This was a pretty interesting book and plot line. I think most readers at some point or another wish they could essentially be transported into a book series they have or had a current obession with. (ahem, Twlight during high school, anyone?? no just me?). This book was just that, jumping into a world in which the main character has been reading about -- it just happens to be a vampire novel, so that's cool! Of course Tess meets vampires, has to problem solve, and essentially save the world in a sense. I hate to give too much away but if you like text, podcast, email and novel format, this is definitely a book for you. There is a lot of POV switching, so you really have to pay attention. 4 stars from me! Definitely a unique read. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read an early copy of this book!

Imagine if your favorite book series was real and the characters from that series were real and were asking for YOUR help. That's this book.

I'd definitely think of this more as a contemporary fiction with elements of romance. While yes, there is some romance, I don't think that the story revolves around the romance. There's also the relationship between Tess and Joni trying to understand each other and rebuilding their friendship after all that Tess went through (SA/r@pe).

I did feel like it took me a while to get into the story but once Tess was on the Isle and Joni teamed up with Octavia, things started to get a bit more interesting. Still enjoyed this book a lot!

I feel like this had so much good potential but just didnt overall pull it together. Overall, I would recommend this book to lovers of the classic teen-angst vampire stories. It has a level of nostalgia, but it also feels fresh. However, as stated earlier, I would heed the author's note and the content warnings given.

What an entertaining read to start off Halloween 2024 season. Cannot get over the 2 in 1 romance aspect of this slightly deranged fiction to reality story. While there were deeper topics such as SA and academia, the supernatural elements tied everything together. Sink your teeth into this read.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This book was so much FUN! The premise of finding out the fantasy world from your favorite book series is real and then getting to visit?! Yes, please. This book is perfect for spooky season, and I, for one, am so glad vampires are back!

This was disappointing. I feel that this was marketed incorrectly. I don't want rape in my rom coms. The tone of the story felt very inconsistent. It was constantly bouncing between silly vampire love and dark thoughts about sexual assault.

4.25 ⭐️
If you've ever wished you could visit the world of your favorite book, this will be a perfect read for you! There is nothing better than reading about vampires in the fall! The book creates the perfect autumn atmosphere, jumping between the vampire isle and New York City! Normally, when a book has more than two POVs, I find myself getting lost, but Kate's writing makes it super easy to follow and I really enjoyed getting the perspectives of all four main characters! I thought Callum and Tess had a really fun dynamic and I loved watching their relationship blossom as they learned to trust each other. While their relationship was a slowburn, I really enjoyed how it contrasted with Olivia and Joni's quick burn (? whatever the opposite of a slow burn is?). They had such sizzling chemistry! I am always a sucker for a human and vampire relationship and this book made such fun use of the dynamic!

There are definitely some heavier topics addressed that impact Tess's journey throughout the book, so I highly recommend checking the trigger warnings.

Overall, this is a perfect book for October with all the vampires and magic!

Tropes:
-forced proximity
-morally grey MMC
-multiple povs
-magical realism
-slow burn

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

I want to start by saying I think this book will find its audience. I am so disappointed in how it was marketed with the underlying SA recovery being a large portion of the plot/main character’s ARC. Nowhere in the synopsis does it include this, instead sharing that the main character wants to escape her life, not that she is dealing with some serious trauma. I would not have requested this ARC had that been the case.

Y'all, I had a great time! I ate this book up! This is my 2nd read from Kate, and I will read anything she puts out, no questions asked. I loved the characters and how we got to see them grow through the book and subvert expectations. I thought the SA (trigger warning) representation was well laid out and explained with a caring touch to those experiences. I loved the concept and learning at the end of the book how it came to be. I will be recommending this to everyone I can. What a fun time!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the early arc!

I loved One to Watch by this author and had been eagerly anticipating her next novel. Unfortunately, I found Fang Fiction to be a bit too silly, and the characters fell flat for me.

I loved this book! Tess was very relatable while still being a distinct person and character. The subplot of Joni and Octavia hit in just the right places, and all the twists and turns of solving the mystery of the Isle kept me at the edge of my seat.

I enjoyed the minimal spice, and loved the focus on Tess and her personal healing and journey. She was able to save herself and create the life she wanted, and that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy.

This was such a fun and unique premise! Here we have a book where the world of your favorite fantasy novels is real, and you’re invited! There is a catch though… it’s filled with thirsty vampires. I enjoyed this fun vampire tale a lot. It was funny, it was entertaining, it was creative and so much more. The multiple points of view were really fun and made the story feel alive! There were so many quirky and yet lovable characters. Also, the vampires were broody, grumpy and hot… so what’s not to like!

What to enjoy:
💚 Enemies to lovers
🧛‍♀️ Vampire fandom
🩷 Multiple POV
🧛 Two slow burn romances
💚 Forced proximity
🧛‍♂️ Follows a book within a book
🩷 LGBTQ+ Rep

Quote:
"The whole idea of a 'hero' is so complicated, because heroes put other people before themselves, which is actually a very feminine quality. But heroes are usually men who wouldn't be able to pull off their heroic feats if it weren't for the support and sacrifices of women. And when a woman prioritizes herself in that way, she tends to be portrayed as a villain. So if you're a woman reader who's interested in strong female characters..."
"You tend to get stuck rooting for the villain.”

Thank you to the author Kate Stayman-London and NetGalley for the electronic advanced copy of the book.

