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wardenred's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I wager my life that you’re going to keep yours.
I feel like the book has never quite come together for me. There are many aspects of it that I liked. Wes and Vincent had a lot of cute moments together. There was some interesting discussion about consent and monstrosity. I really liked the progression of Wes’s feelings, how he started his friendship with Vincent so that he could get his hands on a vampire to bring to the evil pharmaceutical company that probably killed his mom, then developed genuine affection for this specific vampire, but oops, the things with the company were already in motion and it wasn’t possible to just backtrack. There was some really cool tension in the second half of the book over it all, and I liked those tense moments just as much as I enjoyed the various slice-of-life-ish scenes about bonding over videogames and too spicy noodles. Speaking of games, I really liked the sheer nerdiness of the characters. And then there was Wes’s awesome long-distance friendship with Kendall: the strings of messages between them were often great additions to the story, and honestly, everyone needs a friend who will call you out on your shit and push you to make better choices.
So, yeah, a lot of good stuff, but I had so many questions about the worldbuilding around it that it was actually distracting. On one hand, the book is all about the co-existence between vampires and humans, but on the other hand, the vampires’ overall position in the society is soooo unclear. It just keeps boiling down to, “They are very different and keep getting oppressed for it,“ but like, is it a universal situation and does oppression always take the same forms? What about the vampire communities, where are they, how do they function? What is the exact legal status of vampires, are there any regulations around turning people into vampires, what are the laws and regulations about hunting/donor blood? Seems like everyone knows vampires are out there, mostly dislikes them, and also just calmly accepts that one of them might break into anyone’s house in the middle of the night and give you anemia? It all feels like they’ve just recently emerged from the shadows and the world is still adapting, except the book explicitly states it’s been centuries.
Likewise, the whole situation with Wes’s mom’s disappearance and the plot with the pharm company could use some fleshing out. Especially the company thing. I might look up the reviews for book 2 and see if other readers feel like it was expanded on and resolved more later, then decide based on that if I’m continuing with the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
DNF 26%
I will say if I was more a fan of what feels like the setup for a dark romance, I could probably enjoy this book. Unfortunately I do not and the basis for the relationship starting marred the aspects of the book I enjoyed.
This book was genuinely funny, there were plenty of places in the first 26% that made me laugh. I also really liked the character dynamics I saw in this section of the book. Everyone played off each other well and it established character really well. I also liked the way that the book tried to handle some of its themes and tackle modern issues. I also liked the world building and found it really interesting.
However each of these moments I enjoyed the book was coloured by the romance’s setup. The idea is that Vincent (Vamp Boy) is a starving vampire that can’t afford to buy blood. So Vamp Boy breaks into people’s houses to drink their blood w/o knowledge or consent. He ends up breaking into Wes’s (Not Vamp) house several times bc Wes is hot and has really yummy blood and is sometimes thinking about hooking up with him. Meanwhile Not Vamp is getting close to Vamp Boy so he can sell him to an evil pharmaceutical company that he knows will be experiment on and maybe kill Vamp Boy so Not Vamp can get a job there. He wants the job so he can destroy the company for killing his mom.
Despite both of them having questionable morals the book feels like it keeps screaming to justify it and refuses to admit the two aren’t good people. On top of that just being a very gross foundation for a relationship the book just didn’t gel with me.
I also found the writing EXTREMELY repetitive but that’s a forgettable complaint compared to the romance setup.
If dark romance is your thing, this will probably appeal to you. It’s just not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Racism and Grief
melonmachinery's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
At first the story is fun, very reminiscent of things you'd find on Quizilla and Wattpad (for the younger generation) in an endearing way, but once the middle school nostalgia wears off mid to 3/4 of the way through the story is rushed, flat, uncomfortable in its dealings with both real and fantasy racism, and the resolution is just sloppy.
The characters are all 1 dimensional. Wesley is Mexican American and you can tell because he says Sí-Yes when he's rushed. Vincent's line about not wanting to exist if it harms others fell flat in its delivery and how it changed Wes's opinions instantly. The real world internet references and usage is so incessant, the characters must have gotten their education at Tumblr University. The romance is rushed, which I did expect since most romance novels do, loving the "insta-love" plotline. The entire moment on top of the mausoleum roof was embarassing. You just wanted to shake the characters and ask why they suddenly are so relaxed about being chased by bad guys they can get each other hard in the cemetary. Wes's vampire kink tended to be embarrassing at best and uncomfortable at worst given the in world context of vampires and what he specifically wanted to do. Vincent is supposed to be sexy and predatory in these moments but most of them made me laugh.
