Book Review: If We Survive This by Racquel Marie
Book Title: If We Survive This
Author: Racquel Marie
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Link to Book: [AMAZON]
Flora Braddock Paz is not the girl who survives. A colorful creative who spends as much time fearing death as she does trying to hide that fear from her loved ones, she’s always considered herself weak. But half a year into the global outbreak of a rabies mutation that transforms people into violent, zombielike "rabids," she and her older brother, Cain, are still alive. With their mom dead, their dad missing, and their Los Angeles suburb left desolate, they form a new plan: venture out to the secluded Northern California cabin they vacationed in growing up—their best chance at a safe haven and maybe even seeing their dad again.
The dangers of the world have changed, but so has Flora. Still, their journey up the state is complicated by encounters with familiar faces, hidden truths, new allies, and painful memories of the whole family’s final time making this trip the previous year. And for Flora, one thing inevitably remains: No matter how far you run, death is never far behind.
You ever see a book that pulls you in by the cover and then the blurb absolutely sells it? If We Survive This kept getting recommended to me and when I finally looked it up, the art on the cover was an instant sell. When I read the blurb on the back, it came home with me. Well, more technically I hit 'add to cart' and 'check out' and then I tandem read it via audiobook and ebook. The premise of this book was strong and the atmosphere was definitely there. I thought this book was going to touch me emotionally in deep ways and leave an impact.
Overall though, I never fully locked in. It isn't a bad book. There are moments where the tension feels nice and it works well. There is an emotional undercurrent though out the entire book that makes you want to learn and understand more.
I just constantly felt like I was waiting for the moment where everything clicked and I got completely consumed into the story and for me, that moment just never arrived? I stayed interested in the story and I wanted to see where it went, but it never crossed over into the territory of 'I cannot put this book down'.
I did appreciate the consistent tone, the writing was amazing, and there were amazing sub stories under the overlying plot. I did enjoy how character driven the book was, they built them up really well and they had realistic relationships with each other.
