Louder Than Words

Nov 15, 2012 Ari J Bookzilla rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

The premise of this book sounded promising. I was really excited to read it. But I have to say that in the end I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would - or maybe I should say that I liked parts of it, and other parts of it - not so much.

The heroine is not very likable. From the beginning she just seems like this self-centered spoiled little girl, and while I tried to be understanding of her situation, she lost her family and her memories and it's a tragedy, the author laid the story o...more The premise of this book sounded promising. I was really excited to read it. But I have to say that in the end I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would - or maybe I should say that I liked parts of it, and other parts of it - not so much.

The heroine is not very likable. From the beginning she just seems like this self-centered spoiled little girl, and while I tried to be understanding of her situation, she lost her family and her memories and it's a tragedy, the author laid the story out in a way that evokes no sympathy (maybe on purpose? I'm not sure) from the reader. To me, Sasha was just a brat and I couldn't get over it. Often times she would belittle Charlotte's efforts to do her best with this situation they were given, and I kind of resented her for it.
Eventually she does get it together and even though she continues to act like a brat, I did warm up to her in the end.

Ben was a sweetie, and I liked the whole special bond thing they had. But both of them were constantly playing hot and cold with each other. Also, I felt kind of cheated, we never saw them get to know each other, it was more like: they meet BAM they kiss and date BAM they break up BAM...the whole first half of the book had weird pacing.

But it improved in the second half, and it's only then that I started to get into the story more, after the whole mystery about her family's death started to unravel. Even though I had it figured out pretty fast, because it was heavily hinted at, I still thought it was interesting.

Things that bothered me about this, and beware, there are spoilers:
(view spoiler)

Laurie Plissner's writing style is simple and straight-to-the-point, and I did enjoy that aspect of it. This being her debut I have to say I was pretty satisfied, good supporting characters (Jules, Ben, Stuart, Ben's mom), great chemistry between Ben and Sasha (at least what we got to see of them - the library scene was so promising).

I want to give this a five star rating, because the idea was really good, but I can't overlook the things that bothered me about it. Sometimes a book is just mindless fun, and that's how I look at it, (view spoiler)
So yeah, I would recommend this because it has a bit of everything: a love story, a mystery, a little thrill towards the ending and just a touch of paranormal, but don't expect it to blow you away.

**Free copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley.(less)

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Apr 07, 2013 Amy Jacobs rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

Louder Than Words is the debut novel by author Laurie Plissner.

The summary of this book was what intrigued me instead of the cover. While I can say the cover did absolutely nothing for me, the summary itself is what drew me into wanting to read it. I loved the premise of this book -- to the point to where I thought it was well outside the box of normal when it came to young adult paranormal. The romance was a little on the darker side without the sweetness you would expect, but one that was diff...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Kath McStay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner is a fun and fast paced read. To call Sasha, the main character in this story a sassy young girl would seem somewhat unusual, considering that she is unable to speak. We begin the story when she turns thirteen, and wakes in a hospital with her Aunt Charlotte at her side. Sasha has no idea where she is or why, because as hard as she tries, she can't remember why she is in the hospital. Her main concern in those first moments are for her family. She senses some...more Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner is a fun and fast paced read. To call Sasha, the main character in this story a sassy young girl would seem somewhat unusual, considering that she is unable to speak. We begin the story when she turns thirteen, and wakes in a hospital with her Aunt Charlotte at her side. Sasha has no idea where she is or why, because as hard as she tries, she can't remember why she is in the hospital. Her main concern in those first moments are for her family. She senses something has happened, but can't remember what. To find her mother's sister at her bedside instead of her mother is somehow not right. Sasha wants answers, and she wants them fast. This is when she finds that she is unable to speak. She opens her mouth to question Charlotte and nothing comes out. The inability to speak is a shock to Charlotte as well, and as she hurries to find paper and pencils for Sasha, a doctor comes in and things begin to happen in a hurry. There is no time for Charlotte to explain to her niece what has happened. Sasha doesn't know that she is the only survivor of a car crash that took the lives of both of her parents and her slightly older sister. No idea, until one of the doctors investigating her muteness inadvertently lets it slip.

