I’ve had this book parked on my TBR forever, and after SADIE vaulted Courtney Summers into my “auto-read, no questions asked” tier, THIS IS NOT A TEST became the lone holdout I hadn’t tackled. Consider that streak broken—and absolutely worth the wait. In its newly revised, expanded “director’s cut” (paired with the novella PLEASE REMAIN CALM), this cult-favorite teen horror lands like a punch to the ribs: spare, intimate, and quietly devastating.

Yes, there are the walking dead clawing at the doors, but Summers is less interested in splatter than in the ache that settles when the screaming stops. We’re locked inside a high school with six teenagers who are terrified, prickly, and—crucially—alive. At the center is Sloane Price, whose life before the outbreak was already a battlefield. She’s not the plucky final girl; she’s someone who, when the world collapses, isn’t sure she wants to go with it. That perspective flips the familiar survival narrative on its head. The horror isn’t only what’s outside; it’s the numbness inside, the throb of old bruises, the way grief sours your sense of a future.

Summers’ first-person voice is lean and surgical, cutting past melodrama into the raw nerve of each moment. She captures the stasis of siege so well—the long, empty hours when nothing happens and your thoughts get loud, punctured by bursts of panic where choices calcify into consequences. The group dynamics are a powder keg: shifting alliances, clumsy mercy, pettiness that looks monstrous under fluorescent lights. No one here is a “type”; even the characters you want to shake end up complicated, bruised by what they’ve lost and what they’re willing to do to keep breathing.

What I loved most is how the book makes terror feel honest. The undead rarely hog the frame; they loom. That restraint gives the story a slow, suffocating dread. You hear them more than you see them; you feel them in the way everyone flinches at a hinge. And when the violence does break through, it’s quick and deglamorized—consequence, not spectacle. Summers threads through themes of sisterhood and abandonment with care, letting Sloane’s history with Lily haunt every decision without turning trauma into a plot gimmick. Content notes are warranted (domestic abuse, suicidal ideation), but the handling is empathetic and precise.

The “director’s cut” pairing with PLEASE REMAIN CALM is a gift. Without spoiling anything, the novella widens the lens, pushing beyond the claustrophobia of the school and testing what survival means once the walls are gone. It has a different energy—sinewy, propulsive—and it makes the original novel feel even larger in retrospect, like you’ve stepped outside a locked room and discovered an entire city built around it.

If you’re here for pure gore, this won’t be your speed. If you’re here for a character study with teeth—about the maddeningly human way we cling, withdraw, confess, backslide, and still somehow choose each other—this is catnip. The setup evokes a detention-room microcosm transformed into a siege, but the book’s power is in the micro—the awkward apologies, the brittle jokes, the half-measures we call courage. Summers writes teenagers like actual people, not quip machines or moral lessons, and that’s what makes the high-stakes beats land: you recognize them.

As a longtime Summers fan, I’m thrilled to say this absolutely holds its own alongside SADIE while being a completely different beast—quieter, more internal, and, in many ways, more haunting. It’s the rare horror novel that lingers not as a jump scare but as an echo, the kind that finds you days later when you’re washing dishes and you suddenly remember a line, a look, an unclosed door.

Bottom line: bleak, beautiful, and unshakable. A modern YA horror classic that earns every one of its cult credentials.

A very huge thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books for sharing the ARC of this already-cult teen horror with me in exchange for my honest review—and for finally giving me the nudge to cross Courtney Summers’ last unread title off my list.

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers is brutal and raw, a gut punch of a book. It’s less about zombies and more about survival in every sense—psychological, emotional, human. The writing is razor-sharp and unsparing, leaving you wrecked in the best way.

📖 “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” — Haruki Murakami

First book from this author, this book had a ya theme, barricaded in school hiding from zombies, fast past survival thriller. This is a book about survival and the will to live. Throughly enjoyed this book, I read this in one sitting.

