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This is Not a Test #1.5
Please Remain Calm
In Please Remain Calm, the gripping sequel to Courtney Summers' This is Not a Test, Rhys and Sloane are headed for a safe haven when they get separated along the way. Rhys is determined to reunite with Sloane until he discovers people who might need him more--people who offer him the closest he'll get to everything he's lost, if they can just hold on long enough. Rhys thinks he has what it takes to survive and find Sloane, but in a world overrun by the dead, there are no guarantees and the next leg of his journey will test him in unimaginable ways...
96 pages, ebook
First published January 20, 2015
About the author
Courtney Summers
14 books7,537 followersCourtney Summers is the author of several novels, including the breakout hit Sadie, which appeared on over 30 ‘Best of’ lists and was published in 26 territories. In 2018, Electric Literature proclaimed her “a master of the bitch” for her years of writing “nuanced, wrenching stories about angry [and] unlikable girls.” Her work has been released to critical acclaim, multiple starred reviews and has received numerous awards and honors, including the Edgar Award and the Odyssey Award. Courtney has reviewed for The New York Times and is the founder of the 2015 worldwide trending hashtag #ToTheGirls. She lives and writes in Canada. You can follow her on Instagram and subscribe to her newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 434 reviews
January 23, 2015
Honestly... Courtney Summers is pure EVIL. And she needs to write more! Damn it!
January 29, 2020
Once you know the sounds of teeth tearing into human flesh, the wet, sloppy noise of skin and organs rolling around an infected's mouth, of fingers with the kind of hunger driving them enough to make it possible to rip a belly open and pull all its insides out, you don't forget it.
this follow-up novella is more of a typical zombie story than This is Not a Test. which, although i loved This is Not a Test completely, is a good thing. the use of zombies in the first one as a background foil to real-world horrors was a clever little twist on the traditional zombie novel, and it was brilliantly handled. but it's not something easy or even advisable to replicate in a sequel - it would have diluted the power of test to have regurgitated the trick.
this one is a straight-ahead "survive the zombies" story that definitely kicks some emotional ass.
but at first, i wasn't sold.
i'm not sure why. maybe because this one is told through rhys' perspective, and i read test too long ago to remember much about him. sloane - her i remember and always will. and i miss her voice in this one. we don't get to know what's percolating inside her head - how she is reacting to everything that has happened. (and this is definitely not a standalone novella - do not read it until you have read test) we see her withdrawn, but we don't know what's going on in there, and rhys is not nearly as complex as sloane. he is someone who emphatically wants to survive.
but i got over it, and realigned my expectations to a more traditional male-narrated zombie survival story.
as with test, one of the most interesting things about summers' writing is her attention to detail - specifically details that are usually glossed over in lieu of action!action!action! but there she is with the details about urination on the run and the silly fears accompanying it:
"I have to piss," I mutter.
It takes her a minute and for that minute, my face burns and it all seems too goddamn stupid to be embarrassed about, but it's what I'm not saying that's making it uncomfortable. I have to go to the bathroom and I don't want to die and then come back with my dick out, so…
and she's there with the details of the destruction - a ruined bookstore, a dead dog beside his doghouse, a closed door.
and the exhaustion. she writes this SO well, and it made me incredibly tired just reading along.
she also has a way with the chilling descriptions:
The entire town must be here.
Here. A war was lost here, its victors still here, gazing at what's left of the battlefield. Their backs are to us and church, church is in my head. I remember standing for the hymns and all those people in front of me, backs to me, and I couldn't see their faces but I knew.
I knew they were opening their mouths.
shiver. she goes on in the next paragraph to make it just a little too on the nose, but that paragraph is perfect standing alone.
it's a great story overall - and i eventually came around to appreciate rhys' voice and watching the enigmatic sloane from the outside view. their dynamic is very well-written; it's a pretty realistic depiction of two people who don't know each other very well, but have shared experiences which have created a superficial bond between them. it's rather exciting to read something like this; where the characters have no real relationship to draw upon, no archive of body language or other social cues, so rhys has no way to anticipate what sloane will do, or what she is planning. and that creates powerful tension.
and there is great action in this one. shit gets harrowing.
and then one of those endings that reminds you that YA fiction ain't what it used to be and the world isn't going to always give you your happy ending.
or, hell any ending.
we're going to get a third part, right??
because i'm gonna need more.
much more.
come to my blog!
this follow-up novella is more of a typical zombie story than This is Not a Test. which, although i loved This is Not a Test completely, is a good thing. the use of zombies in the first one as a background foil to real-world horrors was a clever little twist on the traditional zombie novel, and it was brilliantly handled. but it's not something easy or even advisable to replicate in a sequel - it would have diluted the power of test to have regurgitated the trick.
