The Undead Truth of Us is a fresh debut story about grief, loss and love set in Kansas City, Kansas. As a Kansas native it was cool to read a book that felt familiar because I had some familiarity with a lot of the book locations. Zharie ends up living with other family members after the death of her mother and before her mother dies, Zharie sees her turn into a zombie. Zharie sees zombies and often times questions her sanity.
This book has wonderful writing and I loved the lush metaphors. The zombies in this book aren't your typical zombie that we see in media.. Zharie befriends her neighbor Bo because one time she saw out the window and saw his face was half zombie and half human and she wants to understand why she’s seeing zombies in try to figure out why her mother died and is a zombie. The story is medium paced and later on has Vincent Van Gough references.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and in exchange for an honest review.

You all, a horror book made me cry. Not a " Gosh, I am SCARED" cry but the kind that turns into an emotional sob-fest. 😭 I honestly requested to review this book because romance + horror sounded intriguing ~ but wow, this book was just... something else. Also, before I go on any further, I want to mention that this book isn't a regular horror book that would make you scream or something.

The story of The Undead Truth of Us is a vivid portrayal of grief and heartbreak. The book follows how Zharie's life changes as she starts seeing zombies after her mother's death. She then meets Bo; who is undead/a half zombie. Zharie realizes that Bo might be the answer to all of her questions about the weird turn her life had taken.

I was obviously expecting zombies to be a part of this book, but the author gave that aspect an entirely new twist. It was completely unexpected (my hands are itching to explain more about this but I don't want to spoil the book for you guys AAA)
The author has a lyrical style of writing. I loved how she expresses grief and heartbreak through her words. The connection of the story with Van Gogh's Starry Night painting (as you can see on the cover) was so beautifully done. We get to know how a traumatic experience shaped Zharie's life and how she moves on from it. She also forms new friendships along the way after being alone for such a long period of time. My heart broke for her - but the found family trope saved the day again.

The Undead Truth of Us honestly exceeded all my expectations. After reading predictable stories back to back, this YA Contemporary Horror book was exactly what I needed! LOVE LOVE LOVE.

This was just amazing! I did not know anything about it when going into except it involved zombies.

The emotion I felt while reading this was just heartwarming. It’s definitely not what I expected when reading the first few chapters. As I got further and further into the book, it changed for the good!

It touches on the heart and feelings of grief. I loved every page of this book 🥰

I cannot think of Van Gogh without the accompanying beauty and pain that surrounds his life and work. Van Gogh’s art is known for it’s beauty, bright and bold colors, and expressive brush strokes that became an influence for countless artists since his death. But he is also known for taking his life tragically young and for his work being unappreciated during his lifetime. When we think of Vincent Van Gogh, I think we’re often reminded of two parallel infinities and the eternal tightrope that we walk between life and death and the constant question of what it means to be alive.

Days before Zharie’s mom dies, she turns into a zombie. A zombie that is different than what we’ve seen before and different from the movies. She isn’t hungry for brains, she hasn’t lost her mind, and she is still full of emotion, but something has drained the life from her, turning her skin into rot. And that’s how it begins, death starts following Zharie everywhere. Zombies begin to inhabit Zharie’s world, but no one seems to notice. They are a reminder of mortality and a reminder of her mother. They walk down the street, they go about their lives, and they even move into her apartment building, but still no one can see them but Zharie.

When she meets Bo, who turns into a half zombie right before her eyes, something feels different. He isn’t anything like what she thought these zombies were and Zharie can’t shake the feeling that getting to know him might help her understand what is happening to her and more importantly, what happened to her mother. How could it be that Bo turns half zombie and yet he somehow feels more alive than anyone she’s ever met? What does it even mean for someone to feel alive?

To understand death, we must first begin to understand life. We will never understand why we’re seeing zombies by staying isolated and not searching for answers. Zharie will never feel closure about her mother’s death if she doesn’t follow her heart and begin the search. They say the process of overcoming grief is unique for each person but that it’s important to not stop living. So we must keep on moving.

