thanks to net galley and the publisher for the ARC!
3 stars for personal taste with the book, if i enjoyed some of the themes more it'd be 4.5...
this book at points really vibed with me and others didnt. at times too close to home with the themes and character struggles (which is on me not the book). funny for the most part. vampire stuff is fun as is the music.
much more for music lovers as the vampirism is just background for the characters to grow and evolve. very well written as usual from Chen.

I got to the 50% mark and had to quit. I have heard a lot of people raving about this book, but it just wasn't for me. At the halfway mark, I didn't really like any of the characters. It wasn't funny enough to make up for the depressing themes, but I felt like it was supposed to be madcap.

I’ve read a few of Chen’s other books, so I assumed this would be similar. Vampirism is only the backdrop for what the story is truly about.

Meet Louise Chao – hardcore punk rock fan, guitarist, night shift hospital janitor, vampire. Since the deaths of her aunt and best friend, she’s led a pretty secluded life. The exception is her french fry-loving corgi, Lola (she’s named after The Kinks song that kept playing in my head while reading). Louise wants to be part of a band and has auditioned for some, but when you can only perform at night – because vampirism – options are limited.

Enter Ian – thirteen-year-old music fan, aspiring musician, tech genius, and long-lost relative. He learns what Louise is, but is pretty disappointed to learn being a real life vamp doesn’t align with movie/TV vamps. No biting humans (it’s actually pretty gross), no superhuman speed/powers, no special permission required to enter homes, no turning humans, and romantic relationships are a thing of the past. The equipment no longers works in that capacity. Nothing at all like the Anne Rice books. Louise’s life is focused on secrecy and knowing where her next meal is coming from – primarily the nearly expired blood bags she takes from the hospital. But Ian still asks her for a life-changing favor.

If you’re looking for the more typical vampire tales,you won’t find them here. This story is mainly about family – the good, bad, and the ugly – and paying it forward. About listening objectively to observations about your life – especially if they come from very insightful teenagers. About making connections and finding a community. And about music. Music fans will adore all the references, and I love that characters are named after musical influences in the author’s life. He also leaves vampire-related Easter eggs for vamp fans. A slow burn, enjoyable read from start to finish.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A love-of-music story about a vampire, alone and adrift in the world, who really prefers her separation from any vampire or familial community but really, really wants to join a band. I was hoping for a bit more humor and action, and while both are definitely there, they're all within a kind of layer of philosophical introspection—highly appropriate for a vampire story so focused on alienation, connection, and memory. I think it's perfect for the kind of vampire fans who loved <em>Only Lovers Left Alive</em>.

Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen was one of my most anticipated releases of January and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it so soon. Mike Chen has quickly become one of my favorite must read authors. It's so cool that he's jumping into fantasy horror with this rather than sci-fi and he does a great job with it. I like that the book takes a bit of a different track for the vampire story and roots it in family, music, and navigating the modern world. Plus, I enjoyed the "vampire power myth" that each chapter kicks off with and breaks down and the fact there is no romance storyline at all. Louise's has a unique voice and the world-building of this standalone novel are both great. My only issue is that the novel doesn't need to be quite as long as it is. There are a few moments where the story kind gets a bit bogged down. Otherwise, I highly recommend Mike Chen's Vampire Weekend. I couldn't resist his take on vampires and I enjoyed getting to know Louise, who in an unexpected way made me think of Drew Hayes', Fred, the Vampire Accountant (who is one of my all time favorite vampires, by the way). I can't wait to read whatever Mike Chen decides to write in the future. I hope he'll decide to write more fantasy and horror in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced reader copy.

This week’s headline? Don’t sneeze. Don’t ever sneeze.

