This was a great zombie story with a focus on sisters and family. I enjoyed the mystery and how the MC was trying to save her sister and also struggled with what she was becoming. This book felt really real, in terms of zombies, and what family would do to save each other.

Audrey is dead. She wasn't feeling well. She went to bed and then she was gone. The doctors say it was some kind of infection. Jo, her sister, wants her back. Their mother is depressed and she is sad as well.
But what if Audrey really does come back. Was she really dead? What will you do to keep her around this time? Are you your sister's keeper even through death

There are two hungry monsters in this book: one is a vampires and the other is grief.

The most compelling thing of this book, 'The Ones Who Come Back Hungry' is the narrative. Jo was a very relatable narrator. Her thought process, her emotions, the complications of her feelings about her sister (in life and afterlife) plus many folks in her life, made her the most human and realistic character. It was a great choice of character!
A newer (for me anyway) version of a vampire: a 'Revenant'. This was a refreshing and extra horrifying version of the creature of night. Seeing Audrey slowly decay and rot like a corpse, when she doesn't feed or is in heat, added to the fear and desperation we feel as readers -that mirrored Jo's emotions.
The bittersweet moments between the family made my heart hurt. They found more bonding moments when they were too late. And I can never forgive the mum.

While these things (above) were truly great assets to the story, the unwinding of the supernatural story occurred so fast. I wish it had flow slightly slower, as with everything else, this made the story feel slightly off.

Great horror book. I loved reading it. I do enjoy a YA book now and then.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this in advance

"The Ones Who Come Back Hungry" by Amelinda Bérubé initially struck me as a cozy mystery, reminiscent of other books I've enjoyed. This familiarity made it a bit challenging for me to fully immerse myself in the story at first. However, as I continued reading, I found myself pleasantly surprised by Bérubé's unique spin on the genre.

The book's well-crafted prose and intricate plot kept me engaged. The characters were compelling and felt genuinely alive, each with distinct personalities that contributed to the story's depth. Bérubé's writing style is descriptive and immersive, painting vivid pictures that brought the setting and scenes to life.

Despite my initial hesitation, I found "The Ones Who Come Back Hungry" to be a pretty decent read. The mystery was intriguing, with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. The author's ability to blend familiar cozy elements with fresh, unexpected twists made for an enjoyable reading experience.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-written mystery that offers something a bit different from the usual fare. It's a testament to Bérubé's talent that she can take a familiar genre and make it her own. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

I didn't have much expectations going into this, but I was pleasantly surprised! I really liked the themes of this book, but one that stuck out to me the most was grief and how you handle it. And if the person you lost came back, what would you do to keep them with you? I really loved our main character Jo and how she dealt with everything falling apart around her and how she dealt with the loss of her sister, and constantly worrying if something was wrong with her.

I liked the idea of what Audrey was and that the blood had to be consensual, or it would not do anything for her. The reason I gave these three stars is because I would have liked a little more explanation as to how Audrey became a vampire.

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for providing a copy of this eARC for review.

I enjoyed this novel very much. The characters are complex and introspective. I thought that the thought process and the different ways of handling grief were well done. We tend to idolize those who have died, and this novel really explored how Jo saw her sister. I also enjoyed Audrey's reaction and her commentary and point of view of the life they shared.

I appreciated the intro with possible content warnings. While I don't need them, I do think that the author was wise to include this, particularly in this novel.

This book was a perfect example of one wrong choice after another made by the characters, but it still works so well. I had to sit back and ask myself what I would really do if I were ever in the very unreal situation our protagonist, Jo is in... and honestly, these ridiculous choices we see characters make that make us scream "OMG why would you do that???" are probably not that far fetched in the situation at hand, but we are so removed from it. Am I making any sense?

Jo's sister has died suddenly and the family is left in stunned, painful shock. With neither Jo, her mother, or her father unsure of how to pick up the pieces when Audrey was such a driving force in their family. When Jo happens upon Audrey outside in the cold, she immediately can tell something is off, besides the obvious impossibility. Audrey still has the autopsy scars, she is decaying, and she is eternally hungry... for blood.

