I Love Him to Pieces: Book 1

Written by Evonne Tsang

Narrated by Book Buddy Digital Media

Can love survive the zombie apocalypse? Maybe Dicey's first chance at a real relationship was dead from the start. She's the star of her high school baseball team, and Jack's the star of the science program. Her idea of a study session includes sleeping in the sun, and his idea of a good game involves dungeons and dice. But opposites start attracting when they're assigned to be partners in a class project. Now an outbreak of a weird infection—it eats your brains and leaves you hungry for more—might not mean just the end of their first date. It might mean the end of everything. Will their relationship fall apart faster than zombies in the Florida sun, or can Dicey and Jack beat the odds and find a happy ending?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lerner
• Release date: Jan 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512442083

Evonne Tsang

Evonne Tsang is a native New Yorker who earned a BA in English with a minor in Creative Writing from New York University.

Reviews for I Love Him to Pieces

[fence_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In St. Petersberg High School, Florida Dicey Bell is looking for Jack Chen. He doesn’t know it but he is her Babby Daddy! For that egg project some schools do to promote proper care and attention to eggs…
They don’t usually talk. She’s the jock. Into sports, on the baseball team. He’s the nerd, always with his nose in a book. But you know what they say about opposites attracting. But on their very first date something unusual happens, zombies attack!

This is a quick fun read. The first in a series called My boyfriend is a monster and I really enjoyed it. I flew through it in one sitting, and while it may not leave a huge mark on my soul it was exactly what it set out to be. A fun zombie story.

I liked both Dicey and Jack. They are exactly what they say they are, and both are likeable. And no stupid love triangle, which is always a plus :)

And as this is a comic/graphic novel, I guess I should mention the artwork. Well, it is black and white, but, like the book in general, it does what it sets out to do. So while I amn’t rushing out to buy prints I can say that it was perfect for the story.

All in all a good fun read.

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is actually the first graphic novel that I've read in a long time. In fact, it's the first one I've ever reviewed here on this blog! I'm going to have to step back into my graphic novel loving shoes. Let's give it a go!

First let's talk illustrations. I Love Him To Pieces keeps it simple, with black and white illustrations. The fantastic part about this graphic novel is that the illustrator has put so much detail into each panel. From the classroom where Jack Chen first meets Dicey, to the baseball diamond where they decide there might be something more in store for the two of them, the illustrations are fairly intricate and gorgeously done. Each panel draws your eye in and keeps you interested in the story line. Also, if you're a fan of zombies but not a huge fan of gore, this graphic novel will suit your taste. The illustrations definitely have the zombie vibe, without the over the top gore factor.

Story wise, there is quite an adorable romance mixed up into this zombie filled ride. Dicey and Jack Chen are on two opposite ends of the spectrum. A baseball playing jock, and a science loving nerd. How can the two of them mesh? Honestly that is the best part of the graphic novel, is watching the way these two characters interact. Dicey is extroverted and a take charge girl, which the illustrator and author depict perfectly. Jack on the other hand likes to hang outside the radar and think things through. The two of them are constantly sniping at one another, and it is hilarious to watch. It's an sweet and awkward romance that you'll find. That, and a zombie apocalypse.

I won't go any further, since I want you to give this graphic novel a try and a great way to tempt you is to keep you guessing. I Love Him To Pieces is a part of the My Boyfriend is a Monster series, and I cannot wait to see where this goes. If you aren't much of a graphic novel reader, this might be a great place for you to start. The story reads a lot like a normal book, just with the addition of fabulous illustration panels that catch your eye and draw you in. I highly recommend you check this out.

[lvstrongpuff · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book. Great little storyline. The art was pretty good as well.

[rosa.mill · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dicey, the schools baseball star, and jack the schools science genius work together for the egg as a child project in school. They become friends and it continues to develop into something more. Then they go on their first date and while on said date the zombie apocalypse starts.

The beginning of the story was great. I loved the background on Dicey and Jack and watching their relationship slowly develop and meeting their friends and family. The beginning of the zombie apocalypse was also pretty neat and I liked the illustration style. However I did feel like everything wrapped up just a little too nicely and neatly. At first this didn't bother me too much b/c I saw that there were sequels, so I figured things would get a little bit unneatened in the sequels. However upon taking a closer look at the sequels it appears that those stories are about different couples. I've got requests out and can't wait to find out what the deal is with the other books.

