This is a very belated review but I really enjoyed this! I was excited to read anything Kate Stayman-London wrote after loving her debut, and it’s clear to me how much of a passion project this was.
I am not someone with a huge interest in vampires- I missed the Buffy craze, but certainly had my Twilight years as a teen. However, I found Fang Fiction to be really immersive and smart! My only complaint was the relationships felt somewhat convenient at times and harder to buy into, but that pales in comparison to the world building and flat out fun of Fang Fiction.
Would be a perfect spooky season read!

This book is packed. It’s got action, it’s got friendships, it’s got fantasy and world building and perks into the world that I want to see more of so badly. It’s got romance! And shenanigans. As a fandom person this book spoke to my fandom heart 💜

Tess Rosenbloom is a fan of the hit series Blood Feud, and finds solace in the story and characters after a traumatic event she’s still working on processing. The online community is wild, and Tess has written a few things for and about Blood Feud, one being that she thinks it’s real. A conspiracy theory until one of the main characters waltzes right up to her. What starts as a simple task to deliver a message quickly turns into so much more as Tess, a human, becomes trapped alone on an island full of vampires who haven’t eaten properly in a long time.

All of the characters in this were so fun and alive, even when half of them were undead. I’d seriously love to read a dramatic tell all that’s not quite Blood Feud but also maybe is 😂

This book releases on October 1, and I highly recommend you add it to your spoopy/fall vibes reading list.

3.5 stars - there was a lot I liked in this novel, but also things I didn't care for. I'm splitting the difference but rounding up, as this is an ARC review. The premise is cute, fun, and interesting. Who wouldn't want to find out that the characters from your favorite fantasy book series are actually real? The execution of this premise was flawed. The narrative felt messy and unorganized, and jumped around in pov and style. There was a lot of telling as opposed to showing. I wholly appreciate the careful consideration of a main character who experienced a sexual assault. While her reactions to that trauma were valid, her reluctance to process it made the story drag. This is my opinion only. If you can get through the first third of this book, it does pick up. A few little twists along the way and at the end improved my overall feelings on it as a whole. Clever plotting and writing is here, but gets in its own way at times.

ARC received from The Dial Press via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I loved this book! Buckle up for a super queer paranormal romp that sets the female villain trope on its head! Tess is flying high after her first months at Columbia until she is assaulted at a party, and she leaves school in order to get her life back together. Enter in a vampire who should only exist in a fantasy world of Tess’s favorite books, and inadvertently sets Tess on a path of healing. I’m recommending this to everyone I know.

Thank you for the arc, and chance to review

**Rating**: 3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Stayman-London, and Dial Press New York for the opportunity to read an ARC copy of this book.

*Fang Fiction* was a fun read, perfect for those looking for fall or Halloween vibes. While it took me quite a while to really get into the story, I eventually found my stride. The beginning felt a bit cluttered and chaotic with the multiple POVs, a podcast, a book within the book, and internet postings. At first, I was a little lost with all these different elements, which made it feel overwhelming. However, the latter half of the book flowed more smoothly, and I started enjoying the story more.

The romances were cute, and even though vampires are a common theme, the overall premise of the book felt fresh. I especially liked the podcast and book aspect, which feels relevant in today's media landscape.

If you're looking for a campy (in a good way), funny vampire story with strong fall/Halloween vibes, I would definitely recommend *Fang Fiction*.

I was 100% hooked from the first page, struck by how fun and laugh-out-loud funny the interstitials of texts and emails and podcast transcripts were, and every new POV was a treat. I was expecting only Tess, but also got Joni and Callum AND Octavia! It was a romance, but also so much more, and there was so much depth— my absolute favorite kind of romance to devour. There were times when Tess's and Callum's relationship development felt too fast and canned, but I chocked that up to the vampire romance, Twilight-esque genre. I was planning on saving this one for closer to Halloween, but once I read a few sentences, I couldn't think about any other book except this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
I enjoyed this book so much! It’s unique and very different than a lot of other books I’ve read with so many components that all worked surprisingly well together — humor, mystery, adventure, fantasy, world building, dual storylines, multiple story telling mediums, and much more! It gave me vibes that were a mix of Once Upon a Time, Buffy and Twilight. The pacing was great and the revelation of the author of Blood Fued was surprising but so fitting! I loved that we got Callum and Tess’ story and relationship alongside Octavia and Joni’s. I would have loved to read more spice and first person storytelling, but overall would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fun fantasy, adventure, romance read centered around vampires!

