zom: yes (i mean they were there)
a little more backstory would have been nice. like why were the zombies educated with french dora the explorer? then after that they just happened to be french speaking zombies? and i just don’t understand why people would live by the containment area? are they all just waiting to be killed?

rom: sure?
i wish there was a bit more build up or tension. it sort of just happened, they out of nowhere really wanted each other? i wanted a better connection between the two mcs.

com: not so much, i think i only laughed once
i wanted to like this but the dialogue was very cringe at times. i did not need to hear the gaston song a million times. we get it his name is gaston. that joke just went on too long and it wasn’t even funny the first time. im not a silliness hater, but this was a bit too much and a bit ridiculous.

i don’t think i was the right audience for this and that’s okay! someone out there would enjoy this!

thank you berkley and netgalley for the arc!

⭐️ARC REVIEW⭐️
So many things to say and so little time, but first - hilarious! I found myself laughing my way through this wonderful story from burrito battery, furry undergarments, Gaston sing-a-longs, and so much more it truly was a joy to read. And as always, Dade is able to put so much heart and affection into a story that could be played off as simply silly. The shared grief of our two main characters was so well handled and heartfelt in moments when the fear of death became real. With a wonderful hurt x comfort scene that Dade is known for and delivered beautifully, I knew I was in for a special book. But not to be overshadowed by a final battle that left me speechless and crying, in both the bad and good kind. Seeing these neighbors go from barely speaking to making promises of keeping each other safe when zombies were knocking down their door (literally) makes the this life or death romance hold you in it's grip from start to finish.

2.5 rounded to 3

This book is quirky and not in a good way. I really wanted to like this book, but the dialogue was pretty cringe, and there was just no world-building or explanation for most of the book. There are so many silly plot points that don't really further the plot. Why is Chad/Gaston/Max a fashion vlogger known for his underwear? Why is he French? Why doesn't he have the charisma of a vampire? lol

I also assumed there would be more Zombies in the book - the zombies make brief appearances until the end.

Thank you Olivia Dade, Berkley Publishing, and NetGalley for this ARC

A very campy romp of a romance with excellent plus-size representation! Our heroine is living in a zombie-filled dystopia and must team up with her vampire neighbor to survive and warn people of a zombie outbreak. But along the way things get steamy...

Zomromcom is a fun and kind of silly action-packed romance novel that will be great for people who don't take it too seriously. Also since the love interest is a vampire, yes there is blood drinking in steamier scenes. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I had the best time reading this!!! Max and Edie had such great banter that had me kicking my feet and cackling. Well paced, so fun, and I loved their relationship. Great action and suspense as well. I need more from the world and to understand more of how everything went down, it seems like another book is set up!!

Unfortunately, I have been on a downward trend with Dade's work, and each subsequent novel feels like I have connected to less and less.

I absolutely adored this book and have been constantly recommending this to friends. I cannot wait for the next in the series. I will also be looking for more by this author as she writes exquisitely and also has diverse characters that you don't get to see often.

What a wonderful zany read for entry into the fall season.

If you like books featuring:

Zombies

Beauty and the Beast puns

Soapmaking products used as explosives

Perfect for fans of:

Buffy

Hazel Beck’s Small Town, Big Magic Series

Warm Bodies

Cute zombie rom com, but missing the world-building. You're just dropped into a world that has zombies, vampires, witches, fae, etc, and enhanced humans. What about the rest of the world or the surrounding area?

I adore anything Olivia Dade writes and her first foray into paranormal romance is no exception! The banter, the spice, and Max and Edie's fight for survival all combine to make Zomromcom a perfect read to kick off my favorite time of the year aka spooky reading season!

OMG, this was a freaking delight!

I absolutely adored Evie, our noble and well-meaning (if somewhat crippled by survivor's guilt) heroine and her definitely-not-a-human-dude-bro-named-Chad neighbor, Max--they were so darn cute together! Not to mention hot AF, when we got to that part of the program ;)

I do think I need a collection of all of the new lyrics that she came up with for "Gaston" though. Be careful if you're taking a drink while reading is all I'm going to say about that.

