A fun twist on the vampire trope, eternal beauty is still valid when you’re not a size 2. I love the pop culture references, but a little too much twilight love for me.

"That's when I had the horrible feeling that our first kiss may have also been our last."

Thank you Sourcebooks and @netgalley for this arc!

The cover is what completely caught my attention on this book (and ok I'm a sucker for the supernatural too - #teamedward)

I would recommend this book if you want a quick, quirky and palette cleansing book to read. It progressed quickly but the characters and the plot felt surface-level to me. I didn't get fully invested with any character. I very thoroughly enjoyed the idea of where this book was headed and the general storyline but would've loved to see more character development. The issues they encountered, like their enemies, didn't hit that satisfying conclusion for me.

The main characters continuous use of the words 'um' and 'obvi' didn't flow for me (at least not in my head while I'm reading with that tiny voice up there 😅) but I did like her comeback comments and quirky analogies she would use.

DNF @4.5%

I tried to finish the second chapter and I couldn’t even do that, the near constant diet/weight loss talk and the stilted slang filled writing just wasn’t enjoyable to read.

3.5 Stars

So, it looks like we MIGHT ( I sort of hope so!) have a new series going on here.

Perfect for Halloween lovers and those who loved the Undead and Twilight series.

This book started a tad rocky for me. It seemed to be a rip-off from MaryJanice Davidson's first Undead novel, Undead and Unwed (Undead, #1) by MaryJanice Davidson , and, the more I read, the more I recognized from the Undead series. When I really got into this book, I felt that this was more of a satire using all of the 1990's popular vampire books as the butt of the joke.

I got a few good chuckles at the beginning of this book (maybe even some guffaws!), but with the over-indulgence of Lily obsessing about her body image, her use of outdated colloquialisms, and her constant foul language, ugh! I mean, how many times can you use the abbreviation 'obvi' and not annoy people? In this book, it's used 25 times! It sort of reminded some of when J.D. Robb used the abbreviation of 'anal' for analyze/analysis!

Then add in her sexual obsession with Tristan, and I found myself rolling my eyes so often that I nearly popped them out of my sockets! The scenes were good but not overdone.

However, I stuck it out, and I'm glad I did. It did have a great ending, Lily learns some valuable self-image lessons, and I do believe that If there is a next book, I will be reading it - IF the author promises to tone down on the "legit' and 'obvi'!

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Sourcebooks/Casablanca, the author, and NetGalley.

This was a fun quick read. I love the journey of body positivity the MC ,Lily, takes. I loved Twilight, so I was very excited to read this. While it wasn't my favorite read this year, it is still a fun one for spooky season.

3.5 stars. Lily is a plus-size woman full of insecurities that accidentally becomes a vampire. She and Tristan, the vampire who turned her, have to survive possible assassination. You're not supposed to just make new vampires--there's a bureaucratic process. I liked Lily, she's heavy and it is a constant struggle and distraction. She was easy to relate to, and all the negative thoughts in her head were realistic. The chemistry with Tristan was a little lack-luster but Tristan was kind of boring. Cat was a great character as was Evan. Lily and Cat's friendship is precious and they clearly value each other. This is funny and I love all the f-bombs. Gratuitous use of the word "Obvi" was irritating, as was the numbered lists of things. Some of the wording is reminiscent of Sex and the City--"and just like that," and "I couldn't help but wonder." Overall this was fun and reflective--if you constantly hate yourself it's hard to have a fulfilling (no pun intended) life. There are some good lessons to learn from this book.

Hi! When Life Gives You Vampires by Gloria Duke is an standalone read with plus sized representation with great (and heartwarming) self-growth and acceptance. I wouldn’t say it’s a must read or that it will make you laugh and sob alternatively. What I will tell you is that it will leave you feeling happy and satisfied with the characters and the story.

Why you should read this book

Well, mainly, I just loved Lily’s body positivity journey. And her self-growth as well, where she realizes she may have hurt people while she was hurting and apologizes to them without making excuses and just- genuinely just trying to grow from there.

Now, more Lily pro points. She was occasionally hilarious. It’s a rom-com, I should have expected that she would be funny but I only find a select few of them hilarious. And with likeable protagonists? One in a hundred. I actually found myself smiling from ear to ear more than once.

I genuinely liked the dynamic between Lily and her best friend. P.s the friend who’s obsessed with folklore and stories like that? That’s me. So, I especially loved the best friend and really enjoyed how they interacted.

