A super fascinating and unique YA that left me hooked from the start!

This felt like it captured Gen Z zeitgeist, it was socially engaged, creative, thrilling, and diverse. I found this to be captivating and I didn't know what to expect. The sisters as a chorus of sorts also felt really interesting and caught my attention.

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

The Summer I Ate the Rich is a sharp, fast-paced read that blends anti-capitalist bite with cultural richness and a dash of dark humor. Maika and Maritza Moulite have crafted a story that’s both fun and thought-provoking, with a compelling main character and a cast of memorable side characters.

One of the standout elements is the exploration of Haitian culture and folklore, especially the origins of the zombie myth—which, surprisingly, I hadn’t known until now. The vivid descriptions of food and cooking throughout the book are mouthwatering, making me want to seek out Haitian cuisine ASAP.

While the book tackles serious themes, including generational trauma and class disparity, it also delivers a heartfelt mother-daughter narrative that anchors the story beautifully. There’s a romance subplot, too—low-stakes and messy in the best way—but it never overshadows the book’s central message.

If you’re looking for a summer read that’s rich in culture, character, and critique (with just a hint of cannibalism), this one’s for you.

The Summer I Ate the Rich was a mixed bag experience for me. I'm not even sure how best to explain my thoughts and feelings on this one, but let's give it a whirl, shall we?

In this story we follow Brielle, a Haitian-American girl, living in the Miami area with her Mom. Brielle has big dreams of becoming a world-renowned chef. Her Mom works in a domestic-capacity for an extremely wealthy family. It's not easy work and she's also dealing with a chronic illness that leaves her dealing with constant pain, and a lot of medical bills, but she does her best to provide for them. Unsurprisingly, Brielle spends a lot of her time and energy trying to help her Mom, worrying about her, and trying to make sure she gets the care she needs.

After her Mom's job is no longer there, Brielle has to step up in a big way; using her culinary skills to support them. Brielle's menu items are far from mainstream, and she keeps the rich families eating her food guessing about what exactly is titillating their taste-buds.

The short answer: human flesh.

I'll be the first to admit, a lot of this story flew over my head. I enjoyed Brielle, and followed along quite well in the beginning, but then it got to a point where my eyes sort of glazed over. I understand and appreciate the important topics these authors touch upon in this story, and I think their own inspiration for writing it is compelling ((be sure to read the <i>Author's Note</i> at the end)), however, a lot of it lost me, NGL.

The synopsis mentions it being a modern-day fable, and that is quite apt. In addition to Brielle's perspective, we also get these sections, they might have been called Intermissions, or Interludes, but they are told in a very whimsical-style by beings I believe were supposed to be Brielle's 'sisters'. Those sections were a complete wash for me. They were so jarring in comparison to Brielle's perspective, and they were taking me out of the story every time.

In the audiobook, they also had different narrators, which was great, I love multiple narrators, but these sections, the Muses, all I could picture was the singing ladies from Disney's animated movie, Hercules. And I guess for me, that felt more out of place and distracting than I think the author's intended. I'm sure this is just me, I'm most likely missing a very real reference, or connection, to some greater story, or folklore, but I still need to be honest about my experience.

At the end of the day, I was hoping this would be much darker and clear in its execution than it turned out to be. I was into it at times, but then it would veer off and leave me spinning my wheels, wondering what was happening. Nevertheless, I would recommend it for any Reader who feels the synopsis sounds intriguing. It's definitely worth giving it a shot, and I would be interested in reading more from these authors.

Thank you to the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, as well as Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

There's def a good story here. I appreciated the themes and risks the authors explored and took, however it just wasn't suited to my tastes, and I do rate based on my overall experience in comparison to other books of the same genre.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I enjoyed this more than I thought! I wasn't sure what to think as I don't typically read books about zombies but this was interesting and the main character was fun to read. I would look at more by this author!

This was a new and interesting take on the zombie genre. Normally zombie stories are something I would steer clear from but this was really enjoyable. Brielle Petitfour is an young Haitian American with a passion for cooking. When she witnesses a hit and run of the elderly man her mother cares for she takes the opportunity to use the information she has to make a go at a culinary business. No one would guess what her secret ingredient is but as the summer goes on more and more things start to unravel for Brielle.

This was a suspenseful and engaging read from start to finish.

I enjoyed the concept but I thought the magic system could have been better explained and the ending was unsatisfying

3.25

A decent book, but not what it markets itself as.
The only horror comes more from the racism and socioeconomic injustices.

I think I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd gone in with the right intentions; or if the book had kept the same tone it started with.

