My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine: Book Review

My Roommate Is a Vampire is the paranormal romance debut by Jenna Levine. Released in August 2023, it introduces readers to Cassie Greenberg and Frederick J. Fitzwilliam. She is a twentysomething struggling to find her place in the world and in need of affordable housing. He’s a tad older and needs someone who can show him the ways of the modern world, as he’s only recently awoken from a century-long slumber.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it’s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she’s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch—only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.

Of course, her new roommate, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam, is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn’t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they’re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren’t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean…

Cassie’s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.

My Opinions

I added My Roommate Is a Vampire to my TBR when I first learned about it, almost a year before its release. It saddens me to know that it has taken me this long to read it. Overall, I enjoyed my time with Cassie and Fredrick.

I found this to be a quick and easy read, full of interesting characters. Though he is only a side character, Reginald is great fun and one I would love to know more about. Thankfully, he is one of the main characters in Levine’s second book, My Vampire Plus-One. Even Edwina, Fredrick’s mom, is an interesting character.

While there are some sexy scenes, most of those are over the halfway point of the book. In general, I would classify this as a slow-burn romance with a lot of will-they-or-won’t-they energy. From the moment Cassie meets Fredrick, she admits he’s the sexist man she’s ever met. And through Fredrick’s diary entries and texts with Reginald, we learn he is attracted to Cassie.

Most of the story is told in the first person from Cassie’s POV. However, most of the chapters do start with something from Fredrick. There are a few places where Fredrick’s thoughts are interjected in the middle of a chapter.

My biggest issue is Cassie herself. While it’s great to have a character who doesn’t have their stuff together, it gets a tad frustrating when they seem to ignore the assistance offered by their friends and family. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Cassie has a little too much woe-is-me energy for my liking.

Overall, My Roommate Is a Vampire is a quick and easy read that is lots of fun. Who will enjoy it? Honestly, that depends on how you like your vampires. Fredrick is not a sparkling, sex-crazed, needs to bite everyone kind of vampire. He’s more of a dark, broody one. But he’s more than that, too.

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.