SUPER Cute such a vibe a very cool take on zombies and disability and being LGBTQ in an apocalypse. tysm for the arc

My favorite book of the year thus far! I'm a big horror reader, and this was a unique take on the zombie subgenre. I loved the setting and characters. I really enjoyed the writing style. The biggest thing for me though? Take All of Us is an absolutely gorgeous depiction of disability and chronic illness.
As someone who lives with chronic health conditions, it's rare for me to find stories that I truly relate to in that area. Many stories try to show the disabled characters as either an inspiration or a tragedy, a burden on those around them or a magical shining light, purely there to pull at the heartstrings or provide a Munchhausen's-type plot twist... This book does none of that. In fact, it actually openly challenges and calls out some of those expectations. The depictions are woven so naturally and beautifully into the story. I think this is a book where people who live in the demographic can feel seen and those who don't can understand a bit better. It's thought provoking either way.

A YA unbury-your-gays horror in which an undead teen must find the boy he loves before he loses his mind and body.

This was really good. I enjoyed the characters and the atmosphere and the plot twists.

The writing style felt so disorganized and overwhelming that it ended up confusing me in a short time. I wanted to like it, but this book wasn't for me.

I was surprised by how quickly Ian found Eric. And I will admit in the middle Ian was a little annoying. But, I throughly enjoyed this and look forward to reading more of Leif’s works.

It gave me vibes of that zombie gay BBC show I forget the name of. In the Flesh? Anyway poisoned parasite water and back from the dead gays abound this is a good read. There are some times in the middle (looking at you Ian) where I got frustrated with the characters but it felt realistic. The ending totally was worth it though. Unbury your gays indeed.

Unfortunately I didn't finish this book. I really loved the concept of it and I am always a supporter of queer media, however, the pacing was really slow and the plot wasn't as dynamic as I was hoping it to be. I really wanted to love this book, but I think I needed some higher stakes, action or drama in the first 40% to really hook me.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The premise drew me in quickly. I was surprised how quickly Ian found Eric, but it made for a really interesting dynamic where he could explore his feelings better. The friendships between the characters was something I enjoyed too, especially Ian and Monica, seeing their whole dynamic.

I also loved the disability representation. I was a bit hesitant about reading this, due to my own triggers with medical history, but ended up feeling really seen and heard.

The ending portion was a bit confusing (probably cause of my own fault cause I took a break from reading), but seemed to wrap up nicely.

Super friggin cute with queer rep and an adorable cast. Really enjoyed this one! Huge thanks to netgalley for the arc.

A virus in the water... turning things terrifying.

"Take All of Us" by Nathalie Leif is one of those books that sticks with you long after you’ve put it down. The novel dives deep into the lives of a diverse group of characters, each grappling with their own struggles and dreams. Leif does an incredible job of bringing their stories to life, making each character feel real and relatable.

Takes a little while to get up to full speed... cute romance... great diversity rep.

Enjoyable read! Quite unique and creative.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink | Holiday House, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

After a parasite poisoned the water of Ian's hometown in West Virginia, turning people in dark-eyed oil dripping shells of themselves, Ian is trying to survive with migraines and seizures, relying on his best friend, Eric, who kills these shells if they meet them. When an evacuation turns everything upside down, Ian finds himself dead and alone in a desert shopping mall, being left behind by his best friend. In order to understand what happened, before his cdeath catch up with him, he joins two other people left behind, Monica and the stubbborn and resourcheful Angel.

It was a very intriguing read and I really loved the found family created in this book and the determination and stubborness of Ian of keeping going on, trying to understand what happened to him and to Eric, why Eric left him and where are they now, with himself dead, but not truly dead, and the mysterious evacuation that left them in an abandoned city. The vibe was like The Walking dead, with an hint of any catastrophic movies where teenagers are left to fend for themselves.
I did found the whole parasite, dead but not dead, issue a bit lacking, I would have loved a complete explanation and I found the ending a bit rushed and not explained.
Overall, a quick read with good characters and queer love.

Heartbreaking and somehow fun

For the last five years, a parasite has been turning locals into shells of their former selfs. Ian and his best friend, Eric, have taken up to mercy-kill the infected they come across. Or rather, Eric does, because Ian, secretely in love with him, has chronic migraines and seizures that make things a little more complicated. One day, Ian cracks his head during a seizure and drowns. That day, a mandatory evacutation takes place in the city because of the parasite. And Ian is left behind by everyone, including Eric, even if he was with him during the accident. Now, he has only one goal in mind: find Eric and find out the truth before he loses his mind to the parasite.

This story was very unique and interesting. I had trouble diving into the book at first, because it was a bit fuzzy in the world-building, but once the accident happened, I was hooked. Ian's story is a sad and heartbreaking one, but it's also about hope, love and friendship, which was beautiful. Being on this journey with him and his new friends was quite an adventure, and I liked that the author kept us guessing with plot-twists and misunderstandings that made the story that much more gripping. Sometimes, the slower pace of the book threatened to lose me again, but then it got interesting once more and I was eager to know what would happen next. The ending brought me to tears in the best way, and I'm really glad I stumbled upon this unique, fascinating story.

I recommend if you like apocalyptic YA stories that will surprise you.

"I don't want perfect," he said, "I want you. I always wanted you."

