A review by minimicropup
We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Koller Croft

dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Really enjoyed this, especially the ending. It was worth the wait to find out the truths about everyone and how things turn out for them. Have your music apps nearby for extra vibes 🎶
 
Energy: Deceptive. Glamorous. Vivacious. 
 
🐕 Howls
Some minor plot holes but it was easy to just go with it (like all the missing people no one seems to miss lol). Around 50% Amber’s chapters started to feel repetitive as she continues the plot to escape. 
 
🐩 Tail Wags 
The frenetic nostalgia (I wasn’t even alive for most of this, but I could feel that energy!). Alternating the perspectives every chapter. Slow-building lore that didn’t feel convoluted. The action never felt overdone, cheesy, or drawn out. 
 
Scene: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Set in the nightclubs of London, England
Perspectives (2): A vampire who turned in the 1980s and now wants to be independent of the one who turned them. The vampire who turned them who has a history going back to the 1840s.  
Timelines: 1840s. 1979/1980. 2006. Late 2020s.
🔥 Fuel: Character journeys. Growth and transformation. Revealing backstories. Lower-stakes race against time. Why did Amber choose to become a vampire? Will her plan for independence work? Where did it all go wrong with her master? 
📖 Cred: Magical realism
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Nightclub lighting. Velvet rope. Thudding bass. Leather. Tuberose. Rust and metal. Snapping photos. Disco. Synth. Dancing. New Year’s Eve. 
  • Peeping, following, spying on characters
  • Break-up plots
  • Sprinkling of gritty, noir-style sarcastic humour
  • How far would you go for immortality?
  • Glam vampire saga
  • Moments of magical historical realism
  • Predators’ perspective, on the hunt
  • Plotting to escaping a toxic relationship 
  • Nightclub ownership
  • Vampiric origin stories
  • Good-for-them revenge
  • Characters kind of talking to the reader, narrating their scenes
  • Vibey, immersive, detailed world (and lore) building
 
Content Heads-Up: Murder. Controlling friendship. Blood (not as graphic as you’d think). Drug use (brief scenes; cocaine, quaaludes). Misandry. Misogyny. COVID lockdowns (briefly implied). Intimate partner violence. Toxic friendship. Family/parental abandonment. Fear of abandonment. Confinement (building). 
 
Rep: American-British. British. Cis. Hetero. Bi. Lesbian. Pale and ambiguous skin tones.
 
📚 Format: Library Digital
 
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