The summer I ate the rich was a fun and different take on the classic “zombie” with folk lore woven throughout the story! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was such a unique story! Brielle’s not your average teen, she’s half Haitian American, half zombie (yup, you read that right, lol) and growing up with her hardworking immigrant mom. Her mom’s been dealing with chronic pain and the insurance drama around her pain pump is crazy, especially since she was injured at work and her boss is literally a millionaire. The constant beeping of her pain pump adds another layer to everything they’re dealing with.

Over the summer, we follow Brielle as she starts to tap into her zombie side, not in a horror way, but in a “how can I use this to change things for the better” kind of way. And while no, she didn’t literally eat the rich (I was hoping for it 😂), she does shake up some systems and find creative ways to stand up for herself and her family.

Along the way, there’s some cute young romance, a lot of heart, and honestly, I loved watching her relationship with her mom deepen throughout the story. Also, shoutout to Marcelo, Brielle’s best friend, because his energy was everything. He brought some much needed light to make sure our girl Brielle feel confident. He was definitely one of my favs in the story. His side romance was cute too!

I kinda wished there was more zombie action, but I get what the authors were doing here. It’s not really about the supernatural, it’s about survival, love, and fighting for what’s right when the odds are stacked against you.

Don’t go into this expecting the rich to literally get devoured. Even if the FMC is a zombie. That’s not quite how it works in this world. While this route of literally eating the rich and devouring them would have been fun, I still really enjoyed what the Moulite’s did with this story, writing from their own experiences and infusing the story with Haitian zombie lore. I love how Brielle went about trying to dismantle the rich and was willing to do pretty much anything to accomplish her goals and help her family.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

I received a gifted audiobook copy of THE SUMMER I ATE THE RICH by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite from Macmillan Audio!

Rating: 3.5 / 5

THE SUMMER I ATE THE RICH follows Brielle, a young woman with a passion for cooking and a craving for human flesh. She and her mother live in Florida where her mother works as a home health aid and Brielle works at a restaurant while planning culinary ambitions of her own. When she suddenly gets access to the wealth of the family that has employed her mother and treated her poorly, Brielle makes big moves.

This was a very unique take on a zombie story. Brielle is a zombie, but not in the typical ‘as seen on tv’ sense. She has control over her hungers, even though they still cause concern for her mother. Brielle has big plans, both for her future and for her sense of revenge.

This book lost be a bit as it went further on. I was expecting the zombie theme to ramp up as we got further in, but it stayed a relatively background part of the book. I did appreciate learning more about Brielle’s Haitian roots and the lore of zombies that originates there.

The authors have a lot of strong social commentary in the book, and that was all well done, though I did feel that it sometimes was tackling too much. Brielle and her mother have dealt with racism as immigrants to the US, medical issues and insurance shortfalls, and a lot of class differences between where they live and the wealthy patrons Brielle is working for. From the author’s notes at the end, I can see why they wanted to address the issues and I did think the conversations were well done.

I picked this up partly because I wanted to try something a bit different. At first I was nervous it was going to be a horror read. I was actually surprised in a good way, and enjoyed this examination of classism in Miami through a unique protagonist and her intriguing arc, along with grey and gray morality, a great cast of characters, some magic, and fast paced storyline.

Based on the cover (which does look like a Black Power fist) and title, I thought this was going to be a high level horror book. But the elements were rather limited to some implied cannibalism in a few chapters, but Brielle does have some intense reactions to seeing human flesh. It's much closer to a contemporary novel with some fantasy and horror elements with Brielle being a zombie, which is more of the traditional Haitian lore of "undead slaves forced to toil forever" than the ones Americans are used to. For me, that was a plus, because I didn't have to deal with too much squick, but some horror readers might be disappointed. There's also some swearing and some messed up deaths, but not overly graphic.

Brielle herself is very much a gray morality type of young woman, doing the right thing, but breaking a lot of rules to get it done. She's seen her mother, Valentin, toil for chump change for the Banks family, one of the richest families in the world, and she's had enough of the rich overindulgence of the ultra rich partly because of it. Her character arc is intriguing with cooking for the ultra rich and trying to take them down a peg, as well as figuring out her Haitian origins. I like where she ends up. The rest of the cast was interesting and each had their quirks and memorable character moments. I really enjoyed Valentin for her determination and still being a good mother despite the circumstances. I also like that the rich aren't all 100% evil, even though it does feel like it's going that way in the early chapters.

I do enjoy that the setting was in Miami, which as someone who lives not too far away, was rather vivid. I felt the areas of the city and how each of them are assembled. I also like the other areas that we get to see. The magical lore was fleshed out well, and while not taking center stage for the most part, is an important part of Brielle's background, as well as the many Haitian elements. I did enjoy the whole "power of suggestion with food", which reminded me of With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. I wished a little bit more was explained, but it was enough to grasp the story.

