Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing and to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Summer I Ate the Rich is a horror-adjacent YA novel that blends Haitian zonbi folklore with American capitalism. Brielle, a teenage Haitian-American zonbi, decides to take revenge on the rich people that have harmed her family by using her food to gain influence with them.


I think I am actually at a loss for words of what to say about this book. The premise is interesting and I learned some things about Haitian folklore and culture that I genuinely plan to do more research on or reading into. However, the first chapter really promises something that the book does not deliver on, it gives a really visceral and gorey scene that you realize is just related to cooking and the rest of the book reads more of a coming of age story and a journey of self-discovery. This book did not want to go too deep into horror (which I somewhat get as a YA novel) but I think the description/marketing does it a disservice of what the reader can actually expect. This book is not quite horror but not quite not horror either. Maybe this would have worked more for me if the title was changed to something less graphic to match the content, and the title does feel a little bit like pandering to the internet/TikTok crowd. But I did enjoy parts of it and ended up finishing it in two days.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing an advanced copy for an honest review.

This one hooked me right from the start. Set in Miami, it follows Brielle, a Haitian-American teen who’s not only a private chef for rich clients—she’s also a zonbi with a pretty unusual craving. She’s just trying to take care of her sick mom, but her powers start pointing her toward something much bigger: a twisted, high-stakes revenge mission against the ultra-wealthy.

What makes it so cool is how it blends horror, fantasy, and social commentary in a way that feels super fresh. Brielle’s voice is bold and real, and even when the pacing slows a bit, she keeps the story alive. The tension with one of the Banks kids (a rich family connected to her past) adds an extra layer, and the way it balances romance, justice, and supernatural elements is really satisfying.

Final thoughts: If you’re into stories with sharp edges, cultural roots, and a little gore with your social justice, this one’s for you. It’s fierce, unexpected, and totally worth the read.

Horror and Haitian folklore thrive in this gem. Seventeen-year-old Haitian-American Brielle is an aspiring chef and zombie that struggles to tame her cravings for human flesh. She struggles to care for her mother, who suffers from fibromyalgia, and her mother works for a selfish, rich family. When Brielle gets an internship with Miami’s most powerful family, it alleviates her financial burdens – but Brielle finds she can use her supernatural abilities to get revenge through her cooking. I really liked the mix of folklore with romance and suspense. You see how Brielle deals with microaggressions and how she handles them. A fun read.

2 stars

This book was so immensely disappointing. The main characters motivations rarely aligned with her actions, the other characters were so flat, the convenient plot lines were head-ache inducing, and the ending....

The premise was so interested and unfortunately wasted.

Had a blast with this one. I love how the origins of zombies was at the basis of this book, rooting them in their cultural context. It really made the book stick out to me in the genre, and I can't wait to see more Haitian authors writing in the space (and in general!)

The Summer I Ate the Rich is a book that addresses the falsity of the American Dream. Brielle is a character that you will want to follow. I was very intrigued by the mystery of the past of Brielle's family, and I hope more readers pick up this book!

*Note: I did not finish this book.

I may be biased but I love everything that Maika and Maritza write. It was so fun seeing zonbi lore in a mainstream novel and I can’t wait to see more from this duo.

The Summer I Ate the Rich is sharp, twisted, and honestly pretty addictive. Brielle is such a believable character—you get why she makes the choices she does, even when they’re horrifying. The story does a great job showing how desperation and inequality can push someone past every line they thought they’d never cross.

The mix of horror and social commentary works really well. It’s got this simmering tension the whole way through, and the Haitian folklore elements give it a unique flavor (no pun intended). You’ll definitely find yourself torn between rooting for Brielle and cringing at what she’s doing.

Overall, it’s clever, dark, and doesn’t pull any punches. If you like your thrillers with a side of satire and just enough horror to make you squirm, this one’s worth picking up.

This is a smart, fun, and sharply observed YA novel that manages to weave in big ideas without ever losing its vibe. It's not as much horror as I was expecting but if you aren't going in with expectations, it's a good read! The voice is vibrant, the plot breezy, but there’s an edge underneath—class, identity, the performance of social media. I devoured it in a weekend and immediately wanted to text it to my younger cousins. I'm always an advocate for eating the rich.

"A bone-chilling modern horror about a Haitian American girl who uses her previously hidden zombie abilities to enact revenge on the wealthy elites who’ve caused her family pain."

The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika and Maritza Moulite was pretty good, though the writing was a little rough in places. I definitely see potential in these authors and look forward to more from them.

Packed with sharp twists and relentless tension, this thriller is a masterclass in suspense. The pacing is pitch-perfect, keeping you breathless without ever feeling rushed. Its characters are vividly drawn, their secrets as gripping as the plot itself. A chilling, expertly told story that lingers long after the final page.

This was a fun, YA horror that feels very timely.

I appreciated the look into Haitian culture and lore, the intermissions given by The Muses, and the authors presenting the realities of being poor/immigrant/chronically ill in America. I'd have liked more focus on the cultural aspects, and learning more about the history behind the zonbi. I think that part really intrigued me but we didn't get enough of it in the book to make zonbi Brielle much different than a regular teenager.

It is VERY much a YA novel. The MC is about to be a senior, but the tone feels much younger. Though about cannibalism there is very little gore, and though there is a budding teenage romance there is nothing more than kissing. Nothing wrong with that, I'm just used to more graphic YA horror.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

*2.5 stars

So the idea of this book was REALLY interesting.... but apart from that.... just nooooooo.

Things I liked:
-Liked the sisters as a Greek Chorus between chapters.
-Liked the mystical quality of the main character's love story.
-Liked all the Haitian lore and food.

Things I didn't like:
-the main character.... her maturity level fluctuated during the story and it was so hard to grasp it for me.
-the relationship between her and Preston... I'm sorry what?!?! So not necessary and their HEA didn't make sense.
-the ending.... is it a series? It ended so weird to me!

Overall the idea was so cool, but the story just didn't appeal to me and I kinda wish I had DNF...

This was a wild ride of a book. I was not expecting in a book about zonbi's and secrets and eating the rich to be most entranced by the protagonist's cutthroat and calculating inner dialogue. If you love self indulgent stories with first person narrators who gleefully take their revenge on the people who've wronged them, this is for you.

This book was very good! I loved the culture incorporated into the novel as the premise. I did put in a request at my library for them to get a copy as I would love to reread it in a physical format. The zombie lore is quite intriguing to me!

This was cool. I wanted more..... I'm not sure but there was just something missing. I loved message about class and the Haitian culture. It was just missing that it to take if for 4 to 5 stars.

This story was incredible! I didn't anticipate the blackmail Brielle had on Preston or that he would basically be like "okay yeah whatever. can we get married?" The hold she had on that boy was incredible. I loved it. Honestly I do really think they were good for each other and I was glad she was using his name to help her gain more credibility/sway in the culinary world at the end. It's what she deserves. I was also really happy that she was able to meet her sisters (The Muses) and help her family fight against her mom's ex-husband. This was truly a captivating story that I loved greatly!!!

This wasn't my favorite read of the year, but overall, it wasn't bad! I thought it would be more horror adjacent, based on the description and marketing, but it wasn't. There was a lot going on in the story, and there were parts where it took me a moment to catch up with what was happening. I enjoyed getting to expand my knowledge/lore of zombies and wasn't aware of the Haitian zonbi lore/legends. I liked Brielle's voice throughout the story, and I would pick up another book by Maika and Maritza Moulite again.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I felt so bored and did not connect with any of the characters.

I hope others love this one.

The Summer I Ate the Rich was a mixed bag experience for me. I'm not even sure how best to explain my thoughts and feelings on this one, but let's give it a whirl, shall we?

In this story we follow Brielle, a Haitian-American girl, living in the Miami area with her Mom. Brielle has big dreams of becoming a world-renowned chef. Her Mom works in a domestic-capacity for an extremely wealthy family. It's not easy work and she's also dealing with a chronic illness that leaves her dealing with constant pain, and a lot of medical bills, but she does her best to provide for them. Unsurprisingly, Brielle spends a lot of her time and energy trying to help her Mom, worrying about her, and trying to make sure she gets the care she needs.

After her Mom's job is no longer there, Brielle has to step up in a big way; using her culinary skills to support them. Brielle's menu items are far from mainstream, and she keeps the rich families eating her food guessing about what exactly is titillating their taste-buds.

The short answer: human flesh.

I'll be the first to admit, a lot of this story flew over my head. I enjoyed Brielle, and followed along quite well in the beginning, but then it got to a point where my eyes sort of glazed over. I understand and appreciate the important topics these authors touch upon in this story, and I think their own inspiration for writing it is compelling ((be sure to read the <i>Author's Note</i> at the end)), however, a lot of it lost me, NGL.

The synopsis mentions it being a modern-day fable, and that is quite apt. In addition to Brielle's perspective, we also get these sections, they might have been called Intermissions, or Interludes, but they are told in a very whimsical-style by beings I believe were supposed to be Brielle's 'sisters'. Those sections were a complete wash for me. They were so jarring in comparison to Brielle's perspective, and they were taking me out of the story every time.

In the audiobook, they also had different narrators, which was great, I love multiple narrators, but these sections, the Muses, all I could picture was the singing ladies from Disney's animated movie, Hercules. And I guess for me, that felt more out of place and distracting than I think the author's intended. I'm sure this is just me, I'm most likely missing a very real reference, or connection, to some greater story, or folklore, but I still need to be honest about my experience.

At the end of the day, I was hoping this would be much darker and clear in its execution than it turned out to be. I was into it at times, but then it would veer off and leave me spinning my wheels, wondering what was happening. Nevertheless, I would recommend it for any Reader who feels the synopsis sounds intriguing. It's definitely worth giving it a shot, and I would be interested in reading more from these authors.

Thank you to the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, as well as Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

There's def a good story here. I appreciated the themes and risks the authors explored and took, however it just wasn't suited to my tastes, and I do rate based on my overall experience in comparison to other books of the same genre.