⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars (Good)
Setting: Miami, Florida (Little Haiti District), Paris, and Haiti
Genre: Psychological Thriller; Horror

I went into The Summer I Ate the Rich expecting a darkly humorous thriller with a unique culinary twist, but while the premise is undeniably creative, the execution didn’t fully work for me.

Brielle Petitfour is a gifted cook struggling to support her sick mother, and when desperation strikes, she begins catering for the wealthy—secretly serving them dishes with a horrifying secret ingredient. The novel leans heavily into Haitian folklore, horror, and satire, but its social commentary on class and privilege felt repetitive and heavy-handed. While I appreciate books that tackle current issues, this one drove the message home so forcefully that it sometimes overshadowed the storytelling.

Another challenge for me was the level of gore. I expected dark humor and satire, but the cannibalism was described in a way that felt more gruesome than thought-provoking. Instead of being a sharp, clever critique, some moments felt like shock value for its own sake.

That said, the writing is strong, and the authors create an undeniably original story with some witty moments. I can see why others might enjoy it, but for me, the balance between horror, humor, and commentary felt off. If you love socially conscious horror and don’t mind graphic content, this might be your next favorite read. However, if you’re looking for something more subtle, this may not be the book for you. #netgalley #thesummeriatetherich #booked_this_weekend

This was not at all what I expected. I was so excited when I got the ARC for it but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I liked the Sci fi and history aspects of it. You learn a lot about Haitian history and culture.
I understand the intention of the book, the focus of the health system and insurance. Their neglect of those in need. But nothing really happened and I was looking for more to happen; more showing then telling.

This was definitely a fun YA with eat-the-rich vibes, though admittedly it was a lot less zombie/Fantasy elements than I thought there'd be, and I wouldn't even say a dusting of Horror. Very Contemporary with like magical realism vibes.

TL;DR the synopsis and my expectations do NOT fit the book, but I still had a fun time and was entertained throughout.

I thought the audio was great and having the Haitian accents for the main character's mom and sisters definitely carried the performance. 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.

The story gets a bit muddied over time as allowances are made for some of the billionaires, more focus falls to petty snobs, and fewer actions are done to affect macro changes like you truly can with that staggering amount of money.

But 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 (my mom also suffered from this, but with even more stigma and less treatment back then), and her side friends were very fun.

A fun romp that's apt for our times, but my thirst for vengeance/justice wasn't indulged as much as I'd hoped beforehand.

Cover still totally slaps.

This was an interesting story lol. Where do I begin? I think the premise of the story drew me in to request this ALC because I love a good eat the rich story. But, there was a paranormal twist that took the meaning of “eat the rich” to a whole new level. I liked seeing Brielle navigate this interesting situation she got in but in the end, I was too confused to fully enjoy the story.


There was strong points on social commentary and interesting views of the culinary world of Miami, Fl. However, I was so confused whenever her sisters “the muses” chapters came on. I also think the hatian folklore wasn’t explained enough. I didn’t even know she had powers until the last 20% of the book. That may be my fault because I was listening to this. Overall, I think there was some good messages but it wasn’t flushed out enough. I still liked the story and how it connected to the authors’ real life story. The audio quality was great to listen to as well

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for granting me this advanced listeners copy in exchange for my honest review!

this is NOT your typical zombie story. it is based upon Haitian zonbi, not North American ones, which gave it a lot of intrigue. learning more about the folklore was an added bonus. i truly enjoyed the vibe of this novel and the writing style is fun. there is a good balance of humor, seriousness and tender moments. i loved the addition of the Haitian (Greek) chorus. their commentary on the story is amusing and a novel addition to the story.

the romance aspect comes later on in the novel and feels somewhat rushed and unreal, but it is typical ya stuff (moving really quickly even though we don’t see much interaction before they’re “in love”). their relationship also channels the vibe of “i can make them worse” almost. 😂 the ending romance-wise really threw me. i did not see it coming at all.

there are critiques of classism, racism, the healthcare system in America, pharmaceutical companies, and the hoarding of wealth.

i don’t want to spoil things, but i would recommend this as a fun read. especially for lovers of iZombie, Warm Bodies, Lisa Frankenstein, Gossip Girl, Hannibal, and Party Down.

