By Liz Glass
eglass@lc.edu
It’s not too often that I read zombie books. That’s probably the least explored otherworldly, supernatural or fantasy-type book that I read out of everything else. While this book seems like just another corny teenage romance with an edgy, supernatural twist – ah, well let’s face it, that’s exactly what this book is, but hear me out. This book does it really well, in my opinion.
While it is definitely an older book – released in 2009 – that doesn’t take away from the fact that this was written well. You Are So Undead to Me was written by author Stacey Jay, and it actually came out with a sequel I had no idea about before writing this review, which is titled Undead Much? So if you want to read that next – I definitely will – then you can do so!
Anyhow, the gist of the book is this: in a nutshell, the plot of the book is about a teenage girl named Megan Berry who is labeled as a ‘zombie settler’ of her family. Being the youngest zombie settler, she treats angsty Undead that have regrets from their past life, and she helps guide them to enlightenment in Undeath. However, when random bloodthirsty, enraged zombies start popping up in her hometown, that’s when things tend to get a little complicated and her life takes a turn for the worse – missing the homecoming dance. Yeah, might as well be the apocalypse. Foreshadowing to the bloodthirsty, enraged zombies with that previous comment, by the way.
Personally, I loved the twist on the zombies in the story. The way the storyline played out in terms of guiding these poor souls to peace and acceptance in death is very interesting and something I have never seen before in any other zombie book. Instead of the zombies being mindless, brain-hankering meat sacks they are sentient to a certain degree. The book actually starts out with Megan coaching a certain zombie and overall just being their therapist. They tell her about the regrets they had in their life and Megan gives them answers on ways to forgive people and be forgiven, which is probably the most unique and odd introduction to any book I have ever read, while also being funny.
Another cool thing about the plot is that the whole ‘zombie settler’ deal is basically an open secret within the town. People that have a high reputation within Megan’s high school are part of it, which you find out later in the book, and it shocked me when I first found it out, as well.
Megan has learned her skills as a zombie settler from her mentor, Ethan, whom she comes to develop a strong crush on throughout the book. However, this doesn’t come straight away since he tends to treat her more like a little sister than anything. The relationship between the two is a little cliche. Essentially, it is the classic perspective of Megan’s: “haven’t seen you in a while, that’s awkward – but at least you’re hot!” Honestly, You Are So Undead to Me does it pretty well. It doesn’t seem too overbearing to me and while some parts of the book are supposed to be, this part is one the book does perfectly. Yeah, this may not be the most mature of reads, but sometimes you need an easy, fun book to let loose reading in.
The act of tying in the dramatic teenage romance theme with the zombie apocalypse is a great take on a book, which is why I have loved this book ever since I read it a while after it came out, perhaps circa late 2010. It also isn’t too heavy with horror, it definitely has comedy relief.
Overall, this book is a fun and quirky, quick read. It’s one of my favorites, probably due to major nostalgia, and it’s kind of a comfort book for me. If you want a book that’s an easier, chill read, but also gripping when needed, I would say You Are So Undead to Me is a good choice.
