Read This Book If…Shaun of the Dead is your favorite movie!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Zomromcom by Olivia Date

Genre: paranormal romance
Series: Supernatural Entanglements # 1
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Setting: compound in Northern Virginia
POV: single, 3rd person, past tense
Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, hurt/comfort

My Thoughts:
This was a fun, if forgettable, read!

The world-building was interesting (but a little overwhelming) and there was some great rep throughout. I really enjoyed the FMC being a little older (38) as well as plus-sized.

Our sunshine soap-maker and grumpy vampire neighbor made for quite the duo! I liked their banter and silliness, but the romantic relationship felt like it came out of nowhere. The steamy scenes were great, though!

Overall, this was very silly and a little cringey, with only a little emotional depth.

Memorable Quote: “When I finally get inside you, you’ll burn me alive, my Edie.” “And you’ll thank me for it.”

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

This book was just so much fun! Our heroine, Evie attempts to save her gym-bro neighbor from an zombie attack believing he can't defend himself, only to find out that he is a lethal vampire who is more than able to defend himself. He also has the nerve to get angry at Evie for attempting to save him (admittedly, throwing a burrito at a charging zombie, is not super effective, but it was all she had at the moment). The duo then sets out to try to figure out why the zombies were released from their prison and how to save their neighbors from attack. Evie and Max's banter and chemistry were excellent and the book was overall just a really enjoyable read.

This book was a huge surprise - Olivia Dade is one talented author. She injected humour, romance and spice into a zombie apocalypse. This book was funny, sweet, laugh out loud good. The continual Gaston puns were elite. I would say it’s quite a long read in parts, but overall very enjoyable.

I have read of all of Olivia Dade's contemporary romances, so I was really looking forward to this one. I had zero idea what to expect from a zombie book, but the supernatural beings was definitely a surprise. I think some parts were realistic such as having zones of containment and so on. However, I had a hard time believing certain parts (that I will not explain due to spoilers). I did enjoy the development of the romance, even though there were some parts such as the car in the river that were really gross. I can't wait to get a copy to add to my shelves.

No one slays like Gaston… Zombies? ✔. Romcom? ✔. Puns? ✔✔✔

Edie keeps us going with a fantastic intro featuring quite the nonsensical weapon while she's trying to save her hot neighbor Gaston/Max wearing an equally nonsensical outfit from brain-eating zombies. Prepare to giggle, chuckle, and gasp your way through this one.

For a humorous take on the post-apocalyptic tale, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Some parts felt a little tedious buuuut most of it was quite a fun read filled with silly moments and a bit of tension around the characters' building relationship. The banter was really cute and I definitely would read more written in this zombie-verse!

What I enjoyed:
- The banter and witty retorts.
- The characters' interactions with each other.
- It was different from most zombie books since it revolved around the romcom aspects.
- The romance was predictable in a good way, light and fluffy. You kind of knew what to expect.
- Decently smutty without taking away from the plot!

4/5 stars. I didn't expect all the other supernatural guest involvement, and I liked it, but at times it felt like they were being introduced without a good reason or just to add fluff to the story. Maybe there's some future reasoning to that?! Overall, it's a cute romcom with some gore included! Perfect for the fantasy reader that doesn't want to read straight horror.

Thanks to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Olivia Dade for sending me an ARC of Zomromcom in exchange for an honest review.

If we just focused on the Gaston puns: A+

I've enjoyed Dade's romances in the past and was really excited for this dive into the supernatural, but it almost felt a little too campy for me. The world building almost felt silly? Not quite fleshed out? I honestly just wanted the book to take place in his zombie shelter while the world happened around them. I think it was riding the line between romance and an action/adventure and needed to tip one way or the other.

I still think this would be a fun read for those who like cozy fantasy. That's just not me, as much as I keep trying.

This rom-com is a wildly entertaining surprise, set in the most unexpected containment zone. Somehow, amid the chaos and undead drama(trauma?), the Olivia Dade manages to deliver a hilarious, heartwarming, love story that had me laughing out loud! The quirky characters and perfect blend of romance and zombie-infested mayhem makes this such a fun read. The book has it all - humor, heart, and a healthy dose of the unexpected

Post-apocalyptic books, romance or not, always make me hesitate, but this being an Olivia Dade book, I knew I had to read it. She hasn't let me down yet! I am so glad I gave this one a go, because despite the zombie apocalypse of it all, it was still infused with plenty of romance, humour, and most importantly hope. What a delight. I can't wait to see more from this world!

Only Olivia Dade could make zombies, vampires, and an apocalypse bunker feel like the start of a swoony, hilarious love story. ZomRomCom is exactly what it promises: laugh-out-loud funny, a little bloody, and unexpectedly tender in the middle of all the mayhem. Edie is the kind of character you instantly root for—big-hearted, brave, and absolutely determined to help people, even in the middle of a zombie outbreak. And Max? He’s her grumpy vampire neighbor (yes, his name is actually Gaston), and somehow he’s both intimidating and kind of a softie, with a stash of snacks and a ridiculously big sword. Their dynamic is hilarious and a little chaotic in the best way, and even with all the zombie mayhem, their connection really sneaks up on you. It’s funny, weirdly cozy, and way more emotional than I expected. Honestly, it’s the perfect mix of romance, action, and just enough heart to make you care between all the undead nonsense.