The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika and Maritza Moulite is a clever and darkly funny blend of social commentary and YA horror. Brielle Petitfour, a Haitian American girl with hidden zombie abilities, channels her culinary skills and turns her talent for cooking into a tool for revenge—serving the wealthy elites she interacts with every day some...interesting dishes.

The authors mix biting social critique with a sharp sense of humor. The best part of the book was the exploration of racial and socioeconomic inequality with the undercurrent of Haitian mythology. Brielle was a character I couldn't help but root for. The wealthy elites in her orbit were absolutely awful people, but their portrayals never veered into unbelievable territory.

The supernatural element—zombie lore woven into a contemporary setting—was a compelling addition to the novel. I had no idea that the zombie trope we're all so familiar with in popular culture had its roots in Haitian folklore. Fascinating.

Though I really enjoyed the novel, I was a little disappointed there wasn't more horror present. I was expecting a horror novel, and this felt more like horror-adjacent. It was extremely well-written and engaging, though. The narration was fantastic as well. I really enjoyed my listening experience.

This was a refreshing take on classism and zombies like you’ve never experienced before. I enjoyed the personal feel of this and the richness of the cultural aspects. I wanted more, I want to visit Miami I want to attend one of the Supper Clubs and I want to shame the rich after listening to this audio. The voices were perfect for the story and really connected me with each character.

I would have loved more of grandma and insights to what exactly was happening at her funeral home but it didn’t take away from the overall story.

If you are looking for a real take on capitalism, racial injustices, again zombies and romance… this is one for you.

Okay, so this is not really horror in the way it presents itself to be. Barely. But I do think it's a good book if you go in with the right expectations. I do wish this had gone harder with the concept and really leaned into the potential horror elements. It could have been amazing. But let's talk about what this book does well.

The Summer I Ate the Rich is YA novel dealing with wealth inequality and racist microagressions, specifically focusing on Haitian immigrants. It's drawing on the Haitian zonbi mythology and mixing it with Western versions of zombies. Brielle is a Haitian teen girl living in Florida who loves cooking. She's also a zonbi who craves raw meat and human blood. But she's focused on taking care of her mother who works for a billionaire family as a home aid. When her mom suddenly loses her job, Brielle finds a way to help out and the super rich seem to love her food, even if they don't know what she seasons it with...

Thematically this does an excellent job of unpacking wealth inequality and the treatment of immigrants. Brielle is a great character, but she never seriously seems to struggle with her unnatural hunger, and even the dishes she makes are portrayed in this low-key kind of way. She's impulsive and fights back while trying to get power for herself. I found it to be a compelling story, just not the one I expected. The audio narration is pretty good. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to the authors, publishers and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this book was really good!!! I can't lie I was rooting for the main character and her revenge. HA. I liked that the authors tied into the book informatioin about their culture. I wanted the main character to win.

I was immediately intrigued by this book cuz that title is an attention grabber! And I also loved that this is a zombie story from a Haitian perspective because the lore was appropriated from Haitian fears. The execution of the story of Brielle is incredible and even while I frequently wanted to scream at her to stop making some of the choices she went with, she was still doing her best in the circumstances she found herself in. Probably my favorite element of this book was her sisters’ interludes; they’re called the Muses and the cast element performing their parts of the story just elevated the audio experience. This was such a great story delving into so many different topics, I found it hard to put down or stop thinking about it!

This one felt stretched a little bit too thin. I loved all the pieces - Haitian zombie lore combined with American zombie lore, socioeconomic inequality + analysis of privilege, critique of the American healthcare system + bonus points for challenging the for-profit pharmaceutical industry, the amazing food descriptions, a divided family with some very unique challenges, and a little bit of unwitting cannibalism - but there were so many interesting topics that I felt we didn’t get enough time with them to see the nuance. Especially at the end, there was such a dramatic tonal shift before the conclusion that I thought my audiobook glitched and skipped a chapter. I kept waiting for a bait-and-switch similar to what we got in One of the Good Ones that the much more straightforward plot we got here was a bit of a letdown.

