The plot progression felt clunky in some parts to me, but other than that, this was so charming & fun! The banter was bantering, the grump/sunshine trope was troping (reminded me a lot of how Jessica Sims built her paranormals with this trope), and there was lots of campy gore. Great fun was had by all and I'll definitely look for the next one

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this eARC.

4.5 ⭐

I absolutely LOVED this story. The writing was unique and silly at all the right moments.

Edie is living alone during a zombie apocalypse and Chad is her next door neighbor. When Edie runs over to save him from a stray zombie attack, Chad turns out to be not who he seemed.
The resulting ride they go on together is unexpected and laugh out loud funny. I truly loved Edie's character arc and her journey with 'Chad'.

This was a 5⭐ read for me up until the sudden ending. I had no idea this was the start of a series and NOW I WANT MORE IMMEDIATELY!

First Off, the idea behind how the zombies came to be in this book was unique compared to the typical viral outbreak/ spontaneous genetic mutation like I've seen in other zombie apocalypse books! I've also not read a zombie apocalypse meets supernaturals book before, so already it was a refreshing new spin! Secondly, this book had me giggling from the first couple pages to full on cackling at Edies renditions of the Gaston song! She is hilarious and then there’s Chad who is not chad but is instead Gaston/Max a pessimistic, mega old, terribly good looking vampire with a bit of a superiority complex. Together the two work to figure out who is responsible for the most recent zombie outbreak and why all the while falling madly in love. I laughed, I cried, I nonstop craved a burrito (iykyk)! This was everything I never knew I needed in a zombie apocalypse romance.
4.5 stars

I've loved Dade's contemporary romances, but this was her first supernatural romance. Edie has survived the zombie apocalypse and the reveal of various supernatural creatures and is now residing in a relatively safe Zone alongside her ditzy neighbor, Chad. When Chad is menaced by an unexpected zombie, Edie heroically tries to save him by way of a weaponized burrito, only to discover that Chad is Max - a grouchy, cynical and very capable vampire. Edie is determined to warn her community of the zombie incursion, so she sets off, dragging a reluctant Max with her. As the dynamic duo battles their way through threats both supernatural and silly, both begin to come out of their shells and fall for one another. Overall I'd call this perfect rompy read fare, with both steam and chuckles that don't take up too much of my braaaaaaains.

This book was far outside my usual reading preferences, but I found it entertaining all the same. I didn’t expect to enjoy a monster romance, but Olivia Dade managed to bring the relationship to life in a way that kept me engaged. Some parts leaned more into the silly sarcasm than I would have liked, to the point where I experienced a bit of secondhand embarrassment, but it didn’t take away from the overall experience.

The writing had great comedic timing and the banter between characters felt sharp and well-paced. The relationship between Max (gloomy, serious vampire) and Edie (sunshine in human form) was definitely fun to watch. What stood out most to me, though, was the representation of a plus-size main character. As a plus-size woman myself, I appreciated seeing a character whose body type wasn’t used as a punchline or framed as a problem to be fixed. It was a relief to read about someone who simply exists in her body without the usual tropes of constant weight loss or stress-related thinness.

There were a few elements that didn’t quite land for me in terms of world-building. For example, the idea that Netflix would still be producing and cancelling shows in the middle of a zombie apocalypse pulled me out of the story a bit. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it felt out of sync with the premise. While the map at the beginning of the book helped, the world itself could have used more development to feel fully realized.

Overall, it was a surprising and enjoyable read that offered something new while still delivering on the things that matter most to me in a romance.

Thank you so much to Berkley Publish Group for the eARC. All opinions are my own!

An absolute blast.

This was so much fun to listen to. I loved the romance and the world here. I enjoyed how we were just thrown into the world instead of having a ton of world building info dumping.

Dade branches out in this new paranormal, end of the world zombie apocalypse romcom in which the sole survivor in a deserted neighborhood tries to save the one other neighbor she has when a hoard of zombies attacks only to discover he's a vampire.

Together the two embark on a journey to alert other survivor and investigate where the zombies came from only to (of course) fall in love along the way. This one has action, lots of open door spice, a MMC with a French accent, a badass FMC and lots of other magical characters (witches, fae, etc).