The main theme was examining the mindset and lifestyles of the ultra rich and deconstructing them, though it's not in a way where it feels like all rich people were evil. It shows how their mentality leaves the rest of us to deal with less. The plot was fast paced with the shorter chapters and it just had me continue reading another chapter, sneaking them whenever I could. The twists made sense and the ending was unique, but fitting considering the morality that the story is working with.

The audiobook has multiple narrators, all of them doing a great job with pronouncing everything and the vocal range was excellent. While one narrator handles Brielle, the others are involved in some type of audio drama that pops up on occasion.

If you like reading an examination of the rich and what it takes to keep up, as well as following a compelling protagonist, this book is a must read!

The first scene hit me hard and I thought this was going to be a five star book. However, I think the rest of the book didn't live up to the first scene. I may have expected too many horror elements and, while I like the overall message of the book, I left off feeling like it had barely scratched the surface.

A fun and informative young adult novel. I enjoyed learning about Haiti and its culture as the author weaves it throughout the story. Taking up many topics (e.g. including, but not limited, to coming of age, classism, ethnocentrism and gender) this book allows for the reader (or a teacher) to put it in conversation with current and historical events.

I was able to read this book by listening to the audiobook and the cast of narrators did an amazing job bringing the characters to life. I especially enjoyed the chorus of sisters (reminded me of Shakespeare). Readers looking for something innovative and those who want to dip a toe into horror will find this to their liking (the vampire trope was a light touch).

It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice. It was nice.

The Haitian culture and folklore was interesting and I like it a lot.

I wish the authors had explain what a Haitian zombie was within the text and not in the author's note. The book would have had a good discussion element and it would have made the book more of a critical read. The zombie element did nothing for the plot; it could have been taken out of the story and it wouldn't have made a difference.

The tone was off. If this is supposed to be horror, it wasn't dark or atmospheric or scary or suspenseful. The ending seemed like it should have had a dark tone when she basically blackmailed the love interest but it wasn't. It read more contemporary.

The FMC constantly asked why the rich were so selfish but she never figured it out on her own thru her experiences, encounters, and conversations. She was told why. Once again, this was a missed opportunity for a good discussion.

Brielle Petitfour wants to be a chef, but her Haitian mother will not hear of it. Drowning in medical bills and with her mother freshly unemployed, Brielle hopes to launch her catering business to solidify her future and help her mother and maybe take down some billionaires in the process.

Honestly, I almost gave this book up within the first minute because talk about cow brains is very yuck, and Brielle, our narrator, promises it will get worse. Only, it doesn't. I liked Brielle as a character, but some of the decisions she makes are not great. I think my biggest problem with this book was the message it sends to immigrant girls. All you have to do is marry rich and all your problems will be solved. The other problem I had is that there's a lot of talk of Brielle being a zombi and having powers, but not much of her doing anything with that. It was kind of a let down. In the end, I didn't enjoy the message here, and I wouldn't recommend this book, especially to immigrant girls.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. I enjoyed the narration by Ashley De La Rosa, Fedna Jacquet, Khaya Fraites, Melinda Sewak, Mieko Gavia, and Zuri Washington.

The premise of this book felt so promising and exciting to me, but I felt that the writing and storytelling didn't exactly stack up to really deliver for me. I think I was expecting some kind of darker horror, and this was much lighter in reality.

The portrayal of Miami and the different socioeconomic groups made me feel like I was right beside Brielle experiencing the jobs and slights and travel and stress. Those parts really made me feel like I was living all this with her. So the commentary on power and how we see that manifested in her mother's life before felt very near and very dangerous. The way that Brielle fought that power did not have as much of an impact, but I appreciated the role it played in the story. The ending wasn't really what I expected, but it fit with the story being told.
And possibly my favorite part was the Haitian chorus of her sisters. I loved what they had to say and the way they framed the story.
This sister duo tells stories I like reading!

Thank you to Macmillan audio & NetGalley for this arc!

I love being in this character head, the small things when Brielle describes the food & people around her. She doesn’t overly describe but you can tell miss does live in her own world & hardly pays attention to the people around her. Currently 16 weeks pregnant she makes me hungry every time I pick up this book!😂📚


I don’t feel like this is horror, how it is marketed it didn’t really dive into zombism how I thought it would. I wanted more. There is little to no blood thirsting how many zombie books are.

Let me tell you sometimes I’m so upset with Brielle like why does she choose chaos. Like is it because she is a zonbi (zombie) or a teenager.

With this audiobook there are many chapters with many woman talking in third person omniscient which was really confusing. They were telling us things about her parents that I don’t even believe Brielle knowing & when don’t know who these women are until 32% in.

Honestly it’s a good book but its marketing was wrong, there wasn’t any horror. Mainly coming of age, fantasy & hints of romance. I just expected more.