REVIEW: Don't Even Think About It (Don't Even Think About It #1) by Sarah Mlynowski

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski 
Series: Don't Even Think About It #1
Published by Orchard Books on 1st May 2014
Pages: 299

This is the story of how we became freaks. It's how a group of I's became a we.

When Class 10B got their flu shots, they expected some side effects. Maybe a sore arm. Maybe a headache. They definitely didn't expect to get telepathy. But suddenly they could hear what everyone was thinking. Their friends. Their teachers. Their parents. Now they all know that Tess has a crush on her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper. Some of them will thrive. Some of them will break. None of them will ever be the same. 

A smart and funny story about friendship, first love and surviving high school from the bestselling author of Ten Things We Shouldn't Have Done.

Comical, light and an entertaining read, Don’t Even Think About It was a fun and quick read that will have you laughing and cringing a little to yourself throughout. I love this cover, and the colour is a beautiful pink!

Twenty-two out of the twenty-four students in 10B have their flu jabs, resulting in twenty-two of them being able to hear the thoughts of everyone around them. Now nothing is secret, and with twenty-two teenagers, who knows what is going to happen.

Although this novel is described to be not suitable for younger readers, I feel like this has possibly been marketed to the wrong age range; I understand this is probably because of the language and themes throughout. The characters in this novel are between the ages of fourteen to sixteen, and it was very evident that their characters were towards the younger side of this age range, although Mlynowski tried to make them appear older, sadly it just did not work and their age was evident.

As this novel involved twenty-two teens who could mind-read, I was a little concerned to begin with when it was insinuated that it would be from all their points of view and was intrigued how this would be done. Mlynowski did this brilliantly, throughout the perspectives would change, you had about ten of them whom you learnt the most about and it was surprisingly easy to keep track of them, mainly because they all had distinct personalities and voices. Their ages were evident, yet the actions of these teenagers I was a bit surprised by, which is where Mlynowski tried to make them appear older. I understand that this is not for younger readers due to a certain few themes plus swearing, but otherwise this should have been for a younger audience.

The plot was good. It was light, fluffy and entertaining. It was by no means my favourite book or one I would read again, but it was certainly unique and fast-paced, similarly I was intrigued as to where this novel’s plot was going. This novel tackled some important issues, simultaneously morals due to the fact that these teens can hear everyone’s thoughts, there is the contemplation on one’s privacy and morals, paired with the issues that are tackled in this such as cheating and divorce.

I would certainly recommend this for a slightly younger audience than myself, but due to the themes and swearing it is certainly more appropriate for the older teen.