This story grabs you by the throat and heart and does not let go. This is a story about the end of the world and how hope is the last thing left standing.

I love love love post apocalyptic novels, and this one was not one to disappoint. I felt like I was really there fighting for my life alongside everyone else, and each twist and then was gasp worthy. You’d think a book about the end of humanity would only have the main focus of survival, but the intertwined romances was the perfect addition to the desperation the characters were feeling, and the need for one last shred of humanity. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Racquel Marie’s books have been favorites of mine since her debut, but her turn to horror might be the best thing I’ve read so far this year. I’m not usually that big on gore and get very freaked out by regular viruses, let alone a zombie-creating mutation of rabies, but the thing is, so is Flora! No matter how terrified I am, Flora is feeling about a thousand times worse! Despite the apocalypse setting, I feel like this book still follows a lot of Racquel’s other books’ themes—family, grief, friendship, survival—and that’s what makes me love them so much. Truly an excellent work. Maybe don’t read this before bed, though.

I loved this one. It’s written quite well and doesn’t come off as your typical YA horror book. The characters are likable and their interactions are believable.

I have read Racquel Marie’s other three books so I was so excited when I got approved for an E-ARC! My girl never misses! I LOVED this. It was very well paced, I immediately connected to Flora, the FMC, and her group in the apocalypse. I thought the structure was good and so many great and memorable moments! I can’t wait to get a physical copy when it’s out in June!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends (Imprint of MacMillan) for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC)*

I loved this book so much.

I've gone on and on about how much I adore Marie's writing, of its tenderness and the emotional punches that hit hard exactly when they need to, so I won't rattle on too much about it here, but the character work here is still a quality of her writing I am drawn to every time.

Flora is such an incredible antagonist. Someone who she, and everyone around her, thought of as weak until the apocalypse came and she comes to learn she can survive in it. Not for herself but for her brother, a person she would die for while harboring some resentments for. Her grief, OCD, and very possible PTSD hurt her a lot throughout the book, but she still fights like hell for those she loves despite her believing she doesn't deserve to survive, not after all she's been through. She tries to shove any perceived weakness down by acting cold and hardened, especially towards Crisanta, her childhood crush, but she cannot help but love those she's closest with. It eventually leads her to learning she does deserve to survive, to live and be with the people she loves and who love her. It damn nearly made me cry.

I'm also really delighted that Marie's prose regarding the horrors, the gore and death descriptions, are so vividly gruesome and great. She admitted in the acknowledgements that she could never do horror because of how squeamish it made her, but I think her horror prose is amazing, and I loved that she pulled it off.

Another incredible Racquel Marie book to add to my shelf, and I cannot wait to see what she'll do next!

*3.5 stars*

I don’t normally gravitate towards zombie books but this one drew me in with its lgbtq representation & comparison to Yellowjackets. It’s beautifully written and has some really great quotes.

The main characters have interesting back stories which makes you grow attached to them and want to learn more. And there’s this unique added element of dealing with OCD/anxiety and navigating through your {already confusion and emotionally heightened} highschool/college years WHILE trying to survive a zombie apocalypse.

It smoothly jumps between the past and present to give us more information into Flora (our mc) and the deep emotions she has to tackle throughout the book. And of course there are some unexpected twists along the way.

It’s beautifully written and has some really great quotes

I did get frustrated with Flora because she has this hero complex but has to be saved multiple times. I do think that we’re supposed to feel this way though.

“It’s so much better to be feared than underestimated”

“No one makes it out of life, unscathed, or unscarred”

“The only blade I had in my possession is the confusion piercing my thoughts”

“Morbid curiosity is a bruise I’ve never been able to stop poking, a beast. I can’t stop feeding despite it’s insatiability”

Thank you to @NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The Walking Dead meets Yellowjackets in If We Survive This, a tense and emotional young adult horror novel from award-winning author Racquel Marie about a teen girl leading a group of survivors on a perilous journey during the apocalypse."

Let me start by saying that I am not a regular reader of horror. But this one caught my attention because it references two very popular television series. So naturally I was curious to see if it's something that students at my high school would be interested in reading.

