This one was a bit of a surprise. There are so many directions one can go with a girl who just happens to read minds. Not only read minds, but grasp the connections around thoughts and feelings, leaving her to "just know" things and references.

One could get into so much mischief with this. For her part, Maya just wanted the voices and constant input to end. She craved silence, the not knowing, and so she tried to simply stay in her basement and hunker down. That plan didn't go well, when she found herself pushed into engaging more. At a school swim meet, when the thoughts became too much, Maya threw herself into the pool - during the race.

This stunt landed her in an institution, where she tries her best to use her powers for good. She attempts to "fix" one of her fellow inmates, nudging his thoughts in the right direction, collecting others and coloring them with nostalgia to help him move on.

Once Maya is out and among the public again, she finds friends for the first time. And possibly a romantic interest of her own? Maya sets out to save the Bobcats, as a hunting ordinance is trying to be passed that would allow an open season on the reclusive creatures. When schoolmates actually show up, Maya realizes that maybe this is only step one in her plan. With great power comes great responsibility, and maybe the bobcats she's trying to save aren't just literal bobcats. Maybe she's meant to save her fellow students!

With good intentions and mixed results, this was a new and interesting look at the lives of the latest generation of teens, and what previous generations have left for them. Parents, teachers, people we meet in the world, Maya was not only aware and trying to struggle with what was right for her and her own life, but had such an interesting perspective on everyone she came in contact with as well.

I wouldn't mind sticking around with Maya for a bit longer, though in the meantime I'll have to take a look at the other titles Wendy Wunder has to offer!

I'll be honest ... when I first started reading Mysterious Ways, I really did not like it. I felt like the book, despite its surreal premise, lacked direction and a thesis statement. You can also tell that the author has not been a teenager in a while. The humour just didn't work for me. However, as I approached the final act, I found myself really invested in this story. And I absolutely love how it ended. The character arcs and themes really found their footing, and I found myself enjoying the author's voice much more. As she delivers her final thoughts at the end of the story, you can feel the surety in her tone. And the themes themselves wrapped up in a way I really enjoyed. By the end of the story, the author had made profound statements on choosing to see the good in the world and put more good into it yourself. She also examined the strangeness of being a teenager and feeling stuck in between adult and juvenile beliefs and responsibilities. And lastly, I really liked how Maya's condition was never given a backstory or reason. I don't think it needed one, so I'm glad it didn't get convoluted. Overall, I was really surprised by this book. Although I really wanted to give the book a high rating by the time I got to the end, I do feel as though the first bit needed more revision.

17 year old Maya has the ability to look at someone, and instantly know everything about them. Their past, their deepest secrets and most intimate thoughts. After a very public breakdown, she is sent to Whispering Pines Psychiatric Facility and then sent to a new school. On her first day, she meets a boy named Tyler, who she starts falling for and many other students who she wants to help after hearing their wants and desires.

The book was a bit slow at times, and did drag quite a bit but it did pick up as the story went on. I was invested in Maya's story, and wanted to know how it would end, but I didn't necessarily connect with her as a character. I do think she went through at least a bit of character development by the end, but nothing much. I thought her ability was really interesting, but at times caused Maya to be a bit annoying and rude. I did listen to this on audiobook, and I think the narrator did a very good job with Maya's voice.

Mysterious Ways by Wendy Wunder is a thought-provoking YA novel centered on Maya, a 17-year-old clairvoyant who can hear people's inner thoughts. While this gift makes her highly empathetic, it also weighs on her, and the novel explores how she navigates the challenges of growing up in an anxiety-driven world. The book touches on relevant issues like mental health, school pressures, and societal struggles, making it relatable for today’s teens. However, I found the pacing to be slow, with too many side characters and subplots that sometimes distracted from the main story.

Though I didn’t connect deeply with the characters, especially given the slow pace, the overall message of empathy and understanding shines through. Wunder does a great job of capturing the essence of today’s anxiety generation, but it might not be for everyone. YA fans interested in realistic coming-of-age stories may enjoy this, even if it didn’t fully work for me as a non-YA, YA fan.

The premise for Mysterious Ways had me intrigued and I was looking forward to giving this a read! Imagine a gift that would allow you to read the minds of everyone! I am sure you can understand how a gift like that can send you to a psychiatric hospital! It's what one can do with this gift that counts!

While in the end it was a cute story, it took me a little longer to get into than I had hoped. I felt that it was lacking in depth and connection. I feel that perhaps this was a little "too" YA for me.... This is just my opinion, perfect novel for a young adult!