this one is a straight-ahead "survive the zombies" story that definitely kicks some emotional ass.
but at first, i wasn't sold.
i'm not sure why. maybe because this one is told through rhys' perspective, and i read test too long ago to remember much about him. sloane - her i remember and always will. and i miss her voice in this one. we don't get to know what's percolating inside her head - how she is reacting to everything that has happened. (and this is definitely not a standalone novella - do not read it until you have read test) we see her withdrawn, but we don't know what's going on in there, and rhys is not nearly as complex as sloane. he is someone who emphatically wants to survive.
but i got over it, and realigned my expectations to a more traditional male-narrated zombie survival story.
as with test, one of the most interesting things about summers' writing is her attention to detail - specifically details that are usually glossed over in lieu of action!action!action! but there she is with the details about urination on the run and the silly fears accompanying it:
"I have to piss," I mutter.
It takes her a minute and for that minute, my face burns and it all seems too goddamn stupid to be embarrassed about, but it's what I'm not saying that's making it uncomfortable. I have to go to the bathroom and I don't want to die and then come back with my dick out, so…
and she's there with the details of the destruction - a ruined bookstore, a dead dog beside his doghouse, a closed door.
and the exhaustion. she writes this SO well, and it made me incredibly tired just reading along.
she also has a way with the chilling descriptions:
The entire town must be here.
Here. A war was lost here, its victors still here, gazing at what's left of the battlefield. Their backs are to us and church, church is in my head. I remember standing for the hymns and all those people in front of me, backs to me, and I couldn't see their faces but I knew.
I knew they were opening their mouths.
shiver. she goes on in the next paragraph to make it just a little too on the nose, but that paragraph is perfect standing alone.
it's a great story overall - and i eventually came around to appreciate rhys' voice and watching the enigmatic sloane from the outside view. their dynamic is very well-written; it's a pretty realistic depiction of two people who don't know each other very well, but have shared experiences which have created a superficial bond between them. it's rather exciting to read something like this; where the characters have no real relationship to draw upon, no archive of body language or other social cues, so rhys has no way to anticipate what sloane will do, or what she is planning. and that creates powerful tension.
and there is great action in this one. shit gets harrowing.
and then one of those endings that reminds you that YA fiction ain't what it used to be and the world isn't going to always give you your happy ending.
or, hell any ending.
we're going to get a third part, right??
because i'm gonna need more.
much more.
come to my blog!
October 22, 2018
"Easy, son"
It's been so long since I was anyone's son.
This was just less than 100 pages long, a novella really and yet it stirred variety of emotions from me throughout.
The way Courtney Summers writes... she just about broke my heart.
It read so incredibly honest that I believed everything wholeheartedly. Who even cares of suspension of disbelief? If it's this good, embrace it!
What, in any other book, I would have rolled my eyes at- - didn't get that reaction from me at all. All I felt was 'finally!' I was just so glad for them!
"Because you made it here on a lot less" he says and he has no idea how on the mark he is.
Slone, my baby girl, you rock.
March 22, 2015
Somebody please tell me there's a third book!!! It couldn't possibly end this way, could it? Because if this is the end, I don't know what to make of the story. I honestly don't have any idea how I'm supposed to process everything from the first book up to this point. The first book gave me a platform of provoking and challenging concepts that I was waiting to be resolved in this book, but I didn't get any AT ALL!!!
What I did get are a lot of nerve-wracking events, teeth chattering incidents and throat drying scenes as the MC's get up close and personal with the zombies.
From the first page until the last, I felt like all I did was breathe so hard because of the intensity of the events. It was like watching a collision of I am Legend and World War Z.
What I did enjoy is the new narrative male voice-Rhys(although I can't deny that I miss Sloane's voice which to me made the first book a gripping novel in the first place). The male voice lifted a bit of the weight from Sloane's grave and stern voice and painted the grim story with this demented but helplessly funny humor. Now I know the worst predicament a person may go through in a post apocalyptic world infested with zombies: the need to pee in the middle of the road. Lol.^^ So many times, I found myself smirking at his morbid thoughts of all the possible ways he could die.
This may be one of my most unforgettably gripping reads but I swear I'm never going to read this ever again! Lol.
December 19, 2014
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
I could leave my review at that, really >.<
Courtney Summers has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Her books are just so well written -enthralling and character driven. My first book by her was This is Not a Test, which I absolutely loved, so I was stoked when I heard she was coming out with a sequel. This is a novella, though, but it's on the long side with about 100 pages or so (mine was an eBook so I'm approximating). Still, there's no lack of intensity and general Summersness I've come to love!
