4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read Van Helsing’s Guide to Monsters and Dating in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Monster hunting meets modern dating—with a lot of weird in between 🧛‍♂️📱. The book has a quirky, supernatural vibe that’s kept me turning pages. I’m not laughing out loud, but the mix of awkward romance and monster encounters makes for a fun, offbeat read.

What I’ve really enjoyed is the monster lore and how it lightly pokes fun at both dating culture and classic horror tropes 🧟‍♀️💘. The illustrations add charm and help bring the oddball world to life 🎨👻. It's short, easy to read, and has a unique style that stands out.

A fun pick if you're into light horror, clever creature twists, and supernatural dating mishaps.

#VanHelsingsGuidetoMonstersandDating #NetGalley

I'm a sucker for vampires (pun intended) and have read intriguing and unusual books from CLASH before, but this really missed the mark for me.

The writing style was jumpy, and in places nonsensical. The narrative was first person, but seemed to leap between settings, as though Jefferson could see into rooms he wasn't in, both of which were made worse by the interruption of the illustrations, which threw off the spacing of the e-book quite significantly. It was very tell, with very little show, but ironically the dialogue tags (used liberally) often gave me pause - 'would he really have shouted that?' was a thought that crossed my mind more than once.

I struggled to get into this, and the style of the writing kept the narrative and characters at arms length. By the halfway mark I still couldn't really say I knew what was happening. Maybe this would've improved, but for me it had to be a DNF. 2 stars.

🐺🧛🏻‍♂️🥰Van Helsing’s Guide to Monsters and Dating by Ben Crew🥰🧛🏻‍♂️🐺 - These are my monstrous thoughts.

Rating: 4/5⭐️
Okay Mr.Crew!! You impressed me. You killed this story, in the best possible way.

What did I think? Well, thanks for asking.

This author delivers a deliciously chaotic, LOL romp through the world of supernatural dating. Equal parts horror satire and heartfelt rom-com, this book is what happens when What We Do in the Shadows hooks up with The Bachelor, with a little sprinkle of Buffy. Sooo good. The premise is absurd in the best way: modern monster hunter Van Helsing (yes, that Van Helsing, kind of) is stuck navigating a Tinder-esque hellscape full of thirsty vampires, moody werewolves, and brooding banshees who want more than just your soul. I snorted my drink by accident a few too many times. Don’t get me started on the footnotes. I genuinely only have one reason it’s not a full five stars. A few sections lean a little too hard into the absurdity, but every other time it’s just part of the charm I promise. This is a brilliant horror-comedy you didn’t know you needed. Just don’t swipe right on the succubus… Trust me.

Set to release on Sept. 9th, 2025. You HAVE to grab this book!!👏🏼👏🏼

"Movies, TV, and other pop culture have shifted the public perception of monsters from fearsome to entertaining."

"It's all about the hairy dude making a busty chick scream"

Legendary vampire/monster hunter lineage? Check. Rag tag group of friends. Check. Terrible at dating because you can't seem to function without making it about yourself and the fact that you are a descendant of the legendary Van Helsing? Check. Now your date is a disaster and you decide you have nothing better to do than write a book detailing monster types and how to deal with them, while also dealing with your internal monologue that becomes completely external.

This book was quirky and gave off the feeling of early 00's spoof comedy movies with a tiny hint of rom-com. Like something that Ryan Reynolds, James Franco or the Waynes brothers would've had a hand in. The feel of the book isn't too serious and has a comedic edge, that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but is still pretty funny. I loved the addition of his pals in the book, was not expecting a couple instances in the book, still haven't decided as a reader how I felt about the one. However, there is a quote in the book mentioning what would happen if the government declassified what they knew and the social media response being something along the lines of "Don't care, I got rent to pay." was gold. Thank you to CLASH Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy this comedic read and review it. My opinions are strictly my own. That said I do want to caution that while this is a funny and light hearted comedic horror book, there are some things some people may be sensitive to. Specifically anything regarding any type of gore/blood.

This book is a fun, offbeat blend of paranormal adventure and romantic comedy. The story follows a monster hunter navigating the awkward world of modern dating, and it’s packed with clever humor, unexpected heart, and a surprisingly sweet romantic arc. The banter is sharp, the world-building is quirky but immersive, and the monsters are just the right mix of spooky and hilarious. It’s a refreshing, genre-mashing read that doesn’t take itself too seriously—and that’s exactly what makes it so enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and CLASH Books for this arc.

This was so fun and entertaining. I got exactly what I wanted from the description with a lighthearted monster guide book while incorporating dating app pictures and other images to help illustrate it. There was slightly less dating than I expected from the title but it works this way.

I would recommend this if you’re looking for a quick lighthearted book that you will fly through.

