I thought this would contain more horror elements than what it did, I'm not complaining because I don't particularly like horror. I found it quite interesting how the author intertwined American socio-economics & politics with Haitian zombies. I really enjoyed the audiobook and would recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC for exchange for my honest opinion.

If you are looking for traditional zombie horror, this book probably isn't for you. In my opinion, this book would have been better classified as magical realism.

I really love how this book was written, especially the Greek chorus reminiscent of the Muses in Disney's Hercules interspersed throughout the novel. The flesh-eating aspect is very understated. Based on the Haitian zombie myth, Brielle (who is a zombie) and her mother live a life of servitude to wealthy elites. After witnessing a horrific accident, Brielle realizes that she holds a position of power and uses it for good while also pursuing her dreams. With the "Eat the Rich" movement trending in popular media, Maika and Maritza Moulite's main character is in a position to not only eat the rich, but also feed the rich to each other.

The one aspect that I didn't enjoy was the romance; it felt like Brielle's relationship was used as an easy fix to prevent her from facing legal consequences. Other than that, I felt the characters were well developed and the narrative was engaging. The audiobook was narrated well, and again, I enjoyed the Greek chorus immensely.

I have been looking forward to this book since I first saw the cover and title more than 6 months ago. I didn't even know what it was about but loved the title and cover enough to add this to my to be read list. I was unbelievably excited when I was approved through NetGalley for an advance copy on audio. This did not disappoint at all.

This is horror, as the main character, Brielle, is a zombie, Haitian mythology, not Hollywood horror movie style. In many ways this feels almost like a cozy horror. I'm totally not sure if that's a thing or not but it should be. The characters are mostly likable and the setting is often lush. Brielle lives with her mother who is a home health aide for the elder patriarch of an extremely wealthy family. Brielle has sisters living back in Haiti with other family while she and her mother live in Miami, Florida. Brielle is a talented amateur chef and for a variety of reasons begins to give in to her zombie instincts.

This audiobook is narrated by Ashley De La Rosa, Fedna Jacquet, Khaya Fraites, Melinda Sewak, Mieko Gavia, and Zuri Washington. Brielle is voiced by one narrator and the other narrators cover other characters in the story. The narration was top tier. I don't want to give spoilers but the reason this has so many narrators is handled in a very unique way, which kinda reminded me of BBC Radio Plays.

In addition to the obvious horror elements, this has gothic elements added to the mix for a more seasoned story line. In many ways, Brielle's need to hide her zombie instincts mirrored elements of the pressure on Black folks in Western societies who work or attend school in primarily white spaces. The story does highlight the Black woman immigrant experience in the US with a morally gray tone and a pinch of romance. Overall this was fun and engaging. I was unsure where the story would end up but like how the author finished this tale. This had shades of the British TV shows In The Flesh & Being Human combined with minor elements in tone of the movie The Skeleton Key. I rather enjoyed this and look forward to more novels from these authors.

Thank you to authors Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed this listen, I just wish there was more actual eating of the rich lol I went into this with hopes of a zombie novel and while it was still enjoyable and the narration was great, I want hoping for more gore and zombie aspects. All that aside, the story itself was still good and I would still definitely recommend this to others!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audio copy in return for my honest review, as always all opinions are my own.

I hope you’re hungry…for nothing 👹 thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy! I went into this expecting a YA Haitian anti capitalist Hannibal and unfortch it didn’t deliver. IMHO, it struggled from tonal inconsistency and often felt more like surface-level commentary with no clear plot structure. Out 4/22!

The Summer I Ate the Rich is about the legacy of slavery in Haiti, Haitian mythology, mind control, dreams of culturally showcased culinary excellence, the exclusivity of moderm medical devices, Miami uber-rich big pharma with hot sons, and the dangers of not knowing what's in your food. I think. It seemed to suffer from an identity crisis, jumping around between these themes, trying to be too much. The majority of this book is an unlikely YA romance that is not helped by the 17 year old first-person narrator. This is very far from horror, and the revenge plot feels like a subplot. This seems much more like a Cinderella retelling if Cinderella was actually a sociopath instead of anything aligning with the Eat the Rich movement.
I really like the cover. The audiobook narrators did a great job, though the Greek Chorus of sisters was a bit confusing via audio.
Thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, and Macmillan Young Listeners for the ARC to review.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for early copy*

4.5 Rounded up

I really loved the production of this audiobook. Having different voices for The Muses really added to the story. I also really enjoyed the way the story was told in acts with intermissions. I'm really glad I was able to listen to the audio version because I think it elevated the story.

The introduction to a new type of Zombie was great! I really loved the added fact that zombies originally came from Haitian folklore (something I did not know about). Having the Haitian culture and food in the book also was nice to learn about.

