a hilarious, heartwarming queer rom-com about two exes stuck as boarding school roommates. Charlie, a trans guy trying to stay under the radar at his elite new school, is horrified to discover his roommate is Jasper—his first kiss *and* the guy who broke his heart. The catch? Jasper doesn’t recognize him.

What follows is a perfect storm of pining, secret love letters, and fake-dating vibes (but make it poetic). The slow burn is agonizing (like, 80%-of-the-book agonizing), but the payoff is so worth it. Charlie is adorably awkward, Jasper is infuriatingly charming, and their chaotic dynamic had me grinning the whole time.

If you love Young Royals meets To All the Boys, boarding school drama, and queer joy with a side of angst, this one’s a must-read. 4.5/5 stars—only because I needed *even more* of these disaster roommates.

I want to thank netgalley for the e-arc, this had no influence on my opinion whatsoever.

Overall I liked the premise, but for my liking there was too much going on and to much little side plots I couldn’t keep up with - might also been me reading this while sick in bed so I will give it some grace.

The whole “oh we’ve know each other from before” stuff was mentioned not that much and honestly I kept forgetting about it lmao.

Overall this was a fun and quick read, but I’m not sure if I’ll pick up the physical book when it comes out.

Thank you for my ARC copy in exchange for my review:

4 stars! This book is exactly what it says! Its a hilarious, heartwarming, queer romcom that a bit silly but still manages to hit all the right emotional beats. Charlie is an easy character to root for and Jasper, aka Mr. Brooding Poet, was equally lovable and annoying in the best way.

The whole "mismatched roommates with secret history" trope was PERFECT and a bit unhinged.

I think it's really important to review this book within the space it occupies. Is it highbrow literature? No. Is it a wonderfully silly book focusing on queer awakening with a trans mc? Yes. I would have absolutely adored this book when I was a similar age to the MC's, when I too would have felt ruined for love over a silly misunderstanding, and I would have absolutely held a grudge over it. I would have loved to see someone that I recognised myself in, and I would have treasured the MCs and the book itself. It is silly, it is unrealistic, but I am a jaded and middle aged. This is the kind of book I want to be able to give to teenagers who feel a bit lost, and want a fun little romcom.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this book early via Netgalley!

Ever since I found out that Page Powars was coming out with another book, I was super excited for it! I absolutely loved The Borrow a Boyfriend Club, and I can say I really enjoyed And They Were Roommates too!

And They Were Roommates follows Charlie, who is a new Excellence Scholar at the prestigious Valentine Academy. Charlie is also trans and there’s been a mix up with rooming, he’s assigned a roommate he requested a single room. Enter Jasper, who doesn’t recognise Charlie, though they met at a camp two years ago.

I really loved all the characters, and the plot line. I liked the fact there was a “secret society” of a sort, as it’s a legit one but not for the purposes the school thinks. I liked the letter writing, and the high stakes that came with writing and delivering them to the Girls sister school, which there was supposed to be no contact with.

I loved seeing Charlie and Jasper’s relationship grow, despite certain things I will leave out of the review due to spoilers, but read the book to find out, I really enjoyed it!


I really enjoy Page Powars writing, and I can’t wait for next book! So far all the books I’ve read by Powars have been brilliant reads with great representation, and we need more books with trans characters!

I’m giving And They Were Roommates 4 stars!

Unfortunately this one is a DNF from me, I DNF'd around the 20% mark. This may be personal preference, but I was not a huge fan of the writing style, which felt a bit too simplistic for me to be immersed. Similarly, I wasn't a huge fan of how the dialogue (and therefore characters) were written. So very much down to personal preference - ymmv! It seems very cute though so if cute, very silly romances are your thing, it's still worth checking out.

When Charlie transfer to Valentine Academy for Boys the last thing he expects is to be rooming with his ex-summer fling – poet star boy Jasper. And suddenly his plans to get perfect grades while also hiding that he’s trans to his fellow students is threatened by the one person who could possibly recognise him. Miraculously, Jasper doesn’t recognise him but the only way Charlie can get his own boarding room if he helps Jasper deliver secret love letters between the boys at Valentine and their sister academy. Can learning the pursuit of love mean Charlie has a second chance?