When we experience death, we’re given a unique chance to see our scope widen and we are given a glimpse of our eternal tightrope. It gives us a chance, for once, to stop seeing the world through the narrow tunnel of everyday life. And it hurts. But we’d be missing something if we didn’t also notice that it’s beautiful. Because the feeling is beauty and it’s pain, and it’s all-encompassing. It pulls you out of your everyday and forces you to see a bigger universe, for better or for worse. It’s dramatic colors and it’s expressive, bold brush strokes, a picture of something bigger in a painting.

Amidst our attempt at solving the mystery of the zombies, our search begins to feel like we’re solving the mystery of what it means to be alive, and our painting begins to show our two infinities. We find ourselves identifying with the zombies in our pain, we feel our skin rotting in our grief, we see our joy begin to grow sunflowers and our happiness begins to shine like the stars in the night sky. Our tightrope changes from life and death to love and grief, two opposites circling each other in constant balance, for we cannot have one without the other.

When I think of Vincent Van Gogh, I think of the beauty and pain, life and death, love and grief that infinitely circle his life and his work. But I also think about sunflowers. I think about the eleven sunflower paintings Van Gogh painted that, only after his death, became some of his most famous works. I think about his deep relationship with grief and how through that scope he saw the world in a way most of us can only dream of. But mostly I think about how sunflowers are so closely related to both life and death and how Vincent Van Gogh saw that more clearly than any of us.

Sunflowers have a long history in the lives of humans and in our mythologies. They are a symbol of light, joy, and good fortune, but are also common at funerals because they signify the light that person brought while they were alive. When I think of sunflowers, I think of love and grief and how they are two infinities on either side of the starry night sky. I think of how closely those love and grief are tied to life and death. I think of those eleven infamous sunflower paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. And now I think of Zharie.

A super enjoyable YA book about zombies but also not. I’d probably give this like a 3.75 if I was getting really specific, because I struggled at times with the extended conversations around high school topics (Vincent Van Gogh, John green, etc.). I also sort of wish the zombies played a bigger role in this. The horror is super light and a lot of the most gory things in this book are clearly dreams she’s having, and I was hoping it would transcend to real life.

That said, this book has a lot to offer in the realm of conversations around grief, growing up, identity. I especially loved Zhaire’s blog posts, they were far and away the funniest parts of the book and I wish there had been more of them.

Beauty, loss and… zombies? The Undead Truth of Us by Britney S. Lewis explores grief and love in all forms, real and imagined.

Lewis artfully blends the real with the surreal in her debut novel and in doing so, teaches readers that there is more to life than death.

The Undead Truth of Us is filled with beautifully descriptive images and is immediately captivating thanks to its gorgeous van Gogh-inspired cover. Protagonist Zharie is a big van Gogh fan, and she extrapolates his art into her world in both literal and metaphorical ways. The use of color and symbols integrated with memory and emotion makes for truly lovely and engaging reading. Some of my favorite passages from the book include the following:

“… I used to think that Mama would protect me always, that she was invincible from the world, and when I snuggled up to her, I imagined she was bigger than the sun… I used to think that she’d be around forever, and that I’d make fun of her when she got her first gray hair. But now that she was gone, the rain didn’t sound so chaotic anymore. It sounded like her favorite song—smooth and subtle, wonderfully sweet.”

“This undeath was the undoing of an old story I used to tell myself. It was immensely different, yet that was okay. The stitching of these new pieces being pulled together shouldn’t feel the same. It should tug and stretch, and I felt that now.”
The underlying theme of the story is moving too. In the dedication, Lewis writes: “To you, reader. Don’t let the monsters of the universe keep you from living. Take risks, fall in love, create your own path.”

While moved by the message and sensory images, the story itself was very slow in parts. Although this is a character-driven rather than a plot-driven novel, some chapters dawdled too long in the minutiae, and I grew impatient with getting to “what happens next.” In some ways, that is the point – the character is working through grief and learning to “live” again, which takes time – but as far as storytelling goes, some moments felt a bit too stagnant.

Zombies add an interesting, gruesome, and admittedly fun flavor to the story. The trajectory of the journey is Zharie figuring out why she is seeing them everywhere and the reader travels alongside her trying to work it out too. The ending ultimately wraps it up neatly (with a bonus twist at the very end), I just wish there was more meat on some of the bonier chapters along the way.

Overall, striking images and themes, as well as useful tools for combatting the fear that often accompanies grief, The Undead Truth of Us takes risks and defeats monsters.