[Having the drug epidemic being a motivation for this story makes so much sense. I personally had someone in my life who had chronic pain/cancer and they were given so many terrible drugs that did not really help the pain. Having this being the ultimate villain and the rich guy supplying it getting in trouble made me so glad! (hide spoiler)]

I loved the combination of real life experiences and twisted to be this fun book. I go the chance to listen to the audio version of this book and thought was well done. I liked the usage of different actresses to play the three sisters and mother. I loved the concept I did think it was leaning to a horror book but it’s a modern gothic, the word “ate” can be interpreted in many ways. I had a good time listening to this twisted tale.

I want to thank @NetGalley and @MacmillanAudio for allowing me to listen to this delicious tale.

This book was not unliked, it was just ok. The dark themes were portrayed almost like supernatural, which I found weird and made the story a little confusing. I see the attempt, and I appreciate it, but I feel like it didn't quite deliver. The romance could of been heavier, or maybe just the supernatural elements should of been more.

I really enjoyed the different take on zombies in this book! It was refreshing to have a more modern zombies can be around you and you not even know storyline. I loved how the fmc persevered and reached her dreams while also kicking it to the man. The audio was also really nice to hear the different accents of the characters. I finished this in almost one sitting! Highly recommend.

Cover, great.

Title, great but misleading.

Characters, compelling and fun.

Horror, not really.

There are aspects of this book that I really like, such as the descriptions of food. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. Marcel is so funny. I think I enjoyed every time he showed up. The audiobook was done really well. The Hattian Chorus were entertaining. I enjoyed the twist on a Greek Chorus. However, the book falls flat in a lot of areas. The story is very jumbled and lacking in horror. There is a brief part in the beginning that describes tricking people into eating human remains. Other than that, there are brief mentions of a powder. The story is lacking in horror. Lastly, why are two high schoolers getting married? Their romance felt unnecessary but the nail in the coffin was the wedding. It made no sense.

I think this book needed more editing before release.

This has been one of my most anticipated books since I heard they were writing again. So when I saw Netgalley was dropping the audio, I had to read it immediately. I have to say, this is one of the best covers I’ve ever seen.

Ok so although I loved the zombie bits, I wanted more? And like more scary? I guess I wanted more gore and more “scary” since it was a horror book. Alas, the horror is because it has a zombie in it. Because the amount of times she actually unhinged her jaw to eat someone was 0. The amount of times she unhinged her jaw to ALMOST eat someone was 2. It was a bit disappointing for sure. Especially with the way it opened. I JUST KNEW we were about to get all the weirdness lol And then there’s the fact that she doesn’t actually eat the rich? She does something else which is equally weird, but like, if this is what we’re going to call it? Idk it was too much of a gray area for me. However, I did learn something about the zombie lore that I thought was cool. I had never heard that in Haitian folklore, zombies, or “zombi” in Haitian Creole, are reanimated corpses controlled by a bokor, a Voodoo sorcerer, often used as forced labor or to carry out nefarious tasks, stemming from anxieties about slavery and the loss of personal autonomy. But with that being said, we don’t actually get any idea of her abilities or anything. We get glimpses when she has to run or eat, but nothing concrete. She does have a part when she meets the final boss and but that’s to find out the controller. And well, yeah that’s a whole other ball game lol

I LOVED the way they did “eat the rich” in this tho. It was I’m sorry to say I was appalled that they didn’t show any aftermath? What happened to them? She just controlled them? They didn’t get sick? I would have thought they would have with all the chemicals in those things. Idk it didn’t add up. There should have been some kind of something? Even if she had to go back and do some quick mind control. But girl, whatever got you through it lol

I did like the class issues were portrayed. Since this is a YA novel I know it might have been hard to find a balance in explaining it. And with this coming right after Luigi Mangione, I thought this was crazy timing. But it begs the question, what would you do in this situation? ESPECIALLY with the terrible character that is involved.

But the way the plot twists all lined up was what made me gasp throughout the entire book. Idk how they got everything all lined up like that, but Lordt! They HAD to have like planned and plotted this down to the very last bit. Because how in the world did they not mix up anything? I am hella impressed because what in the world. I read this like a week and a half ago, and here I am STILL thinking about it.

So basically, even if you’re not impressed with the horror or the zombie parts. I’m hoping you still get swept away by the plot like I was. And if not, you still have this bad a$$ cover to look at lol

3.5⭐️

The authors really said, “Let’s shed light on the immigrant experience, but make it zombies!” HA! I love it.😝 What’s even more interesting is that it’s not the typical zombies we’re used to. oh no no no. it leans more into the original concept rooted in Haitian culture… the more you know, right?

Unfortunately, that’s kind of where my excitement ends. This is one of those stories where you think, “I appreciate the message or messages,” but I still found myself wondering what kind of story it was supposed to be by the time I finished.