Unable to tell their parents, Jo allows Audrey to feed from her. Thinking that she can save her sister, Jo also embarks on a quasi infiltration of Audrey's friend group. But, for the sister who was always just second best compared to Audrey in almost every aspect of their lives, Jo finds herself fitting into Audrey's old life quite nicely and it is intoxicating. But, Audrey is changing. Her hunger and her intense jealousy are fueling her, causing her to become more and more dangerous.

Jo must try and stop the domino effect of bad things that are happening before it is all too late.

This was such a great book. When I am in a reading funk, I can turn to YA thriller or YA horror and it eats every single time!!!

This book started off so strong, and the premise really drew me in, but it quickly became apparent that almost none of the characters are likable or redeemable in any way. The story dragged a lot, and the characters were extremely unlikeable. I usually love Amelinda's stories, but this one just didn't work for me.

A fun creepy YA horror story. Lots of teen angst in this one. Some role reversal. And of course blood!

Thank you to @sourcebooksfire and the author and @netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

After Audrey passes away suddenly, her less popular sister, Jo, and family are in mourning. So when one night Jo sees Audrey standing barefoot in the snow, she is shocked. Only Audrey isn’t breathing and she’s hungry. The only thing that seems to curb her appetite is human blood.

Jo thinks she can put her family back together, she just has to figure out how to make it happen.

How far is Jo willing to go? What sacrifices is she willing to make?


What a delightfully creepy YA horror book! One of my favorite parts of this book was the sibling dynamics. When Audrey was alive, she was the popular, well liked one and Jo took the backstage. Now that Audrey is gone, Jo is the priority, and she doesn’t hate the attention. It made me think about my own siblings and our dynamics. The writing was well done and very vivid. Not overly so that I was grossed out, but enough so that I was creeped out. This book did leave me with a few lingering questions, the largest being how did this happen to Audrey. Why did she come back? Don’t get me wrong, it was a ton of fun, but I think that could have been explored, and I wish it was. I think the family was also written a little oddly and it just didn’t work for me, but most of the story is just focused on Jo, so it wasn’t a huge distraction.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this book, and I would recommend it to those who love good YA Horror.

My fault for not reading the second paragraph of the description. First one is great "From the author of Here There Are Monsters comes a chilling supernatural horror that is part terrifying vampire legend and part modern exploration of toxic relationships wrapped up in a novel about hunger, yearning, and loss. " I did not like anyone

A few years back I was hugely impressed by Amelinda Bérubé horror fantasy Here There Are Monsters (2019) which is also featured in my recent anthology review book The YA Horror 400 (2024). Amelinda returns in some style with The Ones Who Come Back Hungry, which is similar to her previous novel in that it also deals with grief, loss, tragedy and broken families. This is a vampire story like no other, do not expect any Twilight style swooning, this is more similar to John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Let The Right One In (2009), the lesser known Victoria Dalpe modern classic Parasite Life (2017) or Ravenous (2017) by Amy Lukavics, which was nominated for the YA Bram Stoker Award. Interestingly the term ‘vampire’ or ‘zombie’ is rarely used in the book, but they both fit and then again they both do not in a story about a family trying to recover from the sudden death of their teenage daughter Audrey. Shortly after her death Audrey reappears to her younger sister Jo, who narrates the story. Initially Jo thinks the death of her elder sister was a mistake and is overjoyed to see her again, until she realises Audrey is not breathing and does not feel the cold.

By in large The Ones Who Come Back Hungry deals with how Jo deals with the return of Audrey, whilst keeping her a secret from her grieving parents. Although this is a supernatural story, where little explanation is given for Audrey’s return, the book is more about how Jo deals with this. The ripple effect of the death takes Jo into the orbit of Audrey’s friends, toxic relationships, teen dynamics and problems with her own best friend, which has an LGBTQIA+ narrative. There is guilt everywhere, as Jo believed Audrey to be perfect and had previously wished she was dead as she could not live up to her standards. As Jo crumbles her grieving parents fail to notice and Audrey begins to change and is always hungry. Pain is everywhere and at times this was a very difficult read blending in love, acceptance and complex sibling relationships. The balance between supernatural, family drama and teen dynamics was nicely pitched and this excellent novel had the ability to creep under the skin, even if I wished the vampire narrative might have been fleshed out a little more. AGE RANGE 13+

This was a great take on a "back from the dead" story. The pain was felt so strongly from each family member, and this story truly showed how each person reacts differently to loss. What resonated with me the most was how blinding love can be when it comes to family and those you love. For a YA novel, this went a little deep between the morals, the questions of who the "real you" is, and the complicated relationships of each family member. Not everything is always tied up in a bow, and this heartfelt story really makes you think. All of this with the added horror element made for a great read, and I absolutely recommend this to any thriller/horror reader who likes to really have to think about it afterward. Four solid stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire, for this ARC.