Flora and her brother, Cain, are trying to survive the apocalypse following the spread of a mutated rabies virus that turns people into zombies. Cain hears a radio message from his father that he's still alive, and the siblings decide to risk taking the trip up to the cabin where they vacationed with their parents before the virus. During their journey, they realize that sometimes it's other people they should fear more than the zombies.

This book features LGBTQ+ characters who struggle to come to terms with their identities as they do all that they can to stay alive. It also touches on mental health issues like obsessive compulsive disorder and PTSD.

I will definitely recommend this book to students who are horror fans!

I could not have cared any less about any of these characters. Upsetting because I was really looking foreword to more LGBTQ+ dystopian fiction to read and recommend other than Erik J. Brown's All That's Left in the World. Ugh.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends for providing this book, with my honest review below.

If We Survive This is a heartbreaking story taking place in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and putting to the forefront mental health and what we live for. Flora is our protagonist and we alternate between then and now for her as she and her brother decide to make their journey through California to a family cabin to find their father and the means to survive. We don’t get to experience or get much information on the strange form of rabies that caused society to zombify nor do we see Flora’s perspective of the early days of the apocalypse setting in, which is a missed opportunity. What we do get is a look at a teen girl’s struggle to survive in the face of betrayal and when her motivation is her older brother and not herself. Truly this is ultimately a story of mental health and it’s done incredibly well, using the setting and circumstances to showcase the struggle to have belief in ourselves.

I don’t really see this YA as horror, even though it’s pitched as one. For me, it’s more of an apocalyptic story like All That’s Left in the World, with the horror feeling of The Honeys. It’s genre-bending because it’s also part contemporary with its dual timeline and way more introspective than those books above. 

The central theme in this story is fear. Flora has OCD even though she has hidden it all her life and might look like a girl who only cares about her appearance. But deep inside, she has locked up so much anxiety, and her biggest fear is death. But this was Flora.

Now Flora doesn’t care at all (even though her OCD still screams in her head). Nothing is the same anymore, and Flora fights. To stay alive. And most important of all, to keep her brother alive. But as her brother says, “You don't always have to be the hero.” 

I loved the sibling dynamics between and Flora and Cain, but the scene that touched me most was the one with Biscuit and Adán and June when tears sprang to our eyes.

Although there is a lot of action in this story (with bloodshed and gore), it’s mainly character-driven, and Flora's internal (sometimes spiraling) thoughts predominate. I skipped some parts because I'm not the best for so many graphic scenes with blood, but overall, I flew through the book. Racquel Marie’s writing always fascinates me, whether it is contemporary or something more gruesome.

We are experiencing the incredible rise of the disabled zombie girlie. I have loved the zombie genre since I was a kid, and consumed any content I could (whether good, bad, or outright offensive) and found joy in the pieces that resonated.

In the last year or so, I have come to see that I was not the only girl experiencing this, and now several zombie girlies have really stepped up and written the apocalypse survivors and societies that I didn't know I needed. Especially those layering the complexity of physical and mental disability, which this book does so well.

I loved it and it filled me with hope!

This is a story about survival of the most stubborn.

I’ve been wanting a solid zombie dystopian recently (blame the 28 years later teaser!), but not finding any recent entries… until this one! It’s also queer & features fantastic OCD/PTSD representations. I also loved the writing style- I can’t think of any other work I can compare it to, but it had a lyrical quality I’ve rarely seen from books not written in verse. It’s not out for a couple months, but I highly recommend you add it to your TBR!

Thank you so much @netgalley & Feiwel & Friends for the eArc!

The moment Racquel Marie even announced this book, I just knew I needed to read it. Then I saw the cover and fell in love. Then I got an ARC, so that made me happy. And then I read it and ahhhh this was so perfect. I adore any and everything Racquel Marie writes so obviously this was great!!

Honestly, Flora is the strongest character I've read about because HOW DOES ONE EVEN MAKE THEIR BRAIN FUNCTION IN THIS KIND OF SITUATION?!???!!? Like if it were me in a rabies induced zombie apocalypse, I'd be one of the first ones dead but because I'd hide away and not have sufficient amount of food 😭 props to Flora for knowing how to deal with all those rabids.

