Thank you to MacMillan’s Children Publishing Group for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite is billed as a YA horror story. The book follows a 17-year old zonbi, Brielle, whose mother toils at the feet of the ultra wealthy. When a series of events thrusts Brielle into the midst of billionaires and the Miami elite, she takes the opportunity to level the score.

In concept the story has such promise; revenge, marginalized groups taking their power back, suspected cannibalism, and the toppling of the privileged structures. As a horror fan, I also don’t really think I’m aware of any other stories that center around the Hatian zonbi, and that was also very promising.

This story, however, fell very flat. The fact that there were zonbi characters was the most realistic fact about the story—from there it seemed to be a TikTok social justice fantasy penned by a teenage girl. By chapter 76 my patience was already wearing thin, but following that I could barely tolerate the insane turn of events that dipped its toes into WattPad territory. I will not spoil what happens but I audibly went “OH, COME ON.”

The problems in this story are many, and rather than go into them in detail, I’m just going to list the more egregious issues.

1. There is very little horror in this story. While the opening chapter is a somewhat icky description of eating calf brain, but it ends there. The cannibalism is mostly implied and somewhat mild. She’s not slaying people or consuming. Instead she’s sprinkling purloined corpse toe powder into some rice. Hardly the horror I’m expecting from a book billed as such.
2. Brielle does not suffer a single consequence. No matter what she says or does, no matter how criminal or impactful or expensive. She either fails up, miraculously is given no consequence or sneaks by with nobody reacting at all. At a certain point this means that there are no stakes. Everything is fine, and any tension is past tense or stated.
3. We don’t really ever get a very good explanation of what the full extent of her zonbi powers mean. The story does, through the muses, explain the curse on her father and the general concept. But what does it actually mean? The readers are told her mother is afraid of her powers, or that they’re growing, but they’re never really fleshed out. Roughly 3/4 of the way through we learn she can sort of control people, but this is never really stated. We just kind of know she is interested in raw meat, likes the smell of blood, and has flaky skin. I don’t expect the author to totally explain the whole concept but frankly the book would read pretty similar even without the who supernatural elements.
4. The characters are so one dimensional it’s laughable. Marcello has no discernable characteristics besides being a young gay man. He basically spouts social media catch phrases. The rich people are effectively moustache-twirlingly evil. Each character is one thing, and one thing only. They are caricatures written through a deeply immature lens.

This book is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. I do think that there is probably appeal for a certain population of the teenaged reader market that may enjoy this book. I think that this book deserves to be so much more. The pain pill subplot, the use of a supernatural cultural story that isn’t seen much in books at the time, and the desire to overturn the status quo are all great building blocks for a story. Unfortunately, this selection missed the mark for me.

(1/5 with the reservation that I am almost certainly not the target demographic for this book.)

3.5 ⭐️s rounded up.

First I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read the ARC.

I don’t often read YA books much anymore due to being older and the level of writing being below what I enjoy no. With that being said I LOVE horror everything. The cover of this book and the title immediately made me want to read it.

This book is about a teenage girl whose mother is an immigrant from Haiti. She had multiple sisters still back in Haiti that her mother works endlessly for in order to provide for herself, Brielle (the FMC), and her family that did not accompany her to the states. Brielle isn’t your average girl, she is a zombie, but more importantly she is a ZONBI from Haitian folklore.

My biggest issue with this book is that I wouldn’t really consider it horror. From the title and the synopsis I was expecting something wildly different. I was thinking more of a Hannibal situation especially with the cover art and the title. However, the whole eat the rich was more figuratively done rather than literally done.

With all of that being said I still enjoyed this book quite a bit. I read it more as a learning experience into a new culture and I think it highlighted some important issues with care issues for minorities.

Overall I’m not disappointed that I read it and I do think others would enjoy it! I do think they’d enjoy it more not going into it thinking it’s going to be horror.

This book started out really strong, but it fell flat for me. The first chapter had me hooked, but the consecutive chapters just left me wanting more. It was unfortunately a struggle for me to get through.

