Becky's View: Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynoski
♦publisher: Delacorte Press
♦release date: March 11th, 2014
♦hardcover, 336 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

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.

Review: With such a crazy and unusual premise, I went into this book knowing there were going to be some hilarious moments.  I was not disappointed, and this story is so much more than that.  These poor kids, just trying to get through the daily high school grind: parents, dating, flirting, looks, weight issues, friends, enemies…we’ve all been there, we know it’s plenty hard enough as it is. Already in real high school life, privacy is hard to come by with the way news spreads in a school situation.  But imagine if what little privacy you had was gone.  Everyone could hear your every thought, and you were forced to listen to every opinion around you. UGH.  

For the kids of homeroom 10B, that’s exactly what life has become. They are all very different people, some of them friends, some not so much, but they have to band together to figure out how to handle their new powers and how to keep everyone from finding out so they don’t end up as guinea pigs, or worse.  Some will use it to their advantage, some will let dark secrets slip, and some will find their whole world crumbling around them.  A lot of it is pretty humorous, but their powers also bring about some very tough and touching moments.  They can’t hide, but they also see through every lie, and they’ll all soon find out that that can be a blessing or a curse. 

The story is told as if the group, "The Espies" as they start to call themselves, is relaying how it all started.  Mostly told in third person, it would sometimes drop into a first person "we" perspective. Something dramatic would happen to one of them and they would all weigh in.  It was a really cute and unique way to tell the story, but it can feel a bit odd until you get used to it.  You really get to know this wide variety of characters (much more than they would want you to, I’m sure!), though I admit that at times there are so many of them its hard to keep track of who is who. But you can’t help but feel for their various mishaps and scandals and heartbreaks set off by this mysterious side effect. 

Don’t Even Think About It is just a really enjoyable read.  I definitely recommend this one next time you’re in the mood for something with a perfect mix of a few good laughs and just a touch of tough emotional subjects. Or perhaps the next time you get a flu shot---it will make you grateful all you get from it is a stick in the arm!

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