The characters are so important in this book and they all had depth and different personalities which made them distinguishable. It was interesting to read about Flora's ocd because I haven't read very many books with that kind of representation. Flora and her brother's dynamic was interesting especially given some event that take place before the book actually starts but I love them and reading about sibling dynamics is good. We also have two other side characters (I don't want to say too much in order to avoid spoilers) but they were really fleshed out and had some wild backstories. Flora and her love interest were messy, as anything during a zombie apocalypse would be, but I love them 🥺 and also the dynamic between Cain (Flora's brother) and one of the characters was good.

The last few chapters absolutely destroyed me, it made me so sad and cry. But this book also made me feel hopeful too idk quite how to describe it but If We Survive This will always have a little spot reserved in the back of my brain, I love it.
This book is the definition of perfection.

I love a good zombie novel. This one was original with the Rabids and how they age. I also thought it was pretty unique with having a younger girl trying to take care of her brother.

I didn't like the tired trope of having to leave their safety to travel to a cabin. Its worn out and every single apocalypse book is about traveling.

I did like that they were able to meet up with their friends/crushes. I though that was pretty interesting and gave a unique twist to the story.

When the action hit, there was a lot of confusion and I did not understand what all was happening. I was lost and confused as to what was happening at the end with the car.....did Flora Survive?
When the hordes came in the backyard near the cabin, why didn't they attack Flora and her loved ones?

There was a lot more positives to this book, but there was some big holes and chaos reigned when I desperately tried to understand all of the action.

Overall, a good story that needs a bit more clarity.

This was a fun take on the zombie/rabies trope. I don't always love when ya does this trope because they don't always take it as far or as hard as it should. This novel definitely wasn't taken as far as I personally would like but it was still really good. I feel like this is a really solid ya horror. It has some great dark bits and amazing family and friends ties. I think overall this was a solid horror and definitely one I would recommend and get a physical copy of.

The plot: Flora and her brother Cain embark on a journey to a cabin in northern California to try and find their dad. They encounter some unlikely people along the way. Yellowjackets meets The Walking Dead

The good: The plot! I loved the pacing and I was engrossed the entire time. I also loved the idea of OCD in the zombie apocalypse. As someone with OCD, Flora made so much sense to me as a character and was so well written. Also, sapphic romance!! :)

The not so good: All the characters are keeping so many secrets from each other that aren’t explained away very well, to the point I ended the book mad at our entire main squad. I also can’t imagine these characters forgiving each other over all of these secrets; personally I see them only staying friends at the end because there’s literally no one else to befriend! There is also a motif of sacrifice and how it’s, overall, not the move, but there’s a major sacrifice at the end of the book! It made no sense to me. I adored the first 85% of this book but the third act was a swing and a miss for me.

Overall: I would recommend If We Survive This to anyone who likes zombies and gays trying to survive the apocalypse. Unfortunately for me the third act was not wrapped well.

Thank you NetGallery for the eARC! 4.25 ⭐️

Spoilers ahead:

“Death will always be chasing after me, but if I do not have a choice in that, I cling to this: I will not choose to die.”

Flora feels alone in this world. Yes, she does have her brother Cain, but she uses him as a means to live rather than for herself. Then, she finds her childhood love again, Crisanta, and her newfound family Adán. The group then sets off on a mission to find Flora and Cain’s father and shelter from the apocalypse.

I really truly love zombie narratives. I love to see the ways people build the world and creatures that destroy it. I found the use of rabies as the virus to be interesting, although I wish it had been more fleshed out. There was a brief moment in the beginning, and then later with Biscuits, about the fear of animals and rabies. But it never came back around! I would have enjoyed a fight sequence of Flora have to fight a coyote or something that was infected and falling apart. I appreciated the commentary around what happens to the people after infection and if they are still there, but it didn’t feel like anything new to me. Perhaps it is because I’ve consumed so much zombie media that I find it harder to differentiate.

I also found it predictable that Winnie was bit, but that just comes with the fact she was introduced way too late in the narrative to be anyone of importance. Her death was devastating, and I did feel a lot for Flora in that moment of needing to kill her not once, but twice.

The gore was fantastic! I loved the imagery and descriptions that occurred when discussing both the zombies and the bodies. The different ways that Flora had to stab and fight back were well executed, I was would have liked to have seen more (going back to my point on rabid animals and such).