I did love how the audiobook used a full cast for the Muses / Brielle’s sisters in Haiti - and I think we could have utilized them a lot more

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc and audio. I read along while listen to the audio. I really enjoyed this YA thriller. It was narrated very well and the story line was really good. I had no idea it was going where it went.

After a tragedy leaves her chronically ill mother without a job and unable to afford the necessary medication to deal with her pain, Haitian-American Brielle takes matters into her own hands. An aspiring chef, she opens a supper club for the wealthy of Miami and uses some secret ingredients to gain control of the minds of those who eat her food.

This audiobook book was disturbing, funny and so entertaining. The narrator was amazing. I binged this in one day. I enjoyed myself throughly!

3.75⭐️ Well this book was much different than I expected from the description. Where all those aspects present? Sure. It just had much more to it and those aspects sort of overshadowed the marketing.

If you’re looking for a gory horror story, this is not it. I personally wasn’t looking for that so I was pleased on that front. I enjoyed the connections to the Haitian culture and the fables that the story was based off of.

I am thankful to have gotten the audio ALC for free from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

The multi cast narrators did a great job with the material. They each had unique voices for the various characters and handle the accents well. They also had a great natural pacing to the recitation where you could listen to it easily at 1x speed.

I think this is a great introduction for teens into the horror genre. It gets them used to atypical concepts without getting too gory. What I enjoyed the most was the representation and social impact without sounding like the authors were preaching.

The book comes out April 22, 2025z

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

3.5 stars

I enjoy these two, so I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this newest effort. The zombie lore is a real treat, though there are other elements that did not come together as nicely for me as in previous reads by the same duo.

Brielle is all the way over it. She has hopes and dreams but lacks the means through which to achieve them, and there are some particularly unusual aspects of her identity that make her upward mobility seem even less likely. She also has a mother who is overwhelmed by medical situations and constant, related reminders, and she has a healthy level of spite for those, well, who mostly deserve it. When she comes up with a payback plan, it's a good one.

The zombie aspect of this is as fun as I'd hoped. Less fun? For me, there are challenges with the pacing, the character growth, and the unusual plot points (and I'm actually not including the zombie part here - that, to me, seemed totally reasonable. Some of the relationships and outcomes, though? Hmmm). This is still a fascinating concept and a read I'll recommend based on how successful that part is.

I'm looking forward to more from these authors.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite for allowing me early access to the audiobook version of this novel.
The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite was certainly not what I was expecting it to be. I never knew exactly what was going to happen next, which I would list as a pro and a con in this case. I went into the novel expecting this zombie novel to be a typical Americanized zombie, where the character only cared about feeding and carnage. What I got though was a history on the origin of the term zombie. I had no idea that the zombie story originated for Haiti and that it had to do with voodoo. I might have fallen down a few rabbit holes looking into it after finishing the book.
The plot focuses on Brielle Petitfour a 17-year-old zombie who has a love and talent for cooking. She is the daughter of a widowed Haitian immigrant who is battling with a health condition that causes her to need medical assistance in the form of an extremely expensive medicine pump. This is the driving force that really propels Brielle’s motives through the novel. Brielle is torn between taking care of her family and following her heart. Luckily a chance to do both occurs when she witnesses the hit and run of her mother’s employers’ father, and sees Brielle thrust into the world of the privileged while still trying to make her own dreams come true.
I would recommend the audiobook for this as the actors did a fantastic job. I loved it when the muses would cut in as observers to the story and even provide background information that hadn’t been provided by the main characters. You might notice that I haven’t mentioned the zombie aspect of the novel a lot, and that is because it almost felt like an afterthought. I feel like the story would have worked well without it. It felt like its only purpose was to get us horror lovers intrigued in the book, which I mean I guess it did because I read/listened to it.
I would rate this as 3 out of 4 since that is the percentage of the novel I enjoyed. By the end it kind of goes off the rails a bit and gave me a bit of whiplash. I will say though the story did make me extremely hungry.