Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

I've been reading Carrie Harris's blog for a few years now, and she's a consistently funny, funny person. So is her first book, Bad Taste in Boys. Nothing else could have made me laugh quite so hard in the hospital, trust me.

Kate Grable is a high school senior who's planning to become a doctor. She's the student trainer for her school's (horrible) football team, which means she gets to treat minor injuries and help the team's physician and coach out with medical issues. It also means she gets to spend time with the quarterback, Aaron.

When Kate discovers unlabeled syringes among the medical supplies, she's positive they're steroids. But the truth, as she finds out the hard way, is a lot weirder and even more dangerous. Something is turning the football team into...well, into zombies. And only Kate can get to the bottom of it before the whole school is infected.

The book is seriously funny. It's also fast-paced, light, and thoroughly readable. I liked Kate a lot, and not just because of her name; she's smart and funny without coming across as a smartass. I also like that she's got epilepsy without it being a big issue. Her relationship with her nerdy little brother is touching but often hysterically funny.

If the book has a fault, it's that it's rather shallow. While Kate does learn confidence, she's pretty put-together to start with and doesn't have a weighty character arc. But hell, it's a book about zombies. There's no need to get too serious here. I'm glad Harris understands that, and I can't wait to read what she comes up with next.

B&N link