This was a heart-pounding thriller that felt so timely. Reading about a pandemic during a pandemic added an extra layer of suspense and intrigue. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my library's collection.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Scene of the Crime for the early copy of this thriller. This thriller has a pandemic angle that makes it timely, unfortunately it is in need of some major editing.

This is my first Paul Tremblay book and I am not a fan, The book centers on Ramola and Natalie two long time friends who are thrown together in crisis when a rabies like infection starts spreading all over the country, Natalie (who is very pregnant), and her husband are attacked by a man who was bitten and is displaying zombie Iike qualities. Natalie is bitten on the arm, and her husband is killed in the attack. Natalie races to Ramola who is a doctor to try to seek help before the infection starts spreading. Natalie fears for her life and the life of her unborn child. As they race against time to try to save Natalie they must also try to stay safe from others who are infected. I gave this one start because this author really overdoes it in the book. The author uses big words unnecessarily like he’s trying to convince us that he is educated, I also feel like he rambles on and makes passage so long for no reason. It almost feels like filler or a person who just talks too much and can’t get to the point. I couldn’t even enjoy the book I was so annoyed, I probably will not read this author again, If you like zombie stories and you can get past all the unnecessary dialogue you may really enjoy this book. Just not my cup of tea.

I requested this ARC because I very much enjoyed "A Head Full of Ghosts" and was not disappointed. Reading this during the pandemic provided extra background on how people react to a communicable disease. I appreciated the grounding of the disease as a variant of rabies, which moved quickly through the body, instead of a generic zombie disease. The action was fast-paced and the author did a balanced job is describing the horror of being bitten by a person infected with virulent rabies, while not over doing it a repulsing the reader. The pacing was excellent, and I read late into the night, to find out if Natalie and Ramola would be able to deliver the baby safely. The emotional turmoil of Natalie losing her husband, being bitten and knowing that she was infected and would not see the birth of her daughter was heart wrenching, but the emotions of Ramola were also nuanced. As a doctor, should she lie about Natalie's infection, in the hopes she will be let into a hospital that can deliver the child via c-section? This was a great edge of your seat read and it is highly recommended to fans of "Bird Box" by Josh Malerman and "Parasite" by Mira Grant.

Thank you NetGalley for my first book by Paul Tremblay.
What a perfect time for this to be released. Dark, intriguing and graphic.
3.5 stars for this and will definitely check out more from this author.

An unexpected twist on the zombie story. I love that there are two strong female main characters and the driving force is to deliver a baby safely (I mean what.???!!!) . The doctors are female, the friends are female, the baby is female! This was great!

Survivor Song is a post apocalyptic story set in the near future where this is a strain of rabies that is not only affecting the wildlife but also the human population. People are becoming feverish, delusional, and getting an instinct to bite. The story specifically follows a young pregnant woman named Natalie and her husband. Right at the beginning of the story they are attacked by a feverish man. Her husband does not fare well and Natalie is bitten and is force to go on the run to get medical help. She reaches out to her college best friend who is a pediatrician and together they seek out help in order to not only hopefully save her but also the life of her unborn child.

For those of you who are familiar with Paul Tremblay, I'd say this book has all the classic tropes of a Paul Tremblay book. At this point, I have read everything that he has published and I really enjoy him personally. I'd say this book most closely resembles The Cabin at the end of the world in terms of level of suspense and action but certainly it is it's own story. What Tremblay likes to do is he takes these different subgenres of horror but he puts more of a literary spin and does his own take on the subgenre. So here he takes a post apocalyptic story which typically in horror is this big global story often told from multiple perspectives and you get to see the ramifications all around the world but instead he takes a very intimate approach so most of the story is simply the traveling of these two women as they are trying to get help. It's very character focused and the characters themselves are as you would expect with Tremblay, absolutely fantastic. I also appreciated the inclusion of asexual representation which is not something I see often enough in literature.

This book has a lot of emotional appeal. Theres definitly some gut punch moments. Theres a lot of ups and downs and it was very gripping to read. I want to mention before I wrap up this review is this is not a zombie book. The outbreak is very much a science based outbreak.

All in all, another Tremblay book to add to the library. Very much recommend.

This book caught my attention from the first page and all I wanted to do was keep reading. It tells the story of just a few people trying to find medical care for the main character, who is pregnant. A new mutation of rabies has hospitals overrun and no hope of getting help. The friendships that are part of this book are amazing in themselves. The uncertainty of an outcome with the disease and the unpredictability of human character definitely gave me something to think about. Riveting and well written.

