The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is a horror-comedy novel that, unfortunately, falls short on some fronts while managing to entertain in others. At its core, the book is about a group of book club members in the 1990s South who become unwittingly embroiled in a supernatural battle with a vampire. While the premise has promise, the execution is a mixed bag. 

The characters, particularly the women at the heart of the story, are by no means likable. In fact, most of them are downright infuriating. Throughout the book, they come across as painfully meek, often making foolish, frustrating decisions. It's especially grating how they remain passively uninvolved for much of the story, prioritizing their creature comforts and social status over the well-being of those around them—until, of course, they become the target of the vampire. This shift to suddenly becoming "Badass Warriors" is hard to swallow, especially given that much of their "empowerment" seems to be fueled by... the power of friendship? It’s a confusing transformation considering the judgmental and often hostile relationships the women have with one another throughout the narrative. 

The protagonist, who I hesitate to even call a heroine, is one-dimensional and often makes decisions that feel completely unrealistic. Her lack of agency and inability to react appropriately to the escalating horrors around her make it difficult to root for her. The time jumps, particularly a sudden leap of three years, feel jarring and create a sense of disconnection from the characters. By the time the book catches up to the present, it feels like we’ve lost touch with the core story and its characters. 

Despite these frustrations, the ending, while underwhelming and somewhat unresolved, didn’t ruin the experience for me. It leaves certain questions hanging, but for the most part, I wasn’t bothered by the lack of closure. The larger issue for me was the general journey of the book. Watching a group of privileged white southerners ignore the immediate threat to children until it personally affects them is both frustrating and, in many ways, typical of the genre’s approach. The plot feels unnecessarily drawn-out as the characters’ inertia drags the narrative forward, making their eventual action feel more like a forced afterthought. 

In summary, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is a story that offers a lot of potential but ultimately falls into a frustrating pattern of poor decisions and unlikable characters. If you can tolerate a narrative filled with stupidity and unearned transformations, you might find some enjoyment in the book’s horror elements. However, it wasn't a fulfilling read for me. It may be a guilty pleasure for some, but for those who value strong characters and realistic actions, this may not be the best pick.