As an avid vampire fan, this book was everything. It delivered on some of my all-time favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and that delicious blend of humor and supernatural tension.

Tess completely stole my heart. I saw so much of myself in her, especially in the way she gets absolutely obsessed with her favorite book series. Her fangirl energy was so real and relatable. The fantasy/supernatural elements were so much fun, and the humor balanced it all perfectly.

If you're a sucker (pun intended) for fandom feels, romantic tension, and a wild twist on the vampire genre, Fang Fiction is a must-read.

In my opinion, Fang Fiction is a love letter to fandom and teenage obsession with the dramatic world of vampire romance. Kate Stayman-London perfectly captures the highs (and cringe-worthy lows) of growing up fangirling too hard!!

This book is witty and laugh-out-loud funny in places and lovingly roasts everything we loved about the 2000s vampire craze. Some of the pacing and character arcs did lean a little over the top at times, but the cleverness of the premise and the emotional core more than made up for it.

This book is perfect for anyone who’s ever written fanfic, had a Twilight phase, or just wants to revisit their inner 15-year-old—with a lot more self-awareness and feminist flare!!

**Thank you to Netgalley and The Dial Press for the ARC and the chance to read and review. All opinions are my own**

Sure! Here’s a 2.5-star review written in your voice:

⸻

2.5 Stars – Just… okayish

I wanted to love this book so bad. The premise? So fun. Finding out your favorite fictional characters are actually real? Yes, please. But unfortunately, the execution just fell flat for me.

I went in expecting a fun rom-com, and for a bit, it seemed like that’s where we were headed—but then it turned into a total snooze fest halfway through. I even switched to the audiobook just to push through and finish it.

There was a ton of unnecessary fluff—emails, podcast transcripts, all these random extra formats that didn’t add anything to the story. Honestly, I found myself dreading those parts because they pulled me out of the actual plot.

And I really didn’t love the Insta Live scene. Tess has been through so much, especially with struggling to connect after a traumatic experience, and yet she suddenly opens up to a complete stranger on the internet instead of her own best friend? That just didn’t sit right with me.

Overall, it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. Just okayish, and sadly kind of forgettable.

Fang Fiction was such a fun and clever take on the vampire genre—part parody, part love letter to the fangirl era. It had the perfect mix of humor, heart, and supernatural chaos. I loved how self-aware and ridiculous it could be at times, in the best possible way. The characters were quirky and the plot kept me entertained throughout. While a few moments felt a little over-the-top or slightly drawn out, overall it was a really enjoyable read that didn’t take itself too seriously. A great pick if you're looking for something funny, nostalgic, and a little bit unhinged in all the right ways.

Fang Fiction is a playful, richly meta vampire romance that taps into that sticky nostalgia of late-night fandom obsession—but with teeth. Tess, a grad school dropout and sexual assault survivor, pours herself into her favorite vampire series, Blood Feud. When her beloved villainess shows up in real life, it sets off an adventure that feels like every fangirl’s dream—until the stakes get real.

The book is at its best when it's leaning into fandom tropes: podcast teasers, fictional book excerpts, online sleuthing about “is this real?” It captures the world-weary comfort of quote-tweeting theories at 2 a.m. and the heart-pulling tug of found family in online spaces. Tess’s trauma is handled with care: her hypervigilance around drinks and men is believable, and her slow healing through connection is poignant .

The vampire world is glossy and campy, rich with romantic tension between Tess and Callum, and Joni’s sapphic subplot with Octavia adds depth—even if it sometimes outshines the main storyline . However, the kaleidoscope format—excerpts, podcasts, texts—can fragment momentum: some chapters feel like showy genre-stuffing rather than character development .

Still, Fang Fiction earns major points for its voice. Stayman‑London writes with that late‑twenties sass—smart, witty, and a little bruised. When characters share inside-fandom jokes or defend each other in the face of trauma, it feels real and earned. Callum evolves from brooding trope to layered partner, and Tess’s self-advocacy—especially reclaiming her agency and grief—is quietly powerful.

It’s not flawless. The pacing dips in the middle, and some plot threads resolve too neatly (or too quickly). But on the whole, Fang Fiction is a clever, heartfelt homage to the power of story—to how the books and shows we love really can save us, shape us, and teach us to believe in magic again.

If you grew up bingeing vampire novels or late-night fanfic threads, this is your beach—or, more likely, your Halloween—read. It’s glossy enough to be fun, rooted enough to matter, and ends with just enough open door to keep dreaming.

Fang Fiction is a fang-tastic (sorry, had to) blend of vampire romance, fandom satire, and emotional healing—and it’s been getting a solid reception. Tess Rosenbloom, a trauma survivor and vampire superfan, discovers that her favorite book series (Blood Feud) is real—and its brooding villain is trapped on a secret vampire island. Cue a wild adventure involving enchanted forests, forbidden love, and a sapphic subplot back in New York.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback for this Arc!

This book had me chuckling from the first page—like, snort-at-my-coffee kind of chuckling. The witty dialogue and ridiculous situations make it impossible to put down (or stop smiling). It’s like your funniest friend wrote a novel just to prank you—in the best way. A hilarious, feel-good read that’s guaranteed to brighten your day.

Thank you to Random House for the advanced copy of Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London!

Obsessed. That's all I can say. It's like your best friend getting to live out her fanfiction dreams and you get to witness it all. I love it so much.

Thank you Netgalley and The Dial Press for an ARC of this book.

This book I fell in love with. As a vampire lover, I can't imagine being sucked into the world of my favorite series which happens in this book.