I really enjoyed the world that Ms Dade created here, and the fact that she didn't go overboard with explaining how things worked. Yes, it's somewhat complicated, and yes, I didn't always 100% know what *exactly* was going on worldwise, but ultimately it really worked for me. The danger and tension is palpable, and the non-zombie side characters are, without exception, a delight.

They all better get their own books :)

Not gonna lie, though--there was a few minutes near the end where I was starting to question whether the "romcom" part of the title was a lie. SO DARN STRESSFUL.

But of course Ms Dade pulled us through in the end--and gave us the promise of a book 2 with how this one ended (not a cliffhanger, but we are left with a clear continuing issue we need to resolve and the promise of the heroine whose POV will be at least half of the book)

I cannot wait!

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

LOVED this absolutely unhinged little supernatural romance. The voice was truly hysterical and I loved these characters and their idiosyncrasies. Was it maybe a romance of proximity? Sure. Did I care? Not remotely. I loved this worldbuilding and frankly will require more in this universe please and thank you.

3.5 stars

I loved the personalities of the main characters in this book. Although I did find the personalitiies of the side characters to be a bit much and it felt like the author was trying to hit a certain quota of quirkiness.

The amount of "dudes" and singing in this book was painful, but other than that, I enjoyed the humour.

The plot was interesting and I was excited to find out where it went. I was a bit let down as I didn't feel as though there was much of an explanation in the conclusion.

Overall, this was a really fun read that perfectly balanced a silly plot with romance and character development!

2.5 ⭐️, rounding up

This was disappointing. It had so much potential, and started off so strong. By the middle it got repetitive (like I’m pretty sure even repeated phrases/dialogues) and incredibly cringy.

If I had to listen to the FMC sing about Gaston one more time I was going to lose it. It was funny the first time, and not a single tike after that despite it being meant to be a cute inside joke between the main characters.

There was also zero worldbuilding. It’s one thing for there to be a random zombie outbreak - I can wrap my mind around that without needing intricate world building. But a whole roster paranormal species all existing together with no information? Nah, we need some more info here.

It was still a quick, fairly fun read, and I liked the representation here.

I received the ebook ARC, and decided to immersive read it with the audiobook - huge mistake. Voices for the side characters, especially the trolls, was horrendous and annoying. I had to turn it off.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for sending this egalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The author's passion shines through in this book. The characters were perfect enemies to lovers. I just didn’t connect with it like I wanted to. It has great potential to appeal to other romance readers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

First of all, I’d like to thank Berkeley for making this ARC available as a Read Now! I’m so grateful to have had the chance to read it early.

Zomromcom by Olivia Dade is a paranormal romance about a human (Edie) and her vampire neighbor (Max) who band together to survive a zombie breach. Along the way, they investigate the cause of the breach and fall in love.

This was a fun read! Though my enjoyment level fluctuated a lot over the course of the book, ultimately I really liked it.

I would recommend this to fans of romances with zany humor, lovable characters, the grumpy/sunshine trope, and a quirky premise. The title and cover do an amazing job of letting readers know what to expect from the story. So if these things draw you in or you’re a fan of the author, I’d say it's worth picking up.

Speaking of the author, this was my first book by Olivia Dade. I completely get why she’s considered a queen of plus-sized romance now! While I am not fat, I felt that the fat rep in this was incredible. Edie got to just EXIST in a bigger body without anyone commenting on it or her having internalized fat phobia. And her body was worshipped by Max exactly the way it was. Similarly, I appreciated that like all vampires in this universe, Max is pansexual and it isn't a big deal to him or anyone else.

Edie is such a relatable character. Fun, kind, and full of life while also haunted by grief and somewhat stuck in the past. I connected with her from the first page and I was rooting for her the entire time. By the end of the story, I was equally fond of Not Chad/Gaston/Max with his tough, no-nonsense persona that hid his true caring self underneath. Together they were the epitome of the grumpy/sunshine trope. Their banter was hilarious! And Edie’s new verses of the “Gaston” song when she finds out Max shares a name with the iconic Disney villain? Absolute perfection.

