Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - The Lost Girls

The premise was everything, a band of vampire exes teaming up to kill the vampire who turned them then stealing his new girlfriend. What more could you want? Unfortunately, in this case a bit more. I had such high hopes and was rather dissapointed. I also started this book in September 2021, it is now June 2022 sooo...just goes to show how much I was enjoying it.

The writing was simple enough, though very dialogue heavy which slowed down the pace of the book significantly and for an already short book it says a lot. I also couldn't gel with the fact that all the characters sounded practically the same, surely someone from the 1920s would not speak in the same manner as someone's from the 1980s. The characters as a whole were too contemporary and rather bland and I just didn't really care.

I was also not convinced by the romance at all, Parker and Holly had no chemistry and it was very insta-lovey. Had the book been longer and developed the relationship I may have enjoyed it more. Then again, I don't think I would have finished the book had it been any longer.

I also didn't think there were many stakes. The way the author created the vampires in her book meant that even the most severe injuries healed quickly (there was a scene where the main character's arm was torn off and it grew back in seconds). This added to the lack of anticipation and excitement as there was never really anything that made me fear for their well being.

One thing I did like was the author's more realistic portrayal of vampires. Living forever probably leaves you with many regrets and isn't as fun as it is usually portrayed. This was an aspect that was explored through all the characters and whatever was given of their backstories. I also kinda liked the heirloom idea but that's about as much as I cared for in this book.

Overall, I was underwhelmed. The premise was great but the execution lacked.

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trippalli's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted reflective fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

Substantial semi humorous vampire victims abound as the feminist story focusing on 5 women is interwoven with the narrator, a bisexual vampire's personal story as she and her 2 cohorts, former best friend scheme to overcome a controlling narcissistic beautiful vampire who turned them, and threatens to turn another young woman, the blooming romantic interest of not just the narcissistic vampire but also the narrator

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ghostlyprince's review against another edition

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funny sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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ecn's review against another edition

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adventurous sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

Predictable, poor character development, and nothing to keep me drawn to the story. The only reason I didn’t DNF was bc it was short, I was 60% through, and I wanted to know specifics to see if it became more interesting (it didn’t). Also, Ik the age gap of the MC and the ex’s GF isn’t ~technically~ pedophilic, but come on. It’s disgusting and pedophilic and I cannot move past that!!!

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mals_library's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No

3.5

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binreads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I actually started this ages ago, got bored very early on around chapter 8 and stopped reading it for months. Finally picked it back up and I’m glad I did because after that chapter is when things start getting more interesting.

The beginning was definitely slow, whereas the rest

after Holly kills her Taco Bell manager, which by the way I totally did not see coming and was FANTASTIC,

is extremely fast to get through! And MUCH more interesting.

My one main issue was that there’s about a handful+ vampires in this town, we know these vampires feed on adults and teens…..why is no one concerned about all these people dying??!??!? I know this is fantasy but it felt really strange to not mention that???

I felt like a good amount of things happen in this book that make no sense but I just went with it.

I had a feeling when Parker showed up as a vampire at the end I was like OHHH SHE MADE HER OWN HEIRLOOM AND HOLLY BURNT ITTT. I’m sad she didn’t remember Holly but that doesn’t seem like it’ll be an issue.

I would love a sequel to see where the girls go next tbh. More gay and no Elton to be annoying lol

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sssssoup's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for months, and more than anything, I found it incredibly disappointing. When I first heard about it, the combination of ideas sounded like it would be really interesting and fun to read, but I found everything about it lacking.

The plot itself was fine, and I was okay with the resolution in the end, but there were a lot of glaring issues related to the vampire lore that took away from my enjoyment of the story.

Why did nobody in the town seem to care about all the murders? The vampires killed at least fifteen or twenty people during the story, which spanned less than a month. I know it’s fiction, so they can take some liberties when it comes to logic, but this was so glaring that I wasn’t willing to overlook it. Also, I know Holly was nowhere near as bad as Elton, but she still had a significant age gap with Parker, and I found it odd that that was never addressed.

The characters were also not very interesting. Despite all their trauma and the author’s attempts to make them sympathetic, I didn’t really feel bad for any of them. They seemed boring and shallow, and the fact that they all only got one distinct personality trait made them run together in my mind.

Overall, I like the ideas present in the story, but the execution was lackluster and forgettable at best.

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stormywolf's review

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Another YA pick for Maven's Vampire Book Club, and a shorter one at that. Mainly this was due to scheduling issues that cropped up in January, pushing back the official discussion of that month's book a couple weeks, so she figured a shorter option would be easier to slot in and get things back on track. Besides the length, and the GoodReads blurb citing "dark humor and queer love," I really didn't know anything going in. Would this vampire story edge more cutsie, or have some real bite?

Read my full review at The Wolf's Den

Overall, I don't know how to recommend this one. On the one hand, I think it has fun characters, it does some interesting things with vampire mythology, and does a good job examining regret and how it influences us. But on the other hand, I had issues with its shallow characterizations, its unsatisfying ending, and its handling of toxic relationships. I think there are some good messages and important things addressed, but I also think it missed the mark with a lot of things. I suppose if you're interested in a bittersweet, queer, quirky, YA vampire romance story and not wanting anything too complex or detailed, this might be what you're looking for. As for myself, I'll be hoping for some lighter fare with a lower body count.

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