Firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book via netgalley!

This was an odd book, but I enjoyed it! The Summer I ate the Rich follows Brielle and her mum, who are Haitian living in the USA, Brielle’s mum looking after a very rich old man, who dies near the start of the book, followed by plot twists of what happened before and after the death. Brielle had some really odd actions, which really added in the creepy factor to this book.

Brielle and Preston’s relationship was.. intriguing! The way it ended was unexpected, and I am not fully convinced that Brielle really loves him, I think she has more ulterior motives.


The tooth thing..the eye thing… eughgh whyy!? It definitely made me make some faces at my kindle whehn I was reading it - on a relatively crowded ferry crossing jo less! I can see why there are horror elements to this story, but not in the way I was expecting.


Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I am giving it 3.5 stars, it was definitely interesting and kept me engaged the whole time, and had some twists I didn’t see coming!

THE SUMMER I ATE THE RICH BY MAIKA MOULITE; MARITZA MOULITE.
Release date set for the 24th of March 2025.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the authors for allowing me an early ARC.
The cover for this book is captivating and drew me in.
This is a YA horror thriller.
I don't ever read books like this genre but thought i'd try something different.
I didn't really know what it was going to be about but found it enjoyable overall.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Summer I Ate the Rich is a tale of two stories, one exploring the social inequities of the have and have nots and the other about zonbis, revenge and taking back what we deserve. I loved the structure of this novel as it is broken up into sections with intermissions with commentary from (Haitian) muses that added not only a theatrical flare but reminded me of the zombie novel Dézafi by Franketienne which also incorporated verse poetry and Haitian mythology. There are several laugh out loud moments and despite being teenagers their actions, motivations and dialogue fit but aren't tiresome or cringeworthy.

I think ultimately Brielle is a great character but ultimately I wanted to see more of her zombie nature. We get glimpses of it and I wanted a lot more given this book is positioned as a horror. The ending wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Still, the book centred Haitian zombies in an interesting way and I hope to see more of that from the author's certainly but other Haitian writers. If you're newer to reading stories featuring Afro-Caribbean folklore, this book is a fun place to start.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3

I've never read a zombie/horror story before and I have to say, I really liked this one.

The humor was just right and the characters were well developed. I also found the basic story really interesting and I've never read anything like it before - but the story was a bit long, which bothered me a bit.

I also think it's great and "refreshing" to read something about Haitian culture!

The twists were okay, but unfortunately the book won't stick in my head. Nevertheless, it was an interesting and unique YA thriller/horror.

I enjoyed the concept of this book and the synopsis had me intrigued. The title and cover complement each other so well.

I liked how we got to know about the Haitian culture and the various dishes mentioned by Brielle’s mum. I thought Brielle was a great character and love how she didn’t sit back and she took the opportunity when it came to her. I didn’t expect that ending but at the same time it was a heart warming end to the story. I also read the authors note and it was very insightful. Overall, I thought it was a unique YA thriller and feel that others will also enjoy this book.

Thank you to Hatchette children’s group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

I don't usually go for books of this subgenre, but I do quite like how zombies, or zonbis, are associated with Haitian culture in pop culture. It seems to give them power over the other characters they are living alongside. I found this book to be quite slow-paced, and it took me quite some time to get through it, which is different for me and a YA book, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.

The Summer I Ate the Rich is a young adult novel about a seventeen year old Haitian American zombie girl who suddenly finds herself in a world of unthinkably rich people who love her cooking. Brielle is working as a server in fancy restaurant for the summer, hoping to eventually showcase her culinary talents, but when her chronically ill mother loses her job and Brielle uses a chance opportunity that makes her attract the attention of a very rich family, suddenly she's in a new world of opportunity, where she might finally get revenge on the people who've caused pain.

This book was marketed as being horror, but going in with that expectation isn't necessarily helpful. Though it obviously explores Haitian zombies and has some cannibalism elements, it is more of a light thriller mixed with a revenge story, with quite a few twists and turns but not much that would be described as horror. The way the book combines different elements—it is mostly focused on Brielle's perspective, but also has a chorus of her sisters in Haiti who tell some of her mother's past—makes it a rich experience, with a lot included, though it is tricky to know which parts are more satirical and which aren't. There's some very cutting elements, particularly around healthcare and the opioid crisis, but there's also some ridiculous, fun plotlines, including the ending.

It's great to have young adult fiction that doesn't shy away both from racial and economic inequality and from a dark plotline that lets the protagonist do what it takes. I loved the Haitian cuisine and the way the zombie element is included, though the latter could've been given a bit more space, especially at the end.

I was provided a copy of this book via Netgalley by the Publisher (thank you) but my opinions are my own.

I went into reading this book thinking it was going to be a thriller or even more horror vibes, given the zonbie topic and the 'eat the rich' title with a tooth on the cover?! So I was a little disappointed when it read more like an atmospheric contemporary book with a supernatural twist. But, despite this shift in expectations I still managed to really enjoy this book.

I loved the Haitian lore and culture (and food!) mentioned in the book, it's a culture I only vaguely know about and I love learning new things, so it's great to see it in what I'm sure will be a very popular book. Hopefully I'll get to read more Haitian characters in future! (And try out some Haitian food in real life)

It was a shame I didn't see as much of Brielle's friend as I'd have liked to, they were a nice character and a little more development for them might have stopped them feeling as much like a cheerleader at the side of Brielle's life than they did. I don't think it veered into GBF (gay best friend) territory exactly, but it was close enough to feel a little iffy to me. Plus, they seemed like such a great person it was a shame to not see him on the page as often in general.

I think the zonbie abilities and powers could have been expanded on even more too - maybe this whole book could have been a smidge longer just to develop everything more and feel even more drawn into this world. You can't have too much of a good thing!

I have mixed feelings about the ending of the book and main conflict too, it felt very unique and I didn't expect the route it took, which was very exciting. But at the same time it also felt a little rushed, and any nervousness on Brielle's part of being found out as a zonbie or her past actions could have been stretched out so I could sit in her anxiety for a bit longer, then the finale might have felt even more satisfying. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Basically this was a unique book that was very fun to read, and I just wanted more!

I don't feel I can give a fair review as I didn't like the writing style of this novel. I tried reading it but after a few chapters I had to give up and DNF

Really enjoyed this book, was fast paced and the story unique and different. Really enjoyed the character development and twists within the story!

Very different from my usual genre but a definite fun read for the YA set that had a Scream Queens/American Horror Story vibe. Very cool