The Reader Bee

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #139 - Trial by Fire & Black Ice

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18530258-trial-by-fire

Trial by Fire
(The Worldwalker Trilogy #1)
by Josephine Angelini
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: September 2nd 2014
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
ISBN: 9781250050885

Available for Pre-Order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted...which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly Lily is in a different Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruellest of all the Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.

Lily realizes that what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn't understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.

But how can Lily be the saviour of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy? (Goodreads)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16059938-black-ice

Black Ice
by Becca Fitzpatrick
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: October 7th 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781442474260

Available for Pre-Order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous… (Goodreads)

Whooot! We have a cover for Trial by Fire!
I love Josephine Angelini, and I am SO excited for her newest book.
It sounds like it's going to be awesome!!

I'm really excited to see what Becca Fitzpatrick's new book is going to be like as well.
I really enjoyed her Hush, Hush series. SO good!

Two really great books this week!
Add them to your to-read list!

What are you Waiting for this week??

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Review: Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17236366-sea-of-shadows

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever. (Goodreads)

I was so super excited to get my hands on a copy of Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong! Kelley’s Darkest Powers trilogy is one the first series of books that I read when I first started reading young adult books, and I’ve been hooked ever since! Sea of Shadows is a going to be a wonderful addition to my book collection!

The story revolves around two twin sisters, Moria and Ashyn. These two sisters were chosen by the spirits to be the Keeper and the Seeker, given the task of freeing the souls of the damned. But this year things start to go wrong, and people start mysteriously dying. Traveling on a difficult journey, these girls must not only keep themselves alive, but they must save their world as well.

Moria and Ashyn were really interesting characters. They may look alike, but that’s where the resemblance ends. Each girl has her own personality. Moria is strong and brave, whereas Ashyn is more reserved and quiet. These differences are what make these characters so special, and so different. Reading the story from each girl’s viewpoint was great, I really felt that I got to know each of them so much better because of this, and got to learn more of the story as well.

There were quite a few secondary characters involved as well, but only a few that we can really get invested in. Roman and Gavril are two characters, who also end up becoming the love interests to the girls. These boys help the girls on their dangerous journey, and fight alongside them to keep them safe.

The world building for this book is like nothing I’ve read before. Seriously, like, ever. There was rarely ever a dull moment in this book. Something was always happening or something always seemed to be attacking these poor girls. This just goes to show how insanely dangerous this world was, and also showed that the only people that the girls could trust were each other. Oh, and Armstrong does not hold back on the gory details. There is some seriously creepy stuff involved in this book.

Overall, if you want to read something that is different from the norm, and seriously addictive, you’re definitely going to want to check out Sea of Shadows. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, because after the end of this book, there HAS to be a next book! I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Review: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17883441-the-forever-song

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

MONSTER

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone. (Goodreads)

Julie Kagawa has managed to amaze me once again with The Forever Song, the dark, disturbing, amazing conclusion to the Blood of Eden series. I was SO super excited to get my hands on this book. It is one of my most anticipated reads of 2014, if not THE most anticipated read for 2014. After much stalking, I was finally able to get my hands on an advance copy, and thank goodness for that, because I really couldn’t wait a moment longer to read this book. I have adored this series since I started reading the very first book. While I am sad to see the series end, it is definitely going out with a bang!

** This will be a spoiler free review.

Allison has been one of my most favorite characters since the beginning. She is not one to be trifled with; she knows what she is and what she has to do to keep from becoming a monster. She is so very strong and stubborn; she really is one of my most favorite characters ever. I have loved all of the characters throughout this series. Kanin, for being a wonderful, albeit very mysterious master to Allison, I can’t imagine her being who she turned out to be without his help. I love Kanin so very much. In the beginning of the series, it was Zeke that showed Allison that she wasn’t a monster, even when everyone though that she was. That made a huge impact not only on Allison’s character, but to me as well. I loved Zeke. Even Jackal holds a place in my heart. In his dark, twisted way, he also managed to share some wisdom with Allison. All of these people helped Allison become this amazing character that I absolutely adore.

The storyline for this book (and series) was so dark and twisted; it’s definitely a change of pace from the normal. There were quite a few plot twists that totally weren’t expected. Actually, I anticipated one thing that did happen almost halfway through the book, but I didn’t know how or when it would happen. I was pleasantly surprised with how this twist turned out. The end of the book had me tearing up quite a bit. I enjoyed the story and the characters so very much. I was a bit terrified to see how the book was going to come to an end, but I can’t imagine it being any different. It was perfect.

