This is my first time reading Olivia Dade , and oh my it will not be my last. A paranormal rom-com with zombies vampires and a plus size MC it's like this book was made for me!

ZomRomCom has the most ridiculous banter between our plus sized heart of gold FMC Edie and our age unknown Vampire Gaston aka Max. Delicious steam, high stakes zombie fights, an underground lair, sporadic Gaston songs to fit the moment , unnecessary rescue attempts, made this a highly entertaining paranormal romance !

I really hope the author writes more books in this universe because I'd read them in a heartbeat.

Just as ridiculous as a romcom is supposed to be. I thought this book was really fun, I breezed right through it.
Zomromcom opens in a zombie apocalypse world where we also learn all fae (fairies, vampires, werewolves, etc) are real. Ebie tries to save her neighbor from a zombie attack, only to find he is perfectly capable (without spoiling) and then they are off to save the world.
The beginning was tough to get through. As an avid fantasy reader, I really wanted more world building. There is a lot of interesting back story here that wasn’t touched, q lot of unanswered questions need to be ignored to enjoy the story. Shut your brain off and enjoy, that’s what rom coms are for.
Thank you to Berkeley Romance publishing for the ARC!

Silly, funny, and complete ridiculous. This was such a fun book. I've looked Olivia Dade's other books and this was complete different, but still had the romance and humor that is expected from her wonderful stories.

This book to me was a refreshing read (if that make sense??). I loved everything about it especially the sense of wanting people close to you. This book made me believe in that even in tough situations there is still hope, however little that can be. I seriously hope we get more books in this series and soon because I need them.

This book was WILD. I genuinely did not expect anything that happened. It was unlike anything I’d ever read before and I couldn’t look away. It was a jumble of zombies and magical creatures and humans that I wasn’t sure was going to work, but it did. I’m gonna be reflecting on this book for many days to come because it was not my usual read, but oh boy was it fun!

✨This ARC was provided by Berkley via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.✨

If "28 Days Later," "Twilight," and a rom-com had a threesome, they would give birth to this paranormal romantic comedy, "Zomromcom" by Olivia Dade.

Let me start by writing, I had zero idea what I was walking into with this novel and it is as unhinged as my threesome comment above 😅.

"Zomromcom" is the first book in the Supernatural Entanglements series by Olivia Dade. Our heroine Edie is a 38-year-old human just trying to survive a zombie apocalypse where the undead are fast, violent, and randomly mutter French words. When she risks her life (and her precious burrito 🌯) to save her bro-ey neighbour "Chad," only to learn his name is actually Max... but actually Gaston (yes, like the Disney villain), and that he’s a vampire, things escalate quickly - and I mean very quickly.

What unfolds is a mixed blender of paranormal rom-com with an apocalyptic survival story and supernatural beings. There’s plenty to laugh at here - from Max’s real name, Gaston, and Edie's constant hazing by singing a less kid-friendly version of the famous Disney song, to Max's side gig as a fashion influencer on YouTube with some questionable (and painful) outfits. The humor did land for me, and I genuinely laughed out loud more than once. And I loved that Edie isn’t your typical FMC. She’s older, body-positive, witty, and far from a damsel in distress.

That said… there's a lot going on within the story. As readers, we're thrown into a world with vampires, fae, witches, enhanced humans, demons and zombies, but the world-building never really finds its proper footing. Powers, hierarchies, weaknesses with each supernatural being - it got a little fuzzy and the end was jam packed with so much info that I was left a bit confused. The zombies also take a backseat midway through, which was a surprise given how strong the setup was. I can only hope there will be more context provided in the next book in the series.

As for the romance? The banter between Edie and Max was fun to read, albeit their connection felt a bit rushed. While there's some history between them hinted at in the story, they were mostly just strangers, even if they were neighbours. So, when their connection went from zero to two fingers up the... Anyhoo, it just seemed very convenient that their romantic connection was immediate and their feelings for each other developed faster than would be expected. But, I guess when the world is burning, feelings will burn faster too? And, yes, as I implied, there's a lot of spice in this one (3.5, maybe even a 3.8, out of 5 on the spice rating 🌶).

