Zomromcom by Olivia Dade
When I was given the chance to read ZomRomCom by Olivia Dade, I jumped on it like a hungry zombie on a freshly exposed brain. Of course I did. As the editor of an anthology called Necronomi-RomCom, I had found another of my people. And Olivia Dade didn’t disappoint. The novel starts in media res, with heroine Edie, armed only with her lunch, sprinting into action against a zombie that is attacking her doofus, Miller Lite-drinking neighbor Chad.
ZomRomCom is a comedic urban fantasy with a big dash of romance, featuring zombies, vampires, demons, elves and fae — the so-called Supernaturals — as well as Enhanced humans.
An Incursion of the Undead
Edie and suave media influencer Max (who happens to be a vampire) strike off through the local containment zone to discover why the government isn’t sounding the alarm over the breach and subsequent zombie incursion. There’s plenty of action as the two battle zombies along the way and attempt to solve the mystery of why no one is coming to seal the breach and contain the incursion.
The worldbuilding is so detailed, I hope that Dade is planning on setting more novels here. It would be a waste not to! She adds a wealth of backstory and so many different types of extraordinary creatures and interesting supporting characters that deserve to have their stories told in full.
Edie herself is not your ordinary heroine. She’s in her late 30s, she’s overweight, and she sells pretty soap on Etsy. This requires her to risk her life to get to the post office outside of the zombie-destroyed zone where she lives. Edie doesn’t know how to fight — she only knows how to hide. She’s more like the average reader, and that reader will feel a lot of empathy for Edie. I really appreciated that Dade created a big, beautiful heroine. Body-type representation matters!
Vampire vs. Zombies
Max is unmasked slowly across the course of the book, with the reader learning about him only as Edie herself does. In some ways, he is a typical vampire — drinking blood, being very old. In other ways, he has his own tragic story.
Edie and Max are an unlikely couple on a terrible journey, and it seems like they can’t win. There is too much they don’t know — can’t know? The zombies are everywhere inside the containment zone, and they are the savage, fast type of zombies. There are only limited ways to kill them. People who are bitten turn within ten minutes. And the worst part is, the government created these zombies on purpose to eradicate werewolves (oh yes, they’re a thing too), but the zombies got out of control.
A Rommy-Commy Good Time
As the “Com” part of the title suggests, the writing is light and fun, although there are dark moments. The zombies are a strong and overwhelming antagonist; although, as part of the quest-style of the novel, Edie and Max do make unexpected friends along the way. And perhaps it’s not actually the zombies that Edie and Max are fighting after all.
I found this to be an engaging and relatively quick read. Although Edie is the main character and this is meant to be a rom-com, there is enough action, zombies, intrigue and fighting to interest a male reader — there is really so much going on! This would make a fun movie.
I hope someone in Hollywood is listening.
Olivia Dade grew up an undeniable nerd, prone to ignoring the world around her as she read any book she could find. Her favorites, though, were always, always romances. As an adult, she earned an M.A. in American history and worked in a variety of jobs that required the donning of actual pants: Colonial Williamsburg interpreter, high school teacher, academic tutor, and (of course) librarian. Now, however, she has finally achieved her lifelong goal of wearing pajamas all day as a hermit-like writer and enthusiastic hag. She currently lives outside Stockholm with her delightful family and their ever-burgeoning collection of books.