The news is almost unbearable. But there is no way to turn back the clock and make the accident not happen.The only choice is to move forward. Since she suffered no apparent physical injuries, and there was no physical injury to her throat, vocal chords or larynx, Sasha's inability to speak at all was diagnosed as Hysterical Mutism. This disorder is most commonly found in children and adolescents after a traumatic event. In some cases, like Sasha's, the young person is unable to speak at all. In other cases, it is possible for the affected person to speak to specific and well trusted person within their circle of friends or family. Sasha learns to communicate with a voice synthesizing device, which she calls her Hawkie Talkie, as it is the same sort of device that the famous physicist Stephen Hawking uses.

Charlotte and her husband Stuart welcome Sasha into their family, they love and cherish her and do everything in their power to help her to find her voice again. According to all the experts, it is simply a matter of getting past the traumatic moment in whatever way it is possible to do so. But for Sasha, with no real memories of the accident, and not feeling the need to seek those memories, four years pass with no success. She is a studious and mostly quiet girl with a best friend called Jules, who has stood strong by her side from the days they were toddlers, through the accident and beyond. Sasha does have a difficult side, and this emerges through inappropriate behavior in school which often lands her in the midst of what you might call a bad crowd, as she is often sittin in detention. Unfortunately, it is there that she comes to the attention of some unruly jocks who learn her after school routine. Despite her school time behaviors, Sasha's favorite place to spend her time out of school is the library. One day she is joined in her little corner of the library by a good looking boy, and that moment has a momentous affect on the next part of her life.
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Jan 16, 2013 LaQuita (Just Us Girls) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to say this book had me in tears. Sasha goes through a horrible experience similar to someone I know in real life went through about eight years ago and while reading this book I couldn't help think of the person I once knew. The beginning starts off with Sasha dreaming about the accident that took her family away from her. She's left with no voice and her only communication is through a voice box, which in my opinion she doesn't really accept, which I don't blame her.I have no idea what...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Viviane Crystal rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sasha’s world came to a screeching halt on the night when a devastating accident killed her parents and younger sister. Sasha can’t remember a thing that happened that night. All she knows is that she’s been unable to speak since that awful night!
A famous psychiatrist who has practiced around the world seems unable to make any progress with Sasha. But now her attention is distracted by a young fellow student she meets. Ben has the uncanny ability to read the minds of people he is close to in phy...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Stuti rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews, fantasy-pr-everything-untoward

Review also appears on my blog At the End of the Story

So the book starts with our protagonist reliving(sort of), in her sleep, the accident that decimated her entire family and lost her the use of her voice. I had no particular reason to, but I felt like this book was going to be a mish-mash of If I Stay, Where She Went and Forgotten. And it was, to a certain extent.

Now, Sasha employs an electronic "voice-box" to do the talking for her. For this, she becomes the victim of much ridicule at her sc...more

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Dec 02, 2012 C.G. Worrell rated it 4 of 5 stars

I devoured this book in two days on my Kindle.

Seventeen-year-old Sasha is still mute four years after the tragic death of her family in an auto accident. She has one friend and can only communicate via a voice synthesizer. As you can imagine, high school is a living hell for this girl. When she's saved from gang rape by a mysterious boy named Ben, Sasha is surprised to learn that he can actually read her mind...and what a witty sarcastic mind it is! I enjoyed going along for the ride as Sasha d...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Kristy Sartain- Whispering Pretty Stories Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

http://whisperingprettystories.weebly...

Wow! I haven't cried so much while reading a book since Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks.

Sasha is the only survivor of a car crash that killed her parents and older sister. It happened when she was 13. She is now 17, lives with her aunt (her mother's sister) and uncle, and hasn't been able to speak since the wreck. She uses an electronic talking device where she types in what she wants to say and it speaks for her. Sasha has successfully alienated al...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Megan (The Book Babe) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: received-for-review, reviewed-on-my-site

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

Louder than Words was really freaking great--and so not what I expected when I started this book. For one, I kind of expected it to be a really sweet romance--it wasn't. Not that it wasn't kind of sorta cute--it totally was, but it gives off a more mature vibe than that. This is not a fluffy read at all. I wouldn't recommend this one for anyone under fifteen--sexual content is pretty high in this one.

But in the story's defense, we did need to hea...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

The 411 by Maria:

I am a big believer in the perfect cover but this one doesn't work for me. You get no sense of what the book is about and that can deter a lot of readers but in this case it shouldn't!

