Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds

The First Official Stranger Things Novel

By: Gwenda Bond

Narrated by: Kristen Sieh

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller

If you think you know the truth behind Eleven’s mother, prepare to have your mind turned upside down in the first official Stranger Things novel - “[T]he prequel story that fans have been waiting for.” (Kirkus Reviews).  

It’s the summer of 1969, and the shock of conflict reverberates through the youth of America. As a student at a quiet college campus in the heartland of Indiana, Terry Ives couldn’t be farther from the front lines of Vietnam or the protests in Washington. But the world is changing, and Terry isn’t content to watch. When word gets around about an important government experiment in the small town of Hawkins, she signs on as a test subject for the project, code-named MKULTRA. The remote lab, deep in the woods, contains a mystery Terry is determined to uncover. 

Behind the walls of Hawkins National Laboratory - and the piercing gaze of its director, Dr. Martin Brenner - lurks a conspiracy greater than Terry could have ever imagined. To face it, she’ll need the help of her fellow test subjects, including a young girl with unexplainable superhuman powers and a number instead of a name: 008.   

Amid the rising tensions of the new decade, Terry Ives and Martin Brenner have begun a different kind of war - one where the human mind is the battlefield. 

Praise for Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds

“You’re left hungry for more, but in the best way possible, as the book manages the balancing act between interconnected prequel and standalone story.” (Cinelinx)   

“Highly recommended for those readers interested in expanding their knowledge of the Stranger Things universe, this book is also a dark and captivating story that will stick in the readers’ minds even if they are not fans of the franchise.” (The Unseen Library)

©2019 Gwenda Bond (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“You’re left hungry for more, but in the best way possible, as the book manages the balancing act between interconnected prequel and standalone story.” (Cinelinx)

“Suspicious Minds is the prequel story that fans have been waiting for.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Highly recommended for those readers interested in expanding their knowledge of the Stranger Things’ universe, this book is also a dark and captivating story that will stick in the readers’ minds even if they are not fans of the franchise.” (The Unseen Library)

snore!

Despite Gwenda Bond’s best efforts, this book was 9 hours of waiting for something/anything to happen. The gang volunteers for medical trials of new medications then they punctually attend their appointments. Boom. Move along, nothing to see here.

Snoozefest

I love Stranger Things, but this book was a boring. The story was predictable, particularly obviously if you watch the show, which is fine. But in-between the obvious bits that you know from the show there is a whole lot of nothing happening. The book is riddled with references to the 60s and 70s that are integrated is the most cringeworthy ways. The book opens with them watching to moon landing on TV! It’s super corny. The ending is semi-satisfying, but overall if you never read this book you won’t be missing much.

That said, the characters were alright. This may have made for a decent one hour episode of the show. But it drags at 8 hours.

Pleasantly Surprised

Could a book based off a Netflix Original series really be any good? I assumed it would be a long stretch at trying to recreate the retro vibe the Duffer brothers have reached with Stranger Things.

I was wrong.

Don't worry I will keep the review simple and with out spoilers.

This stand alone prequel novel begins in 1969 and follows the M.K. Ultra experiments of the fictional Hawkins lab in Indiana long before the events of Stranger Things.

we do meet a younger Doctor Brenner, as well as a very young Kali. There is also a brief glimpse at a reporter we may or may not know from the series as well as a description of possible monsters in the lab that definitely sound like the demi gorgan. This and a few other Easter eggs dabbled throughout make the novel relatable and a lot of fun for Stranger Things fans but wont confuse or mislead those Using Suspicious Minds as a primer before completing the series.

Our main character Terri Ives and her friends Alice, Gloria, and Ken take us inside the experiments of Hawkins lab while also spinning a great story of love and friendship that is beautifully written without irony or cliche.

The book takes place during an important time in American history and we see our characters experience or witness events like Woodstock, the moonlanding, the Manson family, and the Vietnam War draft in addition to their drama within the lab. The book does a great job at keeping the time period real without actually telling us how different the 60's and 70's were from our present day. The characters mention things in passing kids today wont get but may be curious enough to ponder or even look up on their own. a good example is our main character discussing wearing nylons panty hose under her pants and it being far more comfortable than the stockings and girdle she wore previously but still warm and binding. Another example is a scene where some minor characters are seen wearing plastic Halloween masks. This may fly over a younger persons head and seem silly but as someone who is a child of the 70/80 I could smell the nostalgia and cheap plastic Halloween masks!

Overall I liked this book and have already preordered my copy of the next one staring Elle and Hopper. My one critique is I wish the author had fleshed out our characters a little more beyond their involvement in MK Ultra and with Terri. I think I would have cared more about the ending if I cared more about the other main characters.

