Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this title!

I was really into the premise of this, and I found it really interesting in the beginning. I liked the setup and the characters that the story was setting up, and I also really enjoyed the little bits of history and lore that were sprinkled in at the beginnings of the chapters.

Unfortunately, for me the book overall ended up being just okay. I was really excited to read it but towards the end found myself skimming more than reading because I wanted to be done. It felt like this plot and idea had SO much potential but it didn't really go anywhere very interesting, in my opinion.

It also felt all over the place tonally. There were moments when it was supposed to be tense or suspenseful and it would be broken immediately by out of place banter or flirting and it felt kind of like it didn't know what it wanted to be doing.

It didn't quite hit the mark for me, but I can definitely see teens being really into this (I will definitely be able to pitch this with "sapphic" "ghouls" "cannibalism" "trans girl love interest" with no problem at all), and that's great, since it's written for teens!

This is unlike any story I have read before and I loved every moment of it! It had everything I love in a story and more! It was fun to read and kept me guessing until the end.

This Delicious Death
by Kayla Cottingham
YA Fantasy Zombie
NetGalley ARC


Zoey and her three friends are ghouls, four of the small percentage of people who were transformed three years ago during what is called the Hollowing, into human flesh-eating monsters, but if they eat the synthetic version of human flesh the scientists created regularly, they are able to mingle with humans without tearing off a snack.

The summer after their high school graduation, the four friends go out into the desert for a musical festival, but that first night one of the friends kills and eats a boy. Come morning they find out that that boy wasn't the only one who disappeared. Realizing that if they don't figure out what is making the ghouls go feral, no one at the festival may get out alive.

It's not a bad story, true to life as it can be with zombies, (ghouls), and the teenage girls all had different personalities, and sometimes blur together along the edges as best friends often do. But the minor characters, including the boys who caught their interest, weren't as well developed, instead lumped together into the typical troupe of young rock stardom-dreaming males. Of the four boys, only two seemed a little different, though a third sticks out for another reason.

But my main issue was the short time frame of a few months for the synthetic meat to be created and for the non-affected humans to accept and welcome back those who became ghouls, who killed and ate other humans, including family members. For some reason, I feel that it should've been a lot longer before they were accepted back. And the book's title really doesn't fit the story very well.

The only thing questionable is teenage drinking, but I think readers as young as twelve would enjoy this story, as there's no descriptive sex or violence.

3 Stars

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at 38%. I really wanted to enjoy it, but the pacing was too slow for me. This may also be a me problem, but I was having a hard time suspending my beliefs to allow me to grasp the plot. I just kept finding plotholes and no amount of sapphic side plot was going to keep me engaged.

Kayla Cottingham writes FUN horror, even though her novels don't shy away from dealing with intense issues like homophobia and other forms of hatred, violence, and discrimination. I loved the dynamic between the main 4 girls here, and I appreciated the world and the parallels between their 'plague' and many real-life analogues that could be drawn. The perfect summer read!

A delicious YA that was witty and an absolute fun read. Loved the representation. A super quick novel that left me laughing but with a slightly upset stomachs.
Thank you Netgalley for this arc

Thought this was a really fun YA read.
Loved the representation for LGBTQ+, loved the whole concept and the funny tones. The characters were likable even if the romance did feel rushed but I see that as a normal thing in young adult novels!
Cute read, 3.5 stars!
Thanks to the publisher to the ARC!

I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. If I read the description I don’t know if I would have picked it up but I really loved it! It was a fun read that kept me entertained throughout. I flew through it and really enjoyed my entire time reading it. I think some people may be dissuaded from it because they think it’s super scary or disturbing but it really wasn’t! I also loved the ties of the pandemic in the book to Covid! It was so interesting and made me think about society and how they would handle a situation like that. I overall really enjoyed the book and would recommended it to people who would be into a sort of sci-fi story set in present day society.

for a YA book, this was pretty damn good. the queer representation is amazing, and it is an easy, quick read.

the hollowing took place a few years ago, when a virus ripped through the world and turned some human beings into ghouls who must eat human flesh to survive. zoey and her best friend celeste have always had a hint of romance between them, but they work better as friends. when zoey, celeste, and the other girls go to a music festival for the weekend, shit starts to go haywire with the hollowed.

flashbacks at the beginning of each chapter gradually lead you into understanding the events leading up to this gore filled weekend. there are great details here on how the ghouls survive on synthetic meat. if i was younger, i would have been all over this book. this is the kind of queer/trans representation we need.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.
The cover of the book grabbed me since I love horror/thrillers. This was quite different than my usual thought I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a quick read too! It does have lots of trigger warnings which was great for the author to do at the beginning of the book so if anyone has concerns they can decide whether to read it or not. Definitely recommend to any horror lovers out there!!

Thank you NetGalley , Kayla Cottingham and sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy of “This Delicious Death” due to be published April 25 2023.

