fantasy in a way that felt fresh and engaging. I don’t usually reach for fantasy reads, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well the supernatural elements enhanced, rather than overshadowed, the romance and character development.

The plot was well-paced and kept me turning pages, and I really appreciated the diversity between the characters. I found myself relating to both of them in different ways, which made their dynamic even more compelling. The enemies-to-lovers trope? Yes, please. And when you throw in fake dating? Chef’s kiss.

One of my favorite things? No third-act breakup. Thank you, Cale, for not taking my heart and stomping on it. That alone deserves a standing ovation. The relationship was allowed to grow organically, with humor, heart, and just the right amount of drama.

The only reason I’m giving this 4 out of 5 stars is because fantasy isn’t usually my go-to genre, but honestly, this book makes me want to explore more like it. It was a quick read, and I constantly found myself saying, “just one more chapter.”

If you love queer rom-coms with a supernatural twist, heartfelt moments, and a love story that makes you smile and swoon—definitely add this to your TBR.

Big thank you to NetGalley, Cale Dietrich, and St. Martin's Press Wednesday Books for the ARC. It was a joy to read!

This novel was a HELL of a time. I absolutely loved it. It was such a fun work of fiction. Our two main characters were painstakingly adorable. Watching them fall in love and do the whole “will they won’t they thing” was addictive. The world-building was unique. The rest of the characters were so wholesome and supportive. I truly enjoyed every last page of Owen and Zar’s cutesie little love story. Highly recommend!!!

A fun and sweet story about a college freshman who finds himself roommates with an actual guy from hell....as an exchange student. It is a great story and the main character is super relatable. Loved it!

One word for this tale: sweet. Owen is good-hearted, the prince of Hell is hot, the world they live in is mostly gay.

I'm not sure who the audience is--at times it read very simplistic, as if aimed at first year of high school instead of college, but on the other hand it's so gay-affirming that it's sure to please any kid who picks it up

Thanks so much @wednesdaybooks for the advanced copy to review!

Y’all - after having a kind of depressing few days, I really, really needed to laugh. This book delivered on that and so much more.

I genuinely had the best time reading this. So much in fact that I barely put the book down last night when I got home from coffee with my friend. I read about 40% in one go the night before and finished last night.

Owen is SO SO SO relatable to me. A late bloomer. Who wants a relationship to mean something. Kisses and touch means something to him. He’s just a genuinely good person who believes the best in others. I really felt like Cale was taking parts of me and putting them right into Owen’s character.

Zarmenus was such a great character. His arc was fantastic. He was so funny and dry and sweet and protective and just a cutie patootie!!!! I was rooting so hard for these two and some of my favorite moments were when Zarmenus could tell something was wrong and he just asked Owen to explain. I really loved their relationship.

This was fake dating done in the best way, and I really, really loved it. Can’t recommend this one highly enough.

Thanks for this story @calerdietrich

i was so excited to read this book, and even if it had some moments where i was enjoying myself, the miscommunication—or lack of communication—kind of ruined it for me.

owen arrives to college and finds out he has a new roommate- prince zarmenus from hell. the prince turns out to be a toad and basically starts ruining every single vision owen had for his college years, and this is where i found myself annoyed, because if i had a roommate as awful as zarmenus was, i would've—at the very least—ask him to stop, but owen did nothing.

there's a sentence he says that goes "I’ve tried my best to come up with something that could work for both of us. I truly have." - well, owen, you didn't speak with him, so how about you get on with that.

i didn't particularly enjoy the characters, and i found the plot dragged all thorught the book, which made me struggle to even finish it.

i also found it incredibly weird that having reached 25% of this book, the fake dating hadn't started yet, which was weird seeing as it is the whole premise of this book, and i wouldn't consider this a slow burn

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel. All my thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was so much fun! It had so many funny moments!

While this is set in college, it is still very YA, which makes it’s super cute and sweet.
Zarmenus and Owen definitely had a lot of pressure on their shoulders being the first demon-human roommates, but since this is YA the stakes never felt to high. Which made the book a really quick read.

