Fang Fiction is so much fun!

I had a very strong feeling I was going to love this & I was right. I had so much fun with the concept and I think the author did a fantastic job executing her vision. I think this book is definitely for the readers who grew up reading fan fiction of their favorite vampire show (guilty!).

The characters are entertaining and relatable. I especially adored Tess. I feel like readers are going to connect to her the most because she's a shy, romantic attached to fictional men (also guilty haha). I liked seeing her journey throughout the book too. I felt that she grew a lot as a character by the end.

The romances here are delightful too. I found them to be romantic and swoon worthy.

A fangtastic book for vampire lovers! Highly recommend!

this was like the ultimate conglomeration of fandoms! so many references to the vampire diaries, buffy, twilight while remaining a truly individual story with cheeky pop culture fantasy twists. so. much. fun! a book truly written for the fan fiction bbs

tess is a powerful fmc! she’s an sa survivor who goes on a journey into her favorite “fictional” world and through this experience, finds the strength she needs to reclaim her autonomy. the author approached this with so much grace and wrote this beautifully and with intention! some other noteworthy points are nods to callum and octavia’s korean heritage. i like that it wasn’t brushed over one time only and the love they have for their culture was expounded upon.

the romance elements between characters are on the more insta-love side which isn’t a personal favorite of mine because of how much i love chemistry build-up. the writing also read more elementary like everything had been over simplified and chopped up and this made the characters’ age (the mortal ones anyway) really difficult to believe.

overall, i had a lot of fun reading this book and will definitely be recommending it to my bookstagram pals!

thank you so much for the opportunity to review an arc of fang fiction!

This was, extremely interesting.

Stumbling into the truth that one of your fave series is a real thing would be so cool! I loved Tess & Octavia and thought their relationships either Callum and everyone were well done.

The structure I think is why I'm not giving it 4 stars - sometimes the POV jumps were off/the placement of the chapters/texts/podcast transcript seemed weird, at times. But I WANTED to know how things turned out, and I'm glad I finished it!

Sigh. Oh how I wanted to love this book and was so disappointed. The concept was incredible, but the execution just fell flat. The first 75% was just straight up boring. It took me so long to get through the book. The ending made it almost worth it.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Review!!!

Tess Rosenbloom is no stranger to the dark. An assault survivor and grad school dropout, she spends her nights managing a hotel and her days curled up with her favorite vampire novels, Blood Feud. She even spends her time in online conspiracies. But deep down, Tess doesn’t believe vampires actually exist…
Until one walks through her door.
It turns out Blood Feud is real and all the characters are trapped.
Eager to escape her life, Tess agrees to help one of the main characters but that involves going to this fantasy world. She's surrounded by vampires and against her better judgment, she’s falling in love with one of them.
Visiting the world of your favorite story is any fan’s dream, but will Tess be able to outrun the demons of her past (and vampires of her present) before it becomes a nightmare? In this darkly glamorous rom-com, Tess will find out whether it’s worth risking her neck—and her heart—for a chance to reclaim her future.


This was such a fun read!!! I truly love and enjoyed this book. It was so fun to read and be immersed in this world. In the beginning of the book, it's apparent that something happened to Tess but doesn't outright state it. As the book goes on, it becomes a little more clear what it is (assault) and how much it affected her. Tess didn't feel comfortable telling anyone due to being scared she wouldn't be believed. When she meets Callum, she gets comfortable enough that she shared it with him and started sharing it with those around her. I love how her and Callum came to be. It did feel a little rushed but made perfect sense. The plot twists thrown in there were "woah". It was such an exciting book to read. I truly did love it.
4 stars!!!

Main character Tess is a massive fan of ‘Blood Feud’ - a series of vampire novels she uses to escape her everyday troubles. She ends up not only discovering that the characters from the books are real, but also finds herself inserted into their world and fighting to survive. This is a silly book that manages to address some really serious topics along the way. A little too cheesy for my personal taste, it will definitely be a hit for some readers though.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was totally different than her first novel and took me a bit to get into the story but the pace really picked up and the storylines all resolved in very satisfying ways by the end.

Thank you to The Dial Press for the eARC!

Fang Fiction is a contemporary fantasy romance about Tess, who ends up in a world of vampires from her favorite book series, while still processing the aftermath of sexual assault.
Stayman-London did a great job at depicting PTSD, but that also accidentally made Tess a two-dimensional character. Tess also has a very quick change to being a confident person, which felt rushed.
The world-building felt very surface-level. All of the information was told rather than shown, which was annoying when it came to characterization. It felt like there was very little nuance, where I expected more from a book dealing so heavily with sexual assault.
Tess also tends to act like a character in a bad horror movie. Despite having severe trauma, she thinks nothing about exploring a strange forest in vampire territory by herself? Very few of her actions make sense in this book.
Still, there was a nice romance between Tess and Callum. I thought their chemistry was believable. I also liked the twist on reality versus fiction within the vampire world.

CW: sexual assault; PTSD; blood/violence

Diverse and dealing with hard topics along with a very cool premise (your favorite book being real), Fang Fiction doesn't disappoint.

I loved the little glimpses inside Blood Feud and all the transcriptions of elements of fan culture that the author created. My only grip about the book is that I feel like the author focusing on both romances made both of them happen a little bit faster than I would've liked. But, either way, it was an enjoyable read.

This book was SO FUN!! Imagine your favorite characters from your favorite book series were REAL! Please do check the TW first because this book does cover SA! I thought all the characters were fun and I enjoyed the different formats of dialogue the author included. Octavia Yoo definitely was my favorite :)

I wanted to love this one because I loved her previous book and loved Twilight but this felt like it couldn’t decide if it was fully its own story or fan fiction of Twilight.

