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A review by cristina19
If We Survive This by Racquel Marie
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Racquel never disappoints me. There is something about her writing that speaks so directly to my soul.
If We Survive This is a very heavy novel, not just because it takes place in the middle of a devastating apocalypse, but because we follow Flora surviving in this new world while living with OCD and depression. Flora has spent her life battling intrusive thoughts outlining the most horrific scenarios. So the irony isn’t lost on her that those obsessive anxiety spirals have made her uniquely qualified to survive in what is currently the worst case scenario: the end of the world.
However, her desperate attempts to wield control in an uncontrollable environment have caused her to lose hope and trust in the world. She has been forced to step up as the protector and leader while her older brother heals from a debilitating broken leg. And when they decide to venture up north to find safety in the secluded cabin they vacationed in growing up, run-ins with other survivors add a whole new layer of danger and uncertainty.
Their journey up through California is interspersed with flashbacks of the last roadtrip they took to the cabin as a family a year prior. We get to see the very jarring contrast between who Flora was before the outbreak and who she is after. The girl who once wore her heart on her sleeve, and was coddled by those around her, has now become jagged and ruthless. She would rather spurn everyone who comes near, then let them become another ghost haunting her. Even if it means distrusting the childhood friend they reconnect with. The girl who she has always loved, and now reminds of her who she once was.
This is a gory heart racing story that makes you squirm from the violence and the unrelenting thoughts of impending doom. But it is also one of humanity, hope, family, and forgiveness. How kindness and love can still prevail. And most prominently, what it takes to continue on when everything tells you not to. What it is to choose to live.
If We Survive This is a very heavy novel, not just because it takes place in the middle of a devastating apocalypse, but because we follow Flora surviving in this new world while living with OCD and depression. Flora has spent her life battling intrusive thoughts outlining the most horrific scenarios. So the irony isn’t lost on her that those obsessive anxiety spirals have made her uniquely qualified to survive in what is currently the worst case scenario: the end of the world.
However, her desperate attempts to wield control in an uncontrollable environment have caused her to lose hope and trust in the world. She has been forced to step up as the protector and leader while her older brother heals from a debilitating broken leg. And when they decide to venture up north to find safety in the secluded cabin they vacationed in growing up, run-ins with other survivors add a whole new layer of danger and uncertainty.
Their journey up through California is interspersed with flashbacks of the last roadtrip they took to the cabin as a family a year prior. We get to see the very jarring contrast between who Flora was before the outbreak and who she is after. The girl who once wore her heart on her sleeve, and was coddled by those around her, has now become jagged and ruthless. She would rather spurn everyone who comes near, then let them become another ghost haunting her. Even if it means distrusting the childhood friend they reconnect with. The girl who she has always loved, and now reminds of her who she once was.
This is a gory heart racing story that makes you squirm from the violence and the unrelenting thoughts of impending doom. But it is also one of humanity, hope, family, and forgiveness. How kindness and love can still prevail. And most prominently, what it takes to continue on when everything tells you not to. What it is to choose to live.