The friendships were my favorite part of the story, I loved that both Owen and Zarmenus found friends along the way, and that Ashley continued to be Owen’s best friend even though their lives were going in very different directions.

If you want to read a book with low angst, plenty of humor and adorable moments, you definitely should pick this up!

Cute premise. Very predictable but still a fun, easy read. The ending is seemed a little out of place - having the cat randomly get sick? Felt like it didn’t belong. Other than that, I enjoyed it for what it was.

Summary in Brief

Ladies and gentlemen, the Prince of Hell is going to college, and he has a roommate.

Genre + Plot

Tropes: M/M Romance, Royalty Romance, Forced Proximity, College Roommate Romance, Fake Dating, Opposites Attract, No Third-Act Breakup

Owen is off to college and finds out his new roommate is none other than the Prince of Hell, Zarmenus. Owen is a sweet little button, shy, self-conscious, but ready to find his place in the world. Zarmenus, on the other hand, is a literal prince from Hell, heading to college to prove that demons aren't as scary as people think… well, not *that* scary. And let me tell you, he’s loving college life. He’s going to all the parties, hooking up with all the cute boys, and even brought his trusty little sidekick, Bell, a demon cat who can turn invisible and might eat your soul if you look at her too long.

I actually liked both of our MMCs a lot! Zarmenus seems like a bad boy on the outside but is actually incredibly sweet, though poor guy has no idea how to be a good roommate. Owen is shy and friendly and overthinks *literally everything*. A match made in heaven (or maybe hell?). I will say, I got a little bit of PTSD reading about bad roommates from college, yikes, and I totally get where Owen was coming from. I also loved the batshit craziness of living with a demon: ghouls showing up out of nowhere, seances, and of course, the demon cat. Very entertaining.

These two find themselves in a tasteful fake-dating scenario to prove that demons and humans can get along, help Zarmenus get on his parents’ good side, and help Owen land the internship of his dreams. Win-win all around, and they’re honest with each other about it from the start, which I appreciated. Zarmenus is SUCH a good communicator and really pushes Owen to grow in that way too.

I will say, the whole story felt more vanilla than I was expecting. There were some fun parts involving the demon/hell world and a smidge of drama, but overall, it wasn't the wildly dramatic book I had expected. It’s a very slow burn. More than anything, it’s a cozy college romance with feel-good vibes and two sweet MMCs who clearly love each other. There’s some tension toward the end, as you'd expect, but no big third-act breakup, and Owen finally learns to express his feelings.

Overall, I loved the premise of this story. Zarmenus was an absolute delight to read about, and Owen really came out of his shell. Highly recommended for fans of cozy, college roommate romance vibes!

I loved the premise of this book and thought it was a super fun concept. The first half of the book dragged a little bit, but I ended up enjoying the second half. It is definitely a book where you have to suspend some disbelief about how things function or are allowed logistically, but it was still a fun read. Both Owen and Zarmenus were fun characters and once they figured themselves out, their relationship was super enjoyable. Plus, demon princes are always fun.

AHHHHH THIS WAS SO CUTE OMG!!! I loved seeing the relationship between Zarmeneus and Owen unfold, and getting all the exciting parts about your first year at uni included in the story. Yes I want to read a book about queer people falling for each other, but as a uni student I also want to read about people who are my age joining clubs, making friends, navigating courses and coursework, and also being overly aware of finances as a broke student. But if you aren't looking for that, don't worry--that's a very small portion of the book. Owen was literally me first year, except I think he got out more than me, LOL. And Owen experiencing his first relationship "late" in uni reminded me so much of me and my now girlfriend. ugh it was so cute and heartwarming, it made me miss my long distance partner. I wish we got more of Ashley and Jackson's visit to Point, and there were some minor annoyances with bad grammar, spelling, or missing context, but i'm sure those things will be smoothed over in the final rounds of the publishing process. Overall this was such a sweet, cute book that I loved getting to read. This book literally pulled me out of a year long reading slump. Ugh, get your hands on it ASAP!!

