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squirrelsohno's review against another edition
4.0
It was a dark, stormy, creepy day where I found myself opening THIS IS NOT A TEST. Or it might have been, I don’t actually know. But for this review, let’s pretend that it was a day that Edgar Allen Poe would love. I cracked open my Kindle and surrounded myself with pillows, blankets, and warm kitties before I started this one. And maybe when I finished a few days later, after numerous times putting it down and reading other things, I was a bit disappointed. I expected something that would hook me and have…well, zombies. Those were kind of promised in the synopsis after all. Instead, I found a book that was more of a character study in depression, tragedy, trauma, and teenage bickering. It was good, but it just missed that something special I need.
THIS IS NOT A TEST follows Sloane, a teenage girl who has battled depression and abuse from her father. Her sister abandoned her and left her alone with their father. But when a plague overwhelms the country, she is forced into the remains of her school with four others (although previous inhabitants are mentioned), where the story begins several days after the end of life as they knew it. Through break-ins, strangers, and fighting, Sloane is forced to confront her own life as she faces death head on.
I have never read a book by Courtney Summers before, but I will give her one thing right off the bat – she does not shy away from the dark, looming, and controversial. In THIS IS NOT A TEST, she offers frank discussions on many things that you rarely see in paranormal/science fiction, a genre often times (these days at least) focused on smooching and bad boys. This isn’t a story about zombies as much as it is a story about depression, suicide, and the human condition, which sets it apart in a crowded market.
For a story about zombies, this story does not loom on the actual zombies for long. There is mention of a plague, brief images and flashbacks of how it spread, the stories of the kids left in the high school, but this story is about the zombies as a secondary plot point to the drama. And boy, is there drama. I kind of want to describe this book as “Girl Interrupted” meets “Dawn of the Dead”, except without the psych ward and with a lot less action.
Summers’ writing remains a distinct lyrical/literary quality. There is no question that she has the skills needed for writing a gritty tale of emotions and drama. For her to tackle a zombie tale with the zombies secondary to the relationships of these survivors required skill, and she proves that she has a strong grasp on this arena.
Which brings me to another point in the vein of “narration”. I will just admit it. Suicidal characters generally… Well, let’s just say that I might have slapped Sloane if I was in that school with her. But besides Sloane and her “woe is me, I’ll just kill myself via zombie attack” attitude, I did enjoy several of the background characters. Where Sloane fell victim to Angsty Teenager Syndrome (which was not fully explained by her background, in my opinion – it went above and beyond the call), the classmates around her were fully conceived and realized people with their own flaws and emotions.
Another fault for me was the ending. In a complete 180 from the story itself, the conclusion is rather rushed and unbelievable. The story moves from the school into the world, but what happens just didn’t resonate with me at all. And the ending itself was a rather non-ending. The resolution didn’t do anything for me. But given the dramatic, compelling nature of the rest of the book, and the characters that felt so real and alive, THIS IS NOT A TEST manages to remain a very good, very different YA book that deserves a look.
VERDICT: Although weighted down with a heroine that is hard to like, THIS IS NOT A TEST is made by its lyrical writing and cast of well-fleshed characters. In a saturated market of zombie thrillers, this one stands out as fresh and different.
THIS IS NOT A TEST follows Sloane, a teenage girl who has battled depression and abuse from her father. Her sister abandoned her and left her alone with their father. But when a plague overwhelms the country, she is forced into the remains of her school with four others (although previous inhabitants are mentioned), where the story begins several days after the end of life as they knew it. Through break-ins, strangers, and fighting, Sloane is forced to confront her own life as she faces death head on.
I have never read a book by Courtney Summers before, but I will give her one thing right off the bat – she does not shy away from the dark, looming, and controversial. In THIS IS NOT A TEST, she offers frank discussions on many things that you rarely see in paranormal/science fiction, a genre often times (these days at least) focused on smooching and bad boys. This isn’t a story about zombies as much as it is a story about depression, suicide, and the human condition, which sets it apart in a crowded market.