Please Remain Calm begins right where we left off in This is Not a Test, but this time we're in Rhys's perspective. After hearing there was a safe haven not so far away, they left the safety of the school to try and find it. This book is basically their journey to there amongst zombies and whatever else they may or may not find - and where they end up might not be quite where you expect (it never is!). This is a survivalist story through and through. As with book 1, what Summers does best is the fear of the unknown - the knowledge that at any moment now… All it takes is one wrong tiny step. It makes the book completely unpredictable and absolutely terrifying. We also get to see how ravaged and death-ridden their world has become during this trek. It's terribly creepy. *shudders*
Even though this is a short book, the characterization is still flawless, and the emotional depth is there and very real! Our main characters get separated along the way, then we meet some side characters who, in such a short time, make their way into our hearts. And in true Courtney Summers' style, the ending makes you feel both elated and startled. Her endings have always been blunt; you never get the true closure you want, but they're memorable and realistic. But… IF ONLY THERE WAS 1 MORE PAGE! GAAAAH! Still, it's why I love her. We don't get all the answers in life (it's what I tell myself to survive her endings). In the end, even though it's a short read, it's one helluva ride!
--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
I could leave my review at that, really >.<
Courtney Summers has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Her books are just so well written -enthralling and character driven. My first book by her was This is Not a Test, which I absolutely loved, so I was stoked when I heard she was coming out with a sequel. This is a novella, though, but it's on the long side with about 100 pages or so (mine was an eBook so I'm approximating). Still, there's no lack of intensity and general Summersness I've come to love!
Please Remain Calm begins right where we left off in This is Not a Test, but this time we're in Rhys's perspective. After hearing there was a safe haven not so far away, they left the safety of the school to try and find it. This book is basically their journey to there amongst zombies and whatever else they may or may not find - and where they end up might not be quite where you expect (it never is!). This is a survivalist story through and through. As with book 1, what Summers does best is the fear of the unknown - the knowledge that at any moment now… All it takes is one wrong tiny step. It makes the book completely unpredictable and absolutely terrifying. We also get to see how ravaged and death-ridden their world has become during this trek. It's terribly creepy. *shudders*
Even though this is a short book, the characterization is still flawless, and the emotional depth is there and very real! Our main characters get separated along the way, then we meet some side characters who, in such a short time, make their way into our hearts. And in true Courtney Summers' style, the ending makes you feel both elated and startled. Her endings have always been blunt; you never get the true closure you want, but they're memorable and realistic. But… IF ONLY THERE WAS 1 MORE PAGE! GAAAAH! Still, it's why I love her. We don't get all the answers in life (it's what I tell myself to survive her endings). In the end, even though it's a short read, it's one helluva ride!
--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
June 25, 2016
No, Courtney Summers, I will not remain calm, okay? NOT AFTER THAT ENDING.
That ending is WRONG. That is NOT how the story is supposed to end, okay? You got the wrong memo, Courtney Summers. This companion was supposed to make me HAPPY, not TERRIFIED, not UPSET, not SAD, not SOBBING, not CRYING MY EYES OUT. OKAY? SO STOP TELLING ME TO REMAIN CALM.
This is one of those short, short stories where you're on the edge of your seat the whole time, expecting the worst to happen and when it does, you somehow are surprised. Maybe because this is a book and you're not supposed to feel this bad because it's fiction. WRONG.
Expect to have your heart ripped out by the end of this. RIPPED. OUT. IN. SHREDS. Actually, scratch that because having my heart ripped out might be less painful. *cries*
But, seriously, I just wanted these characters to be okay. It's the kind of book where you're almost happier when terrible things are happening because that's got to be the worst, right? When things are going well, that's when you should start freaking out because something worse can always just creep up on you. And by the end of this book, I really thought that everything that could be possibly be horrible and terrifying and achingly sad had already passed. I seriously did. I LET MY GUARD DROP. BIGGEST. MISTAKE. EVER.
Don't do that. Expect the worst ALWAYS. Don't feel happy for one second of reading this because it's all a massive trick and by the end you're going to feel like me and don't tell me I didn't warn you this was coming, okay?
Aaaand this is why I shouldn't write reviews right after reading a book. I sound like a raving lunatic. Blame Courtney Summers.
God knows I'm going to be sending her my therapy bills after this.
That ending is WRONG. That is NOT how the story is supposed to end, okay? You got the wrong memo, Courtney Summers. This companion was supposed to make me HAPPY, not TERRIFIED, not UPSET, not SAD, not SOBBING, not CRYING MY EYES OUT. OKAY? SO STOP TELLING ME TO REMAIN CALM.
This is one of those short, short stories where you're on the edge of your seat the whole time, expecting the worst to happen and when it does, you somehow are surprised. Maybe because this is a book and you're not supposed to feel this bad because it's fiction. WRONG.
