This one was a slow burn for me. As a librarian I did take issue with references to shelving books using Dewey at a college since academic libraries use the Library of Congress system. I would try other titles by this author.

I needed a book to fit a reading challenge category, and when I read the description of this one, I decided to give it a go! And I'm so glad I did!

This is such a cute paranormal/contemporary romance about a college student, Brennan, who gets hit by a car and turned into a vampire. Brennan was already struggling with mental health and relationships, and now he has to add navigating what it means to be a vampire on top of that (no - he doesn't sparkle!). When Brennan meets Cole at the library when trying to research what it means to be a vampire and then again after stealing blood from a blood drive, they become friends which slowly grows to something more. Then comes the strong, bad vampire who wants to out vampires to the human world, and Brennan, Cole, and their friends have to figure out how to stop him.

This was such a fun book that explored what it means to be vulnerable and open to people in your life in order to grow trust and relationships.

Thank you #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is not Twilight! But there are plenty of callbacks to the Stephanie Meyer series, which I loved. This had everything you want in a YA paranormal romance! A little teen (twenty-something?) angst, a little library hookup, and some larger evil plot! I thought that this concept for fun, relatable vamps was right up my alley: cute and charming!

I love the struggles that Brennen goes through like being gay and recently a vampire while going through collage. Amazing book.

The blurb hooked me as I love Buffy, and the YA rom com aspect intrigued me. The journey of vampling, Brennan, as he tries to muddle through his new "life" introduces him to love, friendship, and allies. Cole was a bright spot, with his sunny disposition and overall 'blanket guy' support. I would love to see a prequel about vamps, Nellie and Sunny.
The chapter headers with journal entries were enlightening and added to the story, however, the pamphlet titles/descriptions were distracting and took away from the flow and pacing. Overall a fun, queer fantasy.

This was a very unique set up for a book, and for the most part I enjoyed it.

There is so much that happens in this book, that I can feel very chaotic, and the reader will really be unsure where the plot is taking them. I did enjoy the red herrings, and the overall ending was satisfactory.

I do feel like this book has an intended audience, and I probably just wasn’t it.

This book is such an adorable accidental vampire story. We follow a brand new vampire who woke up after a near death experience and realized something was different. He’s on his own trying to figure it out and it is a wild ride the whole way.

This book brings to light some real issues surrounding sexuality as well as mental health and I think it handles them in a great way. I resonated with the mental health aspects for sure, but as I’m a straight woman I do not feel I can comment on the authenticity of the sexuality aspects further than I have.

The characters are so relatable and I absolutely did not want this book to end. It’s such a great story surrounding a great group of characters. Worth the read for sure.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy!!!
What a cutie of a book. Absolutely adorable and the interactions between everyone is *chef's kiss*. I would love to see how this would look years from now as an epilogue, but the ending was good.

This was a very cute YA vampire romance! I really enjoyed Brennan and Cole as characters, and I thought that it was cute to see how Cole supported Brennan as he figured out how being a vampire worked. I did think that vampires were a little simplified in some ways - I'm not sure I've ever read another vampire book where they're able to continue eating normal food in addition to blood. There were definitely parts that hinted to a more complex vampire culture within the world, but Brennan doesn't learn everything in this book, and so the reader doesn't get to learn about all of it either.
The plot felt very fast paced in some places, and slower in others, but I never felt like it was dragging too much. I do think that the fact that Brennan and Cole are in college felt secondary to the plot in a lot of places, particularly for Brennan. It was mentioned here and there, but I think it would have been nice to see Brennan figuring out a little more how to balance his new vampire life with trying to pass his college classes.
Overall, it was a good YA paranormal romance, but I wish it went a little more in-depth into the world building and smaller details.
Rating: 3.75/5 stars, rounded to 4/5
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a paranormal romance book where Brennan suddenly becomes a vampire and has to learn to adjust to that with an underground society while also starting college. Cole is the boy who discovers his secret. This romance was slow-burn, which was written so well. I loved the found family aspect as well specifically with Brennan. The mental health representation was also done really well. This book is perfect for spooky summer!

Absolutely fun, campy, delightful read. I'll always love queer vampire books. 💜 I loved the details of vampires and how they function in this world.

this was cute, queer and cozy. I really love this new wave of vampire books that feel like they're paying homage to the classics in the genre, but are trying to build upon it in a fresh way. for me, it makes appealing to ya readers, as well as the na/millennial folks who grew up on twilight and buffy. there were a lot of elements that set this book apart from the others in the category like mental health representation. for the most part it was pretty light-hearted, but there were definitely some heavier moments that added some gravity to the plot. I think the sensitive topics were handled with care (but check your triggers warnings!).

my only issue with this book was that I was left wanting a little bit more. I was looking for a little more character depth, a little more tension in the romance, a little more in terms of suspense- you get the point. I don't think its a page count issue as much as maybe a writing one. don't get me wrong, it wasn't poorly written by any means. I was just looking for a little bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC!