It amazes me how Julie Kagawa can go from writing love stories about fae, which I adore, to writing things that are so twisted and disturbing like in this series. I love when a writer is so super creative, and they allow us to see the many different sides of themselves.

Overall, The Forever Song was an excellent addition and conclusion to the Blood of Eden series. I am really going to miss all of the characters in this story; I’ve come to love them all so much. If you haven't checked out this series yet, I definitely recommend that you do so! I really can’t wait to see what Mrs. Kagawa has for next for us in the future!

Happy Reading!

Books in this Series:

The Immortal Rules | The Eternity Cure | The Forever Song

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #138 - Amity & Of Monsters and Madness

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20862524-amity

Amity
by Micol Ostow
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: August 26th 2014
Publisher: Egmont USA
ISBN: 9781606841563

Available for Pre-Order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

For fans of Stephen King and American Horror Story, a gruesome thriller suggested by the events of the Amityville Horror.

Connor's family moves to Amity to escape shady business deals. Ten years later, Gwen's family moves to Amity for a fresh start after she's recovered from a psychotic break.

But something is not right about this secluded house. Connor's nights are plagued with gore-filled dreams of demons and destruction. Dreams he kind of likes. Gwen has lurid visions of corpses that aren't there and bleeding blisters that disappear in the blink of an eye. She knows Amity is evil and she must get her family out, but who would ever believe her?

Amity isn't just a house. She is a living force, bent on manipulating her inhabitants to her twisted will. She will use Connor and Gwen to bring about a bloody end as she's done before. As she'll do again.

Alternating between parallel narratives, Amity is a tense and terrifying tale suggested by true-crime events that will satisfy even the most demanding horror fan. (Amazon)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19507564-of-monsters-and-madness

Of Monsters and Madness
by Jessica Verday
Website | Facebook

Publication Date: September 9th, 2014
Publisher: Egmont USA
ISBN: 9781606844632

Available for Pre-Order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A romantic, historical retelling of classic Gothic horror featuring Edgar Allan Poe and his character Annabel Lee, from a New York Times best-selling author.

Summoned to her father's home in 1820's Philadelphia, a girl finds herself in the midst of a rash of gruesome murders in which he might be implicated. She is torn romantically between her father's assistants-one kind and proper, one mysterious and brooding-who share a dark secret and may have more to do with the violent events than they're letting on. (Goodreads)

Do these books sound amazingly creepy, or what?
I just discovered both books last week, and I had to share them with everyone.
Luckily I managed to snag both of these from Edelweiss,
if anyone else wants to grab them as well!

What are you Waiting for this week???

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Review: The Last Forever by Deb Caletti

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18051301-the-last-forever

Endings and beginnings sit so close to each other that it’s sometimes impossible to tell which is which.

Nothing lasts forever, and no one gets that more than Tessa. After her mother died, it’s all she can do to keep her friends, her boyfriend, her happiness from slipping away. And then there’s her dad. He’s stuck in his own daze, and it’s so hard to feel like a family when their house no longer seems like a home.

Her father’s solution? An impromptu road trip that lands them in a small coastal town at Tessa’s grandmother’s. Despite all the warmth and beauty there, Tessa can’t help but feel even more lost.

Enter Henry Lark. He understands the relationships that matter. And more importantly, he understands her. A secret stands between them, but Tessa’s willing to do anything to bring them together—because Henry may just be her one chance at forever. (Goodreads)

The Last Forever is the very first novel that I’ve read by Deb Caletti. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this author, so I was super excited to get started on this book.

After being forced to go on a spontaneous road trip by her grieving father, Tess ends up in her grandmothers small town of Parrish Island. Even though she feels lost and alone, especially after her dad deserts her, she starts to feel welcome in this small town. With the help of the people she meets along the way, she learns that in life, nothing lasts forever.

Tess was an interesting character. I can imagine the pain that she is going through after the loss of her mother, and I can definitely understand the grief. Because of this, she seems very closed off in the beginning of the novel. But once she starts meeting new friends on the island, we finally start to see a different side of her.

Henry Lark is the love interest in the story, and he was a very sweet young man, very gentlemanly as well. I found him to be the highlight of the book. He does have a secret throughout the book that turns out to be a pretty big plot twist that I didn’t see coming, but I still love him nonetheless.

