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

Don't Even Think About It
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Publication: Delacorte Press (March 11, 2014)

Description: Contemporary teen fiction with romance, secrets, scandals, and ESP from the author of Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have).

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.

My Thoughts: When a homeroom of sophomores gets a flu shot and then develops ESP, friendships and relationships are the first things that change for the kids. We hear from Mackenzie who cheated on her boyfriend Cooper and knows that their relationship will be over when he finds out. We hear from Cooper who has bigger problems than his breakup from Mackenzie. His dad is having affairs and his mother has seen a divorce lawyer. We hear from Tess who really wants her best friend Teddy to see her as a girlfriend and who is horribly hurt when she listens to him obsess over Sadie. We hear from BJ who is the class horndog.

We hear from Pi who is determined to be exceptional in some way including being number one in her class. She takes the lead among the Espies and convinces them to go along with her plans. We also hear from Olivia who is the character I like the most. She is being raised by her hypochondriac, obsessive mother and suffers from hypchondria and shyness herself. I loved watching the way her confidence grew throughout the story as she realized that people really weren't judging her all the time.

The story was entertaining and engaging. It also made me think what it would be like if I could hear other people's thoughts. I'm not at all sure that I would make the same decision the kids did.

Favorite Quote:

We didn't wait long to use our ESP to take over the world. Domination began during gym class.

I got this ARC from Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.