This is not a test

A story I finished mere hours after I started it; to call This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers gripping would be an understatement.

The world has ended or at least it seems that way, for unknown reasons the dead have risen and they are seeking out the living, to kill them, to eat them and with every bite more dead rise. In Sloane Price's mind, however, the end of the world is exactly what she needs. While the group of fellow students, Sloane finds herself barricaded with, try their best to stay alive Sloane prays for the dead to come bursting through the doors to take her and end her life. Because ever since Sloane's older sister Lily abandoned her to escape their abusive father, Sloane can't see what there is left to live for especially now that the rest of the world is joining the dead.

This is Not a Test is an intense and heart twisting novel that reads more normal than paranormal despite being filled with merciless, man eating corpses. Don't get me wrong, the zombies are there and they are scary. Not only can Courtney Summer's zombies run fast, but they are strong and smart. There was one particular scene in this book that had my mouth dropping open and eyes bugging out because even though I wanted the characters to make it, there was no denying that the zombies had just made a brilliant move. They aren't the focus of the story however; the focus is Sloane and the other characters because although it's hard not to think about zombies banging on your door it's the characters that carry the story.

Now almost always, for me to love a story I need to love the characters but in this case I did not like anyone from This is Not a Test, not even Sloane but I did find them all to be realistic and enthralling. I would never want to meet any of them, not even kind hearted Grace or considerate Rhys but all of them kept my eyes glued to the pages and anxious to find out what would happen to each of them. How far would each of them go to survive and what they would do to each other because when it comes down to kill or be killed even the sweetest person can turn into a monster. And some of these characters do some unspeakable things.

If you're looking for a novel with pure action and carnage then this isn't the book for you, but if you want a book that's deep, intense, and provocative, a novel that doesn't gloss over the gritty parts of death or human nature then read This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers because it'll be exactly what you are looking for.

The thing no one tells you about surviving, about the mere act of holding out, is how many hours are nothing because nothing happens. They also don't tell you about how you can share your deepest secrets with someone, kiss them, and the next hour it's like there's nothing between you because not everything can mean something all the time or you'd be crushed under the weight of it.

courtney summers has been my favorite author since i was 12 and i waited a super long time to read this but god she just always knocks it out of the park. she makes me feel crazy with how much i love the way she writes and the stories she's able to tell, but most of all i love her protagonists and how terrible and selfish and broken they can be. she's always had this ability to tap into the darkest parts of being a teen girl so well it blows my mind still. this might be one of her darkest works, but at the end it's all still so human...

Ahh so scary!! A really innovative twist on zombie stories, especially given that I do not really care about zombies, like, at all. It's okay because this isn't really about zombies, they're just like, there, in the background, for some compelling and scary teen character development. Very hard to put down.