This book might have been the best book I have read this year. This is also one of the best modern telling of vampire stories that I have ever read! For all you vampire fans out there, this book is absolutely fantastic. It has been a long time since I was so engrossed and drawn into a book so quickly and so deeply. I've been a vampire fan for years since seeing Interview with a vampire as a kid and have watched tons of shows and movies about them. I also have read an extensive amounts of vampire fiction and fanfiction related to some of my favorite stories.

First thing I will shout out for Kate is writing a female main character that was an adult for a vampire novel. Far too often there are a lot of vampire stories that involve a 100+ year old vampire and a teenager. As an adult fan, you ignore it and just allow the story to play out however it will play out but this was such a nice change. Learning about Tess and Joni were great. I felt so seen as a fellow fan girl and finding friendship related back to something I loved so much.

Second things is that I LOVED the mix of media for story telling. It was so cool that she used text messages, podcast transcripts, emails, and news articles as a part of the story telling. It was not out of place and it wasn't weird, I absolutely adored how it played out. It just added additional fun to the story.

The story overall focuses on Tess, who is a PH.D student that find herself on this Isle of Vampires from this book series she is obsessed with, Blood Feud. She is in disbelief that the book series she has been obsessed with for years is real and that vampires are also real. She is given a mission by Octavia, a vampire from the villain clan, to find her twin Brother Callum. From there things might not be as Tess has read about in the book.

I'm excited to see what else Kate may write and hope there will be more to come within this world. I honestly would love to read more of it. I also wouldn't mind a bonus chapter or see what happens in the future for Tess and Joni as character.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me a Advance Reader's copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

It is not often that an author's 2nd book does it for me, but that was the case in this instance. You mean you're gonna give me a story where the protagonist basically gets to live out her Buffy/Vampire Diaries/True Blood fantasy? And have characters who are Spike and Cordelia coded in the best way? Say less. Keeping in mind this also tackles a traumatic subject (SA), I thought the author handled it with a deft touch. If you love your vamps more snarky and less sparkly, this'll be a great book for you to ... sink your teeth into. 😬 🤣

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

This unfortunately was an DNF for me. While the campy nature of the synopsis drew me in and is part of the book, the underlying SA plot line jumps out of nowhere and really darkens the book. I did not care for that juxtaposition and could not continue the book for very long. Maybe others will be able to, but this was not for me.

Unfortunately this book was simply not written enough for the subject matter to work and felt at times incredibly silly, and not in a good way. Tess was introduced and was immediately unlikeable, but not in a way that felt like it was written that way, just that this was not a character I would click with. This needs some serious editing and perhaps some revamping.

This sounds like such a fun premise - vampires exist in real life (though in secret), and a popular, soapy book series about some of them is actually non-fiction. It was really hard to enjoy the story, however, because the plot is all based off of the main character having been drugged and raped (off-page), and how she eventually finds healing from her trauma through sexy and exciting escapades with vampires. I was expecting something a little lighter when I picked up the book based on the blurb and the cover, and sometimes I just want a break from all the awful things that happen to women in this world. Or at least to be better prepared when it's going to feature so prominently in something I'm reading. As for the book as a whole, it was written with multiple viewpoints as well as excerpts from podcasts and gossip sites. The light narrative style and campy adventure vibe of the plot alongside the darkness of the sexual assault storyline didn't mesh well for me. This book does a good job as a send-up of popular vampire franchises such as 'Twilight' and 'Buffy' - think tongue-in-cheek fanfic - so if those are your jam give this a try. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for a digital review copy.

3.25 ⭐

Fang Fiction is supernatural romance novel about a vampires, friendship, and being stronger than your trauma. Tess is ignoring her real life problems by immersing herself in the fictional world of her favourite vampire novel series. Except the world is not quite as fictional as she thought. One of the vampire characters seeks her help to reunite with her twin and Tess must reconcile with her past to save the worlds she knows.

This book is definitely for the very specific audience of teens who read vampire novels but have now grown into adults, which I definitely fall into. The beginning of this book was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the characters and really felt like I got to know each of them as the story progressed. The world building drew me in and I was fascinated by the implications of the magic, creatures, and parallel worlds. Tonal, I did struggle a bit with this book. It started out seeming like a fun, wish fulfillment fantasy romance, but brought in some very heavy themes (tw: sexual assault), which made it hard to know how to feel about the book as one cohesive story. While it was handled well and is an important topic to discuss, it seemed out of place with the more campy elements of the plot.

If you are a vampire romance girly who likes stories of women overcoming their trauma to defeat their enemies and fall in love, this will be the book for you.

I had a marvelous time ruining everything…is how I feel after finishing this delicious novel. It’s been a long time coming! I loved Kate’s debut and love this even more. It was definitely worth the wait. She did a fabulous job in making this fun vampire romance unproblematic. I really hope we don’t have to wait as long for Kate’s next novel. This helped me get ready to jump into my fall tbr. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this preview in exchange for my honest opinion. Highly recommend pre ordering it rn!

Thanks to NetGalley for access to an e-arc.

This was a really fun read. I would classify this a bit more on the fantasy side than the romance side. Gives similar vibes to Olivia Dade's Spoiler Alert except the fantasy world turns out to be real not just a TV show.

Definite trigger warning for SA.

Tess is a huge fan of the Blood Feud vampire book series and finds herself pulled into its not so fictional after all world. For all she knows from the books, the heroes and villains are not as they seemed. This is a nice light read read with the one aforementioned trigger warning. I do wish we got more relationship development and more page time with Tess and Callum. The epistles are all great (and I often dislike these!).

Lots of fun, recommended.