For a story about zombies, this story does not loom on the actual zombies for long. There is mention of a plague, brief images and flashbacks of how it spread, the stories of the kids left in the high school, but this story is about the zombies as a secondary plot point to the drama. And boy, is there drama. I kind of want to describe this book as “Girl Interrupted” meets “Dawn of the Dead”, except without the psych ward and with a lot less action.
Summers’ writing remains a distinct lyrical/literary quality. There is no question that she has the skills needed for writing a gritty tale of emotions and drama. For her to tackle a zombie tale with the zombies secondary to the relationships of these survivors required skill, and she proves that she has a strong grasp on this arena.
Which brings me to another point in the vein of “narration”. I will just admit it. Suicidal characters generally… Well, let’s just say that I might have slapped Sloane if I was in that school with her. But besides Sloane and her “woe is me, I’ll just kill myself via zombie attack” attitude, I did enjoy several of the background characters. Where Sloane fell victim to Angsty Teenager Syndrome (which was not fully explained by her background, in my opinion – it went above and beyond the call), the classmates around her were fully conceived and realized people with their own flaws and emotions.
Another fault for me was the ending. In a complete 180 from the story itself, the conclusion is rather rushed and unbelievable. The story moves from the school into the world, but what happens just didn’t resonate with me at all. And the ending itself was a rather non-ending. The resolution didn’t do anything for me. But given the dramatic, compelling nature of the rest of the book, and the characters that felt so real and alive, THIS IS NOT A TEST manages to remain a very good, very different YA book that deserves a look.
VERDICT: Although weighted down with a heroine that is hard to like, THIS IS NOT A TEST is made by its lyrical writing and cast of well-fleshed characters. In a saturated market of zombie thrillers, this one stands out as fresh and different.
thebookhaze's review against another edition
5.0
I really love this book. I thought it was intense, but not in the scary-horror-I'm being chased by zombies way, though there are parts of it that was scary.
Usually, in zombie apocalypse movies, you see how people fight for survival and sometimes when their loved ones die, or other people in their group dies, there's some grief but in general people move on pretty quickly. They have to, they're running from the zombies!
This book is not so much about zombies and death, but about life. It's about the value of life. Each person's life according to how much they were loved. How Harrison was considered expandable because he was alone and no one really knew him. How the Caspers' lives seemed to be worth more because Trace and Grace grieved so deeply for them. How Sloane thought her own life was worthless and wanted to commit suicide, because the only person she thought loved her had left her.
Also, the value of life according to the actions of each person, what they had done with their lives or done to make a difference to someone else's life. There's a part in the book where the 6 of them played the drinking game, I Never. It seemed like just a random placeholder in the book, but it served an important purpose in showing us what kind of persons these people were and how each of them made a difference (or not) in someone else's life.
It makes you really think about your own life and your actions and how you've contributed to your world, the people around you. What is the value of your own life? If you put all these questions in a real life setting, it might be kind of depressing because some of us just cruise through life without caring, some of us have people who love us whom we don't appreciate, some of us put entire too much value on what other people think about us, when the important thing is that you love yourself first and foremost.
There are so many other things that's amazing about this book too. The raw emotions, grief and guilt and anger and fear, but also love and kindness and hope, brought to life by the actions and reactions of the characters. It felt real, the characters felt real to me. I thought it was an extremely well-written, emotional, and thoughtful book, and it's definitely a favorite that I will come back to.
Usually, in zombie apocalypse movies, you see how people fight for survival and sometimes when their loved ones die, or other people in their group dies, there's some grief but in general people move on pretty quickly. They have to, they're running from the zombies!
This book is not so much about zombies and death, but about life. It's about the value of life. Each person's life according to how much they were loved. How Harrison was considered expandable because he was alone and no one really knew him. How the Caspers' lives seemed to be worth more because Trace and Grace grieved so deeply for them. How Sloane thought her own life was worthless and wanted to commit suicide, because the only person she thought loved her had left her.
