"A bone-chilling modern horror about a Haitian American girl who uses her previously hidden zombie abilities to enact revenge on the wealthy elites who’ve caused her family pain."

The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika and Maritza Moulite was pretty good, though the writing was a little rough in places. I definitely see potential in these authors and look forward to more from them.

Packed with sharp twists and relentless tension, this thriller is a masterclass in suspense. The pacing is pitch-perfect, keeping you breathless without ever feeling rushed. Its characters are vividly drawn, their secrets as gripping as the plot itself. A chilling, expertly told story that lingers long after the final page.

This was a fun, YA horror that feels very timely.

I appreciated the look into Haitian culture and lore, the intermissions given by The Muses, and the authors presenting the realities of being poor/immigrant/chronically ill in America. I'd have liked more focus on the cultural aspects, and learning more about the history behind the zonbi. I think that part really intrigued me but we didn't get enough of it in the book to make zonbi Brielle much different than a regular teenager.

It is VERY much a YA novel. The MC is about to be a senior, but the tone feels much younger. Though about cannibalism there is very little gore, and though there is a budding teenage romance there is nothing more than kissing. Nothing wrong with that, I'm just used to more graphic YA horror.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

*2.5 stars

So the idea of this book was REALLY interesting.... but apart from that.... just nooooooo.

Things I liked:
-Liked the sisters as a Greek Chorus between chapters.
-Liked the mystical quality of the main character's love story.
-Liked all the Haitian lore and food.

Things I didn't like:
-the main character.... her maturity level fluctuated during the story and it was so hard to grasp it for me.
-the relationship between her and Preston... I'm sorry what?!?! So not necessary and their HEA didn't make sense.
-the ending.... is it a series? It ended so weird to me!

Overall the idea was so cool, but the story just didn't appeal to me and I kinda wish I had DNF...

This was a wild ride of a book. I was not expecting in a book about zonbi's and secrets and eating the rich to be most entranced by the protagonist's cutthroat and calculating inner dialogue. If you love self indulgent stories with first person narrators who gleefully take their revenge on the people who've wronged them, this is for you.

This book was very good! I loved the culture incorporated into the novel as the premise. I did put in a request at my library for them to get a copy as I would love to reread it in a physical format. The zombie lore is quite intriguing to me!

This was cool. I wanted more..... I'm not sure but there was just something missing. I loved message about class and the Haitian culture. It was just missing that it to take if for 4 to 5 stars.

This story was incredible! I didn't anticipate the blackmail Brielle had on Preston or that he would basically be like "okay yeah whatever. can we get married?" The hold she had on that boy was incredible. I loved it. Honestly I do really think they were good for each other and I was glad she was using his name to help her gain more credibility/sway in the culinary world at the end. It's what she deserves. I was also really happy that she was able to meet her sisters (The Muses) and help her family fight against her mom's ex-husband. This was truly a captivating story that I loved greatly!!!

This wasn't my favorite read of the year, but overall, it wasn't bad! I thought it would be more horror adjacent, based on the description and marketing, but it wasn't. There was a lot going on in the story, and there were parts where it took me a moment to catch up with what was happening. I enjoyed getting to expand my knowledge/lore of zombies and wasn't aware of the Haitian zonbi lore/legends. I liked Brielle's voice throughout the story, and I would pick up another book by Maika and Maritza Moulite again.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I felt so bored and did not connect with any of the characters.

I hope others love this one.

The Summer I Ate the Rich was a mixed bag experience for me. I'm not even sure how best to explain my thoughts and feelings on this one, but let's give it a whirl, shall we?

In this story we follow Brielle, a Haitian-American girl, living in the Miami area with her Mom. Brielle has big dreams of becoming a world-renowned chef. Her Mom works in a domestic-capacity for an extremely wealthy family. It's not easy work and she's also dealing with a chronic illness that leaves her dealing with constant pain, and a lot of medical bills, but she does her best to provide for them. Unsurprisingly, Brielle spends a lot of her time and energy trying to help her Mom, worrying about her, and trying to make sure she gets the care she needs.

After her Mom's job is no longer there, Brielle has to step up in a big way; using her culinary skills to support them. Brielle's menu items are far from mainstream, and she keeps the rich families eating her food guessing about what exactly is titillating their taste-buds.

The short answer: human flesh.

I'll be the first to admit, a lot of this story flew over my head. I enjoyed Brielle, and followed along quite well in the beginning, but then it got to a point where my eyes sort of glazed over. I understand and appreciate the important topics these authors touch upon in this story, and I think their own inspiration for writing it is compelling ((be sure to read the <i>Author's Note</i> at the end)), however, a lot of it lost me, NGL.

The synopsis mentions it being a modern-day fable, and that is quite apt. In addition to Brielle's perspective, we also get these sections, they might have been called Intermissions, or Interludes, but they are told in a very whimsical-style by beings I believe were supposed to be Brielle's 'sisters'. Those sections were a complete wash for me. They were so jarring in comparison to Brielle's perspective, and they were taking me out of the story every time.

