Don't+Even+Think+About+It

//Don't Even Think About It// by Sarah Mylnowski



I was listening to this one, but had to return it before I was done. I really liked the premise, once the main story started (before that, it felt entirely too fluffy). A group of sophomores from the same homeroom are given the flu shot, with an unexpected side effect: ESP. The story is told from the collective group, singling out individuals experiences of the ESP kicking in, and the repercussions with family, friends, and classmates. I was really enjoying it up to the point when I had to stop. I was a bit horrified by the casual sex/hooking up going on between 15-year-olds, as well as references to drug use, but the psychology of how such en event would affect teens was fascinating. This started out a normal, fluffy story about a bunch of high school students in New York who get their flu shots at school one day. But then there's the side effect of ESP that comes along with a resistance to catching the flu. Yes, there's a lot of high school drama, which, due to the ESP, becomes common knowledge among those who received this batch of the vaccine. However, the psychology of not being able to keep secrets, how people react, using the power for good or evil, and the repercussions of finding out to what extent everybody lies, were fascinating. This is a solid read for any teen or adult. Kirsten Rundquist Corbett, Sandown Public Library
 * Review after finishing:

I liked the concept, but disliked the execution of the book. It's a very quick, light read. I never particularly liked any of the characters, which I think was my main problem. The collective voice was an interesting narrative technique but ultimately annoying. The way the story wraps up was also unsatisfactory and not believable. I wanted a lot more from the initial concept of the book, but it never delivered. --Sophie Smith, Nashua Public Library 