This was fun! Silly, gory, funny, cute. It gave me Santa Clarita diet meets teen music festival. I’m definitely keeping Kayla Cottingham on my radar for more!


Many thanks to NetGalley for approving me to receive an arc in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

The disclaimer at the start was a bit intimidating, as it could pretty much be considered a trigger for anyone that picks up the book.

The Hollowing concept was interesting, although somewhat grotesque with the idea of a virus causing people to need fresh organs to feast on, even if synthetic.

I had a hard time getting past the visualization of cannibalism, but I think that was the point.

This Delicious Death was a very fun spooky read. It was gory, a little funny and downright crazy at times. If you're into modern zombies (in this case ghouls) attending a music festival (think Coachella) with a bit of love interest thrown in then you'll love this book.

I appreciated the very unique concept of this book and enjoyed the premise a lot. the main character, Zoey was intriguing and reminded me of myself in High School. I also loved Celeste but the other two girls tended to be a little infuriating for me at times.

some of the execution and plot fell a little flat for me. I found there to be a bit of fluff in the beginning and not a whole lot of explanation of some important plot points. I also found the love triangle situation to be pretty out of place for a thriller about zombies (reminded me of warm bodies but not as clearly a love story). I also still don't really get the whole villain part of the storyline, it just didn't feel fully believable.

overall, this is a fun read. Id recommend it as a palate cleanser type book where you can just get lost in a modern zombie world for a few hundred pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks fire for the opportunity to read and review this E-ARC!

4.5 stars- Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review! I started this book while I was reading another, and the first two or three chapters were a little hard to get into, so the combination of those two things made this book have a very slow start for me. However, after I got past that, it did not disappoint. I love Kayla Cottingham's writing style, and her main genre- sapphic horror/thriller.
This book's idea is so interesting because usually "zombie apocalypse" books focus on what's happening in the apocalypse, not the aftermath, so it was fun to see that. I thought the characters were also all well thought out, although Valeria did get a little annoying (but I guess that was the point) when she started hanging out with Eli and his friends more. Celeste and Zoey were really cute together, and I like that Zoey kind of had a crush on both Cole and Celeste. Usually with a bi person in books they don't have them liking two genders, it's usually just one or the other, so that was cool. And I liked that Celeste being trans wasn't her defining quality. It was just another part of her character, which was really refreshing. I wish we could have had more of Jasmine. I know she got several flashbacks, and lot of dialogue and stuff, but I wish she'd had a storyline of her own, for example maybe her and Valeria's story (other than like one comment in a flashback scene). I think the pacing of this book was mostly okay, although it got kind of slow in the middle and then everything at the end happened super quickly.
One thing I didn't like about the book was the references to like Tik Tok and Twitter and how she made the Hollowing quarantine thing pretty much just COVID with a different name. I just don't like when books try to make references like that because it just never fits in, in my mind. Like, I'm reading this book to escape the real world, not to hear about it. Anyways, that wasn't a huge concern, just something I didn't like.
Overall, I would most definitely recommend this book, and I'm super excited to read more books by this author!

The cover of this book drew me in immediately. I love everything about it and knew I had to read this book. Only problem is that it’s not out until April 2023. I entered to win an advanced copy online, but didn’t, so I checked NetGalley and it was available to request! A few days later I was approved to read an advanced copy!

The book starts with a giant list of trigger warnings that probably shouldn’t have made me laugh, but was so ridiculous that I did. Two years after a pandemic called “the hollowing” hit earth it left some people unable to eat regular food and only able to eat human organs. Of course the government creates a Synthetic Flesh so “ghouls” don’t need to eat humans anymore! Yay!! We follow four high school ghoul-friends to a Coachella like concert for their first trip away from home since “the hollowing” happened. They’ve packed up their synthetic flesh and their best clothes then hit the road. Unfortunately, shit hits the fan when someone unleashes some lab grown chemical that makes ghouls go feral. Why would they do that? What if one of the friends is affected? What’s the worst that can happen at a giant concert in the desert with humans and ghouls in attendance?!

This YA book is lgbtqia+ 🌈 and was damn delightful! Teen romance, friendship, blood, guts, murder, music, feral monsters, and so much more all wrapped into one. I’m thankful to NetGalley and SourceBooks for allowing me to read this advanced copy!

From the New York Times bestselling author of My Dearest Darkest comes another incredible sapphic horror. When four best friends with a hunger for human flesh attend a music festival in the desert they discover a murderous plot to expose and vilify the girls and everyone like them. This summer is going to get gory.