I reached for this YA zombie novel in October for a spooky read, and this was so much more than I was expecting… a really nuanced and ultimately hopeful exploration of trauma and resiliency.. So interesting to see Summers revisit an earlier work for this updated version of her text, (Check out the afterword for all of the details on that process.) Can’t wait to see this come to life on the movie screen!

This is not a test is a apocalpse/end of the world novel. 5 teenagers are stuck in there high school. Trying so hard to survive while flesh eating zombies are banging on the doors.
With no help from adults can they survive?

One of the best zombie books. Keep in mind this is based mainly on high school students so bit YA.

Where to start. Sloane - that girl has had it rough. My heart went out to her. She went through so much but came out of it. Awesome character growth.

Rhys - perfection! Not that he was perfect because he had flaws but I loved his character. Sloane was lucky to have him in her life for so many reasons. He saved her many many times.

There had a feel of Lord of the Flies experience but it didn’t get to that extent. But it did start going there with kids turning on each other but in a realistic way. If there were no zombies it may have escalated🤷‍♀️

Cary. What can I say. He was a teenager making hard decisions and having to live with it. I really wanted the best for him. 🥲

The ending ? 😡🤬😤😖. But then I found out there is another book which I’m reading as soon as I leave this review. But kinda scared on where the story will go. 😬😳

Jess - my heart ❤️ goes out to him. The love he has for his wife and daughter. Wish he didn’t have to make that decision but as a parent I can totally relate. 💔❤️‍🩹😭😢

Talking about 💔😭💔❤️‍🩹 - Ainsley. I have no words.

This book destroyed me. It was like the game of thrones - don’t get attach to anyone as they may not be in the scene (chapter).

Buy it. Read it. You won’t regret. It is the type of story / writing that will stay with you after.

I've read previous Courtney Summers books, and I've always enjoyed them. This month, I was competing in a reading challenge-one of the tasks was to read about zombies. Zombies have never been my thing. I saw this one, and decided to give it a try.

MC Sloane is doing her best to survive a zombie apocalypse-even though she isn't sure she really wants to survive, period. She has been experiencing depression due to her abusive family situation, and the most important person in her life (her sister, Lily) has vanished. When zombies take over her small town, Sloane is forced to live barricaded in her high school with five other classmates, praying that the zombies don't find their way into their safe haven. When the group finally gets news about a safe space, they must decide what they want to do-stay where they are safe and have what they need, even for a indeterminate time period, or make a break for a place that is supposedly set up for survivors.

This book really isn't about the zombies. Honestly, they seem like a very minor plot point. The major focus is Sloane dealing with her severe depression, and having to trust and depend on five other teenagers that she wouldn't have even interacted with in normal circumstances. For me, the best part of this book was the developing relationships between the teens barricaded inside the school, and Sloane's internal battle throughout. The book overall had a very creepy vibe for me...especially the repetition on the radio after everything goes down: "Listen closely. This is not a test..." I think that aspect would make this book appealing to YA readers in particular, and I think that they would be rooting for Sloane and the other five survivors.

This Is Not a Test chewed me up and spit me out! Whew! What a bloody good book!!!! Coming in at less than 300 pages, this book packs quite the punch, especially in the last half. This Is Not a Test is a YA dystopian book about a zombie Apocalypse, but it is so much more! This book is dark, raw, emotion evoking, gritty, intense, powerful, heartbreaking, and violent. This book will put you thought the ringer quite a few times during the course of this book.

Sloane wants to die at the beginning of the book. That is not a spoiler, it's in the books' description. Sloane is ready. She has been brutally abused all her life by her father. Her older sister, Lily has left and the world around her is falling apart. There is an outbreak of sorts and people are turning into zombies. When the barricades go down, she decides it's time - but life and zombies have a way of changing things.

Things go from bad to worse and she finds herself holed up in Cortege High School with five other students who want to live, to survive, to endure. Sloane watches them, she sees their quest to live, to fight, to make it through one more day. Their parents are gone, their other friends are gone, they don't know when supplies will run out, or if the zombies will get inside. I could feel their desperation, their anxiety, their loneliness, and their humanness.

