Review: This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summer

Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal)
Author: Courtney Summers

Book Summary:
It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

from goodreads

My Thoughts:

This Is Not A Test is a 'wow' book for me.

The story starts of in a somber-ish mood, then two pages later bang! The action.

Sloane, the MC, sits in the bathtub thinking of her sister, wondering why she left her. Sloane's mom died a while back, and living with her father is a nightmare. Then the Undead burst into her life, claiming her father in the process. All hell breaks loose after that. It's survival for the fittest.


The characters: Sloane, Trace, Gary, Grace, Rhys, Harrison. these are the survivors so far, hiding inside the school, with Zombies hiding, waiting for any opportunity to come out and play. After days spending in each other's company, tension rises among these survivals, romantic bonds are formed, even to the point of forming alliances - in case they leave, who will leave with who.

As for Sloane --the MC--she realizes that survival is the key. She starts to care. It was really good to see the character growth from this uncaring, suicidal girl, to caring, fighting to survive, and not only for her sake.

What a story! Highly recommended, if you are looking for a heartstopping YA, which will keep you guessing. So unpredictable, and brilliant