After Jesse Spark dramatically collapses at prom, the doctors discover that he has a life-threatening condition that requires open-heart surgery. Jesse decides there are two things he wants to do before his surgery at the end of the summer. He wants to finish shooting the zombie film he has written with his friends. And he wants to fall in love before his body is disfigured by a horrific scar down the centre of his chest – because who will want him after that?
There are some obstacles to Jesse’s plan. His best friends, Caspar and Morgan, are being weird with each other, but they won’t tell him what’s going on, he has no budget for his film, and where is he going to find a boyfriend within the next month? Fortunately, Jesse’s friends rally together and ‘Zombie Honeymoon’ starts filming. And even better, Casper’s attractive, gay cousin arrives for the summer, keen to be involved in the film.
Jesse himself is a charmingly verbose and dynamic character, although he is painfully insecure and terrified that no one will ever love him after his surgery. The negative body image theme comes through strongly throughout the book. Jesse’s friend Morgan is a brilliant actor, but her confidence is destroyed when she is shot down by a casting agent for not being thin or stereotypically attractive enough. And of course, Jesse does find a boyfriend, but more importantly, he learns to accept and love himself.
The film-centred plot reminded me a little of ‘Me, Earl and the Dying Girl’ but Jesse is a much more endearing character. I particularly enjoyed the song titles – a lovely tribute to UK MG & YA LGBTQ+ books and authors. The medical aspects of the story feel particularly authentic, as the author was writing from his own experience.
‘Broken Hearts and Zombie Parts’ is a hilarious and heart-healing story about friendship, love, body positivity and zombies. I adored every second of this cosy warm hug of a book. Highly recommended!
Swimming in Books 