idk how a book about a rabies-fueled zombie apocalypse can feel like a hug but this did. this was truly a marvel of a book with queer hope, familial love, and brutal, gory honesty wrapped together. the ending felt a little fast with a lot of twists and reveals, but i love that it ended with hope. hope has been in such short supply lately that this felt like a book bigger than an apocalypse — it felt like telling queer, neurodivergent people that there is hope here and now. it felt like telling us that it’s ok to survive however we have to as long as we *do it.* thank you for this book racquel marie. 💕

4.25 🌟
"If We Survive This" is a ya dystopian novel set in a post rabies/zombie apocalypse California. We follow Flora and her brother as they try to survive this outbreak as they try to leave their Los Angeles home to travel to a safer remote Northern California. This was a captivating horror-light story that kept me intrigued the whole time. I was also a big fan of the brother keeping a pocket dictionary and his sprinkling in random words for them to learn throughout their journey.

Words:
Acumen: ability to make decisions or learn important things
Brio: vivacity, vivid, vibrancy
Amative: she fondly moved by love, especially sexual desire.
Unctuous: (of a person) excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily.
Compeer: a companion or associate.
Valorous: showing great courage in the face of danger

*LGBTQIA+ rep
*OCD rep

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVE QUEER ZOMBIE BOOKS! I was so excited to see this coming out and it lived up to my anticipatory hype. I loved the queer rep, OCD rep and found family. Would love to read more from Raquel Marie in the future!

If We Survive This is the perfect YA zombie apocalyptic book. It gives you the creepy and chilling vibe while keeping you on your toes. This is perfect for those who love zombies mixed with found family and LGBTQ+ characters

I LOVED If We Survive This by Racquel Marie. 😭💀 This book hits so many notes—it’s scary, heart-wrenching, and somehow full of hope all at the same time. Flora and Cain’s journey through this rabid-apocalypse had me on the edge of my seat, but what really got me was Flora. Girl is fighting OCD and fear of death while also trying to survive a literal nightmare, and Marie writes her so real—I felt every panic, every frustration, every little moment of courage.

The alternating “Now” and “Then” chapters? Genius. They give you all the feels, letting you see who Flora was before everything went sideways and how she’s grown through all the chaos. And Cain? Bro’s protective but human, and their sibling bond? Chef’s kiss. 👌🏾

This isn’t just a scary story—it’s about family, love, mental health, and finding your own strength when everything around you is falling apart. If you love YA horror with heart, with real characters who feel like people you could know… grab this book. You’re gonna feel it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3

Further proof that if a zombie apocalypse does happen I'm letting them get me day one.

I don't say this lightly: this is my favorite zombie book to date. It's gritty. It's gory. It feels hopeless and hopeful at the same time. I know for a fact that nobody is doing it like Racquel Marie is. I can't write a review powerful enough to capture everything this book made me feel. The fact that she narrates it herself... god I was a freaking mess. Please, if you take any recommendation from me at all let it be this one. I will never hear critiques on this book.

racquel’s books are some of my all time favorites, and this one is no exception. which is hilarious, because zombie media is usually not my thing. but of course, if racquel writes it, i’ll read it, which means this was a big win for me. the timeline flashbacks were well-placed to add context and flesh out the characters. and speaking of characters, a character-driven story in the apocalypse may be more my speed than plot, because this really worked for me. i appreciated how well flora’s OCD was handled and seeing how it affected her navigation of a new reality that none of them could change. another win from racquel!!!

"It was always like this in there, wasn't it? The fear. The danger. The inimicality. It was never not like this for you"

This might be one of the best books I have read all year so far! The OCD rep and the zombie-like apocalypse was so awesome! The writing was done so well and Flora's character was done so beautiful. The ending made me cry, but it was a good cry

I've never read a book with such accurate OCD rep before and it honestly healed something in me

Representation:
- OCD
- Grief
- Sapphic Couple
- Gay Couple
- Trans side character

I don’t usually gravitate toward zombie books, but this one really drew me in—so I decided to give it a try.

And honestly... it broke my heart. Just when it seemed like things might finally turn around, something else would happen to drag the characters even deeper into despair. Given the bleak, dystopian setting, that kind of relentless struggle made sense—but I kept hoping they’d finally find a place to settle and breathe.

The relationship between Flora and Cain was one of the most compelling parts for me. It’s messy and layered, and you can tell they both carry the weight of wanting to protect each other.

The ending left me with a strange mix of hope and sorrow—plus a bit of confusion. It wasn’t necessarily a bad ending, just different from what I expected. That ambiguous “did they make it?” moment didn’t quite land the way I hoped it would.

Still, I’m glad I read it. It took me on an emotional ride I won’t soon forget.

