First, thanks to Netgalley and Abrams Publishing for allowing me to read an e-galley of this. I did really enjoy it, even though it is yet another zombie book. Something I really liked about it is that although the high school kids are going through all this stress together, they do learn to start seeing that the people they've made fun of may have issues at home just like they do, and really can be cool people, reliable friends.
The main characters are a group of buddies, kinda cool maybe, but not jocks. They even end up skipping part of the school day the day this all happens. The main character is Brian, his friends go hang out on one of the guys' roofs. Their friend that was home sick for the day, stops by, and he does seem really, really sick. But he is going to go by the school for the pep rally at the end of the day where his cheerleader girlfriend will be performing. Before they left school, they had run into Brian's sister Kenzie and his ex-girlfriend Laura. Laura says she hopes he'll come to the pep rally, and she also wants to get together with him later that night, saying she has something really important to show him and tell him. Now it wasn't that Brian and Laura had any big issues, she just had an anxiety condition, and he got tired of the hassle it was. In fact, her going to the pep rally is kind of unusual for her. The guys decide to go back too, but when they get there, Brian has gone to his theater class instead of the pep rally, and he and Chad get stuck inside the theater when it seems crazy things start happening. The students and teachers begin turning into zombies. They're able to barricade themselves in, but all Brian can think about is getting out to make sure his sister is safe, as well as Laura. Turns out that Brian Kenzie's mother is a doctor, the kind that deals with diseases, and it has started where she is. Somehow she is able to get through the phone lines to get ahold of him, and let's him know what is going on, and tells him to stay put, she will get help there.
While they are stuck there, they learn who each other really is. And who can be counted on. And what they will have to do to survive. They plan some daring rescues, since they can't just go outside in between buildings without facing the zombies. From the roof of the building they're in, they are able to get an idea what is going on around the town, even seeing far enough to see the highway as it gets backed up with people trying to leave town.
A good take on the story, and I really feel it could be a one shot story, no sequel needed. It ends on a perfect note, reminds me of how zombie movies, ones that aren't series, would end.
