I don’t usually go for zombie stories, but Olivia Dade is like catnip for me and this book was such a delight. It’s a hilarious, heartfelt mash-up of paranormal romance and cozy romcom, with just the right amount of chaos.

Edie, a plus-size woman in her late thirties, has been surviving solo in a zombie-infested zone for 20 years. She’s smart, independent, and relatable—not your typical action heroine, but fully capable in her own modern way. Her body is never a punchline or limitation, which is refreshing.

When Edie meets her new neighbor Max—who turns out to be a vampire, not the stereotypical “Chad” she assumed—their chemistry is immediate. Their banter is one of the book’s best features: clever, flirty, and laugh-out-loud funny, even in the middle of zombie attacks. Edie’s teasing about Max’s real name (Gaston) leads to some unforgettable Beauty and the Beast moments that had me grinning the whole time.

The worldbuilding is maximalist and quirky—zombies, vampires, witches, fae, even influencer culture—all mashed into a vibe-driven, whimsical setting. It doesn’t try to explain everything (honestly, I don't think that it needs to). The tone stays light enough without losing emotional weight, and the supporting cast adds richness and colour to the story.

Ultimately, Zom-rom-com is a cozy, spicy romance that feels fresh and unexpected. If you’re tired of the same old tropes and want a story with older, real-feeling leads and genuine humour, this book is a total treat.

(3.5 rounded up to 4 stars for me)

Many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the ARC!

I adore Olivia Dade’s writing and was so excited to read a paranormal romcom by her. What worked for me…..I LOVED all the Gaston songs. They were the best and their banter carried the book for me. I enjoyed the sex scenes. I loved how Max was cocky, smug, and grumpy while Edie was a ray of sunshine who survived on junk food. The zombie scenes and larger world didn't work for me. However I want to encourage Olivia to keep trying.

3.5 rounded up for excellent beauty and the beast vibes and creativity with Gaston songs.

Zombies, Vampires, and laughs are all over Zomromcom! This was a fun, campy read that defies categorization!

Gaston (who goes by Max, because, well, its 2025 and he does NOT like having the Beauty and Beast song sung to him) is a dudebro. Or so Edie thinks. When she attempts to save him from a zombie, she finds out he is a vampire. They team up to survive the zombie apocalypse. Edie is hilarious throughout, so this isn't a scary zombie apocalypse book. Her and Max have a fun dynamic. Max is a bit of a grump, but I guess if you were a vampire named Gaston you might be grumpy too. I appreciated the paranormal aspect of the story and that these weren't your typical "zombies". It blends a lot of paranormal creatures into a very typical setting, with tons of humor.

I struggled with the story at times because I never felt that Max and Edie had chemistry. They had banter, forced proximity, and sexy times, but I struggled to believe in the romance. The book is funny, but for me, ultimately forgettable. I enjoyed it-it was fun and light, but nothing that will stick with me.

Supernatural chaos and survival!

I went into this book blind and I'm so glad I did! Packed with a delightful menagerie of supernatural characters and secrets lurking around every corner, this fun, fast-paced tale of survival had me hooked. The forced proximity trope is used to great effect, keeping the tension high and the dynamics fresh.

If you get the chance, I highly recommend the audiobook. Joy Nash delivers a standout performance, giving each character their own voice and personality. Fair warning: After this, you may never hear the Gaston song the same way again!

I cannot believe I'm lucky enough to live in a universe where this book exists. A zombie invasion? A plus size, ACTUAL ADULT fmc? A hot, grumpy vampire male lead? Whose name leads to delightful new renditions of a classic Disney song? I am delighted. And the cover? Masterpiece.

Obviously, I loved this book so, so much. Edie and Max were both such fun characters, and I think they were such good weirdos together. There were elements of grumpy x sunshine in their relationship, and Edie was everything I want in a FMC. She was brave and funny, and I loved that she was spending the apocalypse making homemade soap, eating horrifying processed food, and baking for her few and far between neighbors. Max is also such a fun male lead; he spends so much time clearly looking out for the best of others, but he claims to hate people. I see a lot of MMCs compared to Roy Kent now, but he truly reminded me of a vampire Roy Kent. Delightful.

I also personally really enjoyed the level of world-building that this book had. Initially it really did feel like being dropped into the story with no context, but I do feel like most of my questions were answered as the book progressed. I enjoyed getting a chance to get right into the action/romance without having to read an entire backstory about the zombie invasion. Sometimes you don't need all the answers, you just need to get into it, and I think this book did that well.