Also, the value of life according to the actions of each person, what they had done with their lives or done to make a difference to someone else's life. There's a part in the book where the 6 of them played the drinking game, I Never. It seemed like just a random placeholder in the book, but it served an important purpose in showing us what kind of persons these people were and how each of them made a difference (or not) in someone else's life.
It makes you really think about your own life and your actions and how you've contributed to your world, the people around you. What is the value of your own life? If you put all these questions in a real life setting, it might be kind of depressing because some of us just cruise through life without caring, some of us have people who love us whom we don't appreciate, some of us put entire too much value on what other people think about us, when the important thing is that you love yourself first and foremost.
There are so many other things that's amazing about this book too. The raw emotions, grief and guilt and anger and fear, but also love and kindness and hope, brought to life by the actions and reactions of the characters. It felt real, the characters felt real to me. I thought it was an extremely well-written, emotional, and thoughtful book, and it's definitely a favorite that I will come back to.
jadeeby's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements
I have been impatiently waiting to read this book FOREVER. Seriously. I think this has been the only ARC book that I wasn't able to get my hands on and was legit pissed about it. That's how much I wanted to read it. Well I had it pre-ordered and the minute it was downloaded, it was mine. ALLLLLL MINE!!! I will admit....this is my first Courtney Summers book but I did that for a reason too. I was nervous. I was scared that I would read one of her other books and not be in love with her or her writing and that it would taint my reading of this novel. And obviously I'm not sure if that would still be case since I just finished this one first, but I do know that Courtney Summers is now at the top of my favorite authors list. Damn, that girl can write.
The Good: I'm really trying to write a coherent, non-rambling review but it's extremely difficult right now. I'm in between fan-girling out and just hurling this book at people and screaming at them to read it. First of all, the premise was bomb. I was kind of nervous like...how in the world is she going to write a novel about 5 teens stuck in a school during the zombie apocalypse? She did it though and she did well.
I was totally not prepared for the type of writing that was involved in this novel, so at first, I didn't quite understand what was going on. Then I reread and suddenly I realized how brilliant Courtney Summers is. I'm a HUGE fan of the short, staccato sentences with repetition and stream of consciousness type writing. Loved it. It blew my mind how much her writing just...stuck with me. The thing is...even though Sloane (absolutely LOVE that name btw) distanced herself, I still felt very much in tune with her. In fact, the writing and characterization of all the characters were so good that I felt everything they did. The tension, fear, anger and sadness seeped out of the characters and God, I felt it. Felt it so hard it hurt sometimes. When Sloane talked about "letting go," I believed her. I felt it. I've been there and it physically hurt my heart because the emotion was so intense. The thing about this book is that it's really *not* a zombie book, it's a book about a lot of things that just so happens to have zombies in it. Honestly, it was the perfect mixture of zombies and everything else. The way the zombies are introduced...it's almost like it could happen in real life... there was an ambiguity to how the zombie's came to be and I like that. It really allows the reader to use their imagination...it can be as wild or as mild as one wants and it doesn't matter because Summers dropped us at the perfect spot in the novel. That's another thing... I loved that there actually wasn't a build up to the main action. We cut right to the chase...literally. It made for a very quick and exciting read because everything was just hitting fast. There was no zombie/human love in this novel...thank goodness. Not that I don't appreciate a little zombie loving every now and again, this was just NOT the type of novel to do it and I'm so glad it didn't go there. But the slight romance in the novel was perfect. It was exactly what one would expect to find during the type of situation the kids are going through. I have this image of Rhys and I just smile thinking about how even during this terrible event, he always has a soft spot for Sloane. I thought even the minor characters were really developed well although Trace and Grace got on my nerves. I think they're supposed to though. Lastly, the ending was gut wrenching. It's one of those VERY few times, I want a closure type ending instead of an ambiguous ending. I don't know if there will be a sequel or not but my God, this book was amazing.
