This was such a fun concept! What if your favorite fantasy novel is actually fan fiction about real live characters? In this novel, vampires are real and walk among us. And those super popular romance novels are about real vampires. When a super fan gets tasked with reuniting a vampire family, she finds herself trapped on an enchanted island with nothing but her wits and her detailed knowledge of the novels to survive. But what if the novels got things wrong? Who are the real heroes and villains?

I absolutely loved the setting on this one. The magical worlds were so well described. Usually I don’t care too much about scenery and description but this one was so well done. I could picture the castles and rooms and forests.

The two female main characters were a lot of fun, too. The ordinary people save the world trope is always a blast. And these two were just the right mix of innocence and ingenuity.

The plot was exciting with some great twists. I never got bored and was always waiting to see what happened next. There was always a bit of tongue-in-cheek feel to the narration as well. It felt like an ode to campy teen vampire shows at times, which was delightful. It all had a very satisfying ending.

My only complaint was the romance. I wanted more! More chemistry and a lot more spice. Vampires are supposed to be super sexy, and I was expecting a lot of spicy fun.

Overall, though, it was a very fun and fanciful read, and I think the setting will stick with me a long time.

Review posted 9/4/24 on Goodreads, Instagram, StoryGraph, and Fable. Will post to Amazon on publication day.

I absolutely devoured this book! I think the concept overall was super interesting and I loved Tess' journey of acceptance throughout the book. As a victim of sa, I think the author handled the situation really well and made it impactful.

I wish I were in this world! I'd love being a portal witch or something. There's so many different interesting aspects of this universe.

I definitely recommend checking this one out! It's a fun, impacting read that'll make you want to delve back into the world immediately.

This was a fun Vampire romance! A woman finds herself inside the world of her favorite Vampire book series and the "characters" are not who she was expecting them to be.

She's looking for adventure. He's looking for revenge. What could possibly go wrong when your favorite novel becomes a reality? Sounds like an opportunity of a lifetime, that can't be missed.

As a paranormal romance fan, I'm always looking for a unique and fun read. Fang Fiction started out just like that. I thought it was entertaining and wholly unique with instalove, pop culture references, and tough subject matter.

However, I found Fang Fiction a little slow at times and the writing style was an absolute miss for me. There was so much going on at times that it felt chaotic and overwhelming. I also felt that the dialog was way too modern/hip at times if that makes sense. All I could think was that no one talks this way.

While this book has humorous moments, I wouldn't really consider this book to be a romcom. Yes, the author handles the subject matter well, but it's not what I expect from a romcom.

In the end, this will be a book that I'd classify as a hit for some and a miss for others. I do think that Fang Fiction had a lot of great potential and was very unique. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me.

3.5/5

It was pretty confusing at the beginning hopping between all the different mediums (text messages, and emails, and podcast transcripts, and more) and POVs. Like what was the point of the podcast transcripts??? But overall it was an interesting and unique story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy of Fang Fiction.

2.5 starts for me! Encountering the vampires from the main character's favorite novels was a fun premise. This was an enjoyable, yet ultimately predictable read. Areas of the plot felt a little too drawn out for my liking and the resolution felt rushed. All in all, I think if you like vampires, New York City, and are looking for a fast-paced read for the fall season, you may want to try this one out.

I think I’m just not really a contemporary paranormal fiction girlie, but I still had fun! I do wish the romance plot was a bit more fleshed out - at times the secondary romance felt more developed than the MC’s romance.

I have mixed feelings on this one. I really enjoyed the concept for the story, most of the characters, and the world building. What I thought was lacking was some character development. I will elaborate.
I think that the idea behind this book was so cool and I think it mostly hit the mark for me. I found the dialogue to be really quite funny, sometimes clever, and campy. I feel like I would have liked this story more, though, if there was not the primary romance between Tess and Callum. I really enjoyed the romance between Joni and Octavia. I think that the narrative ARC with Tess reclaiming her trauma was an important one, as a lot of us have gone through something like she has (myself included), and I like that she got to a place where she was reclaiming her trauma and growing stronger by the end of the story. I was almost wishing this was not a stand-alone, as I think exploring this world would be interesting and having more time to get to know our characters would have helped me connect more with the Tess/Callum romance if it was a slower burn. To me, I feel as though I was really wanting to be more in Joni's POV as she felt like the strongest and most fleshed out character in the story. I really liked how, at times, our vampires were over the top and camp. I really think that this is a fun world Stayman-London created, and I appreciate all of the humor and camp. For me there was just a little something missing, character-wise. I do appreciate this story for what it is, and I think it is a good love letter to fandom, and I think the additional multimedia elements drawn in helped the story as well. I feel like I just wanted more of the action and vampire-y world building and backstory, and none of the primary romance, which is really rare for me. Overall, I found myself laughing and invested in the mystery, and I do think this would be a fun one for people to pick up this fall.

