This is Not a Test

by Courtney Summers

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?

• ISBN10: 0312656742
• ISBN13: 9780312656744
• Publish Date: 19 June 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 10 February 2017
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Saint Martin's Griffin,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Tall Rack)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Bianca]

The thing no one tells you about surviving, about the mere act of holding out, is how many hours are nothing because nothing happens. They also don’t tell you about how you can share your deepest secrets with someone, kiss them, and the next hour it’s like there’s nothing between you because not everything can mean something all the time or you’d be crushed under the weight of it.

[KitsuneBae]

Another Courtney Summers that could have gotten a 4-5 star rating from me but then it lacked so much when it comes to grounding works. How the hell did the zombies come to existence?

[Angie]

This is Not a Test sounded like a very different kind of zombie apocalypse novel, and for the most part it was. Sloane is not the ass-kicking, save myself and save the world heroine. She has her suicide note written and is ready to leave this world when the dead come back. But she's picked up by a group of students from her school and begins the fight for survival. However, it's always at the back of Sloane's mind that she doesn't want to survive; she has nothing to live for.

I really liked This is Not a Test. The beginning isn't very action packed, even though there are zombies everywhere. Sloane and the others are very well barricaded, but it's what they can't see that's the most frightening. Especially when they realize the school isn't as closed up as they originally thought. Sloane is also the first one to volunteer for the most dangerous tasks, because she wants to die! No one wants to go outside, because they want to live! Sloane on the other hand, well, she gets to be helpful and hopefully gets the death she's been wanting.

Those last few chapters though? My gosh! I kind of forgot to breathe at points! I had to know what was going to happen next! It had me so nervous, since Sloane finally has a sliver of hope, but there's hordes of zombies between her and what she wants most. It's just nonstop tension! No one is safe! I couldn't assume that anyone was going to survive this, even Sloane. Just because she's out narrator, doesn't mean she has to make it! And how could it just end there?!

Actually, This is Not a Test could have been a great standalone. It has one of those semi-open endings where you can just imagine what comes next. Hopefully, it's something good, but really it could go either way. I think I would preferred it to end there, because I could think up my happy ending and move on. But then I was tense again, because I didn't know what was going to happen!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[nannah]

(4.5)

I opened this book not knowing anything about it, and I really do mean anything, so the the fact that holy goodness, this is a zombie book! caught my by surprise. But then again, it's not really your typical zombie book, either; it's more about the characters dealing with their difficult situation than relying on action-packed, overused zombie gimmicks to pull readers through the pages.

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse, suicide
(Seriously, if these trigger, you, tread VERY carefully!)

This book works in the same way that The Walking Dead does, in that the greatest danger might not be the zombies but the people who are trying to survive. It also asks the question: what about the people who, even before the apocalypse, didn't want to live in the first place? Aaaand, meet our protag, Sloane, one of those people.

And since she's been introduced, I'm going to talk about my biggest gripe with this novel. I completely, utterly, 100% thought that Sloane was queer. The tension between her and Grace was a thick, heavy thing. Finally, a protagonist whose queerness doesn't define the book's plot OR her character! I was cheering, I was dancing! Until . . . I continued reading and discovered that . . . she wasn't? She was simply awkward? I'm still not entirely sure what happened with this.

But moving past this, these characters were wonderfully fleshed out, real people who all reacted to the same event in very different ways. They even reacted to each other's reaction in different ways. It's what made this book shine, and what made it impossible to put down. It wasn't just drama, either. People died, and there were genuine consequences for actions. It had me on edge, even without the constant threat of zombies breaking through the school, where these characters holed up in.

I can't wait to get my hands on the second installment.

[Nessa Luna]

Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune!

I was surprised by this book. I had read some reviews that said that this book had zombies in them, which made me a bit reluctant to read them, but the reviews also said the story wasn’t about zombies. Sure enough, they were there, banging on the doors of the school the six kids were hiding in; attacking the two kids that dared to go outside, etc, but the zombies weren’t really the biggest problem (okay maybe a bit). The biggest problem had to do with the six kids that were trapped inside their old school.

I haven’t made a lot of notes with this book, because I was just so into it (I really liked it), so I don’t really have any reasons why I liked this book so much. It might have been because the characters all had problems of their own, Sloane was dealing with the fact that she actually wanted to die, Trace and Grace (twins, hence the names) were dealing with the fact that they had no idea whether their parents were still alive, and so on.

Of course, with a zombie apocalypse (with any apocalypse actually), people die, but one death in particular made me really really sad. I just wasn’t expecting it to happen like that, and I just wanted that person to be happy for the rest of their life, not die like this.