Despite some awkward pacing, I truly was entertained and had fun reading "Zomromcom." Plus, I can appreciate the concept. It’s hilariously chaotic, oddly heartwarming at times, and has future potential - especially if the next books smooth out some of the kinks.

🧟‍♂️ My Final Thoughts:
If you’re down for a zombie apocalyptic romance with sexy vampire vibes, chaotic energy, and laugh-out-loud moments, this is worth a shot. Just don’t expect answers right away - and maybe keep a burrito handy. My overall rating of Zomromcom is a 3.7 out of 5.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing and, of course, the author Olivia Dade for the opportunity to read this eARC ahead of its release, in exchange for my honest review!

You're going to love this, but you're going to be real mad you don't get the next book immediately. This is a series that has me hooked big time, and I am fully invested in Edie and Max, not to mention you'll be cracking up on a regular basis when Edie's silliness meets Max's straight man shtick.

This is still a story about a type of zombie apocalypse, the appearance of supernatural beings in the world but also still has Cardi B and YouTube, and also the unending damage that grief can wreak on our choices.

Edie has a heart of gold and it leads her in a direction that makes Max feel indebted to her. They find that someone let the zombies out of containment, and Edie will do nothing short of trying to save others even at risk to herself. Even when she learns the truth of Max's identity as a vampire, she can't help but tease and wheedle him and it's hilarious; there's just so much to be silly about when it comes to Max, while also knowing that he can be scary as heck if he wants to be.

The larger mythology of the world is also great, and definitely study the map before they start talking because at first I was very confused until I realized things were in a different order than I expected, and I am thrilled at the prospect of seeing more of the outside world and the political dynamics in the next books.

While also reading spicy spicy vampire human sexy time.

I’ve read Olivia Dade in the past and have enjoyed her stories. This one, however, did not work for me. I loved the idea of a zombie apocalypse book with a plus-sized character saving the day with a burrito and was hoping for a few laughs to go with an action-packed book. The execution was clunky, for lack of a better word, with incomplete world building that we’re thrown into with unlikeable characters. I think this tried to take on too much – action, supernatural, romance, comedy – and that it all got muddled, giving an unmolded product that didn’t deliver on any of the fronts except romance and that felt forced, too. I had a difficult time getting through this.

I will always adore the charming, fun banter of a grumpy man and a sunshine girl, and Olivia Dade continues to excel at showcasing that trope over and over again. I adore how her fat characters are portrayed especially in this new setting of the zombie war, Edie was capable and HOT. the plot development of the zombie war felt off at times to me and was not something I got lost in like I thought I would, just not for me

Finally a Rom-com that has as much comedy as romance. From the first line in this zombie spoof, the author had me laughing. When a novel begins with the line "Armed with a burrito, Evie rounded her car and sprinted to intercept the zombie," the reader can tell that she is in for a rollicking ride. The female main character is fat, feisty, funny and a hell of a fighter. Living next to the zombie containment zone, she needs to be a fighter. When she attempts to save her clueless sexy neighbor and in turn he saves her, she soon finds that he is not what he seems. Not even his name was real. The novel is filled with witty banter that made me giggle. But the best part of the novel is the song! When Edie finds out her companion's real first name, she can't help riff on the popular song about a character with that name. The lyrics in this running joke are hysterical and had me laughing my head off.

I received an electronic advanced copy of this novel from Berkley as part of their underrepresented voices influencer program. Most romance books revolve around young skinny women, but Olivia Dade novels have plus sized protagonists. Many books with Fat Representation revolve around the character's problems with her weight. Some of them embrace Body Positivity with a message of "Yes, I am overweight, but I accept the way I am and I am beautiful anyway." In this novel, the character happens to be overweight. It is mentioned in her description and depicted on the cover illustration. But her weight is not a part of the plot. Once she is described, her size is barely mentioned at all. Even when she is bare. And there are plenty of spicy scenes in this insta-love romance. Her sexy neighbor finds her beautiful and not a shred of self doubt crosses her mind. This book may be a sexy silly spoof, but it also sends a great message to the average woman. Beauty is not a dress size.

