The Cellar

By A. J. Whitten

Meredith Willis is suspicious of Adrien, the new guy next door. When she dares to sneak a look into the windows of his house, she sees something in the cellar that makes her believe that Adrien might be more than just a creep—he may be an actual monster.But her sister, Heather, doesn’t share Meredith’s repulsion. Heather believes Adrien is the only guy who really understands her. In fact, she may be falling in love with him. When Adrien and Heather are cast as the leads in the school production of Romeo and Juliet, to Heather, it feels like fate. To Meredith, it feels like a bad omen. But if she tries to tear the couple apart, she could end up in the last place she’d ever want to be: the cellar. Can Meredith convince her sister that she’s dating the living dead before it’s too late for both of them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9780547532356

A. J. Whitten

A. J. WHITTEN is a pseudonym for New York Times bestselling author Shirley Jump writing with her teenage daughter, Amanda. A shared love of horror movies and a desire to spice up the Shakespeare stories that are required reading in high schools led to their collaboration on The Well. They live in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Some days, Meredith, I just . . . I just wish it was me who died," my sister said that Tuesday morning in early September.

I stared at Heather. At sixteen she was a younger version of me, with darker hair and browner eyes. I was only ten months older than her but some days felt like a decade older.

I must have heard her wrong. She talked so softly now, I was always hearing something other than what she really said. You . . . you what?

I just said I wish it had been me. That’s all. Heather shrugged. Then she poured a crapload of Cocoa Pebbles into the new white bowls Mom had bought the week before. They were ridiculously giant bowls. One day my mother brought them home and, two seconds later, threw out all our old dishes. The ones I really liked, the yellow ones with the blue flowers, the same ones I’d been eating out of since I was four.

That’s what she did now. Spend money. In the past six months she’d bought a lot of things we didn’t need. I was sure her Visa was going to start smoking at any second. A psychiatrist would have a lot of really good analysis for why.

Too bad the only shrink my mother went to see was named Neiman Marcus.

Our Aunt Evelyn, my mother’s older sister, had moved in six weeks ago with her twin sons and taken over as mom. She was the one who made dinner, who did the laundry, who pecked over us like a worried hen all day. Her twin boys—Ted and Tad, but we called them Tweedledee and Tweedledum because we were pretty sure they shared a solitary brain cell—didn’t do much more than go to school and play basketball. They were both seniors and already had full rides to some midwest university that liked them dumb, tall, and able to dribble. They had already left for school that morning, probably for one of their early scrimmages.

Pass the milk, will you? Heather said.

I held on to the two-percent. It was pretty much the only thing I had a hold on right now. My life, which used to seem so perfect, had become totally distorted. Everything I’d thought meant something—my friends, yearbook, school—now rang empty and cold. I kept waiting for some normalcy to come back, like the tulips my dad and I had planted in the front yard last year. Except the squirrels stole the bulbs, and only three of the twenty pink flowers encored.

Maybe it was a sign. Like those big yellow billboards on the highway screaming at you to lose fifty pounds or quit smoking. The signs you ignore until it’s too late and all of a sudden, you’re lying in a hospital bed, on the wrong end of a scalpel.

I pushed away my cereal. Wished Aunt Evelyn hadn’t gone to her Bible study this morning so we could have had bacon and eggs instead. Maybe then Heather wouldn’t have been in such a weird mood. Heather, you can’t just say something like that. I mean . . .

What? She let out a sigh and sat back, turning her face away. When she did, the long curtain of her brown hair shifted slightly, exposing the scar that ran from her forehead to her chin, as if her face had been cut in half.

It almost had. By a four-door sedan that had crumpled like a tuna can.

Leaving Heather a bloody mess, and killing Dad.

In two seconds, the Willis family had gone from being typical suburbanites—mom, dad, two daughters, living in a four-bedroom ranch—to a tragic statistic. The psychiatrist we talked to would quote numbers at me and Heather, as though that would make us feel better. As if being part of a group of one point five gazillion kids whose parents had been killed in car accidents in the past two decades was some kind of top one hundred Facebook group we should join.

What were you going to say? Heather asked.