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Seriously. But okay, I know it's not going to be for everyone so I would HIGHLY recommend this novel for YA lovers, zombie and apocalyptic novel lovers and anyone who loves Courtney Summers. I give this book an A+. Read this book. Just do it!
I have been impatiently waiting to read this book FOREVER. Seriously. I think this has been the only ARC book that I wasn't able to get my hands on and was legit pissed about it. That's how much I wanted to read it. Well I had it pre-ordered and the minute it was downloaded, it was mine. ALLLLLL MINE!!! I will admit....this is my first Courtney Summers book but I did that for a reason too. I was nervous. I was scared that I would read one of her other books and not be in love with her or her writing and that it would taint my reading of this novel. And obviously I'm not sure if that would still be case since I just finished this one first, but I do know that Courtney Summers is now at the top of my favorite authors list. Damn, that girl can write.
The Good: I'm really trying to write a coherent, non-rambling review but it's extremely difficult right now. I'm in between fan-girling out and just hurling this book at people and screaming at them to read it. First of all, the premise was bomb. I was kind of nervous like...how in the world is she going to write a novel about 5 teens stuck in a school during the zombie apocalypse? She did it though and she did well.
I was totally not prepared for the type of writing that was involved in this novel, so at first, I didn't quite understand what was going on. Then I reread and suddenly I realized how brilliant Courtney Summers is. I'm a HUGE fan of the short, staccato sentences with repetition and stream of consciousness type writing. Loved it. It blew my mind how much her writing just...stuck with me. The thing is...even though Sloane (absolutely LOVE that name btw) distanced herself, I still felt very much in tune with her. In fact, the writing and characterization of all the characters were so good that I felt everything they did. The tension, fear, anger and sadness seeped out of the characters and God, I felt it. Felt it so hard it hurt sometimes. When Sloane talked about "letting go," I believed her. I felt it. I've been there and it physically hurt my heart because the emotion was so intense. The thing about this book is that it's really *not* a zombie book, it's a book about a lot of things that just so happens to have zombies in it. Honestly, it was the perfect mixture of zombies and everything else. The way the zombies are introduced...it's almost like it could happen in real life... there was an ambiguity to how the zombie's came to be and I like that. It really allows the reader to use their imagination...it can be as wild or as mild as one wants and it doesn't matter because Summers dropped us at the perfect spot in the novel. That's another thing... I loved that there actually wasn't a build up to the main action. We cut right to the chase...literally. It made for a very quick and exciting read because everything was just hitting fast. There was no zombie/human love in this novel...thank goodness. Not that I don't appreciate a little zombie loving every now and again, this was just NOT the type of novel to do it and I'm so glad it didn't go there. But the slight romance in the novel was perfect. It was exactly what one would expect to find during the type of situation the kids are going through. I have this image of Rhys and I just smile thinking about how even during this terrible event, he always has a soft spot for Sloane. I thought even the minor characters were really developed well although Trace and Grace got on my nerves. I think they're supposed to though. Lastly, the ending was gut wrenching. It's one of those VERY few times, I want a closure type ending instead of an ambiguous ending. I don't know if there will be a sequel or not but my God, this book was amazing.
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Seriously. But okay, I know it's not going to be for everyone so I would HIGHLY recommend this novel for YA lovers, zombie and apocalyptic novel lovers and anyone who loves Courtney Summers. I give this book an A+. Read this book. Just do it!
missbookiverse's review against another edition
4.0
Liebes This Is Not A Test,
machen wir es kurz: ich mag dich, sehr. Ich will mehr aus deiner Familie kennen lernen, Cracked Up To Be und Some Girls Are zum Beispiel.