The undead truth of us
Britney S. Lewis
5 stars
Horror, fiction, contemporary
Young Adult
CW: mental health, death of a parent


A young black dancer starts seeing zombies after her mother’s death. She meets an undead boy, who helps her figure out what’s real and what’s magic and how love can change you.
I was really excited to get to read this book early as the premise was intriguing to me with it as I haven’t read any books about zombies. I was not disappointed. This book is beautifully written and the characters felt real. I really felt for the main character and her struggles trying to fit in and her relatable journey.
The book is a tear-jerker and heart wrenching at times but there are also some funny moments. I really was pulled into this world and thought the romance was beautifully written. If your looking for a new read this fall season, I would highly recommend this debut contemporary novel.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Disney-Hyperion for the e-ARC in exchange for n honest review. Pub date: August 9, 2022 and I would recommend it!

After her mother's death, a grieving dancer begins seeing the people around her as zombies.

Grief and heartbreak shimmer through Lewis's poetic prose and symbolic fantasy as she explores the pain that comes with deep love. Within the story, Lewis shares the origins of zombies in Kongo, Haiti, and the Vodou religion. Fans of Amber McBrides's inimitable Me (Moth) may enjoy this novel due to its lyrical style, heavily allegorical fantasy/horror, and grounding in African diasporic religion (although that last is more prominent in McBride's work). A great addition to YA literary fiction collections.

For me, overall the story felt disjointed and at times, corny. There were elements of emotional processing that I thought were important and well-done, but characters felt like plot points for me as opposed to people.

[Content warnings: Body horror (multiple and detailed descriptions of rotting zombies).]

If you’re looking for a standard zombie story, THE UNDEAD TRUTH OF US will not be it. If, however, you’re looking for a blending of the mundane and the surreal, consider giving author Britney S. Lewis’s debut a chance. Lewis blurs the borders of Zharie’s reality in more ways than just the undead, from references to Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night to the appearance of speech bubbles to the hyper-detailed descriptions of zombies rotting. The way Lewis describes what Zharie is seeing/experiencing can be mesmerizing, whether that’s someone shift into a zombie, getting swept up in a dance, or experiencing overwhelming grief.

The zombies are Zharie’s metaphor, and she spends most of the novel trying to figure out what they are supposed to mean and why it all started with her mother and her mother’s death. I won’t spoil those revelations, but I will say that I deeply empathized with Zharie trying to make the world make sense. One of the things that THE UNDEAD TRUTH OF US did very well was how Zharie’s grief for her mother rippled out into all facets of her life. It colored her perceptions beyond the zombies, and there are a couple of moments where Zharie is angry that really stuck with me, along with the underlying sense of loss that permeated most of the book. I loved how Lewis portrayed Zharie as she handled (or didn’t handle) the loss of her mother.

Zharie’s developing relationship with Bo was fun to read. I appreciate romances where I really get why the people are becoming interested in each other (occasional slide into zombie-ness notwithstanding). Bo easily could have felt like a grief rebound, but Lewis gave their many scenes together enough depth that I was hopeful about the course their relationship would take, even if the romance didn’t work out in the end.

Recommendation: Get it now, if you’re in the mood for a surreal exploration of grief. Britney S. Lewis’s debut, THE UNDEAD TRUTH OF US, is a thoughtful look at a teenager trying to come to terms with the death of her mother and how to figure out her future. The prose is lovely, and the captivating narration creates depth to the world and the blossoming relationship between Zharie and Bo.

I just unfortunately have decided to DNF this book, while I was really intrigued and interested in reading this book when applying for the ARC I just couldn’t find myself interested in continuing to read it. I am a mood reader and based on what i am currently finding myself drawn to it just isn’t clicking for me unfortunately. Everything I enjoy in a story was there so I am going to rate it 2 stars, it just sadly wasn’t capturing my attention enough for the read it deserves. I am going to give it another go at a later date and will post a public review on my Goodreads then!

"And no matter what I did, I’d never be able to stop it because now I knew the spoiler to every story: We all died in the end."

There are books on grief that cut to the core of everything that we experience as humans. The Undead Truth of Us is one of those. It follows Zharie after she sees her mom transform into a zombie right before she dies. Now living with an aunt that doesn't seem to want her around and seeing zombies everywhere, Zharie feels next to nothing. Even her dreams feel so pointless and out of reach.