Oh man, this book left me gutted. The author takes flawed and damaged characters and puts them through the ringer. I cared for them, I feared for them, I held my breath for them, I crossed my fingers for them. I wanted to tell them to run, to stay quiet, to be still, and to not give up.

Becoming a zombie is a transformation - a change that takes place. Change takes place for Sloane as well during the course of this book. She is a broken, scared, and damaged teen at the beginning of the book and as she faces her new reality, readers see how she changes and grows as a person.

This book is raw and had my heart pounding a little bit faster as the book progressed to the end. I love tension and dread in books, and this book has in and then some. This book is dripping with danger, dread, and has an underlying sense of unease on every page. This book is about Zombies, yes; but it is also about people, about humanity, about survival, about life, and pain. The dread in this book man, it's a killer. It's the "thud" on the door, it's the hairs sticking up on the back of your neck, it's the shadows, and it is the bells that go off. It's the not seeing but knowing something is out there, but where???? That anticipatory anxiety that has one breaking out in a sweat while being hypervigilant and scanning your surroundings. Courtney Summers does an amazing job of creating a eerie and horrific vibe.

By the time the book came to an end, I felt limp. Exhausted as if I had been the one trudging through the woods, having to make split second decisions, while trying to survive. Fans of "The Walking Dead", "Night of the Living Dead" or the book The Forest of Hands and Teeth will find this book to be right up their alley. What works in all of those are the characters. They way readers or viewers become invested in the characters. As I mentioned before, Courtney summers created characters that I cared for and for that reason, I not only wanted to keep turning the pages, I had to turn the pages!

Be warned, there are some graphic and violent scenes in this book. Characters will be in situations or make decisions that will be troubling for some readers. But if you can stomach it, This Is Not a Test is a fantastic book. Be sure to read the author's note at the end of the book as well.

"...I can accept the idea of my own demise, but I am unable to accept the death of anyone else. I find it impossible to let a friend or relative go into that country of no return. Disbelief becomes my companion, and anger follows in its wake..." - Maya Angelou
I think that quote describes our main character Solane. She seemed so ready to let her self die but not anyone else. Tensions are high, grief is in the air, food and water are running low, and zombies are still pounding on the outside. At the start of the story we have Solane running away from home, then next her with a group of 5 other teens banded together in their old high school. The side characters are just as important in this book and while most don't develop we see a couple that do. Solane attitude toward death was a drag at first because like Rhys says why not just go ahead. But Solane also gave reality instead of fantasy. At times they would ask her opinion and would be shocked to hear her response. Which I think they needed a few times.
The dialogue and descriptions were engaging enough to not want to put the book down. I know this is horror but it could also be classified as psychological/zombie horror. The zombies weren't the horror as much as the people and your own mind when dealing with stress, grief, death and being a teenager on top of it. I liked the ending more on the first story then second because they first one felt open ended so I thought we would get closure. We got to see Rhys emotions and thought process in the second story. I enjoyed this book and would read more from the author.

Looking for a book that's gonna throw you directly into the eye of the storm and keep you dizzy right until the end? You'll love this. This is not a test is a breathtakingly compelling take on a zombie apocalypse, full of a subtle horror that looms overhead with every page; the fear of the undead just outside the door being not quite as scary as the humans trying to escape them.

We're led through the story by Sloane - a young girl was about to end her life, but instead the world ended. After surviving years of torment and abuse she finds herself in a new kind of hell, barricaded at the school, hungry zombies outside, hungry survivors inside. She is the shining star of this story, her narration shaped by the trauma and exhaustion in her soul. Her lens created such a unique reading experience; a story about survival from someone who didn't want to survive.

The supporting cast weren't just zombie fodder either - but authentic, fully developed young people faced with impossible things. They were so undeniable human in their fear, grief and compassion but also in their anger and violence as we see a spectrum of responses start to happen. Their relationships were complex, meaningful, impactful; it was clear how their own trauma's had shaped their relationships and similarly how their relationships have affected their trauma.

