This book was fun. If you love vampires, you will like this. The subplot of what Tess was going through really moved me and I appreciated the world-building the author did. It’s very unique world-building!

I thought the beginning of the book moved too fast. More could have been done to build up Tess and Joni’s relationship and introduce blood feud besides the excerpts. I also think the romances were too insta-lovey. If the book was longer, more development could have been done of characters pre-romance and during the romance. I also am not a big fan of third person in general. I think a multi-pov first person would have been more to my taste.

Fang Fiction was a fun, fast-paced book full of vampires. I loved the concept of a fantasy world hidden in the Blood Feud books and the mixed media throughout this story regarding the mysterious author of the Blood Feud books and the question if vampires are real. The descriptions given about the Isle left me wanting more and wished Tess was able to visit more of the magical places. However, I loved the overall story and the two love stories that occurred for Tess and Joni. There was never a dull moment throughout this book. Highly recommend.

Trigger Warnings: Please be aware that Fang Fiction does tell the story of a sexual assault survivor. Although I felt the author did a good job in avoiding graphic descriptions or language, this book may not be for everyone.

Fang Fiction comes out October 1st.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to review Fang Fiction. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was EVERYTHING to me, and I can't believe I was lucky enough to get approved for this magical book! I loved the fan fiction aspect, the many forms of multimedia used throughout the book, the romance, the world-building, just everything! I'm really hoping this book will be the resurgence of vampire fiction/vampire romances, and I absolutely can't wait to see what Kate Stayman-London does next.

I've shared this book on Goodreads, and with friends on TikTok and a book club discord I'm in.

Fang Fiction offers an engaging blend of mixed media and excellent world-building that immerses readers in a fun fantasy setting. The unique storytelling format and authentic fangirl atmosphere are standout features that make the book enjoyable and relatable. The only thing that didn't work for me was the clash between the heaviness of some topics and the fun, rom-com nature of the book. Despite this, the book remains a creative and entertaining read for those who love a mix of fandom culture and romance.

While the premise of this book really intrigued me, this book just was not my cup of tea. While I understood the way they tried to add the world building with snippets from the book instead of info dumping, it ended up being too jump for my attention span. Especially with added podcast chapters. Like I said, I think overall this book ended up not being for my taste and others will enjoy it. Thank you so much for the chance to read it.

Ever read a book and think- I am exactly the audience for this. This book felt made for me: The Buffy the Vampire Slayer influences and references, the use of podcast inserts that were clearly a shout out to the Buffering podcast, the mix of NYC and the supernatural, Fangirl culture, and academia! Gimme more! Also, there is a friendship at the core of the story. Kate Stayman-London, you have read my thoughts and made an outstanding novel.

There are two couples to ship in the story, which left me rabid at the end of each chapter, with a mix of frustration and excitement when the POV switched over. This was a read in one sitting type of book. My only bump was parts of the end action piece. No spoilers, but there was a moment of wait-what-how. But, once it led to the ending, I was still happy with the book..

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a fandom, listening to a good podcast, watching witty vampire TV shows, and would like a one-way ticket to travel to NYC! Thank you, Random House Publishing Group, for this advanced reader's copy.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. Overall, I thought it was a lot of fun. It was fast-paced, interesting, and full of vampires. I couldn't help but feel like things were missing from it though.

I feel like including two love stories in here detracted from each other so it left me wanting more from both couples. Also, I wish we spent more time in the Isle since that was what interested me most. The mixed media format was interesting as well, but sometimes I felt like the inclusions were too often. The book would have a good pace and then there would be an interview or email in the middle which messed with the rhythm of it a bit.

I'm nitpicking a bit at this though but I enjoyed it overall. If you're looking for a fun supernatural queer romance, I'd suggest checking this out!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with this ARC!

Thia was a captivating blend of fantasy and romance, where Tess Rosenbloom discovers her favorite vampire novels are real. The dark, glamorous setting and thrilling adventure keep me hooked. Tess's journey of personal growth and redemption adds depth, making it more than just a romance. Fans of dark rom-coms will find it a delightful read.

This books had a really unique premise and is definitely not your typical romance! I love that the book integrates modern media, such as podcasts, reddit threads, group chats, etc. without giving the feeling that it could become quickly dated. As someone with a shameless love for Twilight and Vampire Diaries, I thought this title was really fun with a campy feel that didn't venture over into cheesy. I would definitely recommend this title to anyone who has a nostalgia for Buffy, Twilight, Vampire Diaries, etc.

This was so fun! It moved so quickly but not in a way that it felt like something was missing. I feel like this would be a great introductory read for those who don't often read paranormal/vampires.

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.