Flora Braddock Paz did not expect to be a survivor, and yet here she is doing just that with her brother. Who knew her OCD and Intrusive thoughts were training her for this?

If We Survive This, is more than meets the eye. This YA Apocalyptic Horror had a great story, fantastic representation, diversity, found family, and a bit of romance. I was locked in from the beginning.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Look, I will always pick up a book by Racquel Marie. This one is different from her other releases but something still very similar with the deep emotional stories, mental health rep, and queer rep. Just add in some zombies. I think this story has so much depth and it's so good! Read this!

TW: OCD, some gore, and grief.

I had high hopes for this book, but was left wanting more. I thought the characters were age-appropriately written given a global pandemic and flesh-eating beings killing everyone on Earth. I enjoyed the diversity in characters and inter-sibling relationships as well as the romance subplots.

I did feel that the world-building was lackluster, which can be to a book's detriment in the dystopian genre. There were some awkward time jumps, hazy settings, and while the action was compelling and fast-paced it lacked grounding.

Overall, enjoyed the premise but was left wanting waaaay more.

4.5/5 ⭐️ Zombies, sapphic, Racquel Marie, say less. This was a fun fast paced YA novel that satisfied my cravings for a good sapphic zombie apocalypse book. I found the characters to be engaging and the representation of OCD to be done with care and research. The plot kept me engaged until the end and just like Marie’s other books I found myself laughing out loud at some points. Check this out if you want a fun, quick and easy read that will keep you engaged and entertained the whole way through. THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR LETTING ME HAVE ACCESS TO THIS STORY EARLY (despite my late review sorry!) IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!

A great book with representation! Such a good time.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

If We Survive This is a fast-paced, end-of-the-world survival story that doesn’t aim to reinvent the genre but delivers an entertaining ride from start to finish. The plot centers on a siblings navigating the chaos of a collapsed society, dangerous infected people and trying to make it back to their family’s remote cabin, holding on to the hope that their parents are still alive. Finding survivors and fleeing the infected while Flora, the FMC, is also dealing with OCD and the need to protect her brother. The author portrayed OCD in a genuine and sensitive way.

I absolutely love zombies and end of the world fiction. It's not going to win any literary awards, but it's a great read if you're interested in this genre and/or want to check it out

3.5 stars

I read zombie apocalypse and queer and knew I needed to check this one out. There is a lot of representation in this, with a neurodivergent MC and LGBTQIA+ and Latinx characters. I also liked that the story went between past and present timelines to keep things moving and show all that Flora has been through.

With this being a horror zombie book, I hoped there would be more of it in the plot. This was more of a found family, coming of age YA instead and the horror didn't hit as hard as I wanted. Still, I enjoyed reading this and appreciated the quick pacing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the copy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

If We Survive This follows teen Flora who, a year and a half into a global outbreak of a rabies mutation, sets out with her older brother Cain towards a potential safe haven, and a potential reunion with their father.

I love zombies, and I love Racquel Marie, so it was pretty inevitable that I was going to love this book. Flora is such an interesting and compelling character, and though it is often difficult to read from her -- both her lived and imaginary horrors are vivid and awful -- her story is beautifully executed. I've always believed that a good zombie story hinges on the strength of its characters, and Flora is certainly one such character.

There is still plenty of action and violence, and a hint of romance, that bolster a plot ultimately about family and the things we do to help each other survive. If We Survive This is an excellent pick for anyone looking for a quick YA survival story with a heap of heart.

Interesting apocalyptic read. I was really loving the characters. The world and story building was good. I was at the edge of my seat a few times. It was interesting to see/read a person with different views and thoughts as myself. I would definitely read more about the characters, I recommend!

-violence/gore/death/amputation
-apocalyptic
-rabid people
-found family
-loss of family/former life
-fmc with ocd, anxiety, and morbid ideation, intrusive thoughts
-queer characters (lesbian, bi, trans, etc)
-loveable dog

Thank you so much to Feiwel & Friends for the eARC of If We Survive This via NetGalley!

I really didn’t know what to expect when I picked up If We Survive This, I just knew that I was interested in reading something by Racquel Marie & ✨zombies✨.

Wow, was I blown away by the phenomenal & beautiful writing within these pages.

If We Survive This is an incredibly emotional read that centers around family and taking care of those you love, even when it feels like you can’t take care of yourself. Did I get teary-eyed reading this? Absolutely.

The zombie aspect is also solid and there’s some pretty good bloody scenes. But I think my favorite part about this one is the relatability of Flora & her anxiety. As a person who’s had the same fears as our main character & has obsessed over the thought of death, this book made me feel seen and was oddly comforting.

Definitely recommend if you’re in the mood to through some emotions. I will definitely be reading more from Racquel Marie!

This was such an interesting premise and i thought executed so well, thoughtfully mapping out how mental illness might manifest in dystopia.