Now, going into this, I wasn’t expecting to take it too seriously. The blurb gave me “fun ride” energy, and I was totally down to just go with the flow. But even with that mindset, I still wanted something more from the story.

The portrayal of the immigrant child experience was done well. Definitely relatable, not just for me but for many others too. But beyond that? The other parts of the stories….I kind of got the point… kind of didn’t?

I did enjoy the main character, though! She’s definitely a quirky one, and her unpredictable actions kept me intrigued. Her dreams and aspirations were beautiful, and the relationships she builds throughout the story were genuinely heartwarming. And of course, her dynamic with her mom was the emotional thread that kept me invested enough to stick with it.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I was so curious to see how this book would blend zombism (?) with Haitian folklore while tackling racial and socioeconomic inequality. I enjoyed that this story addressed serious themes in a way that was witty and had just the right amount of Gen Z self-righteousness that it didn't come across as cringe.

There’s a lot to unpack with the if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em vibe of the ending but a part of me is happy Brielle gets her way.

Would def reccommend if you're into family drama, dark humor and revenge.

DNF. I just couldn’t get into the book. I gave it a couple tries.
The opening was quite jarring as well. Well narrated though!

3.5 stars (maybe 4 if I don’t think too hard about certain parts)

The Summer I Ate the Rich was not what I expected—and I think that worked both for and against it. I went in hoping for horror and gore, and while there was one scene that made me squirm, it was overall pretty tame. That said, I was totally entertained. The story is super different, and it kept me engaged from beginning to end.

The concept is wild: a Haitian American girl with hidden zombie powers cooking for the rich and… well, let’s just say they really don’t know what they’re in for. However, I was expecting some gross cannibal shit, but it didn’t quite get there. For all its originality, I felt like it missed some opportunities.

I didn’t fully understand the zombie powers or the curse, and the character development felt flat. Still, the ride was fun. And sometimes, that’s enough.

Thank you, as always, @macmillan.audio for a free arc in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this book. The narration was good but I found myself struggling to want to finish it at about 50%. Something about the writing style just wasn't for me and I guess I expected there to be more action.

Sharp, darkly funny, and utterly original, The Summer I Ate the Rich serves up biting social commentary with a side of horror. The Moulite sisters blend Haitian zombie folklore with a razor-sharp critique of wealth and privilege, telling the story of Brielle Petitfour—a gifted young chef who uses her secret zombie powers to settle scores with the elite. Through rich narration and layered storytelling, this novel delivers a feast of themes: justice, identity, and the cost of survival. It’s read that will leave you equal parts disturbed and delighted.

Thank you Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

I feel like we're all feeing a lot of the "eat the rich" sentiment right now, so it's prime time for this book to come out, and boy is this chock full of class inequalities and access inequalities that will make you rage. I loved the reflection of the zonbi/zombie split alongside Brielle's Haitian-American status in the context of this, not being quite one or the other, but having the expectations of both and having to figure out how to use what she's able to do..

I do wish it had actually had more of the eating of the rich and involvement of Brielle's zonbi powers (or even her zombie ones) than we got. What we get is amazing and excellent - the opening chapter is such a banger and gave me such high hopes, but the cooking piece becomes much more straightforward and the method of access for her revenge rather than a tool of her revenge itself.

That said, this is an engrossing, fast-paced read; partly due to the short chapters, the plot seems to happen fast and furious, whirling towards the conclusion. I would absolutely read more of Brielle and seeing what she does next, especially with how things are left.

There are a few things that gave me a lot of pause - everything with the initial cell phone mixup, for example - but between this being YA and those things being ultimately minor in the large plot, they do get swept away under everything else going on. I also really enjoyed having Brielle's sisters tell the backstory, though in the audio, since we didn't get the description of which sister was which muse each time they spoke, it got harder to keep the pattern of who was telling which part of the story as straight as reading the text.

Otherwise as audio, this was so fun, perfectly capturing Brielle's snarky narration and all of the various characters' voices.

I rounded up from a 3.5 because this is a propulsive read. I wanted to go back and figure out what Brielle was going to do next. However, that was partially because there were constantly too many things happening. "The Muses" attempted to step in and make all of the plot points work together, but even with a Haitian Chorus, things didn't always gel. This was attempting to be a commentary on immigrant culture, poverty culture, pharmaceutical culture, ultra-rich culture, culinary culture, intern culture, intimate violence culture, boarding school culture, multigenerational relationships, with some concepts of zombie/voodoo rituals sprinkled in. The only thing that gets a dive that feels deep enough to me is the mother/daughter(s) relationship, and everything else gets a gloss-pass because it's just too many elements.

I still enjoyed this, but I was hopeful for so much more, especially because the opening was as visceral as a Stephen Graham Jones book.

Audiobook supplied by Netgalley.