Book Review: Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos
The Details
Media Type: Ebook
Title: Eat Your Heart Out
Author: Kelly deVos
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages/Length: Paperback; 304
Release Date: May 25, 2021
Source: Publisher / TBR And Beyond Book Tours
Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound
Shaun of the Dead meets Dumplin’ in this bitingly funny YA thriller about a kickass group of teens battling a ravenous group of zombies.
In the next few hours, one of three things will happen.
1–We’ll be rescued (unlikely)
2–We’ll freeze to death (maybe)
3–We’ll be eaten by thin and athletic zombies (odds: excellent)Vivian Ellenshaw is fat, but she knows she doesn’t need to lose weight, so she’s none too happy to find herself forced into a weight-loss camp’s van with her ex-best friend, Allie, a meathead jock who can barely drive, and the camp owner’s snobby son. And when they arrive at Camp Featherlite at the start of the worst blizzard in the history of Flagstaff, Arizona, it’s clear that something isn’t right.
Vee barely has a chance to meet the other members of her pod, all who seem as unhappy to be at Featherlite as she does, when a camper goes missing down by the lake. Then she spots something horrifying outside in the snow. Something…that isn’t human. Plus, the camp’s supposed “miracle cure” for obesity just seems fishy, and Vee and her fellow campers know they don’t need to be cured. Of anything.
Even worse, it’s not long before Camp Featherlite’s luxurious bungalows are totally overrun with zombies. What starts out as a mission to unravel the camp’s secrets turns into a desperate fight for survival–and not all of the Featherlite campers will make it out alive.
A satirical blend of horror, body positivity, and humor, Kelly deVos’s witty, biting novel proves that everyone deserves to feel validated, and taking down the evil enterprise determined to dehumanize you is a good place to start.
The Review
Wow, this book! I’m not even sure I have the right words to describe how much of a fun read this was. If you, like me, appreciate horror movie tropes but need to be invested in the characters? You’re going to absolutely love this book.
Kelly deVos has taken the standard horror movie characters and turned them into people that the reader can completely understand. Each one of them is a vividly written person, who has their own stake in the madness that is happening at Camp Featherlight. I was truly impressed with their ingenuity and teamwork, but most of all I was blown away how each person in this book fits absolutely perfectly where they are. I would be lying if I said I didn’t tear up a few times.
Oh, and the pacing in this book is absolutely on point. There’s a mystery, with a nefarious plot of course. There are terrifying moments, and sweet ones. Best of all, the climax of this book is absolutely perfect. You might not love the ending, but I promise you that you won’t be able to deny that it fits excellently with this story. This was honestly one of the most satisfying things I’ve read in a long time.
In short? Pick this up! Kelly deVos has written a gem, and it is well worth your attention!
Kelly deVos is from Gilbert, Arizona, where she lives with her high school sweetheart husband, amazing teen daughter and superhero dog, Cocoa. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Arizona State University. When not reading or writing, Kelly can typically be found with a mocha in hand, bingeing the latest TV shows and adding to her ever-growing sticker collection.
Kelly is represented by Chloe Seager of the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency in London. Her work on body positivity has been featured in the New York Times as well as on Vulture, Salon, Bustle and SheKnows. Her debut novel, Fat Girl on a Plane was named one of the “50 Best Summer Reads of All Time” by Reader’s Digest magazine. Her second book, Day Zero, is available now from Inkyard Press/HarperCollins.
One winner will receive a finished copy of Eat Your Heart Out.
The giveaway starts on June 28th and ends on July 5th.
