This was an interesting concept for a book. I enjoyed the pop culture and the vampire narrative seemingly coming to life through these books. There were a lot of pieces I enjoyed. It was darker than I expected a vampire rom com to be though, and I think the subject matter will be a trigger that will deter a lot of people who are looking for a fun and quirky fall read.

Thank you, NetGalley and The Dial Press , for the free book. My candid review is below:

Tess is on the run from her life. She left her PhD program following a (see CW) traumatic event. She avoids her former friends; she prefers the night shift because she can’t sleep, and she, for lack of a better term, is not thriving in the least. Suddenly, Octavia, the female lead of her favorite fantasy series, stands in the hotel's ballroom, asking her for help. Caveat: her favorite novel, Blood Feud, is about vampires who are most certainly not supposed to be in Brooklyn.

What follows is a mix of romance, suspense, and paranormal fiction as we follow Tess on her journey to help (and fall for) the Vampires. Along the way, she reclaims her identity, acknowledges her trauma, and finds she is braver and stronger than she believes.

I looked forward to picking up this novel again and again because I had no clue where it was going and loved the creative plot lines:
There is a subplot involving Tess’s best friend Joni and Octavia, a coven of witches, and unclear loyalties among the vampires. Some off-page intimacy adds to a mostly believable romance.

I am utterly smitten with the concept and execution of this book. It’s an ode to AO3 writers, sub-Reddit fan conspiracies, and all of us who spent a little too much time dreaming about whether we would want Bill or Eric on True Blood. The weaving of the Blood Feud novels with the present was phenomenally executed, and I looked forward to reading passages from both. I also loved the inner mixing of podcast and website media. The changing perspectives made sense, and I enjoyed all the pop-culture references, but I don't feel they took away from the overarching plot.

I must confess I never fully read Twilight (should I?), and my vampire knowledge is limited to True Blood, but I doubt I am reaching when I say fans of Buffy, Vampire Diaries, and Twilight alike will devour this book.

PS. I usually don’t mention content warnings, but this book deals with a young woman with unmanaged PTSD from SA in a detailed depiction. If that is a hard stop for you, I would skip this one. (Ps. You aren’t alone, and it is not your fault🤍)

Ok this book was amazing. i honestly wasn't sure what to expect but it definitely was an adventure. there was the aspect of mystery, humor, romance, and thrill. how the author managed to juggle all of this and all the character and still deliver a banger is beyond me. i am obsessed with the concept of these characters in a vampire romance series being a very popular book series that the world is obsessed with. that was so much fun and when little details are revealed throughout this storyline; i just was wow-ed each time. I honestly loved every character, even the bad guys, and found the main love story and side love story to be adorable. Tess and Callum's relationship was obviously my favorite. Alongside all of this fun and adventure, i do appreciate the author's time to address the issue of (trigger warning) rape and college parties. I think we were given insight on how Tess was navigating trying to heal from this experience along with the triggers she experiences now because of that incident. This important and serious topic was tied in well to the rest of the storyline. overall, i havent read a vampire book in awhile and im so glad i read this one. i will always always recommend this to people!!

This was a great fall/Halloween read. Who doesn't wonder and hope that your favorite book is real and this is a great twist on that.

Vampire Book #2 of Halloween 2024 ✅ !

I really loved this. It was fun, heartwarming, empowering, lovely. I laughed, I cried. The bonus content at the end is super fun too, don't miss that! This is a must-read y'all, especially if you love the concept of fandoms.

Thanks to the author, Random House, and Net Galley for this ARC.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I didn't hate it but I wasn't totally invested. It kinda just felt like Twilight or any other vampire book. I feel like the reason why Tess was chosen as the person to go to the Isle was not super clear and it felt rushed .

Fang Fiction starts with a quote from Buffy The Vampire Slayer and a quote from Fiona Apple and that's all the urging I need to keep reading...

Have you ever wanted to magically find yourself a part of your favourite series? In this fan girl come to life novel, book lover Tess is suddenly pulled into the whirlwind world of her favourite fantasy series, complete with sexy and sultry yet volatile and deadly vampire twins.

I really liked the premise of this one but something felt off with the execution. I think I was expecting something more fun and campy, and instead the tone was both too silly and too serious at the same time. There were very dark topics such as rape and escapism as a coping mechanism, which felt out of place given this book was less adult fiction and more YA fanfic.

Overall this was a miss for me. I'll admit I didn't realize who the author of the book was and I wasn't a fan of the juvenile writing of One To Watch, so unfortunately I guess this author just isn't for me. Two and a half stars (and should have been a DNF) from me.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read an early review copy.

Ohh I just don't know about this one. Stayman-London's debut novel, ONE TO WATCH, is my favorite rom com book and I recommend it all the time, so I was thrilled to get an early copy of FANG FICTION, her follow-up. I feel like this one is so different from her first book though, and it left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth (slight vampire pun intended). Unfortunately I felt that the writing was a bit juvenile (I was distracted by how often a ?! was employed, which I feel like I rarely see in published books) and the story didn't grab me like I had hoped. I'm not big on fantasy, but I still adore stories about fans and being obsessed with a piece of media, so I felt like this should be fun for me (girl finds out the vampire characters she loves are real!)

While it was also super fun to have a MC named Tess (for once!) I also was taken out of the story a bit by the sexual assault plotline, which takes place while Tess is a student at Columbia University. I'm not sure if it was deliberate for the author to have the school be Columbia specifically, but since it is well documented that Columbia handles internal sexual assault cases absolutely horribly, leaving students disenfranchised from their home intuition and not adequately punishing students who have committed crimes on campus, I had to wonder what the reasoning was. It was frustrating to have that storyline wrapped up with the bow at the end, with the school doing the right thing when in reality it is way more likely that that wouldn't be the case. I know this is a small part of the book, but since I spent many years at Columbia, it really make me question the author's intentions.