I will admit, the humor and the dialogue got a little cringe at times, but I think all of the positives really outweigh that. There were a few moments where I was stifling groans at some jokes, but it does seem like a relatable way to cope with the world ending. Focus on your impending doom or crack a terrible joke? I'm making the joke every time. 4.5/5 stars, with the half being deducted for the cringe-induced groans.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Dade, and Berkley publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I greatly enjoyed this book! I was hesitant about Ms. Dade expanding into a different genre, but I think she knocked it out of the park. She is excellent at characterization, and each story person feels unique and interesting in their own right. I love that this fictional society seemed less inhibited; the world building throughout was a lot of fun to watch unfolding. This author, happily, remains one I’ll instantly add-to-cart in the future. We need more books with this positive fat rep & lighthearted but still engaging story!!

Zombies, vampires, witches, and the fae plus spice and laugh out loud funny moments? Yes please, I'll take three more thank you very much.

Zomromcom by Olivia Dade is just a good time. I really enjoyed the overall plot of this one. I love an FMC who is curvy and well past her teenage years. Love an MMC who falls first and lives his best grumpy life. I also thought the book was absolutely hilarious and more than once my husband asked what I was laughing at. I really liked all the side characters as well and the spice was excellent.

I will say I have personal beef with "Mimer, no Miming". I would have preferred if that plot point were a little different considering it was already a universe that made connections to real pop culture. The show being referenced should have been more unique. Also, some of the zombie backstory felt a little confusing for me but that could have just been my brain doing a wander during those parts.

Overall, I'd absolutely recommend it and would love to see more books in a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a chance to read this one early for review consideration. All opinions are always my own!

This was such a fun read! I loved the banter between Edie and Max. Their chemistry and relationship were so good. I also liked how they made friends and I’m excited to see where the story goes next.

Thank you to The Berkley Influencer Hub for Underrepresented Voices for giving me access to this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm going to be honest, I was nervous about this one. I'm not usually a zombie-apocalypse reader, but as a fat person myself, I really wanted to see myself represented in a world that isn't that far off from where we are, honestly. And to be real, I'm glad I read this, and look forward to the rest of the series. This honestly had it all, and literally had me weeping at points, both in joy and sadness. The pace of the book was perfect, and watching Max and Edie's relationship grow was honestly so wholesome (somehow?) and sweet. I also just believe the concept for this book is interesting, and enjoy learning about the world and it's magical system. And the found family of characters was the cherry on top. I genuinely am excited to see where Dade takes these characters and this universe. Definitely one to read!

Zombies, Vampires, Trolls, Fae, Witches, all of the things!!
ZomRomCom is so much fun and everything I needed. A plus size baddie beating a Zombie off with a burrito in the first chapter? SIGN ME UP!
This was such a wonderful blend of comedy, romance, and action. I loved every character I met along the way. I’m obsessed with Olivia Dade’s writing and Disney references. Can’t wait to see what else is in store for Edie and Max!

No…one…cares like Gaston,
Broods and glares like Gaston,
Has that centuries-old dead-inside stare like Gaston!

No…one…sighs like Gaston,
Rolls his eyes like Gaston,
Whispers, “For the love of GOD, human, please don’t die,” like Gaston!

This book has ruined me. I can’t stop singing the Gaston song. Olivia Dade, HOW DARE YOU ENABLE ME.

This was such a fun, clever take on a zombie apocalypse, one that only affects a specific zone where people voluntarily choose to live. Whether they’re there for the cheap housing, to escape society, or to cling to the last fragments of their pre-zombie lives, it’s a fascinating setup that somehow feels both bleak and cozy.

Edie—a very mortal human—and Max—a very immortal vampire trying his very best to never interact with another living being again—team up to save their quirky little community. Almost like a high stakes neighborhood watch if you will.

And the romance? I’m swooning. The banter between Edie and Max had me squealing. The love they have for each other, well before either of them admits it, is tender, grumpy-sunshine gold. She flings herself headfirst into danger to help others, and he, ancient and emotionally exhausted, cannot cope. I loved their dynamic.

Things Edie loves:
❤️ Helping people
❤️ Mild chaos
❤️ Custom-curated soaps
❤️ Risking her life unnecessarily

Things Max loves:
🖤 Edie
🖤 Protecting Edie
🖤 High fashion
🖤 Complaining about how often he has to protect Edie

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Olivia Dade for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

✦Series: Supernatural Entanglements # 1
This can be read as a standalone, but the set up for the next book made me really excited!

