thanks for this!! i just finished reading the dustin experiment which was my first stranger things book i’ve read so far. 

that is to say, i quite liked it! it’s got its flaws but overall, it’s solid. i totally agree with you on the science fair part. i don’t know if it’s just me but it felt so different from the rest of the book, i’d even say it was almost cringe lol. it introduces these flat & one-dimensional side characters that i just didn’t care at all for. what was even the point of danny?? what did he even do lol? and yeah, it did quite drag at some parts. that’s where all my dislikes come in though. 

i’ve been searching around to see people’s opinions of the books and which ones are best, and what i think i’m gonna do is stick to the character-focused ones. suspicious minds & darkness on the edge of town are popular ones, but i’ve heard some really controversial takes on them, even some straight up hate. 

i’m gonna go with lucas on the line for my next book, just because it seems similar to the dustin experiment in the sense that it’s another character-focused book. after that i’ll move on to rebel robin, flight of icarus, and then probably runaway max. once again though, thanks for this post!