Audiobook: This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

 

Read by Stephanie Cannon

Synopsis:

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?

My Thoughts: I've had this book on my TBR list since it came out. I really wanted to read it but I couldn't get my hands on it until I saw the audio copy available at my library. I was thrilled. I couldn't wait to get this book checked off from my list. Though this was a decent story with zombies, my expectations of it had me a little disappointed.

The plot was more about the dark past of Sloane versus the zombies. It was sad to hear about the abuse that she went through with the man who was supposed to be her protector, her father. The only trustworthy companion she had was her sister, but her sister abandoned her. While Sloane was hiding out in the high school from the zombies, her insecurities, her unwillingness to live, and her flashbacks were the center of the story. There were a few action parts with the zombies, which were really good. I would have loved to have seen more of these. This immediately disappointed me since I was looking for a full-on zombie book.

Another thing that I was not too thrilled about this book was Sloane's character. I do admire how the author was brave to bring such serious topics into the book but I simply didn't like Sloane's character. I understand that she had a horrible past but her depression and "woe is me" persona was irritating. I simply don't enjoy teenage angst.

At first I was going to rate this only a three, but the last part of the book was pretty good. When a certain character made an unexpected return, this was when things began to pick up for me. I shed a tear on one of the sad parts, I was at the edge of my seat as Sloane and the others tried to escape the zombies, and I liked how Sloane saw a little light within her. All of this made me life the book more.

The reader of this audio, Stephanie Cannon, really helped me stay with the book to the end as well. She was able to capture Sloane's character, even the annoying parts. I quite enjoyed how Ms. Cannon was able to change her tone with the exciting parts and the sad parts. It made the story come to life for me.

As a whole, this audio production was a great way to have read this book. With the teenage angst, I would have dropped this book if I read a physical copy. However, because Stephanie Cannon, I was able to stick with it to the end and came to enjoy it a little more. I rate it: