This was a really great read. I enjoyed our main character Brielle, along with her best friend. It was a really interesting book, that taught me a lot about Zonbis and Haitian Culture! It was fast paced and hard to put down.

Brilliant, atmospheric, and quite significant!

A horror book that has a dash of magical realism, THE SUMMER I ATE THE RICH is about Brielle whose passion leads her to a job cooking for rich families and serves them more than they could ever dream of.

Maika Moulite's writing is colorful, lively, and really leans into the social structures that are a major part of the book. It's a brilliant blend of using horror as a social commentary and I am here for every moment.

this was such an amazing and refreshing concept. i loved the Haitian folklore and all the racial topics they talked about.

thank you netgalley for the e-ARC

I really wanted more from this book. It felt like the zombi aspect was an afterthought, until the very end of the book. Without that, its really just a poor girl/rich people book, and that's definitely been done before.

I really loved this book. Beautiful and moving, it might be my favorite unique zombie tale I’ve ever read. I would love to read more from the authors.

A story of the Haitian-American immigrant experience with just a sprinkle of zombies.
Inspired by their mother’s battle with chronic pain and the struggle to access affordable healthcare, Maika and Maritza Moulite craft a unique coming-of-age zombie tale with The Summer I Ate the Rich.

Set in Miami, the reader meets Brielle Petitfour — a half-American zombie, half-Haitian zonbi — who dreams of becoming a top chef, even as her mother nudges her toward a more “secure” future. A series of events thrust Brielle into the world of the Miami elite. Confronted with the vast gap between rich and poor, she taps into her hidden powers — and a thirst for revenge.

“If you ask any Haitian person if they’ve ever heard of zonbi, they will tell you yes. But the zombie of my home country (which I still have yet to visit) isn’t rooted in decaying limbs falling haphazardly to the ground as you scoot and drag yourself to your next meal. It stems from the fear of slavery. That your existence of forced labor will continue far into the afterlife, white masters lording over you even in the next plane. Scarier than any American zombie, if you ask me.”

This story has so many contributing elements:

Zombie/zonbi folklore
Racial and economic divides
Magical realism
Family and mother-daughter relationships
Good and evil

The authors were ambitious with what they tried to accomplish in this story. I would have liked a more narrow and focused scope. The horror elements are light, and the “eat the rich” premise teased at the start never fully delivers. The blend of American zombie and Haitian zonbi lore had real potential but ultimately fell flat. The Haitian zonbi elements, in particular, left me confused — while the story suggests zonbis are meant to be powerless, Brielle somehow wields a mysterious and powerful magic that feels inconsistent and underexplained.

While the book’s concept is rich with promise, the execution left me wanting a tighter, more focused story. The Summer I Ate the Rich had all the ingredients for a standout read, but in the end, it didn’t quite satisfy.

I struggled with this book and, unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. While the premise was intriguing and the combination of Brielle’s first-person narration alongside the Muses’ historical chorus had real potential, the execution fell flat. The characters (both Brielle and the side cast) felt one-dimensional, despite hints that they could have been developed into something much richer. Because of this, Brielle’s interactions often made her feel less dynamic (and cringy as hell) as well.

One of my main challenges was staying engaged. I picked up and put down the book multiple times before finally making it through, and even early on, I found the energy slipping away as I read. Though the writing style was unique, it didn’t draw me in the way I hoped.

What kept me invested at times was the familial storyline, especially Brielle’s relationship with her mother and the connections to Haiti and her sisters. These scenes were heartfelt and compelling, and I wished the novel had leaned more heavily on them. Unfortunately, those threads were overshadowed by other plotlines, such as the dynamics with Preston, Marcello, and the Banks family, that felt unnecessary and poorly executed. Instead of showcasing Brielle’s growth, these sections often came across as forced and filled with cringeworthy banter and plots, which made me want to skim ahead.

Overall, this book seemed to attempt too many things at once and lost focus in the process. While I admire the ambition and creativity behind it, the final result felt muddled and far less powerful than it could have been. I wanted to love it, but in the end, it simply wasn’t for me.

This was definitely a fun YA novel, I thought there'd be more horror, but I felt it had more a magical realism vibes. There's a billionaire character who's got elements of various famous billionaires like Musk (cars/space/parents/claims-he-could-solve-world-hunger-but-doesn't), Bezos (door desks) and others. And I definitely appreciate the way the main character is able to immediately try to change the world. I found the whole story really suited to a YA audience, loved the complex relationship between the main character and her mother, the representation of silent illnesses like fibromyalgia and her side friends were very fun. Her relationship with the rich and her job are all really interesting and help my interest and I think will be popular with students.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ebook to preview.

For me, it was hard to get into the story. It might be because I'm not in the targeted age range like my students are. However, it does feel like it's geared towards a reader who is constantly online. The premise is there, but the execution wasn't. I purchased it for my library because I do think I'll have students who would be interested in it, but overall, I can't recommend it.

This one sounded so interesting! However, I found like a lot of YA horror books, it never really went into the horror genre fully. I felt like the authors could have pushed it further. I think Brielle was a great main character, but at times the storyline felt different from what we had gotten from her already. I also think it was too long. Some horror books make that mistake I think and it takes away from the spooky ambiance I want as a reader.