But when Bo moves into the apartment, he's all tall, charming and freckles. Oh, he's also half zombie. Zharie can't help but be drawn to him and wonders if his existence is the key to understanding the monsters around her.

The writing in this book is some of the best I've ever read. The prose is absolutely mesmerizing. The author does such an incredible job at contextualizing grief, love and loss in a way that anyone can relate to, even those who haven't lost someone yet. I am so glad that a book like this exists, and the ending made me cry.

I didn't know what to expect when I went into The Undead Truth of Us. I knew it was about a girl who was seeing zombies after her mother's death but I didn't know much else. You shouldn't go into this one expecting hardcore horror. The zombies in this story are metaphorical manifestations of Zharie's grief. So once you frame your mindset around that it makes the book more enjoyable.

And I did enjoy the poetic writing style even if at times I was a little confused and the Vincent Van Gough stuff paired with the dream sequences could be a little trippy at times. Pace wise it started out very slow but by the halfway mark I needed to know what would happen next.

I did like the glimpses we saw into Zharie's life before her mother passed especially through their shared world of dance.

I wish the drama with her aunt and biological father would've come into play earlier in the book because there was so much to explore there went it came to family.

Very visual readers will enjoy all the descriptions throughout because Zharie sees her world vividly like a painting.

Thank you Disney Hyperion for providing me with the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy.

This book was beautifully different from anything I have consumed this year. I read aloud the first 15% and it read like a painting. The flow of the writing matches the cover and the depth of the story completely.

This story covers the topic of grief in a deep and profound manner but the writing makes it very easy to digest. The perspective this book provided was a welcome change in my reading.

If you are looking for a book that has a diverse cast, medium paced and hits deep this is the book for you.

I look forward to reading more from this author and I will be sure to recommend this book to all of my friends

"Last night, I told the stars about you." He said it in my ear. . .
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🌻 Book Review 🌻5 /5 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
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Ever read a line and know you're going to be deva
stated at some point in a book? It's impossible not to open this book without leaving your heart  smeared on its pages. The grief, which has left Zharia seeing more zombies after her mother turned into one, is both visceral and visual. This grief colors her world, literally, in yellows and blue of Van Gogh, sprouting sunflowers, and even animating t-shirts. The words all but morphs into the Starry Night painting, or is something more going on? The visuals described took me for a ride and if I could witness this in paint or across a television screen, I'd pay for the honor
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The Undead Truth of Us is about firsts and grief and love and forgiveness even when living and loving rips you apart like a zombie feasting for brains. The characters are real, too real, sometimes and could easily be real but living in an alternate reality somewhere.

The Undead Truth of Us was such a beautifully written book about grief, love, and zombies. I look forward to reading more from Britney S Lewis.

This was a fun and interesting read and I think my students are really going to enjoy it. I will be purchasing a copy for my classroom

This book is a soft, sometimes creepy, often synesthetic, and occasionally languidly slow journey. The teens are realistically teen-like: brilliant almost-adults one moment, foolish children the next, and the adults are more true to life than most YA adults. The balance of Z's excitement with her social life and her continuing grief and growing fears is handled with an impressive ease, especially for a debut author.

All opinions are my own. Netgalley allowed me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Debut author?! Britney S. Lewis officially left me speechless. The ending and fresh, unexpected take on zombies was just wow! I won't do spoilers because that's not nice. I will say that when you figure out the cause of zombies it makes you rethink your life. It definitely had me nodding and reassessing some things.
The beginning is slow, but that doesn't last for long. Just like any summer, adventure happens for Zharie even if she wishes for plain ol' boring days.
Zharie is still trying to come to terms with her mother's death. How she died before she actually died. She was a zombie before she died, at least that's what Zharie says. The problem? No one else is seeing zombies, only Zharie is. They aren't always zombies which makes her question her sanity and why she's seeing them.
A new someone worms their way into her life and makes it a summer to remember. Are monsters real? Or is it like an episode of Scooby-Doo?
"--All monsters are human, Zharie."

Great debut novel! I really enjoyed the writing and the concept about a young girl and her ability to see people turning into zombies. Will definitely read from this author agan.