And They Were Roommates

AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES is a second-chance romance starring Charlie, a trans student at an all-male academy. He’s hoping to lie low and focus on his studies, he needs to rank in the top 5 to keep his scholarship. When he’s not given his single room, he thinks nothing can be worse. And then he meets his roommate. Jasper. The boy he liked at summer camp prior to transitioning. And the boy who broke his heart.

What I Loved:
The author’s depiction of a trans male student in an all-boys school was done excellently. Charlie is excited to be there and often finds even the most random things to be affirming. But there’s always this lingering tension around him about “what if?”. His emotions vary, from confidence to fear, and it’s admirable to watch him grow into himself with time and support. It was also nice to see some of the variety of issues that hiding your identity brings up: showers, changing, gym, physical performance, being compared to others. Charlie has worries about things like his voice and his body, but he also just worries that even the slightest things will give him away, especially with Jasper.

The romance between Charlie and Jasper is a slow-burn, sort of enemies-to-lovers vibe. Charlie does not want to be around Jasper, but Jasper is determined to be friends with his roommate. The author put them in situations that felt natural for the environment of the school and allowed them time to warm up to each other. It flowed so smoothly that even the characters seemed surprised by how close they had gotten.

Charlie is a beautifully flawed character. He’s trying to figure out how to balance this new school with his identity and his tutoring and everything else going on and he fights valiantly to keep everything balanced. But he’s still a teenager, so he makes some mistakes. Charlie was forced to confront the mistakes that he made. Between his mistakes and his emotional turmoil, the author managed to capture a beautiful picture of a gifted student struggling in a gifted academy. He’s not perfect by any means, but he’s raw and he’s real.

Page Powars skill at writing emotions is well-developed! He manages to capture the chaos of anxiety, but also the heartbreak of losing a first love/crush. The details were written in such a way that readers will be able to empathize with Charlie's situation, even if they've not dealt with it before.

What Left Me Wanting More:
There were a few different plot points in this book, most minor but some hovering between minor and major. I wish there had been more time to allow them to grow and flourish. Some of the issues felt rushed, particularly with the letters, and I lamented that there wasn’t more time between the different blocks that cropped up. It wasn’t done badly per se, I just wish some of them had had more time to spread their wings.

Final Verdict:
A cute romance with relatively low stakes, AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES is a great pick for anyone who wants some forced proximity and second chance love. The romance is sweet but tame, so readers who don’t like explicit details may find themselves still enjoying this read. The author manages to keep the sweetness of the story while also adding in Charlie’s tension around keeping his identity secret and keeping his scholarship.

A second chance romance that doesn’t shy away from the tension of grade-based scholarships and hiding your identity, AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES manages to be low-stakes and emotional at the same time.