TW/CW: Language, blood, violence, misogyny, classism, death of parent, drinking, anxiety, cannibalism, toxic family relationships

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Brielle Petitfour loves to cook. But with a chronically sick mother and bills to pay, becoming a chef isn’t exactly a realistic career path.When Brielle’s mom suddenly loses her job, Brielle steps in and uses her culinary skills to earn some extra money. The rich families who love her cooking praise her use of unique flavors and textures, which keep everyone guessing what’s in Brielle’s dishes. The secret ingredient? Human flesh.
Release Date: April 22nd, 2025
Genre: YA Horror
Pages: 400
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Parts about Brielle being a zombie

What I Didn't Like:
1. Boring
2. Story switches storyline

Final Thoughts:
I read 100 pages of this and it was so different from what I thought I was getting. I thought I was getting this zombie Hannibal story of a girl cooking humans like she's Sweety Todd. That's not what I got here. It turns into the story of girl (yes - a zombie) that gets a new phone that is weirdly linked to her mother's bosses sons phone. She gets a text asking about donating money and doubles it. Then she somehow - - without not knowing this dudes bank account to donate money to other things. Why would these charities just have his bank account on hand for them to just take a donation from? Also I imagine it takes more than a text to allow a company to take 10 million dollars from an account. I withdrawal or deposit $100 to my bank and I'm getting a text and an email. I'll never be a millionaire but pulling out this money can't be that easy.

Characters are dry and boring. Brielle just feels like a normal person. It's hit over head time and time again how she has no emotions or cares about others but we are never shown this.

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing and to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Summer I Ate the Rich is a horror-adjacent YA novel that blends Haitian zonbi folklore with American capitalism. Brielle, a teenage Haitian-American zonbi, decides to take revenge on the rich people that have harmed her family by using her food to gain influence with them.


I think I am actually at a loss for words of what to say about this book. The premise is interesting and I learned some things about Haitian folklore and culture that I genuinely plan to do more research on or reading into. However, the first chapter really promises something that the book does not deliver on, it gives a really visceral and gorey scene that you realize is just related to cooking and the rest of the book reads more of a coming of age story and a journey of self-discovery. This book did not want to go too deep into horror (which I somewhat get as a YA novel) but I think the description/marketing does it a disservice of what the reader can actually expect. This book is not quite horror but not quite not horror either. Maybe this would have worked more for me if the title was changed to something less graphic to match the content, and the title does feel a little bit like pandering to the internet/TikTok crowd. But I did enjoy parts of it and ended up finishing it in two days.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing an advanced copy for an honest review.

This one hooked me right from the start. Set in Miami, it follows Brielle, a Haitian-American teen who’s not only a private chef for rich clients—she’s also a zonbi with a pretty unusual craving. She’s just trying to take care of her sick mom, but her powers start pointing her toward something much bigger: a twisted, high-stakes revenge mission against the ultra-wealthy.

What makes it so cool is how it blends horror, fantasy, and social commentary in a way that feels super fresh. Brielle’s voice is bold and real, and even when the pacing slows a bit, she keeps the story alive. The tension with one of the Banks kids (a rich family connected to her past) adds an extra layer, and the way it balances romance, justice, and supernatural elements is really satisfying.

Final thoughts: If you’re into stories with sharp edges, cultural roots, and a little gore with your social justice, this one’s for you. It’s fierce, unexpected, and totally worth the read.

Horror and Haitian folklore thrive in this gem. Seventeen-year-old Haitian-American Brielle is an aspiring chef and zombie that struggles to tame her cravings for human flesh. She struggles to care for her mother, who suffers from fibromyalgia, and her mother works for a selfish, rich family. When Brielle gets an internship with Miami’s most powerful family, it alleviates her financial burdens – but Brielle finds she can use her supernatural abilities to get revenge through her cooking. I really liked the mix of folklore with romance and suspense. You see how Brielle deals with microaggressions and how she handles them. A fun read.

2 stars

This book was so immensely disappointing. The main characters motivations rarely aligned with her actions, the other characters were so flat, the convenient plot lines were head-ache inducing, and the ending....

The premise was so interested and unfortunately wasted.

Had a blast with this one. I love how the origins of zombies was at the basis of this book, rooting them in their cultural context. It really made the book stick out to me in the genre, and I can't wait to see more Haitian authors writing in the space (and in general!)

The Summer I Ate the Rich is a book that addresses the falsity of the American Dream. Brielle is a character that you will want to follow. I was very intrigued by the mystery of the past of Brielle's family, and I hope more readers pick up this book!

*Note: I did not finish this book.

I may be biased but I love everything that Maika and Maritza write. It was so fun seeing zonbi lore in a mainstream novel and I can’t wait to see more from this duo.

The Summer I Ate the Rich is sharp, twisted, and honestly pretty addictive. Brielle is such a believable character—you get why she makes the choices she does, even when they’re horrifying. The story does a great job showing how desperation and inequality can push someone past every line they thought they’d never cross.

The mix of horror and social commentary works really well. It’s got this simmering tension the whole way through, and the Haitian folklore elements give it a unique flavor (no pun intended). You’ll definitely find yourself torn between rooting for Brielle and cringing at what she’s doing.

Overall, it’s clever, dark, and doesn’t pull any punches. If you like your thrillers with a side of satire and just enough horror to make you squirm, this one’s worth picking up.

This is a smart, fun, and sharply observed YA novel that manages to weave in big ideas without ever losing its vibe. It's not as much horror as I was expecting but if you aren't going in with expectations, it's a good read! The voice is vibrant, the plot breezy, but there’s an edge underneath—class, identity, the performance of social media. I devoured it in a weekend and immediately wanted to text it to my younger cousins. I'm always an advocate for eating the rich.