I received a free copy of this book and I was really excited by the concept. A girl can see zombies?? Sign me up. Unfortunately, it was the only thing I think I enjoyed. The story was interesting, but I couldn't really enjoy the writing style and I think it took away from the excitement and I found myself continuously putting this down to take breaks.

You can tell the author put so much work and love into it and this wasn't a bad zombie book, it just wasn't the zombie book for me.

The Undead Truth of Us is a hauntingly beautiful novel that pulls you into its world with stunningly descriptive writing. The author’s ability to create vivid, almost surreal imagery is remarkable, making each scene feel like a living, breathing work of art—a bit like stepping into a Dalì painting. The chilling, stomach-turning descriptions add to the eerie atmosphere, perfectly complementing the book's exploration of grief, mental illness, and the complexities of human nature. At its core, the story serves as an intriguing allegory for unlocking your potential by breaking free from societal constraints, offering a profound commentary on the human experience.

It's been more than a year and I kind of forgot that I had this (book and account) 😅
It's fairly well-written and emotional.

I really enjoyed this book! I found it to be a unique and refreshing take on the zombie. The writing was lush but to the point in the right places and the characters will literally reach out of this book and grab your heart and never let go. Perfect amounts of spooky/unsettling and heart wrenching!

This book was so unique and had such an interesting take on grief and pain manifesting as zombies. The writing was beautiful and haunting and I definitely think this a book that everyone should read. Personally, I didn’t connect with it as much but that could be because I probably wasn’t the intended audience for this book. A very strong debut!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book. I was excited to read this book, but unfortunately, for me at this time, it was a book I started, but did not finish. I do not typically give feedback on books I have not read in their entirety, but in this case, I feel like I read enough to know how my teen students would react to the book.

The Undead Truth of Us was a book I wanted to love! The author is local to me and that is always exciting. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the story and I think my teen students would as well. I think they would also find it confusing and potentially frustrating to read as they try to parse out what is real and what is not quite real.

I do plan to try this one again, and I am sure it has resonated with a lot of readers.

I definitely couldn't connect with the book - it just wasn't written for me. I was able to acknowledge it was well written, with an unusual plot to keep the reader hooked, but I just couldn't find the urge to enjoy it, I guess. The whole time I was itching to be done and it felt like there was some glass wall between me and the book. However, it wasn't terrible and I'd give it three stars. The story was very tragic and sad, making me bump up the rating, but the whole zombies thing kind of took away from the emotion and rawness. Overall, pretty interesting read, especially for halloween!

This was was a unique concept and it really drew me in. I was really curious where it was going to go, and part of me really loved just about everything about this book, but part of me also felt like things started getting very redundant after a point. Things started to feel just a tad stagnant and like it started to lose sight of its point or its goal, I'm not sure, but either way, this did keep me engaged and curious enough that I do want to see whatever she does next.

Death was everywhere. They all stared at me, bumping into one another and slowly coming forward.

Sixteen-year-old Zharie Young is absolutely certain her mother morphed into a zombie before her untimely death, but she can't seem to figure out why. Why her mother died, why her aunt doesn't want her around, why all her dreams seem suddenly, hopelessly out of reach. And why, ever since that day, she's been seeing zombies everywhere.

Then Bo moves into her apartment building—tall, skateboard in hand, freckles like stars, and an undeniable charm. Z wants nothing to do with him, but when he transforms into a half zombie right before her eyes, something feels different. He contradicts everything she thought she knew about monsters, and she can't help but wonder if getting to know him might unlock the answers to her mother's death.

As Zharie sifts through what's real and what's magic, she discovers a new truth about the world: Love can literally change you—for good or for dead.

In this surrealist journey of grief, fear, and hope, Britney S. Lewis's debut novel explores love, zombies, and everything in between in an intoxicating amalgam of the real and the fantastic.

I have officially become a forever fan! The undead truth of us takes on a journey of grief, love and rediscovery of self after loss. I personally, held this book dear to my heart as I was also going through grief and am still trying to find myself. I have yet to experience the love Zharie has come to know but I know what it’s like live in the same skepticism she had.