This one ends on a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see where the series goes next. It was also great on audio narrated by Joy Nash who does an incredible job voicing a full cast of characters! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!!

Zomromcom by Olivia Dade is a wildly entertaining mash-up of romance, zombies, vampires, and laugh-out-loud comedy that feels like a rom-com movie come to life — with plenty of quirky twists! Set in a dystopian zombie apocalypse, Edie and her neighbor Max (who turns out to be a vampire) find themselves stuck together trying to survive, and their banter is pure gold. I especially loved the hilarious Gaston musical references sprinkled throughout — they added such a delightfully ridiculous charm.
The world-building was intriguing, and the mix of humor, action, and romance kept the story moving at a brisk pace. However, I wished the romance had a bit more development, as their insta-love moments sometimes made it harder to fully buy their connection. A few dialogue scenes dragged on, and some of the French references didn’t quite land for me, which pulled me out briefly.

Still, if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced, unconventional, and unhinged zombie rom-com with plenty of laughs and heart, this book delivers! A fun, wild ride with memorable characters that I’m excited to see more of.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Zomromcom is a quirky blend of romance, zombies, and comedy with a dash of vampire chaos, with an interesting premise!

Set in a dystopian zombie apocalypse, Edie and her neighbor are among the last people living in a containment zone where the undead are now roaming free. Edie tries to save him one night, only to discover he’s actually a vampire. And now they’re stuck together trying to survive the zombie apocalypse.

The banter was fun, full of mutual teasing and ridiculous (in a good way) shenanigans. I especially loved the Gaston references and musical moments!

While the concept was promising and the humor was great, the romance felt a little too insta-love for me. I would’ve liked a bit more development to really buy into their relationship. Some of the dialogue also felt overly long or clunky at times, and I found myself skimming sections where the plot seemed to stall in favor of extended conversations. A few of the French references didn’t quite land for me either and occasionally pulled me out of the story.

That being said, if you’re in the mood for a fun, wild, quirky, unhinged zombie rom-com with plenty of laughs, this might be just your kind of ride!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

5/5 ⭐️s
🌶️🌶️ - medium spice

LOVES:
- The backstory for this book and the setting Olivia has created is extremely interesting. It felt realistic and strange and intriguing. 🤨
- Max became such a wonderfully endearing character for me 😍 From his alter ego and side project to his self-proclaimed disregard for other living creatures. Seeing his layers pulled back and his persona become an inside joke between them was incredibly fun 😁 Not to mention his fierce protectiveness 🔥
- Every single iteration of the Gaston song 😂 Absolutely brilliant and hilarious!
- Plus the banter. Top tier 👌
- The mystery of what caused the main conflict paired with the build up and culmination of the final battle were all so well done. I ate up every second of this!

This is my new favorite Olivia Dade novel, no question. It was an absolute joy to read! So much laughter, just enough depth, intrigue, and action. I didn’t want to put it down! And we’re going to get more…? 👀 We better get more 😑 I need more!

Thanks to NetGalley & Berkley for the advance copy 💝 Releases August 5th!

Stopped at 3%. I checked out of this book at 3% at the mention of a furry granny panty thong. No, thank you, sir. Maybe it’s just me, but I had to reread the start of a paragraph several times to grasp what I was reading. Or maybe the writing is strange? Who knows. Is 3% too soon to tell that you’re not gonna enjoy a book? Maybe. But if I’m already not vibing with it, chances are I’m not going to later.

Rating the book 3 stars to be fair since I didn’t finish the book.

This book was a lot. I was prepared for a story about the zombie apocalypse and I was prepared for him to be a vampire. Without giving to much else away i wasn't prepared for how much else would be going on within the story. I feel like zombies and humans are enough of villians without adding more villians. There were a lot of extra characters to keep track of as well. The spice was fun and i enjoyed aspects of their romance but it was very instalove and they felt into bed together very quickly.
Overall this story didnt completely work for me but it was a fun fast paced read.

This was my first book by Olivia Dade and it was a good time! There were some cringey dialogue moments that unfortunately set me back a little in terms of my ability to fully enjoy it, but for a quick and fun read, this fits the bill.

Honestly who knew being referred to as “human” would be so cutie pie!?! orrr even better “my flea”. The pet names were adorable and perfectly fit the vibes of this book.

