Reviews

Please Remain Calm by Courtney Summers

kaytay35235's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

meringued's review

5.0

Please don't let me read anything as emotionally draining as this novella again, especially on public transport.

rennegade's review

4.0

One of the things that I love about Courtney Summers is that the vast majority of her books are one-offs. The trend of turning every YA book ever into a series can get exhausting because I feel the need to read them all even if I don't enjoy it. I also feel as though unnecessary plot lines and information are thrown in to make it long enough to stretch into a series.

With that said, I am going to need Courtney Summers to put out at least one more book in this series. She has already stomped on my heart (THAT ENDING DEAR GOD WHAT WAS THAT ENDING) and the least she could do is tell me what happens next.

I love that a YA author that I associate with contemporary-type books can put out a killer zombie story. Keep it coming! Write about all the things! If it has her name on it, I'll read it.

ayanahmeddd's review

5.0

This really short series, if we were to even considered it a series, has damaged me. I was expecting it to be more focused on survival and ofc YA romance, but it was much more than that. I felt so attached to all the characters and how real they felt. It was also like I was there with them if that makes sense. But there is no other book that I would recommend more than This Is Not A Test. Probably my favorite of all time and I love Courtney Summers sm <33

sorman0110's review

3.0

Follow-up to the book, This is not a Test, and is really a short novella (barely 100 pages), rather than a complete book. Lots of zombie gore in this one, as the story of Rhys and Sloane expands a bit, as they try to make their way to what they are hoping will be a safety house.

The ending is very abrupt, however, so I am truly hoping that Courtney Summers is writing another sequel to these books!

annestef1a's review

5.0

Don't get me wrong, the first book was great, but this one is the kind of story I was looking for in a zombie apocalypse genre. Twists and turns that gets the blood pumping.

Now I know it's been 5 years since this was released... But COME ON! It's a pandemic year and this genre is right up its alley. I beseech you dear writer to continue this series, please, please, please...

kate_brauning's review

5.0

Loved this one-- I read it in one sitting. A rich and compelling follow-up to THIS IS NOT A TEST. I really enjoyed seeing this from the male POV, too, and it's a gripping story that pulls no punches.

plumtrees's review

4.0

wtff this was just mean

garytay23's review

3.0

It's not bad but I don't think it was a super necessary novella. I did enjoy the more hands-on zombie action and think that Summers could have easily turned This Is Not a Test into a more zombie-centric thriller if she'd wanted to. But I wasn't super satisfied with this addition to the series. A lot of the events in the book felt a little contrived, especially

Spoiler

the family dying so that Rhys and Sloane could live in their safe cabin hideaway

. However I was happy to live in Summer's zombie universe a little longer with this book.

phronk's review

5.0

Reading a Courtney Summers story is like having your heart dragged behind a truck after it's already been stomped on. This bite-sized sequel to This Is Not a Test focuses purely on the horror aspects of its predecessor, but subverts genre expectations in subtle and heartbreaking ways. In a world overrun with zombie stories, Please Remain Calm manages to stand out.