My Roommate from Hell follows Owen as he enters his first term of college after having to leave his best friend at home. The pair had always planned on attending Point together but life got in the way and Owen is now experiencing his bittersweet move in day on campus as he begins to taste independence and begin a new chapter in his life.
Which now involves a demon.
Zarmenus, the prince of hell, is the first demon exchange student helping to champion human demon relations on earth. The roommate Owen was supposed to have and had prepared for? No more, now he's stuck with a demon exchange student who does not understand Earth norms or customs.
All in all this was a cute book. Pretty light hearted and well paced.
I really wish Zarmenus would have had more on page character development. It felt like Owen finally stepped up and spoke with him and he just went "oh of course, let me perfect myself" when in reality he's still a young adult and likely would have struggled a bit to adjust to being a good roommate/person(demon?).
I did enjoy the glance at prejudices and thought it was a wholesome touch.
Bell the demonic cat? Hands down my favorite part of the book. Bell for life.

Owen is going to college to secure his future. Prince Zarmenus is there to improve human-demon relations and enjoy the freedom. When the king of Hell does not enjoy the negative media attention, Zarmenus concocts a fake boyfriend, his roommate Owen. Shenanigans ensue.

I liked this premise and that was about it. I was in college when these characters were ‘born.’ I can enjoy YA if it’s characters who happen to be young, doing a grander thing than being teenagers, written in an accessible way. I needed less teen angst, more weird magic and cultural misunderstanding. I got the opposite.

Not only was this 70/30 teen drama to Hell weirdness, it was very sanitized. No sex, not even closed door? Fine. Let’s normalize kids who didn’t get action in high school needing to ease into it in college. Barely any violence? I have abandoned my willing suspension of disbelief at the gates. A cult makes attempts on Zarmenus’s life multiple times and there’s no death of bloodshed? That’s not diplomatic, it’s more sanitized than a Disney movie.

There were a lot of things that didn’t work for me but those were the main ones. This was closer to All the Boys I’ve Loved Before than YA urban fantasy. I know I’m not the target audience so I’ll leave it at it being fine for someone else. 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC. The premise of this story was wonderful, demons are real and enemies to lovers? Count me in.
Owen was a REALLY hard protag to like. His inner monologue of self deprivation and whining was a lot. Get a therapist, kid. This book could have been over was sooner if he followed the rules set at the beginning by Zarmenus and they just talked things out. The book time jumped a lot as well, with not a whole lot of fill in for the things that happened during that time. Or a chapter would end, setting up what I thought would be more about that event but the next chapter would be days later. I also had a really hard time figuring out what time of year this took place in. Traditional American universities start the school year in August/September. So why was it freezing? Nowhere in the US is that cold at the beginning of a school term. I truly believe I would have enjoyed the book more if it was duel POV and we got more from Zarmenus.

How cute! How fun! How humorous! Maybe it's just my bias here but I had a blast with this novel for sure. I find the concepts of Hell, demons, religion, etc, very intriguing and I adore when authors play around with it; both in a serious attempt, and when they get a little more playful. I think you know what to expect going into this based off the cover and title, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing! The chaos is a pleasure to read through and I believe the characters had good chemistry with each other, very believable despite one of them being a demon.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC!

This is a weird book for me to review because I absolutely devoured it in one sitting—something that rarely happens—so clearly, I was fully invested in the story. That’s a big plus. That said, I also found myself skimming chunks, which is why it ultimately wasn’t a five-star read for me.

We follow Owen, an anxious incoming college freshman whose best friend decides not to attend. To make matters even more intense, a newly discovered hell-dimension is sending its very own prince to enroll as well. And yes, that Prince Zarmenus ends up as Owen’s roommate.

I really enjoyed the characters and the deep, hellish vibes that the Minous brought to the table. But I had two major issues:

Pacing felt uneven. The first part dragged, and we didn’t hit the fake-dating trope (which I was eager for) until much later than expected.
Too much repetition. Scenes kept hammering home how terrible Zar was as a roommate. By the end, I found myself liking him more than Owen, which made me wish we’d seen the story from Zar's perspective too.
Two other thoughts: This is solidly YA—and leans toward older YA, which isn’t a bad thing—but as an adult reader, that voice was noticeable. I also craved more “steam”—while I understand it wouldn’t fit a younger audience, its absence left me wanting deeper romantic layers.

Overall, 3 stars from me. I’d recommend it to YA fans who enjoy supernatural college setups—it just didn’t fully align with my taste.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC—all opinions are my own.

This was downright hilarious and swoon-worthy and I adored it. Dietrich's writing is compelling and his characters adorable. All the stars for this paranormal romantic comedy!

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!