The Undead Truth of Us gives such a unique perspective of grief. It gives heartache, the kind that comes from life and from loving others, a tangible (and creepy) facade.

Unfortunately for me, the writing is so well done, there were moments when I felt I could see, feel, hear, and smell the zombies. All the senses were activated. It was that same storytelling that had me bawling as I witnessed Zharie grieve and move towards healing and forgiveness. As well as cheering- because, young love. It's a pleasure to be taken back to the precariousness and excitement of being young and in love.

I was excited by the characters, Zharie, Bo, and their friends. Black and brown shades and ethnicities- but a little alternative? Love it.

The first half of the book ad me CONFUSED. It felt like the book compartmentalized itself. One part, a search for zombies and the mystery of the cute neighbor. Another part, the main character’s grief from her mother’s passing and the subsequent upheaval of her life. I was neither invested in the main character nor the conflicts surrounding her. But somewhere after that friend trip, the different ingredients of the novel came together to create a beautiful story I was wholly invested in, The overarching message about love was executed to PERFECTION.The wrong kind of love can rot a person from the inside. The wrong kind of love can kill. That second half of the book more than made up for my confusion in the beginning. I’m recommending this book to every teen I know. I don’t read surrealist works often but this may have made a fan out of me.

Finally, I am writing an honest review of this book. I read a pre-released copy on NET GALLEY that was approved by the author.

The book is written very well and gives a new touch to a story about love loss and grief.

I picked the book totally to help the author have more reviews as it's her debut book. I hope my honest review will help her.

one of the fascinating about the book was the use of colors and flowers to depict life death and the undead in a very beautiful way. totally loved it! it feels like the author painted a picture and by its colors, you can have the mood she wants you to see in the specific scene.
Strangely I was able to relate and empathize with Z. her loss had a big impact on her mentally and emotionally. I cried a lot, I felt her loneliness, and sadness and was able to feel the grief and how these sad days passed.
It was beautiful but what I honestly wished wasn't there, is the way the author connected the zombies to this sad story. it had a bad impact on me, on how I viewed the story in the beginning.

In the beginning- more than half the book made me so confused that I even considered DNF the book because I felt so lost.
Now that I managed to finish it, I am so glad that I went through with it till the end.

I loved the story, it's just that element that I really wished it wasn't there or were included in a different way, maybe less complicated or clearer.


X X X SPOILER ALERT!
Z character is one of the coolest (real-world) characters I have ever read about! I Like her way of thinking she is reasonable for her age and she actually managed to turn so fine!

but her "father" on the other hand, GOD!! I think the last time I had a pure hatred for a fictional character like this was Dolores Umbridge from HP - who doesn't!! (ofc I got the chance to hate a lot of the characters in my recent reads but not this much!) her "father" is a real piece of art, the way he treated Z and her mother just says what a beast he is. a shameless one!

anyway, I look forward to reading the author's future books and hope this will have a successful debut.

The cover is soo pretty
I really liked the storyline but kind of expecting more from Zombie part.i loved dynamic of Zharia and Bo, when I started reading book i was hoping for more drama but it's was really beautiful book, there is ups and downs of Zharia, I loved her, her character was amazing and she made me cry
I loved writing style and I really want to read more from author

Thank you to Netgalley and Author for this E-ARC

Zharie experiences a traumatic event and now she can see zombies that no one else can see. She's learning how to live life and manage seeing zombies in her day to day when she meets Bo, who appears as a zombie sometimes but is completely human the rest of the time. As she gets to know him to understand why he flickers in and out, her life starts to change.

This one had my millennial self in love from the very first chapter quoting The Used. I found myself falling into Zharie's unreliable narration and longing for the unpredictability of youth. The eeriness of the story was perfectly balanced with easy to connect to characters and beautiful writing.

I absolutely loved this book. From the second I saw the cover and read the description I just knew this was a book I needed to read, and I am sooo grateful that I was given the opportunity to read an early copy.

The Undead Truth of Us follows sixteen year old Zharie who after her mothers unexpected death begins seeing zombies, and she doesn’t quite understand why. When a boy moves into her apartment building and he half transforms into a zombie in front of her eyes, Zharie realizes getting to know him might be her chance at figuring out the answers to all her questions.

This was such a unique look at grief, love, loss, and heartbreak from the eyes of a teenage girl that has experienced such an earth shattering loss.

