I have mixed feelings for this book. The apocalyptic story was really interesting and well thought out. The way people were surviving and moving around while staying alive kept you intrigued. And the relationships that developed between uninfected people was as complicated as all relationships are.
The main character was a struggle for me. There were several times when she deliberately sabotaged plans and caused more problems. It took the mood and scary buildup away from the story and almost felt forced.
It had a lot of potential but fell a little short for me.

If We Survive This is the third book I’ve read by this author. I’m also a big zombie fan so it was a win win choice. First thing that took my attention is how fast this author has gotten so good. Flora is a teenager who should be celebrating milestones like her 18th birthday, prom, and graduation but instead is fighting for her life against a world of rabids and evil humans. She is also trying her best to watch out for her older brother, Cain, who sometimes seems more vulnerable in this new life.

I love when books take a running leap into a story, especially when it’s meant to be scary or suspenseful. When we join Flora and Cain, a year has gone by since the rabies mutation began to devastate the population so the horror is now ever present. They are managing alone in their family home but decide that survival means taking a risk and leaving for a better place. This hellish road trip toggles back and forth with a family trip to a cabin that took place in the past during more innocuous times.

This author never writes about just the subject at hand. That’s what I love best about her books. Flora fears the world, the micro details of daily life. Her brain captures the possible dangers and sends everything to worst case scenarios. Though she struggles, she still finds joy in her family, her fashion art, and the world at large. But in the present, all of those fears are real. Death and loss are the here and now. The give and take of the sibling relationship is strongly written as well. Of course, Flora and Cain love each other but the dynamics between siblings can be complicated too. The book has action, violence, and some Queer romance. Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of dystopian worlds, zombie/pandemic stories, sibling YA mains, and young adult characters struggling but also finding meaning in life.

Imagine trying to survive a world gone to hell but also trying to survive your own mind? When the rabies virus mutates and turns humans into the living dead, that is exactly what Flora has to do. With only her brother left, she has to put aside her fears and face the world for both of them.

This story not only had a unique take on zombies and their "creation" but also showed us the inside of someone's mind with OCD. This story is beautiful, profound, gory, and heartbreaking.

As someone who is obcessed with all things apocolypse and zombies, this book was addicting from the first page, and I need more like this immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I haven't read a zombie novel in awhile that I loved as much as this one. There was so much heart and while there's always a touch of romance in YA I'm happy it wasn't a huge part. The flashback chapters were short and helpful to the story and didn't take you out of the story. I will definitely be handselling this one.

What a beautiful, dark, and emotional story.

I love zombie/apocalypse media, and this was such a fun edition to the genre! It does such an amazing job of showcasing the true horrors (beyond the zombies) of an apocalypse and how it can bring out the worst in people.

The characters are the shining stars of this novel. Despite being in a literal zombie apocalypse, they all feel very grounded and are not overshadowed by what is happening to or around them. Flora has such a unique voice as a result of her OCD, and seeing how she navigates the new world she has been thrown into while also grappling with her internal thoughts was my favorite aspect of the book.

I was the perfect mix of afraid for our characters, while also rooting for them to meet their goals. The stakes actually felt high, and I was genuinely afraid for Flora and her traveling companions several times, and was even moved to tears at one point.

Racquel Marie's writing always does it for me, and this was no exception. The way she writes connections between characters and beautifully depicts emotions somehow fits perfectly against the backdrop of the end of the world and fighting for your life. I really felt like I was in the thick of it with these characters and felt so much love, heartbreak, and fear.

If We Survive This by Racquel Marie was a fun YA thriller/horror that pulls you straight into a post-apocalyptic world through the eyes of these captivating, relatable, well-drawn teens.
The well-developed and compelling characters hooked me from the start.

I've been obsessed with zombie novels on and off since I was in high school and I truly love this version of the virus that causes people to become zombies. This book is one that I wish I could reach back in time to my high school self and give it to her, because it would have been lifechanging for her to read a queer zombie horror novel.
This book was so good. I loved the characters, especially Flora. I often am stuck in thought patterns similar to hers, and so I felt like I understood what she was going through throughout the book.

I know that this book is a deviation from the types of books Racquel Marie typically writes, but after reading If We Survive This, I can't wait to read their other books!

The book was removed from my netgalley app so I lost my notes so bare with me.

Im not a horror reader I 100% picked this up because of the author so I feel like I cant rate it on where it stands as a horror book but just a book overall.

I enjoyed the main character SO much. She's definitely not perfect but who is in an apocalypse? I actually dont read about sibling relationships often but I enjoyed it here. Also really loved the ending.

I did have a hard time connecting the the side characters tho, and its not a story that'll be sticking around in my head long.

I’m a fan of The Walking Dead and zombie stories in general, so this was a guaranteed hook for me.

