Book Review: Don't Turn Around

Don't Turn Around

By: Michelle Gagnon

Published by HarperCollins

Release Date: August 28, 2012

Genre: YA science fiction thriller

310 pages 

Buy it on Amazon, IndieBound

 or Barnes and Noble
Source: Kindly Provided by Publisher



My thoughts: 
This is one of the most impressive YA plots I've read in a long time. It's nicely streamlined for younger readers, yet doesn't lack for fast-paced plot points. Gagnon avoids the pitfalls of obvious predictability and ridiculous implausibility, both of which can be commonly found in YA thrillers. This alone makes me want to read more by this author.

Characters are usually what hooks me into a read, and in this book, they are really well-done. The interpersonal relationships are amazingly realistic- impressive, since they have to develop during an adventure that is gaining speed as the pages roll by. The main character, Noa, is a girl who grew up in the foster system: a kid who wouldn't likely be missed, yet is smart and tough. She is such an appealing underdog character; you'll quickly be rooting for her. Her compatriot, Peter, is a great example of a YA male character who doesn't have to rely on being a jock or a jerk to carry a storyline. I love them both. I especially love that they don't take a hokey time-out from running for their lives to have a "romantic moment." The subtext of the relationship is there without having to slow the plot with a sappy love scene, thank goodness.

I've see several comparisons of Noa to Lisbeth Salander, which doesn't make sense to me beyond that they are both hackers. Don't Turn Around reminds me much more of a favorite of mine, Neal Shusterman's Unwind. I am certain that the two share a target audience, and that readers, both male and female, who enjoy one will love the other.  

Summary from GoodReads:
Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa's talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation called AMRF threatens his life in no uncertain terms.

But what Noa and Peter don't realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who'd stop at nothing to silence her for good.

Fans of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" will devour the story of Noa, a teen soul mate to Lisbeth Salander.