Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski
| Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski | |
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| Category: Teens | |
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Reviewer: Robert James
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| Summary: Fun, engaging story with really good narration, although the characters could be stronger. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 304 | Date: May 2014 |
| Publisher: Orchard Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1408331569 | |
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Something weird happens after 10B get their flu shots - they develop telepathy. There are good points - they know what other people think of them, they can cheat on tests, and they have the upper hand in conversations with others. But there are some drawbacks as well - not only do they no longer have any secrets from each other, but also, knowing what other people think of them can be a two-edged sword! High school is hard enough to survive when you're normal - will being an Espie make it even more difficult?
This was exactly what I’ve come to expect from Sarah Mlynowski after reading and enjoying Ten Things We Shouldn’t Have Done and Gimme A Call – a light, fun, easy read. Someone at my book club last week described it as ‘like a popcorn movie’ and that sums it up pretty well for me. I quite liked that there was no real explanation given for the telepathy and that Sarah Mlynowski instead focused on the uses – and problems – it brought. Having said that, I also thought there was a bit more depth to the novel in general than I'd perhaps have expected from the summary – in particular, it raises the question as to whether it’s better to think you’re being talked about, or to know for sure that you’re not! It's also got a really interesting narration as the entire group tell their story, sometimes disagreeing with each other.
My slight issue with this one which stopped me pushing it over recommended was that I didn’t feel we got to know many of the characters that well, partly because there were so many of them. Pi, Olivia, Tess, Teddy, Cooper, BJ, Madison, and others all feature heavily but they’re mostly slightly one-note – Pi is an overachiever, Tess is hung up on Teddy, Madison feels really guilty at cheating on Cooper, and so on. The best of them are Olivia, who gets a fair amount of character development, and Cooper, who we get to see struggling with family issues as well as a cheating girlfriend.
Despite this, it’s an enjoyable read and I’d definitely recommend it.
I think fans of Sarah's style will really enjoy her earlier YA.
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This review was kindly given to us by the ever-generous Ya Yeah Yeah
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