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Beautiful, popular Viv is in a coma from a drug overdose, and the police are trying to find out exactly what happened.
Davida, who’s become close with her for the past month through their work as simulated patients at a medical school, is sure Viv didn’t take anything but a vitamin at the party. She knows that Viv isn’t the type to drink or take recreational pills. Viv’s life is great, and she has no reason not to be happy.
But in flashbacks, readers find out that Viv’s life isn’t at all what Davida thinks it is. Viv has plenty to be unhappy about, despite appearances.
Tell Me When You Feel Something primarily focuses on the points of view of Davida and Viv, in the present when Viv is in the hospital and in the past month leading up to the overdose. But it includes the viewpoints of other characters as well, giving their full versions of what they saw and know about Viv even as they withhold information from the police. Readers certainly know more than investigators, but they don’t know the true story about what happened to Viv until the end.
The setting of the medical school and these teens’ jobs playing the roles of patients with simulated diseases or injuries is an important part of this story, but for some reason I expected a different kind of book: It’s described as a YA thriller, so I expected more nefarious things going on with the whole medical program (like weird experiments or something?) and it being the primary “scary” part of the story. But this is more of a mystery about who gave the main character the drugs that put her into a coma and why. It comes down to really one or two bad characters. It involves #MeToo themes rather than creepy medical school vibes. Interesting and absorbing, either way.
Rated: High. There are about 25 instances of strong language, around 50 uses of moderate language, about 20 uses of mild language, and about 40 uses of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes teens having sex, without much detail. The story contains many references to one man’s infidelity, and his ex-wife’s bad behavior in response to it. The story hinges on sexual assaults on one main character and others, with the rapes taking place while the victims are unconscious. One main character has a serious alcohol problem, and there are other references to teen drinking. Violence includes the rapes as well as a murder and a character being in a coma because of drug overdoses.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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