Wanting to be generous and offer this two stars because the idea of this novel is incredibly strong. A girl walking through life with the ability to hear the thoughts of other people? Fun, and potentially incredibly heartfelt. I also loved that it attempted to put an emphasis on those who battle with mental health, and a variety of other tender subjects this premise could lend itself to extremely well.

Unfortunately, nothing about Maya as a main character felt authentic, and any attempt at addressing larger, deeply important social issues wasn't met with any humanity or nuance at all. It all just felt like stereotype salad. In fact, it read as if it were talking down to readers at times (especially teens and millennials—the target YA audience), and that wound up being something that really bothered me.

I haven't read anything by Wendy prior to this, but I would be interested to go back and pick up some of her earlier YA novels because she's a very gifted writer. The execution of this, unfortunately, fell so, so flat for me.

3.5 stars because I loved the premise - all-knowing? check! able to read minds? check! worried about loving and being loved because of how different she is? you got it - check!

But for some reason, I couldn't get into this as much as I had hoped. The voice didn't draw me in which was surprising considering the nature of the story. It took me a long time to finish it, unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

I'd like to express my gratitude to Wednesday Books for providing me with the ARC for review.

While the main character aimed to adopt a Gen Z-like voice, it came across as more derisive than genuine. Although she frequently went on rants, they didn't contribute substantially to the narrative. It's possible that her character develops further later in the story, but I wasn't compelled to continue reading. Additionally, the chapter narrated from the dog's perspective had a strikingly similar tone to that of the main character.

(Thank you to Wednesday Books for the eARC to review.)

Unfortunately, I stopped reading this at the 13% mark. After reading the prologue and eight chapters, the overall tone wasn't what I expected. The main character's voice attempted to sound like a Gen Z-er but felt more mocking than anything. She ranted a lot but didn't add anything to the conversation; maybe she does later in the story, but it didn't interest me to continue reading it. Also, the chapter from her dog's POV had a very similar voice to the main character.

As much as i was intrigued by the summary, I sadly didn't like it. I think it's a great plot but i just don't like the modern references. As a Gen Z, I definitely cringed and had to sadly put the book down. I'm sure if I was younger, I would like something like this but right now it's not for me. I will give it a try some other time though!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this e-arc

The book tells about Maya who has to stay at a psychiatric facility. She later attends a new school. Maya has to face some challenges like her ability to heal and read people’s mind. She also made friends especially a cute guy named Tyler. The chapters are short and it's a fast-paced read. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and do a review.

I tried reading this one SO MANY times, but I just can't. I don't understand what's happening and I'm sick of reading the same stuff hoping against hope that I find it somewhat interesting. I'm not gonna read this, it completely failed to engage me.

This was a tough book to get through because it was so out of touch and every other sentence was a generalized stereotype. The main character, Maya, is supposed to be an all-knowing teen, but doesn’t really know how to be around other people. It was an interesting concept, but poorly executed. I am gen z, but all the gen z characters (including maya) felt like some gen x’er had a conversation with a gen z on what they thought gen z was like and then only remember half the conversation and filled in the rest from the stereotypes. This book missed the nuance of people by a mile and replaced it with horoscopes, religion, and stereotypes to explain why people do stuff. It was a really unbearable book to read. The first third of the book is the worst, and while it gets a bit better around the halfway mark when the actual story starts, it is still hard to get to the story through the paragraphs of rambling about unimportant stuff. I never felt connected to any of the characters because they never felt like real people. Overall this was a book disappointing read.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Our main character Maya csn hear the thoughts in your head. So being in crowded places can be overwhelming to her. She ends up in a mental health facility too, because they think she's crazy and had a god complex. This book is a bit all over the place and it just kept dragging on.

When I was first really getting into reading I picked up a book by this author and fell in love with it, I have anxiously looked so many times to see if she had released a new book and finally saw that this book was coming out soon. So I obviously checked NetGalley and requested a copy!
Maya is seventeen and growing up and learning things about yourself and the world is hard enough; but Maya knows too much. She just has to be near someone and she knows everything about them and what they're thinking.
She starts attending a new school and is trying to navigate life with this gift/curse. Is there such a thing as knowing too much?
This book was very cute and sad and honestly all the emotions haha.
I think if I had read this when I was slightly younger I may have enjoyed it more.
However, I still absolutely loved it and I am so happy to have been able to read this book that I looked forward to for so long.

I tried this book probably 5 separate times, and could never get past the first two chapters. Didn’t work for me, unfortunately.

The story felt a bit all over the place, and I didn’t find myself invested. I stopped after the second “chapter” (4%). I’d guess 3 stars, 4 for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

Told from multiple points-of-view, we find Maya can tell what people are thinking. When she goes back to high school after getting out of a psych hospital, she realizes it’s not always a good thing. When Maya meets Tyler and they both think uh-oh. Maya starts thinking about doing things with Tyler and when something happens, it sends Maya over the edge. Can they remain a couple?