Engaging, entertaining, and timely. A recommended purchase for YA and HS collections where horror is popular.

I gave 3.89 ✨ stars, partly due to my thoughts on the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this title.

I didn’t think there would be a twist when I saw “Haitian Zombie Lore” in the synopsis. Brielle is a zombie, but not the mad-flesh-craving, brain-eating, slow-moving kind. Well, not so much because she does crave raw meat at times.

♪ 𝄞 🎵 ♪ ♬ They want to steal your brains 🧠 and eat your knowledge ♪ 𝄞 🎵 ♪ ♬…yeah, not that. (LOL)

In Haitian lore, it’s different. In this story, we learned that Brielle is a zombie, but not of her own doing, nor of a reanimated corpse brought back to life through the supernatural powers of a bokor. Brielle is a bright young woman, and I love YA novels that show this side of people. You can be poor in finances but rich in life.

Her only goal is to take care of her family, especially her Mom, who has chronic pain. Brielle wants to be a cook, and at just 17, she’s a genius in the kitchen. Everyone loves her cooking, even though it has a <i>“special”</i> ingredient.

Brielle was beginning to grow her supper club when an opportunity came to help her community and those less fortunate. Although Bre did what she could for the greater good, it was illegal. Instead of being arrested, her repayment for that incident was to intern for a big pharma firm in Miami. Brielle (while she didn’t like it) figured this would be an excellent opportunity to help her family. She could make money and add her mother to her medical plan.

Her mother has always been apprehensive towards her, but Bre is used to this coldness, and she knows it’s because she’s a zombie.

Brielle would learn much this summer and make friends she didn’t count on. Through family and allies, Bre would do more than grow her supper club. She would also take an axe to big pharma and how they prey on people’s needs by having them addicted to a drug to survive, but making it unaffordable for the masses.

This is a great YA novel. It’s a mystery, light on the horror, and not graphic. I think it’s a great read.

The saving grace of this book was the Haitian culture, lore, and stories. I would have loved more of this because it was the only thing keeping my interest.

The pacing was all over the place, and it got to the point where I was 50% into the book and it felt like nothing had happened. The significant, plot twisting moments (like taking fingers from dead bodies to cook) were brushed over so quickly and the smaller moments were written in so much detail. Also, how old are all these characters supposed to be? It felt like they were a lot older than high school.

I would not consider a single part of this book “horror”. Yes, the zombie aspect may be considered scary, but it just wasn’t. It was mild and bland. I was really hoping for some unhinged-cannibal moments but it never happened. The cannibalism felt brushed over and barely happened in the whole book.

This book BLEW MY MIND. I guess I didn’t read the blurb properly or maybe forgot by the time I received this arc but the whole zombie aspect threw me for a loop. (In a good way) Ultimately I was drawn to this book by the title and the premise of the elite finally getting a taste of their own medicine. I was sooo excited to be an arc reader and leave this voluntarily and honest review thanks to NetGalley! It is an interesting concept that I haven’t ever read about so it was quite the readers experience. When Brielle breaks down what it’s like to work for someone whose form wealth she truly hit the nail on the head with that. I felt that on a personal level and from there I was drawn in. Definitely a must read, even if you’re considering it or it’s on your tbr already bump it up!!

The Summer I Ate the Rich drew me in right away with its striking cover and intriguing premise. Brielle’s perspective offers a captivating and insightful exploration of privilege and inequality, which are intricately layered throughout the narrative. The story truly excels when it delves into these social issues.

Love the idea of give the rich a taste of their own. The rich keep on getting richer because of the greediness they exhibit. Definitely a good book that I honestly ate up!