“If she leaned forward another inch, she could lick his strong, straight nose. Would that distract him from this lecture? Or at least prompt him to murder her more expeditiously so she wouldn’t be forced to listen to its remainder.”

EDIE, THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE IS WHO I ASPIRE TO BE!! Her utter optimism in terrible situations was soothing. The perfect reminder of how my own pessimism can stand as a barrier between myself and the things I want to accomplish.

I loved every single moment of this. The pacing was perfect, fast-paced and highly entertaining. Many laugh out loud moments that had the people sitting near me in the airport look at me bewildered.

Pub Date August 5 2025

Thanks so much to Penguin Random House and Berkley Romance for providing an eARC copy.

review posted to NetGalley & Goodreads

I’m going to DNF this at 44%, so so cringy and awkward. I felt like it was an out of body experience. Insta-love and we’re dropped in the middle of a 20 year old zombie apocalypse with ZERO world building.

YOU HAD ME AT ZOMBIE ROM COM haha this book was so much fun!! For my first Olivia Dade novel, I'm so glad it was this one because I am a sucker for a good romcom, and when you add all sorts of supernatural elements in the mix, I'm sold! Oh my Edie, my Max!!! So cute and wholesome together, so fierce and unstoppable; these two have my heart! And the humor of it all, with all of the Gaston-ness?? This book had so many elements that I love to read all packaged into one quirky romance that I loved getting lost in! I'm excited to read more from Olivia, and if there's a supernatural twist, I'm there!! <3

I have read a few of Olivia Dade's previous works and this honestly felt like an entirely different author and not in a good way.

I did ultimately DNF this book, the style and humor was not working for me at all. I expected a fair amount of silliness and jokes given the premise, but the execution of those things just wasn't the greatest.

The opening chapter joke about the burrito as a weapon was an immediate turn-off and honestly made it feel like a Shaun of the Dead type parody - and maybe that is the goal and I'm just not the target audience.

I generally enjoy Olivia's writing style, but this one felt forced and overly descriptive.

I think there is an audience for the book, it just unfortunately is not me.

I adored this book! It was such a fun read, despite the not so great circumstances for the characters (escaping from Zombies etc.). The characters are memorable, the plot is exciting and I too now have the Gaston song running through my brain. More of this please! I look forward to getting a print copy for my shelf!

Zomromcom has an intriguing story though I did find some of the story a bit disjointed. The world building was a huge chunk at once. I did enjoy Edie and Max's story their chemistry was great. I loved the banter. But when a main character has 3 first names it took me a minute to figure out they were the same person.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this digital copy. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars!

When the security system protecting the neighborhood from zombies is breached, plus-sized soap entrepreneur Edie teams up with her bro-dude neighbor Chad (who turns out to be a vampire fashionista named Gaston) to slay their way out of danger. Along the way, they make allies with other outliers, and fall in love.

This unapologetically campy Zoolander meets Zombieland paranormal romance may strike a chord with audiences who will appreciate Edie’s many interpretive verses of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’s “Gaston,” much to Gaston’s chagrin—the vampire prefers to go by Max. As in the Spoiler Alert series, there’s lots of smart snark and nerdy allusions, and the characters have their respective traumas to deal with that infuse their actions and emotions; I did not find the leads as compelling, the pairings as swoonworthy, or the setting as complete as in her previous books.

Dade absolutely shows her chops and her range with ZomRomCom. Consent is as much about Edie allowing Max to bite her as it is to do anything sexual. The intimate scenes are lush, decadent, steamy, and as far-fetched (six!? orgasms!!!) as the premise. It’s certainly creative, but ultimately was too silly to capture my attention. I skimmed ahead a bit, but put it down at 45% complete. While I think the quippy dialogue was great, I found the wobbly world-building to be more info-dumping to bring the reader up to speed than skillfully woven in, and the supporting characters too cartoonishly caricaturist to respect.

Pair with Breathers: A Zombie's Lament or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies if you prefer your romance with a bit more depth, poignancy and subtly to balance the adrenaline-fueled running from—and slaying—undead monsters. And if campy tongue-in-cheek is more to your liking, I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com is a suggested read alike.

I received an advance readers review copy of #ZomRomCom via #NetGalley courtesy of in exchange for a fair and honest review.