What a hoot! Page Powars is really great at writing funny snappy romance stories that tug at the heart strings. I thought the plot sounded too similar to his debut, The Borrow a Boyfriend Club, with the whole secret romance club with the fear of getting caught by school faculty. But I think I enjoyed Roommates more than Boyfriend Club! I was a bit sceptic at the idea of a school that emphasises the strict separation of male and female students but none of the school staff, even the headmaster, knew Charlie was trans? But, eh, suspension of disbelief helps a lot here. It was still super fun and adorable!

"Poets are snobs." "You are a poet."

3.5 stars!

A fun romantic story following an determined scholarship student and dramatic lover boy. Focusing on the Valentine Academy boarding school for boys, the readers are brought on story through the focus of our trans lead and their journey to find their place in the school and themselves.

I think all the characters had fun personalities and they brought lots of humour and heart to the entire story. I loved following the development of the relationships between the top students in the academy, and I also enjoyed that we got to see lots of interactions between the main lead and lots of side characters - it really worked in giving the story a full and developed feeling with its characters.

I loved the concept of the story. The secret love letters were so cute and I loved it's importance to all the characters, it created such a cute romantic feel to this YA romance. Because I loved this premise, I would have love to have seen a bit more development with it overall in the story (I would loved for it to feel a stronger presence in the story and see more happening within it's group).

Thank you to Hachette Children's Group for sending me an eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

p.s. does anyone else get vibes of ouran high school host club? or is that just me? 😂

3 1/2 stars

Thank you for NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t quite know how to rate this book. I vaguely enjoyed it. It was fine. I liked the end. I liked the side characters, they gave it a very high school musical vibe.

But I didn’t really care for Jasper. Or at least, I don’t think I picked up what the writer was putting down. He’s not an enjoyable love interest for me.

I thought that maybe Charlie would turn out to be an unreliable narrator and there’d be some kind of twist. There isn’t. Okay so Jasper is handsome, doesn’t really negate all of the other (to me) quite off putting things about him 🤔.

I also think the ages and timeframe make it feel quite unserious. They met at 13 or 14 and have been in love (or “ruined for love”) for 2 years without seeing or speaking to each other and now they’re 16 and one is somehow a published famous poet?? The characters read as if they’re way older. I feel it would work better if they met at 16 and they were currently 18. Or at the very least if it had only been 1 year and they’d met at 15?

Still, it was fun. Would be an enjoyable Disney channel movie.

There's not taking itself too seriously and then there's farcical. I'll let you guess what category this is in. For a book with a trans, gay character it's all about other people's straight relationships. Honestly it was ridiculous, badly paced and I couldn't even suspend enough disbelief to enjoy it, because what's there is just... Yeah. There's a slight plot about 60% through but it quickly derails.

This book was my first time hearing of Page but I must say, I'm impressed! I really enjoyed the story and the banter with these two - such a cute m/m romcom!

Honestly, I don't know what it is I'm missing about this book, but I just don't mesh with the writing style. In fact, when I first started to read it, I checked it wasn't translated fiction because I thought something about it just wasn't making sense.

Secondly, the characters do not talk or act in believable ways, which is a shame, because there need to be more books with trans representation. However, I'm worried if this is the standard.

There was zero chemistry between the leads, which is understandable because Jasper had to be the most obnoxious and irritating character to ever be written. Some of the side characters were much nicer but very undeveloped.

One thing I liked was I thought Charlie's worries and concerns about going to an all boys school were well represented. However, there was not enough time spent on this.

I'm sorry, but this was not for me.

I very much appreciate trans rep in YA books, and the representation in this book was... not terrible. Everything else was, though.

The plot was overly contrived, to the point of not hanging together. For example, the story hinges on the impossibility of boys talking to the girls in the school next door... but when Charlie needs to speak to his friend, he walks straight in.

The narrator was emotionally illiterate, for example telling his friends 'I have a fever! I must be ill!' instead of exploring the possibility that he had a crush.

The final straw was one of the side characters, Blaze. I think he was meant to be funny, but it came across as the author making someone with mental health problems the butt of a joke.

A fun and enjoyable story that I ate up in an afternoon. While it might not be the most revolutionary book, it was definitely a good way to spend a day. Reminded me of Alexis Hall and Casey McQuiston in the best way. I definitely would pick up something from Powars again, even though it didn't change my life.

