may ➹'s Reviews > Undead Girl Gang

This book turned out to be everything I expected, plus a little more. It’s such a fabulously-written murder mystery with layers of wit, grief, and girls supporting girls, and it’s SO enjoyable to read.

ALSO. DO YOU SEE THAT COVER. I LOVE ENAMEL PINS.

🌹 WHAT I LIKED

- It’s an extremely well-written mystery? I don’t usually read murder mysteries, but I can spot a good one when I read one, and this is a good one. While my lowkey suspicions about the murderer were correct, I was still surprised when it was revealed. I had been engaged for the whole book, but the last few chapters were so creepily written and my EXACT kind of vibe. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I lived for it.

- I absolutely LOVED the friendship between all the girls in the girl gang. We have Mila, our fat Latinx (specifically Mexican) Wiccan teen girl narrator, who resurrected the rest of the gang: Riley, her best friend, and June and Dayton, the school’s “mean girls”. Mila and Riley didn’t have the best of history with June and Dayton, but after June and Dayton recognized their abusive behavior, they all became closer, exchanged hilarious banter, and at the end, they could call each other friends.

- And speaking of hilarious banter? THIS BOOK IS HILARIOUS. Mila is such a witty, sarcastic girl, and I loved reading from her perspective. The other girls are also pretty humorous as well, and hilarity in books is my weakness.

- While there’s a love interest and just the TINIEST hint of romance, it’s definitely not the center of the story. It’s focused mainly on revenge and friendship, with a unique twist of zombies and magic. The concept is super unique and the execution of it is well-done, especially since it balances all aspects of a Good YA Novel very well.

- The themes of letting go and moving on in this book are so strong. While Riley, June, and Dayton are on Earth as undead girls, they have a limited amount of time before they return to the dead. The ending is honestly BEAUTIFUL and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. There’s also another twist that involves Mila letting go of someone else (but it’s spoilery). And the portrayal of Mila’s grief is so raw and beautifully written, and there were some parts that just made my heart twist.

- My last favorite part of this book was the fact that it had some good discussions on racism, fatphobia, and religion. There’s one part where Mila calls out the mentality that many have that “normal” means “white”, and she also talks about . Plus, my favorite quote:

“So you . . . what? Wanna start the fat brown girl clique?”
She cocks her head at me. “Doesn’t that sound dope as hell?”

- WE LOVE FAT BROWN GIRLS SUPPORTING EACH OTHER IN 2K18!!!

I would include a “WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE” section but honestly? There’s barely anything I didn’t like. I think the reason this book isn’t a five-star for me is that it wasn’t exactly my vibe, if you get me? The last few chapters were definitely my vibe: creepy murderer’s justification of actions, undead girls’ bittersweet returning to their grave (not a spoiler), just overall a lot of death… I mean, making new friends.

One thing, however, that I think would’ve been amazing to see was less of a rushed ending. It’s the type of book that has this HUGE EXCITING EVENT !!!! and then the aftermath of that event plus the wrap-up of the whole book isn’t as detailed as everything was before. This most likely is a personal thing (since I love character development), but seeing a more detailed completion of Mila’s character arc would’ve been great!

However, though it isn’t a five-star for me, it is DEFINITELY worth picking it up! It’s a hilarious, compelling mystery, with a light-hearted sarcastic narration, while still managing to portray grief. Extremely enjoyable, well-written, and unforgettable!!

:: rep :: fat Latinx Wiccan female MC, fat black female side character
:: content warnings :: death (murder), hanging, drowning, [discussions of] fatphobia and racism

// fake buddy read with ditcher

thank you to Penguin Random House for the review copy in exchange for an honest review as part of the Undead Girl Gang blog tour!!