Title: Don’t Even Think About It
Author: Sarah Mylnowski
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
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.
The ARC I received suggested this book for ages 12 and up. I think my 12-year-old self would’ve loved it. My 42-year-old self found the writing and the story interesting. Overall it was a nice light read. Mylnowski empowers the telepathic teens to take control of situations when they would’ve floundered otherwise.
With over a dozen characters in the homeroom class getting the telepathic flu shot, Mylnowski was smart to focus on a handful of characters and situations. Pi, the smart girl, who has to decide if she’s going to use these new powers to augment her studying; Brian Joseph, aka BJ, the class pervert who can overhear his classmates romantic worries and offers himself as a boy toy; Tess, the slightly overweight best friend of Mackenzie who is constantly criticized by her mom about her size.
I don’t know if Mylnowski has any small children in her life but one of the teens, Cooper, has a 3-year-old sister. I’d just heard an NPR interview with Jennifer Senior who points out young children can’t be reasoned with because they live in the present. The prefrontal cortex is not developed enough for logic. Ashley’s thoughts, when Cooper is able to hear them, is a perfect example. I found the relationship between Ashley and Cooper adorable. It was nice to read about a male teen character who was caring, not cruel, towards a young child.
The book released last week so Mylnowski is doing several readings and signings specifically related to the book. Check out her website for her schedule.
This sounds like a lot of fun!