Erica Robyn Reads

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[Book Review] Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond

     Erica Robyn      18 Comments

Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond is a must-read for any fan of the TV series, Stranger things. This thrilling tale was so well-written and so similar to the tone of the show! I absolutely loved it.

Let’s dive in to my review!

My Thoughts on Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond

This is the first official Stranger Things novel. It covers the events that occurred before number 011 made her entrance.

I went into this one having only watched the show. I didn’t read the blurb for this book because I wanted to go in as dark as possible. I was so interested to see where this story would take us!

If you’d like to go in as dark as I did, stop here!

I won’t spoil any major plot points, but I will discuss a few things that you may want to avoid.

Right in the prologue, we meet Eight. I was thrilled!

Eight was such an interesting character in the show, and to see her as a child was really fun. I loved seeing her spunk and her personality already shining through full force, even at such a young age. Because Eight was so young in this story, I would love to see another book that happens a few years later!

While Eight was certainly a key character, this story centered upon a study that Dr. Brenner did with young adults. He was giving a group of participants drugs to try to force them into abilities. Two of the young adults, Terry and Alice, seemed very promising to him. But soon, the group begins to realize that things aren’t as safe and simple as they originally thought. But would Dr. Brenner let them leave?

Each of the characters were perfectly developed for their roles! Each of them were so unique and interesting. I really felt protective over a number of them and just wanted them to have a happy ending. I loved how quickly they all banded together and became a great support system for one another.

When the story reaches the point of a pretty big reveal, I was so excited. It was a little predictable, simply based on the fact that I had already seen the show and guess where this was headed… But the reveal was still exciting nonetheless!

My Final Thoughts on Suspicious Minds

This is a book that you may want to pick up on a day off. Once I began reading, I dreaded putting it down. I just wanted to cruise through to see what would happen next!

Like I said at the start, this is a must-read for Stranger Things fans! This was such a fun and interesting read. I really enjoyed learning some of the backstory and cannot wait to see more books like this!

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Thanks for reading!
Have you watched Stranger Things? If so, who is your favorite character?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Barb (boxermommyreads) says

    I’m glad you loved this because chances are I will too (especially since it’s not a Tudor book right 😉 I bought this when it came out but haven’t picked it up yet. I know the series picks back up July 3rd so I hope to get to it before then. Doesn’t the next book come out soon?

    Reply

  3. Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum says

    I’m a big Stranger Things fan which led me to this book, and honestly I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought it would! If nothing else, I love how they’re putting out these books because these stories are tiding me over until the new season. I’m going to be jumping into the next one soon, the one by Adam Christopher 🙂

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  7. Lauren @ Always Me says

    Great review! I’m currently reading an ARC of the 2nd Stranger Things book whichprimarily follows Hopper when he was a detective in NYC in 1977. I think I’m enjoying it even more than this novel!

    Reply

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