All of the secondary characters in this novel were pretty interesting. Tess’ grandmother, Jenny is quite the character. And while it took me a while to warm up to her dad, because honestly he needed to grieve himself and grow up as well, I ended up loving him as well. There are so many more characters that I could mention, but I will just leave it at that they were all pretty funny people.

I also really enjoyed the world-building in this novel, even as simple as it was. The small island town seemed very warm and inviting, and most of the story was set in a library. I LOVE books that have libraries in them!

Overall; The Last Forever is a story of love and loss and letting go. I think that it will be a book that a lot of girls will love, and will be able to relate to.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Review: Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18140047-love-letters-to-the-dead

It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path. (Goodreads)

When I first discovered Love Letters to the Dead, I knew it was a book that I would have to get my hands on. Not only had it gotten pretty great reviews, but the summary just made the book sound so very interesting. I’m glad that I had the chance to read this book, it definitely did not disappoint!

One of the very first assignments that Laurel receives her freshman year at her new school is to write a letter to a dead person. For her first letter, Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain, as he died at a very young age, just like Laurel’s sister May did. But Laurel doesn’t stop with just one letter, she writes more to various singers, authors and actors, and talks to the dead people about anything from starting high school to her new relationships, and eventually, even about her sister’s death.

Laurel was a very interesting character. While she had had a pretty decent childhood, her teen years were not quite as good. This poor child had been through so very much in such a short period of time; it wasn’t surprising that she had shutdown about what had happened. Her parents split up, her sister died, her mom moved across the country, leaving Laurel to think that everything was her fault. Throughout the book, as more of the story starts to unfold, I couldn’t help but feel bad for this girl. I thought that Laurel writing these letters to dead people was a very therapeutic way for her to come to terms with what happened with her sister. It gave her a sense of closure that she desperately needed. I hate that she blamed herself for what happened, and the more we read into the story, we clearly see that it wasn’t her fault at all.

I really, really love the way this novel was written. The story is completely told, just as the title suggests, as a series of letters to dead people. While Laurel wrote about her day to day life, I love that the author also included information about things that happened in the life recipient of the letter. It was so clever to include that information as well, and how Laurel related to each person.

The only thing in the book that bothered me, as a parent, was that I felt that Laurel’s parents were kind of oblivious. I mean, I they knew that Laurel was sad, and that she was hurting and missing her sister, but they didn’t see how deep it went. Regardless, they should have gotten her help anyways after her sister died. Especially considering how close they were, and how it all happened.

Overall, I knew this was going to be a good read, but I really ended up enjoying so much more than I expected to. Check it out!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Review: Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15728577-side-effects-may-vary

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality. (Goodreads)

I was super excited to get my hands on Side Effects May Vary, as I had seen people talking about the book, and I was super curious to see what it was all about. I went into this book expecting something like John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, or Melissa Kantor’s Maybe One Day. While the book had some similarities to these, mostly the dealings with cancer, that’s basically where the similarities end.

The main character in this novel, Alice, was not a nice girl. It took me to almost the end of the book to actually start caring for her. I hesitate to say that I couldn’t connect with Alice,—in some introverted way I kind of understood her, and even her reasoning’s—but I didn’t care for the way she acted and treated people, so I had a hard time connecting. I do understand how she felt. She was scared of living life. Death was something that she could face; it was something that she had come to expect. Living her life after thinking that she was going to die, it’s something she just couldn’t handle. And because of that, she pushed everyone away. Thankfully she does have a bit of a ‘wake-up’ moment towards the end of the book, and we finally get to see a different side of dear Alice. This is when I really start to like her.

Harvey, Alice’s best friend, was definitely the best part of this book. Oh, how he loved Alice. I hated the way that she treated him in return, and that she wouldn’t share how she truly felt about him. There was so much back and forth between these two, I really just wanted to smack them in the head and tell them to get their act together. But they had their moments, and those moments were very sweet.

I was a little worried about the storyline for this book when I first started reading it. I’m seeing books about terminal illness pop up a lot lately, and I’m worried that it’s a subject that is going to be overused. This book was definitely able to hold its own against other stories with that involves illness. I didn’t include a whole lot of cancer terminology, and for that, I was kind of thankful. The storyline flowed really well, and I was able to read this book really quickly.

