I really enjoyed this read. Eat Your Heart Out is a unique take on the well-worn zombie trend. I found Vivian to be a very relatable protagonist, with emotional strings and hangups I could relate to even in such fantastical premise. I felt seen in this book and would recommend it.

This novel follows several characters as they attend a camp to get them to lose weight. Soon after, they start noticing that some of their fellow campers are turning into zombies. The novel then talks about the lengths society goes to make people fit into standards of beauty. It dispels the myths that thin doesn't equal healty and fat doesn't equal unhealthy. It's a great message to kids and adults alike

This book!! It was everything I wanted it to be and so much more. I absolutely adored Vivian and the gang and could see this as being such an amazing movie. It talked a lot about fatphobia and other social expectations while still being this enthralling zombie story. I would definitely recommend this one

This was super entertaining book about zombies and I loved the representation for bigger girls. The story was super fast paced and I had a fun time with this one!

I was excited to read this book but didn't love it as much as I thought. Do not get me wrong, it is a fun ride and I loved the message it provided. The novel follows several characters as they attend a camp to get them to lose weight. However, they start noticing that some of their fellow campers are turning into zombies. The novel highlights the lengths society goes to make people fit into standards of beauty. Just because bodies don't conform to the thinness standard doesn't mean they are neither healthy nor strong, or that people aren't smart or talented. The narrative dispels all these myths and sets the record straight. I enjoyed that we had a cast of characters and got each of their perspectives. My issue was the ending felt rushed and it wasn't memorable. I would recommend it if you want a fun, zombie book with an interesting cast of characters. It's a great spooky summer read.

Devoured it in no time, however the ending left me SO disappointed and completely ruined the story for me. Would’ve loved to see Allie’s movie get released or maybe news reports of unidentified creatures or acts of violence occurring to show that there were some bars or ‘zombies’ that went unaccounted for. The zombies disappear like the money in my bank account.
Full review on my YouTube channel.

I LOVE seeing big girls on book covers. This book was a fun take on zombies while bringing to light the presence of fat-phobia in our society. I enjoyed that there was an eclectic group of people and we were able to see several different point of views. I did feel as though there was really no resolution in the end. All that aside, I enjoyed this fun, comedic horror story.

Eat Your Heart Out written by Kelly DeVos

A badass curvy female protagonist? A group of teens battling psychotic ravenous zombies?

This is a fast-paced YA horror-thriller about a group of teens who gets sent to fat camp and quickly realizing they are being hunted by hungry zombies. Each teen seemingly falling into a stereotypical horror movie archetype. The Jock with the Heart of Gold, The Courageous Captain, The Nerd, The Basket Case, The Outcast, The Jerk, Action Girl… I loved the different POVs of all the characters in the group and the short chapters make this a really fun book to read.

I thought the ending was a bit abrupt and weak. It was just tied everything up too neatly. I’d actually love to see this in movie form. Sounds like it would be both hilarious and scary.

The cover is bright, colorful with a fat girl kicking zombie ass. It drew me right in and I am so glad I picked this one up! This is a delightful satirical story addressing society’s obsession with fatphobia, GMOs and diet culture.

Thank you @netgalley @penguinteen for the ARC.

This is the book I have been waiting for FOR SO LONG. Holy smokes I loved this! I was fully vested from page one. Not only am I a HUGE NERD that loves cons, but the delightfully flawed and relatable characters made me fall even deeper in love. I have listened to the audio so many times because it was just so much fun. I loved the setting, the plot, the character development, and the quips. Oh my gosh the snark was so strong and I absolutely loved it.

I saw somewhere that this was Shaun of the Dead meets Dumplin' and there couldn't be a better comp than that. This was such a good zombie book with a fat MC! *swoon*

"But what do you get when you peel back the layers of an onion? More onion. It's not like the first layer is onion and the second is chocolate cake. What is people aren't that complicated?"

Five teens and their college-age counselor arrive at a "fat camp" in an isolated area of Flagstaff, Arizona, during a blizzard. Only this camp is less about weight loss, and more about experimenting with genetics--with unfortunate side effects. The storyline is told in alternate narratives from each of the six main characters and although I worried about mixing the voices up, they each have their own distinct personalities. For such a short book, this has a lot of character development and really packs a punch.