There's a deep sense of dread and turmoil lurking through this book - it's less 'zombies banging down doors' action and more anticipation of what is to come and a fear of the unknown. Each scene is vivid, deeply descriptive but focused more on Sloane's internal thoughts, showcasing the world through her eyes in an erratic, hazy prose, existing between moments of lucidity and them dream-like trails of thought that make a strangely disconcerting experience. You will have questions, it's blurry and confusing at times in a brilliantly moving way, but I was left a little cold at the end by the ambiguity.

It kept me thinking - if I was ready to end my own life, would the end of the world be the push I need to get into survival mode or would I just give up? Would I hold onto what makes me human, or take anyone down to get through?

This book was initially released over a decade ago but still packs the same punch both from a story perspective, and it's clever reflections on depression, trauma and what it is to be alive. In this new Directors Cut edition, the story is expanded and it includes a short sequel novella. You definitely don't need to read the novella if you've got an OG copy lying around, but it definitely adds an interesting extra perspective.

A dreamlike story about survival - not just surviving an apocalypse, but surviving ourselves.

Thank you to the publishers for my copy of this book. As a Zombie fan, you can sometimes feel like you've seen and read it all, but this book presents such a compelling look at abuse, family dynamics and how that can present in the apocalypse. I would recommend this to any YA / Horror Fans

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Courtney Summers’ “This Is Not a Test” isn’t your typical zombie apocalypse novel. Yes, there are the undead clawing at the doors, the blood and gore, and the frantic survival instincts, but this is a story less about monsters and more about the quiet devastation left behind after trauma. It’s a book that bleeds emotion: raw, claustrophobic, and heartbreakingly introspective. Specifically, this review is for the new edition of the book, which is releasing in 2026 that includes the novella “Please Remain Calm” as well as additional details in the original book.

At the heart of the story is Sloane Price, a teenager whose world was already in ruins long before the apocalypse began. After years of enduring her father’s abuse and being abandoned by her sister, Sloane had decided to end her life. But just as she’s about to follow through, the world collapses in a storm of violence. Instead of dying by her own hand, she finds herself barricaded in a high school with six classmates, surrounded by the moans of the undead.

From the very first chapter, Summers drops you straight into the chaos. The pacing is tight and tense where every sound and silence feels loaded, but the book’s power comes from its stillness. “This Is Not a Test” is less a zombie thriller than a character study of what happens when survival loses its meaning, especially in the first half of the book. Summers captures the agonizing monotony and terror of being trapped: the long stretches of waiting, the bursts of violence, the shifting alliances, and the emotional decay that comes from losing hope.

Sloane’s depression, guilt, and exhaustion are portrayed with unflinching honesty. Her suicidal ideation isn’t a side note; it’s the lens through which the story unfolds. As the days drag on, she must decide whether staying alive is an act of courage or cruelty. Her trauma, particularly the loss of her sister and the shadow of her father’s abuse, becomes intertwined with her will to survive. Summers never sensationalizes these struggles; instead, she renders them with empathy and precision, grounding the horror in emotional truth.

The supporting cast is equally layered. The teens trapped in the school aren’t archetypes; they’re scared, selfish, kind, and cruel in turn. They fight, grieve, and cling to each other in ways that feel painfully real. The tension between them often feels more dangerous than the zombies outside. When the violence does come, it’s fast, brutal, and stripped of glamour; it’s a consequence, not a spectacle.

In its new “director’s cut” edition, Summers includes the follow-up novella “Please Remain Calm,” told from Rhys’s perspective. While not as emotionally gripping as Sloane’s story, it expands the world beyond the school and adds layers of context about what survival looks like once the walls come down. The pacing is quicker, the tone more action-oriented, and while some moments strain believability, it offers a necessary note of cautious hope after the story’s bleak finale.

What sets “This Is Not a Test” apart is Summers’ voice—lean, piercing, and emotionally surgical. She writes horror as a mirror for grief, fear, and survival instinct. The result is a story that feels both intimate and terrifyingly vast, not because of the zombies outside, but because of the silence inside—a silence filled with what-ifs, regrets, and the faint pulse of something like hope.

