The Good Vampire's Guide to Blood & Boyfriends

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Author(s)

Jamie D'Amato

Publisher

Wednesday Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

August 26, 2025

ISBN

978-1250321206

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Heartstopper meets Buffy in this queer paranormal rom-com where a college sophomore must navigate suddenly becoming a vampire, the underground society he's now part of, and the cute boy who discovers his secret.

It’s only natural nineteen-year-old Brennan’s life would be upended by something as ridiculous and unexpected as turning into a vampire. But if there’s one thing Brennan can do, it’s pretend everything’s fine when he’s close to losing his mind. Brennan has just clawed his way back to Sturbridge University after recovering from a suicide attempt, and this is not the new life he was hoping for.

Brennan’s newly bloodthirsty existence gets way more complicated when Cole, the super cute librarian and everyone’s campus crush, stumbles on Brennan drinking from a stolen blood bag. Luckily, adorable Cole is happy to keep Brennan’s secret, and even seems to maybe like him? Navigating a new relationship is hard enough without the added struggles of vampire puberty, an eclectic clan of self-proclaimed “good” vampires, and growing feelings for the one person who makes Brennan feel normal. With swirling rumors of a missing student and a rise in strange “animal attacks” near campus, Brennan must uncover the secrets of the clan and figure out how to balance vampirism and humanity, or risk losing the first real friends he’s ever had.

Filled with humor and heart, The Good Vampire's Guide to Blood & Boyfriends has a gentle bite.

Editor review

1 review

A Cute YA Romance

May 19, 2025 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

THE GOOD VAMPIRE’S GUIDE TO BLOOD AND BOYFRIENDS is a young adult romance featuring a newly turned vampire and the boy from the library he develops a crush on. This book follows 19-year-old Brennan in college as he tries to figure out his life after an accident left him as a vampire. This book is intended for ages 13 and up and I do feel like it works for that age range. It may tetter a bit closer to New Adult than Young Adult with Brennan’s age and his being in college, but that shouldn’t deter YA readers from picking it up.

What I Loved:
The romance between Brennan and Cole was the best part of the book. The two were really cute with each other. I didn’t expect such a cozy, charming romance from this book. I had expected tougher topics and more serious matters to take center-stage, but I was very pleased with the focus of this book being primarily on the romance. It’s cute in a cheesy sort of way, kind of like a teen rom-com.

Before becoming a vampire, Brennan’s mental health was not the best. It wasn’t cured after he was turned, but something very big happened before his turning. (I highly recommend checking trigger warnings because while it isn’t overly discussed, certain sensitive topics are talked about in this book.) The author did a solid job at discussing Brennan’s emotions around this event and the things that led to it. The sadness, but also the frustration and even at times anger that he felt. It wasn’t brushed off and Brennan does acknowledge the event and the effect it has on him, but the event also wasn’t given too much space that it took over the story.

This book reads like a teen movie and I mean that in a very complimentary way. There’s not always something huge happening in the movie, no world-changing events. It’s about teenagers being teenagers. They make mistakes and they learn from them. They have to find their own ways in life now that the old ways are no longer there.

What Left Me Wanting More:
The pacing of this book was just off. The beginning was more slow-paced as Brennan is having to learn about this new world that he was thrust into. As the mystery subplot picks up speed, so does the book but it still doesn’t quite feel right. It may have been the mixture of the two: a cute romance and a mystery. The two did not mesh well and it left the pacing of the entire book feeling off.

Final Verdict:
A sweet young adult romance, THE GOOD VAMPIRE’S GUIDE TO BLOOD AND BOYFRIENDS is a relatively gentle read, even with some of the darker topics it mentions. I had expected more angst from the way the book began, but was pleased by how palatable of a read this was. Fans of low-angst rom-coms will enjoy this book.

THE GOOD VAMPIRE’S GUIDE TO BLOOD AND BOYFRIENDS is a sweet rom-com about a college sophomore who has just been turned into a vampire and the cute boy from the library he falls for along the way.