In the audiobook, they also had different narrators, which was great, I love multiple narrators, but these sections, the Muses, all I could picture was the singing ladies from Disney's animated movie, Hercules. And I guess for me, that felt more out of place and distracting than I think the author's intended. I'm sure this is just me, I'm most likely missing a very real reference, or connection, to some greater story, or folklore, but I still need to be honest about my experience.

At the end of the day, I was hoping this would be much darker and clear in its execution than it turned out to be. I was into it at times, but then it would veer off and leave me spinning my wheels, wondering what was happening. Nevertheless, I would recommend it for any Reader who feels the synopsis sounds intriguing. It's definitely worth giving it a shot, and I would be interested in reading more from these authors.

Thank you to the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, as well as Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

There's def a good story here. I appreciated the themes and risks the authors explored and took, however it just wasn't suited to my tastes, and I do rate based on my overall experience in comparison to other books of the same genre.

I was expecting a more visceral, feral experience. Recommended for YA romance fans, NOT horror fans, and should be targeted that way.

I'm conflicted about this one! The concept for this book is fantastic, but the execution leaves something to be desired.

The novel started out SO strong. I was hooked from the first chapter! Somewhere around the 60% mark, however, the story started losing steam. The pacing was all over the place and I feel like we lost the plot. So much happened and at the same time nothing did at all. We took several unexpected detours, and the resolution didn't feel clearcut or fully satisfying. The parameters of Brielle's zombie powers were left mostly unexplained. I also feel a bit underwhelmed with the lack of people-eating! Between the title, cover, and first chapter, I was expecting more gore and literal consumption of the rich. Other than the brief allusions to sprinkling ground up human bits in the supper club meals, I feel like the rich were only eaten metaphorically. For this reason, the book feels more like a blend of satire and magical-realism than horror to me. Or perhaps the real horror is racism and socioeconomic disparity...

That all being said, there is lots to like in this one! I was fascinated by all the Haitian zombie lore, in fact I wish there was more of it. I love the capitalist critique and I appreciated the way the mother/daughter relationship was written. I love how determined and savvy Brielle is, she's an easy protaganist to root for. And I loved the side characters too! I hope to see more from Maika & Maritza Moulite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for this ARC!

Thank you Maika and Maritza Moulite, Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC!
2.5 Stars!

Okay this one is YA, so I'm aware that I'm not the intended audience for this one...but....

What was initially a cool concept became quickly convoluted and all over the place. I don't generally gravitate towards YA anymore, but a Haitian Zonbi teen girl character who feeds rich people human flesh sounded pretty interesting. However, I felt like I was reading an entirely different story at some points. There were genuinely times where I forgot that our main character was undead (?) and I'm honestly still not sure how some of her powers even work. I think that the authors were afraid to make her too unlikeable, despite greatly leaning into the cruelty of the elite she surrounds herself with. As a result, it really diminished some of the horror elements (like cannibalism!) that I thought would be a huge part of the story. The MC's zonbi condition then never seemed like a huge obstacle to overcome, and the connection that Haitian zonbi lore has to enslavement felt weird when she used her powers to influence people to do her bidding (yes they were rich white elites but it felt kind of backwards?)
Then there was the plot. I kept thinking "okay, now THIS is the plot" and then it would change and there would be something else crammed into the story somehow. She never even really ate the rich! And I'm just going to say it because it pissed me off- she marries one of them at the end? She's also seventeen?? Idk man.
I did end up liking some of the commentary. It's not too preachy, but get's into some anti-capitalism basics that I think is perfectly digestible and appropriate for teens. I also do think that the mother-daughter relationship was written well and clearly comes from experience. All of this to say, I do think teens would like it and I might just be overly critical because I'm a crotchety adult.

Special thanks to the authors & @macmillanusa for my gifted copy & @macmillan.audio #MacAudio2024 for my gifted ALC‼️

They ate the rich! Inspired by their mother’s lived experience and Haitian zombie lore Maika and Marita Moulite deliver an interesting story about a Haitian American girl struggling with poverty, who’s secretly a zombie, and is out to seek revenge on the wealthy for the mistreatment of her family.

The cover for this book is such an attention grabber and the title really got me. I was looking for a horror type vibe and I just knew that’s what I was getting with such a bold cover and title! But this was nothing but that and I could’ve DNF’d but my curiosity got the best of me and I had to know why and how Brielle became a zombie. Which I never really found out and in the end I was left confused and with too many unanswered questions.

The only thing I can say is she did what she had to do to take care of her mother! She wanted revenge and she used her “zombie powers” which we barely see and her talent with cooking to do just that. Brielle could’ve just been a normal girl honestly lol you literally don’t remember she’s a zombie until she mentions it. I think what ruined this for me was the authors trying to cover so many themes and not providing enough backstory on the important aspects of the book. I don’t recommend personally because the book was all over the place for me. But if you’ve read this and enjoyed it I’m curious to know what you thought about it!

Rating: 2.5/5⭐️

3.25

A decent book, but not what it markets itself as.
The only horror comes more from the racism and socioeconomic injustices.