Why this book? I admit the title and cover got me

Which book format? ARC

Primary reading environment? Sitting pretty with my kitty

Any preconceived notions? I'll be surprised if I don’t like this

Identify most with? Louise

Three little words? “real world’s troubles”

Goes well with? Corgis, Poly Styrene, Joan Baez

Recommend this to? Anyone looking for a fun read about vampires

Other cultural accompaniments: https://shop.gimmemetal.com/products/the-ramones-ramones-remastered

Grade: 3.5/5

I leave you with this: “Not quite as glamorous. But way more punk rock.”
“I needed a warm hug in the form of dance beats contradicting dark emotions.”

📚📚📚

Well, this was a fun read. Louise is just looking to join a band and gather her blood supply but being a vampire keeps getting in the way. I liked the main character’s tone, very matter of fact but amusing. I loved all the music references and that Louise is just a punk rock kid at heart.

There’s a lot of good character development, particularly with Louise, but the plot was a little lacking. There’s a murderous vampire on the loose but I found myself not wondering too much about that when I preferred reading about Louise and her long lost family.

Vampire Weekend will be released on January 31, 2023.

I will post this review in its entirety after Harper Collins reaches an agreement with the union. You can (and should, because it is an awesome book!) support this author with a purchase. And if you are able, be sure to donate to the workers who have been without pay for far too long:


Bottom Line: Pay people livable wages. Commit to hiring diversely. Support unions.

A different sort of vampire story- this one's all about family and music. Louise is a vampire who works at a hospital for easy access to blood but she really wants to be in a band. When Ian turns up, she finds there's more to life (vampire life) than she knew, This moves back and forth in time to tell her story, which is, oddly distracting at times. This isn't my usual genre and it took a bit of patience. And to be honest, it's also so different from the usual vampire tales (there's no romance for one thing) that fans of the subgenre might be disappointed, That said, it's good to see representation in the vampire world. Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

These days it's hard to get something fresh on the topic of vampires, but I loved this book's take on them. Not too edgy or bloody, but not very sweet either, just perfect. The writing and the characters were pretty good, too. I'll be recommending it to those who are looking for new, gripping stories about vampires.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade publishing for providing a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Mike Chen and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have always been more into the dark, evil side of vampire stories (Lost Boys, Blade, Near Dark) than the shiny, happy romantic ones (Twilight) and this book was fresh take on that. Louise was a fun character to follow through her musical and medical history and, as her story rolled out and we learned more details, I liked her rebellious punk side more and more.

Family and relationships are a fundamental part of this story, but that wasnt apparent from the start. It played out with a great pace and kept my interest from beginning to end.

Highly recommended for fans of original stories about vampires.

Vampire Weekend is equal parts hilarious situations, emotional found family themes, and charm. There are so many musical references you are going to want to make a playlist! It's a story which dives into the nitty gritty behind being a vampire. The ups and many downs all with a comical tone. Plus there's a corgi! At the beginning, Vampire Weekend becomes a story about family trauma (and forgiveness) with a theme of (re)found family.

In Vampire Weekend, a music love it vampire reconnects with family and deals with a blood shortage. I don’t see Mike Chen recommended as “cozy” but his works should be, no matter what’s happening the focus is on family and how those connections can do so much. This book is fun and full of music. I would absolutely recommend it!

Note: arc provided in exchange for honest review

Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen is a captivating read into vampire mythos and human connection while surrounded by the enduring power of punk rock. Vampires and punk rock make for an exciting combination. A hooded figure, wearing a band t-shirt, on the stage with an electric guitar with sharp angles and aggressive lines, befitting a vampire with teeth bared and ready to strike. Vampire Weekend is an intriguing love song to punk, guitars, and vampires that shines with hope and humor.

This just straight up ruled, I have nothing deep to say I just loved it and think everyone should read it.