This book was so fun and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. And I don't usually do zombies (Zach Snyder's 2004 Dawn of the Dead movie really did a number on me) but this had just enough teen slasher feel for me to get over my zombie-related anxiety. Plus there is so much good social commentary about the importance of weight in our society and the teens all talk like real teens--they are smart and sarcastic and witty--that the whole book was really just a delight. I listened to the audio, which features a full cast, and it was amazing. I definitely recommend this one.

I really enjoyed the representation in this book! I am always a fan of zombie apocalypse books and this one did not disappoint. The story hits the ground running and doesn’t let up. Such a fun read and really good as a slump buster.

Eat Your Heart Out was a fun and exciting horror story. A modern zombie story that takes place at a fat camp.

The plot of the story was so unique, I absolutely loved it. It was realistic in such a scary way for me. Lots of action that kept me glued to the book.

I am not a fan of multiple POVs and in this story are six narrators. 6!! I’m gonna be completely honest. Had I known there was 6, I would have never picked this book up. For me it did get confusing at times though I’m sure that won’t be the case for everyone. Regardless of that I still liked all the characters for the most part.

The author did an incredibly job of covering hard topics like fatphobia and diet culture issues mixed with a zombie apocalypse.

I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed and was left with some questions. I’m
Hoping there’s another one in the works.

Overall I thought it was a good and entertaining book .

Where to begin with Eat Your Heart Out? Maybe I’ll start with what I noticed first–the cover. I absolutely loved the pink and also the style used for the illustration. Plus the fierce girl as well as the blood on the cover gave me hope that this book would be full of action and gore.

I’m happy to report that I was not disappointed! There was lots of action and lots of blood. Also, a lot of badassery from said girl on the cover (as well as some of the other characters). I liked the writing in Eat Your Heart Out and how easily it helped me visualize everything. I also really liked how the author wove body positivity in with horror! I haven’t read a book that mixes these particular elements together in quite this manner. And it worked really well too!

Additionally, the character development was enjoyable to read about and was also realistic. I liked that the author told the story in Eat Your Heart Out from numerous perspectives. I will say, however, that the writing style could have differed a little more when changing POVs. I found myself having to go back to the start of a chapter a few times to check which character’s perspective said chapter was using.

And lastly, I wanted to mention that I (unrealistically) went into Eat Your Heart Out expecting a lot less…death. Like I said, unrealistic. This is a zombie book–don’t have any doubt about that. Eat Your Heart Out isn’t only realistic when it comes to character development, but also regarding what happens during a zombie apocalypse. I definitely recommend this one to horror fans!

It’s always great to see inclusion and representation on covers! I was so excited to read this book and I was not disappointed. Badass heroine and amazing plot. Definitely something to take you out of a slump! Looking forward to read more by this author for sure!

I had fun with this one! It's a book you could easily see in your head as a movie, a very cinematic quality to it and I wouldn't be surprised if the auhtor has worked in script writing before. I loved the fat rep, I enjoyed all the characters, and honestly my only gripe is I didnt really like the choice to kill off the love interest. Other than that, a great book!

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I loved it! It has a very cinematic feel to it. I could definitely see this being a summer blockbuster. The characters are all well developed and the story was fantastic.

The story follows a group of teenagers who go to Camp Featherlight, a weight-loss camp, for winter break. The camp is testing a new product that they claim can cure obesity. The only problem is it also creates zombies. With the worst blizzard in history happening at their camp, they are stranded and own their own. They have to work together if they hope to get out alive.

This book is perfect for the spooky season, or anytime you want an awesome read. This book has lots of humor to help keep the horror in check. While this does have some horror elements, I didn’t find this book to be scary. It’s more of an action adventure. I compared it to Jurassic Park. There are hungry creatures out to get our heroes kind of thing.

I really loved the characters as they each had their own distinctive voice. Each one felt like a real person. I feel like we could be friends. I definitely hope the author writes a sequel because I really want to see what happens next.

Overall I highly recommend this book. I can’t wait to try some other books by Kelly deVos.

