Devoured this in about 24 hours!

I really enjoyed this, partly because it felt so nostalgic to my college days, but also because it was just so chaotic and interesting. The level of carnage in this book… I genuinely haven’t read anything this unhinged in a while. There was really nothing our FMC couldn’t do (except behave predictably, thankfully).

I also really liked how the author tied our FMC’s college lessons into the actual plot of the story. It made everything feel really intentional and even gave us some fun foreshadowing, especially with her favorite book, Frankenstein. I thought the mental health representation was really well done too. It felt thoughtful and like an important part of the character rather than something thrown in just for the sake of it. And as someone whose life also revolves around coffee, I obviously appreciated that part of her personality.

The ending felt like the perfect way to wrap up the story and left me really satiated with how everything came together. These kind of feelings linger.

10/10 recommend this especially for this fall season!

Thank you to Victory Editing and H.P. Nero for allowing me to read this book prior to its release date.

I would first like to say that I enjoyed Nero's fantasy debut quite a bit, and this was spectacularly different. It genuinely takes an extraordinary author to pull off such diverse POV shifts and in different genres. This book was fast paced, witty, and perfectly executed.

Aster Shoreland is a college sophomore studying at the rigorous and notorious University of Chicago. While finals week is afoot, Aster must find her missing roommate while battling the hunger that wells inside of her after being forced to transition into a vampire.

The female main character is tragic and I often times found myself rooting for her to pull through the madness only for her to inevitably succumb to it. Aster is an extremely raw character and still maintains likability despite her actions. I think this is an incredibly refreshing story with vampirism being a gritty and visceral experience while also weaving in some of the authenticity of the human experience. I found myself needing to investigate Nero and her background after reading this book since there is such a heavy load of scientific intervention and I was pleasantly surprised to find that she is a neuroscientist. That really brought an edge to this story that made it all the more exciting.

The worlds of H.P. Nero continue to excite and thrill me. I'm happy to have become a life-long fan of her work.

Dang, I breezed through this one – could hardly put it down to do anything around the house! Don't Stop Me Now is an urban fantasy novel with a hint of mystery; it has a dark academia setting & high-stakes tension. The pacing is phenomenal, and the plot is INCREDIBLE! Aster was an enjoyable narrator; I saw some of myself in her at times, especially having taken some of the same classes that she'd spend time in. Most of the book is through Aster's point of view so I assumed it would stay consistent... but I LOVED when the dual POV with Kol was introduced later into the book. Being inside of Kol's head for that little bit added so much to the story, especially when the plot was at such a critical point.

For a little bit of background, the tension was high stakes from the start with Aster’s best friend & roommate, Jessica, going missing during a party at one of the University of Chicago frat houses, Shadow House. While Aster is looking for her, she winds up in her own troublesome situation, one that will impact her for the rest of her life... her sworn enemy turns her into a vampire! Kol is her lab partner & academic rival; Aster hated him from the start of the school year as a direct result of his egotistical personality. I found myself lost in the tension between Kol & Aster, especially as it continued to build alongside Aster's unsurmountable bloodlust for her own kind.

I'd recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy, but keep in mind this book has a bit of open-door spice! Nothing too intense! Otherwise, the writing definitely has more of a YA feel due to the college setting & characters themselves. For that reason, I'd recommend this book to fans of vampire fantasy & authors like Rebecca Ross and Rebecca Yarros.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & the author, HP Nero, for an advance copy of Don't Stop Me Now!

Don’t Stop Me Now completely sucked me in. 🩸 I went into this expecting a vampire story, but H.P. Nero gave me so much more—dark academia, blood, body horror, ancient magic, complicated relationships, and a story that kept getting darker the deeper I went.

Aster was such a fascinating character to follow, especially watching everything she thought she knew about herself and her world start to unravel. There were moments that genuinely made me uncomfortable in the best way, and I loved how the horror could be both brutal and strangely beautiful.

This was exactly the kind of weird, dark vampire story I wanted. Bloody, atmospheric, twisted, and just unhinged enough to keep me turning pages. 🖤🩸

H.P. Nero, you definitely have my attention. I’ll be watching for whatever comes next.