I had really high hopes for this book... What reader wouldn't be excited to find out their favorite fantasy series is actually real and so are the characters. What a dream that would be. The first page was a quote from Buffy so naturally I was already pumped that this book had everything I wanted but sadly it fell flat for me. 1. This book is 400 pages too long and started off extremely slow. 2. The way it is formatted is confusing. You've got excerpts of "Blood Feud" the fictional novel (which is understandable) followed by a podcast transcript followed by emails followed by a 4 person POV followed by reddit and tumblr posts. It was just A LOT and could factor into why I found it so slow. 3. There was no chemistry between the FMC and MMC or the secondary couple. I felt nothing from these characters which makes me sad because Callum would be my dream book boyfriend.

The idea of this book is great the execution just wasn't there for me. Just because I didn't love it doesn't mean it won't interest you. It's perfect for fans of Twilight, Buffy, Vamp Diaries and I even thought Once Upon A Time. Characters stuck in a different reality town they can't get out of but want to find a way out together.

2.5/5 for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book.

The plot of this book was really interesting! The idea was unique and carried out well. Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me read a copy early!!

I'm not sure what I was expecting with this book- but oh my god I am obsessed. I loved literally everything about this book. I have no notes. I could not put it down. I am no stranger to a vampire novel, chances are if there are vampires I am reading it or already have.
I LOVED Tess. Are you kidding a Shakespeare literary student, who is obsessed with a vampire series- to the point where she writes articles about how they could maybe be real? Sold.
This book dealt with some serious topics and in my opinion she handled them very well, which is so important.
It's not often I read a book and immediately want to pick it up again and start over.
This is one of my six star reads for 2024.

Ahh!! One to Watch was in my top 3 favorite reads of 2020, and I’ve been impatiently waiting for another Kate Stayman London book ever since. Fang Fiction did not disappoint- it’s more adventurous than One to Watch, and I loved the world-building. This was such a treat for my millennial Buffy fangirl soul!

🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Wanting a book that shows you what twilight would look like if it was actually based on a true story? You found the right book. It joins sensitive topics, lgbtqia+, and overall sweltering romance connections. The main character also happens to be plus size! The writing is sublime. It would have gotten 5 ⭐️ but the ending was predictable.

Plot: Tess leaves her PhD program to work at a hotel, not only losing herself but her best friend and fellow “Blood Feud” addict. While struggling to heal a part of herself, her favorite vampire book series turns out to be a true story! Will Tess help those who she has been obsessively reading about?

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC of this book!

“Fang Fiction” is a fascinating commentary and exploration on vampire media and the circumstances which govern the way women exist in modern day society. The novel follows Tess Rosenbloom, who works as night manager at a hotel in Brooklyn after leaving her PhD program mid way through. Tess loves to consume vampire media, specifically the popular series “Blood Feud”, fans of the novel including Tess herself often crowd themselves in theories about the potential reality of the story and characters of the novel.
One evening during her shift, a vampire from this beloved novel walks through the doors, and Tess is thrown into adventures to try and discover why this vampire is here, and to figure out the truth about the other vampires of the world.

The novel is full of interviews, text exchanges, podcast transcripts, and even buzzfeed quizzes to establish the relationship between the plot and popular culture. The novel is able to explore heavy themes such as sexual assault in the workplace and misogyny in everyday life. (I would suggest checking the trigger warnings on this novel, as it discusses many difficult topics and themes.)

My only issue with this novel was that I felt that the author took on too much plot wise, which made the execution of the novel feel a little sloppy. By creating an entire fictional book series to coexist with the plot of the novel left many moments where the story felt unfinished. Sometimes I needed more background on “Blood Feud” (the fictional novel in the novel) and other times I wanted more information and details about the characters occupying the actual novel.

I think this novel would translate really well to audiobook, and if there is an audiobook in the works, or available I would suggest picking up this read there! I would suggest this book to anyone who loves vampire media (especially my “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fans!!)

4.5 stars rounded up!

This book starts by introducing us to Blood Feud, incredibly popular Vampire romance novels, and Tess starting graduate school at Columbia. Fast forward a few years later and Tess is still addicted to the Blood Feud novels but dropped out of her PhD program. Through the course of the book she comes to live in the world of Blood Feud in an epic adventure.

I would consider this book to be first about healing/self-empowerment/fish out of water and second a fantasy/vampire/romance/magical realism book. As an avid reader there are MANY (MANY) books that I'd like to fall into - I'm jealous that Tess and Jodi (her bff) got to live that. There is magic in falling in love with books and that joy was well captured in this funny, unique and touching book.

I don't love the vampire genre was a bit hesitant going into this book. I shouldn't have worried - Fang Fiction was great. It covers serious topics (trigger warning of sexual assault) but is balanced with humor and love. I loved this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this advanced reader copy. My opinions are my own.

