I love reading James Breakwell's tweets. When I found out he was writing a book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Thanks to NetGalley, I didn't have to wait long. Zombies have become the in thing, which I find a little weird, but, pair that with incredible humor, and suddenly I'm okay with the whole zombie thing.

This isn't your normal zombie book. There's a twist. How do you survive the zombie apocalypse when you have kids that you should really try to keep alive. Suddenly, all the things you have to deal with as a parent become tools to help you survive one more day.

The only people that wouldn't like this book are zombies, people that want to become zombies, and people with absolutely no sense of humor. Even if you have a small sense of humor, you will find something enjoyable about this book.

As a side note, I'm now going to stock up on diapers and umbrella strollers.

This was a hilarious read. As a mom and fan of the zombie genre this was a no brainer to read. Mr Breakwell's tongue-in-cheek humor paired with the zombie survival guide is wonderful. Some of the tips in here might actually work too. I mean it's true everyone falls over baby gates, using them as zombie deturtants makes sense. I have to disagree with the diapers becoming the new world currency though. On the other hand, I agree that mini-vans are dead sexy.
Mr Breakwell takes many everyday situation that most parents deal with and turns them into zombie fighting scenarios. I think most parents will find his take on apocalyptic child rearing amusing.

I love Exploding Unicorn and his amazing adventures with his four daughters that he chronicles on Twitter (@xplodingunicorn). I also love joke zombie survival guides. That being said, as a non-parent some of the jokes fell flat for me and I feel this tried to carry the joke too far. This might have been better as a graphic novel in the style of The Oatmeal or a series of web-based content like blogs or web comics. The novel format wasn't the right way to go.

Hilarious tongue-in-cheek guide to surviving the zombie apocalypse while attempting to raise the hope for the future. This made me laugh out loud because as a mom I could see all of this happening! Fans of The Walking Dead and Family Circus will love this.

I was given this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fun take on the zombie mania sweeping pop culture. And very relatable to parents in general, even without the zombie threat. Awesome read.

As a parent I absolutely loved this book and will cherish its wisdom in the event of a zombie crisis so I can keep my kids safe, lol. I plan to stock up on legos and jacks to sprinkle around the floor so they really can be used as a defense mechanism but I draw the line at getting a minivan. I have REFUSED for years to be a Minivan Mom, I’ll stick to my SUV.

It really is very tongue in cheek while providing survival tips but it somehow still came off as a good parenting book which I didn’t expect. I laughed so hard I had to stop snacking on the Pringles I was eating while reading this because I choked at one point and felt like I cut my throat on a damn chip!

I think this should be the Must Buy gift this Christmas season for all the parents you know.

I'm a little partial to this book because I've been following Xploding Unicorn for so long! I love his tweets and I was so excited when I got this ARC - and it did not disappoint one bit! I honestly think it isn't possible for me to hate anything written by him. Full review to be posted later on my blog

5 STARS!! I have read a lot of humorous parenting books, and also zombie books/guides..but not one ever made me laugh as hard as James Breakwells "Only Dead on the Inside". I feel like someone else finally understands what parenting is like and can make light of it in an intellectual, funny and entertaining way! This is my favorite book of 2017!' It has zombies, comics, parenting, and satire rolled into one! I just can't gush enough about this book! I literally highlighted probably 80% of the book because I thought it was funny or just like I feel raising my sons! I could share quotes of the whole book..but that would give it away. Everything was relevant to an apocalypse and I think the book in general was presented in the best possible format for my laughing pleasure! I also discovered http://explodingunicorn.com James Breakwells website and he is on twitter. I had no idea he had so many followers and was featured all over the place! I am so grateful for being selected to review this ray of sunshine! I also hope that he writes more in the future because right now.. I would buy all his work!! I am going to share willingly and because it is actually fun.. with all my friends and social media. This is how it actually should be! It doesn't feel like a chore! I'm inspired, happy and eager to spread the news about this fantastic Zombie Parenting Skills Humorous Book!! Thank you so much! Best book I've ever picked from Netgalley (nobody get jealous now.. it made me laugh and that is really important to me especially since I'm in a bit of a rut in my life.)