Aber zurück zu dir. Du hast eine unheimlich interessante Art zwei eher gegensätzliche Genres miteinander zu verbinden. Du bedienst dich nicht nur der Post-Apokalypse (Zombies, Chaos usw.) sondern auch dem Contemporary-Bereich (Familienprobleme, kaputte Schwesternbeziehung, Selbstmordgedanken). Du wirfst die Frage auf wie man mit seinen alltäglichen (schon schlimm genugen) Problemen weitermacht, wenn plötzlich ein Virus ausbricht und den Großteil seiner Mitmenschen in blutrünstige Monster verwandelt. Kann ja mal passieren. Niemand ist auf so was vorbereitet und selbst, wenn es nun voranging ums Überleben geht, lässt einen sein altes Leben ja nicht plötzlich los.
Als wenn das nicht schon Abwechslung genug wäre, hast du mir auch noch eine Protagonistin vorgesetzt, die alles andere als überlebenswillig ist. Vor den Zombieattacken hat Sloane nämlich ernste Selbstmordgedanken gehegt. Auch als sich ihr Leben und die Welt um sie herum komplett verändert, lässt sie dieses Gedankengut nicht los. In ihr erwacht nicht plötzlich der krasse Überlebenswille. Sie ist zwar darum bemüht nicht vom nächstbesten Zombie infiziert zu werden, aber so richtig verbissen hält sie nicht am Leben fest.
Neben diesem inneren Konflikt hast du mir die üblichen Psychospielchen geboten, die in einer Gruppe eingepferchter, zufällig zusammengewürfelter Jugendlicher enstehen. Ich liebe es so was zu beobachten. Da kommen die verschiedensten (und abgründigsten) Charakterzüge zum Vorschein. Es gibt den Angsthasen, den Friedvollen, den Anführer, den Stenkerfritzen und es kracht und knistert alle paar Seiten aufs Neue. Herrlich!
Hab ich schon den Nervenkitzel erwähnt? Es herrscht ja nicht nur Spannung innerhalb der Gruppe, auch die Gefahr, die außerhalb lauert, macht einem zu schaffen. Man kriegt zwar nicht so viel von der Außenwelt mit (oder gar wissenschaftliche Begründungen für den Zombiebefall), aber die Blicke, die du mich nach außen hast werfen lassen (oder zur Gruppe hineingeholt hast), waren schaurig und düster genug, um meine Neugier zu befriedigen.
Als kleinen Minuspunkt möchte ich deine Namenswahl bemängeln. An „Sloane“ kann ich mich noch gewöhnen, aber „Rhys“ und „Trace“ sind mir nicht sehr geläufig und, dass „Cary“ dann auch noch ein Jungenname ist, hat mich am Anfang ein bisschen zu viel Konzentration gekostet. Hätte auch einfacher sein können.
Schlussendlich kriege ich den Mund nicht ganz voll. Ich hätte gern noch etwas mehr über Sloanes Vergangenheit erfahren. Aber na ja, muss ich wohl wirklich Vorliebe mit dem Rest deiner Familie nehmen.
Alles Gute für die Zukunft, das kannst du in deiner Welt sicher gebrauchen.
Infinite Playlist
machen wir es kurz: ich mag dich, sehr. Ich will mehr aus deiner Familie kennen lernen, Cracked Up To Be und Some Girls Are zum Beispiel.
Aber zurück zu dir. Du hast eine unheimlich interessante Art zwei eher gegensätzliche Genres miteinander zu verbinden. Du bedienst dich nicht nur der Post-Apokalypse (Zombies, Chaos usw.) sondern auch dem Contemporary-Bereich (Familienprobleme, kaputte Schwesternbeziehung, Selbstmordgedanken). Du wirfst die Frage auf wie man mit seinen alltäglichen (schon schlimm genugen) Problemen weitermacht, wenn plötzlich ein Virus ausbricht und den Großteil seiner Mitmenschen in blutrünstige Monster verwandelt. Kann ja mal passieren. Niemand ist auf so was vorbereitet und selbst, wenn es nun voranging ums Überleben geht, lässt einen sein altes Leben ja nicht plötzlich los.