“Mysterious Ways” is strange at first, and I was not sure if I would like it. However, the story gets better as you keep reading. Maya is omniscient, able to hear what people around her are thinking. That might seem good or useful, but many of the thoughts are negative: people thinking negative things about themselves or others (including Maya). This ability also gets Maya into trouble, as sometimes she responds to what other people are thinking or she becomes overwhelmed by all the thoughts and has a breakdown. As a result, Maya is a pariah, and spends time in a psychiatric unit. The story starts out during a six-week psychiatric stay, with Maya very much "doom and gloom", convinced that the world is an evil place and well on its way to being destroyed unless her generation wakes up and takes action. However, Maya also cares about people, and has the ability to link a person's thoughts together and set it to music, so the person's brain can process it better; for fellow patient Bobby, she takes his memories of his girlfriend and their breakup and makes it into something bittersweet, instead of end of the world devastating. After getting out of the hospital, Maya is sent to a public school. She doesn't fit in at first, and Lucy, the classmate who takes her under her wing, wonders if she made a mistake in doing so. However, as Maya starts making connections with people (Lucy, Tyler, Tori), and finds a cause to pursue, her view of herself and the world slowly starts to change. Her actions also help some of the other characters open themselves up to each other and be sources of support and encouragement. Maya also discovers a previously unknown side to her mother. In the end, Maya will realize that for all the evil and negativity in the world, there is also plenty of goodness if you pay attention.

I found this book entertaining right from the start. This story is filled with drama, love, healing, as well as some fun, playful moments bringing in some lightness.

4.5 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I was extremely pleasantly surprised by this book. I was expecting standard YA fare, which I often enjoy but sometimes
feels formulaic. Instead, this book was a breath of fresh air, so smart and insightful and just the right amount of whimsical. It offered great insight into teens’ mental health in the broken world the adults have brought them into.
The character of Maya reminded me of a more awkward, moodier “Joan of Arcadia” if Joan could hear the thoughts of everyone around her.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

DNF — All of this trash in the first 10% of the book. No thank you. It’s no wonder our kids are so misguided and indoctrinated when this narrative is everywhere. Sad. The story sounded cute, but this ruined it for me.

“The patriarchy wasn’t going to give a girl-child (or any child who was not a boy) any power, so if girls wanted any power at all, they had to try to wrestle it from each other. Boys weren’t just going to surrender any power to them; boys were content to bask in the golden glow of their princely superiority, which was so subtly but ubiquitously bestowed upon them by everyone in every sphere of life.”

“But then Reagan was elected by a Christian Moral Majority (thanks to Phyllis Schlafly), and unless you were a white male, things got worse for you. But even white males won’t survive the climate apocalypse.”

“It was an old story like that sixties TV show Bewitched, where Samantha, even though she could have dominated the mortal world with her magic, suppressed her power to become Darrin’s bitch. The whole show was a warning to any woman who dared to embody her power. Men needed to keep women in line. So they invested big Hollywood dollars in big propaganda to make women think that power was shameful. It worked.”

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley.

DNF at page 102.

I truly gave this my best shot, but it was becoming really difficult to finish.

I'll start with the positives: the premise was fascinating and pretty unique. The main character Maya can hear the thoughts of people around her, which gives her a god-like complex (she refers to herself as god several times). She is also able to think things to other people and thus manipulate/change their perspectives on things. This is especially relevant at the start of the novel, where she helps a fellow patient at the treatment center overcome his depression.

The main perspective is Maya but every other chapter includes perspectives from other characters around her, giving more context to the characters mentioned. I liked this format, but some of the characters had very strange thoughts or were pretty irrelevant to the story.

The biggest reason I stopped reading was that I simply did not care for Maya or the plot. From the premise and the 100 pages I did read, it seems like the main conflict is Maya deciding if she can be with someone or not. She doesn't seem to struggle with her powers, as she is comfortable enough manipulating others' thoughts. She is overly confident (rightly so, but this makes her seem so unrealistic) and the other characters don't feel like real people either. This doesn't feel like a coming of age type of story, nor one where a teen has to come to terms with something big. It's simply "will Maya date this random guy or not" and I had a difficult time becoming invested.

Overall, the premise was very unique and had great potential! I just struggled to become interested in the characters and their lives.

4.3 rounded down to 4/5.

In "Mysterious Ways" by Wendy Wunder, readers are plunged into the world of seventeen-year-old Maya, who possesses an extraordinary gift—or perhaps curse—of knowing everything about everyone with just a glance. Wunder's sharp and heartfelt coming-of-age tale delves into themes of identity, mental health, and the complexities of human nature.

Maya's unique ability sets her apart from her peers, but it also burdens her with the weight of the world. Sent to the Whispering Pines Psychiatric Facility, Maya struggles to navigate her way through a new school and the challenges of forming genuine connections when she knows everything about everyone she meets. However, when she encounters a boy who sparks genuine interest, Maya is forced to confront the limits of her powers and grapple with the question of whether there is such a thing as knowing too much.

Wunder masterfully weaves together a narrative that blends real-world issues with the supernatural, touching on topics such as bullying, social awkwardness, and loss, while also exploring the intricacies of identity, insecurity, and anxiety that are inherent to the teenage experience. The characters in "Mysterious Ways" are richly drawn and memorable, each grappling with their own demons and struggles, adding depth and dimension to the story.

While Maya's abilities may seem fantastical, Wunder grounds the narrative in a relatable and authentic portrayal of adolescence, making it easy for readers to empathize with Maya's journey of self-discovery. The plot is intriguing from the start, with twists and turns that keep the reader engaged until the very end.

Although some aspects of Maya's predicament may stretch the bounds of believability, the novel's thought-provoking premise encourages readers to contemplate the nature of knowledge, perception, and the human condition. "Mysterious Ways" is a quick and compelling read that will resonate with fans of contemporary YA fiction, offering a fresh perspective on the complexities of growing up in a world where knowing too much can sometimes be a burden rather than a blessing.

Mya can read minds and knows everything about everyone, which is very overwhelming and causes her a lot of stress. She tries to deal with it while pursuing a normal teen life. It was funny, had good thoughts on mental health, and was well-written.

I received an early copy through Netgalley, but all opinions are my own.