I opened my mouth, but nothing wise came pouring out. If I’d had anything smart to say, I’d have said it six months ago, when Heather was lying in a hospital bed and my mother was standing in a funeral home picking out a casket.

So I passed the milk. We sat there and ate in silence.

Ever since the incident—which was what everyone called it, as if one innocuous word could turn the crappiest day of our lives into something more palatable, like throwing cheese on broccoli—Heather had fallen into a dark pit. The perfect student had to be dragged to school. To soccer practice, where she was about as useful as a shrub in the middle of the field.

I’d become the star student. Me, the one who had barely passed Geometry, and that was only because I’d begged Mr. Sanders to have mercy on me. Instead of my mom pushing us to be on the honor roll, my crappy C average became the new norm in our house. Yearbook layouts became the talk around the table, because I was the only one talking about what I did. Not that Mom plugged in any better than a faulty toaster, but at least we were all here.

Existing.

Yeah, that was what I’d call it. Existing in a bubble of silence, punctuated with the scraping of spoons against stupid, huge bowls.

What we needed more than anything right now was something new. Something big. Something to wake us up.

A movement outside the window caught my eye. A flash of red. The roar of an engine starting. I put down my spoon and crossed to the window. In the next driveway, gray smoke curled out of the exhaust pipe of a cherry red Camaro, one of those sports cars that screamed, Look at me! I hated those things because they made stupid people drive too fast and take risks that caused accidents that shouldn’t have happened otherwise. Behind the wheel sat a guy dressed in black, tall and thin, wearing sunglasses. White ruffle-edged curtains that hadn’t been there yesterday hung in the windows of the two-story Victorian, and a wicker rocker sat on the porch. Hey, when did someone move into the house next door?

"Mer, that place has been abandoned for as long as we’ve lived here. Mom can’t give that place away. Our mother was a real estate agent. Her trademark sign said BRINGING YOU AND YOURS HOME, now wasn’t on the lawn next door anymore. The house next door had been one of her few failures. Old and rundown, left to rot by the old lady who’d lived there for, like, five hundred years, the place hadn’t sold or been rented in years. Who would want that piece of crap?"

Well, somebody did. And now they’re living there. Look. I pointed out the window.

Heather let out another sigh—sighing had become her thing lately—and got to her feet, slowly. She shuffled over to the window, pretended to look, then turned away.

You didn’t look.

I did.

You didn’t. I grabbed her arm, spun her around, and held her at the window until she actually raised her head and looked past her wall of hair. Look. People.

Not ‘people.’ One person. She huffed. Big deal. I’m going to school.

Again, she’d shut me out. I shouldn’t care or let it bother me. It wasn’t as if I didn’t have my own problems, but still, every time she did that, a knife ran through my heart. As I turned from the window, I caught sight of my father’s fishing cap, tucked high on top of the fridge. Forgotten and dusty. But for a second, it was as though he were still there.

I opened my mouth to tell Heather, but she had already turned away, sending a clear message. She was done. With me, with conversation.

Heather walked out the door—not waiting for me, not that she ever did anymore—and I did something I never used to do.

I prayed for a miracle. For something to bring my sister back to the land of the living.

Chapter 2

The halls closed in around Heather Willis, the passing students becoming a human pressure cooker. She drew her arms in against herself, trying to become small, invisible, to avoid contact. Avoid talking.

Wanting to be invisible. Gone.

Heather! From a classroom across the hall, Alicia Smallwood waved her arm big, wide, way too enthusiastically. Heather sent her a half nod but didn’t move. Alicia’s hand fell away, her face dropped into a frown, and she headed into English.

The hall began to drain. In a few seconds, she’d have to go inside Mrs. Fisher’s class, take a quiz she was going to fail. Or she could just stand here. What was the point, really, in going to class? In doing any of it anymore?

You look lost, a deep voice said from behind her. Like me.

Heather turned, about to blast whoever was bothering her this time. She stopped. Stared.

At the very guy who had moved in next door to her. From far away this morning, she hadn’t seen any details, but now—

Oh, now she did.