Three years ago, the melting of arctic permafrost released a pathogen of unknown origin into the atmosphere, causing a small percentage of people to undergo a transformation that became known as the Hollowing. Those impacted slowly became intolerant to normal food and were only able to gain sustenance by consuming the flesh of other human beings. Those who went without flesh quickly became feral, turning on their friends and family. However, scientists were able to create a synthetic version of human meat that would satisfy the hunger of those impacted by the Hollowing. As a result, humanity slowly began to return to normal, albeit with lasting fear and distrust for the people they'd pejoratively dubbed ghouls.

Zoey, Celeste, Valeria, and Jasmine are all ghouls living in Southern California. As a last hurrah before their graduation they decided to attend a musical festival in the desert. They have a cooler filled with hard seltzers and SynFlesh and are ready to party.

But on the first night of the festival Val goes feral, and ends up killing and eating a boy. As other festival guests start disappearing around them the girls soon discover someone is drugging ghouls and making them feral. And if they can't figure out how to stop it, and soon, no one at the festival is safe.

This is such a great YA horror book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own

I loved this novel! I am an absolute sucker for zombie slash cannibal thrillers that are not so dark and have a nice uptick of humor. This really did not disappoint. The characters are all so rich and diverse with their own stories that meet to really fulfill the plot. So excited to recommend this!

4.5 stars

Vampires and music festivals don’t sound like they go together, but it was a perfect book plot. I was constantly intrigued by the world and the four girl’s backstories. The plot twist was a little predictable, but other than it is was a very enjoyable read. I loved the chemistry between Celeste and Zoey, as well as their ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

I was crazy excited to read the latest work from the author of My Dearest Darkest. Especially after I heard that it was going to be a modern, sapphic twist on the zombie genre.

Cottingham included just the right amount horror and teenage angst to be an entertaining ride. It was also a quick read as I read it in one sitting.

I was throughly enveloped by the growing mystery and romance elements. As well as the characters respective journeys.

Overall, this was the perfect book to finish my Halloween reading season. Please give it a read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC for an honest review.

Well, hello delicious 5 star read!

I loved this! It’s funny, sad, romantic, chompy, suspenseful and thrilling all at once. It’s a cannibal love story for the ages and I’m so here for it!

Our girls are amazing and you just want to be friends with all of them! One parental unit is awesome – some others…not so much.

This is a unique and very clever read and I’m so very glad I got to experience it!

• ARC via Publisher

I'm not usually a huge horror fan, but I couldn't pass this one up when I saw if on NetGalley (thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review).

I really enjoyed the dynamic between the four main girls, and loved that their backstories about the Hollowing were included but not necessarily lingered on. I wouldn't say there was a ton of character development, per se, but they were dynamic and engaging, and their relationships with one another very believable and fleshed out.

The story was fun, a lil spooky, and an all around good time. I had my suspicions early on about the twist, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable when it happened.

Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for approving me for this highly anticipated ARC. This book follows 4 teens who journey together to a highly popular concert in the desert.... With a cooler of synthetic body parts. Sign me up right? This was exactly the detail of gore level I've been waiting for. It captured the graphic details perfectly and had a very diverse cast which was nice. I gave this 3 ⭐ because I'm not one for romance in thrillers/horrors I always feel like they cloud everything serious happening but overall a nice read. As always check the trigger warnings beforehand! But if you enjoy zombie apocalypse (in this case Ghouls), LGBTQ+, thrills, romance, and Coachella this one may be for you. Releasing April 25, 2023 from the same author as My Dearest Darkest.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher/author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Man, what a gem this is. I don't even know how to describe this book. It was so unique and brought a different type of horror to the surface. This book had everything: zombies, trans representation, a love story, lesbians and bisexuals, music, horror, gore, and cannibalism.

Only reason why this wasn't a 5 star is because I lost steam at the end and wanted the story over.

When the first paragraphs of a book open with the characters putting a cooler full of organs into a Mini Cooper, you know you're in for a wild ride.

I read (most of this) in one sitting - I think the first 10% or so were read a few hours before, but that's not important. I had a fantastic time reading this, I love horror with characters my age that actually feel like people. The setting being a Coachella-esque desert music festival was very fun and different from where zombie stories usually take place. The body horror was also very well done.

My main issue is that certain plot points and characters could have been elaborated upon more - the main characters other than Zoey and Celeste, Jasmine and Valeria were not as developed as they could have been. The ending also felt the slightest bit rushed, but not enough where it impacted my enjoyment majorly.

