I really liked this! i read it in two days, and I thought I wouldn't like the zombie apocalypse vibe but I really did.

DNF 40%
Couldn’t get into it. Often my issue with YA. The stories never suck you in. You’re just thrown in this world and expected to already be into the characters and setting. The characters never seem to have much personality. It’s very tell not show. Zoey spends so much time getting flustered by Celeste and not enough time being her own person. The only interesting thing is the backstory to how the friend group became Hollows. That’s where some of their pst experiences makeup who they are as a character. Wish that wasn’t only showed in the past though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

This book is a good example of an author who uses their imagination to come up with a new kind of monster. Because the Hollowed are not quite vampires, not quite werewolves, but something original between those two.

The relationships between the four main characters are outstanding as each is different from the next yet they all share the curse of being a Hollow, someone who needs human flesh and blood to live. While this does make them "monsters" they are also very normal girls.

I love the whole twisty aspects near the end. The betrayal from a certain male character surprised me and I never saw that coming!

I would definitely recommend this book to horror fans.

I'm ready to call Kayla Cottingham the queen of YA Sapphic horror. Once again, they hit it out of the park with another campy but captivating horror novel with "bite". This Delicious Death is glorious and fun, possessing a beautiful found family trope and a wide variety of lovable characters. I an't wait to see what they write next!

This book was cute! It ended up being a little more juvenile than I was expecting but it kept me intrigued. I liked the friendship between the main characters and the plot twist. Will definitely recommend this book to teens who like zombies and vampires!

Honestly, I didn't care what this book was about. I was going to read it anyway based on the cover and title - GLORIOUS!! That being said, I wasn't disappointed with this fun and gruesome read.

THIS DELICIOUS DEATH focuses on a group of friends as they travel to a music festival. Sounds fun, right? Sure, but this friend group happens to be infected with a virus that makes them eat human flesh. NOM. NOM. NOM. Things go awry when the girls realize the festival is filled with hunters of their kind. It's kill or be killed. Eat or be eaten.

This book was SO MUCH FUN! It has gory bits, horrific suspense, queer romance, and really funny moments. It's a fast read. The pacing is great, consistently propelling the readers forward even when there's a flashback. The queer representation in this novel is stellar. If you're not a fan of romantic elements, I would say to still give this book a try because it doesn't overpower the horror or tension.

Five big stars for this delicious read!

As a fan of young adult horror, I jumped on this book immediately. I would describe This Delicious Death as a sapphic mix of Jennifer's Body and Coachella.

An event called the Hollowing took place three years ago and exposed the population to a pathogen that caused them to undergo a terrifying transformation. People affected by this pathogen became unable to eat normal food and were only able to eat human flesh. Gross, right?

Fast forward to now, humanity has returned to a somewhat normal state. Ghouls (people affected by the Hollowing) are now able to get their sustenance by eating synthetic human flesh called SynFlesh. Four ghoul teens, Zoey, Celeste, Val, and Jasmine, pack their bags and head to a festival in Southern California. The first day of the festival, Val ends up going feral for an unknown reason and kills and eats a boy. Things start to unravel, and someone starts drugging the ghouls to make them become feral. The girls must figure out how to catch the culprit and save their friend.

This is a horror novel, but there is a lot of romance sprinkled in. My favorite thing about this book was the relationship and chemistry between Zoey and Celeste. The queer representation is great- Zoey is bi and Celeste is trans and bi. My least favorite thing about this book is the pacing. It started out very strong, but towards the middle I think things started to get a little muddled. I grew less interested, and it seemed to take awhile for the story to ramp up. In the end, it was still an enjoyable read that I think many horror lovers will be interested in.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Going in, I didn’t realize this was a YA novel- though that only made me love it more. What I wouldn’t have done for a book like this growing up.
Deliciously queer friendly and frightful, with a trans main love interest, where most of the people being eaten are villainous men, This Delicious Death is not to be missed!

I devoured this book (pun intended?) It had everything I could want: ghouls, girls turning into monsters and eating boys, a queer friend group, and a little romance. The pacing was easy to read (not too fast or too slow) and I felt engaged the whole time! It felt very summery since the story takes place at a music festival but also dark because of the horror elements. It’s definitely a little gory but not too over the top. My only real issue with this book is that there’s a LOT of underage drinking. It also resolves pretty quickly at the end, but that was fine for me because the book didn’t drag at all. I’m going to be recommending this one a bunch! (4.5 rounded up)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC to review!