Up close, he was . . . gorgeous. Dark hair, a bit long in the back, just enough to curl over his collar, long dark jeans, a black suit jacket, something no other guy would have dared to wear over a white T, untucked. He wore sunglasses—not Ray-Bans, but something very similar and very . . . mysterious. They reflected back her face, the shock in her eyes.

He was hot.

And he was looking at her.

Waiting for her to say something. She took a breath. Swallowed. Opened her mouth finally. You’re—

New here. And looking for a friend. He grinned. When he did, the cloud in Heather’s chest lifted.

And for the first time in six months, she felt as though she had something to look forward to.

OH MY GOD, MEREDITH, HAVE YOU SEEN HIM? Cassidy charged me like a freight train, arms waving, eyes wide. I’d known Cassidy Cramer since second grade, and she’d always talked in caps—loud and as if every event were worthy of a megaphone.

It was why she’d been made cheerleading squad captain. No one could rah-rah better than Cass. And when the cheerleaders were all lacking a little in the enthusiasm department, Cass more than made up for it with her happy screams. So when she came roaring at me, I didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary and just shrugged.

Mr. DeLue hadn’t shown up for World History yet, which meant if I was smart, I’d take the extra minutes to study for the quiz.

Uh, yeah. Not.

I sat down next to Cassidy. Seen who?

The new guy! He is SO CUTE. Like Ashton Kutcher and Zac Efron, with a bit of David Beckham. He could be a MODEL, honest. OH MY GOD, Meredith. Tell me you saw him.

New guy? It took me a second, and then I made the connection. I bet he’s the guy who moved in next door to me. Does he drive a Camaro?

Cassidy nodded. It’s cherry, too. Color and condition. Everything about him is H-O-T.

In my back pocket, my cell vibrated. Once, twice, three, four times, texts pouring in. I slid it out, dropped down in my seat in case Mr. DeLue walked in, and checked the messages. New Guy Alert: OMG. Who’s got hot guy in class? Tell! I’ll hit Guid. up & switch!! Get his digits! Does he have a FB page?

Apparently everyone had seen him—and the opinion was unanimous. You’d think nothing ever happened here. Okay, so nothing did. Pretty sad, though, that one new guy could create a bigger stir than a presidential election.

Krystal and Paula slid into their seats behind us, plopping their books under their seats, where we all knew they’d stay the entire class. We took history because we had to. Didn’t mean we had to participate. What are we talking about? Krystal asked.

New guy, Cass said. Have you seen him?

Have I seen him? Krystal put a hand over her heart. I ’bout died when I did. He is frosting on a stick.

Paula nodded so hard, her platinum blond ponytail nearly took out her left eye. The entire squad followed him down the hall, trying to talk to him, but he was, like, mystery guy. All smiles, no talk. Hey, think we can convince him to be our mascot?

You want him to put on the bear costume and run around the field? I asked.

Hell, no. I want to keep him in the locker room. Paula grinned. For inspiration.

Cassidy laughed. "Maybe we can convince Mrs. Lewis that we need him for inspiration in gym. You know, to get us to do more pushups or laps. I know I’d run to him."

"Mrs. Lewis is legally blind, Paula said. We’ll tell her the new guy is a chick with a butch cut."

Cassidy raised a hand and slapped Paula a high-five. Brilliant.

Krystal shook her head. Way to start a catfight in the locker room. Already, every girl in school wants him.

You don’t think he’s a little—I paused—over the top? You know, trying too hard with the sunglasses and the fast car.

The other girls stared at me as if I was crazy. Uh, no, Cassidy said.

I shook my head and waited for the conversation about the new guy to die down.

You want to get some burgers after school? Paula asked after a while, finally done talking about Hottie McHotpants. I don’t have cheer till four.

Can’t, I said. I have an eye doctor appointment.

You doing okay with that? Paula asked, her voice quiet.

Yeah, yeah. Everything’s great. Liar.

Just after the final bell rang, Mr. DeLue came rushing in the door, trailing papers from his briefcase like Hansel leaving a trail of bread crumbs. On the way to his desk, he mumbled under his breath something about forgetting the pencils. Then he stopped, scratched his head, which puffed his thick, unruly white hair into a fuzzy cotton ball, and stared at all of us as though he couldn’t figure out why we were there. Oh, yes. The test.

