Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond

Whether you are a fan of Stranger Things, or not, I think you would thoroughly enjoy this novel. It's part mystery, part phycological thriller, part SciFi, and full of suspense. There are twists & turns and it will keep you turning each page faster and faster as you read.

Brief Synopsis

The story follows Terry Ives as she tries to uncover what is going on when she hears about human experimentation being do

ne at her university. When her roommate, Stacy, says she was very uncomfortable and isn't going back to the next session, Terry decides that she will take her roommate's place. At the very least, it will give her some extra cash. It's 1969 and the Vietnam War is constantly on people's mind. Protesting is constant in Washington D.C., and it seems like Hawkins isn't going to be spared when Terry realizes that the experimentation is for the US Government. Is it related to the war?

Dr. Martin Brenner just moved to Hawkins Indiana, and is taking over the Hawkins Lab. He quickly decides that the fellow scientists and workers at the labs don't view him as their ultimate superior and he plans to correct that very quickly. He does not allow anyone to question what seems like his ultimate authority, especially when it comes to human experimentation.

My Review

4.25/5

Media Tie in novels can be a little tricky. Sometimes a book is great but only if you already are familiar with the story/characters. Other times the story might be great, but it doesn't fit with what we know about the characters or setting in the show/movie. This novel however, masterfully brought to life a story anyone can enjoy - whether watching the show or not - while also staying true to the tone and feel of Stranger Things. It is an almost entirely new set of characters that we are introduced to. The story expands on Terry Ives, Elevens mother, and what really happened. I felt like this story is an onion with layer upon layers upon layers. It immediately made me look up the episode in Stranger Things where Terry is shown (S2E5) and rewatch it. I also enjoyed how much of a psychological thriller this felt like, even if it isn't classified as that genre. The amount of suspense that built up in each chapter had me reading faster and faster, I couldn't put the book down. My only wish was that we had a little more of a conclusion with a couple of the other characters.

Is this book Canon?

The books can be looked at as canon, though second tier canon. Basically, is the TV Show contradicts something in the novel, then that portion of the novel is not canon and the show takes precedent. With this specific book, there is something that is mentioned in Season 5 of Stranger Things that is not mentioned in this novel. You could justify by it happening off page, but it can also be considered non canon due to this. For a deeper dive into the Stranger Things Canon conversation check out my blog post: (Coming 1/16/26)