This is a wonderful little story (272 pages) about Sasha a 17 year old girl who is suffering with an interesting Post Traumatic Stress disorder called Selective Mutism. As if high school isn't challenging enough with social and study issues, Sasha uses a voice box to speak except with Ben, a boy sh...more

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May 23, 2013 Tabitha Olson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: recent-reviews

An okay story. The premise is very intriguing, but the execution wasn’t my favorite. I was pulled out of the story many times due to inconsistencies and things I just didn’t believe.

I wasn’t all that fond of Sasha, and I couldn’t connect to her because I thought her characterization was inconsistent. She starts off telling us what happened to her family and what she remembers when she woke up in the hospital, and then all of a sudden she’s telling one of her classmates ‘f-you’ in the middle of...more An okay story. The premise is very intriguing, but the execution wasn’t my favorite. I was pulled out of the story many times due to inconsistencies and things I just didn’t believe.

I wasn’t all that fond of Sasha, and I couldn’t connect to her because I thought her characterization was inconsistent. She starts off telling us what happened to her family and what she remembers when she woke up in the hospital, and then all of a sudden she’s telling one of her classmates ‘f-you’ in the middle of class. Apparently, this is a common occurrence because the detention teacher knows her well, as do the other students who are regulars. This threw me. I get that people can change drastically when they’ve lost their entire family to tragedy and then been teased for four years. But we need to see that change, or else it’s too jolting.

BTW, even though the opening to this story breaks some rules, it totally works in this case. I hear editors say all the time not to start a story with a character waking up or with a flashback, but we get a flashback of Sasha ‘waking up’ in the hospital. And it works. We get her backstory in an interesting way, and I developed something of a relationship with her. But then she turned into someone else entirely when we see her in school, so I was really bummed about that.

I’m glad that Sasha has a good, loyal friend (Jules), and that there aren’t any mean, catty girls in the story. Jules is even head cheerleader, so it was a refreshing change of pace. I wish her character had been more consistent, though. She starts off as an upbeat supporter, but then sort of morphs into something else. And then she shocks Sasha by saying swear words, even though Sasha will say the f-word in class. So I didn’t really get their relationship.

Ben was okay, though too good to be true. He’s a bit over the top with opening doors, coming to Sasha’s rescue all the time, likes old music stuff, plus he’s a sexual genius. He’s also a fourth degree black belt—BTW, I didn’t buy that part at all. It’s not that it’s impossible to become a fourth degree black belt at such a young age, but it’s *highly* unlikely. If one has gotten so far so young, then there’s no way he would be so easily disarmed by an untrained jock. And he certainly wouldn’t be rendered helpless by the loss of his nunchucks. A first degree black belt can see a punch coming long before it gets there and will get out of the way, let alone a fourth degree black belt.

The sex and lust between Sasha and Ben was over the top. I don’t mind love scenes, but Sasha was a walking porn site (another thing Ben comments on). I also didn’t buy all the profanity. It felt gratuitous to me. If I understood the characters better, then this might have felt more natural.

The whole thing with Dr. O was a bit much. Ben called the situation a bad TV movie of the week, and I have to agree. Sometimes it works when a character acknowledges something fishy, but most times it doesn’t. It didn’t in this case. And I was really disappointed with the enormous bow at the end, tying things up too neatly. Not my cup of tea.
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Apr 01, 2013 Cheryl rated it 2 of 5 stars

Could have been so much better...

I liked "Louder Than Words" when it first started out. I thought the concept was interesting (after all, that's why I ordered it). But the plot, or I should say multiple plot lines, of the story soon became convoluted and muddy. There was just too much going on.

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead-Selective mutism, reading of minds, hypnotists, car accident or was it really an accident plus an on again-off again love affair - just too much or maybe it was the way the au...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-arc

Okay so I think the summary above does little to make sense of this novel. First it's Sasha's older sister that is killed in the car crash. Sasha goes to live with her mom's sister and her husband who had decided not to have children because of their law careers. But lucky for Sasha, they are kind and loving people who, if they don't get it right it's not for lack of trying, it's more for lack of knowing how. Charlotte, her aunt, tends to be neurotic and a bit dramatic but Stuart, Charlotte's hu...more Okay so I think the summary above does little to make sense of this novel. First it's Sasha's older sister that is killed in the car crash. Sasha goes to live with her mom's sister and her husband who had decided not to have children because of their law careers. But lucky for Sasha, they are kind and loving people who, if they don't get it right it's not for lack of trying, it's more for lack of knowing how. Charlotte, her aunt, tends to be neurotic and a bit dramatic but Stuart, Charlotte's husband always seems to be able to say one word to bring her back to sensible reason and he can talk her out of any kind of kooky scheme like talking to Ben when Sasha and Ben break up.

