I received a copy of this book as an arc from NetGalley. This is an honest review based on my feelings about the book.
This book starts with a young woman Zharie whose mother has just died. Prior to her death Zharie watched her turn into a zombie. Since that day Zharie has been seeing zombies all around her. When she meets a boy from the neighborhood who just might be the friend she needs right now, things get complicated when he starts turning into a zombie too- but only part of the time.
I found this to be a great read. It was a very unique concept and I found myself drawn into the character arc of Zharie as she tried to figure out why this kept happening to her. I loved watching her grow and change as she went from desperately grieving over the loss of her mom to slowly finding ways to step back into her life.
Bo was a delight. He seemed to be always smiling and supportive. Even when he was causing drama I was still kind of rooting for him!
The side characters are pretty great and add to the story, although there were moments I wish they were a bit more fleshed out, ultimately it wasn’t their story. I would however love to revisit the friend group.
Overall I enjoyed this book a great deal and for a young adult book covered some pretty heavy themes in a very intriguing and thought provoking way. I will definitely recommend this one.

What if you could see zombies? Zharie Young is still reeling from the death of her mother... and has been seeing zombies ever since. She is a sixteen year old girl who is a dancer, likes blogging, and can see zombies everywhere. She now lives with her aunt who is distant and when Zharie gets a new neighbor in half asian half black skater boy Bo, she realizes that he can only transform into a half zombie which catches her interest... and it also doesn’t hurt that he’s handsome, sweet, and very much interested in her. Soon Zharie finds herself spending more time with Bo and his friends while also working out what this zombie situation is and tries to sort out whats real and whats not. This isn’t really a story about the undead or zombies, rather it’s a story about grief and mourning. Its a story about a girl who is dealing with the death of her mother and the grief that comes with it as well as learning to sort out family secrets, opening herself up to romance and friendship and the hope that things get better. I was expecting actual zombies so I was a bit thrown off but overall it was an interesting story about how we deal with grief and how it can manifest differently in all of us.The romance between Bo and Zharie was really sweet and I enjoyed reading it. Zharie’s family secret and her birth origin story was sad but I’m happy she got her resolution and got to move on. Overall, read this book if you’re looking for a story about grief and healing thrown in with a little bit of surrealism and a little bit of body horror.

*Thanks Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I was so damn excited to get to read this book early!! The premise is so unique and like nothing I've ever read before. I really had no idea where it was going at first! The zombie element was sooo intriguing! I needed to know why this happened to Z.

I really felt for Z and her pain, she felt SO real. At the same time, her relationship with Bo was adorable and I shipped them both all the way, their scenes together were a lot of fun!!

Some parts of the story are truly heartbreaking, yet, I thought they were realistic and I appreciate the author wrote them that way and didn't sugarcoat things.

The writing was powerful, artistic, and rich with metaphors. It's a raw and emotional read about grief, love, and slowly trying to move on.

I enjoyed it a lot and I think it's a very impactful and thought provoking debut! That ending was strong. I'm still thinking about it.

The Undead Truth of Us is a homage to the complexity of Black identity and to Black grief. Zharie immediately starts seeing zombies after losing her mom and being abandoned by a dad who doesn't want to claim her because of her mom's affair. The zombies turn out to be a metaphor for forgiveness and grief, and I found that to be an original twist. A great debut.

The Undead Truth of Us
By Britney S. Lewis

3.45 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
And to the author, who campaigned basically for black reviewers to get access to ARCs!

I was extremely excited for this book, but I thought it was about actual zombies! 😩

Me and the MC, Zharie both did.

But this is a story of love, of how grief can burn and twist you up on the inside, of the support you can find in friends and your community when your family isn’t up to the task and this is a story about starting over again.

The prose was beautiful and Zharie and Bo were just trying their best, like we all are.

This story had a lot of heart, and was filled with metaphors and symbolism and oddly Van Gogh? So if you’re the type that likes analyzing and you’re looking for a book club pick, I think that this would be a good one to do!

I loved the body gore and the zombies everywhere and I loved how Zharie grew over the course of the book!

And that ending????

What does it mean!!!!

Simply put, The Undead Truth of Us is such a ✨vibe✨. I love how this book offers much needed representation of Black alt girls (I would consider myself Black alt girl-adjacent) and somehow infuses beauty into the grotesque decay of zombies. The surrealist elements, the permeating threads of blue and yellow, and the sunflowers (cue Post Malone song here) pressed me into the story.

When the incredible author, Britney S. Lewis, described Zharie as an unreliable narrator, she was not kidding. Sometimes it was hard to gage how much Zharie was attached or detached from her own emotions, how often she perceived what she was seeing as "real", and how much agency she felt in her own actions. I'm not sure if this is something that is specific to Zharie in seeing zombies or if this can be the plight of any teenage girl, especially while grieving. Either way, I couldn't bring myself to trust Zharie, which very well have been the point.

I will keep this review spoiler free, but the ending definitely felt a tad abrupt. I'm hoping an extension to the story will explore what lies through new opened doors.