The thing I didn’t like so much, was the open ending. I really want to know what happened to the characters, if they made it to the place they were planning on going, what happened to the person that lead the zombies away from the other people, I just didn’t want the book to end like that. That’s why it got the score it has, because I hate open endings.

[celinenyx]

I love this book. It delves into the mind of someone who is depressed and suicidal without reserve, yet it doesn't try to shock you. It just describes it. This is just how one seventeen-year-old girl thinks. And it has zombies. Just saying.

When the world comes to an end and people start eating each other, Sloane thinks this will be the end for her as well. Taking her own life didn't work - maybe the undead will finish the job. But then she survives, and with her some other kids from her school. Together they hide out in the school auditorium, waiting for help to come. Will Sloane succeed in her plans of leaving this life behind, and how far should she endanger the others?

This is Not a Test isn't about creating empathy for Sloane. It doesn't say "hey, suicide is a valid life decision!". It's about showing how circumstances can push someone until that person can't see any other way to keep going but by ending it. It's about telling what goes on in someone's head. I absolutely loved that This is Not a Test never becomes preachy. It never tells you how you should feel and what you should do - but instead shows how this girl copes with her desperation.

That doesn't mean Sloane is very likeable. She is very much obsessed with her own death, and doesn't care for anything else any more. Only throughout the story do we learn her real personality, the other sides to her. We slowly discover how she has been deceived, how she has been pushed away from other people until she had absolutely no one left. It just really wasn't her fault in any way.

For a zombie book, this is extremely low on zombie action. I think there are about three zombie scenes in the entire book. In the remainder there is only the constant awareness that they're out there, and that they can get in at any moment. They could all die in any moment. But the thing is, there are days and days in which they don't. The strength of This is Not a Test lies in the fact that it shows how extremely boring a zombie apocalypse can be for survivors, without being boring in itself through character development.

This is Not a Test is an absolutely wonderful book, but one you have to be ready for, one you need to be in the mood for. I wouldn't recommend this book for younger teens without parental guidance since it delves into topics as severe physical abuse and depression. But if you decide to take the leap and read this book, I can assure you it will stay with you.

[Kelsenator]

For more reviews make sure to visit my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf!

When I heard of this book, I thought it was going to be like a lot of other zombie books out there, but there is much more to it. This book deals more with the people involved than the actual zombies. How they survived and found shelter, and how they interact with each other each day and how they have to face the toughness of death and sacrifice. There are definitely zombies, and a few places where they get attacked/chased, but there’s a constant fear of knowing what’s outside, and wondering how safe they really are in that school. They board up the doors and windows, but the feeling that the zombies could get through is like a kind of torture.

The story is told through Sloane, a girl with a bad past. Her mother died when she was young, her older sister ran away and left her alone, and her father beats her. Not only does she wish for a normal life like other kids, but she is suicidal and doesn’t really want to live in this world anymore after feeling betrayed by her sister. Add the zombies and she really doesn’t have anything left. I felt bad for her, having dealt with so much in life, but never really having any hope for the future.

The other characters really help bring this story to life, especially with the small battles among them and what almost seems like an alliance between some of them. Harrison who is a wimp and always crying (I didn’t really like him), Trace and Grace the brother and sister who stick together and who just lost their parents. Rhys and Cary, who are the responsible ones, but just as vulnerable as anyone else.

This was a great zombie book, the ending was intense, and I definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to be more involved with the characters and their interactions. It’s also written by a Canadian author, so bonus!

[SilverThistle]

I'm not really sure what to make of this one. It was a good read and it was well written but maybe I was expecting more zombies? Or explanations? Or a resolution? I'm torn.

I really liked the story and couldn't put it down until I found out what happened to them all... but I didn't get closure. I'm not saying all endings have to always be neatly tied up but if they had been I'd have been happier and would have given 5* instead of 4*.

A handful of kids end up in a school, sheltering from the zombie hoards outside which roam their town relentlessly. Why are there zombies? I have no idea and I suspect the kids don't either but since they never ask each other those simple question's, "Why?", "Where?", "How?" I'm left wondering if maybe they do know, in which case - why don't I?

Sloane is the narrator and we get an insight into her life before the zombies came although I felt that I never really knew the whole story of what went on there either. It's frustrating. There's only one viewpoint really and I only found out what Sloane wanted me to know. Since Sloane herself was mostly fixated on her sister and her need to end it all I didn't get to know half of what I needed (wanted) to know. Enquiring minds need to know.

So, accepting that I didn't find out all that I wanted (needed), how was the story? It was good actually. Dark and sinister and creepy and scary and all the stuff you come to expect from a zombie book...just without many zombies. One or two popped up every now and then and they were the jacked up crazy kind but because I didn't see much of them they were more of a psychological fear than a physical fear. It was scary wondering where they where going to come from...if they were going to come...when they were going to come. Sometimes that's scarier than the actual event of them coming. It's the not knowing.

