A sharp, quick novel full of lovely horror and gore but with a fun almost sci-fi like twist. This was something so new and unique I had to pick up the ARC when it came into work and im so glad I did.

Actual rating of 4.5

Three years ago, The Hollowing happened. Melting permafrost in the arctic released a pathogen that infected humans, turning them into ghouls who could only survive off of eating human flesh. The government were able to engineer a synthetic flesh, and humanity slowly started to go back to normal, though there are still prejudice.
Zoe, Jas, Vera & Cassie are four friends living in California - they also happen to be ghouls. For one last hurrah before graduation, they're attending the Desert Bloom festival, armed with Seltzer and Synflesh, they're ready to party. Things are not as they seem out in the desert however, on the first night, Val goes feral, killing a boy. Soon other party goers begin to disappear. The friends realise that there is someone out there drugging ghouls and causing them to go feral. If they don't figure out who it is and why they're doing it, their freedom and lives will most likely be cut very short.

I have had this book sitting on my kindle for literally years, and it's another book that I ploughed through in 24 hours. I listened to it on audio as I signed up to Libby and this book popped up in the horror section available to borrow right now so I figured why not kill two birds with one stone. I've only really gotten into audiobooks in the last 12 months. It took me a little bit to get used to the format, but now that I'm there, I am living for it. I'm actually a bit mad that I waited so long to read this one because it was honestly a great story.

First up, I loved the idea of a book about ghouls. We've had zombie stories galore, but ghouls? Not so much. So, the fact that we were following the story of these characters, AFTER they'd been turned into ghouls, I freaking loved that. I loved how we learned about the Hollowing throughout the entire story, from the POVs of one of the girls at a time. We got to learn more about what actually happened, and where each of our main characters were during that time, as well as how it affected them, how they turned and what went down. This was all delivered in a drip feed way which is fantastic because no one likes an info dump. The trickle allowed for me to wrap my brain around everything and keep up with the story as well. I also felt that this way of doing it was fantastic because we got to learn more about the four main girls as we went, we got to know them on a deeper level, their home lives, their family's reactions and how they all dealt with it. I also love that Cottingham didn't pull any punches, there was descriptive gore in this and it was done well and not just for shock factor.

One thing I absolutely LOVED about this book is that it's LGBTQ+ inclusive and the rep is done so well. I also loved that the prejudice that some people have was illustrated so heavily through the ghoul aspect. The way that Zoe's mother treated her after she had turned was very reminiscent of some stories that I've heard about when people have come out to their family. Treating them like a monster, not wanting them in the house, that sort of thing. I absolutely loved how Cottingham illustrated the hate and ridicule that the LGBTQ+ community are dealing with on a daily basis through the story of Ghouls. The fact was, yes, most of the people who had turned to Ghouls had taken at least one life, but at the end of the day, they're still human and they have remorse, they didn't WANT to take a life, but their instincts told them to. They're not monsters, they're normal humans, they just eat different stuff. The fear and the isolation, the prejudice, the hate, it was all so well illustrated, and I could tell that this wasn't JUST about ghouls, this to me was sending a deeper message about the world as a whole, and I love that it was able to be shown in such a poignant and strong way through this story.

The story itself was a riveting one. I had the culprit picked from virtually word go. It was someone else but changed shortly after their introduction. I couldn't even tell you why I suspected them. Though I was surprised by one revelation a bit later in the story before everything came out into the open. I did find Zoe's pining a little bit over the top though. Her crush on Celeste was cute and I was here for it, but the constant inner monologue about it became a bit tiresome and over the top. I loved the character relationships, and I really enjoyed the character of Cole. I loved the backstory for every character, and I also adored how the four girls were essentially from different cliques if you will. But they were brought together by their shared affliction and the fear and reality of being ostracised and judged.

All in all, this was a fun read that I absolutely powered through. I loved the message throughout the whole story and how much the feelings of prejudice were at the forefront of it. The characters were all fun and I loved all of them. The story kept me needing to know more, and the audio narration was fantastic. I'll definitely be checking out more from Cottingham! If you want a story that has a great story, fantastic characters, a strong message and something different, give this one a go!

Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine appear to be your typical teenagers celebrating their upcoming high school graduation by attending a music festival in the desert. This group of four, however, are ghouls, part of the small percentage of the population affected by the Hollowing. Those affected were only able to survive by eating human flesh, but thankfully scientists found a way to create synthetic flesh (Synflesh) for them to eat. As a whole, society isn't sure how it really feels about ghouls, but these girls intend on being their best selves and come prepared with a cooler full of alcohol and Synflesh ready for some fun. On their first night, for some unexplained reason, Valeria goes feral and kills/eats one guy from a band. Knowing that there had to have been a reason, the girls are questioning everything around them. Once more guests begin disappearing, it's obvious that ghouls are being targeted. It's up to the girls to figure out exactly what is happening so they can stop it and make it home from the festival.

Reading the description, you might think zombie apocalypse, but it is so much better than that. 4 out of 5 stars.

This Delicious Death
by Kayla Cottingham

From the New York Times bestselling author of My Dearest Darkest comes another incredible sapphic horror. When four best friends with a hunger for human flesh attend a music festival in the desert they discover a murderous plot to expose and vilify the girls and everyone like them. This summer is going to get gory.