I have a soft spot for zombies falling in love and regaining their humanity so when I saw this book likened to Warm Bodies I immediately applied for the ARC. This is not a zombie book. Do not go into it with that expectation in mind.

The Undead Truth of Us follows our main character, Zharie, in the wake of her mother’s death. In her time of mourning and grief she’s started seeing "zombies" but she comes to realize that it’s only select people being seemingly affected by this undying malady.

When Zharie meets Bo and his friends she starts to learn more about love and belonging and how having a sense of these things in life affects the soul. She uncovers a sad truth about her mother’s death and her estranged father’s role in her past. Along the way Zharie discovers herself and rediscovers her passion for dance.

The writing style is reminiscent of post-impressionist art such as Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, which we see referenced several times in the book, mixed with an almost comic book style of imagery.

I think that there’s a large audience of people who will fall head over heels for this book. The themes presented were not necessarily ones that I connected with, such as the mother-daughter bond, and the west coast swing dance culture, but I think many others will connect with them.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me early access to review The Undead Truth of Us.

So, I don’t really know where to start with this review.

I wanted to like it; I really did. I was so excited to read it, especially because this is my first ARC. It wasn’t terrible, it was more just confusing. Maybe that’s my fault because I started skimming around 60% of the way through the book.

There’s not a specific thing about this book I didn’t like, other than the fact I didn’t know what was going on. Maybe that’s part of the book’s point, but it just came off as disorienting and complicated. Or maybe I’m just not this book’s prime demographic because even after I finished the book I don’t know what the point was.

I’m not great at picking up on symbolism, and I believe this book relied rather heavily on that. I think it was trying to be poignant and emotional, but it just left me baffled.

Now, this is absolutely no hate on the author! I can tell she is wonderfully talented and a skilled writer, however, I just don’t think she writes for my tastes in books. I also struggled a bit using the app so maybe someday I’ll try to reread the book with a physical copy.

I did enjoy the characters! I felt they were likable and realistic, they weren’t the most fleshed-out characters I’ve ever read but they definitely had personalities. I felt like the characters were the highlight of the book, which is how it always should be in my opinion.

Overall, I enjoyed the read even if I was confused most of the time. The author, Britney S. Lewis, is very talented! Thank you Netgalley for sending me an ARC!

WOW! Zharie is the main character I needed when I was in high school but she’s here now and what a joy for the young black alt/emo girls who don’t feel seen or don’t think they’re main character energy. I felt so many emotions while reading this book and related to Zharie in a lot of ways. Zharie is a high schooler who loses her mom and starts seeing zombies. Her dad abandoned her and her mom although they still saw him at dance competitions. Zharie rightfully felt so much anger towards her dad but her mom made excuses for him and Zharie couldn’t understand why. Until she finds out her mom has been having an affair with her dad all these years until he broke it off and she literally died of a broken heart. Zharie has to move in with her Auntie E because her grandmother can’t take care of her. While at the apartment one day she meets a boy named Bo who morphs in and out of zombie form. She says she’s only getting close to him to find out why she’s seeing zombies but she starts to develop feelings for him. She tries to fight it but ends up actually liking Bo and his friends. Eventually Bo hurts her unintentionally and she shuts him out. At that point her entire world seems to be crumbling around her. She thinks her aunt hates her, Bo betrayed her, and more than ever she misses her mom. And then Zharie finds herself turning into a zombie! She realizes forgiveness is a major part of the cure to being human and that life is too short to not live it to the fullest. Seeing her growth and her journey is inspiring and gives me hope for my own journey. The ending though! I need more!

I love the Van Gogh imagery theme. The descriptions come to life in my mind is written in a way that makes me feel like it’s happening to me. Overall, I am more than impressed and can’t wait to see what Britney has in store for us.

When I first learned of The Undead Truth of Us, or for the sake of time I will from here on out refer to it as TUTOU, I expected something more inline with Warm Bodies. After reading TUTOU, I have come to learn that this is simply not the case. TUTOU is an excellent book from first time author Brittany S Lewis, and while at times it does seem to definitely be from a first time author, I think that is a part of the charm, and also think that it is intentional.

The story follows sixteen year old Zharie Young as she copes with the recent loss of her mother and the sudden appearance of zombies. The fun part is, she is the only person seeing these zombies, and I loved that about this story. The fact that she was the only person seeing the zombies added a much needed psychological aspect to these kinds of horror based stories, and it is something that is not explored enough.

TUTOU is fast paced, relatable, even for a 37 year old man like me, thought provoking, funny, and even scary. It is the perfect blend of genres for people of any age to enjoy, but the young adult readers are going to eat it up(pun intended). I highly recommend TOTOU for anyone looking for a quick read and I cannot wait to see what comes next from the new author. I fully anticipate this to get adapted into a TV series or movie as it feels like one as you are reading it.

This was a good book. Definitely a very solid debut, however, I kinda felt tricked, this was pitched to me as a zombie story. The main character can see zombies, so I was I thought "oh zombies are back baby!". But it was more of a metaphor.

This deals with the aftermath of grief, and I know this book will resonate with teens, and at the end of the day, that's what matters.