This book was amazing and I devoured this book in just a few sittings! I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

I loved the premise for this book, and I blame my millennial obsession of Twilight, Buffy, Vampire Diaries, and True Blood for that. However, this one just didn’t quite hit for me. It took me forever to get into it, and I am usually an “easily hooked from the first page” girl. I blame the jumping around from excerpts of the Blood Feud novels, podcast transcripts, email chains, Reddit threads, etc. I’ve seen this done effortlessly in other books I’ve read, but it made it hard to get into the plot when these jumps kept happening. Once I got through the confusion at the beginning, the last 50% of the book pulled out the 3 stars for me. Loved Tess and Callum’s relationship and how they worked together.

Fang Fiction was not my favorite, but I can see where it can appeal to others. I often found the pacing to be slow, and the characters not too interesting, 400 pages might have been a bit too long. The humor was top notch in several places.

Title: Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London
Rating: 3.5 stars

This book had a concept like no other–it was truly unique, which was what made me pick up this title in the first place. This book seems silly and fun at a glance, but it does have some emotional depth. Our main character, Tess, feels lost in her life and unsure of what to do after a traumatic event years prior. When she's approached by a REAL vampire from her favorite book asking her to go on a dangerous mission, she thinks, "What do I have to lose?". Upon arriving, I think we realize she actually has a lot to gain. Her journey of healing and self-discovery that takes place in this other world is not one to miss.

Plus, this book seamlessly integrates modern social media in a non-cringe way. Think Subreddit threads, group chats, podcasts, etc. I rarely see an author that has the ability to reference TikTok without coming across out-of-touch... but Kate Stayman-London seems to have done it!

I think Fang Fiction is a fun and refreshing take on a vampire/gothic romance. It is CAMPY in the best way, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has been a part of a fandom before, loves vampires, or just wants a quick, fun read.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, PTSD

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Vampires are and always will be my one true love and I am LIVING for this paranormal resurgence we are having in books recently! When Kate Stayman-London announced that she was releasing a paranormal romance I went CRAZY!! especially when I found out the title (like, hello?!! fanfic/fandom girlies stand up!!!)

Fair to say, I was extremely excited to get my hands on this ARC and had a lot of expectations. IYou can expect hilarious pop culture references (podcasts, texts, emails galore) and DRAMA, POC MCs, plus size rep, SA rep, and many more!!

This book was an entertaining read but the plot was too fast paced for my liking. It felt like there were too many moving parts and nothing got as fleshed out as they could (pun intended). The romance between the two main couples felt a bit too insta-lovey which is not really a trope I enjoy but I do think it went well with the drama of it all.

Overall a solid read! Definitely for those that enjoy over-the-top and dramatic plot lines over slow-burn.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC! I'm off to find my Callum Yoo now <3



Fantastical

I am genuinely fuming about how much I do not like this book.

Overall the writing is mediocre, it reads like a typical cheesy harlequin romance which part of me thinks is intentional. Very tell don’t show, very immature narrative style in a lot of ways. I was willing to look past it, but the plot itself is driving me insane.

I very deeply do not like that the plot completely hinges around the main character being drugged and raped, then abruptly abandoning her entire life because of it. This book is marketed as a fun, silly rom-com and the writing is on a low enough level that I had to turn my brain down to try and enjoy it, but I’m somehow also expected to navigate a very serious and not remotely fun topic looming over the character’s head for the entire book. Even if the subject is handled with care, it frankly ruined any enjoyment of the story.

Part of me wants to understand that stories about healing from assault matter, but a bigger part of me is tired of women *constantly* dealing with sexual assault in all types of media. It’s a book about how vampires are secretly real, why is rape such a predominant part of the story? Couldn’t there be SOME other reason that Tess left college? I can’t think of a SINGLE rom com that deals with this subject matter, since they’re, ya know, COMEDIES.

If the synopsis had been more clear I never would have requested an early copy. I hate to be such a hater when the author clearly had good intentions, but I’m not sorry that the rape ruined my good time 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse Publishing Group for the ARC!

For anyone with a millennial love of Twilight, Vampire Diaries and anything fan fiction based- this is definitely a read for you!

The characters were engaging, filled the desire many of us have to be apart of our favorite tv/movie/book series and overall a great twist on a vampire romance. Though, there were definitely some slow points/lulls that took me awhile to get through this book and the constant jumping between varying POVs/transcripts was difficult to track.

I think this is a fun read, very different from many other books/romance stories and a nostalgic idea to allow us to follow our dreams of jumping into our favorite fictional worlds.

This book was for the fandom/fanfic girlies and I LOVED IT. I devoured this book in one sitting I genuinely couldn’t put it down. Tess was such a lovable and relatable main character with such a strong and empowering arc. I loved her relationship with Callum and their growth. The world building and the book within a book of Blood Feud was so creative and well done.