Owen is an uptight people pleaser. Zar is the prince of hell.

The premise for this book is WILD and everything surrounding the hilarity that ensues when a human is dorming with a demon at an ivy league school is perfect. Ghouls? Spontaneous flames? A winged cat that pukes up hairballs and lava? No notes, perfection.

Owen and Zar’s romance is a fake dating trope but that never really worked for me and seems a little like lazy storytelling. How else could we have gotten these two characters together that would have made more sense? And I know this is a fluffy romance but how do we have a hell prince character with no bite? I would have loved to see more tension in Zar’s character which could have pushed Owen to be a little less one note.

This might just be my nit to pick but I don’t love the message behind Owen’s best friend Ashley. The dream was that Ashley and Owen would go to school together but when Ashley gets pregnant she chooses to move into an inlaw apartment at her parents’ house with her supportive boyfriend and attend a local college. Everything in the story works more than fine without the Ashley character. It would have actually given more room to develop Owen’s friendships at school without her. It was whatever….but when the theme of the book starts to develop as a “things don’t always work out the way you plan but isn’t an unexpected life great!” I saw a giant red flag. There’s never a discussion of Ashley’s choices or the privileges that she has as she faces life as a teen parent. I’m always up for an open discussion of the choices young women have to make but please don’t sugar coat - it especially in YA Lit.

Thanks NetGalley and Wednesday Books!

I love the premise of this book. It's a cute, simple, coming of age rom-com with a little twist that I really enjoyed. The characters were sweet and I liked the progression of their relationship.

Really the only issues I had with the story were just consistencies in the story itself. The whole basis of the 'Hell' in this world seemed to keep changing so I never got a solid idea of what it was like. In addition to that it felt like it struggled to find its right age, it seemed to slip where the MC would be more emotionally mature, but then at the same time more juvenile. There were a few grammar pieces that I needed to re-read a few times but I assume that's because I have an arc so final edits can still be to come!

In the end there were scenes that made me laugh, there were characters that I love--especially Bell, and this was just a fun easy read you can burn through in a day.

This was such a fun read ! As soon as I received the arc (thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley) I had to read this. Owen is starting college and he discovers his roommate is Zarmenus, the prince of hell. Zarmenus is an exchange student at Point university to show that demons aren’t so different from humans. At first, cohabitation between the two is not so easy but after some discussion, they are able to make things better for both of them. I love fake dating trope and this was really well done. While this is a light book, it still addresses bigotry and its effects on people. I had a really nice time with this book, it was short but the pacing was fast. Owen and Zarmenus are well fleshed characters. It’s definitely a must read romance if you are into fake dating trope and paranormal elements !

Owen arrives at college and discovers his roommate is the prince of Hell, Zarmenus. Owen is at school to get good grades and eventually have a good career. Zarmenus is there for the first Earth/Hell exchange program. He’s not the greatest roommate at first, but he’s funny and hot so Owen gives him a chance. Eventually they strike a deal and decide to fake date so that Zarmenus will look good to his parents and Owen will impress the Dean, who offered him an internship.

This book was genuinely so funny. The premise is funny and the characters are funny. I flew through it and enjoyed every word.

For the most part, this book is simply a fun time. There’s not anything overly serious about it, and I appreciate that. It’s nice to read a book that’s just a good time and doesn’t have a ton of trauma lol. There is some talk about parental expectations and bullying and stuff, but nothing too heavy!

I loved both Owen and Zarmenus. Their chemistry was so good and I loved them. I wasn’t really a fan of any of the side characters, but that didn’t really matter much.

I definitely recommend this book. It’s really funny, written very well, and the romance is super cute!

I have to admit this one wasn’t for me. I think the idea had potential, but I feel like the plot dragged and the characters weren’t particularly likable, while some bits were way over written and others—particularly dialogue—suffered from the opposite problem. Overall, I struggled to get through this one.