This book was amazing! I have never read anything quite like this. Brielle loves cooking, but her mother wants more for her. Her mother is chronically ill and ends up losing her job. Brielle will do whatever she has to do to make sure her mother receives her medication and isn’t in pain. She ends up cooking for a lot of wealthy people and everyone has the question - what is in the food that makes it so good.
I loved the Haitian influence in this book and the Haitian zombie lore. I also loved that this book highlighted problems we have in society, such as racial and socioeconomic inequality. There really was never a dull moment in this book. I highly recommend it! A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan’s publishing for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and author for this ARC!
I loved the author’s writing and new from the beginning this book had so much potential.
I appreciated the portrayal of wealth and power disparities between cultures. However, this was underwhelming as an alleged horror novel. IMO, while the book was not *bad* it did not meet the expectations set by the title and description.

I loved the premise of this book. It had a lot going for it, and in current times a book title 'The Summer I Ate the Rich' immediately drew me in to want to read. I liked the idea of the story and watching Brielle navigate quite a predicament that she got herself into. I liked her as an FMC, but that is kind of where my enjoyment ended.

I'm not sure if this genre just wasn't for me, but overall I felt like it wasn't really 'scary' or 'horror' in any way. Yes, she was a zombie. Yes it took the meaning of eat the Rich very literally, but I didn't have the sitting on the edge of my seat to see what was going to happen next at all.

I wanted more about the Haitian folklore too. I feel like that was a missed opportunity to really dive deep there and give the reader information to learn and grow. Overall, I think the story had a good premise. I did enjoy it during the read, but I don't think it'll stay with me for long. There was a lot going on at the end that made me, as a reader, loose interest and want to find out what was happening to the characters.

Overall, definitely would recommend reading but I don't see it being good or bad. It was just fine.

I really enjoyed the narration. It was what kept me in the story. Definitely would recommend consuming via audiobook!

This book was not what I was expecting but I still enjoyed it very much! I loved the voice of the author(s), it was a YA novel and it felt like it, but not in a bad way. The Haitian cultural aspects were very interesting! I loved all the foodie stuff too, definitely googled some of the recipes to make in the future. Overall, this was a story about classism, racism, and even big pharma, and I love commentaries on those kinds of things, books with messages about social injustice. The writing was humorous, witty, and smart. I would definitely read another book by these sisters! I would say not to go into this expecting at traditional horror story or you will be disappointed. I went in blind (though it was billed as YA horror) and was pleasantly surprised. There are some (minor spoiler, but maybe not as it is in the book blurb) passages containing cannibalism but nothing overly graphic.

THOUGHTS

Such a unique and engaging voice! This piece feels very timely, touching on immigrant rights, healthcare inequality, and backbreaking labor in the service industry. Oh, and the (literal) impulse to eat the rich. I loved this read!


PROS
Voice Variety: Brielle Petitfour has such a unique narrative voice! She pulled me into her story from the first page. She might not be as expressive, as bubbly and energetic, as other contemporary YA narrators, but that just helped her voice stand out. She is cool, aloof, and calculating in a way I appreciated. Something new and different in the contemporary space!

American Dream: I really liked Brielle reaching for her own dream in this book, a dream that is different from the future her mother envisions. While that's a common theme in YA--reaching for a future your parents don't want for you--Brielle also shoulders the burden of being a first generation American, the daughter of an immigrant who has sacrificed so much to give Brielle a broader future than she would have back in Haiti. Brielle knows what she wants, and she knows that reaching for her dreams might not mean security. She doesn't have the safety net that other teens might have, and there's risk involved with entering this culinary career field--especially because failure won't just be detrimental to herself but also to the family who she feels obligated to send support back to in Haiti.

Upper Echelon: This book really hooked me with Brielle's voice from the start, and I stayed enchanted the deeper and deeper Brielle got into this world of exorbitant wealth. I loved the twisted turns this plot took, highlighted by the absolute apathy of the uber-wealthy. It is disturbing in all the right ways.


CONS
Lost Momentum: As engaging as this book is, I will say that the plot loses a bit of steam about halfway through. Don't get me wrong. I was fully engaged through the whole book, but when I stopped to write some notes at about 3/4 of the book done, it really hit me that... not much had actually happened. Not after Brielle started her internship, anyway. I was so wrapped up in the characters, in Brielle's voice as she told her story, that I didn't really notice the plot meandering, but it still bears mentioning that those looking for plot-forward books might struggle with this one.