More than a decade after its initial release, this story still feels urgent. It’s a haunting exploration of how people break, heal, and choose to keep living when everything feels lost. “This Is Not a Test” is the rare apocalypse story that will leave you shaken not by what’s eaten, but by what’s left behind.

This one is edge-of-your-seat intense. This Is Not a Test is a thriller with just the right dash of creepy, keeping the tension high from start to finish. Courtney Summers creates a claustrophobic, gripping story that pulls you in and doesn’t let go — every chapter makes you flip faster to see what happens next. I finished it in just a few sittings because it’s completely unputdownable. Perfect for anyone who loves a fast, dark, and thrilling read that keeps your heart racing the whole way.

"This is Not a Test" was an adrenaline packed novel in the world of zombies.

The story traces Sloane, a high schooler who gets trapped in high school with her classmates. Everyday was monotonous with the group as they found ways to keep their location closed off from the zombies. After weeks, they get an announcement to enter a rescue centre and the group will have to leave their safe haven and hope they end up unscathed....

Who wouldn't love a great zombie thriller?! When I started reading this, I could feel the despair in the people, especially Sloane who was suffocated by her inner demons than the ones outside. The things they did, the fights they had, all to stay alive in a bleak future was both interesting and depressing to read.

The book can be read in two parts - the first half was set in the high school with characters like Rhys, Cary, Harrison, Grace, and Trace. The group stayed together to fit off the zombies but they also had disagreements with each other. These portions gave a sense of normalcy in a dystopian world.

The second half is where all the adrenaline packed moments were set. When the group breaks up to move to the rescue centre. The encounters with zombies were so cleverly written that I could feel my heartbeat rising.

There were moments when I had to take a break. Especially when moments became too emotional. I was surprised by how everything ended up in the end.

Overall, this was a book that delivered just the right amount of thrill, emotions, and suspense!

This book was exactly what I was looking for, and Courtney Summers did not disappoint. With its well-crafted writing, the novel expertly balances psychological and physical horror, yielding a satisfying and impactful reading experience.

📖This Is Not A Test by Courtney Sunmers
336 pages | 4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~YA, post-apocalyptic fiction, psychological drama

Thank you @netgalley @courtneysummers and @binderybooks for allowing me to read the ARC for an honest review!🤍

This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers is a haunting and psychologically charged take on a zombie apocalypse. The plot follows Sloan Price, a teenage girl who was already tired of life as the world ended. Sloan and few other teen survivors take shelter in a school, fighting the apocalypse against all odds. Rather than focusing on the undead that growls outside the school, Summers focuses on the vulnerability and tension that surrounds the kids within the school walls, where they feel trapped.

My review ~

I have to say, this is my first zombie themed novel and I loved every bit of it. The major part of the novel is set inside the school, and so as the story moves along, we can really feel the sharp and atmospheric setting, that gives the sense of claustrophobia to the characters as well as us readers. She explores themes of grief, survival and the will to live. It's really interesting to see how a random group of people start to bond in their trauma, but as they spend more time in close quarters, it also drives them apart. Also the psychological stress that was added with the nightmares they have, the sounds they hear from outside, the message on the radio - truly set the mood. And that ending, oh my god. I don't want to say anything, but I don't think anyone will see it coming.🫣
I would definitely recommend picking this up if you like:
🧟‍♂️Zombies
🧟‍♂️Apocalypse
🧟‍♂️Survival
🧟‍♂️Resilience

The book was originally released in 2012, but an updated version is being released in 2026. Do check it out!🤍🤍

High school was hell. The apocalypse is just extra credit. 🧟‍♀️

This Is Not a Test- by Courtney Summers

💚Blurb💚

It's the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won't stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn't sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she's failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she's forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group's fate is determined less and less by what's happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life-and death-inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?
🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️

The dead are pounding, the drama’s escalating, and honestly?….Sloane’s over it.