✦POV: Single (FMC), third person
Edie Brandstrup is strong, determined, resourceful, and unapologetically herself. She’s snarky, clever, and so lovable. I appreciated the focus on body positivity and diverse representation among the characters in general.

Max/Gaston “Not Chad” is a morally grey, cinnamon roll (for Edie) vampire who is grumpy AF. He’s a zombie unaliving machine, but anyone (thing) who touches Edie will 💀. He uses condescension and dry wit to keep people away, but Edie sees through it and throws it back at him for hilarious banter.

✦Spice: Open door, explicit
Max has centuries on Edie which have given him *skills* she was not prepared for 🫦😮‍💨 He’s attentive to her and consent is a significant feature of their relationship. 👏

» The story moves at an addictive pace. Plenty of action with great suspense and tension toward a satisfying ending. I thought it was clever, and I liked the premise.

» I was charmed by the wide cast of characters who range from human, vampire, trolls, enhanced humans (!), witches, fae, and more. Zombies who speak French? Bien sûr! It was wildly entertaining, and they all added to the story.

✩ Edie relentlessly teases Max with “Gaston” songs and it was hysterical. Dade asks how many is too many? The limit does not exist 😂

♡ I had such a blast reading this! I hope you have as much fun with it as I did.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

⚠️ Please check trigger warnings and read with care.🩸

Edie tries to save her very attractive neighbor Max, but instead is saved by Max and his gigantic sword (😏). The two try to send for help, but they realize their signal isn't going through, so they head out into the world to let everyone know about the outbreak. It quickly becomes clear that there's something hinky going on, and the zombie outbreak might not be an accident.

What a wacky ride! Not exactly my taste, but Olivia Dade gets points for an original, interesting idea and for having a fat FMC who is 38 (!!!) years old. My library has purchased a copy, and I will be happy to recommend this if someone is seeking a horror/romcom combo, especially around Halloween.

Olivia Dade is always going to be a must-read for me, but I was surprised to see her enter into paranormal romance! It’s not usually my thing, but I’ll read this woman’s shopping list tbh. I really liked Edie and Max as characters and as a couple. Always love Dade’s thoughtful representations of fat women as the romantic lead. Unfortunately, the world building really lost me on this one. There was just too much going on, and I’m so confused about so many plot holes. What is going on in the rest of world? Why are people outside the containment zone for a holiday? Is the containment zone the only part of the world that is left? If it’s not, why the hell are they inside of it? Are the zombies supposed to be inside or outside of the containment zone? Is the containment zone meant to hold zombies or protect against them? If the zombies are outside of the containment zone and there’s more world left, what do people do in the rest of the world? What the hell are the zombies doing watching a French Dora the Explorer and what does that have to do with anything? How many different versions of supernaturals and enhanced are there and why/how? What does the government have to do with anything right now? Are the demons and fae working together to let the zombies in? What are demons, in this case? Why does Max call Gwen “little Oracle”? What does Gwen’s pregnancy have to do with anything? Why is Max an online fashion thong influencer and what does it have to do with anything? The further I got into this book the more questions I had, and it just feels like none of them got answered. I will definitely continue to read Olivia Dade, but this one missed the mark for me. Regardless, I’m super grateful to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC and will still be pre-ordering Dade’s forthcoming “Second Chance Romance!"

I don’t like zombies. At all. So only an author as good as Olivia Dade could induce me to pick up ZomRomCom. She manages to create humorous characters and situations from a plot that would normally have me running for the hills.

There’s the usual zombie threat, one that was contained for years and has reappeared. And when zombies threaten Edie’s neighbor Chad, her attempt to save him leads to her to discover that he’s not named Chad—he’s Max. Oh, and he’s an immortal vampire.

From this, Dade weaves a tale of a ragtag bunch gathering to deal with the zombie threat and to discover why no one is coming to help them. It turns out Max’s first name is Gaston and yes, Dade gives you so many versions of new lyrics to the song “Gaston” from Disney’s version of Beauty and the Beast, each related to whatever situation Edie and Max find themselves in (and each just hilarious).

The worldbuilding takes a long time to jell—Dade deliberately holds off sharing information for character reasons, but I wish some of it had been told earlier, as I struggled with certain plot points because of that. But it’s Olivia Dade having a blast with zombies who for some reason speak French—some of the few zombies I could tolerate in my reading!

And for the love of heaven, read the discussion questions at the end. Best. Book. Group. Discussion. Questions. Ever.