Good Storyline, Poor Performance

Pros:
Actually one pro. Overall, this story is a necessary one for any fan of Stranger Things. The backgrounds of different key characters provides a full-circle tie-in with the Netflix series. Many questions were answered, and I didn't come across any loose ends in this prequel.

Cons:
- the person reading this was very difficult to listen to on far too many occasions. Her accents for certain characters (namely Gloria and Kali) were horrible and unnecessary. She made other characters sound more like they should be driving around in the Mystery Machine with Scooby Doo than members of the insightful counter culture of the 1960s. Think voices you'd use to impersonate frat boys and valley girls. Overall, the tacky accents and voices for the different characters were a distraction, and not a good one at that.

- The pop culture references were obnoxious and desperate. Talking in detail about everything from the moon landing, to Woodstock, to Lord of the Rings... it was all so unnecessary. I tend to think that anyone interested in Stranger Things would be familiar with all the cultural landmarks mentioned in this book. And familiarity is all they need. They don't need to hear details about late 60s/early 70s pop culture just because they're reading/listening to a book taking place during that time period.

Not worth your time

I wanted to like this book, as I love Stranger Things.

The book just isn’t good. The story is bland, and nothing really happens. It’s an 8 hour audiobook and the entire thing could be a 20min TV episode.

The characters don’t seem to function like normal people. We just have to assume that everyone would act irrationally. I also don’t really enjoy the writing style, as the point of view seems to constantly switch back and forth between members of the same group? Couldn’t we just stay in the perspective of the main character?

And finally, it’s not overly heavy handed, but there are certainly lots of modern political buzzwords tossed in here. I’m not expecting to get beat over the head with “smashing the patriarchy” in a tie-in novel related to a sci-fi TV show.

really bad

I found it really cringy. couldn't believe the characters or the story. the book was pointless

Better than I expected

The narrator's voice grew on me, and I appreciate how easy it was to tell who was talking by how the narrator's voice changed. The story itself is is surprisingly good, though I am a big Stranger Things fan to begin with. That said, the characters are mostly relatable and likeable, with their own motives and development. The villian is even more villianous than we first knew from the show, to great effect. I think this novel adds to the depth of the Stranger Things universe and most fans will enjoy this book.

Great precursor to TV series

Dr. Martin Brenner and his not so humble beginnings of Hawkins Laboratory. Find out about his early subjects and how a few of Stranger things Netflix series characters enter the scene.
my son (11) and I(35) both enjoyed this one!

Skip to the end

Can't say more than most of the other negative comments have said, except to just skip to the last hour as it is the only bit worth listening to. Also did not care for the narrator's reading - uninteresting with little varience for voicing characters.

dark but good

I really should’ve been more careful when picking this book for media tie-in. I love Stranger Things, big fan, love the concept, think it’s very well done, etc. I really hate the feeling of dread that comes from knowing things aren’t gonna end well. I’ve got some anxiety issues, and I really don’t read to get more anxiety issues. So why, you may ask, did I pick a book about Eleven’s mum knowing how she ends up? I have no clue but it was not a good choice, and it took me ages to get over the stress and start enjoying this book.

Suspicious Minds (Stranger Things Novels #1) by Gwenda Bond is the story of how Eleven’s mum met doctor Brennan and the experiment she was involved in. We meet her as an energetic young student who wants to change the world. It is set on the backdrop of the Vietnam war and Woodstock.

11’s mum and a few other students sign up for an experiment, to make some extra cash during uni, they make fast friends, and I really enjoyed all the main characters, they quirks and their dynamics as a group. Also the shift in portrayal of doctor Brennan from competent if harsh professional to ruthless monster was interesting. I’m curious to look up how many of the questionable if not outright immoral experiment practices from the book here actually happening during 60s, but afraid to find out. I was worried that it would just be expanding on the plot related to 11’s mum that we see in the show, but it was set well before that. Oh and we see a very young Kali, who is very sweet and powerful.

Personally I loved this next part, but I can imagine some readers would have the opposite reaction. I loved how modern the book felt. I’m not saying that reasonable views about people of color or women wouldn’t have existed back then, just that I haven’t found them in fantasy books all that much. Things like MC’s dad describing the horrors of WW2 concentration camps and how guards could be that horrible and not see that what they were doing was wrong, and how nothing like that could even happen in America, people wouldn’t let it. Or how the smartest person in the group is a black woman and she talks about challenges that raises for her, in town or at school.

Overall I think Suspicious Minds is a great addition to the Stranger Things universe, and fans should give it a try, but maybe not anxious fans like myself.