Buckle up y'all cuz I'm boutta ramble lol. Prefacing this by saying I did receive this as an arc but my review is my own and I speak the truth. And boy am I about to speak it pft

Sooo I had very mixed feelings about this book. Some parts? I LOVED. Other parts? ...meh. But Im a certified sipper of haterade, let me tell you the good stuff first! (THIS WILL HAVE SPOILERS, YOUVE BEEN WARNED!!)

This book was so soul crushingly realistic. The authors did such a good job of creating such an oppressive atmosphere. The subtle and not-so-subtle racism was done so perfectly, the heartbreaking circumstances of Brielle's family was just EUGH MY HEART. I loved it, I thought it was done so well. The fucking anger burning inside this teenager watching her mother work herself to the bone, chef's kiss. The amount of emotion that was put behind those scenes/details was so deep. I also loved that Marcello and Brielle actually had a friendship. He did not feel like a token gay best friend character, and I loved that. The cooking was also surprisingly fun, I didn't know 90% of the dishes but I liked it.

The first part was a little tough to get through. This book is VERY ya, and I had to adjust to that lol. But once I was in, I was IN baby. I had my jaw dropped at one liners, I cackled a bit, and my anxiety was sky high once she started her plans. The "Im feeling generous" line drop had me kicking my feet in a "OH GOD WTF HAPPENS NEXT" way. Very well done.

Unfortunately, I now have to speak about the bad stuff. Which, to be fair, there isn't that much of lol. I'm being a tad dramatic. First off, I feel like the title is very misleading. Brielle never ate the rich (in a literal sense) but she did feed the rich to the rich. I was expecting some zombie gore vengeance and I got uhhh not that lol. Speaking of zombie, I did not enjoy that part either.. I know, I know! That was a huge part of the book. But it felt so random and weird. It did not blend well into the realism of this book. And it wasn't mentioned that much to make it worthwhile. I often forgot Brielle was a zombie/zonbi. It didn't really make sense to me, and I think that's because very little time was spent fleshing (haha) that part out. I feel like this could have benefited a lot with some explanations on Brielle and her powers and everything. Like they had this power to influence others but I kinda didn't understand it.. at all. I also did not like that Brielle's story ended in her marrying a rich boy. Like come on. I would have LOVED for her to take life by storm by herself, without the money, and tear down society in her vengeance and anger. But alas I do recognize that it isn't very realistic. Money is everything in this world, and without it? You have very little power. I just felt like her marrying that boy was the complete opposite of the "eat the rich" message that this book was trying to convey. Or who knows, maybe I'm dumb and misunderstood the whole thing LMAO

Overall, I did have a fun time reading this book. I don't regret it. So if you are interested in reading this, DO IT! >:)

ARC REVIEW, thank you so much to Maika Moulite; Maritza Moulite, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and NetGalley for this ARC. My review is not influenced by receiving an ARC. This is an honest review!

5 stars

A Haitian-American teen girl uses her zonbi, zombie, abilities to make it even with the people who constantly screw her, her mother, and everyone else over. Brielle is a skilled cook; cooking is her passion, but it isn't sustainable with her mother's medical bills and rent. What better way to make the rich pay for what they do than to make them into cannibals without their knowledge? 

This book focuses on the folklore of Haitian zombies, racial inequality, colonization, the American healthcare system, and economic inequality. I love the writing style; I love getting Brielle's point of view mixed with conversations from her sisters. I adore how the Haitian culture and folklore mixed into the story; I learned so much and can't wait to research more into it. The microaggressions really pissed me off. I hate how enduring that is a part of so many people's day-to-day lives.

I love how the figurative speech of eating the rich is used both in the sense of beating them at their own game and cannibalism. This whole book is really timely to everything that is happening in the United States.  This book was thought-provoking, something fresh that I didn't know I wanted until I had it, and it was overall very exciting.

I love this book so much! I love our protagonist. I love the way we learned about her "condition" and I loved her mother. The ending was perfect too! It was all around good.

The Summer I Ate the Rich had a great premise that I was excited for, and with a stunning cover and eye catching title, I really had high expectations for it.

What worked for me was the integration of cultures, cuisine, and Brielle's sisters. However, it felt like there was too much the novel was trying to say, and messages were getting conflicted. There were so many exciting things happening, but each storyline was getting muddled together, rather than forming a super cohesive story.

I enjoyed it and look forward to recommending it!