Fang Fiction

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || FANG FICTION [thank you to @thedialpress and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Fang Fiction
Author: Kate Stayman-London
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★★☆

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
Tess Rosenbloom escapes her trauma-filled past by managing a Brooklyn hotel and obsessing over Blood Feud, her favorite vampire novel. She never believes the online theories that the series is real—until its villain walks through her door.

Drawn into a world of vampires and danger, Tess must decide if risking her heart—and her life—is worth it, all while her estranged best friend is having her own forbidden vampire romance back in New York. What starts as a fantasy come to life may soon become Tess's worst nightmare.

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
This book was so fun! If you at all love vampires, mythical tales, and steam - then you need to check out this book! Once I started, I literally could not put it down. I was hooked!

Another review called this “like Twilight of Buffy fanfiction in the best way possible,” and I absolutely agree with that! It was all the good parts of Edward and Bella, without all of the weird sparkles and “spider monkey” comments.

You think you know who the bad guy is, you think you know who your friends are, you think you know where the story is going - but you’re wrong!

If you’re looking for a romance that’s just fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously (while also dealing with a somewhat serious topic throughout), then pick this up!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Twilight
Vampire Diaries
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Traveling into a Book
Working Through Trauma
Unreliable Characters

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 3.74
# of Pages: 400
Pub Date: October 1, 2024

Thank you NetGalley and Random house publishing for the ARC of Fang Fiction.

I loved this book more than I thought I would and could. It put it down I finished over half of it in one day! I enjoyed the fan fiction style telling of the story but that’s what made it great. It was easy and fun. The characters were all flawed but that’s ok it made it what it is. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

This was a fun escape into the world of book fandoms and supernatural romance. This novel follows Tess, a Blood Feud obsessed introvert, who finds herself transported into the very world she's been reading about.

Loved:
- The plot is a dream come true for any avid reader.
- Plus size representation.
- Banter between MCs.
- The book seamlessly integrates references to popular fandoms like Twilight and Buffy.
- The underlying message of self-empowerment is inspiring.

Thank you NetGalley and random house publishing group for providing me with this ARC!

This book was spooky and fun. While I really enjoyed the premise I wish the love story between Tess and Callum could have been developed a little better. I"m not a huge fan of the instalove trope. The part fell a little flat to me. I liked the different world building without it being as complicated as some books make it.

Some of my favorite characters in the books were the side characters such as Flora, the twins and Hamish. I wish we could have gotten a little bit more back story on them or even potentially more books in the series. I liked how the hero became the villian and the villian became the hero. I really liked the idea of the vampires being able to glamor their surroundings into homes and everything they would need. Overall I really enjoyed this book and hope that the author continues the series.

3.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and random house publishing group for providing me with this ARC!

This was such a fun time! The rom-com vibes were present from the start and it had all the makings for a story I would eat up. One thing I will say is that I didn’t feel a huge connection with the romances and the characters in general, as they were somewhat insta-lovey and that’s just something I don’t love in a romance. However, I absolutely loved the whole Blood Feud aspect of the story.

The writing, I noticed, was very descriptive. That might not be for everyone, but I personally prefer a book to be overly descriptive in regards to setting a scene than under.

I loved the mixed-media content that was added into this book and the pop-culture references definitely had me giggling. While a bit silly, it made the book much more comedic and light-hearted in the face of hard topics like Tess’ past trauma. The topic of SA is not graphically depicted; however, I would still always recommend checking the trigger warnings if there is something you wish to avoid or be prepared for.

Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London is here to shake up your reading list—and I mean shake. If you’re thinking, “Ugh, another vampire story,” stop right there. Yes, there are vampires. And yes, there’s a love letter to fanfiction writers woven into the pages. But this isn’t just some fanged fluff. Oh no. It’s the ultimate glow-up story for anyone who’s ever felt like they’ve been lurking in the shadows, waiting for their moment to step into the light.

Meet our heroine: a young woman who’s been living in the background (where all the most interesting characters are, obviously), and thanks to an unexpected ally, she’s finally stepping up to take her space and, oh yeah, destroy the jerks who made her feel small. You’ll be cheering for her by chapter three—guaranteed.

But let’s talk about the smart stuff. The world-building? Super chill. You don’t need a PhD in vampire lore to follow along, and honestly, that’s a relief. The story focuses more on the characters and the wild, fascinating blend of fiction-meets-reality. Plus, the mixed media format—texts, emails, podcast transcripts—is pure genius. It’s like scrolling through your own phone, except way more exciting and dramatic. And let’s be real, who doesn’t love a bit of creative chaos in their stories?

So, if you’re still swooning over True Blood or The Vampire Diaries (I see you!), and you’re obsessed with those morally gray love interests that make you question your taste in fictional men, just go ahead and add Fang Fiction to your fall TBR.

this was a disappointing one because it COULD have been a perfect book for me. there were so many good elements - vampires, humor, darkness, steam, queer characters, magic, etc etc. but there was just way too much going on which made everything feel half baked, even though I loooved everything going on. I honestly wish this was a series!

dnf @ 20%
I was interested in the plot, but the writing style just wasn’t for me. I felt like the podcast transcripts, emails, and excerpts from blood feuds just really took me out of the story. I audibly groaned when I saw another podcast transcript and decided to dnf

This was a cute lil story about 2 friends who fall in love with 2 vampires, all while saving vampire-kind from permanent entrapment in a parallel universe and rekindling their friendship after a traumatic event. Tess was a relatable and admirable female main character and I love how she fell for the one she didn’t expect. I liked how she was able to use her experiences in the story to process her grief and reunite with her bestie. The story was lighthearted and sweet, with pockets of romance and intimacy sprinkled throughout. Recommend for lovers of vampires, romcoms, Buffy, and short and sweet standalones. 💕