married with zombies

Thursday, September 2, 2010 |

I don’t know about you kids, but I’ve been pigeonholed. I’m the de facto ‘zombie girl.’ My friends text me photos of zombie books from the airport kiosk with taglines like “thinking of you.” I have a roommate who got invited to a zombie party, and she immediately told me I would be her date. My other roommate tells people I’ve barely met about my ‘zombie romance’ habit.


Okay, already! I am into zombies. And…yeah. That’s all. I kind of like it. Better to be zombie girl than nerd girl or smart girl or something equally amorphous or vague. BUT, just so you know, I draw the line at scary zombie flicks. Have never seen one, never will. Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead, yes. Dawn of the Dead, no. And now that we’ve cleared that up, let me tell you about the next awesome addition to the zombie canon, Jesse Petersen’s Married With Zombies.


A heartwarming tale of terror in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.

Meet Sarah and David.

Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they're on the verge of divorce and going to couples' counseling. On a routine trip to their counselor, they notice a few odd things - the lack of cars on the highway, the missing security guard, and the fact that their counselor, Dr. Kelly, is ripping out her previous client's throat.

Meet the Zombies.

Now, Sarah and David are fighting for survival in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. But, just because there are zombies, doesn't mean your other problems go away. If the zombies don't eat their brains, they might just kill each other.


Oh. Dear. Lord. What zombie-loving fairy went and made my day? Because I didn’t know it, but I needed zombie chick lit in my life. We already had the YA zombie novel, the YA zombie romance, and now we have the zombie version of crack cocaine for women. I mean, obviously not literally on the crack cocaine, but you know. Best of all? It’s genuinely funny. And PINK. I would die of happiness if I didn’t think there was a small chance of coming back as a zombie.That would be tragic.


Let’s dive into the story. Sarah and David are in a rough patch, and just when it seems like the end of the road, the world gets zombified. Suspend your right to disbelief, my friend. They HAVE to work together to stay alive. Lots of zombie slaying ensues. Will this working together have a positive effect on their marriage? Read it and see!


I think it’s clear by now that I loved the concept. Did I approve of the execution as well? Yes. Mostly yes. I really wanted to. DAH. I’ll explain. The chapter headings are really so hilarious that I giggled out loud. Some of the scenes between Sarah and David are truly heart-warming and/or funny, and there’s a lot to like throughout the whole book, even if you’re not into gore and zombie-slaughter. It’s just good old-fashioned silliness and slapstick in parts.


BUT, in the version I read (ARC, subject to change), the point of view seemed to seesaw between omniscient (i.e. We didn’t know this at the time, but revelation-that-kind-of-spoils-the-next-bit) and first person (i.e. I smashed his face in with a baseball bat). And I could have totally gotten those two confused with other points of view or grammar rules or something. I’m not an expert, so please-don’t-use-the-baseball-bat. And I don’t know if you were counting, but that’s one tiny irritation versus a lot of love. So this book goes squarely in the ‘like’ category.


Recommended for: fans of light zombie fare, anyone who needs a laugh and doesn’t mind a small dose of gore, chick lit aficionados looking for a laugh and a scare, and anyone who doubts they’d survive the zombie apocalypse, but dreams about being a hero/heroine with skills anyway. Enjoy!


I picked up an ARC of Married With Zombies at ALA, and I’m posting this as part of the September Zombies event at vvb32reads.

9 comments:

Giada M. said...

Thank you for your great review Celia! :D

Nely said...

This sounds like great fun. I like zombies though - so I'm biased. Just added to TBR list. Thanks for the review. :D

vvb32 reads said...

me too. i prefer the pink zombies as well ;-D

Rabid Fox said...

Neat. I'm not so into zombies, but I haven't grown sick of the genre thanks to some keenly written tales. This one sounds like a funny romp, and I'm always up for humor.

Darlyn said...

that is so zombie-licious!

Andrea I said...

This sounds like a fun read.

M.A.D. said...

Another zombie groupie here!

In fact, I suspect I may have been a zombie in a previous life (death?) ... it would explain why I have such dry skin :P lol

BRAIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNZZZ

Fi-chan said...

With me newfound disgust for romancing with zombies, I am glad to know that this isn't about a girl or a guy falling for a zombie (ew), and that this is one hilarious book as well.

Really, the title is kinda misleading, glad I took the time to read the synopsis and your review!

Unknown said...

I guess I fall into that last category you described. I'm going to have to read the book now. XD

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