Scan barcode
mon452's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
stephxsu's review
3.0
Courtney Summers’ trademark sparse yet hard-hitting prose meets the walking dead. Sound like either the next best thing or the stuff that makes you squirm in discomfort? It was a…strange…pairing in my opinion, and I’m still not sure what to think of it, but THIS IS NOT A TEST was a quick and intense read that was still hard for me to put down, despite some of my hesitations toward it.
There were many moments while I was reading when I stopped, pressed my palms into my eyes, and thought again how much subjective overkill of content this book contained. Sloane is a suicidal teenage girl with an abusive family history and a missing older sister. Sound like the beginning of a YA contemporary novel to you? It did to me too. Which was why I found the choice to make zombies a huge part of the problem in THIS IS NOT A TEST a rather strange one. The zombie premise made the book read sort of like a giant metaphor for not killing yourself and whatnot, and masked—at least for me—the subtlety of character development that a sophisticated contemporary YA allows.
It’s hard to not get fed up with the characters in THIS IS NOT A TEST. Sloane has a sort of narration that can dip into stream-of-consciousness at times, which combined with The Zombie Situation gave me headaches sometimes. (There are zombies. I just wanted some direct prose sometimes, y’know?) Other characters are even less likable, hung up on past events or sniffling at every single new thing that goes wrong. There were large chunks of the book that felt like characters simply shouting at one another, to no avail.
On the other hand, even if I wanted to grab some characters by the scruffs of their necks and drop-kick them outside to be at the mercy of the zombies, it’s hard for me to say whether or not this would be the natural behaviors of a group of six people stuck together in the middle of an apocalyptic situation. So I, as a reader, was torn between my frustration with some of the characters’ pettiness and the sobering thought that even I would be like those characters in that situation.
THIS IS NOT A TEST is not my favorite YA take on zombies, nor is it my favorite of Summers’ objectively accomplished novels: the strange juxtaposition of the supernatural with a setup that seems more ideal for a contemporary YA story didn’t quite work for me. However, if you’re a big fan of Summers’ writing style, don’t mind reading about zombies, and are interested in the details and behaviors of human beings in apocalyptic situations, THIS IS NOT A TEST will be just the thing for a dark and stormy night’s read.
There were many moments while I was reading when I stopped, pressed my palms into my eyes, and thought again how much subjective overkill of content this book contained. Sloane is a suicidal teenage girl with an abusive family history and a missing older sister. Sound like the beginning of a YA contemporary novel to you? It did to me too. Which was why I found the choice to make zombies a huge part of the problem in THIS IS NOT A TEST a rather strange one. The zombie premise made the book read sort of like a giant metaphor for not killing yourself and whatnot, and masked—at least for me—the subtlety of character development that a sophisticated contemporary YA allows.
It’s hard to not get fed up with the characters in THIS IS NOT A TEST. Sloane has a sort of narration that can dip into stream-of-consciousness at times, which combined with The Zombie Situation gave me headaches sometimes. (There are zombies. I just wanted some direct prose sometimes, y’know?) Other characters are even less likable, hung up on past events or sniffling at every single new thing that goes wrong. There were large chunks of the book that felt like characters simply shouting at one another, to no avail.
On the other hand, even if I wanted to grab some characters by the scruffs of their necks and drop-kick them outside to be at the mercy of the zombies, it’s hard for me to say whether or not this would be the natural behaviors of a group of six people stuck together in the middle of an apocalyptic situation. So I, as a reader, was torn between my frustration with some of the characters’ pettiness and the sobering thought that even I would be like those characters in that situation.
THIS IS NOT A TEST is not my favorite YA take on zombies, nor is it my favorite of Summers’ objectively accomplished novels: the strange juxtaposition of the supernatural with a setup that seems more ideal for a contemporary YA story didn’t quite work for me. However, if you’re a big fan of Summers’ writing style, don’t mind reading about zombies, and are interested in the details and behaviors of human beings in apocalyptic situations, THIS IS NOT A TEST will be just the thing for a dark and stormy night’s read.
celjla212's review
4.0
Sloane was planning on doing something drastic...until some even more drastic happened. Not only to her, but to the entire world. Her town of Cortege has been overrun by infected dead, and Sloane and 5 of her schoolmates are barricaded inside the high school with little hope of survival.
For those of you looking for a zombie-killing, brain splattering blood and gore fest, this is not your book. This book is more of a study in personality conflict and psychological changes to individuals in traumatic, unimaginable situations. So, just a fair warning.
Did I like the main character? No, I can't necessarily say that I did. I think most of what I felt for Sloane was pity. At times I found her very weak, but I'm not sure I can fault her for that after all the horrible things she had gone through in her life. She was definitely a change from the kick-ass, fiercely independent heroines that seem to be so popular in books these days.
This book has a taut line of tension that stretches throughout the entire story until the characters finally snap. The characters were archetypes: the leader, the hothead, the good girl, the rebel, etc. This was one aspect of the story I didn't care for--I was hoping for more originality in that aspect.
In the end, Sloane finally understands why she has made it so far and is lucky to be still alive. Especially since there were so many close to her, who did not.
For those of you looking for a zombie-killing, brain splattering blood and gore fest, this is not your book. This book is more of a study in personality conflict and psychological changes to individuals in traumatic, unimaginable situations. So, just a fair warning.