Chorus Crisis: If there was one thing I would have wanted more of in this book, it would be Brielle's sisters. Brielle's sisters act as a chorus of sorts, chiming in with bits of backstory, zonbie lore, and a deep dive into character motivations and manipulations. And I wanted to like that, this positioning of these sisters (who Brielle has never met in person) as Muses observing it all, but I'm not sure the execution worked all that well. I loved the idea, but I ended up underwhelmed with the effect on the page. There was a lot of potential. I saw the vision. But it just didn't work for me here.

Made For TV: As much as I enjoyed this peek into the lifestyle of the old-money wealthy, sometimes it felt a bit... stereotypical. Like a made-for-TV drama presenting some fantasy version of high society life. Because you just can't convince me that all this office riffraff goes out after work to do coke in the secret upper lounge of an Asian fusion restaurant. Maybe the top of the top, the highest executives in this company have their speakeasy-style high society gatherings, but so, so many of the company workers? Doesn't seem likely. It feels like made-for-TV drama more than something, you know, real.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8/10
Fans of Wendy Heard's You Can Trust Me will like diving into a world of wealth and dark twists. Fans of Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé will like following another girl in a space that wasn't quite made for her (a space that isn't so happy to have her).

YA Zombie trope meets Haitian folklore meets social commentary. This book wasn't as scary as hyped, as critical as promised, or as fleshed out as it needed to be. The idea is an intriguing one, but the romance aspect overshadows the horror/social justice messages.

It started out so promising and gruesome and then just kind of jumped the shark? Could’ve been a couple well developed books but I started skimming once they did some unbelievable legal stuff towards the end.

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I did not complete the full book - stopping at 20% in. I'm not sure what I was expecting but this seems a little far off from the summary. I was expecting more zombie action, a little more horror? This just seems more like a thriller overall.

This was fascinating! I loved the premise, the characters, the detailed descriptions of food, and the strong sense of place in the setting of Miami. I learned a lot about Haitian and Haitian American culture and folklore.

I liked the plot, but I found the ending a bit unsatisfying. And the authors spent a little too much time "telling" us about the issues of injustice in the U.S. and in the world instead of "showing" us these things through the story and the characters.

Overall, a quick, fun, informative YA read. I hope Brielle takes over the world.

Typically, I am NOT into zombie content, BUT The Summer I Ate the Rich is anything but stereotypical zombie content, and I found it much more enjoyable because it is so unique. Brielle is a Haitian American who is doing her best to help care for her mother, who is a victim of the American "healthcare" system in the worst way. Brielle is also coming to learn what powers she wields as a zonbi, ultimately using said powers to fight back against the massively broken socioeconomic structures that victimize the majority of people.

This book tackles very real issues, taking the authors' real-life experiences with their mother's illness as inspiration. I also found the background of the Haitian zonbi lore to be interesting, as it isn't something I had been familiar with. The chapters with Brielle's sisters, the Muses, were a fun addition, as well.

Small criticisms: I do wish the pacing had balanced out a bit more. There is a lot of detail, and it does sometimes feel smothering. There are a few points that easily could have been pared down or eliminated altogether to make for a more concise structure, not to mention a few things that just added bulk without any real contribution to plot development.

Overall, I would recommend this one if you're looking for a quirky read. This may also work well if you prefer minimal gore, as it's definitely on the tame sode in those areas. While this book does play on very real issues surrounding race, economic status, healthcare, and the opioid crisis, it does it in a way that doesn't feel bleak or preachy. And maybe that's exactly what we need right now.

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and authors Maika & Maritza Moulite for this complimentary copy.))

Thank you to the authors, publishers and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this book was really good!!! I can't lie I was rooting for the main character and her revenge. HA. I liked that the authors tied into the book informatioin about their culture. I wanted the main character to win.