Expect to have your heart ripped out by the end of this. RIPPED. OUT. IN. SHREDS. Actually, scratch that because having my heart ripped out might be less painful. *cries*
But, seriously, I just wanted these characters to be okay. It's the kind of book where you're almost happier when terrible things are happening because that's got to be the worst, right? When things are going well, that's when you should start freaking out because something worse can always just creep up on you. And by the end of this book, I really thought that everything that could be possibly be horrible and terrifying and achingly sad had already passed. I seriously did. I LET MY GUARD DROP. BIGGEST. MISTAKE. EVER.
Don't do that. Expect the worst ALWAYS. Don't feel happy for one second of reading this because it's all a massive trick and by the end you're going to feel like me and don't tell me I didn't warn you this was coming, okay?
Aaaand this is why I shouldn't write reviews right after reading a book. I sound like a raving lunatic. Blame Courtney Summers.
God knows I'm going to be sending her my therapy bills after this.
July 10, 2017
Hey :) Courtney :) Summers, :) why :) don't :) you :) just :) slowly :) poison :) me :) to :) death :) and :) then :) slice :) me :) into :) pieces? :) It :) would :) be :) a :) lot :) less :) painful :) than :) the :) ending :) for :) this. :)
February 13, 2015
How can an author make a book on only 96 pages be so good? In fact, when I realized I was finishing reading it I completely freaked out because I don't want to wait forever for the next ones, I really don't. I'm not going to say much and I'll only post one quote (I can't not post a quote), but seriously, this was... I don't know what this was. This made me cry.
"People aren't supposed to be able to fathom eternity. It's an amount of time beyond all human comprehension. But ever since this started, I think I'm getting closer to understanding it. These little tastes of it in the way hell stretches around us, making pain endless and moments like this one rare and fleeting. Making moments like this one everything."
Rhys, can you not be perfect? This short little story is told by my friend, your friend, Rhys. He and Sloane get separated and a lot of things happen until you reach the end. We have confirmation of how much Rhys cares. We not only see his worries about Sloane (they are cute, cute, cute), but how he cares about the world, as well. How he hopes, fears, suffers. How he is as strong as Sloane and even stronger sometimes, because even after everything that happened he still has an gigantic heart.
What can I say? This book was made for me and I almost died of excitement when I found a little surprise at the end of it. Go read these books, all of you.
(By the way, aren't this covers amazing? AND THE TITLES.)
"People aren't supposed to be able to fathom eternity. It's an amount of time beyond all human comprehension. But ever since this started, I think I'm getting closer to understanding it. These little tastes of it in the way hell stretches around us, making pain endless and moments like this one rare and fleeting. Making moments like this one everything."
Rhys, can you not be perfect? This short little story is told by my friend, your friend, Rhys. He and Sloane get separated and a lot of things happen until you reach the end. We have confirmation of how much Rhys cares. We not only see his worries about Sloane (they are cute, cute, cute), but how he cares about the world, as well. How he hopes, fears, suffers. How he is as strong as Sloane and even stronger sometimes, because even after everything that happened he still has an gigantic heart.
What can I say? This book was made for me and I almost died of excitement when I found a little surprise at the end of it. Go read these books, all of you.
(By the way, aren't this covers amazing? AND THE TITLES.)
Want to read
June 7, 2014CANNOT. REMAIN. CALM.
April 27, 2015
First I would like to start out with a warning -- please remain calm: this *is not* a full length sequel. It is a *short story*. It is a *chapter* of what we can only hope will become part of a much larger series that Courtney Summers will -- she better! -- continue to write.
My ebook edition displayed as 65 pages and I didn't even get that many since those 65 pages also included a sample of Summer's new novel All the Rage (which has no zombies, but I still want to read anyway because Summers is a great writer no matter what story she's telling).
So Please Remain Calm is a short, sweet taste of something terrifying and grueling. I remember This Is Not a Test as an epic, emotional The Breakfast Club meets Dawn of The Dead -- a bunch of high school archetypes, including the jock, the brain and the basket case -- are trapped in a high school with each other while outside the world is being ripped apart at the seams by flesh-hungry reanimates. Our narrator, Sloane, is the basket case. She was on the verge of suicide before the zombies came and now has to run for her life rather than commit to taking it. I remember Sloane as strong and sad and sympathetic.
Please Remain Calm is not her story -- this time it's Rhys who's speaking (the jock) and I barely remembered anything about him other than he is the one Sloane escapes with at the end of the first book. And that's exactly where this short story picks up. No time has passed at all. The two teenagers are on the run from the high school. To where, to what, we don't know because they don't know. They are moving panicked, blind. And then they get separated.