ARC Review – 3⭐️

Summary:
Van Helsing’s Guide to Monsters and Dating is a short, snarky monster-hunting rom-com that follows a descendant of the infamous Van Helsing family navigating both supernatural threats and the chaos of modern dating.

Review:
This book had big Zombieland energy—witty narration, monster-killing action, and a tongue-in-cheek survival guide feel. Honestly, it almost reads like it was meant for the screen. I could easily see this working better as a movie than a novel.

The humor is hit or miss. Some jokes landed and made me laugh out loud, while others completely fell flat and pulled me out of the moment. It felt like the tone couldn’t quite decide between full camp or grounded snark.

At under 200 pages, the story was rushed, and there wasn’t much room to develop either the romance or the world. I found myself wishing for more time to get invested before the ending came crashing in.

Bottom line: A fun premise with cinematic flair and some sharp one-liners, but uneven pacing and inconsistent humor held it back. Might work best for readers who want a fast, quirky read and don’t mind if the story speed-runs its way to the finish.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book somehow managed to be both delightfully quirky and deeply weird. It was funny and silly and super campy. It also unexpectedly wrapped up with some deep and deeply helpful thoughts about life. At no point could I have predicted what would come next and the writing style made it feel like you were reading someone's journal in the best possible way. In short, I loved it.

I love how this one is written! It reminds me a lot of the Fred The Vampire Accountant series. There are tons of fun pictures and explanatory definitions throughout. You get a glimpse into the world of Jeffrey Van Helsing, where you get to meet his werewolf and invisible man friends, join him on his first date gone wrong, and generally get a view into his FAQ subreddit where he answers questions about monsters. This one is full of wit and sarcasm. I found myself laughing out loud several times. It is really a funny one.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

This book was exactly what I was expecting in a good way. It was funny and a very quick read. 

The illustrations were very pretty and added a lot to the story. 

I don't really understand his facial hair situation. Mutton chops with stubble? 

This is a very entertaining, fun book, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a laugh.

3/3.5

I picked up this book because of the title (yes, I'm weak like that). There are monsters and dating. It's a fun book, depending on your view on humour, you might not like it.

I think it would be better if this were a series or a movie. The writing fits this vibe. I think the author has been influenced by movies, and it shows (it's not a bad thing). Not everything was funny for me, and that's ok. The characters were funny. It gave this 2000s-ish funny movie vibe.

My understanding is that this is a debut novel. I think the author finds their voice. Might not be to everyone's enjoyment, but that's ok.

There is a plot that gives the main character an excuse to write a book about monsters and dating. Basically, he doesn't want to write about s*x but well...s*x sells...

Quotes I found hilarious - that's why you need to pick up this book:

"I go on a lot of first dates. On these dates, I have only two rules: 1. Don't talk about exes. 2. Don't talk about vampires."

"You do not want to look cool, you want to be practical." (about which weapons are best to kill vamps.)

Imagine the buddy vibes from Hotel Transylvania, but swap out Dracula for Jefferson “Jeff” VanHelsing, the descendant of the iconic vampire hunter, and his best friends just happen to be a werewolf and the invisible man. Now add some adult humor, a wildly awkward first date, and Jeff’s mission to debunk ridiculous monster myths by writing a book. What follows is a hilarious, fast-paced romp that mixes monster shenanigans, laugh-out-loud commentary, and quirky illustrations into one unforgettable read. It’s part monster manual, part comedic memoir, and all-around fun.

The author of this book has a sense of humor that I do not share. As such it made reading this book more tedious than enjoyable — and that’s just the way it works, sometimes. Humor is subjective, and with much of this book being delivered in and with scenes written to be funny, it made the mismatch between us all the more painful.

One of the biggest sources of humor is the invisible man chatting, talking on his phone — with the phone being visible — giving the werewolf a wedgie (which leaves the werewolf levitating around the room, being pulled along by his underwear), or shooting off one liners. It reads very much as though it’s meant to be televised,with so many of the gags being visual in a way that didn’t work for me. Part of that is how action oriented everything is, with no sense of who the characters are beyond whining, insulting, jokes I didn’t find funny and sight gags that don’t work as well via a book.

That said, every now and then there’s a comment or two that I did find slightly amusing, in the brief encyclopedia entries of monsters, such as the various types of zombies or ghosts, or the Q&As. I just didn’t care for the adventures of the characters beyond that. For me, if the whole book had been an encyclopedia, I would have enjoyed it much more.

Again, that’s just me. Other people may find they connect with the humor and gags more than I did, and have a great time with it, and I hope the book finds those people For me, though, this wasn’t the best time. The writing is fine, I found the pacing to be a bit frenetic, and the illustrations are a very nice touch. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!