THE SUMMER I ATE THE RICH is chock full of emotional, tough topics, ranging from the colonization of Haiti to healthcare in America. At times it felt a little too overstuffed and storylines didn't have enough space to fully grow, but I adored Brielle and her family, especially her close relationship with her mother.

This has been one of my most anticipated books since I heard they were writing again. So when I saw Netgalley was dropping the audio, I had to read it immediately. I have to say, this is one of the best covers I’ve ever seen.

Ok so although I loved the zombie bits, I wanted more? And like more scary? I guess I wanted more gore and more “scary” since it was a horror book. Alas, the horror is because it has a zombie in it. Because the amount of times she actually unhinged her jaw to eat someone was 0. The amount of times she unhinged her jaw to ALMOST eat someone was 2. It was a bit disappointing for sure. Especially with the way it opened. I JUST KNEW we were about to get all the weirdness lol And then there’s the fact that she doesn’t actually eat the rich? She does something else which is equally weird, but like, if this is what we’re going to call it? Idk it was too much of a gray area for me. However, I did learn something about the zombie lore that I thought was cool. I had never heard that in Haitian folklore, zombies, or “zombi” in Haitian Creole, are reanimated corpses controlled by a bokor, a Voodoo sorcerer, often used as forced labor or to carry out nefarious tasks, stemming from anxieties about slavery and the loss of personal autonomy. But with that being said, we don’t actually get any idea of her abilities or anything. We get glimpses when she has to run or eat, but nothing concrete. She does have a part when she meets the final boss and but that’s to find out the controller. And well, yeah that’s a whole other ball game lol

I LOVED the way they did “eat the rich” in this tho. It was I’m sorry to say I was appalled that they didn’t show any aftermath? What happened to them? She just controlled them? They didn’t get sick? I would have thought they would have with all the chemicals in those things. Idk it didn’t add up. There should have been some kind of something? Even if she had to go back and do some quick mind control. But girl, whatever got you through it lol

I did like the class issues were portrayed. Since this is a YA novel I know it might have been hard to find a balance in explaining it. And with this coming right after Luigi Mangione, I thought this was crazy timing. But it begs the question, what would you do in this situation? ESPECIALLY with the terrible character that is involved.

But the way the plot twists all lined up was what made me gasp throughout the entire book. Idk how they got everything all lined up like that, but Lordt! They HAD to have like planned and plotted this down to the very last bit. Because how in the world did they not mix up anything? I am hella impressed because what in the world. I read this like a week and a half ago, and here I am STILL thinking about it.

So basically, even if you’re not impressed with the horror or the zombie parts. I’m hoping you still get swept away by the plot like I was. And if not, you still have this bad a$$ cover to look at lol

"You're going to have to stomach a lot more than that if we're going to get through this together."

That line alone had me uncomfortably anticipating this book. Unfortunately that was the most disturbing line, and it was at the end of the first chapter.

I expected some sort of Dexter/Hannibal/Sweeney Todd story. She's an underprivileged Haitian zonbi, and I was looking forward to this "eating of the rich", but that didn't really happen. She collected some fingers from corpses (in a morgue, so you'd expect the mortician to notice that three bodies all have missing fingers, but apparently not) and fed those to clients.

And then there's the ending, which worked out so well for her for absolutely no reason.

The writing was good and I liked the side characters, but this just wasn't what I was expecting or wanted from this book.

Look, I love a good revenge story—especially if it’s cooked to perfection and served with a side of social commentary and just a sprinkle of cannibalism. This book? Deliciously unhinged.

Brielle is that girl: talented, scrappy, and not above turning the upper crust into crust. Literally. Her Haitian roots, her passion for cooking, and her deeply justified rage at the system all come together like a secret family recipe you probably shouldn’t ask too many questions about. (Is that… foie gras? Nope. That’s Chad from the country club.)

The vibes? Think The Bear meets Sorry to Bother You meets “Eat the rich,” but like…actually. And while the plot does go full zombie chef vengeance mode, it also hits you with some serious gut punches about class, race, and survival.

The writing is sharp, witty, and at times uncomfortably real, but still gives space for Brielle’s sass, her heart, and her very relatable “please let me just chase my dreams without capitalism getting in the way” energy. And yes, I would 100% order from her food truck if she ever opened one. Even knowing what’s in the sauce. Probably.

Docking one star only because I wanted a bit more depth in some side characters (like, let me see more of the messy behind-the-scenes elite drama before they end up as appetizers), but overall—this book ate. Pun very much intended.

Now excuse me while I rethink every fancy meal I’ve ever had.