I had to DNF the book at 33%. I didn't care for the main character & how judgemental & superior she came off.

I wanted to like this but ended up DNF-ing at 60% I don't really know why I couldn't get into it, I just didn't enjoy it at all, even in audio form.

Maya Storm has always been able to hear other people’s thoughts. And she definitely doesn’t consider this strange talent a gift. Knowing all the worries, wants, needs, sadness, pain, and secrets of anyone who comes close to her has weighed on her considerably.

She’s spent time holed up in her basement to avoid it, and she’s “blown up” a bit in public in response to the overstimulation. That led her to spend time in a psychiatric hospital. Unfortunately, no medicine can treat her ailment. Talk therapy won’t fix it, though a caring therapist can at least provide some support and tools.

Maya needs that support and more when she leaves Whispering Pines and starts at a new high school. She has to figure out how to fit in at least a little and make friends. That’s a real challenge for most teens, honestly, and particularly so for a girl who considers likely future professions to be “Bartender. Acrobat. God.”

But she does get to know people. She makes a couple of friends. She even meets A Guy. And she finds what she thinks may be a purpose for what she experiences. But how precarious is the new life she’s building?

I adored this book. I can see it may not be for everyone, but it worked for me. It’s frank, funny, and feminist. Maya is a force to be reckoned with — even before she fully appreciates it. Her personality just jumps off the page, and it’s sweet to see how she takes on causes, trying to make the world better, trying to help other teens as she can tell exactly what they need. I got a kick out of the teen-speak that lines up right with my own 17-year-old’s parlance. I told that daughter I’m going to hand the book right over to her to enjoy.

Mysterious Ways is heartwarming without being sappy, and a coming-of-age story I could actually get behind (typically I find that genre to be simply about discovering sex). I laughed out loud and empathized with both Maya and her parents. Smart and sharp, balanced with just the right amount of heart.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, though I didn't find it a little tough to connect with Maya, That said, I think it's a solid read and the author did a great job balancing humor alongside some of the darker elements of the story.

I really wanted to like this story about a clever girl who can read minds. However, I think it tried to be too many things at once. Some of the commentary/inner dialogue was too much. I’m all for smart characters, but I didn’t find this character to be believable. I also wasn’t pulled in. I got almost 25% into it and didn’t really feel connected to the story.

I think others may enjoy this, but it ended up sadly not being for me.

Read this if you like…
- YA
- mind-readers
- quirky characters
- unique premises

This was a very odd book, in more ways than one. For starters, the protagonist can basically tell everything about a person, past, present, and future. This means that she's inundated with an overwhelming amount of information, and at times her mind seems sidetracked by various subplots. The story was a little all over the place and honestly did not make much sense at times, but I did still enjoy the ride. Very unique.

While YA isn't really my genre, I found this to be a refreshing take on a coming-of-age story of a teenage girl. There is an element of magical realism, as the main character has the unique ability to read people's minds, which has led her to struggle with her mental health. She catastrophizes everything and disconnects from peers her age due to being overwhelmed with the responsibility of knowing everyone's innermost thoughts. I found the writing to be witty and insightful, though the ending felt a bit rushed and abrupt. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, MacMillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for e-book and audiobook arcs in exchange for my review!

This one is kind of funny, because I think it simultaneously is nothing like how a 17 year old acts now and also exactly how they act?? The dialogue isn't very accurate for a teenager, but the fact that Maya is so self-righteous and thinks she knows more than every other living being- that is very 17 of her lol. Honestly, this is a cute story, and I think if I WAS 17 I would really love this. Maya is very reminiscent of me as a teenager when I thought I alone was going to stop every social issue from happening. But honestly, it's kind of exhausting being in her head (as I'm sure it was exhausting for my mother to listen to me at 17). So while I don't think this is a bad book by any means, I didn't really love it because I am just not the target audience for this one. I read almost exclusively YA books, but every once in a while there's one that is VERY young adult and it just doesn't mesh with me as an adult.

Unfortunately, I no longer am interested in reviewing this title. It looks adorable, but I simply do not have the time to spend reading books I am not interested in.

I DNF’d this book at 29% according to the Kindle tracking. I rarely decide to DNF a book, but I tried multiple times and couldn’t do it.

I don’t decide not to finish books very often, but I just couldn’t with this book. Maya thinks she’s a god because she can read minds and knows everything. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know how to be a decent person. She’s rude and opinionated. Even if I sometimes agree with her opinions, I also don’t want a lecture as a reader about the patriarchy or capitalism right from the start of a book from a character who is supposed to be right about everything. There were so many generalizations, over-exaggerations, and dramatic claims that I couldn’t stomach it. I might share a lot of her opinions about those topics, but that’s doesn’t mean I want a lecture about just how very right she is about all of that. The multiple POVs (including the dog… no thank you…) made it hard to follow, and I just didn’t care enough about anyone to try to keep everything straight.

I guess the tone was supposed to be funny or snarky, but I found it so grating I decided continuing would be a waste of time for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

Maya is a 17 year old rising senior who is sent to the Whispering Pines Psychiatric Facility because she knows everything. If she looks at her a person, she knows everything about them - their hopes, dreams, desires, thoughts and failures. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Super promising premise ! Unfortunately, it fell flat for me and I barely remember what I read less than a month out from reading it. This novel sounded right up my ally - magical realism, mental health/illness, YA; so I was really sad when it fell short of expectations. I liked the concept of Maya learning how to stand up for herself and be a powerful young woman and learning to harness her power for good. 2.5 stars

An enormous thank you to everyone at NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.

It just… wasn’t what I was expecting. I think in all honesty, the writing just wasn’t for me. And that’s why I won’t give it less than 3-stars, but it wasn’t my cup of tea and that’s not any fault of the writer. The story, the writing, none of it meshed well with me, but I can’t say that was the book’s fault. It just felt… off for me.

I found the MC to be abrasive and annoying and just couldn’t root for her and I think that really pulled me out of the story and lead to me not enjoying the book like I’d anticipated. But, that to be said, people closer to her age may find her more relatable, I was such an easygoing teenager, I found her annoying.

Nope. Nope. Nope. Not doing this anymore. I am not falling for books that have interesting premises but end up just being one cliche after another to virtue signal that I’m cool, I’m hip, and I know what everyone wants to hear. It’s kind of about Maya but it’s written in such a way that is difficult to follow and throws so much at you in the first 10% that you get bogged down by so much social consciousness that you drown in ideology not story. I have no idea what it’s actually about. If all of this was constantly on my mind, I would need a time out, too. I read to escape all this.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC & audio for my honest opinion.

I would recommend this book for everyone to read.
This is a great book for teenagers and young adults, but as you can see even adults can love this book as well. It’s about a teen named Maya who is different from the other teenagers her age, she knows more about their lives and their thoughts even though she wishes that she didn’t know anything. This lands her in a Psychiatric Facility because her parents just don’t understand where all these dark thoughts are coming from and it’s not from her but everyone else’s thoughts all mixed in. While she is there, she gets some help and different ways that she can try when she is out, and she tries to have a normal life in public school, but she finds out that it’s easier to talk to your friend and have them confined to you. She also uses her powers to help her fellow peers and adults get through some of their darker days and shows them what hope is and the power of hope.

I really enjoyed this coming-of-age story. It was full of pop culture, music and the difference of all the generations. I loved that this author gave us a story of what normal teens and adults think about when the worst case, or the loss of hope comes out. You will see though even through the hard times, with friends, family, music and art, having a purpose really can help people through times like this, but it will also show you how it's not for everyone. For me the author wrote this book to let people understand more about mental health in general but made it something fun with having Maya being able to read minds. You will find that there is bullying, rage, thoughts of death a lot more but for me the way that she wrote all of this was something beautiful and I think everyone should read it. It was not a slow, boring book; the pace was fast and there was always something going on. I loved the characters, but Maya was my favorite, then it would be Lucy. Maya was a genuine person, who just wanted to understand more about why she has this ability and no one else does. She even tried to get rid of it, and it was kind of funny how she thought she would be able to do it, but hey her logic wasn’t bad. I liked that even though Maya was dealing with so much she still made sure to help out whoever she could. She might be a little naïve, but she has a lot of wisdom for being so young. She is smart and funny, caring and a great listener.

I received the ebook, physical book and the audio book. I thought the narrator did a great job with Maya. She really brought Maya to life too, you could feel the emotions that Maya was feeling, and I wouldn’t have picked a better narrator.

I want to thank NetGalley/Macmillan audio/St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

DNF @ 10%

I was looking forward to this one since I'm interested in the idea of a girl who can read minds, but it's not at all what I was expecting so far. I think what bothers me the most is that this book is so far off how Gen Z speak and act that it's painful to read, and the author is so heavy-handed with the references to current social events and issues that it feels disingenuous. Not for me, unfortunately.