The vibes of this book were Grady Hendrix + Stranger Things + Tender is the Flesh.

Just read this first sentence of the book’s summary: “Four best friends, one music festival, and a cooler filled with human organs: this summer is about to get gory.” It didn’t disappoint.

This Delicious Death is a YA dystopian horror novel that follows a group of friends at a summer music festival, post-pandemic. Years prior, a virus spread around the world, infecting individuals and making it so they need to consume human meat to survive. Things go wrong, a friend needs saving, a body needs hiding, you get the idea.

This book had moments of suspense, humor, and romance. A really great blend of genres that made for an engaging read. I loved that the beginning of each chapter gave readers a glimpse into life during the pandemic. I’d absolutely recommend this as a summery horror read! Especially for fans of YA horror and books on the weirder side.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did. It’s an interesting concept that kept me hooked until the end. Although it’s fairly light and humorous, there are some gruesome horror descriptions that are not for everyone. Overall, I loved it.

Four friends have stolen aboard the Titanic. They're after the Rubaiyat - a book inlaid with priceless jewels. Josefa is a charismatic thief, Hinnah a daring acrobat, Violet an outstanding actress and Emilie a talented artist.

It is Josefa's plan, but she needs all of their skills. Despite their very different backgrounds, in a world of first-class passengers and suspicious crew members, the girls must work together to pull off the heist of their lives.

While the book premise and the cover immediately called my attention, I don't think the book lives up to the expectations of the tone set by them. It might be a perfect read for younger readers who are just getting into horror or darker themes, but I found the tone really weird. It's like the author wanted to write two different books, the one told in the flashbacks, about the Hollowing, and then the one told in the present, about girls going about their lives as hollowed people as if nothing had happened. Lots of people comment how "fun" the book is, but that was totally lost on me.
What I did love where the four main characters, specially Zoey, Celeste and Jasmine. I loved their different backstories, the little we see about how they came together and their relationships. Also, I'm not usually into friends to lovers, but this one made an amazing job of explaining the change in the relationship and the awakening of those feelings, so I really loved it. The story was short and quick, and it kept me engaged, wanting to know what was going to happen until the end. If anything, I would have wanted a longer book and learning more about the Hollowing, but as I said, I think this would make a very good first horror read for YA readers.

This was so much fun! I wish I'd been able to get my hands on queer horror YA like this when I was teenager. I did have a few small quibbles (I wish we'd gotten to see a tad more of the actual festival, I was a little confused about whether the other girls had ingested the same substance as Val at first, a bit too tidy of a giveaway/solution), but overall I absolutely loved getting immersed in this alternative world that Kayla Cunningham created, and really bought into all of the relationships between the four main girls.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and to the published for providing me with a free digital copy for review!

After an epidemic sweeps the globe, some people are left with a desire to consume flesh that can be controlled through breakthroughs in medicine. These people are known as Ghouls and they live normal lives alongside everyone else just with a specialized diet. This story follows four ghoul (hehe get it) friends who attend a music festival and uncover a murderous plot set to make it seem they’re evil.

The concept of the story sounded really interesting to me and to be fair there was a lot in this book I really liked. I thought for a YA horror It did pack some good punches and was bloody and fun. The thing I didn’t love, and this is just fully a me thing is I struggled to relate with any of the characters, and in turn I wasn’t as invested in what happened as I might otherwise have been. Still, I’m happy seeing more LGBTQ representation in books and this is definitely a great addition to the genre!

Very cute and witty--in a gruesome way. A fun twist on the paranormal romance genre, with teen girls at the center. Would love to see a graphic novel version.

3.5

I keep having to take a step back and remember this is a YA book. I found the characters a little annoying, but while some of the descriptions were pretty gory and gross, the characters are only 18. I was annoying myself at that age!

This is a unique take on the typical zombie book - the “ghouls” in this story are sane and eat synthetically made “human” organs. There was a bit of mystery involved as well, and while it was hard for me to really get into the book at first, after I got about 40% of the way through I didn’t put it down once.

