Category: book review

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

I really enjoy Sarah Mlynowski’s style and the humor that she brings to her writing.  Don’t Even Think About It was a fun story about a group of student who get flu shots and suddenly have a crazy power – they can read people’s minds.  As they discover they are not alone, the story gets a little crazy since they can hear everything that people are thing but they can also hear what each other think which causes all kinds of issues.  While early on the think that it will help them stay a step ahead of everyone what they discover is that it frustrating and sometimes even lonely to be able to read what every person is thinking.  All the secrets are out and they don’t know what to do because someone is always listening.

This was a fun take and having a superpower and the challenges that it would bring to a person.  I really liked that it was not just one person but a whole classroom (well most of one) of students.  Sarah Mylnowski did a great job of balancing out the male and female perspectives in the story as well as the adult/child interaction.  Overall, it was a quick fun read.

It’s All About Relationships!

In this delightful and very personal book, the four oldest Duggar girls share their hearts and their core beliefs, explaining that it’s all about relationships!

• Relationship with self: The girls share their own personal journeys to self-acceptance and navi­gating the difficult stage of adolescence.

• Relationship with parents: You’ll find revelations about how Jim Bob and Michelle keep the lines of communication open with their children.

• Relationships with siblings: Here, you’ll get a peek into the Buddy system, how the siblings handle conflict, and how the loss of little Jubilee (their sister) affected their relationships with each other.

• Relationships with friends: You’ll find principles on how the Duggar kids deal with peer pressure and how they interact with friends outside their family.

• Relationships with boys: You’ll learn the Duggar view of dating and courtship, and these four sisters will address the often-asked question of when one of them will get married.

• Relationship with God: And woven throughout the book, the girls talk about their most impor­tant relationship of all—their relationship with God and their own personal faith and beliefs.

This candid look into what Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Jinger believe and why they believe it will give you practical insights into your own life and will inspire you to evaluate principles that will work for you.

My Thoughts

Growing Up Dugger was not a book that I would have thought to read but I was interested in checking this out just to see what these girls who have become famous have to say about their relationships and how they view different things in the lives.  I was hoping that I would find a genuine book and some realness out of these girls who I always feel are scripted and rehearsed in what they have to say about God, their lives and life in general.  I was disappointed to find that this book felt just a rehearsed as everything else I have heard and read from this family.

While I did not enjoy the content of the book I will say that it was well written and well put together.  I was broken in to easy to understand areas and subjects.  I felt like there was decent editing.  I just wish they would be more real and not so fake in their responses.