Als wenn das nicht schon Abwechslung genug wäre, hast du mir auch noch eine Protagonistin vorgesetzt, die alles andere als überlebenswillig ist. Vor den Zombieattacken hat Sloane nämlich ernste Selbstmordgedanken gehegt. Auch als sich ihr Leben und die Welt um sie herum komplett verändert, lässt sie dieses Gedankengut nicht los. In ihr erwacht nicht plötzlich der krasse Überlebenswille. Sie ist zwar darum bemüht nicht vom nächstbesten Zombie infiziert zu werden, aber so richtig verbissen hält sie nicht am Leben fest.
Neben diesem inneren Konflikt hast du mir die üblichen Psychospielchen geboten, die in einer Gruppe eingepferchter, zufällig zusammengewürfelter Jugendlicher enstehen. Ich liebe es so was zu beobachten. Da kommen die verschiedensten (und abgründigsten) Charakterzüge zum Vorschein. Es gibt den Angsthasen, den Friedvollen, den Anführer, den Stenkerfritzen und es kracht und knistert alle paar Seiten aufs Neue. Herrlich!
Hab ich schon den Nervenkitzel erwähnt? Es herrscht ja nicht nur Spannung innerhalb der Gruppe, auch die Gefahr, die außerhalb lauert, macht einem zu schaffen. Man kriegt zwar nicht so viel von der Außenwelt mit (oder gar wissenschaftliche Begründungen für den Zombiebefall), aber die Blicke, die du mich nach außen hast werfen lassen (oder zur Gruppe hineingeholt hast), waren schaurig und düster genug, um meine Neugier zu befriedigen.
Als kleinen Minuspunkt möchte ich deine Namenswahl bemängeln. An „Sloane“ kann ich mich noch gewöhnen, aber „Rhys“ und „Trace“ sind mir nicht sehr geläufig und, dass „Cary“ dann auch noch ein Jungenname ist, hat mich am Anfang ein bisschen zu viel Konzentration gekostet. Hätte auch einfacher sein können.
Schlussendlich kriege ich den Mund nicht ganz voll. Ich hätte gern noch etwas mehr über Sloanes Vergangenheit erfahren.
Spoiler
Was ist mit ihrer Mutter passiert? Warum hat ihr Vater angefangen sie zu schlagen? Wann ist es das erste mal passiert?Alles Gute für die Zukunft, das kannst du in deiner Welt sicher gebrauchen.
Infinite Playlist
nicholeb84's review against another edition
2.0
I first heard of this novel some time ago. Reading the summary made excited. I’ve grown rather interested in zombie novels lately, and I do have a love of YA stories. This seemed like the perfect mix. Reading some reviews a few key words stuck out to me “snappy,” “sexy,” and “raw with emotion”. After reading the novel myself, I must wonder if these reviewers were reading the same novel as me.
Was the book snappy? This book did get going in Part Three and really got going in Part Four, but it was very slow for the first two parts. Sexy? Maybe a little, but not enough to be mentioned; and really a lot of the ‘romance’ struck me as the need for these teens to feel closer to someone in a time of stress. Raw with emotion? That I can sort of agree with.
Let me say this: Courtney Summers has a way with words. Her writing does make an atmosphere – a zombie outbreak sounds all exciting, but the truth is it would probably have long stretches of silence, hiding, and inner dialogue. There is some beautiful prose here. And, Part Four is satisfying with the epic race to safety. That’s the best thing about the novel.
Everything else? I really didn’t care for it. The characters! I understand that they are all between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, but must they play all these high school games? Sloane Price, our narrator, is a sullen, self-pitying, girl. Yes, she is an abuse victim. . .but she spends most of the novel sitting around and thinking about her sister Lily and how unhappy she is. She has survived! Yet, she just seems so out of it and suicidal. Her sister who ran away without her. Plus, there were moments were Sloane would do things that just made everything worse. At times I felt like I was at Sloane Price’s Pity Party/Obsession Party for Lily. I just found her so unlikeable – I felt like she never really grew.