So while we're on the subject of Sasha and Ben, yes, Ben can read minds. There is a funny little scene in the library where he dares to invade Sasha's private little sofa area and then she's trying to look at him on the sly and with every thought about how sexy he is his smile grows despite the rather serious book he's reading by Sartre. At this point, and throughout the book, her only forms of communication are through a computer generated voice box and a piece of paper and pen. She leaves in a huff at his apparent amusement only to make a stupid girl mistake, walking through a park in the dark alone. (This is the second book I've read where this happened. Are teenage girls really that dumb?) And when Ben rescues her from something truly frightening she finds out about him being able to read her mind. Also, she doesn't report the incident he rescues her from like she should. Again, I know it's traumatic but why let them get away with it. They picked her because she couldn't tell, because she was mute. It left me uncomfortable, especially when Ben told her she was beautiful afterwords. Creepy. They do begin a relationship which Sasha has no experience with and is clearly not ready for. Her hormones are leading the charge very inexpertly and with a guy that can read her every desire it's very awkward. Thankfully, Ben is more of a gentleman than most men and he keeps things at a slow and chaste pace until the breakup.

Sasha's biggest problem is that she can't talk. She can't remember the accident nor anything leading up to the accident including her childhood. The renowned PTSD psychiatrist working with her has had no success with her after four years. But then Sasha starts doing a few things on her own and discovers some secret notes at the crash site and fresh flowers and realizes that maybe there was another car there. She has a wonderful best friend that I would have loved to have seen more of but what I did see was someone that was loyal to a fault. This girl was very popular, head cheerleader, boyfriends by the handful, but she pushed all that away to stand beside her friend and never minded the talking machine she used. Jules never gave up on the idea that Sasha would one day get her voice back. She went on stake outs and fact finding missions with her. She was as loyal as a hound dog.

And Ben, though he had the best intentions when he broke up with Sasha, finally realizes the error of his ways. But I didn't like how all over the place he was. He seemed too good to be true, but then he played with Sasha's emotions.
But he did come through in the clutch. And his mother was a wonderful healer for Sasha and mother figure for her.

In all, I really enjoyed the book except for the fact that attempted rapes aren't reported as I've seen in several other books. Why? I think this encourages girls to keep silent. NO! Speak out. Don't stay quiet. It really bothers me that the police didn't get involved although some revenge was exacted upon them. The mystery part of the story lead somewhere I hadn't even thought about so that part was well done. I hadn't even considered that person being involved in the crash. So that was a complete surprise. And again, this one is a nail biter to the very last sentence.

I'd recommend this one to contemporary readers that don't mind a dash of magic with their romances. All the questions about sex and flirting and relationships with the opposite sex were difficult for even me to answer so I felt Sasha's angst. And I could only imagine her pain at the loss she suffered. In all it was a solid story, just a few pet peeves touched on.

Definitely for a mature YA reader as a lot of focus on sex.

I received a copy of this novel from Merit Press through NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review.
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Dec 29, 2012 Kazhy (My Library in the Making) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, buy-and-read-again

(This review was originally posted at My Library in the Making.)

They say laughter is the best medicine, but what if—aside from a few huffs of air—you couldn’t even laugh?

That’s Sasha’s life, post-accident—the accident that had taken her family and her voice. After four years of psychotherapy, she still suffered from hysterical mutism and retrograde amnesia, and had to choose between pen and paper or her Hawkie Talkie to communicate with others... well, that was until Ben Fisher, cute black-belte...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: to-review

Since Sasha survived the car accident that killed the rest of her family, she has been unable to speak. After four years of seeing a therapist and even trying hypnosis, Sasha is still unable to speak, her electronic speaking box and hysterical mutism limiting her everyday life. Then one day she meets a boy at the library who can read minds and Sasha begins to feel almost normal again. When Ben pulls away Sasha is devastated, but even more determined than every to cure herself and figure out what...more Since Sasha survived the car accident that killed the rest of her family, she has been unable to speak. After four years of seeing a therapist and even trying hypnosis, Sasha is still unable to speak, her electronic speaking box and hysterical mutism limiting her everyday life. Then one day she meets a boy at the library who can read minds and Sasha begins to feel almost normal again. When Ben pulls away Sasha is devastated, but even more determined than every to cure herself and figure out what really happened the night of the accident.