I found this to be original and well written with plenty of action and drama. I guess I just wasn't as captivated as I was with My Dearest Darkest which was a five star read for me. This would appeal to readers who enjoy both a zombie-ish adventure as well as a teen lgbtqia relationship tale. Overall, a good read but not an amazing read.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for sharing an digital ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

This Delicous Death by Kayla Cottingham revolves around four best friends on a musical festival. What can go wrong, right? Well, everything. Those four best friends are living Ghouls, who live off SynFlesh so they would not feral and kill everything around them. Guess what happens on the first night right away?

This story was such a fun and suspensful novel. The world building and the backstory of the virus is so interesting and captured me right away. The characters were absolutely loveable right away from the beginning and of course the diverse representation was on point. This masterpiece was right up my ally and I do hope to read more very soon.

WOW! I was NOT expecting this book to be so deliciously good!

I loved the originality of the plot, the friends, the synflesh, everything. This writer is going to be so hot in the future.
The characters are relatable in a high school girl way, and the plot....LOVED IT!

I especially hope that the author does a prequel of the Hollowing and publishes it soon.

If you want a great Horror/Comedy/Zombie book, READ THIS BOOK TODAY! You won't regret it.

This Delicious Death was fantastic. I went into this book knowing very little and was blown away by how awesome it was. The writing style is just off the charts. I loved how there was a little blurb at the beginning of each chapter, it gives more background into what happened without having to rehash the previous events. The characters were perfect, I especially loved Zoey and Celeste. The plot was thrilling and even pretty mysterious at times. I loved it and can't wait to read more by this author.

When some girls ghouls head to a music festival with a cooler full of (synthetic) human flesh what could possibly go wrong? Zoey, Valeria, Celeste, and Jasmine meet a boy band, devour a member of the boy band, and discover a feral ghoul variant in short order. I thought this was an excellent read with well developed characters, complex relationships, and an engaging plot. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments to balance some of the gore and horror elements that come along with light cannibalism. The flashback scenes to the Hollowing that give deeper insight into each of the girl's experiences becoming ghouls were excellent for character development and I loved the representation and romances. Perfect for fans of zombie apocalypse books who want to know what happens when the world stops being so apocalyptic.

This Delicious Death is such a unique and well-written story that reflects our current times without seeming to hit too close to home. The story follows a group of 4 friends as they go to a music festival in the desert and mysteries pop up behind wherever they go. Although there is a definite main character, the three other girls are not second thoughts and their backstories are weaved in beautifully. The flashbacks of each of the girls’ lives really help to explain the Hallowing and it’s effects. The main character being a bisexual disaster who is falling for her best friend but also crushing on the sweet boy who shows her attention is so wholesome to see. And one of the girls’ being trans and having that be a normal part of the story is truly refreshing. Not every queer story needs to be trauma filled and this is a perfect example of that. This Delicious Death is a brilliant contemporary hodgepodge of mystery, science fiction, and romance.

You include "sapphic horror" and "Kayla Cottingham" in a book blurb, of course I am going to read it. I love their writing and I am so glad I was able to access their book early! This is definitely one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 and it didn't disappoint! As someone incredibly afraid of zombies, I found this book and its take on zombies really interesting. If you are a fan of Warm Bodies but wish it had more WLW, this is the book for you!

This book has the perfect mixture of horror and humor. It will keep you laughing and on the edge of your seat the entire book.

Is it weird to say that this book was really fun and would be a great summer horror read? I liked how the flashbacks and information on The Hollowing was presented.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Zoey, Celeste, Jasmine, and Valeria are recent high school graduates who underwent the Hallowing a couple years ago - an illness which requires people to eat human flesh. It’s unknown exactly where the illness came from but Hallows, or ghouls, literally cannot eat anything but human flesh. Luckily, Syn-Flesh was discovered as an alternative to murder, but ghouls are still social outcast for the most part, even though they are allowed to live among normal humans.

The girls decide to go to a music festival since things are finally back to normal for the most part. However, at the festival, Valeria starts to loose control of her appetite for an unknown reason, with disastrous consequences.

The story is told primarily from Zoey’s perspective, with a few flashbacks.

I liked this a lot more than I expected. I had very low expectations because it seemed like it could be a cheesy and not well written books, but it was a good read. There was diversity, romance, and cannibalism, what more do you need in a story?!