As for the rest of the characters? Well, we really don’t get to know them! We have Harrison the cry-baby new kid – he really has no personality. No personality makes his Honestly there were times when I forgot Harrison was there. Cary sets himself up as the leader of the group and Trace and Grace are twins: Trace is a hot-head and a jerk, who really loves his sister and Grace is kind, sweet, and angelic. And Rhys is a bit of a bad boy and Sloane’s love interest. For these characters, we are mostly told about who they are - well Trace certainly shows his jerk-side more than once – as seen by Sloane. It really makes me wonder if they were just as Sloane saw them, or if she was missing something. It makes me wish we could have gotten inside their heads, too.
In conclusion, I really liked the atmosphere of the novel and the writing style. (I’ll probably check out another novel by Summers.) I just really disliked our main character and I felt like the other teens were just cardboard cutouts of high school stereotypes. Because of this (characters mean a lot to a story) I sadly have to give this one a 2 out of 5.
Was the book snappy? This book did get going in Part Three and really got going in Part Four, but it was very slow for the first two parts. Sexy? Maybe a little, but not enough to be mentioned; and really a lot of the ‘romance’ struck me as the need for these teens to feel closer to someone in a time of stress. Raw with emotion? That I can sort of agree with.
Let me say this: Courtney Summers has a way with words. Her writing does make an atmosphere – a zombie outbreak sounds all exciting, but the truth is it would probably have long stretches of silence, hiding, and inner dialogue. There is some beautiful prose here. And, Part Four is satisfying with the epic race to safety. That’s the best thing about the novel.
Everything else? I really didn’t care for it. The characters! I understand that they are all between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, but must they play all these high school games? Sloane Price, our narrator, is a sullen, self-pitying, girl. Yes, she is an abuse victim. . .but she spends most of the novel sitting around and thinking about her sister Lily and how unhappy she is. She has survived! Yet, she just seems so out of it and suicidal. Her sister who ran away without her.
Spoiler
Her sister who always told her they couldn’t have friends. (Meanwhile Lily has sex and tells nice girl Grace that Sloane hates her and to stay away.)Spoiler
Like with Baxter and Grace or when she asks the others to stop by her house before they flee the city.As for the rest of the characters? Well, we really don’t get to know them! We have Harrison the cry-baby new kid – he really has no personality. No personality makes his
Spoiler
heroic sacrifice toward the end less than shocking and emotional.Spoiler
he once had a relationship with Lily.In conclusion, I really liked the atmosphere of the novel and the writing style. (I’ll probably check out another novel by Summers.) I just really disliked our main character and I felt like the other teens were just cardboard cutouts of high school stereotypes. Because of this (characters mean a lot to a story) I sadly have to give this one a 2 out of 5.
alboyer6's review against another edition
2.0
I finished it, so that is saying something. Sloane has an abusive father, a runaway sister and now her town is overrun by zombies and a lot of teen angst.
iremaltun's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ermakay's review against another edition
4.0
Writing that really captures the humanity of what it would be like to live not only through an apocalypse but an abusive situation—encapsulates grief, pain, mourning, and somehow zombies all at the same time.
kyleechris's review against another edition
5.0
You can find this review along with others on my blog Babbling of a Bookaholic
Courtney Summers shows that authors can take a zombie book and make it beautiful. Yup, I said beautiful. All the blood, gore, fear, and brains that come along with zombies? She managed to make all of that beautiful and unforgettable. This is Not a Test was my first zombie book but it was so much more. It inspired me to try my hardest in life because we only get one. Courtney is seriously talented and had me in happy tears and breathless by the end of this book. She managed to not only nail the zombie parts of this book but go even further than that and really show the emotions that might come along with a zombie apocalypse or tragic life events in general.