I am not positive what I was expecting from this book, but it wasn’t exactly what I got. I wasn’t expecting so much supernatural, but the world building was well done. I liked most of the humor (I’ll admit the Gaston songs were pretty amazing) and the romance was super predictable but fun. I’m curious what more will come from this series, but I won’t need to rush to pre-order the next one, especially since her last series fell for me after the first book. The government made zombies to kill the supernaturals and of course they went feral and endangered all of man kind. Life seems mostly normal except for the walls and moats keeping the zombies out until Edie and her neighbor Chad stumble upon a few in their neighborhood. But Chad has been keeping secrets and as they venture out to try to save humanity Edie is determined to learn them all.

4.5 Stars. When Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her neighbor from a zombie, she quickly learns that he is not in fact the stoner bro Chad, but is really a very capable centuries old vampire named Gaston “Max” Boucher. The pair realize that more than one or two zombies have breached containment and they must figure out how that happened and warn the outside world of the impending danger. They meet and team up with a few groups of misfits in their endeavor.

I love Olivia’s books and found this one to be a bunch of silly zombie fun. I didn’t read the blurb before reading so I didn’t know that we were going to get more supernatural creatures beyond zombies. I found Edie and Max to be very funny, though there were a few cringe moments with the pair. I’m not a romantasy reader so I don’t need or expect a lot of lore/world building, so where we got enough information to understand the stakes and creature-specific traits I was fine. I love that Olivia continues to write fat heroines and liked Edie and Max as a couple. I was not thrilled with where this book ends things, but it does make me want to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful zombie hunting / end-of-the-world rom-com with a vampire mmc and a lovely fmc, Edie! This book is funny and exciting with some tender, heartfelt moments as well. Definitely set-up for a sequel but not left on a huge cliffhanger for the main couple, which I greatly appreciate. Olivia Dad has quickly become one of my favorite authors!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a few of Olivia Dade's contemporary romance novels and was excited to see how she approached supernatural creatures. (I was also excited that the "Z" letter of my yearly alphabet challenge was going to be fulfilled so easily without me having to search around!) I want to get it out of the way and say my feelings on this ended up being a bit lackluster. I was a little hesitant on the synopsis as I don't see why vampires needed to be included in a zombie novel but wanted to keep an open mind. It turns out virtually every supernatural creature exists in this world and the zombies are a result of governmental super-soldiers gone wrong. This is probably the most realistic part of this novel, supernatural creatures are discovered and the United States government's response is to immediately start experimenting on the populace to have a way to fight said creatures. Beyond this tidbit the rest of the world building was incredibly weak. The world seems to have gone on as normal after a major outbreak of zombies that killed a significant portion of the populace and led to the erection of several moats and walls in the surrounding area used to contain the captured zombies. (Why did we capture them and not kill them, idk plot reasons I guess??) Our heroine, Edie, lives in the closest zone to the captured zombies and thus the most dangerous and spends her days running a small soap business out of her home, which would require her to leave the house frequently to mail out these packages. This is kind of hand waived away as she learned self defense and has a cleaver to fight any rogue zombies. Tiktok influencers are alive and well after the zombie apocalypse and we get several references to other pop culture people and moments. These descriptions just didn't fit in well with others we got of Edie living in a mostly abandoned neighborhood with abandoned malls and just an overall desolate landscape. There were also a lot of random things just included for the sake of it. At one point we learn that all humans have soul marks. Why? I honestly couldn't tell you. The supernatural creatures do not have these just the humans. It didn't really have much baring on the plot and was entirely unnecessary to include. I just kept feeling as each new thing was revealed or brought up that it was too much.

I did like Edie and her vampire neighbor, Gaston "Max" Boucher. I think the moments that just had them interacting in a cute or flirty way were the best parts of the book. (Which makes sense Dade has written several romance novels, she can do banter and flirting well.) Whenever some supernatural world building got inserted into their conversations though was when the book lost some of my attention. Edie and Max do the grumpy sunshine dynamic well and though parts of the relationship felt too insta love/lust it still was cute. I mostly enjoyed the humor but some jokes went on too long and were brought up too frequently throughout the book. I also had a problem with our hero's name constantly being changed. When he first meets Edie he's keeping a low profile and introduces himself as Chad. The Chad persona is essentially a high all the time stupid bro. Early in the novel we learn the hero's name is actually Gaston but because of the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast he now goes by his middle name Max because he got tired of Gaston jokes. (This is one of the jokes that is brought up too often by Edie throughout the novel, a few times was fine but I think Edie makes six different joke songs referencing the Gaston song throughout the course of the book.) Edie calls him Chad, Gaston, and Max interchangeably throughout the entire book, she never just picks a name for him and I found this annoying to read.