At its heart, Zomromcom is a story of choosing joy in the face of uncertainty. Given the cluster of unfortunateness that is our world, this theme could hardly be more relevant. It resonated with me deeply, as did Max and Edie's romance. They were the light in each other's darkness, helping one another grow and heal.

The world building in this was also really interesting, though there isn’t a huge amount of it. It felt believable, or as believable as a book about zombies can feel. I loved learning about all the different supernatural creatures. The quirky side characters were also a delight, and each one was well-developed.

However, my feelings on the humor in this book were somewhat mixed. One part that I won't spoil here was especially hilarious and I crack up every time I think about it. But some of the other humor felt a bit cringe. There were also times when the goofy jokes felt out of place with the seriousness of the situations the characters were in, as if the author hadn't struck the right balance between the two.

Also, there were parts where the plot of the book lagged to the point that I was tempted to DNF. Had it not been an ARC, I might have quit halfway through. While I'm so glad I kept going, pushing through was more of a struggle than it is for me with most books.

Thankfully, the emotionally charged, action-packed ending more than made up for it. I wasn't expecting that cliffhanger but it's such a great hook for the next installment. I absolutely can't wait to read Book 2!

this is a very fun read and while it has some elements that I have come to expect from an Olivia Dade book, it wasn't quite as good as I expected it to be.

first and foremost, this book's fat rep is done extremely well. as per usual. I would expect nothing less from Olivia Dade to be completely honest with you. The other thing this book really has going for it is banter. usually I don't like the word cringe and feel like it's overused in book reviews. but I do feel like the banter got a little bit cringy as this book went on. there's just one or two too many purposefully funny plot points but the majority of the banter is still enjoyable.

where this book loses me I think is in just the lack of world building. You're dropped into this world where zombies exist but so do like every supernatural creature and humans and they all live kind of together. but there's also containment zones and the zombies were created out of a science experiment to kill a werewolf but then have the werewolves always existed?? and that's kind of how the whole setup is. it's just one fact dropped after another and you're like what? it's just too unexplained.

My other big struggle with this was while I did enjoy the main romance and I liked both the main character and The vampire love interest, I don't feel like their relationship had enough connection and I get it, they're like fighting for their lives but maybe you could have a little intimacy with all the smut but I guess I'm asking a little too much there.

My last comment that is also a praise and a criticism is the purposeful funny plot points. I don't want to actually give it away, but I'm just going to use a couple phrases like Gaston, Dora the explorer, processed food in a can, trolling, etc. I probably could go on and that's a testament to how much of it felt forced to be funny to me.

overall, this was an enjoyable read in a general sense. I had some nitpicky problems with it and it's not my favorite of her books, but I'm still going to read the next one. it was a fun enough read and I do think it will find its readership

I loved this book! I find that the first 20% is hard for folks to get into, but once they get past that, they're hooked. I loved the main character, Edie, and our love interest, Gaston (hahaha). While I can't stock this in my school, I've already recommended it to a number of peers.

If you’re looking for a spooky season read that gives the vibes without being actually scary, Zomromcom is for you! (Thank you Berkley Romance & PRH Audio for my review copies.)

This was extremely campy and spicy and I had a great time with it. In this world, zombies exist, but people have pretty much contained them. That is, until the first breach in two decades threatens Edie’s neighborhood. Her neighbor always gave off helpless, not so smart vibes, so she goes to rescue him, only to find out he’s actually a centuries old vampire who’s more than ready to fight the undead.

This book was an absolute delight. I had so much fun reading it and I laughed out loud numerous times. The banter was the best. I love Edie and her humour. She’s loud and unapologetic about who she is. Max loves her as she is. I love Max and his softness around Edie while he is still this strong vampire. He cares for Edie. Since he cares for Edie, he cares for those around him because she cares for them. She makes him better.

I love all of the side characters in this book. Everyone was just so funny. As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I am a huge fan of found family. I love that Max and Edie find each other AND their family after being on their own for so many years. I cannot wait to see where this series goes in the next book!