Sloane Price,already hollowed out by abuse and abandonment long before the world ends, is ready to die. When the dead rise, she and five other teens barricade themselves inside Cortege High in hopes of survival (for them). In true apocalypse fiction, the zombies outside are terrifying, but they’re merely background noise compared to the storm that’s brewing inside the survivors’ heads and between them.

Bleak, beautiful, and unbearably human, This Is Not a Test is less about zombies and more about what it means to feel dead inside, and just what it takes. This isn’t a story about outrunning monsters. It’s about what happens when you are the monster to yourself. When survival feels less like a gift and more like a punishment.

Some stories are about surviving the end. This one’s about surviving yourself.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Bindery Books and the Author for allowing me to ARC read this spectacular book for you.

While zombie apocalypse books have become more widespread, Summers’s re-publication of “This is Not a Test“ offers something original into an oversaturated genre. The strength of the book rests in the characterization of its protagonists, especially Sloane, Grace, and Rhys. While the secondary antagonist is a bit one-note in his characterization, it does not diminish an overall enjoyable read. This book reminded me of Dawn of the Dead and how a group bunkers down while struggling with group dynamics coupled with an excellent novella that is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” with an unflinching brutality that makes it worthwhile to read. Highly recommended.

Thank you Bindery Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book.

Sloane is about to take her own life when the apocalypse begins. Then, she is stuck in her high school building with five other students: Cary, Rhys, Harrison, and the twins Grace and Trace. It is all a mess—the plan, their backstory, their relationship. With looming danger surrounding them, will they make it out alive, or choose to survive with limited resource until they are forced to leave?

As soon as I learned that This Is Not a Test is being republished following its upcoming movie adaptation, I ran to NetGalley to request this. I had to. I remembered having zombie nightmare the night after I read its first edition, and I never come across any other zombie tales that as thought-provoking as this. Yes. I usually watch zombie movies and series for entertainment and I enjoy every single one of them in my spare time. But the level of realistic here, from writing style to voice and tone to setting, be it Sloane's or Rhys', makes the story feel like firsthand experience of real persons instead of a 'what if' fictitious scenario. And I read it again after I have come to appreciate horror stories more than I used to. Now it's a solid four stars from me.

I noticed some differences in terms of writing style and how the characters talk, but not so much in plot. It was still as engaging and surprising. The addition of 'for real' and 'nepo baby' would surely ground the story to present days, but the value and message—if Summers ever intended any—are still the same. I wonder why these Gen Z languages are included... without it, it would have been fine, and I don't recall any 2012 slangs in the first edition too. I could be wrong, though. Because instead of trendy words, I want readers to look at one of Summers' writing superpowers: writing teenagers that look, act, and behave like actual teenagers, no matter the era. As for the novella Please Remind Calm, I got Rhys' voice from the start unlike when I first read it, that I thought it was from Sloane's perspective too. And the ending still wrecked me, both the novel and novella.

This Is Not a Test is a thrilling survival read and this new version is even better. I adore Summers' works (and she herself is an awesome person, I missed her on twitter but I understand why she had to move) so I'm looking forward to her next horror tales as well as TINAT movie soon!

This is Not a Test is the perfect kind of apocalypse story.

I missed This is Not a Test and Please Remain Calm their first time around, and I’m so glad they crossed my path now. They are both raw and unfiltered and devastatingly tragic.

When the zombie apocalypse arrives, six teens take shelter in their abandoned high school. They barricade the doors, raid snacks from the cafeteria, and try to find some semblance of normal in a world that is now anything but.

This is Not a Test is not your ordinary kind of zombie novel. The apocalypse sets a backdrop to explore themes of loneliness, suicidal ideation, and survival. This isn’t an action-packed Zombieland filled with violence, blood, and romance. This is a slow-burn decent into hopelessness and discovering our own truths; it’s about coming to terms with the cards we’ve been dealt and learning to move forward despite them. That’s not to say there isn’t violence and blood, because there is, but if you’re expecting a group of survivors going on a zombie killing spree, this isn’t that kind of story. On the flip side, if gore isn’t your thing, this one doesn’t have much of that.