Having previously enjoyed The Borrow A Boyfriend Club by Page Powars, I was keen to read And They Were Roommates. The novel is a queer YA rom-com set at an elite boarding school. Charlie joins Valentine Academy for Boys as the new scholarship student. He needs perfect grades to maintain his scholarship and hopes to get through the year without anyone discovering that he is trans. But right from the start, things don’t go as planned. Instead of a private room, Charlie has to share with golden boy Jasper, a published poet and also Charlie’s ex-camp romance. Jasper doesn’t recognise Charlie. The two strike up a deal – Jasper will request a new room if Charlie helps him write and deliver secret letters between the boys school and the neighbouring girls academy.
I overall enjoyed reading this novel, but the premise definitely felt more far-fetched than the previous novel I’d read by this author. As the novel is told from Charlies point of view, it’s easier to connect with him than with Jasper, who came across as arrogant at times, and a bit oblivious, too, as we weren’t privy to his thoughts. It’s nice to have well-written trans rep in YA novels, and if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll find it in this novel. Expect boarding school antics and a very slow-burn romance.

What drew me to this book the most you might ask? The US cover.

Yes, that's right. It is a masterpiece and I am in mourning the UK doesn't have the same one. It's a chef's kiss from me.

When it comes to the book itself, this was definitely a fun read, which was exactly what I was after when I requested it. Maybe a little bit too much fun, if I am being honest. Some parts fell short for me for being too humorus and unrealisitc, or frankly, chaotic. As did its characters. Rather than feeling like they had multitudes, some felt like they were there to serve only one function such as 'the jock' or 'the nerd'. Which, perhaps, was a conscious choice to add to the irony of it all.

Overall, this book reminded me of reading a fanfic on Ao3. Take that as you will.
(I think the author has made Tiktoks about it being alhaitham/kaveh so...)

I will give it 4 stars for the splendid queer joy, but 3 for the actual plot and setting.

I loved Page Powers' last book and this one was no different! I love how they write queer characters and relationships without making said topics the main focus of the book. Their characters sexualities are not their defining quality. I of course look forward to reading more from Powars soon!
3.5

this book is the perfect mixture of unhinged and endearing. like the love interest hangs posters of himself on the wall, but it's about allowing yourself to exist despite your fear. the way the two go together is incredible.

and jasper was annoying but in a good way and I fell in love with him, which goes to show how the author portrays the characters so good.

• trans, bi MC • queer awakening • kinda second chance • traditional elite high school • a story about learning and stuggling in more than one way. • light academia vibes || I really tried and wanted to love this one, but sadly something was missing. Also the whole "He is the nephew and doesn't have to try to do something, but he gets 100 points everywhere, even tho they're not close" was ... much... and boring. || It was well written and kept me awake 'til late in the night, the characters are endearing and lovely, but yeah, idk, it was lacking at some point.

Thank you for the eARC

This review contains spoilers.

After loving The Borrow a Boyfriend Club, I was hoping for the same fun, heartfelt and often silly shenanigans with this book. Add to that a phenomenal Goodreads cover and I was hyped.

Unfortunately, this book upped the silly factor without backing it with any of the heart that attached me to the first one.

For clarity: I read fully to 40% and then skim read from then onwards.

My main issue with this book were with Jasper. Whilst I enjoy the trope of a popular arrogant seeming character secretly being soft and confused and using the persona as armour, this was not the case for Jasper. Whilst trying to make him seem big-headed he became practically irredeemable from the jump. Between his conceited nature, selfishness, random pretentious ramblings, putting posters of HIMSELF in their shared room - there was very little that could convince me he was a realistic character or in any way likeable. Whilst he later acknowledged some of these faults his character never actually showed real change outside of his feelings for Charlie.

Whilst there were some elements that were reused from TBaBC (secret clubs, school setting, friendship group dynamics) this book falls under the rare category of 'YA books I think I might be too old to enjoy'.
The flaws of the characters could have been the driving force behind the story but instead were eventually accepted and even praised. Whilst miscommunication drove the plot forward.

As I chose to skim the later half of this book I will not sharing a public review beyond marking as 'read' on various public platforms. But ultimately this book did not work for me. I will continue to enjoy the author's previous work, and admire the wonderful Goodreads cover for this book.