Louder than Words was such an interesting novel to me. I felt a real connection to Sasha - I truly wanted her to get better. She was harassed by her classmates, too, in several different ways, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Louder Than Words is truly about a journey of healing. Not only does Sasha want to heal herself of her mutism so she can lead a normal life, but Sasha also discovers that what caused the car crash might not have been merely an accident. Sasha discovers whoever caused her family's car to run off the road has been leaving notes at the scene of the crime and Sasha and her best friend embark on a mission to find out who killed her family. Their amateur sleuthing was pretty good, but when I discovered who caused the accident... I was shocked as all the pieces came together. I never saw it coming. Up until the last couple chapters I thought, "Surely, this can't be right!"

The only thing I didn't care for in Louder Than Words was Ben's character. Don't get me wrong, I was glad Sasha found a person with whom she could feel normal and in that aspect, I was glad for Ben's presence in the novel. But something about him rubbed me the wrong way - perhaps it was is solution to cure Sasha's mutism. I'm not sure. Their relationship was so strange to me overall.

Four stars! Louder Than Words was a great novel about overcoming a tragic past, though I would recommend this one for those sixteen and older due to the sexual nature of the book.

...more YA reviews at pandareads.com(less)

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Nov 01, 2012 jv poore rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: buried-under-books

What a cool, and very sneaky book! It begins with our main character, Sasha, reliving a terrible accident that ripped her from a normal life; leaving her a shell of a person, with no parents or siblings, no childhood memories, and no voice. As if the perils of adolescent aren’t challenging enough, Sasha uses a “speak box” to communicate.

Before too much sympathy can be evoked, we learn that Sasha chooses to use the robot-voice on her voice box, rather than trying out the human-esque voice choice...more What a cool, and very sneaky book! It begins with our main character, Sasha, reliving a terrible accident that ripped her from a normal life; leaving her a shell of a person, with no parents or siblings, no childhood memories, and no voice. As if the perils of adolescent aren’t challenging enough, Sasha uses a “speak box” to communicate.

Before too much sympathy can be evoked, we learn that Sasha chooses to use the robot-voice on her voice box, rather than trying out the human-esque voice choices. Despite being an adorable teenager, she balks at fashion, existing in sweats and tees.

Like it or not, she attracts attention. As she walks home from the library one evening, four male classmates surround her. It can’t be good. Enter our amazingly dreamy male lead, Ben. Well, technically, he entered at the library about an hour ago, but this is more dramatic. Not only is he hot, but he happens to be on his way to martial arts class. Through a few well-placed punches and kicks, he convinces the boys to move on.

Oh, okay, it is going to be a romance….I’m down with that. Of course Sasha and Ben are immediately attracted to each other, when it becomes clear that Ben has an extra ability, above and beyond his black belt. Ah, intrigue…..this is going to be more than a romance!

As Sasha finally begins to live again, memories begin to surface. Was the car wreck really an accident? Of course, slick roads, going too fast, it made sense; but didn’t feel right. Sasha risks a visit to the crash site to find white tulips and very bad poetry. The remnants of older bouquets are there, as are more cryptic notes. No. Not an accident. Someone tried to kill her entire family. But, why? Now that Sasha knows, won’t she be targeted?

Aha! We have a mystery. This story keeps giving. The tumultuous journey to unravel the mysteries is absolutely riveting. Now, you won’t be able to put the book down. It’s okay, it’s totally worth it. Skip your chores and finish the book right now.

While, I (clearly) enjoyed this book, there is one thing I feel I would be remiss if I left out. Sasha and her best friend speak rather frankly about sex—not actually having sex, just the stuff a typical teen would find in a Cosmo; however, it is enough (in my humble opinion) to leave out a younger audience. Without the sex-talk, I would easily recommend this to young teens. I would even suggest it for Middle School, Jr. High and High School libraries; but with the sexual language, I feel that I can really only recommend it to high-school students. This makes me sad, because it is such an amazing story, and I really didn’t feel that those conversations added anything.
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Jan 27, 2013 Joana Hill rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 04, 2013 Diane Lanoue rated it 1 of 5 stars

This was the most ridiculously implausible book I have ever read! And I read a lot of horror/zombie/dystopia/vampire stuff that could be considered implausible. I struggled to finish it and when I did I was horribly disappointed by the ending which in no way could ever happen in real life. Let alone the other stuff that could never happen in real life! While reading it I felt like the author really had no idea in which direction she wanted the story to go so it meandered around aimlessly for som...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Dayla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, addicting, awesome-ya, contemporary, debut, down-to-earth-supernatural, family, favourite-authors, favourites, good-character-development, mystery, powerful-women, romance, sassy, school, sex, tough-chicks, young-adult, older-ya, sexy

Article first published as Book Review: Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner on Blogcritics.

