LOVE the narrator and how he brings the story to life. He injected so much life and feeling into the words. He brings a depth to Jasper's character that I didn't feel reading the eBook. My only complaint is he kept pronouncing sable differently.

The audio version elevated the story for me and there's no way of me knowing if I liked it better because of the audio or because I knew how the story would go the second time around. Either way, if this story sounds interesting to you, I recommend listening!

And They Were Roomates by Page Powars is out May 27, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

4⭐️ I read this in less than 24 hours!

This was so freaking adorable. I love how much Charlie yells. He was so relatable as a young character who is trying to fit in and find himself. I adored his story as a trans boy and seeing how so many people accepted him. It was so heartwarming.

Jasper was such a great character, I loved how he was so pretentious, it was hilarious. All the other side characters in the school were so much fun. Xavier was the sweetest, how he trained with Charlie and helped him so much.

I definitely want to read more from Page Powars! I will definitely be recommending this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I had such a good time with this book! I wasn’t expecting it to be so funny but I was giggling and laughing through the story. Some of the things the characters and side characters say/do are so ridiculous but hilarious.

Charlie plans to hide his identity as a trans boy at his new all-boys boarding school but when he finds out his single room request never went through, he starts to panic. And it gets worse when he realizes his roommate is Jasper Grimes, aka the boy who broke his heart the summer before Charlie transitioned.

But Jasper doesn’t recognize Charlie and instead tries to befriend him and pulls him into his schemes and shenanigans that could get Charlie banned from the school but how can he say no?

This was adorable-even Jasper who is a bit obnoxious and self absorbed (in a silly and kind of endearing way).

The audiobook was such a great listen! Ben Balmaceda has such a great voice and is able to give each character their own feel. I will definitely be looking for more books narrated by Ben.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an early listening copy!

I was excited for this YA audiobook, loved the premise: roommates at an all-boys boarding school with a romantic history...BUT this romantic history occurred prior to one of the roommates transitioning and coming out as trans. I was on the edge of my seat for so much of the story, wondering how and when the other roommate would find out this secret.. honestly this suspense was what helped me keep pushing forward because other parts of the novel dragged a bit. The dialogue felt extremely over the top, as if it was all written by someone who hasn't interacted with actual teenagers in a very, very long time. The narration felt very campy but once I leaned into it instead of getting annoyed by it, the audiobook became much more enjoyable. I think this is a good YA read with trans representation, and it definitely had some fun moments! Thank you for the ALC!

this was as much fun as i was expecting it to be and more. nothing as frustrating and funny as yearning. the two protagonists were silly boys just not communicating (valid). it's a fun boarding school book, which i haven't read in a long time.

This book is heavily marketed as a romance, and that was the worst part of this book... I didn't feel the connection whatsoever, and Jasper was kind of the worst.

While that did not work for me, I always love a boarding school story. Thanks, Zoey 101. Charlie's story was cute and relatively light -- there is good representation and depth with him keeping his identity a secret and learning how to open up. I did find the sexual innuendos to feel a little weird, as the story and voice felt very young to me. This isn't one that I would jump to recommend to anyone, but it was fine.

This was so cute and I enjoyed this book so much. Charlie was adorable and his journey was so much like me in childhood with discovering what/who you are.

Ridiculous. Funny. Sweet.

Charlie begins his first year as a student of Valentine Academy for Boys. He requested a single room to keep his being trans hidden. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) he is placed in a double, and his roommate is none other than Jasper. The guy who broke Charlie’s heart at summer camp a couple years earlier. Charlie has an uphill battle ahead of him with keeping his class rank up and ensuring his roommate doesn’t recognize him from their past. This book is a fun queer second chance story.

I need a standalone book about Blaze!! He stole the show and made me laugh out loud (literally) many times!

Unfortunately, this one fell a bit flat for me. I did not like the character Jasper. I found him pretentious and annoying. I did not feel any spark between him and Charlie. He got better as the book went on, but it didn’t redeem his rocky start for me. I also believe STRIP took up too much of the story. I would’ve loved for there to have been less of that and more of the character connection between Charlie and Jasper.

Right from the beginning we're thrown into a confusing situation involving Charlie and how they've accidentally ended up in a shared room when they're confident they paid for a single room. We're trying to figure out why Charlie needs to be alone, how the mix up occurred, and how the situation is going to resolve.

What follows is a funny, heartwarming, light hearted, charming tale of love reuniting, and growing into oneself. I particularly loved all of the innuendos at the beginning, that for someone experiencing anxiety over their situation, they're quick to jump to conclusions as to what they mean.