This is much more your traditional zombie story of unrelenting fear, fatigue, hunger, trying to find a safe place to close your eyes for more than ten minutes. I *loved* it. It's pulse-pounding and page-turning with great writing and for so few pages, great characterization. Summers can write a zombie chase/attack scene like nobody's business. Her zombies are fucking terrifying and I don't even care that they move fast. Usually that would bug me. But Summers makes it work. Boy does she ever.
Don't let the YA label fool you with this one; it's raw and violent and dark. It's going to take a bite out of you and leave you shaken and stirred. That I guarantee. Merle knows what I'm talking about, don't you Merle?
September 15, 2017
Sloane catches my eye and she quickly turns away from me and I get this weird feeling in my chest, that I should tell her—not that I love her. Because I don’t. But that I could, maybe, if we survived long enough.
Courtney Summers has really nailed down the creep factor. Or, you know what? This is not even the creep factor. This is just the mindfuck factor. It should be illegal to end anything like this. Way to make me sit up in bed and drop my phone, Courtney. Love you.
I genuinely love that this novella isn't afraid to get dark. I mean, holy shit, some of this is not the kind of thing you read in YA. Ever. And yet here's Courtney Summers, subverting expectations and making everything far darker.
There's not much I can say about this that I didn't already say in my review for This Is Not A Test, but I will say that I definitely recommend this.
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March 24, 2015
There's not much to say that hasn't already been said in my review for This is Not a Test. But I do think there were some small differences that clearly showed a distinction between the two, so it deserves it's own review. For instance, if you thought the first book was heartbreaking, you're in for a whole new world of hurt. And if you thought you saw quite a few zombies before?? Think again.
People aren't supposed to be able to fathom eternity. It's an amount of time beyond all human comprehension. But ever since everything ended, I think I'm getting closer to understanding it. These little tastes of it in the way hell stretches around us, making pain endless and moments like this one rare and fleeting.
Making moments like this one everything.
This novella takes place right where we left off in book one. Rhys and Sloane are traveling to the 'safe house' because they can't stay in the school forever....but by leaving the safety of the school, they are putting themselves in grave danger, because each city they come across is even more infested than the last.
"I have to piss," I mutter.
It takes her a minute and for that minute, my face burns and it all seems too goddamn stupid to be embarrassed about, but it's what I'm not saying that's making it uncomfortable. I have to go to the bathroom and I don't want to die and then come back with my dick out, so...
It's no secret I was obsessed with Rhys in the last book, so I was ecstatic to see that this novella was in Rhys's POV. I don't normally love when authors make the second, or even the third, books in the male POV after being in the heroine's head because I feel there is always a disconnect and a lack of characterization because the author can't quite seem to capture both the male and female truthfully anymore. I think it's because they are trying so hard to give us ladies an insight into the male's head we so love and adore, but more often than not, they fail. So, I was very excited to see that, in true Courtney Summers fashion, she didn't let this happen. Her writing was exactly the same and fifty times scarier.
This book, just as I said a second ago, was 50 times freakier to me than TINAT. Don't think for a second the first wasn't scary, but being out amid the zombies causes a whole new kind of panic attack moments that I couldn't help but to lose my breath over time and again. It was very raw and heartbreaking, causing me to cry more than once-and this novella was, like, only 100 pages. I was shocked. But it's truly not all that surprising, if you think about it-Courtney Summers has a way of getting under your skin and bringing out your worst and deepest fears and making them reality. So, naturally, when she does the thing that no one thinks she could possibly do to us...she does it. That's my only warning to you. Don't for a second think this novella, or world, is fluffy because Rhys and Sloane are into each other. It's not.
Times like these, you go so far out of your way to assure yourself you're not alone. You memorize the person you're with: the way they breathe, the way they move, the warmth of their body. All these things, you reach for every second of the day and when they're gone, you don't even have to open your eyes to know it.
So, I can't believe this is as long as it is, but I think I got my point across without being excessive. This novella is wonderful and essential to this series. So, if you have an hour, give this one a try. You'll most likely really enjoy it if you loved the first.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
***********************************************************
AGH SO GOOD AND SO HORRIBLE !!!!! Rhys you are so loyal, ugh ❤️
Review to come :))))
People aren't supposed to be able to fathom eternity. It's an amount of time beyond all human comprehension. But ever since everything ended, I think I'm getting closer to understanding it. These little tastes of it in the way hell stretches around us, making pain endless and moments like this one rare and fleeting.
Making moments like this one everything.
This novella takes place right where we left off in book one. Rhys and Sloane are traveling to the 'safe house' because they can't stay in the school forever....but by leaving the safety of the school, they are putting themselves in grave danger, because each city they come across is even more infested than the last.
"I have to piss," I mutter.
It takes her a minute and for that minute, my face burns and it all seems too goddamn stupid to be embarrassed about, but it's what I'm not saying that's making it uncomfortable. I have to go to the bathroom and I don't want to die and then come back with my dick out, so...
