I received a digital advance reader’s copy (ARC) of My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In My Roommate Is a Vampire, Cassie Greenberg is a struggling artist in Chicago who has just found out that she is being evicted. Desperate and with nowhere to go, she finds a strange ad on Craigslist—a room in an upscale neighborhood being rented for a pittance of what it’s worth. She is sure there will be something wrong with the place, but doesn’t have much choice, either. So when she moves in with the strange Frederick J. Fitzwilliam (because of course that’s his name), she is on guard. But she certainly doesn’t expect him to be a) gorgeous beyond belief, and b) a centuries-old vampire who wants her help in understanding the modern world. Cassie realizes quickly that she might have… bitten… off more than she can chew.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist the vampire pun. It’s the most fun I’ve had when thinking about this book, to be honest.

First of all, the writing strikes me as very amateur. There are plenty of story tropes from fanfiction, but that’s not necessarily a problem. Fanfiction is a totally valid genre, and while some of the tropes are a little tired to me by now, the ones that Levine uses are fine. She didn’t do the “there was only one bed” one, though, which is a classic and kind of disappointing to not be here. But fanfiction-y feeling aside, it’s clear that Levine isn’t a seasoned writer.

For example, there’s a scene where two characters have an aside conversation about the third person who is present, but there isn’t a mention of whether the third character is still within earshot. It seemed to me that he was still standing right there, listening to them talk about him. The whole thing was weird. There are also inconsistencies in how Cassie’s two best friends behave. They start out very concerned about her new living arrangement, but then abruptly seem totally fine with it. Then, they flip back to concerned, then fine again. That wasn’t realistic at all.

Some of the dialogue, as well, is… less than great. Someone seriously says to Cassie that Frederick is “head over fangs” for her, and I swear I felt a little bit of my remaining faith in humanity crumble to dust after reading it (though keep in mind, I read an ARC, so the final book might have slightly different wording. One can hope, at least). I also skimmed the entire sex scene, because it was not well-written—cringey and yet unremarkable. Luckily, they only slept together one time over the course of the book, so I was spared repeat experiences.

Another issue I had was the story structure. The plot kind of meanders in the middle as Cassie and Frederick get to know each other after she learns of his vampirism, and then in the last 40 pages or so, there’s a high-stakes danger to deal with, which involves new characters. Not to compare this to the first Twilight book, but… it’s basically how the first Twilight book is structured. And no one praised Stephenie Meyer for that.

Finally on the negative side, I really wanted more information about vampire lore. I mean, if I found out that my roommate was a supernatural being, my first question would be if they had any special powers. But for some reason, Cassie waits until 73% into the book to ask this, and I cannot fathom why. Wouldn’t that be the most interesting part of hanging out with a vampire, their weird abilities? Cassie, what is wrong with you? Your lust can’t be clouding your judgment that much, can it? Can it?!

Anyway, on a slightly more positive note, the characters are fine. Cassie is smart and funny and passionate about her art. She’s insufferably physically attracted to Frederick, but I assumed that would be the case, as this is a cheesy adult romcom novel. As for Frederick, my first impression was pretty favorable. He’s a moron, and that was pretty endearing. Unfortunately, beyond his insane good looks, his stupidity is his main character trait, which doesn’t exactly make him interesting—but at least he wasn’t unkind or creepy, just a doofus. And he never watched Cassie while she slept. So Levine has that going for her, unlike Stephenie Meyer.

Further, there are some genuinely funny moments. I enjoyed Cassie and Frederick bonding over Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and some of the quippy lines throughout the book are entertaining. And when I looked past their inconsistent attitudes toward Frederick, I did like Cassie’s best friends Sam and Scott and wanted to see more of them.

In the end, though, the more I read of My Roommate Is a Vampire, the less fun I had. There are a few okay elements, but this clever story idea ends up getting bogged down by unpolished, amateur writing and a nonsensical story structure. And in a story with supernatural beings, there is a disappointing lack of lore or cool powers featured. It’s a lackluster fantasy romance with a few glimmers of potential that ultimately, for me, didn’t make up for the flaws.

However, if you do want to read My Roommate Is a Vampire despite this review, it will be published on August 29th, 2023! Personally, I’m going to keep watching What We Do in the Shadows instead.