"Quiz, Mr. DeLue, Kurt Lessing called from the second row. Don’t mess with my chill by changing it to a test."

Yes, yes, quiz. He scratched his head again and turned a few times. Now, where—

Look under your arm, Wendell Marks said, getting up to point out the papers fluttering beneath Mr. DeLue’s elbow.

Kurt smacked Wendell in the back of the head. Shut. Up.

Mr. DeLue lifted his arm and smiled, as if he’d just found gold in his bellybutton. Well, there you go. Quiz, people. On World War One. Take your seats.

Thirty-two students shot Wendell visual death rays. There were several muttered morons and a few other less flattering words sent Wendell’s way. He ignored them, sitting in his front and center seat, pencil at the ready. In kindergarten, Wendell Marks had been my Play-Doh buddy. No one could make a blue snowman like Wendell.

He’d also been the one who talked me into giving him a kiss in the coat closet after recess. A real wild child, that Wendell. You’d never know it now.

Mr. DeLue started passing out the quizzes. Eyes on your own papers. Bring your quiz to me when you’re finished. Homework for today is on the board. That’s the only thing I want to see you working on if you finish ear—

The classroom door opened. Everyone except Wendell stopped listening to Mr. DeLue and turned toward the door. Paula and Krystal sucked in a breath at the same time.

Cassidy leaned over and smacked me on the arm. "He’s here."

He was the guy from the Camaro, my new next-door neighbor. Tall, broad shouldered, with the kind of lanky, confident walk that said he knew his place in the world and didn’t care what anyone thought about him. His dark hair—so dark it looked black—was long enough for a little ponytail, but he’d let it curl over the collar of his suit jacket, the kind that looked custom-made, fitted just to his body. He had on sunglasses—even though he was inside and anything that wasn’t prescription was verboten according to school dress code.

Yeah, as if we all read and followed school dress code. Most of us liked to think of it as a working guideline for apparel.

Do you see him? Cassidy whispered, the only one talking. Everyone else seemed to be in some temporary trance, staring at the new kid as if he’d stepped out of a UFO. Especially the girls. As he walked through the classroom, he seemed to have a way of smiling at every girl individually, and when he did, each became transfixed. Mute. The guys, not so much, but they still seemed to be sizing up their new competition.

My phone started buzzing again. Word spread faster than cold germs here.

Mr. DeLue was the first to clear his throat. Welcome, welcome, Mr. . . . ?

St. Germain. Adrien St. Germain.

His words had an almost lyrical accent. French? Spanish? I couldn’t

Reviews for The Cellar

[susangeiss · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Scary...definitely!
Gory...yes!
Edge of your seat and can't put it down!
If you can get through the gore, this is an excellent suspense/horror book. The main character is Meredith, a strong female with great insight. She takes the reader along a horror ride into the workings and world of zombies in a way that I have not read before.
Zombies...beautiful?
Adrian is. and what is happening in is basement? Who is the woman living with him? Will Meredith be able to save her sister from a grossly, horrible death or will the zombies win?

Great book for boys as well as girls with strong stomachs!

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

To write a really fantastic horror driven book I really believe that you have to love the genre. So of course when I heard that A.J. Whitten was a horror movie buff I was excited to read this book! Who better to regale me with truly terrifying thoughts and gory scenes than someone who loves the genre as much as I do? I'll admit that I was a little skeptical about the addition of the Romeo and Juliet theme. How on earth could they tie that in to a book like this? That just made me all the more eager to dive right in.

From the very beginning The Cellar draws you right in. Setting up the family relationship, pitting the sisters against one another, and then bringing in the mysterious Adrien. Let me tell you, from the moment Adrien showed up in the book I knew he was bad news. A.J. Whitten manages to build this aura around him that, without even knowing quite why, you are wary of him. I love that in a good horror book! Adrien's character drew me further in and I knew that I was in for a ride.