It's no secret I was obsessed with Rhys in the last book, so I was ecstatic to see that this novella was in Rhys's POV. I don't normally love when authors make the second, or even the third, books in the male POV after being in the heroine's head because I feel there is always a disconnect and a lack of characterization because the author can't quite seem to capture both the male and female truthfully anymore. I think it's because they are trying so hard to give us ladies an insight into the male's head we so love and adore, but more often than not, they fail. So, I was very excited to see that, in true Courtney Summers fashion, she didn't let this happen. Her writing was exactly the same and fifty times scarier.
This book, just as I said a second ago, was 50 times freakier to me than TINAT. Don't think for a second the first wasn't scary, but being out amid the zombies causes a whole new kind of panic attack moments that I couldn't help but to lose my breath over time and again. It was very raw and heartbreaking, causing me to cry more than once-and this novella was, like, only 100 pages. I was shocked. But it's truly not all that surprising, if you think about it-Courtney Summers has a way of getting under your skin and bringing out your worst and deepest fears and making them reality. So, naturally, when she does the thing that no one thinks she could possibly do to us...she does it. That's my only warning to you. Don't for a second think this novella, or world, is fluffy because Rhys and Sloane are into each other. It's not.
Times like these, you go so far out of your way to assure yourself you're not alone. You memorize the person you're with: the way they breathe, the way they move, the warmth of their body. All these things, you reach for every second of the day and when they're gone, you don't even have to open your eyes to know it.
So, I can't believe this is as long as it is, but I think I got my point across without being excessive. This novella is wonderful and essential to this series. So, if you have an hour, give this one a try. You'll most likely really enjoy it if you loved the first.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
***********************************************************
AGH SO GOOD AND SO HORRIBLE !!!!! Rhys you are so loyal, ugh ❤️
Review to come :))))
January 21, 2015
Well, I'm super traumatized now. Thanks a lot, Courtney Summers.
January 6, 2017
Remember when I said This is Not a Test was the limit of mind fuckery? Well, I was wrong.
I'm so conflicted, I can't decide if this deserves a five star rating or one, but somehow she convinced me to the winning side, so here we are.
I
HAVE
NO
WORDS
FOR
WHATEVER
THE
FUCK
THIS
WAS
I mean, Are they dead? Are they alive? Are they zombies? WHO KNOWS. WHO CARES, RIGHT?
WRONG.
First, you build such a story I can't help but fall for the characters. Then, you do this. Nuh-fucking-uh.
I know I said I'm interested in reading more of Courtney Summers' work, but NEWSFLASH: I'M NOT.
June 8, 2022
My second zombie book after Ms Summer's This is not a Test. Narrated by Rhys this time around, he and Sloane are the only two left from the eight holding out in their old high school trying to keep the zombies at bay and themselves alive. Now they're on the move to what they believe may be a safe haven.
This was hard going, as one reviewer said Courtney Summers is pure evil. So well written, on the edge of your seat thrills, but a most difficult read. Although less than 100 pages it took me a while as I had to keep stopping. The ending broke me. Damn she's a good writer though.
This was hard going, as one reviewer said Courtney Summers is pure evil. So well written, on the edge of your seat thrills, but a most difficult read. Although less than 100 pages it took me a while as I had to keep stopping. The ending broke me. Damn she's a good writer though.
May 10, 2017
A follow-up to This is Not a Test, we get more of the zombie apocalypse from Rhys' POV. Although I missed Sloane, Rhys was a great character from the first book, almost as interesting as Cary, so it was fun to read his inner thoughts. I felt that the male POV was written very well. He never came off too girly, like some males have a tendency to do when women authors try to write them. He was a little crude, raw, awkward, and used bad language. He also tried not to be a pussy which is big in the boy-world.
The first book was really all about Sloane's journey to decide whether or not she wanted to survive at all. She is finding reasons to live (through relationships) in the post-apocalyptic world. In this book, it seems like Rhys is traveling in the opposite direction as he slowly loses his reasons to keep fighting. They came from such opposite starting points that it almost makes sense that they end up flipped around like that. I am really hoping there is a third book that brings it all together. Please!
The first book was really all about Sloane's journey to decide whether or not she wanted to survive at all. She is finding reasons to live (through relationships) in the post-apocalyptic world. In this book, it seems like Rhys is traveling in the opposite direction as he slowly loses his reasons to keep fighting. They came from such opposite starting points that it almost makes sense that they end up flipped around like that. I am really hoping there is a third book that brings it all together. Please!
February 13, 2017
My heart hurts so much. That can't be it. Where's the next book? Please tell me that's not the end.