[akmargie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a quick, fun story about zombies and love. I liked the characters though, girl was the hardcore jock (plays baseball on the BOYS team) while the guy was the awkward geek. ROLE REVERSAL!

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable combination of high school, romance, and zombies.

[girlsonfire · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book has a nice story. Two young teens get put together in class for a project, they have nothing in common but their class work. Find that even though they have nothing in common they enjoy each others company. When suddenly they get into a life a death situation. Reminded me a little of the 'Walking Dead series'. Enjoyable read.

[the1stdaughter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I Love Him to Pieces is the classic, boy meets girl – boy turns into a zombie romance. Yes, Dicey happens to be captain of her high school baseball team and incredibly intelligent, but she’s also interested in a very unlikely match, Jack. When they’re paired up for a science project Dicey learns that Jack truly does have feelings for her, but what happens when the zombie apocalypse suddenly happens and Jack may have been infected? Will Dicey fight for him or run for her life?Are you a graphic novel fan and/or a zombie/paranormal fan? If you answered yes to either than you absolutely need to check out this series. I Love Him to Pieces is the second in the series by Evonne Tsang and Janina Görrissen and it’s fantastic! Not only is the story captivating, but the illustrations are superb. A cross between a comic and a purely graphic novel, the illustrations combined with the text make the story literally jump off the page. With some graphic novels you can feel a disconnect between the writing and/or the illustrations with one or both being too choppy, but that certainly wasn’t the case here. I Love Him to Pieces had characters that came to life, the story felt genuine and overall it was incredibly fun to read.Now, as I mentioned, the story was fantastic. Obviously my readers know I’m a big fan of zombie related reading in any form, from picture books to adult books if it has a zombie in it I’ll consider it. That doesn’t mean that each is enjoyable, but in this case it certainly was. The romance between Dicey and Jack was fun and intriguing, because who doesn’t like a popular tomboy falling for the school nerd? Jack always has his nose in a book, but that also has something to do with his background as well. Jack’s parents are gone during the majority of the book and it has you wondering what type of scientific research they are doing that would keep them away. Soon enough you learn exactly what it is and it makes what happens with Jack that much more compelling. Overall, a truly enjoyable and fast paced story with characters you can’t help but get attached to.Perfect for the season, I Love Him to Pieces by Evonne Tsang and Janina Görrissen, is a zombie graphic novel that will have readers engrossed and excited for the full “My Boyfriend Is a Monster” series. Tsang shares a story that’s well written and Görrissen’s illustrations connect seamlessly to make a fantastic graphic novel reading experience. With main characters struggling to deal with regular life and the sudden onslaught of the zombie apocalypse is easy to feel compelled to see where Dicey and Jack will end up. I’d highly recommend this I Love Him to Pieces (as well as the rest of the series) to not only graphic novel fans, but regular print book readers who love the paranormal as well. This would be the perfect addition to a reluctant reader’s library, especially for those who may enjoy things that go bump in the night!My original review was posted at There's A Book.

[christina4703 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I Love Him to Pieces follows two teenagers falling in love in the least ideal Dicey is a jock. She has played baseball since she was a little girl and now she's the only girl on the high school baseball team. Jack is a nerd. Bona fide, class A, RPG playing nerd with nerdy microbiologist parents. The two should have absolutely nothing in common. In fact, until they are paired up as partners for a school project, their paths never crossed. But once they do, the two find out they have more in common than you would think.Their romance is slow to progress. It isn't until half-way through the book that Jack even asks Dicey out on their first date. However, what ensues may be the absolute worst date in the history of the world. As Jack and Dicey sit down to a pleasant picnic while playing hooky from school, the zombie apocalypse begins. That's right, sirens wail and the two flee to a secure location to wait for rescue as chaos reigns. The rest of the book is a madcap dash for safety featuring a mysterious zombie hunter named Mack and an ice cream truck.Overall, though at times, the plot lines up a little too neatly. For example, as the title would indicate, Jack is bitten by a zombie and faces the deterioration of all higher brain function but the agents escorting him and Dicey happen to have a dosage of the new experimental drug developed by Jack's parents to halt the zombie fungus before it can destroy his humanity. Of course they do.It also seemed like the ending of the book was a little rushed. Given that we were half-way through the book before zombies ever make an appearance, there isn't much time for the climax and resolution of the story. I would have preferred to spend a little more time zombie-bashing and a little less time at Dicey's baseball games and Jack's D&D sessions.Still, the characters were well developed and delightfully flawed. I also enjoyed the reversal of the "She's All That" roles. I was quite smitten with Jack, who is endearingly geeky and socially awkward. At one romantic moment, he breaks the tension by pointing out a factual inaccuracy on Dicey's tee-shirt. Dicey, on the other hand, is hot-tempered but loyal to the point of self-destruction. When she discovers that Jack has ventured out on his own in an attempt to keep her safe, she foolishly forges out after him alone. And when she finds him, she proceeds to rip into him for abandoning her in the first place and then saves his life.I Love Him to Pieces is a promising start to a new series, one I look forward to reading the rest of.

