I love Vampires. I love fiction about vampires. And I loved this book about fictional vampires. It's that simple.

I really love Stayman-London’s writing. One to Watch was one of my absolute favorite books which is why I was so excited to read Fang Fiction. I will say, I don’t think vampires are for me. I was not into True Blood or Vampire Diaries when I was younger. That being said, I found myself so intrigued by this story. The story within a story, the podcasts and emails at the beginning of some chapters, and the different perspectives made this such a fun book to read. While I won’t be seeking out vampire books in the future, I would be happy to come back to this world!

If you're somebody who might have been a part of the Twilight fandom back in the day, this is your sign to read this book. This was such a fun book involving vampires, which is a bit different than my other spooky season reads this year. Due to this, it made it stand out a bit. I thought it was entertaining. I loved the concept that there is a series of books that is popular involving vampires, and it turns out they are based very much in truth. The bits and pieces of the book, podcast transcripts, and text messages were a fun addition, but I did think they might have taken away from the story at first. It is also important to read trigger warnings for this book as it deals a lot with a sexual assault. I thought it was done in a decent manner, however, if it is a trigger it does show up on page over and over. With that being said, I found the book to be fun and I enjoyed my time with these characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

DNF at 35%. I tried so hard to get through this book, but I really struggled to connect. I found that each chapter beginning with some kind of off-course intro, be it a podcast, article, book chapter, to be very disorienting. It took me out of the story when I feel like it was meant to immerse me. The same effect was achieved with Tess on the island but getting chapters of...the gals in New York. I can't even remember their names because I struggled so hard.

I truly wanted to like this book; on its face it looks like it was basically written for me; it's all my favorite things. But my ADHD can't stay engaged with so many shifts.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for sending me this arc, I appreciate you taking the chance on sending me a copy. 🖤

I unfortunately have made the decision to DNF this arc. The writing was very juvenile and the constant flipping around of stories was very confusing. Going from podcast transcripts, to book chapters, to POV from the Isle to POV in NY was just a lot. I've made it 55% and I'm just not connecting with the characters or plot, or even what the story still needs to do aside from connect the worlds. Like what was the point?

The concept is fantastic! I love this idea that "fiction" books are actually based on true paranormal characters wandering around like you and me, and would love to see what the author does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This book was so fun! What would happen if the characters in your favorite book were real? Tess Rosenbloom is about to find out. After a life altering event smashes her life to bits, Tess turns her back on her future and her friends, becoming a night manager at a boutique hotel. Her one solace in life is the book series Blood Feud by the elusive author August Lirio. Then one night her world is upended when one of the people in the books shows up at her hotel and asks for her help. Well, person is not the right word. Octavia is a super powerful vampire. And she needs Tess's help to get a message to her brother, Callum, also a vampire.

I don't care what anyone says, this book was a blast. It was quirky and fun. I didn't want to put it down. Is it high brow literature? Of course not! But sometimes you need to just read a book for fun and this absolutely fit the bill!

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and the world building was so good!

As an avid vampire reader, the idea of my favorite vampire books/shows being actually real and existing in another timeline had me absolutely foaming at the mouth!!

I LOVED how Kate incorporated magic, portals the bar that was "in between timelines" and even the magical tarot cards!!

It really, really cracked me up when the Blood Feud vampires found the book and started to read it and I just genuinely could picture my favorite fictional vamps doing the same thing.

This was a SUPER fun read and it went really fast for me! I've been thinking about the world building and how much I absolutely loved the idea of all the Vampires being exiled on an island whilst someone is writing their experiences in real time!

LOVED this book and thought it was a super fun, light read!

I have recommended this book to many people. It's the Vampire Fan Fiction fantasy that every romcom or vampire stan needs to read. It was lush, funny, and the characters were surprisingly well written. The romance was good and the world building was so interesting. I truly loved the alternate universe sci fi aspect that connected our world to the magical little vampire island in Blood Fued--just some multidimensional bar that was the hub of time and space? Such a neat touch.

I also really felt for Tess, our MC. Trauma responses are real and the disconnection she felt she had to make was so difficult, but watching her grow and reclaim the parts of her life she missed was super empowering. And finding that power to fight for the truth and liberation of good folks and found family? Awesome.

Again. Highly recommend. ❤️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5/5 stars.

TW: r*pe and SA.

I really enjoyed this from the perspective of someone who went through the crazy fanfiction, conspiracy theory (and still do) parts of fandoms. No, I never thought vampires were real, but the love and adoration toward a series is real...so I loved that. I also loved how it was a PhD student and the slight hints of academia.

Tess is a great character who is trying to overcome the trauma of SA, but she is trying to do it without resources. I really liked how the fictional world became the coping mechanism for her and legit helped her overcome the trauma.

I do think it was interesting that she jumped into activities with Callum without any hesitation, but Callum also acknowledges he was prepared for start/stop sort of things.

Was the plot a mess? I mean...yeah. Was it fantastic? no? did I enjoy it still? yes.

