The description of this book had me so intrigued, and I was so excited when I got notified I was approved for an ARC!
While this book was a very quick read, I wish had liked this more than I did. There were a lot of pacing issues, with lots of thing jammed into a week time span, and then odd time jumps of multiple weeks. Had we been able to really see what was going on, I think that some of the friendships and even the relationship between the main characters, would have made more sense.

The romace could have been cute, had there been more build up and time spent really getting to know the characters.

Had this been published during the height of the 2010s vampire/Twilight craze, it may have found it's right audience with me.

The story shoulde have been allowed to cook a little bit more, and been a bit more fleshed out. If the story had been more in depth, I think it would have made a fantastic YA duology! It just feels like there was alot of rushing through the plot.

I understand I am not the target demographic, and maybe with a reread later on, I may like it more. Please do not let my silly little opinion keep you from reading this book the description interests you!

When Lorena arrives to her new boarding school in an old manor in New England, the last thing she expects to fine is a vampire that’s been asleep for over 200 years. But, that is what happened.

This book was quite complex and although there were bits that I didn’t quite like, as a whole it was a very good book. It had complex characters that had some definite character growth through the book, an interesting plot that brings the story into the larger picture of history, and an interesting and (truly) morally grey love interest, aka the last vampire. This book also had unexpected twists that really fit within the book, which I liked. All of these elements led to me quite enjoying this book as a whole.

Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Browsing options on NetGalley, the cover of this book immediately stood out to me, followed by the description. It sounded bit like it would be similar to “Crave” but reverse the human to vampire ration. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me.

The Last Vampire follows Lorena as she starts at a new school her senior year with her best friend after a “scandal” in her hometown. The school is housed in an old manor, and in its inaugural year, only has a senior class. Several areas of the school are roped off, and the students are immediately told to stay away from restricted areas upon risk of expulsion. This warning, of course, does nothing to deter Lorena and her group of friends, who stumble into a wardrobe that leads them to another area of the manor. Here is where Lorena meets William.

William is a vampire who has been “sleeping” for over two hundred years, and believes that he is the last of his kind. Lorena uses modern technology to blackmail him into not killing her, and in doing so, forms a reluctant alliance with him.

While the premise of the book was interesting enough, and the writing was decent, the story itself had trouble holding my attention, and I found myself bored easily. I think this book is just a bit too YA for me, but I can see it being a better fit for a younger audience.

If you're looking for a rehash of the post-Twilight paranormal romance craze, cringe not-like-other-girls trope included, this may be your book. If you, like me, are looking for a campier version that's updated with a more modern twist on the genre, you'll likely be as disappointed with this as I am.

ok i did not expect to absolutely binge this???

This was a cozy, dark academia-ish read perfect for Twilight lovers. The story was super fast paced & each chapter left me wanting more! I did not expect the plot to unfold the way it did either, this was such a pleasant surprise.

Definitely a perfect fall/winter read. 1000% recommend!!

This book was just WOW. it was everything i wanted in a dark academia YA romance book. The YEARNING!! The relationship was well rounded. From the start of the book i was saying i didn’t want it to end because it was so good. The last few chapters had my eyes glued to the screen and the ending was SO good.

Give me twilight vibes and I’m all in but give me Pride & Prejudice and I proceed with caution which is exactly how I went into this book. The cover and title alone had me scrambling for the ”request now” option a bit prematurely because once I read the description, my reluctance set in. For me Pride & Prejudice is a tough read because it can become so dull and slow at times which is how I expected this book to be.

I was pleasantly surprised with a few good aspects of it, one being what our vampire was listing after but felt it overall to be a typical young adult, new to spice book. I finished it nonetheless because I had to see how it ended and I loved the twists along the way but it wasn’t giving me the book hangover I long for.

The opening page to this novel was so reminiscent of the classic Harry Potter fan fiction "My Immortal" that I couldn't help but laugh out loud. This was overall a very classic YA-y YA novel, by which I mean it kind of felt like a Breakfast Club-esque take on "boarding school vampire situation." The main plot involves Mary Sue MC and hot vampire love interest inextricably attracted to MC, enemies to lovers I guess. This also includes a first for me, wherein Hot Vampire is attracted to the scent of Mary Sue menstrual blood, and while yes, that does sound absurd at the outset, I do appreciate that the author just went for it when we've all been thinking it for years.

