The Summer I Ate The Rich
Maritza Moulite, Maika Moulite
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
- First published
- April 22, 2025
- Edition
- Ebook
Shelved by 1 Litcadian
Reviews
Started April 10, 2025 · Finished April 13, 2025
Buckle up y'all cuz I'm boutta ramble lol. Prefacing this by saying I did receive this as an arc but my review is my own and I speak the truth. And boy am I about to speak it pft Sooo I had very mixed feelings about this book. Some parts? I LOVED. Other parts? ...meh. But Im a certified sipper of haterade, let me tell you the good stuff first! (THIS WILL HAVE SPOILERS, YOUVE BEEN WARNED!!) This book was so soul crushingly realistic. The authors did such a good job of creating such an oppressive atmosphere. The subtle and not-so-subtle racism was done so perfectly, the heartbreaking circumstances of Brielle's family was just EUGH MY HEART. I loved it, I thought it was done so well. The fucking anger burning inside this teenager watching her mother work herself to the bone, chef's kiss. The amount of emotion that was put behind those scenes/details was so deep. I also loved that Marcello and Brielle actually had a friendship. He did not feel like a token gay best friend character, and I loved that. The cooking was also surprisingly fun, I didn't know 90% of the dishes but I liked it. The first part was a little tough to get through. This book is VERY ya, and I had to adjust to that lol. But once I was in, I was IN baby. I had my jaw dropped at one liners, I cackled a bit, and my anxiety was sky high once she started her plans. The "Im feeling generous" line drop had me kicking my feet in a "OH GOD WTF HAPPENS NEXT" way. Very well done. Unfortunately, I now have to speak about the bad stuff. Which, to be fair, there isn't that much of lol. I'm being a tad dramatic. First off, I feel like the title is very misleading. Brielle never ate the rich (in a literal sense) but she did feed the rich to the rich. I was expecting some zombie gore vengeance and I got uhhh not that lol. Speaking of zombie, I did not enjoy that part either.. I know, I know! That was a huge part of the book. But it felt so random and weird. It did not blend well into the realism of this book. And it wasn't mentioned that much to make it worthwhile. I often forgot Brielle was a zombie/zonbi. It didn't really make sense to me, and I think that's because very little time was spent fleshing (haha) that part out. I feel like this could have benefited a lot with some explanations on Brielle and her powers and everything. Like they had this power to influence others but I kinda didn't understand it.. at all. I also did not like that Brielle's story ended in her marrying a rich boy. Like come on. I would have LOVED for her to take life by storm by herself, without the money, and tear down society in her vengeance and anger. But alas I do recognize that it isn't very realistic. Money is everything in this world, and without it? You have very little power. I just felt like her marrying that boy was the complete opposite of the "eat the rich" message that this book was trying to convey. Or who knows, maybe I'm dumb and misunderstood the whole thing LMAO Overall, I did have a fun time reading this book. I don't regret it. So if you are interested in reading this, DO IT! >:)