Now, here's where I have to interject a little bit about what prevented this book from in my absolute favorites. I was so smitten with everything that was going on, until the history behind Adrien came into focus. I'll try to explain this without giving anything away, but it might be a bit vague. I liked that Adrien had an emotional side to him that made him more human. However, I think that the middle section of the story was kind of slow because of it. I understand that A.J. Whitten was trying to build that human aspect so that Heather's romance made sense, I really do. However I was hoping for more of the horror driven scenes I was craving. I wasn't aware, I think, of how much romance was truly present in this book.

That being said, I'm still going to stick to my guns and say that this book really impressed me! Anyone that can tie together romance and horror has a spot in my heart. Throw in some references to Romeo and Juliet, and I'm sure that this book is going to be a big hit when it finally hits shelves. For those of you who are expecting a more gory and disturbing book (think The Monstromologist), you'll probably enjoy this book like I did but want to go elsewhere for your horror fix.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The reason I wanted to read The Cellar was because it advertised itself as Romeo and Juliet with zombies, only not in a Quirk classics way. That sounded like it could be hilarious. It wasn't for an assortment of reasons. 1: It took itself way too seriously. 2: Having the school do a modern version of Romeo and Juliet does not make this a modernization of said play; the story has to back it up. 3: These zombies are totally not following the rules and are, perhaps, other fantastical creatures. All in all, some seriously false advertising. Now I will expand on these points.

The Cellar is supposed to be a horror, sweet romance and tragic romance all in one. Whitten wants you to go 'Ack!,' 'awww' and 'boohoo.' I did none of these things. There were no joke attempts. How can you have the premise of Romeo and Juliet zombies and not think it should be hysterical, especially if you're completely changing the plot until its unrecognizable as the original play anyway? I think part of why Whitten (another mother/daughter writing team) wrote this book was because they thought it would be awesome to write a story about a sexy zombie. Here is an excerpt of Adrien (totally a zombie) meeting Heather for the first time:

"'You look lost,' a deep voice said from behind her. 'Like me.'
Heather turned, about to blast whoever was bothering her this time. She stopped. Stared.
At the very guy who has moved in next door to her. From far away this morning, she hadn't seen any details, but now—
Oh, now she did.
Up close, he was...gorgeous. Dark hair, a bit long in the back, just enough to curl over his collar, long dark jeans, a black suit jacket, something no other guy would have dared to wear, very A&F-ish, over a white T, untucked. He wore sunglasses—not Ray-Bans, but something very similar and very...mysterious. They reflected back her face, the shock in her eyes." (9)

Holy misuse of punctuation, Batman! These ladies are definitely from the Twilight/Lisa McMann school of writing. Also, is this guy supposed to sound like a stud? Because what he sounds like is a pompous asshat.

In this book, the school is performing Romeo and Juliet. Conveniently, Heather is Juliet and Adrien is Romeo. Because of this, they decide that they are exactly like the bard's star-crossed lovers, especially since her family is against them. Oh noes! Only not really, because of everyone but Meredith ends up supporting them. Mostly its just Heather thinks everyone wants to keep her from happiness. The frame of the story doesn't fit at all, nor does the fact that they don't both die. Fail.

Most disconcerting perhaps were the 'zombies.' Adrien and his 'mother' Marie are obviously something else altogether. Marie has to get herself a new skin with magic and soul-sucking every so often. So, basically, she's a witch from Stardust. Adrien apparently looks perfect and doesn't smell like decay; the only sign that he's not human are the worms in his eyes. Umm, what? For some reason, he really reminded me most of the Oogie Boogie man, thus the song. I think it was the way he commanded legions of creepy crawlies and the way he criticized all of his enemies/prey. Even the regular zombies did not necessarily act like zombies are supposed to. One of them was able to focus on more than commands from its maker or its hunger. Weird and out of character for how the others were. It was a necessary plot point, but I'm not buying it.

So yeah, I kind of hated it. However, fans of books like Cryer's Cross, another incomprehensible horror fantasy, will probably enjoy this.

