Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: Contemporary, Magical-Realism
Published by: Hachette Children’s Group
Pages: 288
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★
Series: Don’t Even Think About It (#1)

Think Twice takes place two years after the class got telepathy, except…now they’re starting to lose it! It starts small, and suddenly the group have to question what really means more in life: the powers or each other? Losing power is a bigger problem for some, but we still get a glimpse into each Espie’s life and how things have changed for them, no matter how small. I didn’t realise this was going to be a duology but Think Twice is a pretty staple conclusion to the story, even if it did feel more character driven than plot driven.

The multiple character focalisation was really effective, and I didn’t find myself getting lost, which is saying a lot considering how many characters there are and how long it’s been since I read the first one! My favourite characters are Tess, BJ and Olivia, and luckily their issues were some of the most important. There are definitely some characters that get lost, like the twins and Bryn, but as some of the characters lose their powers it doesn’t matter as much.

As for plot, there’s not really a strong one. The group decides to get to the bottom of why their losing their powers and end up splitting into groups and testing intense vitamin regimes. It gets kind of repetitive, but still gives a slice-of-life of each character, and since they lose their powers at slightly different climaxes in the story, it doesn’t matter too much.

One of the most interesting things about this book is that it’s narrated in third person but there’s a ‘we’ element. It’s the same style as the first book but THIS time we finally learn which Espie is telling the story, but the end of the story! I mean…the reveal didn’t add much, because what did it do, really?  It certainly adds an ominous tone and I can see how it got there, but I don’t think the ending would’ve made me feel any different had it jus, well, ended. My favourite part of this book was how it dealt with a lot of different relationship dramas. All of the things that affected the couples (and the teens individually) felt like real and important things that they should consider, which definitely added the REALISM in this magical realism story!

Overall, I gave the book 3 stars! If you enjoyed the first one, then you should definitely give this one a go to find out where the characters end up. Then again, if you’re happy with the ending of Don’t Even Think About It, then it’s not strictly necessary to read this.