Overall, I couldn't pause the audio as I was eager to find out how the story ended, and walked away with a full heart.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I had high hopes for this book as the premise of a trans boy attending an all-boys school sounded very intriguing, however, that was not the main conflict of the book and it was resolved like, "no big deal" at the end. The romance was not the main conflict either - we barely spent any time on the romance aspect of the book. It was the sloooowest burn ever. Even after the big reveal, nothing happens for chapters and chapters. The main conflict was writing these letters to the girls at sister school which I honestly did not care that much about and it did not seem that serious of a concern. Also, all of the students had very old names and spoke in ways that teenagers just do not speak. I honestly believe the fix of this entire book would be if it was set in the 1800's. It would explain the dire need for letter writing and poetry, it would make sense why everyone's name was Xavier or Jasper, and why they all spoke like they were in Shakespearean plays. I believe these characteristics were suppose to give the book charm but it took me out of the story a bit. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I was so excited to read this book after discovering the author on Instagram, and realizing who the narrator was. Thankfully, it did not disappoint!

This was such a fun, light, and relaxing read. I genuinely couldn’t put it down, and the narrator did an amazing job.

The characters were lovable, even if a little oblivious (and a lot anxious in Charlie's case) or downright obnoxious (in Jasper's case) but somehow, they remained endearing throughout.
I do wish the progression of their love story had felt a bit more organic; it sometimes seemed like they were just supposed to be in love, rather than fully showing us how they got there.

Also, I personally would have preferred if the setting had been college or slightly older. (Though in my mind, they were.)
I'm also sad we didn't get to see more of them together.

Overall, while the story leaned more toward Charlie’s personal journey than pure romance I had a great time with it!
If you're looking for a comforting palate cleanser, this book is a great pick.

Thank you Netgalley and McMillan Audio for providing an ALC🌻

Okay so I have officially 'read,' this book twice now. Once on my Kindle and once as an audiobook.

The first time I read it I very much enjoyed it. Super cute, super light, super just bouncy in vibes most of the time. It's a classic type of plot and this is one I could absolutely see on Netflix at some point. The characters were a vibe, and the drama was there enough but not over done considering the target reading group.

I will admit though, I had my doubts. The amount of success some of these children *cough*Jasper*cough* had already was hard to believe. Some of the situations were hard to believe. All around the issues weren't enough to mess up reading the story but they were enough for a side eye.

However after reviewing it last time I followed the author, preordered the book and went on my way. And then saw the author posting snippets of the narrator selected for this book. And omg I loved it so much.

So it was much to my delight that the next time I was scrolling on Netgalley I saw the audiobook version of the book up for request. I had to. And I got it. Yay me.

Upon a second read, man all the issues I'd had before it was like they blew away in the wind. It was suddenly funny and charming how much Jasper had going on. The situations, again, suddenly were what I'd expect to see in a Rom-Com Netflix movie. The second time around the book was even better.

I'm still looking forward to my preorder arriving so I can read it a third time.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillian for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who is a sucker for the trope, the title of this one sucked me in. Overall it was cute, though really predictable, so after a certain point I was just waiting for them to finally talk to each other and figure things out. I love YA, but this one felt maybe a bit young for me. I might not be the right audience, be if you like your characters dramatic and want some friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers, all set at a boarding school, this might be your vibe.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook.

A book just as cute as its cover! And They Were Roommates is a YA romance about a trans teen starting at an elite boarding school, only to discover that instead of the single room he paid for he's rooming with the boy who broke his heart a few years earlier. I really appreciated the exploration of how intense academic environments and pressure (internal or external) to perform very highly can be really hard on teens. The trans and bi representation were also great.

I really enjoyed "And They Were Roommates" by Page Powars! The whole vibe of the book gave me serious 2000s teen rom-com feels and I mean that as a compliment. It was cute, it had a group of great supporting characters that you can't help but love, a really solid story arc for our main character (Charlie), and had a really great romance develop over the course of the book. I also appreciated that when it came to covering some pretty serious topics, we really got to know what Charlie was thinking/feeling and more importantly *WHY* he was feeling that way. Overall a very solid story and would highly recommend checking it out!

This book was such a fun ride and I enjoyed just about every second of it. It was a low stakes YA romance with a twist and it was such a fun ride. I will be reading other books by this author.
The narrator was very good and I could easily differentiate between the characters which was super nice!

3.5 stars rounded up.