WOW ! What an incredible read. I didn't know if I would like reading about a deadly virus during the current pandemic, but this was an incredible book.

After Massachusetts is hit by a super contagious strain of a rabies-like virus, spread by saliva, the entire state goes into lockdown.

The fear and horror was palpable. The characters were well written and complex.

Such a great story, loved every creepy minute.

Another good entry by Tremblay. Nothing amazing, but I'll be recommending this one to certain patrons.

Tremblay's a perfect horror author, there's no way around it. When I thought the Zombie/Pandemic angle couldn't be approached with further nuance, he did it.

I read this book for my booktubers and brews liveshow for July. You can see my full review with spoilers here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3re_Har5u4

I blame this rating on myself - I thought this book was going to be a great apocalyptic, surviving story, and instead it was a very slow, character driven story. This book takes place all in the span of a few hours, but focuses on two peoples' friendship more than anything else. It was really boring to me, and I would have DNF'd it if it wasn't for the liveshow.

This is so eerily close to what is happening today. Makes you stop and think a little. I have read most books by Paul and he is becoming one of my favorites. He has yet to disappoint

Right now, I am only reading books that will give me an escape from the current COVID-19 pandemic. I opened this title on my Kindle and read the first three pages only to find it was about a rabies pandemic. Damn. It was too late, I was bitten. I rabidly consumed this book, feverishly turning the pages until the very end.

The original copyright date on this was November 2019. Really? Paul Tremblay, where did you divine the hyper-accurate downward spiral the US would take with the coronavirus pandemic?? Had I not been living this situation and the daily breaking news alerts that test our sanity and make us question the sanity of our fellow citizens, while fearing for the coming demise of our country thanks to enabled sociopathic leadership, I would have dismissed this book out of hand as too far-fetched. Instead, every head-scratching, mind-boggling, anger-inducing facet of the US’s handling and citizens’ response to the pandemic appeared in the pages of this book. I found it to be frighteningly prophetic and I had to know how Tremblay’s telling of the end unfold.

I could not turn the pages fast enough. 5-stars.

A book about a rapidly spreading disease? And reading it during a pandemic? Why not?!
•
•
Honestly, this was a little terrifying for me. It starts with a bang and then takes place over the course of hours. A virulent rabies-like disease has spread to humans, but unlike rabies, the onset is rapid. Those bitten quickly lose their minds and are driven to bite. Natalie is 38 weeks pregnant when she is bitten. She immediately calls her friend Ramola who is a pediatrician, and she does her best to get medical care for Natalie immediately. Things don’t go smoothly and there’s our story.
It’s good! I’m a microbiologist and this is so fascinating to me, evolution in microorganisms and their epidemiology, so I enjoyed this one. This is my first my Tremblay but it won’t be my last.

The timing of this book is likely going to catch this title some attention. Worth read for those that enjoy Tremblay's work - but not his best.

I liked this book!! It was okay story!! I would have probably liked it more if it wasn't during covid 19 with the book having a virus I like his other book a lot better!! Received this book from Harper Collins publishing from netgally!!

Maybe not the best book for our current situation. It is a horror novel in which a virus like rabies. The country is quarantine and when Natalie is bit on the arm by a rabid man she turns to her friend, a doctor for help. There’s a lot of political commentary about the short sightedness of the federal bureaucracy. It is a story of survival and readers will see things that mirror life today. I’m not a fan of horror novels, so I’m not the best to review this. If you are a fan of books by Tremblay, you will enjoy this book. Zombies are not my favorite genre.

I ended up enjoying - and being terrified by - this novel even more than I was expecting. As I’m sure a lot of reviews have said, this story is incredibly fitting given our current pandemic situation and the often stereotypical way people end up responding. My favorite aspect was the fact that the author presented the story as a microcosm, showing this rampant infection, it’s progression, and the breakdown and rebuilding of humanity through two friends on a quest for one of them to give birth to a healthy baby before it’s too late. A fast-paced and thought-provoking read!

I can’t decide if reading this during a pandemic was the best or worst idea I’ve had for a while. What I do know for sure is I’ve struggled with reading throughout it, but not with this book. I was instantly hooked and read through super quickly. This was a tense book and while I couldn't stop reading it, I was constantly afraid of what would happen next.

The little blurb tells you all you need to know and if that was enough to grab your attention, I’d recommend avoiding lengthy reviews and give it a shot. I wouldn’t say this was similar to Bird Box if that’s a concern, except for maybe the increasing sense of dread you feel as you read it.