What this story is, is one of six teenagers, thrown together in impossible circumstances. They’re not best friends, and I don’t think they ever could be. They’re faced with a world they don’t understand, very little communication with anyone outside their school, and dealing with the fallout of the actions they had to take to keep themselves safe. They make bad decisions and say the wrong things, but they learn and adapt and force themselves to try again.

A lot of people talk about what their zombie apocalypse plan would be, and while most of them say they’ll be like the badasses in Zombieland or The Walking Dead, realistically, I think most of us would be like these six teens, holed up somewhere safe-ish, waiting for someone to come rescue us. (And probably screwing up along the way.)

I would have been perfectly happy for This is Not a Test to end the way it did. I like ambiguous endings, but I will say, I did like Please Remain Calm more. The devastation in the follow-up novella felt particularly sharp. Courtney Summers was not afraid of killing off her characters, and I applaud her for that. While the pain was definitely the selling point of the novella for me, I also preferred that it felt to have more direction. This is Not a Test meandered, days blurring together, everything feeling the same, which makes a lot of sense and was the perfect way to write it, but I did like the characters having goals and, frankly, hopes in Please Remain Calm.

I loved both, especially at their messy, brutal worst. Not everything can be a happy ever after.

Courtney Summers is the queen of Young Adult fiction, and looking back on This Is Not a Test, it's easy to see why. This is a compulsively readable and wonderfully written book.

I read the previous iteration of This is not a test and enjoyed it, so was excited to read this expanded version. I really felt like all the additional excerpts really filled it out. I loved when they finally left and tried to survive out in the zombie world. There was also a few emotional ties I really felt got wrapped up and felt really satisfying as sad as they were for the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This had me hooked right from the first page. I LOVE Courtney Summers!

Hear me out. I am NOT a zombie nor apocalyptic girlie but Courtney Summers had me hooked! I did not expect to feel the complex array of emotions that I did following Sloane’s story through the end of the modern world. Courtney Summers writes in such a way that you will not be satisfied until you know what happens at the end. And trust me you WANT to know what happens at the end of TINAT!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inky Phoenix Press via Bindery books for an ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

I don't read many YA books anymore but this was bleak and raw and had all the emotions of what it's like to be a teenager, at least in my experience. A true horror story about life and death. And that's not including the zombies.

Thank you Bindery Books for the ARC.

I originally read This Is Not a Test as a depressed 19 year old, and I adored it. For years, I've claimed it as one of my favorite books. I connected with Sloane in a way that I would not claim until I was 21 -- my depression, self-harm, and suicidality were things I buried deep.

Reading The Definitive Edition now, at 32, knowing that Courtney Summers reclaimed this novel for her own (Courtney's Version), I feel contemplative, joyous, and empowered. The book stands the test of time, and I absolutely loved having Summers' acknowledgements at the end where she tells us what she changed/expanded upon.

This is a novel that involves incredibly raw, human stories and throws in zombies. It is about wanting to die, yet in the adversity of a zombie apocalypse, taking actions to survive instead.

I will always highly recommend this book to anyone I meet.

UGH. I really really enjoyed this book. This is a previous publication that has been edited and rewritten, but I got a copy of the new version from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I love zombie books and I love Courtney Summers, so this was a no-brainer (no pun intended) read for me. 

So, with the characters, I really liked the depth that Sloane had with all of the problems that she had previously faced before the zombie apocalypse, and how those problems followed her even to the end of the world as she knew it. She was forced to try and survive with five other teens in a high school that they barricaded themselves into. There is Harrison, Grace, Cary, Rhys, and Trace along with Sloane herself. Honestly, I could have cared less about Harrison and Trace. Grace is Trace's twin sister and is the peacemaker of the group, but doesn't add too much to the story. Cary is the leader basically, but he has so many moral dilemmas throughout the story that he adds a LOT of depth to the plot overall. Rhys is Sloane's love interest and my favorite character in the entire novel (because this version ties in his novella with Sloane's story, you get his POV towards the end of the book). 