If you don't take this seriously and are just here for the romance this can be an enjoyable read. Edie and Max have plenty of good moments with great chemistry. (One more side comment because I can't write this review without getting this out there, I became convinced while reading this that the book only exists because Olivia Dade learned the word for dick in french is bite, because why else would there be a French vampire in a romance zombie book?) I didn't notice until towards the end of my read that this is going to be a series. Based on the ending I do believe it will focus on a new couple like other romance series typically do but there are many questions left unanswered at the end of this novel. I don't particularly feel any desire to have those questions answered though, I'm content to leave this behind. I'll continue to pick up Olivia Dade's contemporary work as she is always great with plus size representation and is great at writing chemistry with her leads.

4 stars
Zomromcom is a fun, lighthearted paranormal romance with great chemistry between Edie, a bright ray of sunshine, and Max, a charmingly surly vampire. Their witty banter and steamy sex scenes kept me hooked. Six orgasms definitely earned Max some bragging rights!

The pacing sped up a lot near the end, and some world-building and plot points felt rushed or unanswered. Still, it’s a lively mix of romance, action, and humor that I really enjoyed. Perfect if you want a sexy, funny paranormal romp. Can’t wait for book two!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Hijinks and wacky bits are my love language, and I absolutely loved this purely unapologetic poke at four genres in a trenchcoat. We open with Edie rushing to fight a zombie (the fast and deadly 28 Days Later brand, not the slow shufflers) armed only with a burrito, to save her sweet but oblivious stoner neighbor, Max. Of course that doesn't go well. (Impulse control, Edie. Get some.) Lucky for her, Max isn't quite as helpless or clueless as he seems.

This has so many of my favorite things! Max is such a grumpy fussy snob, and Edie is a feral raccoon made of sunshine, so the clash between them had me laughing so hard I couldn't read it in public. Edie REALLY knows how to lean into the bit, and the absurdity of the third or fourth song or horrifying gremlin food really sold it for me. It was a commitment to cringe I aspire to on a personal level. Edie GETS me.

Zomromcom crams horror, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and romcom into a single book. As a result, the pacing, SFF world-building, plot, genre elements, and character motivation got a little muddy. That's fine, because the shenanigans and absurdities (esp. Max's long suffering sighs over Edie's song and food choices) carried me through to the end. If you're a fan of horror movies and urban fantasy, and love a genre-aware, over-the-top, unhinged send-up of classic tropes, this is your book. There are easter eggs scattered throughout, including nods to the classic Romero films and other old-school horror. (I would absolutely love a list of all the references and inspirations, because I'm sure I missed some!)

The latter half of the book focuses on set up for a series that I hope will bring the same level of pure, irreverent joy.

This book was such a fun read - witty banter, strong characters, and steamy scenes. I'm obsessed with Max and Edie and want a sequel with them as the main characters! The backstory to build the world was necessary (and interesting!), but could've been a bit more subtly woven in.

Olivia Dade never fails to entertain. I love that her heroines are always plus sized, with luscious curves. Her writing is superb, and I can never wait for her next book to drop.

Olivia Dade is very good at writing funny banter and confident, plus sized heroines. This book is a departure of her usual romances. Zomromcom as the name and cover implies is funny, silly and campy. Edie is a soap maker, trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. After she tries to help rescue her neighbour she realizes that he is in fact a pansexual vampire who has a YouTube channel. His name is Gaston which cues Edie making up Beauty and the Beast like songs throughout the book. As the story evolves, we find out that this is a bigger world of witches, fae and trolls, and some of them may be sabotaging things. The beginning felt clunky to me, especially with the explanations of the zombie containment areas, which I felt slowed down the story. Once the story developed more, I found it entertaining. This is certainly not a book everyone will enjoy, but if you like over the top characters and funny banter mixed with zombie violence, than I recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this had a lot of potential but ultimately this was just lacking a lot necessary to make this a 4 or 5 star read. we just kind of get dropped off into this zombie infested world with 0 world building. i just wanted to know how this happened and it distracted me for a vast majority of the book thinking about it. i did like edie but thought max was kind of annoying and weird. the dialogue was also a bit immature for my liking and gave millennial vibes. the characters did have good banter though which kind of saved this one for me. i think this idea was so so fun and this was such a highly anticipated read for me, but i really needed more out of it.

DNF at 52%

I loved the idea of this book, and I loved the beginning. But after about 20% I was forcing myself to pick it up. The insta-love/lust wasn’t it for me. I love quirky stories but this one felt too unserious and too serious at the same time? It’s very silly but then the backstories are SO deep and heavy. It doesn’t fit. Enter demons/fae/trolls/some supernatural master plan and I’m checked out at this point.