January 23, 2015
Spoilers
Pretty good, some of the narration was a little dull at times but overall it was a decent novella/sequel to the first book. I was kind of disappointed at first that this was from Rhys's POV instead of Sloane's, but his perspective actually ended up being quite interesting at times.. Especially when it came to Sloane's state of mind and how she generally came across, she was messed up in the first book but she seemed even more weirder and sadder from an outside perspective. It made sense though considering everything that had happened to her.
What I liked most was how Rhys and Sloane were written in a realistic way unlike most other YA leads. Rhys wasn't a brave, cocky, fearless hero and Sloane wasn't a kickass Mary Sue. They were both just normal teens who were scared and unsure about where they were going and what they were going to do. It added gravitas and bleakness to the story.
Also, it was great how Rhys/Sloane didn't have some cheesy romance and instead were focused on the crazy zombie apocalypse around them and the loss of the life, family and home they once had. It made a nice change from the usual inappropriate angsting and sexy times in other YA books.
The ending was rather depressing but not in a bad way, I felt so sorry for Ainsley and her family, especially because they were so close to survival. I was really glad Sloane and Rhys had each other though and managed to survive.
Pretty good, some of the narration was a little dull at times but overall it was a decent novella/sequel to the first book. I was kind of disappointed at first that this was from Rhys's POV instead of Sloane's, but his perspective actually ended up being quite interesting at times.. Especially when it came to Sloane's state of mind and how she generally came across, she was messed up in the first book but she seemed even more weirder and sadder from an outside perspective. It made sense though considering everything that had happened to her.
What I liked most was how Rhys and Sloane were written in a realistic way unlike most other YA leads. Rhys wasn't a brave, cocky, fearless hero and Sloane wasn't a kickass Mary Sue. They were both just normal teens who were scared and unsure about where they were going and what they were going to do. It added gravitas and bleakness to the story.
Also, it was great how Rhys/Sloane didn't have some cheesy romance and instead were focused on the crazy zombie apocalypse around them and the loss of the life, family and home they once had. It made a nice change from the usual inappropriate angsting and sexy times in other YA books.
The ending was rather depressing but not in a bad way, I felt so sorry for Ainsley and her family, especially because they were so close to survival. I was really glad Sloane and Rhys had each other though and managed to survive.
April 5, 2015
This was a fantastic sequel to one of my favorite zombie apocalypse novels, This is Not a Test! I’m not exaggerating that once you start on these books, you don’t want to put them down. They’re that engaging – you keep thinking about them after you’re finished. The zombie horror is ferocious and awesome, and fans of the genre won’t be disappointed; but it’s the characters that really pull you in. Remember the scene in The Walking Dead when Sophia staggered out of the barn as a zombie, and Rick had to put her down; that’s the kind of gut wrenching power that Courtney Summers packs into these novels. You really do need to read This is Not a Test first, because you’ll want to know these characters when you go on this journey with them. I really hope there’s another sequel (and it goes back to Sloane’s POV).
November 12, 2020
This follow up was better. Not good or great but readable. Also, short! It was more action packed but with an ending that was pretty sad, awful, sawful and yet also somewhat open ended so I don't think if there's eventual plans for more or not. But.
Overall? Still couldn't recommend this series.
Overall? Still couldn't recommend this series.
September 26, 2015
Novella that continues from the end of This is Not a Test. Not enough time to reach some of the emotional depths of the first book. However it does provide a satisfying ending to the questions left in the first. Rhys and Sloane continue to flirt with the question of "why struggle to survive" while the plot takes a classic zombie approach, excepting some very fast zombies. None of the hows/whys are explored; this is survival on a personal level, as well as the question of what trust might be worth.
Three and a half bloody stars.
March 17, 2015
Please remain calm?? I can't fucking calm! This book is fucking cruel!
January 12, 2015
Every time Courtney Summers writes something, she finds new ways to tap deep into the horrors we all have. Each story is a nightmare of some kind, be it between the walls of a high school or beyond them.
In Please Remain Calm, she takes her signature flair for the dark and her ability to write terrifying zombies to a whole new level.
The story picks up immediately after the end of This is Not a Test, so the novel is required reading beforehand. Rather than tell the story through Sloane's perspective, though, we get what happens next through Rhys's voice. This introduces us to an entirely different side of the story, one which we may not have entirely seen or picked up on in TINAT.
When it seems like Rhys and Sloane have found a safe haven, it may not be what they suspect it is. What follows is a story of survival, of trust and obligation, and of grief and loss. Summers ups her zombie game in PRC, and the story is unafraid to GO THERE. The heart-pounding zombie scenes are tempered with quieter scenes, and it's hard to tell which ones hurt the most. This is a fast-paced story, but the pacing never undercuts the story of humanness and vulnerability that threads through the zombie hordes. So many of the most powerful moments in TINAT came through observation, rather than direct action. That's done here, too, and the way Rhys takes in the world around him only heightens the tension in that very world.