I love love love seeing big girls on book covers! It makes my heart happy to see that the standard mold of what a perfect book cover model should look like is being restructured. The publishing industry has come a long way in representation of race, sexual orientation, mental health, and body positivity. I’m not saying that the book world is perfect, but I see that strides are being taken to change the old structure. So when I do see a book like Eat Your Heart Out with a plus sized chic on the cover I just have to give it a try. And let’s not forget the zombie on the cover. That’s a bonus! ⁣😊⁣
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Vivian (Vee) , Allie, Steve, Rachel, Sheldon, and Paul are all staying in the same pod at Featherlite Camp, a rich kids weight loss camp for the next two weeks, all for different reasons. Some are there (willing or unwilling) to lose weight, some are there for hidden agendas and one is there just to earn some much needed cash.⁣⁣
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On the very first day camp is already turning into a disaster. Flagstaff is being hit with its worst blizzard in history, a camper seems to have gone missing, the power is down and the generator can only supply power for the next 24 hours. To make matters worse the campers spot something in the snow that can not possibly be human.⁣⁣
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After doing some investigating the group finds that Featherlite is not all what it claims to be and there are secrets the founders want to keep hidden. One of them being their claim to a 'miracle cure' for obesity. The other is the existence of “zombies”. The zombie secret is out of the bag when Featherlite is overrun with these hungry crazed creatures. No camper is safe and not all of them will make it out alive.⁣⁣
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Eat Your Heart Out turned out very different than what I had anticipated. I was expecting a fun with a side of serious type of read, but this really wasn’t that kind of book. I mean I knew zombies were probably going to eat some people, but I expected a little more comedic action when being compared to Shaun of the Dead. Also seeing the fierce looking curvy girl beating up the zombie on the cover gave me humorous vibes. But this was definitely more serious with a sprinkling of humor. It tackled some serious issues. One of them being body positivity, which I always love, kudos to Kelly deVos. ⁣👏👏⁣
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The story itself is face-paced and told through each of the major players' perspectives. Each character has been given a persona type that fits their personalities. Vee is Action Girl, Rachel is The Outcast, Paul is the Jerk, Steve Alternates between The Jock With The Heart Of Gold and The Courageous Captain, Sheldon is The Nerd, and Allie is The Basket Case.⁣⁣
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Pretty much from the moment the campers get picked up there was enough going on to hold my attention. But I feel like maybe there was too much going on or too much flip flopping of the POV’s to really get invested in them. I really didn’t feel a connection to anyone.⁣⁣
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Also while there was a lot going on there wasn’t really enough zombie action for me. Most of the time it was more like entertaining the idea of zombies, if that makes sense. It was more towards the end when all hell broke loose.⁣⁣
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There was also ALOT of F-bombing. I’m perfectly OK with that, it doesn’t really bother me (I myself can have quite the potty mouth 🤭), unless it’s over the top and if it fits the story. But I’m just surprised because this is a YA book.⁣⁣
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While this wasn’t a favorite for me, it was still worth the read. Some of the issues I felt were addressed are quite important for young readers especially. Just know going in, this a lot more melancholy than comedy.⁣⁣
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𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐓𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

If you want a fun and thrilling horror story, Eat Your Heart Out a fantastic addition to your shelves!

The book features an incredible range of fat characters, both confident in their bodies and struggling with their self-image and the treatment from society. And every single one is bad-ass in their own fantastic way. Each character is quick to love and root for, with fleshed out backgrounds and thought-out relationship arcs.

The story is action-packed from start to finish, but it not just a great slasher-style book. A really interesting scientific concept is threaded throughout the story, zombies don't appear out of just anywhere. While chock full of fun satire Eat Your Heart out also stands easily on its own with a great cast and storyline.

I absolutely recommend this fun-filled, fast-paced and greatly woven story.

A book that will stick with you long after you finish reading, Eat Your Heart Out is a satirical YA spin on the horror movie tropes but set at a fat camp. There are some triggering moments in the book, but the author approaches them with care and thought. Well worth a read and it's great to see fat characters in action hero roles.

Read my full review for The Mary Sue here: https://www.themarysue.com/eat-your-heart-out-zombie-satire/

Read my interview with the author for Culturess here: https://culturess.com/2021/06/25/interview-kelly-devos-eat-your-heart-out/