Review also appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

I received a copy for review

Laurie Plissner’s Louder Than Words is a fantastic debut for the older young adult audience. Plissner’s writing style is witty, modern, and touching. With the barest hint of the paranormal, Plissner manages to engage her reader with a smart and grieving protagonist, and a climax that will take the reader’s breath away.

Plissner’s...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

*4.5*

I didn't really know what to expect going into Louder Than Words. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll probably know I'm a HUGE fan of contemporary books (YA, Adult, New Adult). However, this one seemed a little different from my typical read, and from the summary, I knew it would probably go two ways: I would love it or I would hate. However, as it turns out, I shouldn't have been worried at all, because Louder Than Words turned out to be one of the best books I've read so...more *4.5*

I didn't really know what to expect going into Louder Than Words. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll probably know I'm a HUGE fan of contemporary books (YA, Adult, New Adult). However, this one seemed a little different from my typical read, and from the summary, I knew it would probably go two ways: I would love it or I would hate. However, as it turns out, I shouldn't have been worried at all, because Louder Than Words turned out to be one of the best books I've read so far this year. It was emotional. It was blunt and honest. And best of all, it showed that even when you're in the worst of places, you can still manage to pull it all together.

Louder Than Words starts the story of Sasha, a girl who has been in a truly horrible place since a terrible accident took the lives of her parents and sister. Sasha somehow managed to come out from the accident unharmed physically but emotionally it's a different story. Basically, Sasha can't speak or recall anything about the accident, because for some reason her body's taken back those abilities from her, and while everyone promised her she would get better eventually, it's been four years and she still can't remember or talk for beans. Because of this all, she's forever the odd one out at school. However, everything changes when a new student arrives on the scene. He tells Sasha he can read her memory, and that he can help her overcome her problems. But will he be able to? Or will Sasha have to step up and fix it all on her own?

I have to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Sasha at first. She was crass and just a bit peculiar. However, as the novel progressed, and I began to get used to her and her voice, I started to like her quite a bit. Sure, she wasn't the nicest of girls, but considering the situation, I could understand it. Plus, as the story went on, I began to see just how wise Laurie was to make her that way, because when I really thought about it, Sasha wasn't the normal teenager. She lost a lot of development years of her life, so really it was making it true to the story to make her just a little bit odd. As it turns out, watching her develop from this point to another truly was one of my favorite parts of the book. I also really enjoyed the various people Sasha encountered in this. Her best friend Jules add comical relief to the book, and Ben managed to do a lot for the story as well as Sasha. Ben was a different kind of guy, and sometimes I hovered between liking him and not too, but by the end, he manged to win me over.

The plot in this was really interesting. I thought it was unique how Laurie gave Sasha this physiological disorder quite simply because I had never heard about it before. Therefore, it was interesting to see not only how a person lives with this problem but how they learn to overcome it. It added a lot of emotion and drama. I also enjoyed how Laurie included a little twist about the accident at the end as well. It was fun to see Jules and Sasha play detectives as well as to think right along with them of possibly answers to the rising questions. Lastly, the relationship between Sasha and Ben. I thought it was developed quite well, and I especially liked seeing how it helped Sasha overcome her problems as everything progressed.

Plissner's writing was excellent. She did a great job of creating the plot and characters. I also give her props for giving Sasha such a raw voice as well as for how she always managed to make everything realistic and honest.

In all, Louder Than Words is a fabulous debut, one that I highly suggest you all give a chance to. It's a little hard to like in the beginning, but by the end, it is easy to see how worth the read it is.

Grade: A(less)

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Jan 18, 2013 Tara Chevrestt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vine, ya

I was drawn to this book due to the fact it features a disabled heroine: a young girl with hysterical (selective) muteness. Due to a car crash in which she lost her parents and sister, PTSD has rendered her speechless.

Wanting to keep people at bay, she uses a robotic voice, drawing lots of backlash and Stephen Hawkings jokes--even from teachers. She's an outcast, a misfit. I understood and sympathized with her.