Because this story is told through Rhys's perspective, we also see more into the relationship he had -- and has! -- with Sloane. Is it romantic? Is it one of survival? Of instinct? More, there's some excellent exploration of faith and belief, as well as heritage and culture, as Rhys grapples with his own past and his Hispanic Catholicism.
An excellent, well-rendered, and fully-fleshed out sequel novella, with an ending that perhaps leaves even more questions open about this world, what happens in it, and who the people inhabiting it really are. There is no lazy or rushed writing or storytelling here. This is the real deal and fans of TINAT will not be disappointed for a second.
In Please Remain Calm, she takes her signature flair for the dark and her ability to write terrifying zombies to a whole new level.
The story picks up immediately after the end of This is Not a Test, so the novel is required reading beforehand. Rather than tell the story through Sloane's perspective, though, we get what happens next through Rhys's voice. This introduces us to an entirely different side of the story, one which we may not have entirely seen or picked up on in TINAT.
When it seems like Rhys and Sloane have found a safe haven, it may not be what they suspect it is. What follows is a story of survival, of trust and obligation, and of grief and loss. Summers ups her zombie game in PRC, and the story is unafraid to GO THERE. The heart-pounding zombie scenes are tempered with quieter scenes, and it's hard to tell which ones hurt the most. This is a fast-paced story, but the pacing never undercuts the story of humanness and vulnerability that threads through the zombie hordes. So many of the most powerful moments in TINAT came through observation, rather than direct action. That's done here, too, and the way Rhys takes in the world around him only heightens the tension in that very world.
Because this story is told through Rhys's perspective, we also see more into the relationship he had -- and has! -- with Sloane. Is it romantic? Is it one of survival? Of instinct? More, there's some excellent exploration of faith and belief, as well as heritage and culture, as Rhys grapples with his own past and his Hispanic Catholicism.
An excellent, well-rendered, and fully-fleshed out sequel novella, with an ending that perhaps leaves even more questions open about this world, what happens in it, and who the people inhabiting it really are. There is no lazy or rushed writing or storytelling here. This is the real deal and fans of TINAT will not be disappointed for a second.
January 27, 2015
I hope it doesn’t hurt worse than this, being ripped apart, but I know it will. I don’t want to die in someone else’s mouth, but who did.Geez, zombies can be such assholes. Seriously.
So I remember how, when I read the last page of This is Not a Test, I wondered where the fuck the ending went. You know, cuz it totally didn’t have one. (Pissed. Me. Off.) Sometimes I can be ok with open-ended endings like that, but I was strung up too tight at the end of that book so that particular one didn’t work well for me. Which makes me stoked that we got this little treat of a sequel.
But little it is (I didn’t realize when I bought this that it was just a short story.) I was impressed though with how much Summers managed to cram into this short thing. The bleakness, the despair, the hope, the gross shit -- it all vividly came through with the skill of Summers’s writing which I have decided I’m a huge fan of. I like how I can almost laugh at certain parts, even as we are taken to some low, low points in Rhys’s story. Good stuff.
October 20, 2016
Who the f**k gave Courtney Summers the permission to write and slowly kill me?!?!!?
May 23, 2015
There needs to be a sequel.
March 15, 2017
Wtf I need moreeee!
December 25, 2018
pre-read: hehehe this book is supposed to rip my heart out and stomp on it. i have high expectations. predictions? one of the two main characters, or maybe both if we want to get crazy, are going to die. I mean, it’s a zombie book. It’s bound to happen. But I’m not very emotionally attached to either of these characters, so hopefully this 200 page ebook will change my perspective when (if) they all die
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post-read: excuse me, officer? yes I’d like to report this book right here.
So it didn’t stomp on my heart and play volleyball with it, but it was still sad. I enjoyed this better than the first book, even though it was half its length. and I think a main reason is because I actually really liked the characters in this book. Then again, I didn’t have to read Sloane’s bitchy narration this time around, so that may be why I liked her more.
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post-read: excuse me, officer? yes I’d like to report this book right here.
So it didn’t stomp on my heart and play volleyball with it, but it was still sad. I enjoyed this better than the first book, even though it was half its length. and I think a main reason is because I actually really liked the characters in this book. Then again, I didn’t have to read Sloane’s bitchy narration this time around, so that may be why I liked her more.
August 6, 2018
I didn't like Rhys' voice as much as Sloane's. This was more typical zombie survival than the original novel and therefore more interesting for me but the tediousness of Rhys’ POV, the meh writing and uselessness of the plot didn’t add much to the original story or gave a new shine to the series.
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