This novel is being republished through Thomas & Mercer next month. I’ve read most of Minka Kent’s books, but still had this one on my TBR, so I grabbed it when I saw it available on NetGalley. It is a quick read and a psychological rollercoaster through FMC, Meadow, POV. Meadow is desperate to find new housing and ends up finding the *perfect* roommate. The new home is beyond Meadow’s wildest dreams. It kickstarts a transformation, but before Meadow can get too comfy, things to start to seem off. The writing was on the juvenile side, which made sense with seeing everything no through Meadow’s eyes as a still immature young adult in college. As much as she made me cringe, I probably acted/thought similar things at that age-so it was appropriate. I liked the short chapters and found it easy to breeze through the book. Overall, I found some parts to be dull and the other parts to be almost too over-the-top. After reading several Kent books, I don’t think I connect with the earlier books like I do with the ones published in the past 5 years.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Jun 10 2025

Thank you NetGalley. I love Minka Kent’s books. She packed a whole lot into this short novel and it had me sucked in right away. I did not see the twists and craziness coming

Meadow, a currently homeless college student, responds to an ad to rent a room in a house near campus. When she meets Lauren she immediately senses that this wealthy put together girl isn’t somebody she would ever hang around. When Lauren offers her the room she is stunned. Even more so when Lauren is so kind to her and includes her in her friend group, gives her clothing, all things Meadow never expected. As is usually the case, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Meadow senses something sinister., but she could never predict the roller coaster she unknowingly boarded.

Kent is an amazing storyteller. This story is dark and mysterious and has just enough twists and turns. This would be a fantastic show on Netflix!

This book had me intrigued throughout. I read it pretty fast but was kind of disappointed in the end. It sort of read like a lifetime movie. Would make a great movie if hasn’t been already but I probably wouldn’t recommend this read to any of my friends. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

I really enjoyed this book, it was well paced with a good amount of tension and suspense. The twists kept me guessing and at times I felt like I couldn't breathe with the atmosphere on the page. I loved it

Release: June 10, 2025
Author: Minka Kent
Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Rating: 3 ★ 

Meadow, a quiet college student in desperate need of housing, jumps at the chance to move in with Lauren—a confident, generous stranger who seems to offer everything Meadow’s been missing: friendship, stability, and a sense of belonging. But as the two grow closer, it becomes clear they’re both hiding something. Behind the new clothes and friendly smiles, secrets are lurking—and one of them might just be deadly.

This was a fast, easy read that started off strong with an intriguing setup—Meadow, a college student, ends up moving in with a stranger she finds through an online ad. Right away, there’s a creepy undertone that kept me turning pages. I liked Meadow’s voice; she’s quirky, snarky, and a bit jaded, which made her perspective fun to follow.

The pacing was quick, which worked in some places but hurt the payoff in others. The twists were decent—one caught me off guard, one I saw coming—but they felt a little rushed and didn’t really stick. The ending especially felt abrupt and kind of pointless. It needed either more development or to be cut altogether.

Overall, it’s a solid, suspenseful read if you’re in the mood for something quick and atmospheric, but it does leave you wishing for a little more depth and shock.

Favorite Quote:
"if I were a superhero, social awkwardness would be my superpower."

What a wild ride! This book went from 0-60mph almost halfway through and then straight up to 100 in no time flat. Twisty and turny and I could not put it down!

Thanks to a Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Awkward and broke loner, Meadow needs a place to live and miraculously finds a room in a house with a cool girl who accepts her and helps her make herself over but things aren’t as rosy as they seem.

This was my first Minka Kent and likely my last. On the positive side it was a short quick read and I welcomed that since I whined in my last review about the book being entirely too long. Beyond that I agree with other reviewers that likened this to a bad lifetime movie. I didn’t get the ending or the motivations for what was going on and it wrapped up so quickly with minimal explanation. It was ok at best.

The Perfect Roommate by Minka Kent

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A quick paced thriller!

Meadows is a young broke college student looking for a place to live when she sees a housing ad. When she meets Lauren she is immediately drawn to her perfect life, everything Meadows wishes she had. Their friendship develops but soon Meadows learns her roommate is not as perfect as he seems.

The Perfect Roommate is fast paced addicting read that grabs you by your feet on the first page. I COULD not put this down...

I have to say that some authors just have such talent and Minka is definitely one of them. Her writing style is beautiful and the words are delivered effortlessly across the pages.

Definitely not my favorite by Minka Kent, an author I usually enjoy very much. I found the plot to be far fetched and rough. Several times throughout the book I thought I might have missed a page (or several) because things escalated so quickly that it didn't make sense. The premise of the story had potential, but the execution fell flat for me.

Another of Minka Kent's off the bat book. The Perfect Roommate had all the elements that I loved. I also finished this book in one seating and was always on the edge of my feet.

The story starts with Meadow seeing an apartment/room for rent add and is heading to check out a new apartment and meeting her possible new roommate, Lauren. Lauren is everything that Meadow isn’t, she’s wealthy, stylish and sophisticated and Meadow is in awe. The sense of uneasiness is evident right from the beginning, you just know that this won’t end well but at no point did I have things figured out. It’s a twisty, entertaining and fast paced ride that I highly recommend for fans of this genre.

I would definitely recommend this to those who love Minka Kent and for those who haven't tried her works yet.

This is such a good book!!! It is a perfect thriller with so many twists and turns. You never really know where the book is going. I think it was full of emotion and great writing! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 rounded to 4

The writing style was nice. Quick read. The author did a great job of making Meadow relatable and building the connection there with the reader. I feel like the ending was rushed and lacked substance. It felt more like a bullet-point checklist climax to ending than telling a story.

When Meadow applies to be Lauren's roommate, Lauren knows she's lucked out. Meadow is everything a perfect roommate should be - quiet and studious. Meadow, too, feels she's won as Lauren gives her designer clothes she no longer wants and a makeover which she's long needed but couldn't afford. But then Meadow discovers something about Lauren that will change everything.

Easy to read. Easy to binge. Twists aplenty with a superb ending. Simply brilliant.

I saw the author name Minka Kent and immediately hit send to Kindle. And then I started reading it and realized it was a book I had read before that she had updated. I was sad to not have a new MK book to read. But I liked the updates and as always she is the master of making you think you know what's going on and then proving you are clueless.

This was everything I love about thrillers. I did not want to put it down. You will definitely enjoy this one.

By all means, this was a fast-paced thriller and it has many elements that fit in the genre. However, the main character was hard to like for many reasons, mainly because of all the social comparisions she's constantly making, and the cliché thing "poor people vs. rich people" which she's frequently making to the point that becomes annoying. And even though the whole murder-mystery plot was well constructed (or planned), it didn't actually blow my mind.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

While this was a quick read for me, it was a little predictable and had me guessing the main twist early on. Parts of the end felt rushed without enough explanation of why the characters did what they did, just the assumptions we get from Meadows point of view.

First, thank you Netgallery & Author Minka Kent for this digital revised edition ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I discovered Minka Kent last year and I have enjoyed every book I have come across.
The perfect Roommate is definitely one of the books I’ll recommend for my mystery friends. It is written in first person and in Meadows POV. I liked how fast paced it was. it is under 200 pages so it’s deff a book you can finish in a day. I thought I had everything figured out until the very end but of course I didn’t.
I did feel the ending was slightly rushed and this book could have been a little longer.

0/5 spice