Scan barcode
A review by monicalaurette
When Life Gives You Vampires by Gloria Duke
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I love a good vampire book, and I love a good book with a plus size woman (whether she is learning to love herself, already loves herself, or hates herself). This book had both of those elements so it made it a good book to start.
The fact she starts right away as a vampire and it's not a change made partway through the book was a fun way to change the genre of vampire stories a bit. I liked the way vampires worked, their world and laws, and the way slayers were also made. While it was very like 'oh of course it works that way' it was also refreshing for it to work that way instead of it being a really intense book.
Lily learning to love her body, learning that her constant self-hatred harms her friend, and that her friend really understands Lily's mind was a nice touch to me. I am also still fighting a bit with loving myself but for the most part I am in love with myself. That part of the story felt real to me with my own struggles and relationships with other people in lifelike the mother-daughter relationship regarding food and size .
Really the only thing I didn't like about this book was how many pop-culture or name-brand references there were. I get why Twilight was mentioned so much, but everything else made me like cringe. Why can't we just have 'I looked at my phone' instead of 'I looked at my IPHONE' because like why does it matter what phone she has? That and the fact that there was a lot of talking to the reader (sort of breaking the fourth wall) when it's not supposed to be that type of book in my opinion made my enjoyment go down a little.also Lily saying "holy dick boogers"...like girl are you 25 or a middle-school aged boy?
The fact she starts right away as a vampire and it's not a change made partway through the book was a fun way to change the genre of vampire stories a bit. I liked the way vampires worked, their world and laws, and the way slayers were also made. While it was very like 'oh of course it works that way' it was also refreshing for it to work that way instead of it being a really intense book.
Lily learning to love her body, learning that her constant self-hatred harms her friend, and that her friend really understands Lily's mind was a nice touch to me. I am also still fighting a bit with loving myself but for the most part I am in love with myself. That part of the story felt real to me with my own struggles and relationships with other people in life
Really the only thing I didn't like about this book was how many pop-culture or name-brand references there were. I get why Twilight was mentioned so much, but everything else made me like cringe. Why can't we just have 'I looked at my phone' instead of 'I looked at my IPHONE' because like why does it matter what phone she has? That and the fact that there was a lot of talking to the reader (sort of breaking the fourth wall) when it's not supposed to be that type of book in my opinion made my enjoyment go down a little.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Fatphobia, Violence, and Murder