Bad Taste in Boys

Speaking of being bad, I'm absolutely horrible because Bad Taste in Boys has been out for OVER A YEAR and I've just read it. Why, why, why did it take me so long to get my act together? The only good thing about my tardiness is the fact that I can now immediately dive into the sequel, Bad Hair Day, and the short companion story, Bad Yeti!

Kate Grable is a smart, butt-kicking heroine who spends her days focused on getting into an awesome school and making medical history as Kate Grable, M.D., dreaming of catching the eye of her quarterback crush, Aaron, and making hilarious observations about the world around her. Little does she know, a virus is about to sweep through her school, leaving many of her peers with zombie-like tendencies. show more With all the limbs and body parts people keep losing, she'll be lucky if she doesn't end up literally catching Aaron's eye.

It seems impossible that a book could make a reader gag and laugh within the space of a paragraph, but Bad Taste in Boys proves it's entirely possible... and surprisingly likely. Kate's life might be a complete and often gory mess during the novel (ya know, zombies and all), but the reader can't help but laugh as Kate describes the ridiculous things happening around her.

Kate has just the right amounts of confidence and insecurity to make relating to her easy. She's obviously got a lot going for her, but she doesn't see it herself. She's smart and, though she's sure of her abilities, she's not cocky. She doesn't realize she's got beauty in addition to brains, but Carrie Harris doesn't portray this in an annoying, false way. Kate doesn't put herself down about not being conventionally beautiful. I was thankful that I never once thought to myself: I feel like this character is constantly talking about how ugly she is just so I'll think in my head, "no silly, you look great!" Kate might sometimes feel self conscious when she considers her looks, but she doesn't dwell - she's got way more important things to worry about. Like that zombie over there.

When I read that Kate's crush is a popular football player and her best friends are equally popular, I was worried that Bad Taste in Boys would suffer from Horrible Best Friends and This Guy Is Way Too Good For Me Syndrome, but I was wrong! Instead, Kate's friends, though they didn't play a super huge role in the novel, were pretty fantastic, and Aaron was adorable. Plus, he's a super fantastic guy that doesn't suffer from an overly inflated ego. Big shoutout to supportive secondary characters!

In conclusion, don't be a bad, be good! And by good, I mean read Bad Taste in Boys sooner than later! show less

Well, that was just plain stupid fun. It would make a great horror-comedy of the B-movie persuasion, like a lighter, teen-ier version of Cabin Fever or Return of the Living Dead Part II, but much wittier and with better characters and a happier ending (and no nudity). Plus, you can read it in two, three hours. Yes, the entire story is ridiculous and has more holes than the movie Holes, but that's part of the fun. And Kate, the super-zombie-killing-science-nerd, is an appealing, self-depreciating narrator, confident and brave in the face of dismembered limbs and black zombie vomit and doing cell cultures to find a cure, but spazzing out every page over her crush, Aaron. My favorite Kate quotation: "I might not have been great with the show more romance thing, but no one was going to outscience me. Especially when there was a hot boy at stake." Kate is why this gets four stars.

I don't get the cover, though. It's undeniably eye-catching (I'm not sure I want to be seen with it in public, because close-ups of sugary-coated lips? will get weird looks from people.) but it makes the book look darker than it is. I mean, this is definitely more on the light side of black comedy; it's gory but silly and campy. This is not a book that takes itself seriously, but the cover doesn't show that. Also -- I don't see how the image relates to the plot. Then again, the title doesn't make sense either, really (Aaron is a doll, so it seems she has good taste in boys), so whatever. Now I'm just overthinking it and being too literal. I'm just saying, it doesn't scream horror-comedy. It screams gritty drug-addiction, co-dependent relationship book, to me. But perhaps that's just me.

Lovers of fast-paced, gory, minimally-plotted zombie comedies, take note! show less

Kate Grable wants to be a doctor and she's getting a head start helping out at school with the world's worst football team and their various injuries. She is shocked when the coach tries to get her to inject the players with a mysterious substance that the coach claims is vitamin B12 and refuses. Steroids are horrible and she won't have anything to do with them. Some of the players are injected even without Kate and they start to act strangely: black vomit, biting other people, parts falling off. It's not pretty. No one is immune and it's spreading like wildfire. Kate must create an antidote before the whole school eats each other and before it spreads further and further until it can't be stopped.

