ARC Review: Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Title: Don't Even Think About It
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: March 11, 2014
Format: ARC -- ebook
Links: Goodreads - Barnes & Noble - Amazon
Synopsis: We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.
So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening. (via Goodreads)

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My Review

Imagine this: You're going about your daily business when all of a sudden everything gets louder. People are talking EVERYWHERE. Some are rambling nonsense, some are narrating their day as if they were in a movie, and others are singing loud and clear. Except…no one's mouths are actually moving. You're hearing their innermost thoughts and feelings. But how'd that even happen? The only unusual thing is that you just got a flu shot…but flu shots don't give you superpowers…or do they?

In a nutshell, that's the premise of Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski. A homeroom at a New York High School goes in to get their flu shots and over the next few days, they develop the ability to read other people's minds. The story follows the group as they cope with their newfound abilities.

When I first began reading, I was afraid that I wouldn't get in to it because I feel like it was intended for a much younger audience. However, I ended up enjoying the book quite a bit! It was a nice and quick read that held my attention. Plus, it was on the lighter side--perfect for reading between darker more emotionally binding books.

I enjoyed the different characters and being able to see things through many different perspectives. Although, at times, I was a bit miffed by their teenaged drama (I couldn't help but think "this isn't going to matter in a few years"), I thought the characters were well written and fairly realistic. Each of them went through different struggles and had different successes in the end.

Overall, I thought the book was well written and interesting. I liked the premise of the story. It's always fun to think about what it would be like to read other peoples minds or to have some kind of super power in general! My real rating for this book is 3.5 out 5 stars just because it was a bit young for me. I would definitely recommend this book to younger readers, I'm planning on snagging a copy for my boyfriend's little sister--I think she'd love it!

Now, here's the real question: Would you want the power of telepathy to be able to read people's minds? Personally, I don't think I could handle it at all! I've already got so much going on in my own mind, I don't think I could handle anyone else in there, too.

What about you?