I was hooked from cover and description and was so glad I was able to read this, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the use of zombies. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and enjoyed the way they worked in this world. Olivia Dade has a strong writing style and enjoyed the use of zombie, it was different and worked in the world.

Thank you so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the EARC!

This book was just pure fun. I’ve read Olivia Dade before and loved it, so when I heard she was writing a paranormal romcom set during a zombie apocalypse I knew I needed to read it. And it did not disappoint. I loved the characters, the way it made me laugh, and the perfect amount of lore to create a world with all sorts of supernatural creatures without getting bogged down with logistics. You learn things at a great pace, never overwhelming, and just enough to keep you curious for more.

Max and Edie had me giggling from start to finish. Their banter is incredibly endearing and entertaining, and the grumpy/sunshine vibes were absolute perfection. And the way Edie could break into song to irritate Max create some of my favourite moments. I can’t wait to see where this story goes next!

Unfortunately this book wasn't very good. I was so excited for this as u usually adore Olivia Dade but this book just wasn't for me. I am not a huge fan of the romantacy/comedy bit as I feel like it has way to much going on and the author can't seem to focus on any one thing. This book suffered from exactly that. None of the main characters really had personalities and the just jumpy into a zombie appeal seemed like a cheap intro....everything just felt like an obvious set up and sequel bate. Its really unfortunate too cause thjs was one of my most anticipated books.

tl;dr a mixed bag of mixed feelings with a LOT going on

tl;.. did read... is that It's everything it promises in the title: There's zombies (although zombie purists will argue they are not zombies but guess what! I'm not one of them), there's room pretty straight off the bat with Edie maybe not specifically flirting (initially) but telling Max what he already knows (that is, how hot he is... actually his ego was something I liked), there's definitely com as the two main characters banter their way through a new iteration of a zombie apocalypse...

We're immediately placed into a world that relies on a reader knowing the basics of zombies (a bite will turn you, they're the fast type, they are unreasonable) while still introducing its own lore as the story progresses. I don't mind that! I've indulged in enough zombie and apocalyptic media in my time where something set ~20 years in, no problem, I can fill in the blanks with other cultural relevancy. It was just when we also find out that hey, there's vampires in this world (including our pansexual love interest Max), but also there's fae, but also there's witches, but also there's-- it goes on, and not only that, we are introduced to even MORE types of supernatural beings later on in the book too (Couldn't we have just spent more time with the counterfeiters? I liked them.) in a set up as the first book in a series, but honestly, I think this would have been more successful without "and supernatural beings" ... or maybe just sticking to one or two instead of "and the fae and trolls and".

I found the sort of mutual ribbing and affection Edie and Max had fun-- sure, she's only REALLY getting to know him now, but she's also known him in another way for like three years, so that preestablished relationship was nice, like there were reasons they liked each other besides just "person hot." They gave and take really well together (although I think there were a few too many uses of the Gaston song to my tastes) and all teasing was done with respect and genuinely liking the other person, especially the farther they got into their relationship. The spice scenes were enjoyable with no shying away from Edie's body type, like it's very clear This Is A Fat Girl and she has no qualms about asking for what she wants. What I really did not like (actually, that I HATED) was that for a man described as having "the faintest hint of a French accent," the ONLY times he decided to use French was -- names (and not pet names, just names) for the both of their genitals, and a nickname given to Edie at a strange time. The 'ma bite' was so distracting, especially the first time it happened (especially because a) I read an ARC and b) he is a VAMPIRE so I assumed, with both of those factors, that it was an ARC typo about his, you know, his bite, biting with his mouth, in a standard vampiric fashion). Bro.

There were a slew of other characters introduced near the end of the book that were interesting, but there wasn't enough time to get to know or enjoy anyone, so I assume? Hope? They'll be in the other books in the series? Just A Lot happened in the last quarter of the book, and the end was extremely abrupt, to the point where I couldn't believe the "percentage remaining" was actually accurate... and then it was over. Wild.

But the 'very serious discussion questions' at the end were a hoot.

So I think overall this book was best when it was Edie and Max just co-bantering off the walls (clothing optional) and I enjoyed enough of it but SO MUCH was going on in the background/lore that it really just left me wishing that it wasn't. I'm not sure I'll read another book in this series but we'll see.

(Also, loved the soapmaking details; I kept showing my partner who also makes soap who was pretty pleased!)

Thank you to NetGalley and to Berkely for the eARC in exchange for review!

*Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for the E-Arc*
Its release day, life got away from me. BUT I absolutely loved this book. Whatever Olivia Dade writes I will read. This had the perfect formula per usual, the banter, the tension, the humor all of it is perfect the only way Olivia does it. Everyone go read this book!

Thanks so much to Berkley for the free e-book of Zomromcom! Olivia Dade is a favorite author and honestly I will read nothing she writes because not only does she have amazing writing and stories but ALL her book feature a plus sized FMC! As a plus size female it’s fabulous to see that rep.

Her first paranormal book was super cute. I felt Zombieland vibes immediately but with other supernatural creatures as well (dumbest movie ever but so loved it) so knew this book would be a win. The world building wasn’t super successful and could have been better for sure but I still binged the heck out of this book!

You have all the snarky sexy banter Dade is known for with those painful yet healing moments for both characters. This enemies to lovers was almost instalove which considering the story is unbelievable just seemed to fit. A favorite moment is when our FMC Edie sings (multiple times) different variations of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.

3.5 stars rounded up

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a cute paranormal rom com about an independent woman teaming up with her vampire neighbor to get to the bottom of a zombie outbreak conspiracy. Edie tries to save her bumbling "bro" neighbor Max from a zombie attack, but he's not what he seems and ends up saving her instead. This starts them down a long journey to not only survive a zombie outbreak, but help to protect her neighbors and get to the bottom of a government conspiracy.

I loved the snarky teasing banter between Edie and Max. Every time Edie sings a variation on the "Gaston" song from Beauty and the Beast I cracked up - you'll understand this when you read the book. Edie and Max both have painful pasts that keep them walled off from other people. Their life and death circumstances give them the chance to open up to each other and share their grief and pain, giving them both comfort. Even though the danger is real and they don't know if they will make it another day, they take a chance on their feelings for each other and a possible future together. Max's overprotectiveness toward Edie is sweet, even if she mainly finds it insulting. She's definitely someone who looks out for other people, to her own detriment at times, and he isn't about that at all - except for her. The side characters add depth and fun to the book. It was great reading about other supernatural beings and the author's take on their gifts and attributes.

This is a cute mash up of a zombie apocalypse and supernatural paranormal romcom and I love the plus-size representation. It's a fun, quick and easy read.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. Not only is this a good book to get you in the mood for spooky season, it is a lighthearted sci-fi that made me laugh along the way. Who else wouldn't mind getting stuck slaying zombies with your hunky neighbor who just happens to not be human himself... he is a vampire!

Reading this felt like experiencing a dream. So quirky and fun and half the time I didn’t even know what was happening because it very much was giving “this is a thing my brain came up with at three in the morning in a deep REM cycle” and yet it worked?

Surprisingly, I love how many times the author rewrote the song “Gaston” into the dialogue so seamlessly and it never failed to make me laugh.

—
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia Dade never ceases to make me laugh and ZomRomCom is one of her best yet. I had a ball with this paranormal romance that throws Edie, whose parents sacrificed themselves to protect her as a kid from the zombie breach years ago, and her antisocial neighbor “Chad” as the zombies have yet again breached the containment zone meant to keep them safe.

Only Chad has ALOT of secrets, not the least of which is he is a centuries old vampire named Gaston. Yes, GASTON. Be prepared to have his Beauty and the Beast song on repeat in your head for the entirety of this read! “No one fights like Gaston. . . “ etc. etc.

A perfect mix of funny and sweet, with a healthy helping of spiciness 🥵 and action, Edie and Gaston/Max “the neighbor formally known as Chad” must join with an unlikely group of survivors to keep the breach contained before the zombies escape to zones with higher populations. ZomRomCom is a thoroughly entertaining read.