I really wanted to love this book, which has a very unique spin on the zombie story we all know. I was intrigued by this idea that she could see zombies when no one else could, and ready to follow it down the pathway. But the book got a bit convoluted and lost the plot thread for me. In the end, it's about grief, loss, and struggling when you feel so alone... This is important stuff to wrestle with, but I'm just not sure the connection between it all worked for me.

This was so unexpectedly sweet and reflective. I came for zombies and stayed for the realization of what the book was actually about: emotional growth, not for others, but so you can feel free. Love and heartbreak can turn us into unfathomable monsters and THAT'S what this book is about. I firmly believe that this something written for teens, yes, but adults need to read it as well.

omg I KNOW HER! y’all! my friend wrote a book and it’s being published through disney!! like HOW FRIGGIN COOL!

first of all, this book was so damn beautiful i was captivated from the v beginning. i loved the structure of this book and how it’s just different from others in SUCH a good way. and the prose throughout had me in all my feels. i truly loved the writing so much.

the mc, zharie, holds a special place in my heart. i felt liked i grieved with her and then healed with her. her and bo! just 🥺🥺🙌🏼 so beautiful. sometimes i do read straight things and when i do, this is the shit i wanna see 🙌🏼 oh and the plot twist!! 😱😱 the found family!! 😍😍 what an enjoyable book, like damn.

it was so cool to see a book set in kansas city, too. and obvi a bipoc book written by a bipoc author is top tier, top shelf content and EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO PREORDER THIS BOOK RTFN!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

my ONLY thing about it that i wasn’t a fan of was the zombie/horror aspect. i’m just not a horror fan and it obvi was the whole thing within the book, but it was perfectly curated and, like i said, written so well. the whole idea was unique and fresh imo. it was just insanely well done and i can definitely appreciate that.

overall, BRAVA! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.5/5 stars!

congrats britney! i’m so pride of you girl!

the undead truth of us comes out august 9th, so go preorder now and help support a first time author! she deserves it 🥳

Thanks to the author and publisher who allowed me an ARC review copy! Here's my honest review of the book. I loved this book. The way Z described her world with such vivid colors was the best part of the story. I also enjoyed the slight nods to other books/movies although I still don't know if it was intentional or not, regardless it was excellently done. Z and her mother's relationship with dancing is a beautiful thing. It reminded me of days when I and my father would spend hours on a basketball court. Not finishing until I couldn't move any longer. This book brought me to tears several times, made me giggle like a schoolgirl, and had me cursing out characters as if they could hear me.

I will say the pacing of the book at the end almost gave me whiplash. It was nicely paced throughout the beginning and middle of the book. Then in the end several emotionally charging, life-changing things were happening and it was a bit much at once. Especially since it seemed like poor Z was only given mere minutes to process some of the stuff that was happening (like her aunt being mad about the death of her only sister, seeing her birth father for the first time ever). It just felt like some of the earlier chapters could've been cut or combined to make room for more of the stuff happening at the end. Also, the ending? Mixed feelings. It leaves me happy to know that this kind of ending means a book 2 could be in the works but also it was very unexpected. Like, when a certain character said what he said (I don't wanna spoil the ending), I had to reread it several times because it was one of those "wait, what?" moments. It threw me for a loop and felt off-ish to me.

All in all, this is an excellent book. I will definitely be picking up an officially released copy of the book!

This book has such an intriguing and unique premise, but it still feels grounded. Zharie may be seeing zombies everywhere, but she's still a teen dealing with everyday struggles like managing her feelings for the cute boy she meets (who also sometimes looks like a zombie), trying to fit in with a new group of friends, managing her grief in the wake of her mother's death, or navigating a relationship with the aunt she now lives with. The writing is beautiful and I really enjoyed living in Zharie's world for a bit.

This book has a home town feel. I love the story line and what a child may feel when they face death. The concept of zombies not always being bad and showing real emotions really pulled me in. I can’t wait to see future work from this author

This book has a well developed premise and conflict. The characters are interesting, and the author does a great job of developing them into distinct personalities. I appreciated that these characters had specific interests, motivations, and qualities. There are a few places where the dynamics between characters require some additional development. It was sometimes challenging to fully understand why a conflict arose. Furthermore, there are a few places where the dialogue seemed out of place or a little too niche. That could be because I am a 33 year old reading a YA novel. A younger person would probably have no trouble understanding what some of the characters are talking about. I enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend it to my students as a great summer read.

I loved the colorful, metaphysical prose and style of this book. It's impossible not to fall in love with Zharie and Bo. Many people have experienced being taken advantage of by someone they loved romantically. I'm one of those people. So I deeply appreciate the way the author shows the consequences of cruel heartbreak as grief—because that's exactly what you go through when that happens to you. Grief. The twist ending is also amazing, and the slangy YA narrative style is really engaging. Can't wait to read more of her work!

A beautiful contemporary YA. While the zombies are a big deal, they are really the least that this book has to offer. Watching the MC deal with her own grief, in addition to the changes of the world pulls the reader in multiple directions to offer interesting pieces to every reader.