Search This Blog







2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (2)
- Arizona (2)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (11)
- Colorado (3)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (2)
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (3)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (2)
- Maine (5)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (3)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (1)
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada (1)
- New Hampshire (1)
- New Jersey (3)
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (8)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (3)
- Pennsylvania (2)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (2)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (3)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (5)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming (1)
- Washington, D.C.* (2)
International:
- Australia (5)
- Canada (3)
- England (18)
- France (2)
- Greece (2)
- Italy (1)
- Japan (1)
- Norway (1)
- Puerto Rico (1)
- Scotland (2)
- Vietnam (1)


2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge



2025 Build Your Library Reading Challenge









Tuesday, September 18, 2012
New YA Techno Thriller Gets A "Meh" From Me
1:00 AM
(Image from the official website of Michelle Gagnon)

After she escapes from the "hospital," Noa prays the organ snatchers—or whatever they are—will leave her alone. No such luck. Goons trail her wherever she goes. As Noa sneaks around Boston, trying to evade her trackers, she searches her dark memory for clues as to what happened to her. Whatever the "doctors" did, it must have been something big. The men aren't giving up the search for her. Plus, Noa feels ... different inside.
Strange things are also happening to Peter Gregory, a 17-year-old computer "hacktivist." To find the answers to his questions, he teams up with the best hacker in Boston—Noa. Together, they set about solving the weird mystery of which they both seem to be a part. With a powerful enemy only one step behind them, Noa and Peter need to figure out what's going on before they both end up in the "hospital" or worse—dead.
Don't Turn Around, the first YA thriller by adult crime writer Michelle Gagnon, starts off with a bang (not a literal one, but still ...). The cat-and-mouse adventure keeps up a frantic pace until about the middle of the novel, when it starts to drag. Part of the problem is the plot itself—it's not just unrealistic, it's unoriginal, a combo that also makes it predictable and boring. Add to that a hero and heroine who aren't particularly likable or even rounded-out enough to feel real. Given all that, I found this book disappointing. I may be the only one, since it gets good reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. For me, though? Meh.
(Readalikes: Kirkus called Don't Turn Around "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for preteens and teens." As I haven't read Stieg Larsson's book yet, I don't know if this is an apt description or not. What do you think?)
Grade: C-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (1 F-bomb, plus milder invectives), violence and depictions of underage drinking
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Don't Turn Around from the generous folks at HarperTeen. Thank you!
4 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)


Reading
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Listening
Where'd You Go, Bernadette?


Followin' with Bloglovin'

-
Sunday Post/Sunday Salon40 minutes ago
-
-
SciFiMonth 2025 is coming!5 hours ago
-
-
Talk to Me by John Kenney8 hours ago
-
The R⚽mcom Remake11 hours ago
-
-
Haiku Reviews...12 hours ago
-
Hostage By Eli Sharabi15 hours ago
-
-
Snow Kissed by RaeAnne Thayne23 hours ago
-
Week in Review #421 day ago
-
-
Bookish Quote of the Day!!1 day ago
-
-
-
Someone You Can Build a Nest In2 days ago
-
The Unseen by Ania Ahlborn2 days ago
-
Two Young Adult books2 days ago
-
-
#ThrowbackThursday. September 20153 days ago
-
A Review of Horsefly3 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
The Music of 2025: Q32 weeks ago
-
-
Sorry About the Spam…1 month ago
-
-
No Roundup this month5 months ago
-
Sunday Post #5686 months ago
-
February 2025 Reading Wrap Up7 months ago
-
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery7 months ago
-
-
-
I'm Still Reading - This Was My October11 months ago
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus1 year ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?2 years ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?3 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!


Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ▼ 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)


2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

Someone else just recently wasn't wowed by this one either. I don't think I'll read it but I still think the cover is deliciously disturbing.
ReplyDeleteIt is "deliciously disturbing," one of the reasons I had such high hopes for the book. But, yeah, content-wise it was just meh.
DeleteOk, I have this one waiting for me and all I can think when I see it is that 80s song that I'm too lazy to look up. Don't Turn Around...
ReplyDeleteI know EXACTLY which one you're talking about. It pops into my head every time I see the cover of this book: "Don't turn around, I don't want you to see my heart breakin'. Just walk away-yay ..."
Delete