I think I’m going to go with a 3.5 star rating for this book. It’s one of those where you know you really enjoyed it but at the same time there was something you can’t quite explain that held you back from a 4 or 5 star rating. All in all, this read might be worth giving a try and if you do pick it up, I hope you enjoy reading it 🙂 Please do look up trigger warnings beforehand.

This read publishes at the start of October. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free e-ARC of this read in exchange for my honest review.

A fun read! The writing style was good and it was easy to connect with the characters. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When Life Gives You Vampires by Gloria Duke is a funny rom-com with a supernatural twist. The story revolves around Lily, who wakes up one day and discovers that she's a vampire. How did this happen? She has to learn how to get blood in an ethical way. She has to deal with other vampires and vampire slayers. Also, as a plus-size woman, she has to find a way to be positive about her body and to love herself no matter what anyone else says.

Here is a hilarious excerpt from Chapter 1:

"I toss the takeout container into the trash and hightail it into the bathroom. I flick on the lights, recoiling as the God-­awful fluorescents bounce off the white porcelain fixtures and ceramic tiling. While my eyes adjust, I grab my toothbrush, squirt a little minty-­fresh gel onto the bristles, and make with the dental hygiene.
My brush hits something long and hard and sharp and undeniably fang-­like protruding from where my left canine tooth should be. I switch direction, and…yup. There’s its twin on the right.
With a mix of confusion and dread, I peer slowly up into the mirror over the sink, and—­
“AAAHHH!”
I have no reflection. None. I’m looking straight into the glass, but absolutely nothing is looking back at me."

Overall, When Life Gives You Vampires is a lovely paranormal rom-com that will appeal to fans of vampire books. One highlight of this book is the intriguing premise. How would you feel if you woke up one day and discovered you were a vampire? But not only are you stuck at that age, you are also stuck at that size for the rest of your life? Another highlight of this book is how funny and romantic it is. I would love to read more books like this in the future. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of vampire books in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in October!

No no no. And I’m so sad about it but the inner dialogue is giving 13 year old child and I just cannot get past it. I do think this will work for some people who aren’t picky about the way a book is written. It feels like the author just typed exactly how her thought process was while writing and it never got edited.

I really, REALLY, wanted to like this book more than I did. The artwork on the cover, the title, the plus size heroine, and of course THE VAMPIRES, but for some reason it did not give me whatever I was expecting.
The lore she decided to craft for the vampires in this story just didn't quite make sense to me, if it was really that easy for vampires to be created then they would be EVERYWHERE, which then contradicts The Council who have strict rules on making new vampires.
I think the humor was there, but it wasn't developed well into the story. There was seemingly always an "um" before a good pun, and when I saw an "um" I was already rolling my eyes because I knew what was likely coming after it.
I still enjoyed this characters journey to self acceptance with her body, and of course the humor was there! I just think a little more fine tuning and this could of easily been a better and more enjoyable read for me. If I could give it a like 2.5 stars I would, but instead I'll give it a 3. It was enjoyable, it just needed a little bit more to it!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for releasing this arc to me in exchange for an honest review.

A paranormal adult romance? Err yes please. Firstly, can I just say that I loved that the novel included a plus size heroine- it’s something that I wish other books would introduce more often too.

I enjoyed the writing style, the characterisation and Lily’s self development was executed perfectly, and it’s one that is a must read for fans of twilight, Dracula, paranormal novels and body positivity!

I have such mixed feelings about this book. At times I was reading it and I was so grateful it exists, knew so many of the struggles would resonate. But other times I found the dialogue of the characters really grating, just the opposite of how people talk, which made it feel like like more of a chore to read. I loved so many of the little details which means it's such a shame that ultimately, it felt too manufactured.

YES. God. This was so incredibly relatable. As a plus sized woman (I absolutely refuse to use the F-word and I am beyond thankful that it wasn't really used in this book either), I could relate to all of Lily's thoughts and feelings. I am not worth of love, right? Why would this attractive man be looking at me? I need to check my appearance 2345934 times before leaving the house, so that nobody comments on it. That top is cute but it wouldn't look cute on me. Is someone being fat phobic (will use this word but don't love it) towards me or do I really deserve being treated this way?

And so on and so on. Lily has tried all the diets (so have I!) and then boom, she's a Vampire and her appearance will stay the same FOREVER. So she kind of has to learn to love herself. And she does. And following her on her journey from forever more to forever MORE (because we're big and bold and beautiful and HERE), was an absolute joy. The vampire plot was so much fun and I enjoyed Lily with her banter and her sass and her general character. The only thing that I didn't LOVE love, was how quickly Lily and her love interest Tristan went from casual vampire buddies because he turned her and who found each other quite attractive to full blown "I cannot exist without you" love love. For me, I would have enjoyed a bit more character growth and to get to know Tristan better. I thought he was a bit one dimensional.

