Sloane Price knows there are worse things than the end of the world, so when the zombie apocalypse happens, the opportunity to escape her violent home life offers no relief. She’s already lost the one thing that matters most—her sister—and now seems like the perfect time to give up.
But when she inadvertently ends up barricaded in her high school with five other teens, their desperate and volatile bids for survival force a series of impossible decisions. As the days creep by and the dead close in, Sloane must confront everything she thought she knew about life, death, survival, and sacrifice and—once and for all—make a choice.
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.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
- This is Not a Test will be available from January 13th 2026.
- I received a reviewers copy of this title - this book contains potentially upsetting content including abuse and violence.
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