This was such a fun, refreshing, and lighthearted read! Brennan was such an interesting character! He’s witty and relatable in his struggles with his mental health. He also makes a LOT of pop culture references, so if you don’t like that, this probably won’t be your cup of tea. The relationship between Cole and our main character is a sweet sort of friendship building into lovers. One thing I’ll say that I didn’t love, though, is that I felt like they were very flirty and open in their attraction in the beginning of the book before you know anything about either characters.

Overall, this is a cozy little story! There’s found family elements, sweet romance, mystery, and even a vampire dog? Would recommend!

A college students wakes-up thirsting not only for blood, but for the boy at the library. A simple walk home has turned Brennan into a vampire, so now he must figure out to do this whole vampire thing while attending college.

Brennan who's struggled through life and his worth to live is now immortal. While seeking refuge in his favorite place, the library, he stumbles across the adorable librarian, Cole. Their instant chemistry, new found friendships help Brennan grow into himself. He slowly finds the value in love, life and family.

What a fun YA vampire love story!

Thank you Wednesday Books

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was simply so cute. A lot of Twilight jokes, rep for neurodivergent and mental health (anxiety and depression), and sweet/funny moments between the main characters. Brennan and Cole were so adorable. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!
3.5 Stars

This is a fun and quick read! I thought the characters were all lovable and fun to read. There was a lack of development for the vampire side of the world but I don't know if it would have helped the story to be much longer to achieve this. Because it is a standalone, I feel like this is more of a sweet and fun glimpse into the world and it fully delivers! Navigating college and a crush can be bad enough, throw in newly becoming a vampire and you get a fun and heartwarming time.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was realistic of how Brennen reacted like if a Gen Zer got turned into a vampire they would just research the crap out of media and mythology books. I instantly loved Brennan from the first page. We really got to know him well and how he operates. His list making made the book easy to read and get to know him, I loved it. Everything was explained smoothly and without info dumping, though I feel like more info would have been interesting too. His and Cole’s relationship was very adorable. They took care of each other and were cute together. I honestly thought it was hilarious how much Twilight was a thing in this book. Almost like a gay Twilight with gen Zers.

What was weird was that they breezed passed the whole incident of how Brennan got turned and Dom’s role in it. The pacing in the middle was unsteady: it started to slow down significantly and the climax was super fast. Cole’s mom being on his side was random and sudden. I also feel like if this wasn’t planned as a series, that learning about the other clans would have been interesting as more world building.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Jamie D'Amato and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC! The publication date is August 26, 2025. I read this book over a significant period of time because I was enjoying it so much, that I didn't want it to end! I've finished it recently, and already, I can't wait to reread it!

The Good Vampire's Guide to Blood & Boyfriends is from the perspective of Brennan, a 19 year old college student. He comes with flaws, mental health issues and a complicated relationship with his mom. And all this makes him human. (Or should I say, vampire?) This book leads us through good and bad times as Brennan (along with a complete cast of friends, a lover and some enemies) attempts to investigate a string of "animal attacks", a "disappearance", and vampires all while managing academics, a boyfriend, and his own transition to vampirism. This story has good times, tough times and everything in between! Stick along, and Brennan (plus Cole, Mari, Tony and Dom) will not fail to entertain!

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Campy college vampire story mixed with sweet cozy queer romance for the perfect combination.

Loved
- Cole’s role and identity as a caregiver
- Cole and Brennan’s relationship and the slow, but sweet evolution from friends to something so much more!
- Vampire dogs (now I know how to make my dog live forever!)
- Nellie and her inability to figure out technology
- The way the writing style including texts, pamphlets and Reddit posts in the storytelling
- Illicit blood drives and the different types of vampire clans

Meh
- I wish there had been more of a focus on Brennan’s relationship with his mom. I was grateful for the resolution we got, but feel like there was room for more growth
- Similarly I would have liked to see more about Brennan’s mental health and suicide attempts. Especially with what we learned about Cole’s brother, I wanted more on this between them!
- I know it was partly the point, but man was Brennan judgemental as hell! It made it hard to like him

Overall this is a super sweet queer romance with just enough campy vampire fun to keep it interesting!

big thanks to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this arc copy of this book :) this book will be out on aug 26th, 2025!!

this book was so cute!! it's basically a romcom about brennan, a normal college student, who is turned into a vampire after a horrific accident. while he's figuring out his next steps as a newly-formed vampire, he bumps into cole, his longtime crush. as expected, paranormal hijinks and romance ensue!!

i quite liked this in the first half or so. the second half moved a little too fast for my liking and i didn't see how mari went from calling brennan a literal freak to warming up to him in a few pages or so, but that might just be nitpicking. speaking of brennan, at times i didn't quite like his character. that is a personal issue of mine regarding the book, of course. but i did like nellie and sunny and i thought the whole vampire support group elements were funny and cute!!

the mystery elements were cool, but i wish they were more fleshed out. i saw the twist the coming from a mile away.

overall, i really enjoyed this!! it was a good time and i really liked that there was a lot of mental health rep and discussion!! i thought it brought a lot of realness to a story about vampires. you can be sure i'm going to recommend this!