Reviews

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

mimistr's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

mariahell's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

sadiecass's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars. The premise was excellent, but the story flatlined a bit. I didn't enjoy the "We" POV throughout the whole thing. Yes, I get why it was used, but I didn't care for it. By about 60% through I pretty much knew where it was going, for all of them. Again, I did love the premise, and how the kids all adjusted to life as telepaths, and learning to live with each other and in each other's heads...and that's why I gave it 3.5 stars. If there'd been more action and I couldn't have guessed the ending, maybe I would have given it more stars.

wombat_88's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

mothman_is_cool's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

chelsea_jack's review against another edition

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4.0

Don't Even Think About It is a quickly paced tale of what happens when a high school class is 'infected' with telepathy. Suddenly they can hear what the person next to them is thinking - anything they're thinking. Secrets are exposed, things are heard that can't be unheard, cheating on tests happens, rapid-fire silent conversations take place, anxieties are addressed....

I really liked the way this story handled having everyone's inner most thoughts on display. There were characters who were quite eloquent in their personal thoughts but social inept. There were characters who were social adept but were rather nasty below the surface.

I think the value of communication is really addressed here.

Beyond all of the stuff that really interested me about the book, it's narrated by a collective 'we' that offers some, at times snarky, commentary as the story unfolds. I found that pretty entertaining (though sometimes annoying when it delved into the 'if we knew then what we know now' mode). There's easily a dozen characters or more to keep track of and we get little snippets from each of their lives - sometimes in rapid-fire and other times as full scenes. I found it a useful tactic, keeping the story moving pretty quickly.

Definitely recommend to fans of YA!

See my complete review at: To Each Their Own Reviews

Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

sc104906's review against another edition

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3.0

Flu shot gives people ESP. Now no one has secrets, craziness ensues. This is a perfect summer beach.

amberrae00's review against another edition

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2.0

Review Originally Posted on The Book Cookies


*Novel provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was my first Sarah Mlynowski book and I have heard good things about her better known book, Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have), so I had high hopes for Don't Even Think About It. Unfortunately, it did not quite live up to those expectations.
The title is actually quite clever because the kids have ESP, so they hear what you're thinking. I thought it was a pretty stupid title before I started reading it because I didn't know what it was about at all, but once I got into it, it all started coming together.
This is a stand-alone and I felt that it could've been longer. I liked the ending, but I felt like there were a lot of things that weren't really explained at all. If you're going into this book expecting it to be super sci-fi-y and figuring out why they have it and things then you are going to be sorely disappointed. This is really just a contemporary novel, but the kids have ESP. It's very overly dramatized and every little thing is a huge deal to them, the way it really is when you're in high school. I would say that this book would definitely be more enjoyable for the 12 to 14 or 15 age range rather than being good for people all the way up through their twenties.
I liked most of the characters. I found Mackenzie to be very overly bitchy at times, which normally wouldn't have bothered me because every book needs a character like that. What really irritated me about her was that she kept telling people how sorry she was for being so mean and superficial but she never actually did anything to change it, she just kept apologizing over and over again.
I also had a few issues with Cooper. I thought that yes he was a nice guy, and he was funny and attractive, but he was so naive and then when he develops ESP and he's hearing everyone's thoughts and he just freaks out and goes crazy, I was just like, really? Are you really that naive? So that was pretty annoying.
On to a more positive note. I really liked BJ and how he was super super perverted and all of his lines were super hilarious, some of them even made me laugh out loud. He also showed a more sensitive and sweet side towards the end with Tess and Teddy and I really liked that, though I wish had seen more of their relationship.
Overall, I thought that Don't Even Think About It was an okay book, but it wasn't really the kind of thing that I enjoy. I thought the writing was kind of sloppy and the story didn't really explore the points that I wanted it to. I would recommend this to people who are really into the high school drama side of things but if you're looking for a good sci-fi read, don't waste your time.

dtrumps's review against another edition

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4.0

Originally posted in Gone Pecan

So 22 kids in homeroom 10b go in for flu shots and can suddenly hear everyone’s thoughts. Shy Olivia gets it during her dreaded speech class, mid speech. Tess gets it and immediately wants to find Teddy, her best friend and crush, to find out how he really feels about her. Mackenzie gets it and is immediately concerned that everyone will now know that she cheated on her boyfriend, the charismatic and adorable Cooper. Cooper’s in her homeroom, too, but he’s not developing any symptoms, which means that everyone with symptoms knows and Mackenzie is torn about telling him the truth or riding it out, in hopes that he will not get telekinesis.

One by one, they all develop this odd power and have to go about their lives as though they cannot read minds. It’s what these powers do to each of the kids that is the real draw of the book. How will they handle knowing what everyone thinks of them, or not think of them, as the case may be. Finding out what people are hiding or lying about may not be as great as you may think it would be.

I totally loved this book. I read it in just a few hours, couldn’t put it down. It was funny, heart-warming, and adorable. It was a weird first person plural point of view, but I liked it, though I did see reviews where people couldn’t get into the book because of it. It didn’t bother me at all and it made sense for the story. I really felt for some of these kids and some I wanted to slap, but I couldn’t help but think that this could be a very interesting social experiment, though I wouldn’t want to be a guinea pig. At times, I felt it read a little young for me, but I think it’s a great, lighthearted book, improbable though it may be.

4/5

snarkyshibes's review against another edition

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3.0

Don't Even Think About It opens in an intriguing manner: what if a group of high school students could suddenly hear the thoughts of everyone around them? Would this be a blessing...or a curse? The premise reminded me of Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy -- while he takes the idea into a dystopian direction, Mlynowski mines it for humour.

In Sarah Mlynowski's novel, students gain the ability to hear everyone's thoughts after they are injected with tainted flu vaccines. As these "freaks" discover others in their school with the same super power, they band together to help each other get through the initial shock, and ultimately decide to keep it a secret. There are some funny moments, and some cringe-worthy moments, too. The humour gets stronger as the story progresses and by the end, I was cheering for my favourite characters.

This is a light, easy read, although it took me a few chapters before I could discern all the characters. The reader is introduced to quite a few right from the start, but as you get to know them better, it's easier to tell them apart. The author does a good job of recreating the claustrophobic social atmosphere of high school.

The writing is clunky at times, especially when the (collective) narrators interject with thoughts on how they wouldn't have known various details at that moment since no one was there to hear the thoughts (but obviously they learned about it afterwards, since they can read each other's thoughts).

If you're looking for something quick and "fluffy" to read, this would be a fun choice.

Sensitive readers, take note: there is some swearing in the novel.