REVIEW: Road Trip With a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Road Trip With a Vampire by Jenna Levine: Zelda has spent years pretending her past doesn’t exist and if she had her way she would continue to do exactly this however things are about to take an unexpected turn for our reformed bad witch. After centuries of chaos Zelda has traded spells for yoga mats, demons for deep breaths and magic for a life that’s blissfully ordinary… or so she likes to tell herself. Well that is until a stranger walks into her studio. A very handsome and very confused stranger. Peter is a vampire with a problem… he can’t remember who he is, how he was turned or why he’s being hunted! All he has is a mysterious journal, a pocketful of cash and a single name…Zelda. With a bunch of cryptic clues Zelda and Peter find themselves on a cross-country road trip, to uncover Peter’s past. As every mile brings them closer to answers, so does the brewing connection between them strengthen… could this be one connection to strong for either of them to ignore?

I have been waiting to read Road Trip With A Vampire for awhile now and let me just tell you it was so worth the wait! I loved ever single moment of this cute, slightly zany magical romcom. From the very first chapter Levine’s writing pulls you in with her witty banter and warm lived-in magic. Zelda and Peter’s cross-country adventure is both a literal and emotional journey filled with humour, longing and the quiet ache of two people learning to trust again. Add in the charm of the magicy element and this book was hard not to love.

I just loved getting to follow Zelda and Peter as they went on this journey together, but also getting to see both of them embrace a side to themselves that they had both been unsure of. With Zelda we get a to see more than a witch trying to hide from her magic, but we get to see a woman trying to redefine herself. Her sarcasm becomes a shield and her calm façade a form of survival, yet underneath all that restraint is someone aching to be seen. I loved the relatable element to Zelda, while she still held a magical charm to her character, there was something very human about her. Now when it comes to our hero, Peter is so different from the brooding vampire heroes that we normally find, because of his memory loss we get to see a softer side to his character that made him stand out for me. He is both haunted and hopeful while simply trying to piece together who he was while deciding who he wants to be. Which gives his character a humble and more compassionate edge.

Right the moment Peter stumbles into Zelda’s life, there is a tension that is equal parts curiosity, frustration and undeniable attraction. I loved the fact that Levine layers their story giving us moments with both humour and emotional depth. I just ate up their slow burn, almost forced proximity that came with the road trip, which allowed them to open up and be venerable with each other as they both tried to figure out where they stood. The thing about these two that I really liked was the fact that they genuinely was each other, the saw beneath the surface level. They allowed each other to confront their fears and insecurities in a safe space.

All in all I really found myself loving this book, Road Trip With A Vampire was equal parts cute, humours and heartfelt. If you are looking for a magicy slow burn then this is a total must read!

Book Info:

Publication: October 14, 2025 | Berkley | My Vampires #3

Reformed bad witch Grizelda “Zelda” Watson had hoped to never see another vampire again when she slipped away to sunny California for a fresh start. She’d grown tired of them and their nonsense ages ago. But when a vampire with amnesia unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep with a letter from her old friend Reggie, and asks for her help, she can’t say no. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Peter Elliott is tall and gorgeous, looks great in yoga shorts, and has the kind of dark hair and surly expression Zelda’s been a sucker for for hundreds of years.

Peter isn’t completely harmless—he is fanged, after all—but he’s harmless enough, and soon becomes the only person in Zelda’s new life who knows the truth about what she is. If she can help him decipher the cryptic notes in his journal, the only clues to his lost memories, she might as well try before sending him on his way.

But when an alarming message from Peter’s past coincides with a clear sign that Zelda can’t keep running from her own, they embark on a cross-country road trip for answers—only to find what they’re looking for in each other.