However, my general enjoyment of this book didn't really hinge on the romance plot (which is SO weird for me), so it didn't irk me too much!

I can honestly recommend this book to everyone and I cannot wait to hold a physical copy of this in my hands.

This wasn't OMG amazing for me in the contemporary sphere, but A+ body representation and a very witty heroine.

I struggled a lot with this book. The inner dialogue and the over focus on dieting/weight loss just threw a wrench in a good premise book.

If you take this book for what it is you’ll love it. This is a funny, lighthearted story about a plus sized 20 something who accidentally gets turned into a vampire. She has to navigate both the human and vampire world while learning to love herself. This book touches on body image issues and learning to truly see yourself for who you are and not just what you look like. The heroines journey to accepting herself was great. There were some really fun laugh out loud moments. Such a cute, quick read. 3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story seemed okay.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & the author for this ARC! The book officially comes out on October 4th, 2022.

Tropes/topics: strangers to lovers, paranormal, plus size mc, body image. Check triggers!

I really enjoyed this book. I was so excited to see that I was gifted this arc. I requested it because I love Halloween & vampires are obviously a big part of that. This is a paranormal romcom that really spoke to me. I am a plus size girl who dealt with some pretty bad body image since gaining weight. I understood everything Lily was going through & why she would say the things she said.

Lily is accidentally turned into a vampire by Tristan & they are soon being stalked by the vampire council who didn’t approve of Lily being a newborn. Lily goes on a long journey to healing her mind when she realizes she is stuck looking how she looks for the rest of her immortal life. Tristan & her friend Cat are always telling her how good she looks & that it’s not only about a persons looks as well.

In the end a small battle starts & they are able to make it out alive & are waiting to see what happens in the future. I do happen there will be a second book to see how the vampire council decides to make changes for the future & maybe to see Cat & Evans relationship & povs.

Thank you again & I look forward to seeing more of the authors books in the future.

When Life Gives You Vampires is a quirky and unique read perfect for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Charlene Harris' Dead Until Dark. It was a truly hilarious and camp vampire rom-com, and a breath of fresh air in a genre that occasionally gets same-samey.

This book wraps up everyday struggles and concerns in a fantastical, gripping plot. Lily, our heroine, struggles with her body image and loving the skin she's in. Her experiences in this regard were incredibly realistic and relatable. These were blown up to exaggerated proportions when she realises her immortal body is stuck in the same size and shape forever. I thought this was an exciting and unique way of exploring these themes, and Duke did an excellent job of portraying them with care and understanding.

The plot in this book is absurd and over-the-top in the best kind of way - it takes classic vampire mythos and transposes it in a very ordinary context, thrusting immortal life and the world of the undead upon a regular, relatable woman. I really enjoyed the humorous elements, and the way Duke leaned into the ridiculousness of vampires (I mean come on, they're dramatic creatures). This book frequently had me laughing with its tongue-in-cheek, clever vampire lore tidbits and inside jokes. As someone who LOVES vampires of all kinds (Twilight, Buffy, Sookie Stackhouse - I adore them all) this book was clearly written by a fellow vamp lover and I really enjoyed the way it pokes fun at the genre and its conventions without looking down on them.

I think the romance was also really enjoyable - it was a little insta-lovey, which I suppose is typical of the vampire/supernatural genre, but I wish there'd been a little more behind the relationship. The story moved very quickly too, which didn't allow a lot of time for development between them. In a similar vein, there was a lot going on in the plot, and some things did appear to be tied up a bit too neatly at the end. I wish we'd gotten a bit more depth in some of the main issues/conflicts, just to heighten the emotional stakes and make us even more invested in Lily and Tristan's relationship.

That said, I think the plot was really engaging - despite its simplicity towards the end in terms of resolution, it moved quickly and had plenty to keep the audience hooked. Duke took on a difficult task - attempting a supernatural/fantasy plot as a secondary plot to the contemporary romance element, and I think she did a good job of balancing the two. While some things were rushed, glossed over, or left unexplained, on the whole I enjoyed the plot of the book and found it very easy to keep up with.

This book is a funny, easy read with lots of unique and amusing elements, especially for lovers of the supernatural romance genre. It strikes the rare balance between poking fun at a genre without being condescending - the author shows a real appreciation for the genre, even when she is making observations about the campiness of the tropes. Whilst it has some parts that could've been further developed and explored, I think this is a really solid debut and a fresh take on classic conventions.