Bad Taste in Boys is good campy fun, show more akin to zombie flicks like Dance of the Dead. It features a great mix of horror and humor. The zombie violence is usually more comical than frightening, but the danger is still there for the characters. The gore and zombie carnage are pretty well described and gross, which is awesome and would probably scare away the more weak stomached. The characters' nonchalance at some of the situations, like carrying the coach's severed foot around, was hilarious and a bit unrealistic, but hey, it's a comedy. It's kind of like the love child of a John Hughes movie and a zombie movie together. You can't really go wrong there.

I really liked Kate. She was nerdy and really into medicine and science without being completely socially inept or awkward. Not only did she have her own friends and loving family, she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. She did have a stereotypical crush on a hot football player, but the romance aspect wasn't a central plot point. Her witty and odd observations made me laugh out loud more than once. My favorite aspect of the novel was that Kate did scientific experiments to beat the zombie virus instead of just trying to kill everyone who had the disease. Kate was a much more cerebral hero than usually seen in zombie novels and it was nice to read about more than just hacking and smashing through zombified friends, family, and classmates (although there was some of that too). She was a great example of a strong female character with brains, nerve, and strength.

I really enjoyed Bad Taste in Boys, but I really hate the cover. It's just weird, off-putting, and not indicative of the story at all. It looks like sugar/salt covered duck lips. Anyway, I would definitely read the next book in the series. I just hope that every book isn't going to have some weird disease outbreak because it would stretch the limits of my ability to suspend my disbelief. show less

Honestly, I couldn't think of anything else cooler than a zombie butt kicking geek for a main character. Carrie Harris brings on one awesome story with the creepiest zombies I've ever met, so far. The romance and paranormal elements are put together to make up this totally entertaining and slightly creepy read. It's perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit! And it's a good thing that this book didn't have me hiding under my covers, listening for the only word in a zombie's dictionary, "brainsssss."

In my opinion, I thought that the romantic and paranormal elements made Bad Taste In Boys so enjoyable. Those elements did the book good and were well balanced that they didn't throw one another off. And what's a book without a little show more humor? Carrie Harris excelled at making me chuckle on one page, then laugh my head off at another.

Carrie Harris brings on a main character who I wish I was more like. Kate Grable's character shows that a geek can be as kick ass as a superhero can. She's incredibly smart and likable. She didn't give me a headache as I read on because she took matters into her own hands since she could. Her crush on Aaron and the relationship that develops between them was adorable and sweet, even if it did not play such a big part in the book. The secondary characters, like Kate's brother, Jonah, her best friend Rachel, and everyone else (except the zombies) were great additions to the story.

Bad Taste In Boys is a quick and fun read. Simple and easy to follow, Carrie Harris tickles your toes with this delightful story and makes your skin crawl with the unpredictable zombies. The only problem I had was that this book was just too darn short! I can't wait for the second book, Bad Hair Day.

Geeks can kick butt. That is all. show less

This book took all of two hours to read, and that includes several breaks to check out what those thumping noises outside were (because any time you read a zombie book in the middle of the night, even a funny zombie book like this, noises outside sound like the undead trying to breach the walls). It isn't a challenge, it isn't a mind-blower, but for such a breeze of a book, it was pretty darn fun. It helps, as far as enjoyment goes, if you have ever been a teenage nerd-girl, as the novel securely inhabits that perspective, complete with dorky humor, exaggeration, and quite a bit of crush discussion. Also, SCIENCE. The plot was familiar, the resolution implausibly swift, and the characters underdeveloped, but one doesn't expect Tolstoy show more from a funny zombie book, so there you go. Special bonus: I didn't have to sleep with the lights on, because it was funnier than it was scary. show less

Kate’s a major science geek. She’s also kind of a klutz. She’s very awkward around boys, and she’s an epileptic. This could very easily be the recipe for a typical lonely, brooding, shy high school girl found in so many of today’s YA books, but that is not the case here. Kate embraces her differences. It’s just a way of life. She’s well-liked in school, the popular girls don’t pick on her (in fact she is friends with them) and she doesn’t pine away in her room hoping for a better life. Kate knows exactly what she wants: She wants Aaron, the school’s football quarterback to love her and she wants to be a doctor. Kate’s involved in almost every club or organization at her school, but the one she takes the most pride show more in is being the student trainer for the school’s not-so-awesome football team. She views this as an opportunity to get some early experience which will help her in her medical future.