As always, thank you to Netgalley and Sourcefire Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings (given by author)
Alcohol consumption by minors, mentioned anxiety disorders, blood and gore descriptions, body horror, cannibalism, captivity and containment, dead bodies and body parts, deadnaming (deadname not stated), death of a grandparent, death of a sibling, drugging (fictional drug), drug use (mentioned, not explicit), fire, grief and loss depiction, gun violence, intrusive thoughts, murder, needles and syringes, nightmares, parental neglect, pandemic (fictional disease), scars, sexism, suicidal ideation (implied), transphobia (mentioned, not explicit).

This book was so entertaining! I really enjoyed the author’s first book, My Dearest Darkest, and this was a great second standalone.
Here’s the premise: in the last couple years, much like Covid, a deadly disease swept the globe, called the Hollowing. The infected developed a taste for human flesh (like a zombie apocalypse but they didn’t turn mindless- unless they’re hungry) so the government developed synthetic human meat to keep the “ghouls” satisfied and non-violent. There’s also a registration and tracking system and a blanket amnesty for anyone who murdered anyone during the initial infection period- this could’ve been fleshed out (no pun intended) further, and you have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit with the premise to go along with the story, but I’m here for a good time, not to nitpick like this is CinemaSins. I do think this is the weakest part of the book, but I’m willing to overlook it.
The plot is thus: a group of four girls (ghouls, as they were all infected during the Hollowing and now they consume synthetic human meat) travel to a music festival the summer after they graduate high school and discover that someone has developed a drug to make ghouls go feral on purpose and is exposing people on purpose. One of the friends gets exposed and the girls have to come together to dispose of the evidence, find an antidote, and stop the persons responsible, while navigating normal teenage relationship drama.
The author writes in the acknowledgements that her first book took her a decade and this one was about nine months- I do think the world building and some of the characters could’ve been more developed, but overall I had a really good time reading this book.

4 ⭐️

Thankyou to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to review this title early in exchange for an honest review

Oh my goodness this was an amazing read. I loved the cast of characters, the body horror was so vivid, the writing was beautiful. I adore the story it really is a girl eat boy world 😏

I knew when I requested this that it was a bit out of my comfort zone in terms of genres. I really felt that as I read. There were a few times I almost DNF-ed. Not because the story or writing was bad, but just because it wasn't for me. Im typically a romance or rom com girl and as I do love thrillers and mysteries, this was just a bit of a stretch for me. I think people who like horror will LOVE this and I think it'll be a great read for them. I still would read other work by the author, I'll just be more mindful of the genre. However, I did LOVE the representation. I think that's what kept me going!

Wow wow wow. This was amazing and different and i was on board with it. It was different and unique and vampires were never my thing but the writing helped me. The other novel i read by this author wasnt as good as i wanted it too but jesus this was perfect

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher/author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a really fun ride. It’s pretty fast paced and there’s not really any slow spots in the story. There’s a lot of interesting flashbacks that put a lot of perspective into the characters and make them feel fleshed out and interesting. I read My Dearest Darkest a few months ago and I was excited to read this one. I can tell the author really likes Jennifer’s Body because both books seemed to be influenced.

I thought this was a super interesting and unique idea. An dystopian society where a lot of the population has turned into cannibals called “Hollows” and has to eat synthetic human meat to survive. A group of friends who all happen to be Hollows decide to go to a music festival where all hell breaks loose. I really enjoyed Zoey and her friends. They were all very different but came together in their shared grief of the Hollowing. There was a very good look at humanity and what makes us human and the prejudices that people have.

There’s some good queer and trans rep here which is always appreciated. There is a bit of gore with the whole cannibalism storyline so that appealed to be as well. I’m always here for any and all spooky queer books. I’m here for anymore of Kayla’s books and I’m glad I got to read this one this year too!

Kayla Cottingham does it again! Thank you SO much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the wonderful author for the advanced copy. This is one of my most anticipated books of 2023 and it definitely lived up to the hype.

This book was fantastic. We follow four best friends (who happen to be ghouls) on an adventure to a major music festival where chaos ensues. I saw someone say this was Coachella meets Jennifer's body and those are definitely the right vibes to get a feel for this book.

I absolutely loved the strong female friendships in this book.

There is excellent LBTQ+ representation in this book, as well. I was cheering for our main love interest to get together with the main character the entire time.

TWs are available at the front of the book and on GR.