If you are enjoy dystopian style books such as The Giver, The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, etc. I recommend that you read one of my favorite book series, “The Testing” by Joelle Charbonneau. 

 I have never been much of a reader, but I had decided to order a book series with some good reviews and try it out. When I say I could not put the book down, I mean it. I snuck a couple pages in during my virtual classes when quarantine had first begun, and even stayed up late because this book had me hooked! 

Now if you are interested, I will not be spoiling anything. 

The Testing takes place in a post-apocalyptic America, featuring a 16-year-old girl named Cia Vale. Following her graduation, Cia gets accepted to join a program they call ‘The Testing’. The Testing is a series of tests over the course of multiple days, and the students who pass get into The University. Otherwise, most students end up not being accepted for the Testing and are given a job instead. 

However, after the Testing, the students who make it into the University receive an occupation and never see their families again. The other students… also don’t see their families again. Cia enters the Testing, along with her friend Tomas, with high hopes for her future as a student. But after finding various hidden cameras and even life-threatening tests, everything they thought they knew- is clearly not what it was. 

The series is a trilogy packed with action, thrilling and emotional moments, and even some romance. (but not too much to the point that some people would find it unbearably cheesy!)

If a story like this is calling your name, you most definitely have to check this series out!