The "Before you get your panties in a twit disclaimer."
I heart some James Breakwell. I don't follow him on the Twatter because I ain't got time to figure that stuff out, but I do stalk him on Facebook.
And the guy is funny as heck.
and classy.



When I saw that he was putting out a book I immediately peed my pants. Then began to wonder if he would take the tried method of many bloggers that put out a book and just recycle his already pubbed works. Mads props to him though, he went his on way.
And it's not horrible. I LOL'd at a couple of passages. (I'd post them but I'm tired and I got an advanced copy that they would surely change just because I liked the passage.)

I just didn't find anything great.
It's mostly thinking about the zombie apocalypse (something my kid does about every day so I could be on overkill.)
Breakwell gives tips to keep you and your family sorta safe from becoming one of the living dead.

Because it would suck taking your kid out in public and they want to do the bitey on everyone.


Unless of course it was Kelly's kid.


Her kid would totally suck turtles. I'd explain that whole little bit but like I said I'm tired and started working nights so shit..I might be one of the undead that Breakwell warns us about.

Or I could just be a hateful old woman who doesn't really care if the brats turn into quiet little brain eaters. I would kick back and drink some beer and go to the bathroom by myself.


I didn't hate it..but didn't love it. I will continue my stalk fest of him on Facebook though. Until that restraining order kicks in.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

*Thanks to NetGalley and BenBella Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* Fans of James Breakwell will be familiar with his quirky take on fatherhood from his regular tweets as @XplodingUnicorn. Breakwell is a husband, father of four daughters and a pig. 'Only Dead on the Inside' is, I believe, his first venture into the world of book publishing. Ostensibly, Only Dead is a how-to guide for parents wishing to survive the eminent zombie apocalypse. The novel, like Breakwell's tweets are a mix of humour, original cartoons and a fair sprinkling of truth. To give you an idea, chapter titles include 'Kamikaze Kids' and 'Hide and Go Weep', to give one and idea of the content. Breakwell's guide, whilst on the outside masquerades as a zombie survival guide, it actually has a lot more insight to offer about the world of parenting, rather than the undead. I am not usually a fan of post-apocalyptic novels, but this work of non-fiction and humour certainly grabbed my attention. A quick and enjoyable read.

This was a unique and comedic take on a parenting “survival” guide.

I found myself throughly amused. The do’s and don’t were amusing, as well as those tables and experiments that I guess the author had to do for this book. It made me laugh just thinking about it. I also agree with the idea to not add overly cinematographic images to the cartoons as to not distract the readers from what the book really wanted to say.



As I am not a parent myself, I have no way to relate to this as one, but as a child of my parents. . . I guess I understood now what they really went through when I was little. It opened me to more things and this is something that I would still recommend to people in the younger generation because they are not always told so bluntly about what their parents go through.



The cover was not the best and most appealing but it did reflect what the book contained and I think that, that was more important.

This is an interesting take on a parenting book. It’s subtitled “A Parent’s Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse” and while it is funny it is not the comedic book I was expecting. It takes everyday situations with kids, and likens them to Zombie moments. Some are really silly, and some are more serious, but each taken with humor as a way to say this too shall pass. Overall it is an interesting book, and one I think parents will enjoy, if the cover was more attention grabbing.

Added goodreads
Added Litsy

Pretty funny book about how us parents can use our skills to survive the zombie apocalypse in spite of our kids. Comes with helpful tips such as using kids toys scattered about the floor as a zombie intruder defense and a passionate argument for why the Minivan is the ultimate survival vehicle.

This is geared toward parents with elementary school aged kids, but would probably make a good gift for a new dad who is a fan of The Walking Dead.

Overall a pretty funny read, even though discussing surviving the zombie apocalypse has been beaten to death (pun intended) in recent years. What made it still work is that, more than anything, it's a book about being a parent. I laughed regularly throughout.
I will say that, as a follower of the author on Twitter, that I feel like his humor translates a little better to 140-character chunks than a full book.