We follow Tess who is healing from a traumatic experience that happened to her. While she was at Columbia University, she is raped by someone she trusted. So she up and leaves her best friend, who is her roommate and drops out of college. She starts work at a hotel where she meets Olivia. Olivia is the vampire from her favorite book series, Blood Feud, which apparently is actually real. She is on a mission to save Olivia and reunite her with her brother. Can she make it in that world without being eaten herself.

I was so immersed in this book and I loved it. It was everything I could ask for.

The premise of this book really hooked me in and I've read previous books from this author. However, the writing read really juvenile and at times extremely cringey. I couldn't connect with the story and characters and made it tough to push through.

Thank you to the publisher and thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this e-ARC. Full review will be available soon

This was written for millennials.. I love the vampire and fan fiction aspects of this. Stayman-London does not disappoint with her characters and relationships. Fun, funny, and nostalgic.

Looking to re-live your vampire obsession era? “Fang Fiction” by Kate Stayman-London takes all the nostalgia of reading books like Blue Bloods, Vampire Academy, and Twilight, and says, “What if those characters existed in real life?”

I read this book last year when I was looking for a light fantasy read. I enjoyed everything about this book from the nostalgia, all the way to the cringey moments. Because to be honest, I’m still crushing on Daddy Cullen. 👀

Sorry I am late (I had a kid.), but thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC that I definitely read last year and then forgot to post a review! 😅

✨ The Vibes ✨
What happens when your favorite romantasy series comes to life?

📖 Read if…
✨ Romantasy is your favorite genre
✨ You like mixed media elements in books
✨ You want a rom com that also has a message about healing


Romantasy is the hot genre of the moment, and readers have been falling in love with fantastical worlds from Prythian to Basgiath. But would happen if characters from these magical lands wound up in the real world?

Kate Stayman-London’s latest book, Fang Fiction, asks exactly that. The book follows Tess, an assault survivor and former grad student, who is doing her best to heal, spending her days reading her favorite vampire series, until one of its characters shows up and sweeps her away into their magical world. The story is full of vampires and magic, with references to iconic series, but also has a much deeper message about healing from trauma and the power of friendship.

This felt like a big departure from Stayman-London’s last book, but also felt quintessentially her. It reminded me a lot of when Taylor Swift enters a new era…it feels different and exciting but still has all of the things you know and love. When I first read One to Watch, I was captivated with how Stayman-London captures pop culture discourse while also perfectly describing the unique emotions of a situation in a way that feels so real and authentic and she continues to do exactly that in this latest book.

I flew through Fang Fiction, which is a good and bad thing. Good because the book really transported me to another world, but bad because I’m sad it’s over. I can’t wait for Stayman-London’s next book (which I believe is set in the world of political campaigns???). I am a forever fan and will read whatever she writes.

Fang Fiction is out now. Thanks to The Dial Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

nks to Netgalley and The Dial Press for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Fang Fiction, is the first book that I’ve read by author, Kate Stayman-London.

The premise was intriguing and drew me in. What if the vampire characters in your favorite series were real? And you got sucked into the story. Pun intended.

I enjoyed this very much. If you like campy amazing vampire stories with vamps that don’t sparkle in the sun, this book may be for you.

Fang Fiction is a love letter to media and fandom. Tess is an everyday gal with a favorite vampire show. What happens when it turns out that the show is not entirely fiction. Very fun premise and read. Would recommend for spooky season.

My buffy heart loved this truly. I don't think this is for everyone, but I ate it up queen. This was the perfect book for vampire fangirls.

3 star review - it was a good read. Read well and it kept me engaged. Thank you for the author and team, for the chance of an arc.

I was intrigued by the premise, since I was practically raised in the Vampire Diaries fandom and could relate heavily to the main character's experience with being a fan. However, the writing style did not mesh with me for a number of reasons. There were too many choppy sentences and awkward dialogue, and it kept taking me out of the story. The pacing was off, and things happened way too fast one moment and not fast enough the next.

Fang Fiction depicts an alternative reality where a popular vampire book series is not entirely fictional... Tess, our protagonist, has been trying to escape her own life after a very traumatic event makes her quit her Columbia PhD program (search trigger warnings!!!), when a lost vampire finds her in a quirky Williamsburg hotel and tasks her with saving, well, all the vampires (except Felix).

Kate Stayman-London's humorous voice is addictive and made this book an incredibly enjoyable experience. My favorite aspect of this book was how the author focused so much on the importance of relationships, especially friendships, in how they contribute to healing and growing. Despite the paranormal setting of the novel, this felt relatable and resonated with me deeply.

Our main character's arc was so empowering to read. Her journey was (sadly) realistic but she found her strength towards the end, deciding to fight for herself instead of running, and to trust others again. That was beautiful. Her romance with the equally beautiful (vampire) Callum was also so fun to read, but I admit I wish there had been a little more yearning!

Jonie and Octavia's romance was slightly more engaging for me, but that could be because I truly adored Jonie so much that I just was rooting for her so much. But Jonie and Tess's relationship was still the highlight for me and highlights the importance of female friendship.

As for the world building, I feel like it was so well balanced out with the real world. Every inclusion felt intentional. Yes, it was sometimes a little funny, but it still was cohesive with the writing and the narrative we were getting so it never felt random!

Finally, the actual plot of this book felt pretty predictable. The author hit all her beats and made it a very familiar story. To me, that felt like it was done on purpose. If you are a fan of The Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Buffy, etc., you will recognise the tropes and the plot lines she is following here. So, for me I didn't mind being able to see how the plot would turn out, but if that puts you off, this might not be the book for you! Regardless, it was high-stakes and goofy, so a very entertaining read as whole.