I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer

I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer

2010, Delacorte Books for Young Readers

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Rating

Synopsis: Algonquin “Ali” Rhodes, the high school newspaper’s music critic, meets an intriguing singer, Doug, while reviewing a gig. He’s a weird-looking guy—goth, but he seems sincere about it, like maybe he was into it back before it was cool. She introduces herself after the set, asking if he lives in Cornersville, and he replies, in his slow, quiet murmur, “Well, I don’t really live there, exactly. . . .”

When Ali and Doug start dating, Ali is falling so hard she doesn’t notice a few odd signs: he never changes clothes, his head is a funny shape, and he says practically nothing out loud. Finally Marie, the school paper’s fashion editor, points out the obvious: Doug isn’t just a really sincere goth. He’s a zombie. Horrified that her feelings could have allowed her to overlook such a flaw, Ali breaks up with Doug, but learns that zombies are awfully hard to get rid of—at the same time she learns that vampires, a group as tightly-knit as the mafia, don’t think much of music critics who make fun of vampires in reviews. . . .

The Good: This was a quick, easy read. Well written, with nothing too graphic (romance or horror related) for its target audience. There were some cute and witty things said and going on throughout the book and other than the gaping holes in Ali's logic, I found this to be a fairly decent read.

The Bad: Ali lives in a world where the paranormal are out of the coffin, yet she fails to notice Doug is a zombie, rather assuming he's just super good at dressing up all goth-like. When he wears the same clothes every time she sees him, it isn't a turn off. And when he describes his "illness" to her, she just never gets it. They date for like a week, and Ali seriously considers becoming undead for him. After a week. Because she loves him. After a week. Did I mention it was like a week? Because, yeah, I hate that.