I couldn't get into this book. The gore and even just the thought of people with a hunger for human flesh really was off-putting.

I own this and intend to read it in the future I'm just clearing this off my board to reduce stress. I will update when I read/review.

these type of books always make feel weird I wanted to love it but i do not know what was that I couldn't get there but I was entretenido

Unique and super fun story line. I love the juxtaposition of a pretty serious and dark concept with humor and wit.

Campy and fun, one of my favorite reads of 2023. I can't recommend This Delicious Death enough. It has something for every horror fan 👻 I hope to see more from Kayla Cottingham soon

A sharp, fast-paced horror that gives “besties who slay boys together, stay together”. The writing and teenage crush angst weren’t for me but sometimes that is the nature of YA. Check the trigger warnings before reading!

3.75/5

Listen. I love me a dystopian/end of the world/pandemic read. This one was just that.

I really like the premise of the book but some parts seemed drug out when I really wanted antes them to get to the point. Books like this should be quick paced and keeping you guessing.

I found much to admire and enjoy here, and although I ultimately didn't really enjoy the book, I think it was a case of 'it's not you, it's me'.

A group of four friends, who are teenage zombies (think more of iZombie, and not The Walking Dead), who are going to a music festival for the first time on their own before they go to college. It's the first time any of them have traveled alone like this and they are excited for the freedom and the ability to spend time together.
However, because it's a music festival things don't go exactly how they expected. As people start to go missing, and one of the girls is acting weird they realize something else is going on and they need to figure it out.

Overall this book was fun. I ended up reading most of it in one evening, and stayed up to finish it. The characters were so fun, and I loved seeing all of the different POVs when it came to how the hollowing started and what they went through. The banter between the characters was so nice and felt real for a change, they were supportive of one another, it was just a good group of friends which we don't always see in books.
Now of the more mysterious side of it, I was not expecting that. I didn't really know what to expect but it wasn't that. The mystery part of it was a bit shocking because I was not expecting that person to be involved in it, and to have such inside knowledge on what was happening and why.

This was a fun and quick book to read during the spooky season.

I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this and this was fun! Great representation, great relationships, fun banter. I liked the flashbacks to everyone's POVs of the Hollowing and shortly after. No explanation of why the Hollowing happened though. But a fun, creepy zombie horror!

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This is the teenage zombie thriller I never knew I needed. But the zombies are like the ones in Disney's Zombies franchise, perfectly docile as long as they have access to fabricated organs, otherwise known as synflesh. And much like the first movie, not everyone is on board with zombies being integrated with humans.

Our female teenage zombie protagonists are spending a weekend at a music festival in the desert. Everything was going fine until it wasn't and they have to figure out what's going on before it's too late.

This story gripped me from the beginning. I was intrigued by the zombie mechanics, and the romantic tension building between two of them. It was a lot of will they or won't they, and I never felt sure which way they would go. This book reminded me of how much I enjoyed YA thrillers, and for that reason it gets 4.9732 out of 5 stars.

I think the POVs were just a bit too young for me, so I found a lot of the dialogue unnatural, like checking boxes off of a social progress to-do list, instead of genuine character-building. It’s a gory, completely unserious exploration of “other-ism.” The romance elements and personal drama seemed contrived and dragged the pacing down, and the plot suffered from an inconsistent focus. But the last 20% really hit the gas.

This book is very gory, and includes a warning from the author, so if that's not your jam, I would avoid this. I enjoyed this read quite a bit!

I loved the romance! they understood each and could be themselves together. The chemistry between them was amazing! I also loved the slow-burn and the sexual tension between the main characters. There were several scenes that made me blush and smile so much. The writing is beautiful and descriptive. I honestly felt like I was living in the world with the characters. I felt so many emotions while reading this book, I cried, I laughed and I smiled. This book will stay in my heart for a long time.

Review is at end of the video

This was my favorite book of the year at the time I finished it. I was buddy reading it so I didn't get to finish it as soon as I wanted to, but I DEVOURED the first half. Second half was good for the most part, I think I just had some issues with the main characters beating around the bush lol. Just kiss already.

This book brought me back to my high school years of Twilight. This book had me entertained and attention throughout. It was the perfect roadtrip listen. It does have trigger warnings and is YA book. This had so much adventure and thrill of what was going to happen. I absolutely enjoyed the ending so much!

Would I recommend? Yes, if you like sci-fi paranormal and are okay with the triggers you may enjoy this one!

Full of ghouls, gore and queer representation, “This Delicious Death” was a darkly humorous take on zombies and how to deal with prejudice.

It follows four best friends at a music festival in the desert. Their first big outing since they’ve begun craving human flesh and their last before graduation. They’re ghouls who have been reintegrated into society following the creation of synthetic human meat (SynFlesh). On the first night of the festival, Val ends up killing and eating a member of an indie band. Something has been causing some of the ghouls to go feral, and the friends are hell bent on figuring out what is going on before the human festival goers become the ghouls next meal.

Possibly my favorite dystopian novel of 2023, this book was campy, sapphic and the quick pace of the plot kept me reading through in one sitting.