The Reformed Vampire Support Group

By: Catherine Jinks

Narrated by: Caroline Lee

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Contrary to popular opinion, vampires are not sexy, romantic, or powerful. In case you hadn’t noticed, vampires are dead. And the only ones who don’t get staked are the ones who avoid attacking people, admit they have a problem, and join a support group. Just ask Nina Harrison - fanged at 15, and still living with her mother. She hasn’t aged since 1973, and the highlight of her sickly, couch-bound life is probably her Tuesday-night group meeting, which she spends with a miserable bunch of fellow sufferers, being lectured at.

But then one of the group is mysteriously turned to ashes...and suddenly they’re all under threat. That’s when Nina decides to prove that every vampire on Earth isn’t a weak, pathetic loser. Along with her friend Dave - a former punk rocker who could be pretty cute, if he weren’t such a vampire - she travels way out of her comfort zone to track down the killer. It could be that there is a lot more to being a vampire than Nina realized.

©2009 Harcourt Children's Books (P)2009 Listening Library

Critic reviews

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: Top 10

Yes, very much yes.

I love this book, read it in highschool and have loved it ever since. I had forgotten lots since then so it was worth the listen and the narration was wonderful, I wouldn't have picked anyone else for the main character

I'm Addicted to this Story

I've lost track of how many times I've listened to this story. I put off using one of my precious Audible credits on it because my local library makes it available for free via Overdrive. But when I renewed my Audible subscription and was awarded a free credit, I did the only logical thing: I now own it!

So why do I love this story so much? For me, it comes down to three things: fun characters who I've grown to love; a good story revolving around the themes of self-acceptance and loyalty; and fabulous narration and characterization by the talented actress Caroline Lee.

Jinks gives us a new and crazy perspective on vampires and werewolves. In Jinks' conception, they aren't monsters to be feared, but victims struggling to accept and cope with their "afflictions" in a world which wants to either exploit or destroy them.

A small, unlikely group of Australian vampires, forever locked into the physical age at which they were "fanged," meet every Tuesday night with a local Catholic priest in a support group environment. Thrown together with nothing in common but their "disability," they learn to tolerate one another for the sake of avoiding total isolation from humanity.

When one of their number is "slain," by a vampire-hating fanatic, they band together and exercise all their resources to track down the culprit before he gets to them. Along the way, they encounter their first werewolf, a creature they weren't sure even existed. Then it's the vampires and the werewolf against some vicious, money-hungry thugs who have built a world-wide network of underground werewolf fighting. (Think along the lines of illegal dog fights or cock fights. Nasty stuff!)

I can't say enough about what Caroline Lee does with this work. Yes, Jinks wrote a book for young adults, but Lee brings terrific personality to the characters. Just as adults enjoy Disney and Pixar films, this story as performed by Caroline Lee is joyful entertainment.

Great spin on the story of vampires!

I like how this story gives a "real" description of vampire life, not a fantastical one.

Vampires & Werewolves & UnDead Oh My!

This is such a cute book! The writing is funny and believable (especially considering the subject) and everything just flows. The reader's Aussie accent makes it even more interesting.

Even tho it's listed as YA it's well enough written for us "Old" Adults too. Feel safe sharing it with your kids unless they have pet guinea pigs - the only icky part may be the references to guinea pigs as a food source.

An enjoyable, amusing quick "read." I loved it!

But's that's just my opinion :)

A different kind of vampire

I really like the tone at the beginning of the book it reminds me of what we do in shadows. I think it’s cuz of the ||variety of the ages in the cast and the book takes place in Australia so it’s nice hearing the audiobook cuz the narrator has an Australian accent, I’m not sure if it’s authentic or not (I assume it is, it’s subtle and not exaggerated) also I love how it establishes the rules of the vampire and they talk about it. I also really like how these vampires ||aren’t glamourous, or “sexy” if anything most of them are/were normal people and get by in a lot of ways the way they describe their condition ||it almost feels like a disability.
I can’t remember how this quote from book is so I’m pulling from memory.
being a vampire is like being sick all the time and spend your day watching mindless television and you’re too sick to get out of bed.

Love this book!

I always come back to this cute charming unexpected perspective on vampires who need to cope! So grateful for this gem!

Not the typical vampire book. Worth it.

If you could sum up The Reformed Vampire Support Group in three words, what would they be?

Teenage, different, and adventure.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Reformed Vampire Support Group?

The moment when they get to the farm and find out what the silver bullet meeting was about.

What does Caroline Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nothing I can think of.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I wouldn't make a movie

Any additional comments?

It is a book for a younger audience. It was OK for me, but I think a tween or teen would have enjoyed it better.