The Roommate Arrangement

Gr 9 Up–Blair, a recent high school graduate, is excited to start a competitive computer science summer program at Central Florida State University and live with her two best friends, Leni and Starr. But just two weeks before the move, they drop a bombshell that she’s no longer welcome in their shared house. Blair has to scramble to find a new place and ends up answering a desperate ad for a fifth roommate in a rundown apartment in a less than ideal location. Her family has to stay in the dark about the sudden change—especially her brother, who cannot find out that one of her new roommates is his best friend Jamie—otherwise they would immediately make her return home. As she tries to adjust to the unexpected chaos of her new living situation and the tension and attraction between her and Jamie, she also struggles with the demanding program, where, for the first time, school doesn’t come easy. Torn between pride, pressure, and a growing attraction she can’t ignore, Blair is forced to navigate friendship, failure, and figuring out who she really is and how to stand up for that person. Markham captures the liminal space between high school and college—a transitional period rarely explored in YA literature—with nuance and authenticity. Blair is a funny, snarky, and quick-witted protagonist whose internal tug-of-war between pleasing her parents and forging her own path will resonate with many teens. Blair and Jamie are assumed white, and there’s diversity within the roommate group.