I had really high hopes for this book from the premise alone, and it just ended up being a solidly "okay" read for me. This might genuinely be a case of Page Powars' writing not being my style, because I know I have students who will absolutely adore this book.

Charlie has worked extremely hard to be chosen as Valentine Academy for Boys excellence scholar, which allows him a full scholarship to the prestigious school. He has a plan: keep his identity as a trans boy a secret in such a traditional setting, stay under the radar, and keep his grades high enough to maintain his scholarship. Too bad that all goes to hell immediately when his request for a single room falls through and he's forced to room with Jasper Grimes: poet, playboy, and the guy who broke Charlie's heart at camp before his transition. If Charlie wants to get his single room, he'll have to help Jasper write a series of love letters for the academy's male students to be sent to the sister academy - before Jasper figures out who he is.

This is cute and goofy and a lot of fun. Charlie is a delightful lead character: he's a mess, self-centered, and trying so hard to fit in with his male classmates at all costs. He has to learn throughout the course of the story how to actually interact with others, let go of his insecurities, and open up to his friends. Even the romance between Charlie and Jasper is a fun premise: Jasper falling in love with his male roommate for reasons he doesn't quite understand, followed by the inevitable reveal.
Sadly, though, what didn't work quite as well was Jasper himself. I honestly just found him obnoxious and shallow for a majority of the story, and he never really managed to win me over. Even that would have been more than tolerable, if it weren't for the most annoying secondary character: twelve-year-old Blaze, who was precocious and over-the-top and threw off the tone of any scene he was in. What could have been funny scenes were just... off when you have a preteen shrieking about the arachnid war and the forces of darkness.

So, overall, this was fun and cute and a perfectly fine romance read! I'll be happy to have it on my shelf for my students.

This was super cute and funny! A quick read chock full of so many feelings, fun and lovable characters, and a compelling story. This is the perfect kind of YA book that makes diverse reading accessible to so many people.

I really enjoyed the narration by Ben Balmaceda, it was easy to listen to and the production quality was great.

This was adorable and hilarious! I really enjoyed Page Powars' previous book, and when I saw the cover and title and blurb for this one I was hooked. Then I started reading and it was even better than I expected.

When the blurb calls it "unputdownable," they really mean it! I actually started this audiobook to listen to "for a few minutes before bed" after finishing up another book at 9:30pm which is just a little too awkwardly early for my 10pm bedtime. I fully intended to stop reading at 10, or maybe 10:30. And then it was 1:3oam and the book was over. (I sped up the narration to 2.5x because the narrator was speaking too slow for my taste.)

The characters were so good! I loved Charlie, a fish-out-of-water trans boy at an all-boys boarding school, trying to get his feet under him. He felt so real and warm and awkward, and I really felt his fear of being kicked out of school if someone found out he was trans.

Valentine Academy is intense! There's a weekly posted grade ranking, he's taking all advanced courses, he feels like everyone is so much smarter than him... It really works to keep him feeling isolated and out of place for the first part of the book. The school actually reminded me *a lot* of Caltech. I went there as an undergrad and I remember feeling a lot of what Charlie feels here. There's not only the intense academic atmosphere and the feeling that literally everyone you meet is smarter than you, but the same variety of quirky (sometimes *very* quirky) characters as I remember finding at Caltech. I actually ended up feeling an awful lot of nostalgia while reading.

The zany cast of characters at STRIP (the top 5 ranked students) end up slowly befriending Charlie and pulling him out of his shell. I loved watching his bravery grow throughout the book as he realizes he's not as alone as he first thinks.

Not least of those is his roommate, Jasper. Who was Charlie's crush at summer camp before he transitioned. Who doesn't seem to recognize him. Cue drama.

I loved Jasper. Who wouldn't? He's even more quirky than the others and seems determined to befriend Charlie. And there are so many OMG he's definitely going to recognize me now! moments. There is so much tension that builds between them before the secret comes out (and a few more besides).

The entire love letter plot was unhinged, but in a good way. It was exactly the sort of madcap fun I can imagine the students at Caltech getting up to if the school were gender segregated.

The audiobook was very well done. It was too slow for my taste, but then most audiobooks are too slow for my taste. I think I just listen fast? In any case, the narrator did a great job bringing all the quirky characters and unhinged plot situations to life and it was so much fun to listen to. I mean, I listened to the entire thing in one sitting. When I should have been sleeping.

I loved everything about this book and I will absolutely be eagerly anticipating the author's next book.

*Thanks to Roaring Book Press and Macmillan Young Listeners for providing an early copy for review.