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I received this book for free from Farrar Straus and Giroux (BYR), Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite Narrator: Ashley De La Rosa, Fedna Jacquet, Khaya Fraites, Melinda Sewak, Mieko Gavia & Zuri Washington
Length: 9 hours 53 minutes
on April 22, 2025
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Horror, Young Adult Fiction / People & Places / Caribbean & Latin America, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Emigration & Immigration
Pages: 400
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
Source: Farrar Straus and Giroux (BYR), Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Books
Buy on Bookshop, Buy on Libro.fm
Goodreads
Just add garlic, lemon, and a dash of the one percent.
This smart, biting novel explores what happens when a Haitian American girl uses her previously hidden zombie abilities to exact revenge on the wealthy elites who’ve caused her family pain.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.
Written by the storytelling duo Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, The Summer I Ate the Rich is a modern-day fable inspired by Haitian zombie lore that scrutinizes the socioeconomic and racial inequity that is the foundation of our society. Just like Brielle’s clients, it will have you asking: What’s for dinner?
National Indie Bestseller
A Recommended Read by CBS Mornings Plus!
"These young women are incredible authors." -CBS Mornings Plus
The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika and Maritza Moulite is not a zombie book in the sense that the plot explicitly aligns with the MC roaming around eating peoples’ brains, but main character girlie Brielle still ate!!! This young adult revenge fiction features Haitian American zombie, Brielle Petitfour. Now I love a good foodie-inspired, chef/baker MC book and if you are going for a horror/revenge twist, the pairing is perfect!
Not Your Typical American Zombie
Inspired by Haitian zombie lore (from which American zombie mythology comes from), Brielle, is a passionate culinary student with dreams of becoming a chef… who also happens to be a zombie. This revenge novel follows Brielle as she tries to earn money to support her mother who is suffering from chronic pain. Part of the frustration lies with the fact that Brielle’s mother has the pain because of an injury she suffered at work. But wait, there’s more…her employer actually owns the company that creates the very expensive drug that she needs to relieve the pain. Yet, the family doesn’t lift a finger to help her and Brielle watches as her mother suffers and loses her job.
Her sisters, the muses, lend a dark, but whimsical element to the story as we learn more about how Brielle’s mother came to the United States and what she was trying to escape. As Brielle develops her “talents” and her potential relationship with rich boy Preston, her sisters are in the background of the tale, tied to Haiti but still present in Brielle’s life.
Reasons Why the Rich Keep Getting Richer…
Themes of economic disparity, medical poverty and racial injustice drive the plot of the book. If you are a graphic horror fan, you will be disappointed because the horror isn’t as much in the secret ingredient Brielle uses for her dishes, but more in how the rich treat others in society and get away with it. It definitely leaned more into revenge than outright horror in my opinion.
The Audiobook is Definitely A Winner
I read The Summer I Ate the Rich via audiobook and really liked the narrator. I also don’t speak Haitian Creole so it was great to hear the proper pronunciations. My facial reactions to the drama were out of control! I wish I had done some selfies of myself on walks listening to this audiobook because it would have caught some expressions!!!!! The plot twists had me all kinds of upside down and in shock.
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