The last thing I’ll note is that there was a page of content warnings at the beginning of the book - this isn’t something I’ve ever encountered before (even now in 2023!!) and I thought it was amazing to include this. It was incredibly detailed and comprehensive as well, so well done to the author.

Thank you NG for the advanced eARC!

What a fun read! I honestly have never read anything quite like This Delicious Death, but I did really enjoy it. It was a quick and easy read and I have patrons that I know will love it. We will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

I loved this twist to a zombie tale, which is isn’t always the most popular pick of a subject for YA. I was pleasantly surprised by the interesting characters and plot, and was consistently tied in the whole way though. It had great pacing, and a couple twists I didn’t predict! All in all, very much something I would suggest to those who aren’t squeamish, and love themselves some zombies!!

This book was a very good read and had an interesting plot that was unique. I enjoyed the modern setting that will be relatable to a YA audience. Characters are likeable for me, and interested to see what comes in the future.

This Delicious Death is a fun spin on the traditional zombie story. It definitely gives itself more towards science fiction than the fantastical. This story just wasn't for me personally, but if you enjoy sci-fi, zombies, and contemporary settings, this is for you!

𝔽𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕟 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕕𝕚𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕖𝕝𝕤𝕖….

𝔸 𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕙𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕟 𝕗𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕙.

𝔽𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕤 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕫𝕪 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕒𝕥 𝕒 𝕞𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕔 𝕗𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕝 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝔻𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕥 𝔹𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕞. 𝕀𝕟𝕔𝕝𝕦𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕞𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕟, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕨𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕙𝕪.

𝕊𝕙𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕟 𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪’𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕓𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥-𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕙 𝕚𝕤 𝕤𝕪𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕔 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕥.

𝕆𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕟𝕒𝕡, 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕣, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕚𝕥’𝕤 𝕦𝕡 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕡 𝕚𝕥… 𝕠𝕣 𝕟𝕠 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖.

This ARC was definitely keeping me on my toes with its vivid storytelling & unique plot. I loved how they set the scene before the chaos, and how we saw each character’s revealed start to the disease called the Hollow.

After the first death however, it all fell apart for me. It felt like it started to rush too quickly, and I didn’t feel truly connected to the characters & their relationships to each other.
The plot twist was slightly predictable, and I didn’t really understand the motive from them.

This book did reel me in so much that I finished it in one night, and really enjoyed the LGBT representation & happy ending. So, this is a definite pick up if you love

☠️zombie apocalypse
🪩Coachella and indie music references
🧟‍♂️ monsters
👩🏽‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏾 queer romance & representation
🤹🏻‍♀️ eye rolling humor & fun
🧠 horror/slight gore

I love sapphics, I love murder (fictional), and I love this book! Though I am admittedly not the perfect audience (I am incredibly squeamish -- the descriptions in this book were vivid, but manageable for me!) to receive this particular book, I found it very enjoyable nonetheless.

**I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review**

This Delicious Death follows four young women—Zoey, Celeste, Jasmine, and Valeria—on a road trip to a Coachella-adjacent music festival called Desert Bloom. Having just graduated high school and anticipating going their separate ways at the end of the summer, the girls are more than thrilled to get away and spend some quality time together. Especially since this is the first, big festival that’s happened after The Hollowing, an event that turned a significant portion of the population into flesh-hungry ghouls. Our quartet included.

Quick paced, energetic, and chock full of bloody gore that’ll be sure to turn your stomach in the best way, This Delicious Death is a fun read that is sure to scratch that zombie itch we all crave every now and again.. I devoured (pun intended) the book in one day, yet the taste left in my mouth does not have me begging for more.

Cottingham’s writing, while beautiful at certain points, feels rushed in places where the reader needs them to slow down. With one third of the book being dedicated to “setting the scene,” it’s no surprise that the latter half of the book feels rushed and unrealistic. Repetitive, clunky descriptions and overall lack of development make it difficult to place characters in their respective worlds and plot holes are hard to go unnoticed (how does the card still work?!). Characters tend to fall flat despite the effort to flesh them out—Cottingham starts most chapters with flashbacks, giving glimpses into the lives of our protagonists during the harrowing times of The Hollowing—and our narrator, Zoey, is somehow both keenly aware of her surroundings yet totally oblivious to the clue right under her nose.

