I Fell in Love with a Zombie by Sean Kennedy

Blurb:
Jay didn’t expect to be one of the very few survivors of the virus that decimated the country, leaving shambling, ravenous zombies behind. Fighting for his life amongst the dead, he keeps moving until the day he’s surrounded and facing his bloody end—and shockingly, another zombie saves him. But not just any zombie… it’s Dave, the first man Jay ever loved, and there’s something special about him even now, in the midst of the horror around them.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review:

I Fell in Love with a Zombie is a funny, witty, clever, and seriously entertaining story. It’s a cross between Shawn of the Dead with the hopeful, somewhat neurotic, but very likable first person narrator and the setting is close to a classic post-apocalyptic movie like 28 Days. The beginning of the story describes the setting and how zombies evolved from a swine flu like virus. The deserted buildings, lack of food, barricading shelters, and sense of extreme loneliness all harkened to the opening scenes of 28 Days for me. It’s creepy, scary, and very believable.

From there the narrator in Jay takes on a hopeful, almost wistful, tone as he describes how he came to be alone and his thought process in where to go and what to do. He travels from the city to a small town and happens to meet up with his ex-boyfriend, who is now a zombie. But unlike any zombie Jay has known and he’s not sure what that means. Figuring out not only what Dave is capable of but what Jay feels about it has some truly inspired moments. I literally laughed out loud several times, such as when Jay is mentally grumbling that zombie Dave is walking away.

Alongside the entertaining elements is the very real isolation and danger of their predicament. Not only is Jay dealing with finding an ex and some unresolved issues around that, but they’re also dealing with other zombies, paranoid survivalists, and the real question of how to survive. This mixture of lighthearted humor, quick pace, great comic timing, and a realistic, dramatic setting all combine to give a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying story.

Additionally there are moments of extreme violence but again, it reminded me of the ultimate in zombie comedy. So the scenes didn’t feel gruesome even as limbs and blood are flying, but more so exaggerated for comic effect. Honestly that worked rather well as I thoroughly enjoyed Jay’s take on his surroundings and fights with zombies. He’s witty with a dry sense of humor that mixes well with the moments of stark fear, loneliness, and sickness at the world around him. He’s instantly likable and fun to follow along with whether he’s figuring out what to do or rationalizing his feelings.

I can’t remember when the last time was I had such fun reading a story and hated to see it end. There’s even a mild sex scene thrown in but I’ll leave it up to readers to figure out how a zombie and a human make it work. It’s definitely worth the few dollars and time to read this gem.