I found the romance between Flora and Crisanta to be underwhelming, but that was too be expected in an apocalyptic world. I found myself gravitating more toward Flora and Adán’s friendship instead. It was so subtle and beautiful how they slowly befriended one another in this hell of a world. Within that, I appreciated the subtlety of Adán being trans. There were no bold questions or statements about his identity, just a slight mention when he gives Flora the extra menstrual cup. I would have liked more interactions between the two of them.

The circling around grief in both Flora and Crisanta’s characters was well done. When it was revealed that Flora knew her father was dead the entire time was devastating. This declaration of unreliability from her was well timed in the narrative and I was intrigued. Her desire to protect her brother also got an extra boost after this reveal, since she knew he was the only blood relative she had left. Crisanta fell into deniability, which I thought to be a good difference from her character to Flora.

There is definitely more I could say about this novel, but for now I’ve summed what I wanted to. I would absolutely recommend this read to anyone who loves a good queer story in a zombie apocalypse.

Finally, characters with depth and real motivations—beyond just "don't die"! Exciting!

Flora finds herself in the middle of a dystopian nightmare: a mutated form of rabies has taken hold, infecting humans through bites and turning them into brainless, ravenous monsters who only crave human flesh. Sounds like a real party, right?

For Flora, though, it’s even worse than the average person’s horror. She struggles with contamination and harm OCD—a condition she hid from others in the "before" world but one that dominates her every thought now. Back then, she'd avoid buying snacks at the store if she thought they might've been handled by strangers. Now? Foraging through a post-apocalyptic wasteland for food and supplies is a nightmare come to life.

Still, Flora doesn’t have the luxury of giving up. Her older brother, sidelined by a broken leg early in the chaos, has been stuck at home, relying on her for everything. She’s had to adapt, scavenging for essentials and defending their little bubble of survival. But when a radio broadcast from their father—who left months ago to find a safe haven—gives them hope, they realize staying put isn’t an option anymore.

Leaving the safety of their home changes everything. Flora struggles to trust her brother with survival tasks, like fighting off the infected or scouting for supplies, while dealing with her own internal battle. On top of that, they cross paths with someone Flora knows—her long-standing crush—who’s managed to survive and has picked up a companion along the way. After a tense and messy reunion, they decide to travel together. What follows is a dangerous "road trip" filled with risks, hard choices, and the desperate goal of staying alive long enough to find their dad.

Much of the story unfolds in Flora’s mind, giving readers an intimate view of her struggle with OCD and her grief for the life she once knew. Alongside these personal battles, the plot slowly reveals twists and secrets that kept me hooked. The emotional depth, combined with the high stakes of survival, made for such an engaging read. I loved how thoughtfully it was written and cannot wait for this book to hit the shelves.

I always love a good zombie apocalypse book, but the thing is they’re never really that good. Either they’re too focused on action and the characters end up feeling flat, or it’s too much like a million other things I’ve seen from the genre. So I wasn’t expecting too much going into this, but it actually ended up being a pleasant surprise.

What really stood out was how character-driven the story was. It wasn’t something I had expected going into the story, but I really liked the characters and their dynamics, so I was happy we got to see a lot of that. I will say though as much as I enjoyed the characters, I do wish the plot had been a little more fleshed out, especially when it came to the villain. We don’t meet them until around the 70% mark, and the whole concept behind them and the group they were with was interesting, so I really wish we got to see them come in a bit earlier.

One aspect that I thought was done really well was the representation of the main character’s mental illness. It’s rare to see it written so well in a book like this, where the focus could have easily been just on the action, but the author did a good job of showing how OCD manifested in different ways for the main character before and after the apocalypse.

Speaking of before and after, we get dual timelines in this book, with one taking place before the apocalypse and the other being after. I honestly had mixed feeling on these, because while some of them created a nice parallel between the past and the present, others didn’t really seem necessary and kind of interrupted the flow of the story for me.

Overall, this offered a nice balance of emotion, representation, and action. Even though it might not be something I remember long term, I still found it enjoyable and would recommend it to anyone who wanted a character driven apocalyptic book.


Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

~🅞🅥🅔🅡🅐🅛🅛 🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ . 25~