Somewhat Alive

Bookland #1

by Kate Lexie

Stay home, stay safe.

Zoey found the world frightening enough before the pandemic. But when a new variant sends the world spiraling into a zombie apocalypse, she's happy to stay home and keep to herself for as long as possible. But eventually, her supplies dwindle and she has no choice but to venture outside. What will she find? People? Zombies? Does it even matter, since she's terrified of both?

Welcome to Bookland.

With her home becoming unlivable and a new responsibility resting heavily on her shoulders, Zoey decides to move into Bookland, her favorite Florida theme park. In Bookland, Zoey hopes to find shelter, but instead is confronted with zombies, plus a small band of fellow survivors. Zoey's instincts tell her to run, that these new people cannot be trusted. But maybe the one she cannot trust is herself. Especially when one of the other survivors has such an adorable smile...


"Fast-paced and highly readable."

"Lovable, flawed characters, sweet romance, and zombies. What more could you want?"

"The sweetest zombie story you'll ever read."

"I couldn't put it down. I had to know what happened next."

Genres: Zombies

344 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 2, 2023

About the author

Kate Lexie writes young adult and middle grade books across several genres. Her books always end happily, and the dog never dies. She graduated from college with a degree in History, which sadly did not lead to many career opportunities.

Kate currently lives in Florida with her husband, their two sons, and two very impressive tabby cats. In her spare time, Kate enjoys writing bad poetry, playing bass guitar very loudly, and spending way too much time and money at theme parks. You can find out more at katelexie.com.

Reviews

[Liyah's · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had so many problems with this book. Im not even going to name them.

But I'll name what I did like (list is short)
The mental health rep
CHARLOTTE
Zombies

That's it bye!

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me this book was kind of twilight without the vampires and werewolves and with zombies in the mix, at first I thought since Zoey was working and her boss thought of her so highly, even to take her to new places every time, that she was older than what she actually was, I thought she was struggling with mental health like the girl from the book “this is not a test”, but in here it is different.

I really think young readers will enjoy this book, even more if they know the books that inspired bookland, but that being said, I don’t feel I was the right person to evaluate this book, me as a parent I would never leave my 16 years old after a traumatic event (you will read and will definitely understand what I mean), I would get some help or even kind of a “nanny” to stay the weekend of wherever I had to be away… but that is my personal bias, I will still recommend that you give it a try, even this book wasn't the right one for me.

Thank you StoryOrigin for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

[M19arta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the setting of the story. I thought starting it with covid was an interesting idea since we all went through that not so long ago, and it still feels terrifyingly fresh in my mind. What if the pandemic actually turned into something worse? - So, I liked it.
The Bookland was also described very well, and I had no trouble imagining it in my mind.
However, there were a few things that I didn't care for in the book. Like the main character, unfortunately. I was super relieved when the group was introduced because every single one of those people was more appealing to me than Zoey. There was just something off about her; I don't know what exactly, but I had a hard time relating to anything she thought or did.
Also, the story drags painfully at first, and the first seven or so chapters could be put into the first chapter easily, and it would be the same. In summary: nothing happened.
I'm glad that I managed to get to the end, though, because it was somewhat satisfying.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was brilliant! I really loved this story! It hit all the right spots for me! I loved the characters & the overall idea! Great! It does appeal to me, living out the end of the world in a story book theme park! Perfect & oh what fun! I really enjoyed it, the characters are well thought out, a few parts in the plot I wasn't expecting! Great fun read! I will look for more by this writer & do strongly recommend!

[Robin Ginther-Venneri]

"Somewhat Alive," written by Kate Lexie, is an exciting novel that follows Zoey's quest in a world devastated by a zombie outbreak. With her sanctuary compromised, she must brave a perilous reality, facing both the undead and fellow survivors at Bookland, her beloved theme park in Florida. Trust becomes a scarce commodity in her journey as she struggles to stay alive.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who struggles with mental health seeing such accurate representation in the main character thrills me! I love the idea of Bookland! I can't wait to read more by Kate Lexie!