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kaziaroo's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a light, fun book, so long as you don't think about it too hard (which I'm not very good at). The characters were adorable and the romance was lovely. I got quite tired of the over-the-top physical attraction between the main couple. The writing was good on the whole, if a bit repetitive – characters were constantly staring at the floor or their shoes. I didn't really find the humour that funny (apart from "the Tiktoks") and kept forgetting it was a romcom rather than romance, but that's just me. The juxtaposition of quirky romcom with actual vampires was jarring but in a fun way.
The title is quite confusing for a British audience – I'd assumed they actually shared a room, but actually they're more flatmates than roommates.
Two things that did really irritate me:
1. The texts and letters were completely unbelievable throughout; they read like spoken dialogue and were never convincing for written language. For example, near the beginning Frederick writes in a handwritten letter "Not... Exactly" – who writes with ellipses like that on paper?! Let alone someone from his period, who's trying not to act suspicious. This kind of thing ruined my immersion in the story whenever there was a letter involved.
2. Following on from that, the author clearly did not research the historical period Frederick is from. She keeps saying he looks like he's stepped out of a Jane Austen novel, but the way she describes his clothes (suits and wingtip shoes) is more like early 1900s fashions, i.e. a century after Austen's time. His speech and style of letter writing also didn't feel convincing enough for the time.
I was also a bit disappointed that there was never a solution to the whole stealing from bloodbanks thing. I know the author didn't want Frederick preying on people, but that still seems like a pretty big ethical issue. Cassie also was just way too comfortable and accepting of the fact that vampires were real and she was living with one.
The title is quite confusing for a British audience – I'd assumed they actually shared a room, but actually they're more flatmates than roommates.
Two things that did really irritate me:
1. The texts and letters were completely unbelievable throughout; they read like spoken dialogue and were never convincing for written language. For example, near the beginning Frederick writes in a handwritten letter "Not... Exactly" – who writes with ellipses like that on paper?! Let alone someone from his period, who's trying not to act suspicious. This kind of thing ruined my immersion in the story whenever there was a letter involved.
2. Following on from that, the author clearly did not research the historical period Frederick is from. She keeps saying he looks like he's stepped out of a Jane Austen novel, but the way she describes his clothes (suits and wingtip shoes) is more like early 1900s fashions, i.e. a century after Austen's time. His speech and style of letter writing also didn't feel convincing enough for the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death and Alcohol