Make no mistake – there’s a good amount of blood and gore in this novel, but I’d hesitate to classify it as horror. Clashes with the rabid are on the backburner as this is more of a character driven story. Flora navigates this apocalyptic world with OCD, something that magnifies her fears in an already terrifying situation. She’s highly protective of older brother Cain and would rather risk her own life before his. The two of them leave their suburban LA house for a cabin in northern California where they vacationed with their family for many years. During their journey they come across Cris, an old friend/love interest, who’s traveling with Adan and an adorable dog named Biscuit (for my fellow animal lovers, Biscuit lives), but Flora doesn’t trust them. As with The Walking Dead, the real danger is other people more so than the rabid.

Chapters rotate between the world before the rabid when Flora’s family was together and present day. Through conversations with her brother and Cris, Flora learns their perceptions of her were very different than how she perceived herself before the outbreak, and it’s something she struggles to come to terms with. The ending wasn’t what I’d expected going into the novel, but it fit with the characters and their motivations.

Recommended for fans of coming of age stories, survival/thriller more than horror, and diverse casts of characters.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was marketed as "if Walking Dead meets Yellowjackets," and while Yellowjackets is still on my tbr (I know, I know) I have seen walking dead two, if not three times through now with all the spin off's, I'm a zombie girl. With that being said I can be very critical on the "how's," of Zombie novels. "If We Survive This," did not disappoint. I loved all the Zombie aspects, the how they became, the info of how they act and why they act different at different "stages."

Now the characters. Flora was probably one of my favorite FMC I've come across in awhile. I love the way the author did not make her OCD or her being a lesbian the first thing we learn or the main focus of her character. I think both aspects of her character were flushed out so well, I did not even notice at times! Additionally, I did not mind any of the others, and thought all of them were very believable easy to read about people.

I honestly wanted someone to die, and maybe that is messed up of me, but again Zombie girl, someone would of died. At the end I was like......ohhhh....ohhhh.... lol .... iykyk but I did love the ending and all of it will 100% be persuading me to buy a physical copy and I followed this author as well.

Flora has spent much of her life in constant fear of losing the people she loves in any number of traumatic ways. When she is thrust into a real life zombie apocalypse, she knows that she's the last one who is supposed to make it. But being responsible for her brother gives Flora strength she didn't know she had. When the siblings set out to see if their dad made it to their secluded cabin, they encounter expected and unexpected dangers along the way. Their relationships and fortitude will be tested, and that's if they even survive.

At first glance, If We Survive This is just another zombie apocalypse story. What really stands out though is Flora's character growth and the way her anxiety/OCD are handled. I'm always up for another dystopia novel, but I think the focus on mental health and relationships gives the story a different feel. It still contains all the blood, gore, and zombie killing that one would expect, and the details are definitely gruesome. Probably a book that will end up in our horror section, but that has a strong character depth as well.

flora braddock paz has always considered herself weak. there’s no room for weakness during the apocalypse, though, and somehow she and her older brother are still alive half a year into it. now, they’re on their way from their desolate LA suburb to their secluded cabin in northern california. but no matter how far they run, death is never far behind.

i’ve enjoyed racquel marie’s romances, so i was very excited for her first horror novel! i loved how flora had OCD and how this was discussed in the midst of an apocalypse. this story was focused on her journey rather than the apocalypse itself (though, obviously, this did play a big role in her development), and i liked seeing how she changed throughout the book. we also get flashbacks to flora’s pre-zombie world, providing more insight into her story. overall, this was a great book, and i highly recommend this to anyone looking for a character-driven YA horror.

a post-apocalyptic ya story that explores grief and the fear of living in the unknown

if we survive this follows flora, a young adult who was preparing to go to fashion school, and her brother cain, as they make their way from their "relatively safe" home in search of their father, who they believe is in a cabin up north. this is a post-apocalyptic setting, with rabids everywhere as a result of a mutated rabies virue. along the way, they bump into old acquaintances, who they proceed to make the journey with. the story has two timelines, switching between flora and her family going to the cabin before the apocalypse, and flora and her ragtag crew after.

this novel is described as yellowjackets meets the walking dead. i do see the walking dead in here, but not really yellowjackets. nevertheless, i'm a fan of flora. i'm around the same age as her, and i really do understand her. she's dealing with the fear and grief that comes with losing people you care,her constant fear of death, the anxiety over the world becoming something entirely else from what you're used to, and the uncertainty that comes with your life changing. flora is dealing with OCD and anxiety, and it's magnifiied by the world she's in now. i thought her relationship with cain was accurate and well-written; they love each other, but at the same time, they can't agree on a lot of important topics.

i also really liked the other characters; adán lowkey annoyed me but i grew to like him. the cast felt very developed and solid; i loath the found family dynamic if not done right but i will say they were like a found family (even though two of them are related). flora and crisanta's relationship was very slow burn; i think i was 50% through the book and they were still building up for it. BUT I enjoyed it i can't lie okay when crisanta sleeps near flora in the hospital(?) i was seeing the vision

honestly, i wouldn't really describe this book as horror; maybe more thriller? it reads to me as a coming-of-age in the unknown, especially since flora is quite literally coming of age in the apocalypse. this is trademark marie; balanced diversity, well-written and emotional relationships, and a complex main character. i def recommend this book to fans of marie's previous works, fans of zombie stories, or fans of ya coming-of-age stories.

thanks to netgalley and macmillan for the arc!