Thank you Storygram Tours, Holiday House Books, & Natalie Leif for sending me a copy of Take All of Us for tour! And thank you NetGalley for sending me an eARC🥰🫶
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This book was one of my favorites of the year! I just LOVED reading it! Like I couldn’t put it down! 😊 At the beginning of the book the town our characters live in has a virus that affects the water. If you drink the bad water and die you come back as an undead being before slowly rotting away. It was so interesting starting this book and figuring out the lore and how the undead work. You have white eyes - you die normally, you have black eyes- you get to live this undead life before slowly losing your mind and body. The concept is really freaky, but I love it! I love our MC Ian, as I think he is a fully rounded out person and I loved getting the perspective of being an undead! Later on, as Ian begins to “rot” seeing how his mind works is so interesting. It’s also interesting to see how Ian interacts with the undead at different stages of the rot. After Ian wakes up undead, his best friend (and crush) Eric is long gone! So Ian is determined to find him and tell him how he feels before it's too late. Enter the best characters ever - Monica and Angel. Monica is a fellow disabled kid in town and Ian’s self-imposed nemesis. The three team up to survive the “end of the world”. They are literally the definition of found family and I love this trio! I loved how Angel’s autism is portrayed! Even before it was given a name, I felt we had a connection and I noticed things she did that reminded me of myself - an autistic person. So we have a trio of disabled teens surviving trying to figure out what happened and why everyone in town was evacuated.
After a while, the trio runs into Eric and Zoey (who is unlikable at first, but then becomes a part of the family) and the five of them continue on a journey to end the being causing the virus. The ending is a bit confusing with the undead cycle and how they ended it, but I think it helps add to the mystery of this book. It also ends a bit fast and I would've loved more as it’s a shorter book, but this was such a GOOD book overall. I will definitely be rereading this one in the future! This book gives similar vibes to Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White.
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🌈Rep: gay MC with chronic migraines & seizures, black cain user SC with chronic pain, autistic SC, mlm relationship

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

3.65 stars rounded up.

I rlly liked the disability rep in this. The storyline and characters were well written and it was overall a great book. However, I hated the ship. I’m gonna be so real about it, how tf do you get over your man leaving you after you died and then, with some new random fucking accomplice, aiming to murder you not once BUT TWICE. Bitch. Nah. Absolutely tf not. He did not deserve forgiveness for that especially so fast. The man just had a knife on u???? Bro come on. I was expecting with the betray and all at first that he was going to end up with Monica, but to forgive that bitch? No. I simply do not understand. Even if he was afraid after you died… he knew you were coming back dazed and confused yet he left you there in the middle of a big warning alone in a mall to figure it all out yourself? That’s so fucked.

Also, the end? I didn’t like the use of the God thingy. Like it felt like a cop out for what was happening to the town. Way too simple and easily explainable. While the dead people and magic system seemed so interesting, that kinda ruined it for me.

I still really liked reading this book and it was a very easy book to read, but there are definitely some criticisms to be had.

This book is an amazing. As someone who is queer and disabled, there are a lot of aspects of this that hit close to home for me. It's difficult to allow yourself to take up space when you've spent so much time treated as if you already take up too much just by existing. Following this cast as they learn to be selfish and learn to just BE is an eye-opening adventure equal parts heart-wrenching, horrifying, and sweet. A great found family story that's just a little messed up.
The pacing felt a bit rushed at several points, especially regarding some of the character dynamics. And the ending felt lacking in some ways because it failed to address things that had been brought up as concerns earlier. Overall, though, these are minor enough issues that everything else made up for it. and I still enjoyed reading.
It's more of a 4.5 stars for me but I'm rounding it up because the disability rep made me feel seen.
My favorite part was the end of chapter twenty-one. You'll have to read it yourself to find out why, no spoilers.

Five years ago, Ian's west Virginia hometown’s water supply became poisoned by a parasite, causing those who drink unfiltered water to become empty shells of themselves. When an emergency evacuation causes Ian to die…and then come back…he’s separated from his best friend/crush Eric, and sets out to find him and tell him his feelings before he goes.

This book had great disability representation and discussions about disability. Our main character Ian has epilepsy and chronic migraines. Monica is also chronically ill and uses a cane. Angel who is autistic. But I will say I wish the characters would have had a bit more depth to them.

The plot was interesting but I wish we would have had the chance to learn more about the water supply situation and about the undead in general. However the book was a really fast paced and entertaining story.

The character voices in Leif's book are razor sharp and captivating. From the first page, I could tell that this world was developed and that the characters were thought-out and fully fleshed. I really enjoyed the balance of spooky and strange and queer, and it was an unexpected book that I couldn't wait to turn the pages on.

I really struggled to get through this book. I thought the premise was interesting, but I didn't entirely understand it - I had a hard time following what was going on in the town, and it was a weird blend of realistic and supernatural elements. I also struggled to connect to any of the characters beyond the main character or understand what was motivating them.

ian wants to tell his best friend that he loves him, but tragedy happens before he can. dead, but still around, ian must find him, confess his love and not lose himself all while trying to work out what has happened to the small town of kittakoop.

this story moved fast, with so much happening, but it worked really well. it drew me in from the very beginning and kept me there. it had me on the edge of my seat, nervously waiting to see what was going to happen. the writing was done so beautifully, but at times it was too poetic and made it hard to follow. the characters were likeable and seeing their friendships grow was lovely. it gave us the perfect found family, had arguments with each other but still wanted to do anything to protect each other. i loved it a lot.

overall, it was an interesting story which kept me on the edge of my seat. however, some moments were confusing and hard to follow, but still a very enjoyable read!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.