However, despite its flaws, This Delicious Death is worth the read for readers who love modern monsters and don’t mind a little eye-rolling at ridiculously easy clues every now and again. I can absolutely see myself purchasing a copy for my classroom library to give to my more casual readers, though I can’t say I’d go as far to include in on my own bookshelf.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this title, and it did not disappoint. I am always hunting for a good 'zombie' book and this one was great! I really loved the beginning of each chapter had a flashback of a character that is involved in the book, not just the main character. The 'zombies' in this series are called Hollow people which I thought was really interesting and I really like the detective teens that are trying to figure out why Hollow people are suddenly turning feral. I will say that when I finished it, I was left with some unanswered questions which is why I gave it 4 stars. Overall though it was a really good book!

If you like books like 'Bones and All' by Camille DeAngelis and 'Youngblood' by Sasha Laurens, then you might like this.

This wasn't bad. It didn't knock my socks off but it was okay. Listen, my hopes for this book were high because I recently read 'My Dearest Darkest' by this author and really enjoyed it. From the title, to the gorgeous cover, to the very unique premise, I was so pumped to start 'This Delicious Death'. I mean you don't hear of many books involving ghouls. Well, I guess they're just cannibals...but ghouls sound cool haha.

So, yea. I wanted to love this but I just didn't...and I don't know why. But I'll try to explain it. The pacing was a bit off and the jumping back and forth between past and present didn't flow as well as it should've. I also feel like the characters couldn've been fleshed out more because I read this whole book yet I feel like I barely know them.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I like that it's not the typical cannibal story, that it blends horror with humor well, the lgbtq+ rep and how there's this beautiful underlying theme of friendship. I just wanted more from it.

This book had everything I was looking for, zombies, a group of best friends and some pretty intense gore.

Four best friends (who happen to be Ghouls) travel to the first music festival since the hallowing. But then the Ghouls start turning feral….

The characters in this book were really nicely written, they all had backstories and they just felt like fully fleshed out people.

The bit of romance going on between the girls was so heartwarming I ended up shedding a few tears.

This book was overall a joy to read.

I wish there was half stars because this was definitely 4.5!

What a FANTASTIC (or should I say delicious?) read. I thought it was entirely unique and extremely engaging the entire way through. It was a new, incredibly funny and sad type of horror novel that I always am looking for. These are the types of movies that blow up, so I expect the same hype for this sapphic read!

Keep in mind that this is a YA novel, or a novel intended for a teen audience, so development wise for characters and plot I had lower expectations for. But I do think this is an incredible addition to the YA horror genre that is entirely new and needed!

First off I want to say, this is probably the most in-depth content warning I have ever seen. On the e-arc, it took 3 pages to list all the possible triggers. I was a bit worried about what I was getting into, since the one I usually have trouble reading was listed. Kayla even went as far as to go into detail on how some of them are shown in the book (example below). While reading, I felt she was able to convey the gravity of those situations w/o using harmful words/phrases that go along with the behavior being shown.
TW:

Example from book - Deadnamming(dead name not stated)

This Delicious Death had me hooked from the first laugh-out-loud sentence. A perfect blend of skin-crawling horror, queer romance, and comedy. A few years before the start of the story an outbreak occurs that turned some people into hungry ghouls (sort of similar to a zombie, but once they eat flesh, they return to their normal state, until they need to eat again). Nowadays, after synthetic organs are made and ghouls are tracked, they can live a somewhat normal life. This is where our story starts. Zoey our protagonist, her best friend, and 2 recently new ghoul friends are traveling across to state to attend a music festival. Zoey is in love with her best friend but doesn't want to ruin their friendship, so things are a little tense for her. Along the way, they meet up with a side band that is playing at the festival. During an event the ghouls attend with the band, one of them turns "feral" and ends up killing someone. Multiple reports on social media are stating monster-like creatures attacking people. None of what is going on makes sense to the ghouls, you don't just turn feral. After a little investigating, they find a powder that was being added to a drink has an adverse reaction on ghouls. What they discover about the powder and its after effects are truly horrific.