Did I like the main character? No, I can't necessarily say that I did. I think most of what I felt for Sloane was pity. At times I found her very weak, but I'm not sure I can fault her for that after all the horrible things she had gone through in her life. She was definitely a change from the kick-ass, fiercely independent heroines that seem to be so popular in books these days.
This book has a taut line of tension that stretches throughout the entire story until the characters finally snap. The characters were archetypes: the leader, the hothead, the good girl, the rebel, etc. This was one aspect of the story I didn't care for--I was hoping for more originality in that aspect.
In the end, Sloane finally understands why she has made it so far and is lucky to be still alive. Especially since there were so many close to her, who did not.
shebolebolee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
4saradouglas's review
4.0
I finished this book SO quickly and just loved it. It really sucks you in, and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. I really liked the characters, even the one I couldn't stand, if that makes sense. I'm just mad that it ended!! Sequel??
halcyone's review
4.0
Originally posted at The Cozy Armchair.
I’ve been trying to review This is Not a Test for about five months, but I kept stalling, struggling to find the right words. Simply put, this book is an intense look at the experiences of a girl who has nothing left to lose. Sloane wants to die yet she’s found herself hiding out in the school with a group of acquaintances. Tensions are high and rising, especially with the lingering anger at losing a few members of their party. Coupled with the undead constantly pounding at the walls and doors, looking for a way in, you have a recipe for apocalyptic disaster.
I’ve seen other reviews say that this is not a book about zombies, and that’s just about the most accurate way I can think to describe it. The zombies are a constant threat throughout the story, but they don’t make their official appearance until a bit later. They’re the foundation of the setting, but they're only one of many external and internal conflicts. The horror comes more from the ever-present fear of there being a breach in the school and the group being trapped, which is very effective in setting this bleak, desperate atmosphere.
Sloane is such a fascinating character, and her arc carries the novel through to the end. She debates living and dying from the start, and her emotions are so very raw and visceral. I ached for her, and I had to set the book aside at several points because it got to be a bit too much. Both her emotions and those of the people around her are very realistic.This is Not a Test explores group dynamics and emotional responses at the end of the world.
Another important element is the will to survive and the role it plays in apocalyptic situations. So often we get books where everyone works toward surviving the threat and maybe a few are lost along the way, but the message is clear: survival. Here, it is not so easy to find the will to keep going despite losing so much. Everyone has their reasons, and everyones makes their own decisions, some of which are hard to face.
This is Not a Test is definitely a page turner and unpredictable in so many ways. I kept wondering what Sloane would finally do in the end and how the group would move forward. The plot itself is very self-contained, occurring almost entirely within the school they’re hiding in, and it works so well. While I might have liked more information about how the zombie apocalypse came about, in some way it works because Sloane and her group don’t have that information. You only hear about the past through Sloane as she remembers her home life, but beyond that you’re thrust into the middle of this situation much like the characters were.
The story haunted me long after I had put it down. I remember finishing and just sitting on my couch, staring down at the final words and trying to process what I had just read. This is Not a Test was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. The ending is the right kind of ambiguous because this book works perfectly as a standalone. Overall, it’s a dark look at the zombie apocalypse with less action that most books in the genre usually have, but it’s such a compelling read. So, do I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly.
I’ve been trying to review This is Not a Test for about five months, but I kept stalling, struggling to find the right words. Simply put, this book is an intense look at the experiences of a girl who has nothing left to lose. Sloane wants to die yet she’s found herself hiding out in the school with a group of acquaintances. Tensions are high and rising, especially with the lingering anger at losing a few members of their party. Coupled with the undead constantly pounding at the walls and doors, looking for a way in, you have a recipe for apocalyptic disaster.
I’ve seen other reviews say that this is not a book about zombies, and that’s just about the most accurate way I can think to describe it. The zombies are a constant threat throughout the story, but they don’t make their official appearance until a bit later. They’re the foundation of the setting, but they're only one of many external and internal conflicts. The horror comes more from the ever-present fear of there being a breach in the school and the group being trapped, which is very effective in setting this bleak, desperate atmosphere.
Sloane is such a fascinating character, and her arc carries the novel through to the end. She debates living and dying from the start, and her emotions are so very raw and visceral. I ached for her, and I had to set the book aside at several points because it got to be a bit too much. Both her emotions and those of the people around her are very realistic.This is Not a Test explores group dynamics and emotional responses at the end of the world.
Another important element is the will to survive and the role it plays in apocalyptic situations. So often we get books where everyone works toward surviving the threat and maybe a few are lost along the way, but the message is clear: survival. Here, it is not so easy to find the will to keep going despite losing so much. Everyone has their reasons, and everyones makes their own decisions, some of which are hard to face.
This is Not a Test is definitely a page turner and unpredictable in so many ways. I kept wondering what Sloane would finally do in the end and how the group would move forward. The plot itself is very self-contained, occurring almost entirely within the school they’re hiding in, and it works so well. While I might have liked more information about how the zombie apocalypse came about, in some way it works because Sloane and her group don’t have that information. You only hear about the past through Sloane as she remembers her home life, but beyond that you’re thrust into the middle of this situation much like the characters were.
The story haunted me long after I had put it down. I remember finishing and just sitting on my couch, staring down at the final words and trying to process what I had just read. This is Not a Test was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. The ending is the right kind of ambiguous because this book works perfectly as a standalone. Overall, it’s a dark look at the zombie apocalypse with less action that most books in the genre usually have, but it’s such a compelling read. So, do I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly.
squirrelsohno's review
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
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
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!