I love the cover of this book so much, and when I read what the book was about, I was immediately like, "Yes, please!" I especially loved the parts about the Haitian culture and the descriptions of the Haitian food – that was something new and interesting to me. The beginning of the book really sucked me in, I was so ready for an amazing story! Unfortunately, the rest of it just didn't quite get there for me. It really made it seem like there was gonna be some serious horror with that whole "eat the rich" idea, but it just felt like that element was put on the back burner a lot. And I know YA horror can be scary, I've read some that have really freaked me out!

The thing that kinda bummed me out the most was the message. It felt a bit all over the place. Like, at the start, it felt like it was all about fighting for the people who don't have a voice, but that kinda faded. It wasn't a terrible read or anything, but I really wish it had leaned way more into the horror and kept that initial focus on the main character's drive for justice.

*I received an ARC of this book. This review is my honest opinion.

This book was not what I was expecting, and not at all in a bad way. When you read zombie, you get a mental image and I would be lying if I wasn’t a little bummed out that there was no actual devouring of the rich. But, with that said, it is a story of a daughter of immigrants coming into her own and taking back her power in a system designed to strip it from her. A story of finding your power and accepting all parts of ourselves in order to influence our future, and just a hint of the macabre. The ending felt like it wrapped up a little too cleanly, but it do be like that sometimes, and I didn’t find it detracting from the overall narrative. I’m on the fence with how I felt about the use of the “muses” as a device for providing information, but it did its job.

I feel like we're all feeing a lot of the "eat the rich" sentiment right now, so it's prime time for this book to come out, and boy is this chock full of class inequalities and access inequalities that will make you rage. I loved the reflection of the zonbi/zombie split alongside Brielle's Haitian-American status in the context of this, not being quite one or the other, but having the expectations of both and having to figure out how to use what she's able to do..

I do wish it had actually had more of the eating of the rich and involvement of Brielle's zonbi powers (or even her zombie ones) than we got. What we get is amazing and excellent - the opening chapter is such a banger and gave me such high hopes, but the cooking piece becomes much more straightforward and the method of access for her revenge rather than a tool of her revenge itself.

That said, this is an engrossing, fast-paced read; partly due to the short chapters, the plot seems to happen fast and furious, whirling towards the conclusion. I would absolutely read more of Brielle and seeing what she does next, especially with how things are left.

There are a few things that gave me a lot of pause - everything with the initial cell phone mixup, for example - but between this being YA and those things being ultimately minor in the large plot, they do get swept away under everything else going on. I also really enjoyed having Brielle's sisters tell the backstory.

I don't believe in "bad books' but if every book is to find a reader, I am not the reader for this one. It does a great many things I enjoy, Brielle is a wonderful character full of wit, charm, and an almost pathological dedication to justice. I love the way she can't stop getting herself into trouble and is fueled by her passions. I enjoyed the Haitian chorus asides. It was refreshing to see a new perspective on the Haitian zonbi idea, which is usually depicted from a white colonizer perspective in speculative fiction. The class analysis and criticisms prevalent throughout are bitingly smart and spot on though I was not swayed by some of the subtext towards the end.

Being YA, perhaps this fault is mine, for requesting it but I have read YA horror that I absolutely enjoyed; boos that were still an all-out bloodbath. Which brings me to what didn't work for me in this narrative. Conversations about what is and isn't horror bore me; that's not my vibe. At the same time, I couldn't help feeling a bit led astray by the title, the summary, and even the writing of the early chapters. This is a largely bloodless narrative. The one big death is the result of a car accident. As for Brielle's hunger for flesh, we get a really interesting moment where she wants to feed on a waiter with a cut hand and a moment where she eats a corpses eye, but by and large this read mostly like a YA bildungsroman or romance. She doesn't eat anybody. The fantastical element stays within the realm of plausible deniability when it does show up. I felt I was sold for class revenge horror and got mostly YA romance with very little class revenge and very little horror. The title and summary play on the class rage many of us are feeling. It's probably doubled since January of this year. Silas Banks reads like an Elon Musk. Some people will want to cheer on a little reverse cannibalism against the social cannibals who eat us every day (which isn't an endorsement, but this is the fantasy realm and in fiction bad people getting worse things is a blast).

Would a squeamish horror-curious YA reader feel differently? I'm unsure. I think my audience would feel let down by this. I also was not won over my Marcello, who often felt like a cookie cutter gay stereotype that teetered on offensive. The promise to eat the rich never really manifests by the close of the novel, even metaphorically. Instead of something revolutionary it felt more like a story about how we should get along with the rich to convince them not to be bad, or at the very least manipulate them. Which, data suggests, does not work. With the title "The Summer I Ate the Rich," and the summary promising zombie abilities exacting revenge, I expected The Menu meets The Serpent and the Rainbow or Dawn of the Dead.