[meags222_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the first books I requested from NetGalley and it looked like it was going to be a good read. I like reading about dark and twisted things; the grosser the better. This book was definitely gross in some of it's descriptions of the walking dead. Adrien and his "mother" feast on humans and Whitten's descriptions during these parts are quite gruesome, which I like. I have heard many people refer to this story as a twisted modern telling of Romeo and Juliet; however I don't really see it that way. Yes, Romeo and Juliet is referenced in this novel and Adrian wants Heather to be his Juliet but I wouldn't classify this as a love story. Adrian desperately wants a mate in his journey as the walking dead and his "mother" keeps denying him this opportunity. At times I felt sympathy for Adrian and then he would do something horrible and I remembered that Adrian is not the good guy in this story. I have to admit that I quickly got bored with this story. I don't know if it was just me though. I have been reading a lot of ARCs lately and I have desperately wanted to read some of the books on my shelf. My impatience with this book could have been attributed to this. After reading this book I decided to take some time off and read some of the books on my shelf. My rating for this book is 3 stars out of 5 but that's not to say that someone else may love it. If you like a bit of horror this is the book for you.

[bookswithbite · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was not only spooky but somewhat graphic. It had lots of cannibalism in it and lots of killing. At first I thought this was a tragic re-taleing of Romeo and Juliet but it was nothing like it. Well it was similar but only this time it had real life flesh eating zombies! NOM, NOM, NOM!At the very beginning, the reader is hit with a tragic start and a lost family. I adored Mer and Heather. Both the sisters were grieving and were doing there best to move on. Heather took it the hardest and left Meredith feeling alone. I like that even though both sisters were fighting and falling apart, both of them needed each other badly.One thing I enjoyed was the plot. The plot was super good and was filled with lots of action. Some of the action was a bit too much for me. There was eating of the brains (eww) and lots of other body parts. I did enjoy getting into the head of a zombie. I never thought I be able to relate to him but I did. He was lonely and yearned for love. I could relate as to why he did his actions but still his actions were sick. The characters were amazing. I have never been in the head of the zombie so it was cool to see that point of view. I never thought that a zombies could love. But let me tell you I don't ever want to end up in that cellar, AT ALL! That place is just done right spooky and not right. Not right at all.Overall, The Cellar is dark read that captures you right away. It intense and graphic, but good.

[booktwirps · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Let me start by saying that I love horror movies, and even enjoy reading horror books. At the same time, I like the movies/books to be smart. They need to creep me out, build in tension and have a great twist. When I read the synopsis for this book it seemed to be right up my alley. The premise is good. Heather and Meredith recently lost their father in a car accident. Heather was driving and her guilt over the accident is immense, the sisters, once close, have grown apart. Their mother has distanced herself from her girls and spends her time shopping. Their aunt and her twin sons have moved in with them to help take care of things. When a mysterious family moves in next door, Heather is immediately taken with Adrien, the hot and mysterious son (as are all the other girls in school – all but Meredith). Adrien and Heather are cast as the leads in the school production of Romeo & Juliet and as rehearsals progress, Heather finds herself falling deeper in love with Adrien, much to Meredith’s dismay. Meredith knows something is up with him, so she does a little spying. When she witnesses something disturbing in his basement, she knows she must save her sister from this boy before it’s too late.The book actually moved along nicely, and though it was a stretch, I was able to mostly buy into it until the last 80 pages or so. It was then that it started slowly going downhill, and the only momentum from that point forward came from the speed at which it careened toward it’s horribly contrived ending. I found myself laughing frequently at how ridiculous it all was. I’m assuming that Whitten intended to make the book slightly campy, but it just didn’t work for me. There just wasn’t a good balance.Rarely do I dislike a book, but this is one of those times. The writing isn’t bad, and there is plenty of blood and guts for die-hard horror fans, but blood and guts will only get you so far, and in this case, it wasn’t far enough.