Hot Vampire thinks that he's The Last Vampire and then finds out that he is not and tries to figure out how to help his other vampire brethren. The cast of supporting human characters felt really quite wooden and I did not find myself very engaged with them.

This book was OK, I had a diverting time reading it like brain candy, but generally speaking, it wasn't really for me.

Honestly the story fell a bit flat for me. The story described as Pride and Prejudice, but definitely felt it should have leaned more into the Dracula vibes. Overall, I give it three stars out of five.

Whenever I see the words “pride and prejudice,” it instantly grabs my attention. This isn’t a retelling per se but it has some elements of pride and prejudice’s plot (like blocking a potential love interest) or prideful and prejudiced romantic couple… but otherwise not really? There are references to classics through class discussion, such as P&P, Jane Eyre, and ofc Dracula.

So what does this book remind me of? Twilight. (Yes, there is mention of Twilight in this book and it helps William take a crash course on what humans think of vampires today.) This is a YA novel (no spice) and is pretty low stakes. It’s also quite predictable throughout. I wasn’t a fan of any of the characters and so wasn’t too invested in the outcome of the story. (Sigh! Sorry… I feel really bad saying all of the above!)

What I did like: Vampire story set in a dark academia type of world. The idea behind Stoker vampires. A bit of a mishmash/nod to lots of other books (Narnia wardrobe, classic romance novels, Bram Stoker, etc.). Overall, a fast read.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a charming YA vampire read. There are definitely several references to Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and a bit for Dracula.

The characters act as expected for their age. A little reckless and still trying to figure out where they fit in the world. Especially as select students to Huntington University. Of course they're going to test every boundary.

And that will of course lead them to their own personal vampire.

The beginning of this story starts out quite interesting. It slows down towards to middle, but picks back up in the end. I'm curious to see where this will lead next.

I loved the story, and the lore. I loved the characters and dynamics and the social bits and pieces directed towards the differences in how they thought about vampires even down to prejudice and I feel like it was well portrayed.

The mystery involved with the school, the way the secrets came out of the woodwork and the team effort with the main characters was well done. I really loved the twist in the story as well with how characters unveiled themselves in due time.

The only bone I had to pick was with the ending — it felt a little rushed, and very twilighty with the show down between the MMC and the surviving vampires. I do feel like this could have been split into a duet and I almost would have preferred this compared to one book.

Overall, great and fun read up until the end. The ending just simply fell a little flat for me.

First, thanks to Netgalley, St Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and author Romina Garber for the eARC.
The Last Vampire by Romina Garber tells the story of a young girl who awakens a centuries old vampire. We follow as the main characters each navigate the challenges their new worlds bring them.
The first 3/4 of the book were fast paced, almost too fast paced when it comes to our fmc and mmc meeting, yet still allowed for world building and character development. The last 1/4 of the book felt very rushed where it should have been the more fleshed out part. It felt like the culmination of every thing suddenly had to be wrapped up.
Our fmc was relatable. Her struggles with identity, wanting to be a good daughter and friend are something so many of us have faced in life. The relationships in the book were complex as far as our fmc and mmc as well as our fmc and her best friend. Out of all the characters, I felt that Tiffany was the weakest developed and didn’t add much to the overall story. I didn’t like
I love vampires so I was excited to read a vampire centric novel. It was a dark vampire story and I loved that the romance aspect wasn’t overkill or excessively spicy.
This would be great book for young adults, fans of gothic romance or vampires that aren’t looking for horror. It is a fun and easy read, but does a lot with the story to keep you hooked.

I tried really hard to like this book. It took me over a month to finish this one and I wanted to give up multiple times.

I love books with changing perspectives, but the changing from first to third person narration didn't work for me at all. There were so many points in this book where the story was contradictory even when the vampire was compelling characters and they were performing the actions. The lulls in the story dragged so slowly that I had a terrible time staying interested and caring what was going to happen next.

I don't like to leave negative reviews, but I truly hope this book received additional edits before the final version.

Romina Garber's *The Last Vampire* takes you on a delightful adventure filled with romance, intrigue, and some intriguing historical lore. I was completely drawn in by the slow-burning romance between William and Lorena. Their witty banter and the initial hate kept me entertained. Their relationship really adds a layer of depth and emotion to the story that keeps you invested.