I don't want to discourage others from buying. In these times every book that makes it to print needs love. But I was given access to this in exchange for an honest review and my honest review is this wasn't for me, and the things that attracted me to this book weren't here. I will not be reviewing on my own site. I wish the publisher and authors luck as all involved are clearly a talented bunch and I hope this finds its reader.

So, I loved that this book had a Haitian American young lady who is trying to navigate in world where she isn’t always given the most chances to rise above her status. Especially since she is a zombie. That she can find a way into the upper society and follow her passion I feel is extremely inspiring. What I missed from this book was truly more zombie nature. I am not quite sure how the title applies to the story. There are hints at the end she may have used ingredients that most humans would not have wanted to eat, but for sure I wouldn’t classify this book as horror.
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

I kinda loved this. I really loved Brielle. I enjoyed the setting of Miami and also the Haitian immigrant experience. I LOVED the Haitian zonbi. Even though these fantasy/horror elements were present, I feel like it veered more into thriller territory overall. This was a really fun, wild ride that also touched on societal issues (it's so deliciously anti-capitalist for one--what more would you expect from a title like that?) but in a way that was not too heavy handed. It wasn't a perfect book; so many plot points were over the top and unrealistic. But still, I do think the story will stick with me.

Just add garlic, lemon, and a dash of the one percent.

This smart, biting novel explores what happens when a Haitian American girl uses her previously hidden zombie abilities to exact revenge on the wealthy elites who’ve caused her family pain.

Brielle Petitfour loves to cook. But with a chronically sick mother and bills to pay, becoming a chef isn’t exactly a realistic career path.

When Brielle’s mom suddenly loses her job, Brielle steps in and uses her culinary skills to earn some extra money. The rich families who love her cooking praise her use of unique flavors and textures, which keep everyone guessing what’s in Brielle’s dishes. The secret ingredient? Human flesh.

Written by the storytelling duo Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, The Summer I Ate the Rich is a modern-day fable inspired by Haitian zombie lore that scrutinizes the socioeconomic and racial inequity that is the foundation of our society. Just like Brielle’s clients, it will have you asking: What’s for dinner?

If I had to describe this YA book in three words, it would be sharp, lyrical and disturbing. This fable is more in line of a social horror, rather than chilling jump scares-here, the reader is tasked to ask oneself, what is right, what is owed, what would you do and, as aforementioned, what's for dinner? I would add this book to social horror canons and pair it with discussions on the same.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, for approving me for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A book about a Haitian-American teenager pursuing her dreams of becoming a chef while fighting against racial discrimination in the corporate world. Oh, and she’s a zombie! I was so excited for this book! However, it ended up falling relatively flat for me. It felt like I was reading three different stories, none of which were cohesive with each other. I liked Brielle, but all the characters were a bit dull, and I wish we could have learned more about them.

This book is labeled as horror, but I would not categorize it as a traditional horror book. However, it presents a realistic horror for many individuals who confront the uncertainty of their futures compared to the 1%. I appreciate the significant topics this book addresses regarding the challenges immigrants face, and I believe that was the best part of this book.

Lastly, I was hoping for more zombie elements, but they felt like an afterthought. There were moments when I forgot Brielle was part zombie. I understand that there is a difference between the behaviors and lore of the Haitian and Americanized zombies, but at times, it felt like an unnecessary plot point. For example, there's one scene when they are in a nightclub, and someone gets cut, triggering Brielle. She fights her urges, and then… nothing happens? I just don’t think it fits in the story very well.

Overall, it was a quick read with a lot of potential!

This book felt like a recipe where you're given the ingredients, but no instructions. Or to use another completely different metaphor, it was like the La Croix of a horror story. Things were there, but faintly, and more was missing.

The concept on this one was killer (pun intended). I loved the intentions to call out class disparity while focusing on how BIPOC people fit into that story. But everything was just a little too light. It's hard to classify this as a horror, even a YA one, because it just didn't quite hit the mark it needed to.

I didn't dislike it per say but I can't quite put my finger on what I needed more of for this to have been more enjoyable. The title and book cover are iconic though, and I'd give these authors another read.

This was not what I expected at all. I did not finish this unfortunately. I feel like the summary was misleading. I thought this was going to be able literally eating rich people. It was not. A disappointment.

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.