[krau0098 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got an advanced copy of this e-book through netgalley.com. It sounded like an interesting premise; basically a Romeo and Juliet storyline with zombies. It ended up being okay, but was mainly just a creepy teen horror story.Meredith thinks the new next door neighbor guy, Adrien, is a real creep and it isn't until she sees some odd things around his house that she thinks maybe he is more than just creepy; maybe he is even serial killer like. Her sister Heather has had a rough time of it since their father passed away but is suddenly so happy. When Meredith finds out that Heather is dating Adrien she is concerned about Heather, but when everyone suddenly loves Adrien she finds herself alone in her suspicions of him. What is really going on in Adrien's cellar and will Heather and everyone in Meredith's town be safe from his plans?I want to state right now that this is a horror/thriller novel. It is not a zombie uber-violence horror novel either, it is a suspenseful serial-killer torturing people in dark places type of horror novel. Those who follow my reviews know that I am so not into those kind of horror books. I love the zombies, the fighting, the violence, the mayhem...I do not love creepy guys torturing people in the basement. So overall this book was a bit too freaky and scary for me and it gave me nightmares. But if that kind of horror is your thing you will probably like this.The horror aspects aside, everything about this book was mediocre. The writing was okay but not anything special, the characters were okay but not ones that really made you care, chemistry between the girls and their boyfriends was kind of there but I wasn't drawn in enough to really be pulling for them. The plot clipped along at a good pace but was pretty predictable.Also this is not a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Heather and Adrien play Romeo and Juliet in a play and their relationship is a bit star-crossed but that is where the similarities end. The story does wrap up well and provides a satisfying ending.Overall this book was okay. If you like creepy serial killer type horror you might like this book. This book was less about zombies though than about creepiness; so if you are a big zombie book fan I would look somewhere else. I would recommend The Reapers are the Angels, The Peculiar Superpowers of Eleanor Armstrong, Generation Dead, Dreadnought, Night of the Living Trekkies, or Kill the Dead if you want a really good zombie book. If you are looking for a really good serial killer suspense type book (similar in tone to this one) I would recommend the Blue is for Nightmares series or the Wake series; both of these are more interesting and creative. I won't be reading any more books by A.J. Whitten in the future; this type of horror isn't my thing and it wasn't an outstanding book.

[ruthiesbookreviews · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was fascinating and really put a nice spin on a subject that has been done soooooo many times. This comes from the various points of view of the characters. There are two sisters and then there is this strange, yet fascinating boy that moves in next door to them. But there is something strange about this boy and his family and Meredith, the one sister can't quite seem to put her finger on it, but she's going to figure it out! And at the same time, the other sister,Heather is falling head over heels in love with this boy. He seems to let off such a power that she can't help herself, nor can any of the other girls at school.Adrien is one of the living dead - a zombie and he has to survive by eating humans. He is accompanied by the one who turned him Marie, but she is becoming sloppy and very needy. They've already had to move because of her. But he wants things to be different this time. He meets Heather and he just knows that she is the one for him. He wants her and he wants to make her like him so that they can be together forever. But first he has to get rid of Marie. Things really start to get interesting as Marie slowly learns what Adrien has planned for her and she doesn't feel that she should go down easily. So she takes things into her own hands to make things difficult for Adrien. There is some action to be had towards the end of the story and there is plenty of meat (pun intended) in the middle. But to really get the feel of this zombie romance, then I highly suggest that everyone read this book! It's fast paced, and very easy to follow! Again, I have to state that this is a wonderful spin on a subject that has been done so many times and in so many ways. This one is different!

[vandygirl_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

“The Cellar” bills itself as a retelling of “Romeo & Juliet,” but with zombies. Heather and Adrien are the star-crossed lovers, but instead of belonging to rival families, Heather is a human and Adrien a zombie. That is where the two stories’ similarities end. In “The Cellar” they do not plan to run away together, instead Adrien plans to turn Heather into a zombie and then eat her family as their first meal together. Heather’s sister Meredith is the heroine of this story, she does not fall for Adrien’s charm but is wary of the new-comer, especially when she sees him take a bite from an old man in the cellar of his basement. Meredith fights for her sister’s life, but Adrien and his legion of flesh-eating creatures fight harder.For those readers looking for a twist on the Bard’s most famous play, this is not it. For those who love zombies, gore, and scary stories but don’t much care for cohesive writing, you’ve found your book. The characters lack depth, and readers won’t care if Meredith and family are eaten or not. It is also lacking any real sense of flow or urgency; although there are fleeting moments of suspense, there is nothing urging the reader forward. “The Cellar” will satisfy readers looking for a superficial thrill, but not much more.