Anyway, it's a good story which is well told. Sloane's voice is right for the telling of it but I just wish she'd been a little more forthcoming with the stuff I needed to know...

I'd even be happier if I knew there was a follow on book which might fill in some of the details for me (there's not, is there?). I know there's a 1.5 novella but I really need the proper sequel. I'll be reading the novella too for sure though.

*Sigh* It's a hard one. Good story, well written I just wanted...I'm not sure what I wanted. More? Better? Fuller?

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Courtney Summers pens an emotional edgey unpredictable tale of survival and strength in a chaotic world full of danger and destruction. In many ways, it's a startling dismal outlook at life and death in an intensely gritty realistic and terrifying way. This book is by no means your average run of the mill zombie apocalypse horror stories. It's riddled with chaotic violence, terrifying outlooks on life itself, and the human race. This book is sure to draw readers into its web and wrap them up inside the pages.

There is so much more to this story, than just what appears on the surface. Sloane is not just fighting to die, she's actualy fighting to SURVIVE herself in this crazy violent and messed up world that Courtney Summers has created. It's not just about living life through the eyes of five strangers as they stuggle to survive and stay alive, but more about growing, learning, and needing to feel that urge to fight for survival on Sloane's part, herself. Sloane is a broken protrait of a young woman on the cusp of womanhood, yet she has had to deal with far more pain in her life at the hands of her father and again when her sister abandons her to save herself in the zombie apocalypse. It's easy to see how she would rather fight to die, than fight to stay alive.

The absolute best part of this book are the characters and how realistically written they are and how wonderfully flawed everything is. Nothing in this life is perfect, nor is it by any means necessary in Courtney Summers world either. It's what makes this story even more intriguing and incredibly intense. I absolutely fell in love with the premise, the memorable characters, the brilliant sense of reality, and the start dismal violence that comes along with it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of dystopia and or zombie/horror fiction. It is certainly one that will grab readers and pull them in for more.

[kimbacaffeinate]

I have not read any of Courtney Summers' previous novels but after devouring, This is Not A Test, I certainly plan too. This YA horror takes us on a riveting journey as a zombie outbreak occurs. She shares with us the tale of six students who seek shelter in their high school. Its the Breakfast Club meets Zombie apocalypse and I totally loved it.

It begins when we meet Sloan Price. She is sitting in her bathroom contemplating suicide, when her father orders her to breakfast. We immediately get a sense that something is seriously wrong with this family, as Sloane is overly fearful of her father. Suddenly there is someone pounding at the front door, screaming and that’s when all hell breaks loose. Zombies are attacking. We next meet up with her, as she is helping to barricade the school. Here we meet the other characters who will ride out this nightmare together. Summers' delivers an eerie tale, giveing us an intense look at the effects of the outbreak on individuals and the group as a whole. Some scenes reminded me of Lord of the Flies and kept me completely immersed in the tale. From the first page to the last I was spellbound. I became emotionally invested in the characters and the outcome.

The characters in This is Not a Test are beautifully fleshed out. Each is damaged or fragile due to their own experiences before entering the school. They have spent almost seven days together, traveling what would have been a twenty-minute journey across town to reach the school. There is tension from the get go; as some blame others for losses they are experiencing. Sloan at first just observes. She doesn't want to be here; she was prepared to die till the group found her. I wanted to hug Sloan for the suffering she has experienced and at the same time I admired her. We get to see her emerge, grow and feel. The other characters all have different personalities and problems and my emotions towards them were all over the place. It was similar to the dynamics of the Breakfast Club characters and I loved getting to know them. I laughed, cried and was scared right along with them. I loved each and every characters.

While we don’t see a whole lot of the zombies in Summers' world, we know they are there and the fear is real. Imagine being totally cut off from society with an enemy banging at your door. Not really knowing the people who are with you. Imagine trying to work as a team but in the back of your mind wondering if they will have your back. She utilizes this to bring us a captivating look at human’s in a stressful situation and nails it! The tale was beautifully paced, with scenes that captured all of my emotions. The last part of the book was terrifying and had my heart racing as I moved towards the dramatic conclusion. I love when the tale becomes real and the characters come alive. This is why I love to read and this is the high I chase in my addition to reading.

I highly recommend This Is Not A Test to fans of horror, suspense and character driven novels. Summers grabs you at page one and holds you long after the tale has ended. This novel is currently on my top ten list for 2012. I have added Summer’s to my author list and hope to read some of her other works soon.