The whole thing with the pharmaceutical company and dead mom was trying to take on something large but failing to deliver, which is also how the story ended for Wes and Vincent. I didn't particular care for Wes's struggles about the revelation of his mom's death since he seemed very blasé himself about selling all her items and changing things once it was confirmed. Their choice to leave the company be and take care of themselves because they wouldn't get support since the government doesn't see vampires as people with rights in particular was discomforting in ways hard to describe.
I could go on. It was an easy read, but not in a good way. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone but wouldn't actively stop people from reading it. Hopefully the author will grow in time.
The characters are all 1 dimensional. Wesley is Mexican American and you can tell because he says Sí-Yes when he's rushed. Vincent's line about not wanting to exist if it harms others fell flat in its delivery and how it changed Wes's opinions instantly. The real world internet references and usage is so incessant, the characters must have gotten their education at Tumblr University. The romance is rushed, which I did expect since most romance novels do, loving the "insta-love" plotline. The entire moment on top of the mausoleum roof was embarassing. You just wanted to shake the characters and ask why they suddenly are so relaxed about being chased by bad guys they can get each other hard in the cemetary. Wes's vampire kink tended to be embarrassing at best and uncomfortable at worst given the in world context of vampires and what he specifically wanted to do. Vincent is supposed to be sexy and predatory in these moments but most of them made me laugh.
The whole thing with the pharmaceutical company and dead mom was trying to take on something large but failing to deliver, which is also how the story ended for Wes and Vincent. I didn't particular care for Wes's struggles about the revelation of his mom's death since he seemed very blasé himself about selling all her items and changing things once it was confirmed. Their choice to leave the company be and take care of themselves because they wouldn't get support since the government doesn't see vampires as people with rights in particular was discomforting in ways hard to describe.
I could go on. It was an easy read, but not in a good way. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone but wouldn't actively stop people from reading it. Hopefully the author will grow in time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Stalking, Classism, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Violence, Self harm, Blood, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Trafficking
princejello's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I find this world's vampires fascinating and how they are within society. I also love myself some witty banter!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Racism
Moderate: Gaslighting and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
dosxhime's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I need to actually lay down for how fluffy and wonderful this book made me feel. The <feelings> , the <kinks> just bloody glorious. (Pun intended). I love how tropey, though it didn't overdo it with the tropes unlike The Love Hypothesis. This was more...horny college graduate that I related to. The writing really helped me imagined Vincent's and Wes' relationship and their bond together, which the selling point of this.
There was some good talk about discrimination as well as never feeling like you ever belonged. It was done in a naunced way that I appreciated.
4.5 / 5 A-
There was some good talk about discrimination as well as never feeling like you ever belonged. It was done in a naunced way that I appreciated.
4.5 / 5 A-
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Racism, and Self harm
rai_ishardtoplease's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“‘Is the hallway floor the best place for this conversation?’
‘Anywhere we are is the best place, I think.’”
Well. That was mildly depressing.
Is this a Thing? I know emotional damage is a hallmark of queer fanfic, but did I somehow miss the memo that this was the dress code for all queer literature?
(No, really. That’s a genuine question. I could make a career out of staying out of the loop atp)
Oh, and am I the only one questioning the title? I mean, it doesn’t not work. The wager part is a little misleading—unless it’s actually not and I’ve just read way too many shitty hs/college romances—but ig it’s noteworthy enough by the end to warrant referencing.
But neighbors?
It would take all of 15 minutes to edit that detail out of the story entirely, but that’s what we’re latching onto here??
Idk how I feel about the Vitalis-Barron conflict being left unresolved… but then again, if I had to choose between my queers being happy-enough or somewhat-satisfied-6ft-under, this would be my preferred ending
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Minor: Medical content, Stalking, Violence, Kidnapping, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
Chronic illness refers to vampirism. Racism also (mostly) refers to vampirism.krisalexcole's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Mental illness, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
Minor: Cursing, Racism, Gun violence, and Homophobia
Breaking and entering
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