Kate Stayman-London’s "Fang Fiction" is a rom-com that invites readers into the dream (and sometimes nightmare) of books-turned-reality. Stayman-London excels at creating an immersive world where fantasy meets reality, making Tess’s escapist journey feel relatable and rewarding. The novel strikes a nice balance between humor and suspense, blending darkly glamorous vampire lore with a contemporary, sardonic take on love and self-discovery. While "Fang Fiction" is mostly an engaging, fast-paced read, the plot sometimes felt like it did sometimes drag on. Overall, "Fang Fiction" is a highly entertaining read with an original twist on the classic vampire romance. For readers who love a romance wrapped in vampire lore, "Fang Fiction" delivers an enjoyable escape into a world where fantasy and reality collide.

Quite the fun read! Tess is a huge fan of the Blood Feud books, a popular series about two vampire clans trapped on an island & locked in perpetual conflict. Think the Twilight or ACOTAR fan bases to get an idea! Imagine her surprise, when she finds out that vampires do exist, they are trapped on island, and her help is needed to save them!

There's a fun campiness underlying the tale, as well as tackling some heavy issues. You see, Tess, is a sexual assault survivor, and she has created a life for herself of safety, security, and familiarity due to that trauma, and this new situation is pushing her out of her comfort zone. Part of her journey is dealing with the impact of her trau,a on her life. The other characters, from Tess' best friend to the vampires she knows so well from the books, are engaging & well developed. I like the story & the tongue in cheek nods from fandom throughout the book. The relationships between characters are great, and there is some decent world-building.

I went into the book not knowing about the survivor aspects of the story, and if that had been blasted all over the book, I might not have picked it up. I feel like there should be a trigger warning on the book for those who choose to avoid that subject. The assault is described in limited detail in the book, and the long term impact is pretty detailed. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London from Dial Press Trade Paperback via NetGalley. It is available for purchase now!

I don't usually read romance, but I make an exception for Kate Stayman-London. Fang Fiction is really for anyone who is into vampires, romance or not. With Halloween coming up, this was a perfectly timed read. I mean, what if vampires are real? And what if you accidentally found yourself thrust into their very dramatic lives because you just happened to be a fan-atic of a book series about vampires. It could happen. It might be a dream come true even. It could also be your worst nightmare if you didn't really pay attention to the details. Besides having interesting characters and a unique plotline, I love the way this is also told in an epistolary-type fashion with commentary from a variety of characters. If you want something delightful, and a little steamy, to read this holiday, check it out! If you aren't into romance, I suggest making the Kate Stayman-London exception.

Bonus points: I usually reserve bonus points for a very particular inclusion in books. I'm making another exception here. Kudos to Kate for including diverse characters so that many people can see themselves reflected here.

Kate Stayman-London gained a new fan with this book. I loved a lot of things about this one, from the very concept of a mega-fan of a vampire book series discovering that her favorite characters are not in fact fictional, what we can learn about consent from Tess's experience and vampire lore, and way both environments in this book were so distinct (and honestly very cool). The characters in this one are fantastic and interesting, and I enjoyed interstitial bits of podcasts, texts, etc. that were used just enough. It's got enough of that vampire sexiness that seems to always accompany these stories but also the main quest that furthers the story and adds tension along the way.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This was pretty cute! I think it was a perfectly cute, nice, funny read for the Halloween season! I think it was adorkable, inoffensive, and fun! It reminded me of classic Meg Cabot books. I really enjoyed the different ways of storytelling, between texts and emails and podcasts, etc. I think it added a really nice layer of dimension and really unique storytelling! I always love when stuff like that is incorporated into the story!
I would say my only big complaint is that it does seem a bit dated…kind of. It does actually seem very current, with references to modern day things and even popular actors, like Timothee Chalamet, etc. The humor is a bit millennial-coded, but the main character is also a millennial, so I think that fits fine. But because it is so firmly grounded in modern times, it already feels slightly dated by association? I’d be curious to see how this book ages going forward. At the same time, I think it also lets the reader connect to the story more, and, in the future, it will probably feel comfortable and nostalgic (much like Meg Cabot books).
Overall, I don’t have any super strong opinions on it, but I liked it just fine! The plot and characters are engaging, and there’s nothing that I have any real criticisms about! It’s a light, fluffy, humorous read, perfect for the spooky season!

What’s better than a book about vampires? How about a book about a book series about vampires—that might turn out to be real? Kate Stayman-London combines fanfic with spicy vampire sex and no small amount of peril in Fang Fiction. I received an eARC via NetGalley thanks to being a host of Prophecy Girls podcast.

Tess drops out of grad school after someone else in her program sexually assaults her. She takes solace in her favourite fantasy series, Blood Feud. Tess doesn’t think much of the fan conspiracy theory that the vampires from the books are real. Then Octavia Yoo, one such vampire, shows up at the hotel where Tess works. She finds herself drafted to seek out Octavia’s brother, Callum, who is as dangerous as he is hot. Meanwhile, Octavia reluctantly teams up with Tess’s former roommate and best friend. Across two separate places, these women must solve the mystery of how Octavia escaped the Isle, who August Lirio is, and how they can reunite the Yoo siblings.

