We are quickly introduced to several students who are all in the same homeroom as they get their flu shots. Everyone but two people in the class decides to get the shot. Turns out, the shot does a lot more than protect them from the flu.
Don't worry about the number of characters. They soon become distinct as we go on this journey. Turns out, everyone in this homeroom who got the shot can now read minds. They can tell what each other are thinking. And they can also read other peoples' minds.
They are, of course, very excited about this and quickly decide that they can't tell anyone. When you know what everyone is thinking, things are bound to come out that you don't want people to know. And you will hear things you don't want to hear. And you will think things that you wanted kept private. So while at first things are fun, eventually the ability to hear everyone's thoughts gets overwhelming.
You do have to be in close proximity to each other, with no people or walls between you. And, if you close your eyes, you don't hear anything. That helps a lot.
Don't Even Think About It is told in the first person, but instead of "I," Mlynowski uses "We" for the collective, since they all can communication instantly when they are together. This works well for those scenes. But when someone is at home or separated from the rest, the "we think that" or "we don't agree with that" jumping into those scenes really didn't make sense.
There are typical issues because of the telepathy -- kids learning their parents' secrets, boyfriends learning about their girlfriends' cheating, girls learning that their friends think they are fat. But also, the shy ones learn that they don't need to be shy. They realize that they aren't under the microscope. Friendships are formed. These revelations add interest and give some meaning to the story.
I won't discuss the ending, but I liked it. Don't Even Think About It is a cute, quick read that isn't life altering or memorable, but I would still recommend this captivating story to teens who enjoy contemporary novels.
Published by Delacorte, Marcy 11, 2014
eBook obtained from NetGalley
336 pages
Rating: 3.5/5
This sounds like a fun read, Annette. I read Mlynowski's Ten Things We Did (but Probably Shouldn't Have) and really enjoyed it. I'll be sure to pick this one up. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this one right now and agree that it's a fun, light read(so far). Sometimes you need a book like that!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction