Tuesday Reviews: ZomRomCom by Olivia Dade

Teaming up with your neighbor during a zombie outbreak is a no-brainer, but if it turns out he’s a vampire . . . the stakes couldn’t be higher, in this infectious new paranormal romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Spoiler Alert.

When Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, seemingly harmless human neighbor from the first major zombie breach in two decades, she’s stunned to be saved by him—and his ridiculously large sword—instead. As it turns out, he's actually a super-old, super-surly vampire. But for all her neighbor's newly revealed cynicism and lethality, Gaston "Max" Boucher (yes, Gaston) is unexpectedly protective. He wants her to stay in his safety bunker until the breach is resolved. Edie can’t risk more innocent people getting killed, though—and Max won’t let her save them alone.

As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they're not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity. Despite the awful timing, Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who’s helping her save the world . . . but all their dangerous plans could end their future before it even begins. As she and Max battle side by side, Edie must decide whether having a love worth living for also means having a love you'd die for—and, in a world that grows deadlier by the minute, whether that’s a risk she’s willing to take.

ZomRomCom by Olivia Dade is exactly what it sounds like: zombies, romance, and a whole lot of chaotic hilarity. It opens with our heroine, Edie, valiantly wielding a burrito as a weapon to save her himbo neighbor, Chad—who is very much not Chad and very much not a himbo. He’s actually Max, an ancient vampire who hates being called Gaston, which of course means Edie sings the Beauty and the Beast song every chance she gets.

What follows is a zombie-infested road trip featuring canned falafel, shady supernatural pit stops, and the kind of enemies-to-lovers banter that includes mild vampiric bloodletting and steamy couch sex in a cursed mall. Max is all grumpy brooding protector vibes. Edie is chaos incarnate with a death wish and a heart of gold. Together, they fight zombies, flirt through near-death experiences, and team up with a Girl Scout militia, a witch, a troll or two, and what I think might be supernatural arms dealers.

Is it ridiculous? Absolutely. Did I laugh-snort my coffee more than once? Also yes. Was I weirdly emotional over their sacrifices and HEA? Of course. There’s even the looming threat of an inter-species war, so Dade, I really hope this becomes a series because I need more of this unhinged paranormal madness.

If you like your romance with bite, heart, and a side of zombie guts, ZomRomCom deserves a spot on your shelf.