As a long time fan of vampire fiction, I was super excited when I found out that Mike Chen was coming out with his own addition to the genre. While I wouldn’t classify this as primarily a “vampire” novel in the traditional sense—Louise is a vampire, but this sort of plays second fiddle to the surrounding family drama and odes to 70s, 80s, and 90s punk rock—I will give credit where credit is due and say that this is a very unique and intriguing story unto itself.
If you go into this book expecting the conventional sexual tension, gore, and neck biting found in most vampire fiction, you will be disappointed. Instead, Vampire Weekend is a more mundane reimagining of vampire lore on a far smaller, more personal, scale.
Louise is your everyday struggling musician. She loves punk rock and wants to find a band to play with, but she also happens to drink blood and be carrying around several decades worth of familial trauma that she hasn’t dealt with despite the fact most of her immediate family are dead. I like how this novel plays with perception. Like there are flashbacks to Louise’s human life, but there’s no direct immediacy to any of it, so you tend to forget how old she actually is and how long she has been holding onto her own personal grudges and biases.
While I did like the limited narrative focus for emotional affectation, I was a little disappointed that so much of the world building fell to the wayside. Speaking specifically, I like what Chen did with the vampire community, and I wanted to see more of that, but it was given so little on-page focus that I felt a little cheated.
In terms of recommendation, I would probably still recommend this, but more-so to someone who likes contemporary family dramas and character focused slice-of-life as an urban fantasy alternative if they’re looking to branch out.

Mike Chen plus vampires? Yes, please! I’m a big fan a Mike Chen’s books, so I was overjoyed to receive an advanced copy from Net Galley. And this newest book did not disappoint.

Vampire Weekend follows Louise, a punk rock, corgi loving vampire, who is just trying to make sure she has enough blood to survive and maybe play in a band again - if, you know, the whole vampire thing would stop getting in the way. Two unexpected visitors upend Louise’s humble existence and she must decide if she wants to risk her way of life to let herself grow attached to people again.

Chen does a great job of finding Louise’s voice and keeping her tone through the narrative. He also develops relationships between the characters with the grace I have come to expect from his work. While vampire stories can sometimes come off as cliche, Vampire Weekend puts a modern twist on the mythology in a very fun way. And, of course, if you love punk music, there are song references galore, and if you’re not familiar with the genre (like me), there are tons of new songs and bands to explore!

As someone that reads a lot of books with vampire characters this one was a little different. I loved the breaking down of vampire tropes like flying, transforming, and the like to myth. The intertwining of music especially older music was nostalgic punk rock and seemed fitting. While most vampires want to stay away from family and loved one this one seeks them out to reconnect and share her love of music with them. This is a very much an environment story not so much character driven in terms of it’s about the music and the connections to that. A quick read but slower paced. Great for a music lover wanting a vampire book.

This one ended up not being for me. Nothing against the writing or the author--it just didn't match my personal preferences.

Louise is a modern-day vampire in her 40’s living in San Francisco. She’s loves punk music and playing the guitar and dreams of being in a band one day. During her last band audition, she had an allergic reaction to the garlic in the room and began bleeding out her eyes. So much for trying to remain inconspicuous. She’s only ever broken vampire code twice: once, revealing her true identity to her late Aunt Laura and again to her for bandmate and best friend, Marshall. Louise is a janitor at a hospital where she conveniently collects blood bags, aka her food source. Citizens of San Francisco are collectively scared when a third victim shows up at the hospital supposedly suffering from a vampire attack. Eric, the local vampire community leader, tries to bring the vampire community together through his new app, but are his motives genuine? And who is this young adult who shows up at Louise’s home claiming to be a relative and what does he want? This is a fun and funny speculative novel about vampires with a focus on music and family written with Chen’s typical reverence for San Francisco as the backdrop. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

Stop saying vampires are back. For some of us, they never left. I will literally pick up any book that mentions vampires. I've been attempting to branch out more and I wanted something a little different and decided to try Vampire Weekend when the author mentioned arcs were available. Unfortunately, Vampire Weekend was... not really for me. I like my vampires dark and broody and complicated and more vampire(y). It is what it is. But if you are looking for more Contemporary vampires stories, then don't hesitate to pick this one up!