“It’s a fool’s world, sweetheart. Knowing I can make a tiny difference in whatever time another living creature has left is what gets me out of the nurse’s office cot every morning,” a former vetenarian tells Flora, the main character, explaining why she chooses this dangerous life, all alone in a remote location, taking in strangers that need her help.

Like any good sci-fi book, "If We Survive This" raises core questions that resonate even when you haven’t lived through a zombie apocalypse, such as “What do we live for, especially when the world is bad?” “How do we know what constitutes a life worth living?” “How does humanity respond to change and catastrophe?”

But what truly sets "If We Survive This" apart is how it filters these big questions through a queer lens—one often missing in post-apocalyptic narratives. Queer people have always known what it means to live in dystopia: organizing, resisting, and imagining a better future. Furthermore, If We Survive This affirms what queer people already know to be true: that queerness is not a trend. Even in the apocalypse, queer people will still survive, build community, take the leap of faith that is coming out, and find ways to stick together through it all. People are still going to be trans, even when the apocalypse comes and hormones and other gender affirming healthcare are entirely out of reach – This is and has been many trans people’s reality since the beginning of time. And there will be so much love, in the many forms that can take.

If there’s one part of the book that didn’t fully land for me, it’s the “then” chapters. They’re meant to provide emotional context and backstory but most of them feel too low-stakes to hold weight next to the intense present-day narrative. While they show how Flora’s OCD shaped her thinking, the scenarios were often repetitive and didn’t build much narrative momentum. The only “then” chapter that truly hit for me was the last one, where the climax of that storyline is reached. I found myself wishing the flashbacks had either been pared down or pushed further — with more emotional turns, or perhaps told through more varied, nonlinear moments that could showcase Flora’s interior life without slowing the pace.

Ultimately, "If We Survive This" is a reminder that what makes a life worth living — connection, identity, courage — doesn’t just disappear when the world ends.

If We Survive This is an apocalyptic zombie book with rabids going after our main characters. However, this book is so much more of this. This book is about grief, how we navigate that, while also trying to survive in an unsurvivable world. Flora is our main character and one that is entirely relatable and feels real in this surreal world. I really enjoyed the world building in this and it felt like its own take on the end of the world. The sibling relationship between Flora and Cain also felt real and relatable. I honestly can't recommend this book highly enough.

I love horror novels but I admit I wasn't sure how I was gonna feel about a young adult horror novel. However, this books is like The Walking Dead meets Yellowjackets.

I will admit that I actually enjoyed this book. When a virus ravages the world, Flora and her brother have to navigate survival. I guess the question is can you truly "live" in a town of chaos?

I loved that mitchell health was representing a very good way in this book. Flora deals with anxiety and OCD and I feel like the author touched on these subjects very well. I love how well written.The characters were in this book. I also feel like there was a good representation of what the world would be like in a time like this.

I was a little shocked at the endings, but I can't say that was mad about it..

The way Racquel Marie never misses! This was a departure from her usual contemporary work but still has her usual queer, tender, heartfelt characters. An auto buy author for me

This was an intense read! While it deals quite a bit with fear as a concept, it's less horror and more dystopian in my opinion. It's a post-apocalyptic world as seen through the eyes of a girl with OCD and intrusive thoughts. There's plenty of action and bloody violence, like you would see with a typical zombie storyline. They are not real zombies, but they're similar enough that it gave me chills.

This is a good read for someone who is ready for the spooky season! It reads like a movie, which is my favorite kind of story. I highly recommend picking this book up!

I really enjoyed the relationship between Flora and Cain, while fraught with typical sibling problems and even more issues due to the zombie apocalypse, they are still ride or die for each other. I wasn't a fan of the other two characters that were brought into the story, or the romance that formed between them and the siblings. But I kind of just skimmed past those parts. There is a dog, and I am going to spoil one part.... read ahead at your own risk.... it lives. your welcome.

I think this is more a survival story vs horror, but it was enjoyable and fast paced. And even though the ending was a bit ambiguous, I overall had a good time reading the story.

- With IF WE SURVIVE THIS, Marie brings her signature prickly girls and complex interpersonal dynamics to a zombie apocalypse story, with fantastic results.
- Flora is a new favorite main character of mine. She has OCD, which as you can imagine is a particular nightmare in this scenario. She deals with fear of germs and intrusive, violent thoughts throughout the book.
- Plus, it’s not a Marie book if there aren’t several queer identities represented. We still don’t have enough QTBIPOC in traditionally published YA stories, and she is bringing it.