Words cannot begin to describe how the ones who come back hungry made me feel. This book shows so much of the inside darkness of trauma and how everyone who is effected is just searching for that lifejacket to keep then a float. Done in a stunning way of making that darkness of grief come to life or in this case back to life shows the inner turmoil of fighting to keep the one you lost alive while fighting to keep yourself from falling apart in the process. Its a push and shove that causes questions and rash decisions and words that lead to the final stages of acceptance and allowing yourself to start the process to heal and grow and move on with your life without that loved one. Overall this was a captivating story and really speaks volumes on grief and what it can do to a person and the battle it takes to get to a point of healing.

What would you do if a loved one suddenly came back from the dead? What would you do if the only way to keep them from rotting into nothingness was to feed them your blood? Would you do it? Would you sacrifice yourself to keep them "alive"? These are all questions that Jo must ask herself when her perfect sister Audrey is suddenly back from the dead. Through this daring novel, Jo must figure out who she is, who her sister is, the good and the bad, and how much she is willing to go for "family." Is she willing to sacrifice everything?

Amelinda Berube's novel was breathtaking in all the best chilling ways. It is a perfect horror novel for young and old adults alike. Not only does it keep you wondering what will happen next, but also why it is happening at all. But it is also thought-provoking: What would you do in Jo's place? I read the novel within 24 hours because I had to find out what happened next. While so many questions were answered throughout the story, I was left with a lingering feeling of why! Why did it happen? What caused it to happen, and while not knowing is killing me, it also makes me love the book even more. Well done Amelinda, well done. I highly recommend this novel to YA and adult readers who love it when things go bump in the night.

Disclaimer: While I received a free advanced reader copy of this novel, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Reminiscent of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, THE ONES WHO COME BACK HUNGRY is a compelling, grief-filled YA that I had to force myself to not read in one sitting. It is the darkest versions of the revenant/zombie/vampire myths, set with a compelling investigation of mental health and how much of yourself you'll sacrifice for the sake of a loved one. It's discovering who you really are, messy and fraught family dynamics and the confusing investigation of first love and ulterior motives. This book is a fast read that people will struggle to put down. Compelling with queer rep.

After the sudden death of her perfect older sister, Jo feels bad for the brief moment she wished her sister away. Just days after the burial, Jo stumbles on the impossible: Audrey, standing barefoot in the backyard. But Audrey isn't the same; she's something else. Something hungry.

I really enjoyed this horror/thriller. The atmosphere was creepy and our main characters were very realistic in how they dealt with grief. Jo was an imperfect character, just a teenager who tried so hard to help her family and keep things together when she was falling apart. Audrey was the golden girl who resented feeling like she had to stay in that role. The parents were interesting and I wish we had gotten a little more from them: the present but somehow distant father and the "weak" mother who played favorites with her daughters, with devastating results.

I was really interested in what was happening with Audrey; was she a zombie? Was she a vampire? How did this happen? I'd love to see this as a movie. It wasn't wrapped up too perfectly, and I think it works here. Overall this is a very solid YA horror and I highly recommend it.

One thing I'd like to see change is the cover. I don't think it portrays the spirit of the story, it's too bland.

3.5⭐️

This book was definitely an interesting take on vampires. The author did a great job setting the creepy atmosphere. The book was more thought provoking, than it was gory. Well, except for the end, that did get a bit gory.

The family dynamics were interesting. How the relationship between Jo and her sister, Audrey played out! How the mom appeared to play favorite when it came to her daughters! How the dad seemed to be checked out about the whole thing! The ending was predictable, but still satisfying.

My only real issue was how slow the middle third felt. It started to feel a bit repetitive.

Overall, an engaging and atmospheric YA thriller with an interesting take on vampires and family dynamics!

This book gives a different view of vampires. They aren’t pretty or sparkly.

When Jo’s sister returns from the dead, she is happy but does not know what she is in for.