Thank you Netgallery and Random House Publishing for this eArc.
I devoured this book, I could not put it down. This book is full of references to the pop culture. It is perfect for the annoying girls (I’m an annoying girl).
It had been a while since I found a book that fascinate me the way Fang Fiction did. The book has a perfect pace, it is not slow at all. I fell in love with all the characters, I really liked the story, and it handles serious topics like SA appropriately and with trigger warnings. I really recommend you to read it.

A huge thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this arc of Fang Fiction in exchange for an honest review.

I have to be honest I didn’t have a lot of expectations going into this book. Mainly because this was my first time reading anything by Kate Stayman-London. I can tell you guys now I really enjoyed Kate Stayman-London storytelling in Fang Fiction and I will definitely be checking out more of her books.

But even with that said I still had some gripes with this book. I think my main overall gripe with the book was how it was formatted. The book jumps between multiple character POVs, to transcripts from Blood Fued novels, then jumps to podcasts or email chains. It was a lot to try to comprehend especially right at the beginning. It got so bad I had a hard time figure out who was our main character and what was their story going to be. I got the hang of it once Tess reached the Isle. And thank goodness I did because the book pacing wise took off from there.

My favorite part of the book though was Tess and Callum relationship. Watching them work together and support each other was really fun and heartwarming. I also loved Octavia and Joni. However, I think their relationship got overshadowed.

Overall, I highly recommend Fang Fiction! It was a fun fresh take on modern vampire novel.

Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London was just pure FUN to read. It's a book for the girlies -- full of pop culture references (Taylor Swift, Succession, Twilight, just to name a few) and gloriously meta. Are you in any kind of fandom? Then I want you'll love this book.

Tess Rosenbloom is a PhD candidate at Columbia University when she experiences sexual violence and drops out of the program. She is grappling with her trauma the only way she knows how -- isolating herself from others and immersing herself in the fantasy world of Blood Feud. Blood Feud is a massively popular vampire series that has a huge cult following. On night when Tess is working, someone shakes up her life by showing her that Blood Feud (and therefore vampires) are actually real. Tess is thrown into a world once thought to be purely fiction and must fight her way back to the land of the living to save her friends and ultimately, herself.

While this book is about fandoms and friendship, I want to stress that it's also very much about finding your way back to yourself after life altering trauma. While the sexual assault in Tess's story isn't explicitly laid out it is alluded to so be wary of that before reading. The author does a phenomenal job providing content warnings before the book begins.

I love how quickly the book was paced (honestly I felt at times it was moving too quickly, I wanted more meatiness around Tess' budding relationships on the Isle) and I enjoyed the writing style and how the book incorporated things like emails, texts, podcast scripts and excerpts to tell the story. It was a clever way of showing instead of telling, if that makes sense.

I got the sense that there may be more books in this universe and I'm hoping I picked up on those cues correctly, I'd love to read more of Tess' story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Kate Stayman-London's Fang Fiction is a delightful romp through the world of vampire fiction, blending the familiar tropes of the genre with a fresh, witty, and surprisingly heartfelt narrative. Tess Rosenbloom, our protagonist, is a relatable character battling insomnia and a past she'd rather forget. Her obsession with the 'Blood Feud' series, a fictional vampire saga, provides a charmingly geeky counterpoint to her mundane life. The arrival of the series' villain, a brooding and handsome vampire named Lucian, throws Tess's world into disarray. The blend of reality and fantasy is handled deftly, making the transition into Lucian's world both thrilling and believable. The author cleverly uses the familiar elements of vampire lore to create a world both fascinating and familiar, with a touch of gothic romance. Stayman-London excels at crafting genuinely funny moments, particularly through Tess's internal monologue and her interactions with the charismatic (and undeniably sexy) Lucian. The humor is sharp and never feels forced, adding a layer of lightheartedness to the darker aspects of the story. However, the novel goes beyond mere escapism. Beneath the glitz and glamour of the vampire world lies a deeper exploration of Tess's personal struggles. Her journey to confront her past and reclaim her future is both poignant and inspiring. The story also touches on themes of friendship, trust, and the power of love, adding depth and resonance to the narrative. While some readers may find the romance element a bit predictable, it's ultimately charming and serves as a driving force for Tess's growth and self-discovery. The inclusion of Tess's best friend's own sapphic relationship with a vampire adds a welcome layer of complexity and diversity to the story. Overall, this story is a captivating read that blends humor, romance, and a touch of darkness into a delightful package. It's a perfect choice for fans of vampire fiction, rom-coms, and anyone looking for a fun and engaging escape.

This was a fun read! And hello that cover is perfection. It’s definitely got some depth to it too though. Fun concept. Good execution.