I think I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd gone in with the right intentions; or if the book had kept the same tone it started with.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for a digital copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I needed some time to gather my thoughts about this one. On one hand, this was a story about a Haitian-American teen named Brielle who wants to pursue her dream of becoming a chef; a dream her mother does not approve of because she feels it will propagate a fate of serving others (most likely rich white people). On the other hand, this is also a story about how that same teen is a zombie/zonbi, witnesses a crime, saves damning evidence of that crime, is caught making questionable choices with other people's money, and is forced to participate in an internship where she gains health insurance that allows her to help her mother who suffers with chronic pain (later on she uses that damning evidence to kinda blackmail someone). In addition to that, she struggles with her identity as a zombie with an immigrant background, hides her cooking passion from her single mother, and also starts falling for the handsome son of the man whose money she spent without his knowledge. Oh, and there's also this Greek Chorus type of interlude that happened periodically, consisting of Brielle's sisters and I think what their names mean in Creole, but I am not sure. I thought it was a clever way to include Brielle's family living in Haiti while also providing some information the reader needed to know.

It's a lot. And there's so much more. Because the company she's interning for is a pharmaceutical one, the very one that make the pain medication her mother so desperately relies on to control her pain. I understand the difficult position she is put in and the questionable decisions she makes with murky motivations of revenge. But once I started seeing this story as more of a "good for her, support women's wrongs" and less of a YA zombie novel, it became easier to read.

There were some difficult topics in this book: systemic racism, historical colonial repercussions, severe wealth disparity, bias against the poor, violence, oh and (brief) cravings to eat human flesh. But despite the title, very little eating of the rich actually occurred. Brielle discovers the magical properties of her zombie identity and how she can influence those who have eaten the food she makes that happens to have human parts in it (and like, not that much human flesh, really. Just enough to allow her to gain control of the people eating the food). It wasn't explained very well and I wanted more information about that. Unless - maybe this was more of a she *finger snap* ATE the rich, girl. Which, yes. In that, she did. In any case, it did feel like multiple stories were happening at the same time and not exactly flowing together. There was no resolution for a particularly unlikable character. The character was just never mentioned again at the end, and I wanted to know what happened to them!

I greatly enjoyed the descriptions of the food Brielle makes. I do wish there was more of a conflict with her zombie status and an earlier explanation of how she became one and who knows she is one. Like, did her best friend know? I'm still not sure. Speaking of, I also greatly enjoyed her best friend Marcello and his boyfriend Chad. Great supporting characters.

Overall, this book was a tapestry of humanity's flaws, with a little zombie cravings sprinkled in. Racism and wealth bias are NEVER okay and that message was clearly depicted. Brielle was a complicated character. She was ambitious and smart, had so much love for her mother and sisters, a critical thinker who copped when someone was being racist, bigoted, ageist, misogynist or all of the above and worse. She was also not above manipulating people she felt too often got away with their abuses of people in lower tax brackets and people of different skin color. The twist at the end of the book, the plan she and love interest millionaire son concoct, felt a little rushed and too convenient. I don't think there was enough lead-up to make the twist make enough sense.

2.75/5

I enjoyed it in general but thinking back about it, it has big flaws i struggled to pass over like for example the murders especially the second one were just.. forgotten until the car accident was convenient for the plot and it felt as a very weak plot point to me. I wish it went deeper in the critic of healthcare in America and try to end the book within this book but it quickly turned into a romance first, it confused me.
And Brielle being a zombie was great but it felt extra and not worked very well into the story as it wasn't enough incorporated into her story beside the few hunger from time to time, i thought it would have been more at the center of the book especially with the haiti definition of a zonbi

Brief overview:

After a cell phone mix up, Brielle, a teenage zombie, gets the chance to do a summer internship at an infamous pharmaceutical company. She can't turn down the opportunity to get her mothers medication and earn extra funds to send back to her sisters in Haiti.

My thoughts:

The first chapter had me excited, then it all kind of went downhill from there. It felt like there was constantly so much going on, yet nothing actually happened. This story read as more of a YA romance than a horror. The fact that the main character is a zombie didn't really seem like much of a main plot point and it was only brought up when the character wanted to do something a normal person could not. It didn't feel fully fleshed out (excuse the pun). The writing style was a bit hard to keep up with at times, and every time it felt like something interesting would happen, the chapter would end and we would jump forward in time right over the interesting thing! Oh, and the part that made me the most upset, she didn't even eat the rich!

Was this the best book I've ever read, no, but so much about it made it an obvious five star for me. This is a YA horror book that took something personal that happened in the authors family, added in some hot button issues many are dealing with in the US and finished it off shedding light onto the immigrant experience, Haitian immigrant to be precise with a sprinkle of class system issues. They really wrapped so many important issues into a very entertaining book. This was a zombie book written in a way so different than what mainstream American culture has made it. I really enjoyed learning about the Haitian people, their foods, customs and lore. They even managed to toss in the opiate crisis and struggle with insurance plus cost of life saving meds. I was just blown away by how much real life was entertained into this horror book. Even though cannibalism plays a part, I didn't feel like it was super gory. I think this book would be good for any reader.