Kate gets more than she bargained for when she notices some unmarked vials locked in the coach’s office. Could he be resorting to shooting the team up with steroids to quell their losing streak? When Kate notices one of the vials is missing, and some of the team begins behaving more zombie-like than normal, she realizes she may have a problem on her hands. A problem this school, and the people of her small town, are not prepared for.

This book was perfectly paced, had a strong main character with a unique voice and has an engaging story that had me laughing out loud one moment then gripping the book in anticipation in another. I loved that Kate wasn’t your typical damsel in distress. She not only embraces her inner science nerd, she uses it to kick butt and take names. I loved how she used her brains to figure out what was going on and did everything she could to take control of the situation despite her many shortcomings. The book is short and to the point which I also loved. There’s no messing around here. There isn’t tons of foreshadowing and back story. Ms. Harris gets in and does what needs to be done and gets out before wearing out the story. This is a fresh, funny and fast-paced take on zombies that everyone will enjoy.

(Review based on a purchased copy from Barnes & Noble) show less

Four out of five stars.

BAD TASTE IN BOYS has been out for a while. For whatever reason, I never picked it up. I don’t know why, I always thought the cover was interesting. I guess it was the title that turned me off. Eventually I actually read the synopsis for it and realized it wasn’t a contemporary romance YA (which, I thought it was for some reason) but it was really about zombies! Awesome, right? I think I’ve mentioned before my weird little obsession with zombies.

The first thing you’ll notice when you pick the book up is how small it is. Including the acknowledgment, dedication, and other necessary pages, it’s around just 220 pages. The story itself is only 202 pages. That intrigued me right away, could an author really show more put together a compelling story with real characters in such a little word count? Harris apparently could.

Granted, Kate really is the only developed character. All her friends and Aaron (her love interest) are only in the story for short periods of time, since Kate does most of the action/heroing moments by herself. Jonah, her little brother, gets a good chunk of time and he is amusing. Personally, I don’t mind not getting to know the others that well. Kate is more than enough to carry the story. She’s engaging, so clever, funny, and a total geek — which I loved.

The pace in the book is pretty fast. The soon-to-be-zombie-problem is hinted at almost right away and comes into play by the second chapter. The roller coaster ride continues strong throughout the book and once it’s resolved the book doesn’t dillydally around, it gives a nice ending and stops.

There were some dumb moments. Kate keeps a closed mouth about a lot of the weird things that are going on when she could just tell someone (like her dad or the police) and maybe some of the drama could have been avoided but… where would the fun be in that? Harris gives good enough reasons for her not to go telling everything about the problems right away, and there are zombies so you have to pull away from reality a little to enjoy the book. Another thing that bothered me a sometimes was how stereotypical some of the teens were… like the dumb jocks and perfect homecoming queen friend. I know stereotypes tend to be true, hence why they are always around, but still, they’re bothersome. And Aaron doesn’t seem to have a flaw, aside from bad taste in a best friend. I really enjoy it when the love interest isn’t perfect but, like I said, though he was mentioned often he was really only in the book six or seven times. Kate, thankfully, isn’t the stereotypical geek and has a few flaws.

BAD HAIR DAY is out now and the second in the series. Like any strong series, the first book could totally stand alone. It closes with all the important things wrapped up, but it does give the reader a desire to see what happens to Kate next.If you like zombies, or you’re looking for a quick, enjoyable YA read, I’d recommend picking up a copy of BAD TASTE IN BOYS.

More of my reviews can be found on my site YA Book Reviews. show less