The book itself is written in a form I fear only Britney can do. So much was poured into this book and you can tell by the careful wording and feelings expressed from Zharie.

I truly enjoyed this read and recommend it every chance I get.

I was so excited when I discovered Britney S. Lewis and I am excited to see where her writing goes as I feel it is so promising! I loved her exploration of grief and at the time of reading this novel grief was a theme running constantly throughout the novels that I was reading. Comparatively, I love the creepy zombie and fantastical approach to viewing the grieving process.

I sat on my review of this book for a while as I couldn't quite put into words my feelings. I DNF (did not finish) the book twice as I felt like I wasn't getting enough out of the story. However, now I see that I am really attracted to the imagery that is used in the writing and I very much enjoy the writing style but I was missing a bit of depth that would hook me in. Emotionally, I felt like I was thrown in while also not being fully anchored to the story itself. But I look forward to her upcoming releases!

This was a very dreamy, metaphorical book. I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. It was interesting, but I think at times the metaphors got to be a little too much. I know all of it was meant to represent Zharie's way of dealing with her grief at the death of her mother, but I think some of that got lost in all the flowery, haunting imagery. It was all very beautiful, but kind of didn't do a lot for the plot (which was pretty minimal). I do think with all the time spent describing colors everywhere and the zombies and her vivid dreams that this book would work really well in a visual medium, like a graphic novel or a movie

I could somewhat see what I was getting myself into when this started off really sad. I was genuinely intrigued by the zombies that Zharie was seeing. That definitely raised questions that I’m glad were answered by the end. There was an aura of sadness throughout the book that I was, unfortunately, getting tired of since it really felt like nothing was happening in the book. In fact, by the end, it did feel like there wasn’t really much of a goal in this book. I still felt like this book was trying to communicate something by the end so I’m not completely unsatisfied.

Her relationships in this book were a recurring thing. The ones with her family, friends, and a particular boy that I did not care for. I liked this part of the plot because it was a good representation of the effects grief had on relationships, old and new.

This book was a beautiful study of grief, love, friendship, family, and so much more! I loved the prose, how she weaved in surreal elements and made paintings with her words. At first, I was unconvinced by the zombie elements, but by the end I was completely immersed in Z's mind. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of swing dance and skateboarding!
I was honored to read an ebook ARC, and I can't wait to get the physical copy for my bookshelf!

Oh my goodness, this book is one that will stick with me for a long time. Britney Lewis's debut is one that is both haunting and emotional and her writing is so effortless. I really loved this book and plan to read everything Lewis writes from here on! An amazing read!

The Undead Truth of Us is full of heart and high stakes and poignant characters. It’s a unique take in zombies!

This was a strong debut! Everything from the plot to the character development was great. We have adopted this text as part of a "discovering self" mini unit for middle readers.

This book was such a touching read on grief and healing and navigating new situations. The. prose was lovely, the characters were so likable and real -- I truly enjoyed this one.

Lewis's storytelling is descriptive and imaginative. I love her writing style, it's so unique. The intrigue kept amping up throughout the novel, and had me changing my mind about what I thought was happening a dozen times. I can't wait for her sophomore novel.

The undead truth of us was a really fun read about grief and love.

Before Zharie’s mom dies she turns into a zombie. She wants to figure out what is happening and why she is the only one who can see them.
I loved the writing of this book. It showed Zharie’s grief and how it was affecting her.

Zharie was also a great Protagonist. She is pretty closed off at the beginning of the book but learns to put herself out there. Also loves to dance and expresses herself through that medium.

The ending was one of the best parts of the book. I’m hoping that it leads to more books in the future because I’m excited to see more about Zharie.

The one thing I was not the biggest fan of was romance. I didn't feel the chemistry between Zharie and the love interest Bo. I wish they had a few more scenes together but mostly personal preference.

Overall a great read you enjoy character-driven stories about grief and main character growth then this book is for you! 4 stars!