The historical aspects tied to the vampire mythology were super interesting too! They added a unique flair to the world Garber created. I also loved Lorena’s relationship with her mom, which gave us some great insights, especially in how it affected her ability to make new friends. The friendship between Lorena and Salma was another highlight—it really showcased the ups and downs of loyalty and personal growth.

That said, there were a couple of moments that felt a bit off. The big fight with the remaining vampires didn’t pack the punch I was hoping for; it felt a little like an afterthought instead of a big climax. And although Salma's sudden illness brought an unexpected twist, it seemed to take the spotlight away from the main storyline without really adding much.

Overall, despite these small hiccups, the book left me feeling hopeful for a sequel! With the vampires now awake, there's so much more to explore in future stories, if Garber chooses to continue.

The book is a mix of Twilight & an old-timey, 18th-century story line. Unfortunately, it is a DNF for me. But not for what you think. The ideas are good, but I think this would appeal to a younger generation or to someone who likes simpler Vampire books or is exploring the idea of Vampire-type books. I’m still giving this book 5-stars because it really is a matter of the reader and their expectations.

I'm going to finish this because I think it's a fun read, but there's one thing I cannot stop thinking about while reading it and it's Tiffany.
I don't mind how Tiffany acts or is thought of. In fact she feels fun and refreshing. Most of the story is actually fine for what it is, but I'm literally obsessing a little over how Tiffany is physically described because it can be a very confusing description due to how inexact it is.
When Tiffany is described as having 'Black Dewy skin' Are you saying her skin, is in fact, extremely dark- as in Dark like Night without stars Dark OR are you saying she's *very dark brown*?
Is her race: black and her skin "dark Brown" Or what?
And you refer to her as Barbie- which is fine, but *which* barbie would've been helpful. Are we talking about Brooklyn Barbie from the Barbie movies (which are roughly in the demographic that's reading this) or what? Because I'm picturing Blonde and Blue eyes (which isn't bad but it's not necessarily good?)

I just wish Tiffany's description was a bit better here. As a black (race) person myself, I love her as the rich girlie that's vapid a bit and all, but I really wish her description was better so I can picture her better.

I haven't seen anyone else raise this as a concern or problem, but I can't really concentrate on the story without saying something.
--

As for the story itself, I think it's a pretty good story idea. I slightly wish we can get over the pad talks, it was charming the first couple of times but it's also getting a little annoying as a detail we have to know every time. I think as characters, Lorena and William are interesting both from their backgrounds and how they're going about with this new unexplored dynamic. For the demographic they're aimed at, I think it's actually pretty decent. It'll definitely be someone's favorite book forever.

If I can, I'll probably add or edit to this when I'm done, but I had to get this bit off my mind first.

Are vampire books back?! Yay! Is this the best one? Definitely not. This is a vomit draft of a promising YA romantasy. It throws everything at the board, and, for some reason, stuck with all of it. The romance is actually the most unbelievable thing about the book-- this includes the vampire lore. Lorena fell for William because he is.. an asshole?? and wants to kill her?? The romance came out of nowhere and made me irrationally annoyed. Salma is awful, Tiffany is annoying, as are Travis and Zach.

I really enjoyed this story. I feel like it has been quite a while since I have read a vampire book and enjoyed it. I loved the friend dynamic and the mystery of figuring out what happened to William and what was going to happen.

3.5 ⭐️
Honestly I liked this book, the idea was there I just feel like the execution wasn’t. I loved the vampire aspect of the story, I think it was really well done in telling the tale of vampires in the real world. The plot itself had it’s moments where I was really hooked and could not put the book down, and was loving it, but there were also times where it felt like it was dragging the plot out.
I think that was my biggest issue, the pacing of the book. The first part felt like it was dragging on but then the second half flew by, and for everything that happened in the second half of the book, the ending was kind of disappointing.
Another part that was a bit iffy was the actually romance between William and Lorena, it seemed a little forced. The beginning of the book he threatened to kill her like 5 times to the point he literally traumatized her and then all of a sudden they love each other. There wasn’t really a build up of their relationship where you could see the chemistry and tension. It felt like they started dating out of the blue.
Overall I do think it was genuinely a good book, I enjoyed the little reveals throughout the book and that definitely kept me hooked until the end.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

TikTok review to be posted by August 15th, will add link when posted.