Two years ago a small number of the population underwent a transformation known as the Hollowing. Those affected could only survive if they consumed human flesh. Four friends want to live out graduation on a high note so they go to a music festival and one of the friends become feral and kills someone. Soon more music guests start disappearing was it Val? Or is someone hunting the Hallows? Must read on to find out.

It was a super fun , sad and romantic read that I’ll remember for a long time. Highly recommend this one !

The idea behind this book is genius and super interesting. The only feedback I have is that the romance felt a little rushed towards the end of the book. I would have liked more from Zoey and Celeste in the end.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this fresh take on the Zombie genre that felt fresh in the age of covid and queer teens feeling "other". Zoey and her friends were a found family of girls that found each other when no one wanted them around. The singular thing I would critique was I thought the reveal of who and why the band was causing the Ghouls to go crazy could have been more fleshed out in the end.

Val/Jasmine spin-off when?

Not what I was expecting at all. I was expecting more of the prequel to this book and I was thrown in to so many details at once

Would have loved the lead up

[Digital ARC provided via NetGalley]

I got the email about this ARC being available and skimmed the description, only seeing what sounded like something zombieish, and since it's Zombruary (my favourite reading month) knew I was going to have to grab it immediately.

There's a long list of content warnings at the very beginning, and I suggest you heed them. There is gore. A lot of it. Not in, like, a gratuitous way, but when you're talking about people eating other people, shit will likely get at least a little bit messy. Which this did. In a good way!

Our main POV character is 18y/o Zoey, a newly graduated "disaster bi," who's heading out to the desert for a long weekend with her fellow flesh-eating friends for a Coachella analogue.

Zoey and her pals were infected two years ago during the Hollowing, an event that left a significant percentage of the population with a hankering for the flesh of their friends and families, but it's mostly under control with the creation of synthetic human organs.

Until it isn't. And suddenly the fun girls'weekend isn't so fun for the ghouls, or anyone else attending the festival.

This Delicious Death moved along at a brisk pace, and I was never really bored; Ieven told one of my kids that I really thought they'd like this, too.

Unfortunately, the ending was a little too brisk. It kind of felt like I was still just noodling along for more than ¾ of the book, and then BAM it was over and resolved and all tied up in a neat little bow. It was also telegraphed V E R Y early on what was going to happen and who was at fault.

I did still enjoy it, though, and have every intention of reading Kayla Cottingham's debut novel, as well as whatever else they write in the future. I also know a handful of people I'll be personally recommending this to.

Will you like it? If a super gay comedy horror mystery sounds like your jam, then yes! Get this for your summer reading immediately.

A bloody master piece that was fantastic in a terrifying way. I enjoyed reading this book, as much as a cannibal enjoys eating. It was a ride full of horror, mystery and that hint of romance. Definitely would recommend this book.

UGH THIS WAS SO GOOD. I was watching The Last of Us and craving a zombie book when I remembered my e-arc of this and flew through it. The world building around this zombie pandemic was very impressively well-explained for such a short book, I loved the little mini mixed-media elements.

The queer rep in this book is amazing, Bisexual main character, trans love interest, and lots more queer side characters! Great pining and romance.

AND THE ZOMBIE STUFF! Truly satisfied my craving (ha) and Kayla Cottingham is now officially an auto-buy author!

4.5 Glam Ghoul stars!

Who knew cannibalism could be so fun!?

A couple years after “The Hollowing” (aka the ghoul apocalypse), Zoey and her friends Celeste, Jasmine, and Valeria, are packing up their synflesh and hitting the road, heading to their first music festival since they developed a taste for humans.

Things are going well, until Valeria goes full on feral and eats a guy. Then, like true ride or dies, the girls dump the body and get into Nancy Drew mode to figure out what caused Valeria to get hangry and chow down.

While investigating they stumble upon evidence that someone is purposely making ghouls turn feral and hear rumors that other festival attendees and staff are going missing. Now they must find the culprit before things turn into a whole new kind of Fyre Fest.

The representation was fabulous.
The characters were all multi-layered and not two dimensional.
The dialogue was snarky.
The plot was twisty.
The setting was unique and gave me some nostalgia from my Bonnaroo days.
What more could you want!?

This was hilarious, sapphic, campy, gory, and adorable all at once and I suggest everyone go read it!

Check it out, when it hits shelves, 4/25/23!
A big thanks to the Publisher & NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Euphoria minus drugs plus the apocalypse. A group of four teenagers who became cannibals after a virus swept the human race are trying to get back to normal life. With their synthetic human organs for food in hand, they make their way to the desert for a music festival. Suddenly one of the friends goes feral and the group tries to figure out why. This one was action packed and I loved it.

I really liked the characters and their relationships. Kept me guessing. I did enjoy the whole world and it reminded me of the pandemic meets zombies in a fun and fresh way. I would recommend this YA novel. It’s a fun read.