What do you get when you mix a zombie apocalypse, a bunker full of sexual tension, and a romance novel that knows exactly what it’s doing? The gloriously unhinged, unexpectedly heartfelt Zom-Rom-Com by Olivia Dade.

This book is chaotic, hilarious, deeply self-aware, and—somehow—also incredibly romantic. Olivia Dade continues to do what she does best: deliver swoony love stories with smart, snappy writing and protagonists who are richly human, messy, and fully deserving of love in every sense.

💖 One of my favorite aspects of Dade’s work is her unapologetic, joyful representation of plus-size characters—especially plus-size women. Edie, our heroine is confident, complicated, and deeply lovable because of who she is, not in spite of it. There’s no “transformation” narrative here—just a celebration of bodies, desire, and soft vulnerability in the middle of an apocalypse. It’s rare and it’s powerful. She ain’t afraid to use the burrito to stop a zombie attack!

And then there’s the Gaston… or should I say Max? Or rather, the emotionally unavailable, brooding, maybe-undead, maybe not? love interest who is really trying not to catch feelings—but fails spectacularly. Their dynamic is a delicious grumpy/sunshine pairing with all the forced proximity, sexual tension, and emotional payoff my heart could handle.

Tropes you’ll DIE for:
🧟‍♂️ Grumpy/sunshine
🏠 Forced proximity (hello, bunker life)
🛏️ Only one bed (obviously)
🔥 Worship-level spice
📖 Fanfic vibes + meta romance
❤️ Plus-size heroine front and center
🎤 Romcom satire with a sharp bite
😩 Ends with big feelings and bigger cliffhangers

The spice?
It’s there. It’s real. It’s steamy and sweet, full of praise, body positivity, and emotional depth. I laughed, I blushed, I highlighted like mad.

Final thoughts:
Zom-Rom-Com is so much more than a quirky concept. It’s sexy, strange, surprisingly moving, and full of heart. Olivia Dade once again shows us that every body is worthy of love, even in the most absurd of circumstances (read: zombie-related). Sometimes there was a little too much banter for me but hey, that's just my preferences.

For fans of:
💬 Olivia Dade (obviously)
🧠 Romance with brains (pun fully intended)
🧡 Plus-size heroines and joyful body rep
🧨 Rom-coms that aren’t afraid to get a little unhinged
📚 Love stories that make you laugh, then feel

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own!

3.75/5

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read! It's definitely different than anything I have ever read before. I really like the cast of characters. Edie and Max were great. Max especially. He was so sweet to Edie and took such good care of her. Edie was a funny character; I had a lot of fun reading this.

The only thing I didn't enjoy was how long the chapters were. The pacing felt a bit off at times but it wasn't enough to deter me from reading it!

I was surprised there was spice in this but I didn't mind it, I just wasn't expecting it.

I think this book would be really fun as a movie.

If you're looking for a fun, goofy rom com this is for you.

Firstly, I must confess that I am not the target audience for this book. I read very little urban fantasy, dystopian fiction, or contemporary paranormal romance, and normally I do not enjoy zombies. That all said, I really enjoyed Zomromcom. I laughed out loud multiple times, I enjoyed the characters met along the way, Max was hot and funny, and I really liked Edie. The banter is well-done and left me singing “Gaston” more than once.

I had trouble at times keeping focus when the pace felt uneven. Overall though, I had fun and look forward to more in this world.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

3⭐️ 2🌶️
This book felt like a fever dream and I’m still trying to figure out if that is a good thing or not. From the macrame and sheep skin thongs to the new and improved lyrics of the Gaston song from Beauty and the Beast (I actually loved this, I think it was my favorite part of the book) to the mall gang who specialized in Columbian counterfeiting methods, I never knew what was going to happen next.

This book was funny and I enjoyed the time spent reading it. But I didn’t really have an emotional connection to the characters and I think a large part of it had to do with it being 3rd person POV and I probably won’t pick it up again for a reread.

Thank you to Olivia and Berkeley for this ARC.

- I probably shouldn't have been surprised that there's more "rom com" than "zom" since it's a romance
- Banter banter banter banter banter!
- Edie and Chad/Gaston/Max (all of these names DO belong to the same person...well, the same vampire) are so so so cute together and watching him learn to open up to her was a delight
- Very interested in the overarching plot and how things are going to progress in book 2
- Cast of side characters were all funny and/or interesting
- Did I mention there's SO much banter? Almost too much?