Overall; despite it taking a long while for me to warm up to the main character, I found this to be a very enjoyable read. I’m really glad to have discovered this author; she has a way with words. I’m really looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #137 - Invaded by Melissa Landers

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17316770-invaded

Invaded
(Alienated #2)
by Melissa Landers
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: February 3rd 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 9781423169499

The romantic sequel to Alienated takes long-distance relationships to a new level as Cara and Aelyx long for each other from opposite ends of the universe...until a threat to both their worlds reunites them.

Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return? (Goodreads)

I was soooooo very excited to see the cover for Invaded!
I adored Alienated, and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.
I'm dying to see what's going to happen next!
Is it 2015 yet???

What are you Waiting for this week?

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Review: Elusion by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12369550-elusion

Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.

A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.

Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.

Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.

Suspense, thrills, and romance fuel this near-future story about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world, and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions. (Goodreads)

I’ve been super curious about Elusion for a while now. I was definitely drawn in by the stunning cover, and I was looking to see if the story was just as great. The story definitely does not disappoint.

Elusion, a device that can transport you to any exotic destination of your choice for a quick escape from reality, is the hottest new technology on the market. Regan’s father and best friend, Patrick, worked for a long time to perfect this device, so that it could be released nationwide. But after her father’s tragic death, and rumors of the device failing, it’s up to Regan to find out what’s really going on.

The main character in the novel was Regan. I found her to be a very determined young lady. She knew the difference between right and wrong, and she was willing to stand up for what she believed in—even when sometimes her beliefs weren’t actually the right ones. I really liked her determination to find out what was going on. There were two boys in the novel, Josh and Patrick, but I hesitate to say that it was a love triangle. Yes, both boys had feelings for Regan, but I didn’t exactly feel that she reciprocated those feelings. And honestly, I didn’t really feel like either boy was right for her anyways. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Josh. But that may change in the future.

The world-building for the book was really interesting. This is not a world like we know it. This is a world that has major air pollution problems, smog, and even acid rain. People have to wear breathing masks when they go outside just so that they don’t inhale the polluted air, and use special treated umbrellas in the rain. This is the whole reason that Regan’s dad created Elusion. Things were so bad in the dad-to-day life; he just wanted to have a place for people to go to escape their troubles for a while. It was a great idea; it just fell into the wrong hands, so to speak.

What I really liked about this book was that I can see something like what happened in the book happening in real life. Not only with the technology, but also the way people can become so absorbed with it. I thought it was very realistic the way people reacted to the device. At first I thought that Elusion was going to be a stand-alone novel, but after the mild cliffhanger ending at the end of the book, I see that there must be a sequel in the future. For this I am glad, because there were a lot of things left unresolved at the end of the novel, and I’m itching to know what’s going to happen with these characters.

Overall, this was a very interesting book to read. I enjoyed reading it, and I am really looking forward to reading the next book. I’m also super curious to see how many books are going to be in this series.

Monday, March 3, 2014

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

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17560541-don-t-even-think-about-it

Don't Even Think About It
by Sarah Mlynowski
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: March 11th 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780385737388
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary | Paranormal
Source: Netgalley

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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. (Goodreads)

I was curious to read Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski when I ran across the book. I have always wanted to read something by Mlynowski because I had heard many great things about her. I found Don’t Even Think About It was a fun, quick read.

The kids at Bloomberg High School in homeroom 10B were your average, normal teenagers. That is, until they all received a contaminated flu vaccine that gave them all telepathic powers. But just how cool are these powers when your secrets are no longer safe from anyone involved?

This novel is told from many different viewpoints, and at first I thought it was just one or two kids, but it turns out that the book is basically being told from the whole group. At first I thought that it would be hard to keep up this way, but it really wasn’t hard the more I started reading. I actually thought it was pretty cool because we got SO much more information this way. There were a lot of characters in this book, definitely too many to mention. There are a few that stood out; Tess, Olivia, Cooper and Mackenzie to name a few, and it feels like most of the story centers around these characters. Most of the characters in the book were pretty funny. I found myself laughing out loud a couple of times.

This was a fun little book to read. The storyline was simple but engaging. I read the book pretty quickly, and at 336 pages it wasn’t a hard book to read. I like that Mlynowski touches bases throughout the book on quite a few issues that teens experience—drugs, alcohol, sex, peer pressure, etc. She also shows that while there are some advantages of having this ability, there are disadvantages to it as well. I kind of wanted to see an epilogue in the end of the book, to see what all happens with these kids in the future, but not having one works as well.

Overall; if you’re looking for a fun, quick, paranormal type read to pass the time, you may definitely be interested in this book.