3.75
Unique fun premise.
Owen goes away to college for the first time. He was suppose to go with his best friend Ashely but she got pregnant. Own has never had a boyfriend. He has never dated, he has never even kissed a boy. Upon arrive he learns that his roommate will be the prince of Hell, Zarmenus. Even though he is worried he decides to try it out and stick with Zar. Zar is a horrible roommate. He is messy, he keeps waking Owen up with boys or crazy out of this work scenario. Owen needs to do well at college. He didn’t have much growing up his parents continually struggled so he needs to secure his future. He is also on scholarship so he
Needs to keep his grades up. But he hasn’t had one good nights sleep. The dean has offered him an internship with Google if he can prove that demons and humans can coexist. So he is under even more pressure to make it work. Instead of confronting zarmenus, Owen complains to his parents and Zar overhears him. Zarmenus promises to be a better roommate. Zarmenus has been a party boy since he arrived on campus and he has been in all the tabloids. His father comes to confront him because he is suppose to be a spokesman for Hell and he is putting them in a negative light. Zarmenus decides to lie and tell his father that those days are over because he is now in a relationship with Owen. He begs Owen to agree to fake dating. Owen feels bad and decides to the plan.

I didn’t love or hate this. If you have time and need a fluffy read this may be for you. I think it could have benefitted from more Zarmenus. Maybe having alternating perspectives from him and Owen.
I did like both characters and I loved the cat. I love the banter from Ashley and Owen. At times this was funny and I really appreciated that. The best part of there was no third act breakup. Overall, I liked this book. I think it’s worth reading if you are looking for a lighthearted read.

Thank you to NetGalley and st Marten’s Press for providing me this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Well well well, looks like we got ourselves a queer paranormal romance, and *whispers* it’s cute as hell. Get it? Haha. My Roommate from Hell by Cale Dietrich was a pretty quick read. I really enjoyed that it was steady paced and I ended up finishing it quicker than expected. It’s been a bit since I’ve chosen something YA and I’m not completely disappointed, I almost forgot what good reads they are and how they can easily be so enjoyable.

Owen is your typical overachieving college freshman who has one thing in mind, enjoy the college experience and pull out good grades in the end. He’s set to start his dream college along with his childhood best friend but girlie ends up preggo, so she stays back in their hometown to be closer to her boyfriend and bring a bouncy baby boy into the world. Then for poor Owen it continues to go down hill as his scheduled roommate is no longer his roommate and he ends up with Prince Zarmenus, the literal prince of hell.

We see from Owen’s perspective of how mankind is now aware of hell and its inhabitants, allowing this roommate situation to occur. Things don’t go smoothly at the start, mainly because Zarmenus is a slob who can’t seem to stop making out with boys, I mean slay, but did you see what I said…boys, a lot of them. Him and Owen just don’t vibe well together and the communication is poor but they end up in a bit of a fake dating trope that I think most readers will find…lacking. You have, quiet and shy but also nerdy Owen and Zar, who falls into a bro-type, the jock guy. I don’t know, I think I just wanted more. It was cute how they each attended a function that the other enjoyed, trying to see if their two worlds could meet, literally.

I just feel the side characters weren’t developed that well. Like Owen’s best friend Ashley, honestly we didn’t really need her. Good for her though on choosing to be a mom, but I just really didn’t care? Honestly loved Zar’s parents, they were funny, weird but…funny. While I did really enjoy the read, I just couldn’t whole heartedly get into it. I think Cale did a great job with the premises of the novel but I needed more. I said it was quick paced but more like it felt rushed? But listen, I’m here for any future novels by Cale cause I have high hopes for him!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.
3.5 stars!!

This story was so heartwarming (get it?) to read through. I really loved the characters and how their story evolved through the book.

This is not my first read by this author, and I found it to be cute and fun. It was an interesting take as a rom com, and I do appreciate the originality aspect of it. Some parts were slow, but over all this was a fun time!