All in all, it wasn't the fun book I expected to get lost in, or even a particularly scary book I had been saving for an October read. Just feel pretty disappointed by it at the end of the day.

Bummed that I didn't love this one as much as I hoped. The tone and plot were uneven and the romance was so lacking, I need more tension and slow-burn! I love a good pop-culture reference, but it became a bit too cringey for even me. I still found the read enjoyable, just not as much as I hoped for.

I really wanted to love this book but it ended up being not for me.
It was hard to get through and at a few parts I almost decided to DNF.

It read a lot like a fan fiction of the vampire diaries/twilight/butfy you’d find on wattpad. I really think if I was younger I would have devoured this one but as an adult I found it cringy at times.

DNF at 44%.

I really wanted to like this one, but something about it just didn't work for me. I liked the little interludes in the story, told in newspaper, book, or podcasts format. Honestly it gave more action than I was reading about on the Isle or in NYC. For me, at 44% in I just wanted more. I found myself just mindlessly tapping to the next page and forcing myself to read.

Although this book didn't work for me, I'd still read Kate's next book. I did like that she was doing something different than her debut novel, One to Watch, which I enjoyed a lot.

Fang Fiction definitely felt like Twilight meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer— sometimes too much so. At times I felt like I was reading a Buffy fan fiction because of how similar the characters acted to those of Buffy. I found the premise of this book unique and intriguing, but at times it fell flat. I would’ve liked for Tess’ sexual assault to be addressed more than it was; it felt like after meeting Felix she just forgot about her assault despite the fact it was mentioned multiple times throughout the novel. The relationship between Joanie and Octavia felt very unnecessary and like it was written in for inclusivity. I enjoyed the sapphic representation but it felt random and not fleshed out at all. Overall, Stayman-London wrote a beautiful and cohesive novel with a different take on vampires. The only thing I would recommend is to not read this if mentions of rape trigger you as it is mentioned a lot, despite the book being marketed as a romcom.

Fang Fiction is a super unique concept. Our main character, Tess, is obsessed with the book series Blood Feud, reminiscent of our love for The Vampire Diaries. Imagine the excitement of discovering that your favorite vampire saga is based on real-life vampires—and you get the chance to meet them!

While the premise is exciting, the narrative also delves into deeper themes, including sexual assault, addressed with sensitivity and authenticity.

If you're seeking a fun and engaging vampire story where not every female character is tiny and helpless, filled with humor, friendship, found family, all while incorporating modern elements like podcasts and Reddit discussions, I highly recommend giving Fang Fiction a read.

Things I did like: dual romance subplots, decent character development, strong bonds, and it was a pretty fun read. What I didn't enjoy as much was the almost instantaneous love between the FMC and her vampire, the switch between podcast excerpts, the predictability of it all, and how after finishing the book I didn't feel fully satisfied. It was good! Just not anything incredible. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I think honestly I was expecting a little bit more from this book because I loved her first book so much but this one was still good. Excited to see more from this author.

Started this and immediately wanted it to be over so DNF’ed—writing was not very good and I didn’t like all the interstitials/mixed media inserts

Fang Fiction had a premise with so much promise but I am sorry to report that it did not deliver on that promise. There were some fun fish out of water moments and some delightful romantic moments, but they were lost amongst too many characters and plot points that didn’t creative a very cohesive story experience. Nothing has a chance to breathe in the story and the pace dragged. There is also a very heavy plot line that centers a rape that happened and I did think that was handled carefully but again, it almost felt like it was happening in a totally different book than some of the vampire antics.

Overall a good read. If you love vampires and romance then go for it. Perfect for the Halloween season. Enjoyed it.

Fang Fiction is a contemporary paranormal romance about a hotel manager who tries to help a group of vampires stuck in an alternate New York City.

Tess is a former grad student and Williamsburg hotel manager who is part of the fandom for a series of vampire novels called Blood Feud. Despite being sold as fiction, the books are actually based on rival vampire clans stuck in a parallel New York City, unable to escape. When one of the vampires, Octavia, finds a way out, she seeks Tess’s help after reading her Buzzfeed article on Blood Feud conspiracy theories. Octavia is alone, without her twin Callum or her powers, and needs Tess to cross over to the island and pass a message to her brother. But things quickly go sideways, and it will be up to Tess, Callum, and the clan on one side, and Octavia and Tess’s friend Joni on the other, to end the curse.

This book tried to be a lot of things and ultimately fell short for me. Tess dropped out of college after being assaulted, which set a serious tone, but there are also rom-com moments, pop culture references, and two very rushed romances. I didn’t feel any chemistry or connection between any of the romantic partners, or even between Tess and her entire friendship with Joni. The plot felt odd to me, and the curse, the island, and the entire vampire lore weren’t intriguing or fun to read. It also didn’t feel particularly like New York at all and could have taken place in any big city.

This one didn’t work for me.

The author describes this book as a live letter to Buffy and I think that describes it perfectly. This book deals with serious topics while also being silly and fun, which Buffy does. While the main ship was too insta-lovey for me, I thought this book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed following Tess on her journey to healing, to realizing she has power and not being afraid to ask for what she wants. This book is perfect to anyone that wants a taste of what it might be like if the characters from your favorite book were real. Please note that this book does deal with SA. It is noted in both the description of the book and the authors note at the beginging.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.