This rather bizarre but highly entertaining parody will certainly appeal to “Twilight” fans. I have not read “Twilight” nor do I intend to, but I still found this book to be quite interesting. Bonnie is a very bad girl who does a very bad thing, actually two things, and her mother sends her to live with her father in Minnesota, quite a change from sunny California. She becomes enamored with Edwin, a vampire, and plots to win his love and become a vampire. For added interest, the author has included were-bears and vampire hunters. The novel is told in two voices, that of a narrator and Bonnie’s journal. Together, readers get a good idea of what the characters are like as well as keep up with the action of the story. It’s a well-written parody, perhaps even better than the original. Just remember, not all people are good, and not all vampires are bad. Enjoy! ( )

This was a really excellent parody that was amusing without ever getting trite or repetitive. Bonnie (Bella) is a sociopath, Edward is a clueless devotee, and Jacob isn't quite the traditional werewolf. It parodies primarily the first two books, but touches on the whole series. ( )

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was truly a hilarious spoof of Twilight!! Starting with the names: Bella Swan is now Bonnie Grayduck, Edward Cullen is Edwin Scullen, Jacob Black is Joachim Noir (my favorite!!), and Carlisle Cullen is Argyle Scullen! And that's just the start! This book takes everything you think you know about the original characters and turns it on its ear! Instead of the innocent, Bonnie is the psycho doing the pursuing, and Edwin becomes the prey. Every move Bonnie makes is calculated to answer one simple question: How does this help me? How does this help me meet my needs? Bonnie wants to be a vampire and she's not about to let a little thing like Edwin not wanting to turn her (due to living a lonesome existence without a soul, etc.) stop her. In fact, she pretty much already doesn't have a soul, or a conscience, but she keeps that a secret.

From Goodreads: "A small town... a plucky heroin, a shiny vampire, and a hunkey Native American rival with a secret. But all is not as it seems in Lake Woebegotten."

Poor Joachim gets stuck in the middle, as usual! When his family secret comes out, he has to learn how to live as a werebear! Yes, you read it right: A Wear-bear!!! Didn't I say it was hilarious!

The only problem I had, and the reason that I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5, is that Bonnie was just so annoying and unlikable! I know that was the whole point, but not liking the main character makes it kind of hard to totally enjoy a book. Other than that small sticking point, I can completely recommend this book to all spoof lovers out there, and anyone who loves to laugh at Twilight :D ( )

The Good: This book had me rolling on the floor laughing. Seriously. Fans or haters of Twilight will enjoy this book, readers who like creative parodies or spoofs will enjoy this book and readers who like humorous, dark and strange stories will enjoy this book. In fact, even the people who've never read or heard of Twilight would enjoy this book because it's great as a stand alone book. Harrison Geillor takes our main characters from Twilight and while subtly keeping their characteristics they are famous for, adds a twist to each of them. Bella is Bonnie, Edward is Edwin, Jacob is Jaoquin and so on and so forth. Geillor creatively navigates through ALL of Meyer's Twilight series and mocks the entire thing. But he's not mocking it in a crude or mean way, he's taking the characters and showing readers what COULD have been the story. For example, in Twilight, Bella is a bit shy, clumsy and the "plain" girl. She wants to fit in, doesn't have much confidence and goes to live with her dad because she wants her mom to be happy. Geillor chooses to swap these characteristic and instead say that Bonnie is shy, clumsy and "plain" because she CHOOSES to be. It's all part of a plan. She is not the innocent, naive girl that Meyers writers her as but rather a more confident, manipulative and crazy teenager. Plainly put she is a sociopath. I LOVED IT! Everything about this book made me laugh because (and this is just MY opinion) but I am not a huge fan of Twilight and I loved seeing someone rework the novel into something that is ten times better than the original book. It was well written, funny, unique and honestly a great story whether or not someone knew it was written about Twilight. I also loved some of the new minor characters that Geillor added in like the "Narrator" and the "Liaison" between the Vamps and the Wolves.

The Bad: Not too much bad to say about this book. I did think the creepiness and darkness of Bonnie's character got a wee bit out of control. I totally understand what Geillor was doing when he started going in that direction and I enjoyed her throughout, but I think her "evil" could have been toned down just a bit. I also thought it was a little longer than it should have been. Could have been cut down just a little.

Overall, I really really enjoyed this book! I would give it a A- Like I said earlier, many different kinds of readers will enjoy this book however, I will say this: If you are a die hard Twilight fan and get upset when people make fun of the books, characters etc and you don't EVER want to see a different version other than the one Stephenie Meyers wrote, then this book is NOT for you. Just a warning!

**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own ( )

If you are a fan of parodies, satire or spoofs. If you loved Twilight, if you hated Twilight OR if you just like to read intriguing, humorous, lovingly weird books. On the other hand, perhaps Garrison Keillor and his Lake Woebegone Novels intrigue you. No matter what piques your curiosity, just get the darn book and have fun readin’!


I'm so surprised that this book was so freakishly enjoyable, since I’m not big on reading parodies. Even if you don't have any knowledge firsthand about "Twilight" you will most likely enjoy this book, especially if you read any sort of speculative fiction.
This book has it all: parody, comedy, sarcasm, Love sociopathic heroines, handsome vampires, and a ton of secrets.

When Bonnie Greyduck (think Bella Swann) has to leave her hometown in sunny California and her mother due to rather unfortunate and bloody circumstances, she moves in with her rather clueless father, who is Police Chief in Lake Woebegotten,Minnesota. There she meets the very handsome and aloof Edwin Scullen who is hiding a secret…yep he’s a vamp, but the good kind that don’t eat people! Moreover, Bonnie just falls all over herself to become Edwin’s girlfriend once she knows his secret. I mean, just think what sort of mayhem a sociopath can wreak if she can become immortal?

Oh I did so love this book, though I admit to having read the original Twilight series, I just don’t think it is necessary for you to have done so in order to find this a funny and satisfying read. ( )