The title is apt - I remember reading twilight fanfic in highschool (if you're seeing this no you didn't) and the main character of this novel finds herself dropped into a vampire-novel universe she previously thought was fiction. It was a bit young for me but it's a fun read!

What more could a reader want than to find out their favorite book series is real and then be thrust into that life?

Tess and her friend Joni are thrust into the world of their favorite smutty vampire series when two of the characters must rely on them for help to escape the place where they have been imprisoned.

I wanted to love this book but I think I've finally found a book I'm too old to enjoy. Some of the banter felt childish and unnecessary to me, particularly the banter between the podcast hosts. There are so many characters in this book that it really seemed unnecessary to add those transcripts into the mix. Tess reveals her theories about her books on her own, and I feel like that was the only point of the transcripts. I also found myself thinking "poor Joni - how the hell did she afford rent in NYC when she suddenly got ditched by her roommate?" and couldn't get that out of my mind.

I was a little bothered at how Joni reacted to Tess disappearing. If they were really that close, Joni probably should have questioned more what was actually going on, and could have probably picked up that something was wrong.

Then again, when there are approximately 1 million characters, it's hard to do any deep development with the main group.

It's a cute story, I would give it 3.5 stars if I could, but ultimately it won't be a book I come back to.

3.5⭐️

Is this a story about vampires? Yes. Is this a story that reads like a love letter to and celebration of the creatives who write fan fiction? Yes. But this is also a survivor’s story about a young woman who has been living in the shadows and with the support from an unlikely source, steps into the light to reclaim her voice, take up space in the world, and vanquish the predators who have caused pain made her feel small.

Fang Fiction is a great starting point for those wanting to test the waters of fantasy. There is some world building, but it isn’t overly complex and it doesn’t dive into vampiric lore, so the reader is able to focus on the characters and the crossover between fiction and reality. And the integration of mixed media - text messages, book chapters, podcast transcripts, emails - was such a smart decision in heightening tension and drama and to immerse the reader in this fandom.

If you were a fan of True Blood or The Vampire Diaries and can’t help swooning for a morally gray love interest, add this book to your fall TBR!

What would happen if, after years of reading Twilight, you don't only find out vampires are actually real, but the books are based on real vampires?
Wouldn't you want to know more, to talk to them, see if the books tell the truth? Wouldn't you want to have sex with Edward just for the sake of it? Or Carlisle or Rosalie, whoever suits you the most?

Well, this happened to my friend Tess and let me tell you: she almost got killed (twice), she almost ran away to start a new life somewhere else (twice), she found the confidence in herself she always lacked and decided it was enough.
Also, she got the vampire - which is kind of a bonus because I wasn't sure it’d end up like that.

So, we got vampires and plot twists, but also some pretty heavy trauma Tess has to face because… well, it’s not possible to escape from your nightmares for the rest of your life - it'd be nice, don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of ignoring the bad stuff and knock myself to sleep, or even ran away from your problems, anything not to having to deal with them, but you can't do that forever.
And this is where the main focus of the story is: Tess keeps desperately avoiding her problems until she has enough and is ready to fight back. Honestly, I loved how the whole process was described because I, too, would run away instead of standing up for myself, and it takes time to understand that the alternative is not going to kill you.

Another example of KSL’s incredible narrative skills is the way pop culture is everywhere in the story but, at the same time, there isn't enough of that.
Usually, I don't like it at all; singers or actors, songs or movies or shows, it's all the same: I cringe at the mention.
Here, on the opposite, every gossip-related information or reference to other shows was just so perfect and smooth I was constantly repeating to myself: “I understood that reference!”.

If I still haven't sold it to you I'm probably doing something wrong, but let me say this: it's a story written by a fangirl of the genre for other girls still stuck in their vampire “phase”, and I loved it for it.


Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

What if your favorite fantasy romance series was based on reality? What if vampires were real? What if you got to visit the isle that they were banished to? Then this is the book for you!

Tess and her best friend Joni are obsessed with the Blood Feud novels. And there are theories that the vampires in the books actually exist! Turns out that it's all true! This book follows Tess and Joni's adventures with vampires.

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a fast read because I just wanted more. I loved the mixed media style of writing that really takes you into all angles of the story. Heartfelt, adventurous, and comical, this book has it all! Highly recommend! You do NOT wanna miss out on this book when it comes out! Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this ebook.

#readersofinstagram #igreads #bookstagramusa #readmorebooks #lovereading #booksaremagic #fantasybooks #romantacy #katestaymanlondon #thedialpress #randomhouse

I had mixed feelings about this book the whole time and it did take me a little while to get through it. I loved the concept of the real world being in books and the back and forth between the main characters but it was just a bit dry for me otherwise. Still had a really great time reading it though.

*Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Ooooooh man Kate Stayman-London writes books that I can't put down. Between the vampires, the parallel worlds, the Blood Feud stories, and all of the extra multimedia tossed in, there was so much going on in the best way. I really enjoyed the world she built, especially with classic vampire "rules" and the homage to Buffy. Tess and Joni were such compelling characters and their vampiric love interests just jazzed it up even more. And the care through which we process Tess's sexual assault felt genuine. I've seen comments about rape not belonging in romcoms, but sexual assault victims deserve a happily every after too and they should see that happiness play out in books.

Even with all of the heavy topics, this is such a fun romp and I freaking loved it. Also fuck Rick.

I was excited about the premise of this book, but it was a struggle for me to get through it. While I obviously have compassion for Tess, our main character, and all she lived through, I was so annoyed with her for so much of this book. I struggled to even LIKE her for much of this book, which is a bummer b/c I truly loved the premise of this story.

I started this book around 7 PM today and I just finished (11:19 PM). From the first chapter I was hooked, and honestly, it was everything I needed in a book right now.

In Fang Fiction, everyone is obsessed with the hot vampire series Blood Feud. They are the perfect books for fans of Buffy and The Vampire Dairies (love the pop culture references btw). One obsessed fan is Tess. Blood Feud is definitely her comfort series, and it brought her and her BFF Joni together. I loved how the author showed fans and the MCs interacting with the popular series by breaking up the story with intermittent text messages, social media threads, podcast episodes, etc. where you saw Blood Feud fans (Feudies) deep dive into the lore and theories of the story. The interactions felt very real. Fang Fiction is definitely for fandom nerds.

But is Blood Feud real? Are there actually two clans of vampires trapped on an isle in another dimension? Tess liked to dabble with the idea that the characters in Blood Feud actually exist, but she didn’t really believe it. As least not until a vampire shows up in the hotel she manages! This event triggers an adventure for both Tess and Joni where Tess goes to the vampire isle and meets Callum Yoo, one of the villains of Blood Feud, while Joni and Callum’s sister Octavia grow closer back in New York.

I don’t want to say anything else about the plot because I don’t want to spoil. This was such a fun read, but it does deal with some dark themes. The author does a great job writing about Tess’s trauma without being explicit. So much can be said without saying it. The author avoids triggering language, but she still managed to absolutely break my heart. I literally started crying when Tess was at Joni’s b-day party. She has a really amazing journey to healing and finding her voice. Loved her speech at the end, and it should be spoken in all schools/colleges and Congress, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

I would love to see more of this world! This is a fun read with a diverse cast of characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

4 stars

The beginning was a little slow but it had a lot of world build and important information in it!

Around the 40% mark I decided I was finishing it that night and I wasnt stopping until I was done!

I loved the characters and how it pushes the lines of what makes you a villain and what makes you a hero!

Overall an enjoyable read with a fun plot line and A LOT OF CHATACTER GROWTH

This book was really interesting to dive into, it was simple and very straight to the point in writing style. I felt like everything made sense, it was overall logical in dialogue and very sedentary in emotional feelings. It's written like a typical Harlequin novel so I didn't find myself getting super attached to any characters but I did have fun while reading this novel.

The concept itself was really fun and I enjoyed what the author wrote/gave us in terms of content! Definitely a book you could read in one sitting! Probably not something I would pick up a second time, but still overall a great book!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

YESSSSS

I loved this book, and can't wait to add it to my shelf.
Spice: 3.5/5. 🌶️

I feel like I should've listened to the Playlist while reading because I absolutely love the songs.

I don't think I'll be able to stop racing about this one until it comes out and I can re-read it again.

Read if you like:
Vamps (obviously)
Human x vamp romance ✨
Somewhat of a sloooow burn
LGBTQ COUPLES ✨
Touch her x die
Characters with trauma
Love triangles?

A magical island where vampires are trapped and humans have to save them? Sign me tffff up! I absolutely loved this one. Tess is trying to navigate the Isle while working through her own past traumas and finding her voice again.

Where do I even begin??

Callum & Tess have fiery, romantic energy and sweet chemistry but Tess and Felix? It was SIZZLING. 🥵 Their witty banter? C'MON (in another lifetime maybe).

I loved the exerts from the actual Blood Fued Novels! I would totally have been a Fuedie.

I'm super ashamed to admit I'd be a Felix girly at first like Tess was (who doesn't love a romantic who quotes poetry and is a doting sweetheart who's sometimes a morally gray asshat?)

Still, Callum was adorable. He was so protective over Tess, if ar first mistrusting, but their love story was so amazing. He spoils her and cares about her feelings and all that other mushy stuff. ❤️

This book was SO incredible. I loved the romances. I loved the vampires, the violence, the fight scenes, the back stories with Konstantin and the incredible world building on the Isle.

You won't regret pre ordering this one 🖤

Btw I should've guessed who August Lirio was, but had no idea!