While I think at times the writing in this book was beautiful and poetic, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Between the title, cover and description I was prepared to be horrified and although this was a well done story of class and racial inequity, it just didn't meet the definition of horror in my opinion.
The first chapter eluded that you'd better not be squeamish when in reality any eating of people and Brielle's zombie/ zonbi powers were never well developed and more of an afterthought. I kept reading in hopes that the ending would produce at least one great scene, but that never materialized.

This YA horror is about what happens when a Haitian American girl uses her zonbi abilities to exact revenge on the wealthy elites who've caused her family pain. The zonbi inclusion, especially the bits set in Haiti that show the cultural significance of zonbis (very different than the widely known Americanized versions) were fascinating. This will also appeal to those who have experience dealing with or having a family member who deals with chronic pain.

I enjoyed this book but I felt like at times things weren't matching up like they should. The main thing that I enjoyed was learning about Haitian Zonbis. Anything that is teaching me about another culture, is always an easy like for me. Outside of that, the story had a lot of plot holes, you get introduced to a lot of things and never hear about it again. Also, the ending was odd and didn't match up to the synopsis or the rest of the book. Honestly, I wanted Brielle to be a bit more sinister, and the story a little darker. But the book was good for what it was.

I love how the author brought Out the characters and the story came together I hated how her mom was treated but she got those rich people back and they didn’t even know it lol !! This is my first young adult book and it won’t be my last I’m sure that the your and the adults will devour this book it’s a fast and easy read

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: I really wanted to like The Summer I Ate the Rich. The writing is good and doesn't feel too YA which is something I've been struggling with in YA books recently. My main problem with this book is I feel a little misled by the synopsis. There is a lot of body horror however this wasn't really about eating the rich. Sure there is a lot of commentary on the wealth inequality but it still felt pretty distant from that at times. The plot lines became very disjointed and ended up not really making a lot of sense for the story. I do appreciate what the authors set out to do and I think some may gravitate toward this.

This was a fun read with some beautifully and disgustingly visceral imagery around food, but it irenoically cannot delve any deeper than the superificial skin of the issues taken up - could have realy used some fleshing out.
I'm always torn when it comes to judging these YA books. On the one hand, I am fully aware that not every book can or should provide some deep, novel, exciting, etc. insight into these well-trodden topics, especially to someone who has read similar books extensively; the target audience is high schooler and college students, not PhDs in social sciences. But on the other hand, I do feel lke we can do a little better, go a little deeper, do something that feels less like the TikTok social analysis bullet points of the week.

There is a good balance within the aspects of this story. You are never getting too much or too little of any part of it with the breaks in-between chapters. This story also creates a very relatable experience for many who may or may not be in the same situation. It is not so otherworldly that you can't imagine any of this just being fantasy. This is the kind of story we need in this day and age.

I just want to say thank you for allowing me to read this book. I already am a fan of Love Haiti,From Alaine is already one of my favorites so I know this one was going to be enjoyed.

I have enjoyed both One of the Good ones and Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by authors Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, so I was excited to receive this ARC for The Summer I Ate the Rich. The story follows Brielle, a Haitian-American teen living in Miami. Her mom is living with chronic pain due to an injury suffered on the job, and her employers are among the richest people in the country, those who make the pain medication that Brielle's mother cannot afford. Brielle meanwhile loves to cook and, unsurprisingly for a "zombie," she loves fresh meat. Her goal is to start supper clubs and cook for a living. Due to some events, she ends up working for the company owned by her mom's employer, and his grandson, Preston, ends up falling for her. Though some "Greek muses," Brielle's half-sisters who live in Haiti, you also learn more back story about Brielle's mom, her first husband, how Brielle became a Zombie, and how her mom came to America. This story is a critique of socioeconomics, race, and colonialism. The authors explore the zombie concept from its Haitian origins with a twist of the American legends. This is not a horror story in the sense of "zombies eating brains," so Brielle's powers float beneath the surface for most of the book. That being said, the story comes together in the end tying all the parts together. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC.

Good, interesting concept and story but some things just didn't work, like the ending felt like a different book in vibe and tone. Felt like it losts its intensity.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more). The idea of blending American Zombie lore with Haitian Zonbi traditions sounded incredibly compelling. Plus, the concept of a strong Haitian-American protagonist taking on the ultra-wealthy and serving up justice was such a fantastic premise.

Unfortunately, the story didn’t quite live up to those expectations. The horror elements felt underwhelming, and the “eating the rich” theme came across more like a prank on the wealthy, culminating in an unexpected and somewhat distracting romance with one of them. For me, this plot twist felt out of place and derailed the narrative.

Additionally, we don’t see Brielle, the protagonist, grapple with her Zombie/Zonbi nature in a meaningful way, nor do we get much clarity about her abilities. This lack of explanation made parts of the story confusing—particularly the dynamic with her mother and why she feared Brielle so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a ride this was. There are some amazing food descriptions that made me so hungry. I had several IRL gasping moments that left me reading more and more to see what happened next. Very much a YA horror in the writing style but that made it very fun to me. I was hyped to see it take place in Miami as I grew up nearby. Reallyyyy love an "unlikeable" female protagonist, her undead qualities and bluntness were so great to read and the tidbits about her growing up as part zombie were some of my favorite vignettes. Appreciated all the new stuff I learned about Haitian folklore through this as well. Fun read!