[cathy_keaton · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There was nothing particularly earth-shattering about the story-telling, nor the characterization (but, what happens is earth-shattering to the characters' lives, of course). There's nothing here that I haven't seen done before somewhere else, but it is a nice way to turn off your brain and read a brain-eating zombie story before you turn in for the night, assuming that sort of thing relaxes you.I will say that it is very sweet and romantic, but I just didn't buy Dicey's and Jack Chen's very quickly burgeoning love for each other. Seriously, it was way too fast to be falling in love with each other, since they barely knew each other before being paired up for their Health Ed project. But, I did like Dicey as a character. She was lively and tough enough to be the only girl on the boy's high school baseball team. Jack Chen was cute in a geeky sort of way.The art is very good, although I usually prefer manga-style art. But, the art in this volume is very professional-looking and pleasing to the eye. It's worth reading if you already like zombie fiction with a side of romance, or already like reading graphic novels.

[smmorris_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dicey is the star of her high school baseball team in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is paired with Jack Chen, a science prodigy, son of science prodigies, for a project where they are parents to an egg. These two are total opposites, which, by tradition, are not supposed to get along. One is a jock, the other a nerd. Dicey and Jack Chen do get along and decide to go on a first date. An infection making its rounds in the city has other plans for these two. The infection is eating the brains of humans turning them into zombies. Jack Chen calls it the “zombie apocalypse.” Without a cure, it will soon be the end of the world. To make matters worse for these two, they are on their own, stranded in a city of zombies. Soon a zombie bites Jack Chen. Now that he is a zombie nerd, can Dicey still date Jack Chen? It is one thing for a jock to date a nerd, but a zombie nerd. I Love Him to Pieces by Evonne Tsang is a fun, fast-paced graphic novel for teens. The illustrations, by Janina Görrisse, are spot on, with expressions that enhance the story of Dicey and Jack Chen. The story of a jock and nerd, with the jock being the female, is an interesting role reversal. Dicey is the outgoing personality; Jack Chen the reserved, introverted, nerdy scientist. He thinks Dicey swapped names so she could be his partner in the egg baby project and is not what sure what to make of this. The official first date is definitely a make-or-break it date. The writing is well paced and authentic. The illustrations bring the story to life. Dicey and Jack Chen look close to what I imagined they would. I have read comics before but never have they come to life the way I Love Him To Pieces does. I Love Him to Pieces is the first in a series of My Boyfriend is a Monster graphic novels for teens. Number 2, due out this Spring, is called Made for Each Other, written by Paul D. Storrie. This one involves a conservation minded funeral parlor, whose director does not want his son’s new girlfriend hanging around. I wonder why? I suggest you read I Love Him to Pieces now and then move on to Made for Each Other. These are two sure hits for teens. Wonderful relationship stories combined with awesome illustrations give the novels the excitement teens will love. If you have never read a graphic novel, like me, I Love Him to Pieces is the one to sink your teeth into.Note: received from Net Galley

[theepicrat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a super-cute story with cute artwork (minus the zombies) and cute characters! Don't expect anything too deep or thought-provoking - this is more like a fun read that is mostly romantic with a hint of zombies. I really enjoyed learning about Jack's role-playing group and watching them go through their dungeon run - so funny!