There were so many things I loved about this book. I adored Bo, his character was such a light in the darkness of Zharie’s life. I loved the focus on dance, and the relationship Zharie had with it both before and after her mothers death. I loved the horror elements that were seamlessly woven into this contemporary story. I thought the zombie aspect to be so well done and unlike any other zombie story I’ve read before.

So many moments in this book made my heart hurt for Zharie, but I loved seeing the world through her eyes as she struggles to figure out how to live with her grief, and understand all the why’s in her life. By the end I was left with wet cheeks and such a hopeful feeling.

This was a phenomenal debut and I can’t wait to see what else the author does in the future.

NOTE: I am reviewing The Undead Truth of Us at around the 35% mark.

"Say it is an infection, right? But maybe it’s only an infection because it’s meant to be invasive. That kind of feeling, love, it demands to be felt.”

The zombie premise was interesting and unique - they did not seem to be the typical horror-themed ones. I would have loved to know more about them, but I haven't had much time to read lately. At this stage, I'm not so keen on the romance as it feels fast-paced and personally, I'm not into the love-at-first-sight trope.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for my E-ARC.

I’m actually rating this 4.5 stars!

Another debut novel! I’m so happy I’ve been given the opportunity to read this author’s first book. And it’s my first YA contemporary horror read! Zharie was an intriguing MC. The novel is from her POV and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with her. If I was seeing zombies but nobody else could, I’d definitely worry. Bo was another interesting character for me. I saw myself in his tendency to ask intense questions when he’s just met someone but he did share some good wisdom. I really enjoyed the nod to The Notebook: Bo convinces Z to lay in the middle of the road. A really sweet moment in the story was Z‘s flashback to dancing with her mother. If you’re into slow burn romance, complicated friendships, BIPOC skaters (that one made my millennial–used–to-be-somewhat-emo heart happy!) and a big plot twist, you’ll definitely enjoy this one! A huge thank you to @britney.s.lewis via @netgalley for this ARC! I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

Favorite line: It was the way he looked at me. Like he knew me. Like we were close.

I was blessed enough to get this ARC from the author, and omg, I’m so glad. This book is so good! The prose is fanatic, and immediately drew me in. I loved Zharie’s voice. It felt authentic and real in a way I love seeing in books by writers of color. I loved the spin on zombie fiction. It was so unexpected but fun to see. The horror aspect was perfectly done, alternating between descriptions of zombie-ness and action and the real horror of grief. The the slow-burn romance was a nice reprieve and slotted in perfectly with the story. I can’t wait to read this again when it comes out!

Ever since the death of her mother, Zharie, sees zombies everywhere and she can't figure out why. She strikes up a friendship with her neighbor and, through this friendship, slowly begins to open up and is starts to face her trauma. It helps that this neighbor is a cute skater boy who will sometimes turn into a zombie.

This book was not at all what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it anyway! The Undead Truth of Us isn't your run-of-the-mill zombie novel, nor is it the typical girl-meets-boy story. At its core, it's a story about loss, grief and finding your way back to the surface after you've been drowning in pain for so long.

I appreciated the twist on the zombie genre and look forward to reading more from this author!

There was a time in my life when I was obsessed with zombies. They shamble around, don't say much, and like to eat human flesh. It was my ideal person until I realized that they probably smell rotten. My views changed after that. With all of that being said, this book had everything to catch my attention. It also has things to catch readers' attention who don't read in this genre. I'm glad that I got a chance to read this.

After reading a few pages, I knew where this was going with the zombies. It kind of took away from the story a little bit but not enough to deter me. I was in this to the very end. The zombies added a nice touch to a strong storyline. In moments of uncertainty, they would pop into the story and make it that much stronger. It really made me more interested to see where things go.

This was really good. The storyline was really unique and nothing like I have read before. I loved that about this book. I also found myself really enjoying how Zharie dealt with some tough life situations. She could have gone the really immature route but she was stronger than I would have been. Here's where I got kind of turned off, Zharie didn't stick out as a main character. She was written as a typical ya character and that sucks because her character was stronger than that. That really bummed me out.

The Undead Truth of Us was a great story. I loved the storyline of Zharie learning to grow without her supportive Mother, the sudden appearance of zombies, and her neighbor love interest. It all made for an emotional read. One I highly recommend.

Came in for the zombies, got struck by the grief, won by the prose!