This book follows Brielle, a zombie, as she works on an island full of rich inhabitants. It delves into important topics about class, wealth disparity, privilege, and is very timely in this regard. However, this one was not for me. It is definitely leaning on the VERY young YA side. While the title is A++++, the book just didn't live up to that for me. I think it will find its niche within YA, however I do think there are stronger YA horror titles.

This is a really odd book that I enjoyed the more I got into it. It begins with Brielle, a zombie who--along with her mother--immigrated from Haiti and is now a chef at a supper club. But beyond a horror story, it reveals truths about wealth, privilege, and many of the things that we Westerners think of as "entitlement" so if you can get beyond the horror story, it's a treatise on so much more about society and all its inequities.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Listed as a YA horror novel, we follow Brielle. Brielle loves to cook ... specific things?

This is a modern-day tale inspired by Haitian zombie lore (zonbi). It also touches on class & wealth disparities with a dash of cannibalism. There are many unsettling moments and bloody scenes while not being insanely scary. The authors tell us, in their note at the end, that the book was inspired, in part, by their own mother's battle with chronic illness & pain. Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC. This one publishes April 22, 2025.

I have a lot of mixed thoughts here after reading this novel.

It’s thought-provoking and timely in this current political moment in 2025 — that goes without saying. So much was packed into this story, delving into class warfare, social justice, racism and lack of workplace diversity. But - and it’s a big one - so many times I was left thinking I was missing pages because the plot kept racing forward with little explanation. Characters were introduced to serve no real purpose. The lead character - Brielle - is 17 years old and yet is taking trips with a boyfriend of a few days?

To me, the plot got bogged down in trying to do too much at once. There’s a meaningful statement here, but maybe it got lost in the sauce.

My many thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I am not a young adult so please take my review with a grain of salt. Overall, this book really kept my attention, from start to finish. I loved the heavy topics of classism and racism brought into it in an accessible way. I would have loved to see more zombie vibes and a bit more gore/horror for this type of book, but maybe that would have been too much for a young audience. Overall, great read!

The Summer I Ate The Rich by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite is a story of two different worlds: the wealthy and the struggling, the powerful and the powerless.

But what if the powerless had powers?

Brielle Petitfour loves to cook and dreams of becoming a successful chef. But her mother wants her to finish her studies and find a good, stable job that will support her family in Miami and in Haiti. Brielle tries to keep her dream alive by hosting supper clubs and through a stroke of luck, and a little flesh of the rich and famous, she finds herself with more power than she could have ever dreamed of.

The story was very fun and very for our times. It’s a story not only of struggles to survive but a critical look at healthcare, racism, and classism, seen through the eyes of a minority, a young woman of color…who just so happens to be a zombie and have magic powers.

I loved the snippets we got of Little Haiti and the descriptions of the food were heavenly. As if I was right there smelling and tasting each dish. I also loved Brielle’s best friend, Marcello and the confrontation within Brielle’s family toward the end.

Favorite quote: “I’m done with having my every action be influenced by people who believe it is their right to control me. Because of power. Wealth.”

3.5 stars - This book was beautifully written and was so full of soul and purpose. I learned a lot about the Haitain community and thoroughly enjoyed reading about the food that was made. I feel like the underlying themes of socioeconomic and racial inequality were really well dispursed throughout the story.

That being said, I really wish there was more traditional zombie behavior. I wanted to see Brielle eating more humans! Parts of the book were confusing but it could have definintely been my inability to grasp what was going on. This book was more fiction than horror, in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

She did not, in fact, eat the rich.

I really, really wanted to like this. It had an amazing start, with a very visceral, repulsive scene with Brielle cooking cow brain egg scramble for her mother, while resisting the urge to eat the brain raw. If I had to describe this scene in food terms, it was well-seasoned and extremely flavorful. 10/10. Take all my money.

But then everything after that?

Mild, with seasoning that was barely there that you had to pay close attention to actually discern any type of flavor.

Man, what a letdown. The summary and title promised a lot, but it was like I read a different story. I thought that this would be BIPOC female Hannibal; it was anything but. The only people eating the rich were the rich themselves. And even then, it was in a "blink, and you'll miss it" kinda way.

I wouldn't even consider this horror. There are actual YA horror novels that really dive deep into the genre, so I know that this book could've stretched its limits. I couldn't be more disappointed.

I wanted to appreciate the story for its insights into wealth inequity and living in poverty, but even then, it was pretty much just a simplified version of these topics. Every talking point came out of the University of TikTok, Department of Sociology. If you're chronically online, you've seen these breakdowns.

I wish the book talked more about specific situations that only a person living in poverty would've experienced, like how receiving Medicaid involves the government scrutinizing every tiny facet of your financials to determine if you're poor enough. Iykyk (unfortunately).

Brielle's zonbi powers barely factored into the story until the ending, where it felt like a deus ex machina and like the authors remembered that she was actually a zonbi and could do something that wasn't just thirsting for human blood and flesh (and even those scenes were few and far between).

And honestly, the one thing that took me out was when Brielle received health insurance for her summer internship, and that she could add her mother to it. The American in me was so confused and taken aback that I couldn't suspend my disbelief. I wish it worked that way, but this is America.

Overall, this was a decent YA read. I appreciated the Haitian immigrant/child of immigrants angle, but other than that, this novel definitely didn't deliver on the promise of its premise.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) and NetGalley for this arc.