With the story as a whole, most of the time, you're following Sloane on her journey to discover her life again (and whether or not she actually wants it). A large portion of the novel is them actually stuck in the high school, but you do venture outside into the broken and zombie-filled world towards the second half of the book. I was honestly gripped almost the whole entire time, but after the first 25% to about 50%, I was a little bored since it was all about them just being stuck in the high school and literally fighting with each other (talk about teen angst). My absolute favorite part was Rhys' POV towards the end. His story was SO good and I loved his character so much that he honestly made this book for me. Sloane's was good, too, but man, Rhys? He just had that something that makes you want to keep going with him. 

Spoilers ahead.

What I really really REALLY didn't like was the fact that Ainsley was bitten. It was more for shock factor than anything dealing with plot and simply was not necessary. Her mom and dad dying? Sure. She did not need to die period. It also sucked that Lily was dead (and I really want to know why she went home in the first place - I'm assuming it was to look for Sloane), but that added to the plot. Rhys is a poor angel guy who only wants someone to stay with him for once. Yes, he finds Sloane, but gosh darn it Ainsley should have survived too. Rant over, sorry. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The zombie apocalypse makes it absolutely hard to put down (I read well into the night many times), and the characters give a strong addition to an already great book. The only thing I have a gripe about is the short sentences and choppy writing. Typically I love Courtney Summers' writing style, but this did not do it for me and made my overall rating lose a star. With that being said, though, this is still easily a 4/5 star read for me. Highly enjoyed it and definitely recommend!!

*This review will be posted on my blog (www.heididischler.com) on January 6th, 12pm CST.*

Sloane Price is a high school student already broken by a troubled past when she is suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse. Even as the world ends, she remains trapped by the trauma she was grappling with before the first bite was ever taken.
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Seeking refuge in their high school, Sloane and a small group of her peers are forced to make impossible decisions. I cannot emphasize enough how incredibly character-driven this story is. The real horror isn't the monsters outside, but the internal chaos Sloane navigates. I found myself at the edge of my seat to learn more about these characters and how they survive-or break- in such a harrowing situation.

Note: This is a bleak, emotionally heavy novel. It contains themes of suicidal ideation, physical and emotional abuse, and graphic violence. It focuses more on the psychological toll of trauma than the action of the apocalypse.

Friends, if you want your heart ripped out, then read THIS IS NOT A TEST. It's about a zombie apocalypse, yes, but it's also about so much more than that.

Thanks so much, Courtney Summers, for the devastation. Like SADIE, this book shall haunt me forever. (I should have known, but still, I was not prepared 😭)

Please keep writing dark, disturbing, and "unlikable" heroines, Courtney Summers!

I never had the chance to read THIS IS NOT A TEST in its previous iteration, but I loved this revised version published by Bindery Books and The Inky Phoenix. It's one of the bleakest YA books I've ever read, and it's carved a place in my horror-loving heart alongside THE DEAD movies, THE DESCENT, and TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. Enter if you dare!

Can't wait to see the movie.

This is Not a Test
Rating: 3.40

Please Remain Calm:
Rating: 4.20

Okay, I am aware these have been out for a while - but I'd like to first mention that despite my complete hunger for zombie horror - I've never seen this mentioned or recommended before (something that I find completely outrageous) so when I gained access to the arc for this definitive edition I was so, so happy.

I will admit that I liked Rhy's story within 'Please Remain Calm' far more than I did Sloan's in 'This is Not a Test' but that doesn't mean that book one didn't leave a mark. Honestly, I'm not sure what caused it but the majority of the scenes inside the high school had me on edge even when nothing was happening - that entire setting made me so anxious and I loved that.

I have to admit that I was hoping there'd be a little bit more to the whole, Sloan, Lily, their father thing but whilst emotionally it held a lot of the plot, nothing much really happened with that and it was a little disappointing.

I disliked a lot of the characters in book one - but loved the characters in book two, and to be honest, Sloan seemed like a completely different person than she did in the first book and that threw me off a little bit but it all honesty, I preferred her in Rhy's story.

The lowdown is that I loved this and will be picking this edition up when it releases!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the arc!