Another synopsis that sounded fun, but I ended up really disliking.

I did not vibe with the author’s writing style, which really colored my entire reading experience. It was maybe too corny for my tastes, and I think the pop culture references got to be a bit much.

I received an advanced copy for review. This is my own opinion.

*be sure to check TWs before reading, as SA is mentioned. It happens off page and nothing is graphic but the repercussions are felt throughout, though it’s not the focus of Tess’s character arc.*

Fang Fiction is the perfect intersection of fiction and pop culture and fan culture, and it is <i> so much fun</i>.

First of all, how perfect is the title? As a vampire lover and a fan fiction lover, this is absolute perfection. The tone and writing are perfect for the subject matter, and I really enjoyed the portrayal of fandom in this.

Tess is a huge fan of a vampire book series that turns out to be real, and she stumbles right into the magical vampire island. (Seriously those descriptions were gorgeous.) there she meets the vamps portrayed as villains in the books, but they turn out to be a little less evil than expected. Along the way we get snippets of podcasts, excerpts from the vampire books, and text threads. Fang Fiction is super fun, a perfect fall vampire read, particularly for those of us who love fandom and fandom culture. And for anyone who ever dressed up for a midnight book release.

Thanks to Netgalley, Dial Press, and Kate Stayman-London for the ARC!

This book had so much promise to be a fun, occultish romp, but for me, it just fell flat.
1. I didn’t really love the shallowness and hyper-realism of the writing. It was bland and read a bit like, dare I say, fanfiction.
2. I found myself skimming all the parts where somebody’s clothes were mentioned, because I just feel like that kind of stuff doesn’t add to a story much.
3. Callum and Tess’s romance was unrealistic and happened entirely too fast with barely any context. It felt like all the pining happened behind the scenes and we just got the cliff notes of it.

Overall I was super excited about this story but I feel like it missed the mark. It was elementary, and not in a campy, fun way that I wanted it to be.

That is definitely not to say this book was all bad. I did appreciate the vibes- I think the atmosphere was strong and I found myself laughing at some of the characters and comical quotes. For example, I loved the character of Hamish, and the “vampire book club.” I think my final rating of this book is a 2.75/5, which I am rounding up here.

I had a lot of fun reading this!! First and foremost; this book is for the vibes. And secondly, that vibe is millennial who used to be obsessed with twilight as a teen and now is in their late 20s/early 30s and loves a bit of nostalgia. Very Millennial Core.

The characters in this are obsessed with a vampire romance to the extreme. With refit threads, podcast episodes, themed parties and conspiracies that the vampires are real. Sound familiar? This book is an ode to the 2000s and I enjoyed every second

The story itself was fun, following two best friends and their love stories with vampires. It’s easy, a good time, and perfect for fall.

I also appreciated that the LGBT representation didn't feel forced. Sometimes i feel like authors are like LOOK IT IS A GAY CHARACTER BE PROUD, but this just felt normal and authentic and i loved that

Fang Fiction leans into all the campy vampire tropes that we see in pop culture in a fun way. While this book is a different take on other vampire novels, it still feels like watching old episodes of Buffy or even Charmed. At points, it did feel like the characters were not fully fleshed out, which made it hard to connect with them, but I still enjoyed the book and story. The format of the book is similar to Stayman-London's first novel "One to Watch", so if you were a fan of the article and social media inserts in some chapters, you'd enjoy that layout here as well.


I'd like to thank Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

ARC
Fun read! I didn't care for the damaged girl assault storyline. Can we not just have a rom com?

I like the premise of Fang Fiction, but the way this was pulled off was very clunky. There are extended multimedia bits at the beginning of each chapter, and they are much more interesting than whatever it is going on with the “main” character.

Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London is a captivating, humorous, and one-of-a-kind novel that showcases the author's exceptional talent. In this book, Stayman-London skillfully delves into the fascinating world of fandom, adding a thrilling twist with the inclusion of vampires. A clever and heartfelt homage to individuals who find themselves straddling the line between reality and fantasy. It is a delightful read that will surely resonate with fans of all genres.

Unfortunately i made the decision to DNF this book after multiple failed attempts to consume. I hope to pick it up again at a later time.

I’m not familiar with the world of fan fiction or paranormal romance, but I still really vibed with this book. The writing and premise felt cheesy and silly, but, at least to me, that felt intentional! A woman obsessed with a supposedly-fictional vampire series is transported into that very real universe. I enjoyed the whole “Blood Feud” universe the author created (it felt very Buffy-coded, which I loved). The characters, both human and vampiric, felt actualized, and I enjoyed my time with all of them. The mixed media added to the reading experience and the podcast transcripts were my favorite. My issues were that the POV shifts occasionally confused me and didn’t seem well-delineated and the trauma our main character is currently working through is written in a way where the tone of the novel occasionally feels wonky with the shifting between fluffy and serious. I do understand that trauma can reach out and affect you at any moment, so maybe that’s why it is written this way, but it made for a mildly jarring reading experience. Overall, though, I very much enjoyed my time in this universe.

DNF at 75% because I just couldn't anymore...

I was so excited to get this e-ARC because I gave "One to Watch" an easy 5-star rating. The synopsis is everything I want in a book too. Basically True Blood coming to life.

Sooooo the execution was not great and I am in shock right now. The first 30% while our MC was still in NY was AMAZING. Again, easy 5-stars. We had a complicated back story, a really interesting friendship dynamic, and a campy "OMG book characters are coming to life and talking to me" plot. And that 30% mark is where the entire book falls apart.

1. The romances (yes both of them) are actually so badly written that I couldn't believe it. "One to Watch" had such lovely romances and they were deep and dynamic. Fang Fiction's romances were insta-love nightmares with cheesy lines, cringe-worthy sex (although I did appreciate it wasn't graphic), and zero chemistry. Tess and Callum had no chemistry and Callum was obsessed with her almost immediately. Joni and Olivia were somewhat better until they went from 0 to 100 in one scene. It was crazy. Also Olivia was a HORRIBLE romantic interest. She was toxic and so selfish when it came to her needs versus Joni that nothing really made up for it after a certain point.

2. It was a huge mistake putting Tess into this fantasy world instead of dealing with her issues in NY. I was so much more invested in the friendship between Joni and Tess instead of the romances. Once Tess left NY, it was like reading a totally different book and it draaaaagged.

3. The villains were literal cartoon characters that took themselves too seriously. This book in general took itself too seriously for the overall plot being what it was. It's like this book didn't know what it wanted to be.

4. This just needed to simplify. Olivia and Callum should have come to NY and they all should have worked together to get the rest of the vampires out against the witches. Simple. Clean. Interesting.

This started out well enough and with a pretty cool premise.

What if the vampires in your books are actually real?? Tess is pulled into the very real world of the vampires from her favorite book series, Blood Feud.

While the premise is super fun and interesting the writing left a lot to be desired. It skips around from podcast dialogues, chapters from the fake book, even a Buzzfeed quiz. So much going on and no spark to it. Things were happening but I felt completely disconnected.

Overall an interesting premise with poor execution.

This book was so much fun! As a reader who also dives deep into certain fandoms (hello avid fan fiction reader, right here!), I loved seeing the deep dives that Blood Feud's fans went into on their podcasts, Reddit pages, and even the fun Buzzfeed quiz/articles that were added into the book to get the reader excited as well. I don't know about you, but I was a Twilight obsessed teen and even watched Buffy on repeat as a pre-teen, so this was a perfect love letter to vampire pop culture fandoms.

I definitely got pulled into the story quick, thanks to the fun adventure that the author takes us along on to discover more about vampires, witches, and portal realms. I just loved these characters, both main and side, and I was invested in what was going to happen to everyone. I did get a bit worried a few times that the story was going to not get wrapped up nicely, but it did! =]

I'd love to thank Random House Publishing Group for the Netgalley eARC of this book.

I'll also be sharing my review to my instagram (@what.courtreads) on release day, October 1, 2024