Book: My Roommate is Trying to Kill Me by Maya-Gawonii Shabazz-Saleh
Reviewed by ErikaWasReading
Rating: 5/5
The house, the guy, the habits- they can’t all be red flags? Can they?
Maya-Gawonii Shabazz-Saleh absolutely captures the uncertainty of living in LA in your 20s and finding that difference between surviving and actually working toward your goals. It’s the story she layers beneath the suspicion and odd moments that makes it so relatable. From moving in with a stranger because you need a roof over your head, to a job you didn’t really want becoming increasingly permanent, to coworkers becoming your best friends, it all felt perfect.
I loved the language, especially the banter. Antonio and Hakeem have these verbal tennis matches where you’re never quite sure who won, but you know they both felt different after the exchange. And the conversations between Lyla and Hakeem were fantastic. I absolutely loved Lyla and am excited she is getting her own book!
My Roommate Is Trying To Kill Me was a perfect spooky season read!
Other thoughts, but WITH SPOILERS : What stood out to me was how well Maya showed that Hakeem’s suspicion stemmed from his own self-doubt. That, of course, someone like Antonio would never focus on him because he was actually interested. There had to be some other reason.
I loved that whenever Antonio is awkward or odd, Hakeem can’t see it for what it is, because his initial assessment of Antonio was “older, hot, totally put together adult.”
---
I received an advance copy of this book from Rattle the Stars PR at no charge. This is my honest, voluntary review.