eastofreality 's review for:

My Roommate from Hell by Cale Dietrich

2.5

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This book didn’t work for me on a few levels. The first, Owen is a doormat. And he’s flighty as hell, changing his mind, keeping his opinions to himself, rarely thinking about other people … and I just got tired of him. While I do believe he thinks Zarmenus is hot, I never really got the sense he liked the guy, just the idea of a demon boyfriend. Zarmenus is bland. He’s hot, doting, and does whatever the plot needs him to do so Owen can be the smart one.

I’m not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope, but … here, I can kind of get it. Owen is, as I’ve said, a doormat. It makes sense that he’d not want to rock the boat, not want to piss of a demon price, not want to make things uncomfortable … because that would mean Owen would have to do something. But, he does eventually talk to Zarmenus, who obligingly steps up, and then that’s all done.

I think this is a book that’s more of an idea than an actuality. It takes the easy path — much like Owen — and doesn’t let anything actually happen. It’s nice to have a low angst read every now and then, and this is certainly decently written and pleasant to read, it’s just not doing anything interesting.

But that’s just me. Other people may really like this book, and I’m glad for them. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.