Fang Fiction didn’t land for me at first. Stayman-London’s characterization is sharp and lacks much subtlety. Tess and Joni gush over Blood Feud; the vampire characters, like Octavia and Callum, are melodramatic AF. Everything is cranked up to eleven, but nothing feels real. It feels flimsy, goofy, like I’m watching season 1 Buffy all over again.

Slowly but surely, however, the book won me over. First and foremost is Stayman-London’s depiction of Tess’s trauma following her rape. For a book that is otherwise tongue-in-cheek to the point of distraction, Fang Fiction deals with rape with incredible grace and sensitivity. Tess’s spiral, which is where we basically meet her after the book’s prologue, and her reluctance to talk to Joni about her rape feels so real and poignant. Stayman-London does an excellent job of showing why a survivor might withdraw from the world and from her friends. She succeeds in showing the ongoing harm that persists despite the actual event being over. For a book that otherwise seems to land firmly in the romantasy genre, this darker thread adds pathos.

The romantic parts, of course, didn’t do much for me. More invested romantasy readers might enjoy it, though this is a slow burn romance that takes a long time to get to the spicy parts. The wrong Prophecy Girl might have read this book, though—when I typed out and sent Steph a lengthy, steamy passage from later in the book, her ears metaphorically perked up. For what it’s worth, I can understand, intellectually, the heat in these pages.

The somewhat meta “fan fiction” idea is intriguing but fizzles, in my opinion, amidst the chaos of the climax. The actual Big Bad proves predictable, and the confrontation itself is underwhelming. This book doesn’t really do much when it comes to exploring the nature of vampires or their mythos beyond the bits and pieces Stayman-London needs for the story.

Fang Fiction is enjoyable, hot even if that is your thing. Romantasy readers, Buffy fans, are the right target audience, and I don’t want to damn this with faint praise: this book is full of charm and wit and intense moments that are going to satisfy. That being said, whether it’s Stayman-London’s characterization style or her plotting, this book never quite achieved its full potential in my eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC.

I enjoyed Kate Stayman-London's first book, One to Watch, and thankfully I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more. Stayman-London continues to make characters that are flawed and relatable, while also totally unique. I loved all of them, even the side characters. I'm not a huge fantasy reader, but I think the author did a great job with the world building to where I was able to have a full understanding of what was going on. I was able to visualize the world without being bored of reading too much description. It took me awhile to read, but it was fast paced and easy to follow. I almost wish the book would've been a little longer, with a tiny bit more time spent on relationship development - but also, it could just be that I wished I could spend more time in this world with the characters. I also appreciate the way the author took care to handle the more sensitive topics that happen in the story as a way to keep her readers from becoming triggered.

I'd absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction/fantasy. I said this in my One to Watch review too - I can't wait to read more by Kate Stayman-London, and I hope she writes more books in this genre.

I thought this would be a fun, fall, Halloween type novel. It wasnt terrible but it wasnt great. It didnt hold my attention like I wanted it to. There just wasnt anything that made me want to pick it up. It was a bit boring in the first half.

The timeline of their romance was too quick for me.

I absolutely LOVED Kate's debut novel, One to Watch. This one missed the mark compared to that one. Ill still read her novels!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Meh! I think lots of people are angry with the marketing of this one but as I didn't see any I can't comment on that. My main issue is that it's a bit boring and the main character continuously acts completely opposite to how I would act at any given moment. I love Buffy but if I saw Spike all vamped up I wouldn't be chomping at the bit for him. I don't really want to comment on the way this book handles big issues as I just dont feel equipped to do so. If you're on the fence I think there may be better books for you.

This is such a weird one to review! It's not at all what I expected, exactly what I needed to read and also some parts of it were so stupid/silly.
This book was so beautifully self-aware for the most part. It was in on all the jokes about itself, it knew who the audience was and played perfectly into what we love about vampire books and the fandoms around them. But then there were things, like the instalove between Callum and Tess, that were so unplugged from reality that I was like... are we not all in on this joke? Ultimately I think the problem was this book didn't know how seriously to take itself. Dealing with the topics of rape/SA and the fallout that comes from such trauma was both heavy and also felt very lightly handled? The way Callum 'cured' her felt very upsetting to me. Ultimately this book had a lot going for it, but it was kind of caught between two worlds *wink*

This book was absolutely brilliant. Not only does this handle such a sensitive topic with such care, but it also is fun and sexy. This book strikes such a balance between healing while also being a fun, mysterious and exciting story. I truly don’t have the right words to describe how much I absolutely love this story. Most vampire stories are cheesy and very surface level, but this book has such emotional depth. This book truly has it all: emotional depth, well-written characters, a fun story and great setting. I don’t have enough words to describe my true love for this.