Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney

Finbar Frame is that guy. You know, the awkward, gangly kid that girls never notice and guys like to pick on. When Finbar moves to New York, he realizes that all the girls are obsessed with vampires. And then he realizes that for all they know, he could be a vampire too. After all, he’s got the pale skin, lanky body, and antisocial attitude and avoids the sun like the plague. So what if it’s because he’s allergic to the sun and his oh-so-brooding demeanor is newly cultivated? No one will ever know who he really is. And for a while, it really works. All the girls are positively dazzled by Finbar the vampire. Well, all the girls except one, the one that Finbar wants. Kate Gallatin is probably the only girl in the world who thinks the notion of vampires is silly. What’s a fake vampire to do?

Bloodthirsty is an absolutely hilarious and very unique tale of guy gets girl. Finbar’s method of attracting girls is unusual to say the least. Who would have thought that pretending to be a paranormal creature could be so effective? While Finbar’s success at masquerading as a vampire is in a way completely unrealistic, because I have difficulty believing so many high school girls would genuinely believe that their classmate was a vampire, there is still something so lovable about this story. Finbar’s social awkwardness and timidity will be easy to relate to for many teens, which only makes the happy ending more sweet. I applaud debut novelist Meaney for incorporating so many hilarious pop culture and YA vampire book references to make for an engaging and genuinely interesting read.

Bloodthirsty is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern and Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from publisher Little, Brown