💙 What I loved most about this book was its portrayal of grief and how it manifests in so many ways. We get ups and downs, we get beautiful sweet moments, harsh reality jutting in-between jokes and most importantly, the lyrical way in which this book is written.

💙 I alternated between reading this book in huge chunks, getting so hit in the face with emotions and then not reading it all, to picking it up again and - tadaaa!

💙 I loved the dynamic between Zharie (what a beautiful name!) and Bo. It was super cute, super real at times and overall, just not within the usual bounds of a romantic relationship. That bangs.

💙 I might not have read much of horror, but I haven't read anything quite like this either. And I mean that in a good way! Reading this book felt like I've grown up with these characters, and know of what particular dish their homes remind me of.

💙 Recommended for everyone who like their chai with a little of gur and a little of rain ✨

Thank you Netgalley and author for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

2.25/5
I had really high hopes for this book. The premise was good, the cover is the most beautiful thing I ever saw and yet somehow the story fell flat on me. I understand that I am not the target audience for this book, but from the way I heard people talking i expected more. Since the beginning I knew how the book is going to end, the love interest and the mc didn't have any chemistry and the romance was too fast paced, all the 'drama' was just stupid and the way grief was described was poor (and grief was supposed to be the main thing in the book). Overall I don't view the book negatively, just only poorly executed and very primitive. I found myself bored in many places.

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I read the synopsis for this, but I'm really happy I got the chance to read it! When I tell y'all that this is one of the most artistic pieces of work I've ever read, I'm not lying. It's so lyrical and creative, and it was super easy to visualize a lot of what the narrator was seeing. The juxtaposition between the gruesomeness of the zombies and the bright, swirling colors around her was so freaking beautiful. The way the author Britney S. Lewis tackled grief throughout the book really makes it easy to resonate with -- how complex it is, how different it affects everyone (which leads to different ways of dealing with it), and how one may find pockets of relief where they may least expect it?

Truly a beautiful work. Keep an eye out for this when it gets released into the world in August!

Overall rating: 4.5

The Undead Truth of Us. You come for the Zombies, you stay for the fantastic story. Lewis draws you into Zharie’s world and you are hooked. How the author approaches relationships, grief and the world through Zharie’s eyes was refreshing and so well written. You will not want to put this book down. I felt so much while reading and loved every second. Have. Tissues. Ready. Cannot wait for more from Britney S Lewis

What would you do if you suddenly started seeing zombies around every corner? In The Undead Truth of Us, we follow Zharie as she starts seeing the undead while grieving her mother’s death. Lewis did an amazing job at giving us fully fleshed characters with complex fears and hopes. I absolutely loved the imagery, body horror, and pangs of heartache that hit multiple times during this story. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time to come. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4536001056
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3fd3637c-23f8-43db-a54a-7ad0b04d024a

I was skeptical about this book at first, I’m not going to lie- but I am so thankful I got it! I really loved the references the author put in, and how well it felt like you got to know them. I had felt myself pulling away from YA and this book roped me back in. Despite heavier themes, you leave feeling good.

I went into this expecting horror, but I thought it was more a contemporary with horror elements! I loved the descriptions, and the way the author had this character see the world. It was very beautiful. While it wasn't what I expected, I did end up enjoying it a lot.

What a surreal and gorgeous way of exploring grief! Though there were times I didn't exactly know what was happening, the emotional impact of this book connected me to Zharie. As someone who has dealt with the grief of her mother, this was a unique exploration and I also thought it did great with exploring secondary grief. The prose was beautiful as well! I can't wait to read more from Britney!

Zharie Young sees dead people. Actually, undead people. Well, technically, she's pretty sure they're alive people who only seem undead in flashes, because maybe it's all in her head. But then again...maybe they're after her brains. Regardless of whether they're real or not, ever since her mother's untimely death, Zharie can't escape the zombies.

I loved the primary concept of this book, and the line it walked between magical realism and light horror. Zombies are almost always a metaphor, and having the main character see other people's pain manifested as their zombification was effective and interesting. I think a lot of teens could connect to Zharie's struggle and would enjoy the friendships and romance in the novel, For me, personally, there was a bit too much going on in the novel -- for instance, I liked the zombie angle, but felt that the additional layer of seeing the world like a Van Gogh painting and thinking in colors didn't quite mesh with it, and the core story of her struggle with her own grief seemed a little muddled for me by the added drama with different friend groups. I'd still recommend it to some of my zombie-loving students.