I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Koller Croft Published by Berkley on August 20 2024
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A pounding disco beat is the backdrop to this tightly plotted, inventive vampire tale. Grab your fangs and join the party!
Imagine if Louis and Lestat from Interview With the Vampire were gorgeous young female vampires who love to party all night at the disco, and you’ll have an idea of what to expect from We Love the Nightlife. This book was seriously fun, but it’s not just party girl fluff. A decades-long, toxic friendship between Amber and Nicola, woven throughout, adds a darker tone to the story, not to mention the vampires here are bloodthirsty killers. Come for the frantic disco beat and never-ending cocktails, and stay for a highly entertaining and intricately plotted game of cat and mouse.
The story takes place in London and alternates between the two main characters, Amber and Nicola. In the present, Amber is a forever twenty-three year old vampire, long time companion to her maker Nicola. They bonded over their love of music and dancing, but after several heart wrenching betrayals, Amber realizes it’s time to cut ties with Nicola and go her own way. That’s going to be extremely difficult to pull off, though, because Nicola is a controlling, vindictive vampire, and Amber will have to trick her into letting her go.
In the past, Nicola tells her story, beginning in 1979 when she spots Amber at a nightclub and decides she’ll be the perfect companion—after she turns her into a vampire, that is. We also dip back into the year 1835 when Nicola was a young girl, before she became a vampire, following her fraught family life with her beloved sister Georgie. Nicola’s chapters move through the years, leading up to the present, when she decides to join forces with a couple of other London vampires and open her own nightclub. Amber uses this distraction to set her complicated plan to leave Nicola in action, hoping to find another young party-loving girl to perhaps take her place.
But Nicola isn’t so easily fooled, and she’s determined to have the last laugh. As New Year’s Eve approaches—the opening date of the club as well as the culmination of Amber’s plan—it’s anyone’s guess as to how everything will play out.
Wow, this was so much fun! Rachel Koller Croft manages to combine a lighthearted party girl vibe, complete with disco balls and Donna Summer hits, with a fast-paced plot and plenty of darker moments as well. I found We Love the Nightlife to be a unique take on vampires, and it didn’t hurt that Amber, Nicola and even the side characters are vibrant and charismatic. Amber is an Olivia Newton John-like girl who was seduced by the promise of eternal life (and eternal club hopping!), and she’s gone along with Nicola’s overbearing demands for years. But now she realizes just how trapped she is, so she’s plotting her escape. The ins and outs of how Amber manages this make up the main thread of the plot, and I was riveted the entire time. She’s playing a dangerous game with Nicola and it was extremely stressful!
Nicola is a proper villain, scary as hell but with a touch of unexpected vulnerability. I mostly hated her (she really does some awful things to Amber), but as her backstory is revealed you also start to understand her a little. And despite Amber’s desire to escape her clutches, there are plenty of happy moments between the two women. Theirs is a complex relationship that wasn’t always black and white. I also appreciated the fact that friendship is the main relationship in the story, although there are a couple of side romances between Amber and various men. In fact, male characters take a backseat to the women, and Amber and Nicola only feed off males for the most part.
And of course there’s the music, the one thing Amber and Nicola can agree on. Their love of disco (and other 70s-80s musical genres as well) shines through, as they flit from club to club in their sparkly dresses and heels, wielding their vampire wiles and dancing the night away. The author name drops lots of songs from the era, and having been a huge disco fan myself, I loved this trip down memory lane.
The ending was suitably nasty and shocking, perfect for this unique genre mash-up. Spin some Donna Summer or Alicia Bridges while you read this, and get ready for some wild, audacious and bloody fun.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
If the book is only half the fun your review was, it’s got to be a hoot! I loved how you worded the whole thing.
Awww thanks Roberta! It was fun to write:-)
I’m glad you enjoyed this one so much and its good to hear that it includes information from both of the vampires’ pasts. It’s good to see that it sounds like the toxic friendship was handled well too and that Nicola makes a believable villian. Honestly the one thing I’ve been unsure about is the club aspect but you’ve made it sound such fun.
I thought the club parts would annoy me after a while, but they are incorporated so well.
This sounds amazing! Adding to my (never-ending) TBR list now!
Yes! I hope you get the chance to read it:-)
Finally read it, and loved it! Your review is spot-on — totally captures the vibe and the mix of fun and horror. What a great book!
I’m glad we both loved it!
I’m glad to hear this had some real fun moments!
It was such a good mix of darker and lighthearted moments:-)
Yasss more vampires! I think I would love this book, I’m fully intrigued. I love that Nicola a scary villain but still has a bit of vulnerability. I’d really love to read it!
I hope you get the chance, Stephanie!
Oh, I want to read this so badly!
You should! You won’t regret it:-)
This does sound unique and fun! I don’t think it would be my cup of tea, but I’m glad you enjoyed this so much, Tammy! 😀
It was so much fun:-)
I totally agree with everything you said. I loved this and was glad it wasn’t all fluff. I am on the book tour and will habe my review up soon!
I can’t wait to read your review!
This does sound like a different take on vampires. An odd combination of elements, but I can see it working, and glad it did for you.
So I can guarantee that the song is going to be my earworm ALL weekend heh. This sounds very fun! I may have to give it a try, it hadn’t been on my radar, but I love the sound of it. I adore when dark meets fun, which this sounds like a great example of. Also, there are a LOT of vampire books out/coming out soon. Like- I am reading two right now, and have at least two more- I think I am going to have an entire review day for just vampire books! Glad this was such a unique spin on it!
This really sounds like a fun read! And it is also pretty original, vampires and disco music is a strange mox, but it sounds intriguing!!
That sounds like a well written and fun read Tammy!
I love the sound of this one. Onto the wishlist methinks.
Lynn 😀