The story follows a group of teens. The main character and POV being Sloane, a girl who has a bad home life and was abandoned by her sister to be left at home with her crappy dad. Going into the zombie apocalypse she is suicidal and just wants her life to end. She's tired of all of her problems, she's tired of her home life, she's tired of being alone in life, she's just tired of life in general. I know she kind of sounds depressing, probably because she is depressed (which is understandable) but I LOVED HER!! She was such a well developed character and soo easy to fall in love with! I quickly developed feelings for her and the rest of the characters, hoping they'd all be okay. The book was fast paced and easy to follow, it started out right away with action and I really loved that! I can't say there was a dull moment anywhere in this book.
I had a feeling this book would be brilliant but I didn't know that it was going to blow my mind like it did. It affected me personally a lot more than I thought it would but in a good way. This book is dark and very deep in emotions that not all people like to talk/read/write about but I do. I tend to like the daring, emotional books a lot more than the light hearted silly reads because it takes a lot of nerve to write about touchy topics like why you shouldn't give up on life. Don't let me lead you to believe the zombie aspect of this story isn't important or just as awesome as the inspiring part, it ties into the why should we continue living even when life is complete shit at times. The zombie scenes had me on the edge of my seat reading as fast as I could just to see if everyone survived. I was rooting for Sloane along with all the other characters hoping they'd be awesome zombie killers and make it through. I wasn't expecting this book to be what it was. This is Not a Test is a breath of fresh air in the YA genre, it's like nothing you expect. You open up to find emotions exploding out at you and by the end you'll find yourself saying WHAT JUST HAPPENED in amazement. I can't say enough good things about this book, it's a must read. You need to read this book! Literally, right now.
Courtney Summers shows that authors can take a zombie book and make it beautiful. Yup, I said beautiful. All the blood, gore, fear, and brains that come along with zombies? She managed to make all of that beautiful and unforgettable. This is Not a Test was my first zombie book but it was so much more. It inspired me to try my hardest in life because we only get one. Courtney is seriously talented and had me in happy tears and breathless by the end of this book. She managed to not only nail the zombie parts of this book but go even further than that and really show the emotions that might come along with a zombie apocalypse or tragic life events in general.
The story follows a group of teens. The main character and POV being Sloane, a girl who has a bad home life and was abandoned by her sister to be left at home with her crappy dad. Going into the zombie apocalypse she is suicidal and just wants her life to end. She's tired of all of her problems, she's tired of her home life, she's tired of being alone in life, she's just tired of life in general. I know she kind of sounds depressing, probably because she is depressed (which is understandable) but I LOVED HER!! She was such a well developed character and soo easy to fall in love with! I quickly developed feelings for her and the rest of the characters, hoping they'd all be okay. The book was fast paced and easy to follow, it started out right away with action and I really loved that! I can't say there was a dull moment anywhere in this book.
I had a feeling this book would be brilliant but I didn't know that it was going to blow my mind like it did. It affected me personally a lot more than I thought it would but in a good way. This book is dark and very deep in emotions that not all people like to talk/read/write about but I do. I tend to like the daring, emotional books a lot more than the light hearted silly reads because it takes a lot of nerve to write about touchy topics like why you shouldn't give up on life. Don't let me lead you to believe the zombie aspect of this story isn't important or just as awesome as the inspiring part, it ties into the why should we continue living even when life is complete shit at times. The zombie scenes had me on the edge of my seat reading as fast as I could just to see if everyone survived. I was rooting for Sloane along with all the other characters hoping they'd be awesome zombie killers and make it through. I wasn't expecting this book to be what it was. This is Not a Test is a breath of fresh air in the YA genre, it's like nothing you expect. You open up to find emotions exploding out at you and by the end you'll find yourself saying WHAT JUST HAPPENED in amazement. I can't say enough good things about this book, it's a must read. You need to read this book! Literally, right now.
priorglass's review against another edition
5.0
aw this is one of my favorite books. i really love the plot, the characters development and just the entire story. the end when the character (sloane??) met that little girl though, im pretty sure shes a zombie.