And she has an incredibly LOL sarcastic humor and wit. I loved it and was all set to g...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Alex Sharrock rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

The novel follows the story of Sasha, a 17 year old girl who hasn't breathed a word due to hysterical mutism since a car crash that killed all of her family.

The synopsis of this novel describes it as 'magical reaslism' and I couldn’t agree more with this statement. Although the introduction of a psychic took away the novels credibility away for a while, it formed an integral part of the plot and a great addition to the novel.

I enjoyed Sasha as our main character. She has a sarcastic and dry s...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Wendy Hines rated it 3 of 5 stars

First, I found the premise to be totally unique and I loved reading everything from Sasha's perspective. She does have spunk, which comes through in her own mind, and occasionally though her voice box. The voice box basically works like this: she has a keyboard that she types what she wants to say and then a microphone thing speaks it. The only thing is, her's is set to the voice of a male renowned scientist. It's a bit off-putting.

Anyways, she doesn't remember anything of her life before the ac...more First, I found the premise to be totally unique and I loved reading everything from Sasha's perspective. She does have spunk, which comes through in her own mind, and occasionally though her voice box. The voice box basically works like this: she has a keyboard that she types what she wants to say and then a microphone thing speaks it. The only thing is, her's is set to the voice of a male renowned scientist. It's a bit off-putting.

Anyways, she doesn't remember anything of her life before the accident, and even though their is nothing wrong with her physically, she can't speak. She goes to a therapist to work on different issues but after four years, nothing has worked. When a handsome boy helps save her from being accosted, she is stunned when he can read her mind. She finally feels like someone can hear HER and not just her words. Although she and Ben fall head over heels together, he decides she needs to find herself and her voice, he breaks up with her, but he's always waiting and watching.

Determined to get Ben back, Sasha immediately gets to work, even as she nurtures a broken heart. With the help of her best friend Jules, they try to go back to that fateful winter day of the accident, only what they find out isn't what they expected at all. It wasn't an accident at all, but can Sasha remember what happened before she's next?

I loved this book but I did have a few concerns with it. It's geared toward young adults, but there is alot of heaving petting and sex talk in this book. I would suggest a mature teen audience, like seventeen and up! Also, there is quite a bit of swearing and two scenes of bullies trying to have forced sexual favors. I definitely wouldn't want my teenager to read this, and she's sixteen. The other concern I had was the font. Silly, I know. But when Sasha is speaking through her voicebox, all the words are capitalized, which is very off-putting. When she's writing, it's all bold and cursive and when she's talking to Ben in her head, it's italicized. It's really hard to get used to all of the fonts and figuring how what's going on with the who and the what. All in all, though, I enjoyed the premise and although I figured out who the killer was, I was surprised with the why. (less)

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Feb 16, 2013 Diane Greiner rated it 2 of 5 stars

This young adult novel has the promise of being something unique with the concept that the author has laid out. Main character Sasha is mentally broken when she survives a devastating accident where her family is killed and Ben, a boy her own age who can read minds, connect with one another. The setting is perfect for a great story with likable characters. Unfortunately this book falls flat and is too cliche right down to the ending, losing sight of the wonderful opportunity the author had to ha...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: r2r-complete, read-2012

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Merit Press and Netgalley.)
Four years ago, Sasha was in a car accident that claimed the lives of her parents and her older sister Liz. Sasha was unharmed, but Has since been unable to speak – a condition which the psychiatrists have told her is ‘hysterical mutism’.

Now 17, Sasha has been seeing a psychiatrist weekly for 4 years, and is still no closer to recovering her voice. Then she meets Ben.
Ben is al...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Kelley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, romantic-suspense, kindle

I really liked the voice of the book . A young adult book that handles a lot of the stew of emotions and hormones teenagers face along with a greater burden of loss. I could have used more build up of friendship in the love interest but once again very teenager. There was a part I did not like (view spoiler) and thought should be handled differently but I know that is me as an adult looking at it so I can also see their path of logic as well. The end felt like a...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Megan Palasik rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

This book was just okay for me. I'm a speech-language pathologist and I enjoy young adult fiction, so I thought a book about a girl who cannot speak but instead uses a computerized voice box might appeal to me.

This book felt like it had too many stories going on. It felt like part teen love story, part mystery, part psych session and that none of those stories were fleshed out as well as they could have been. Sasha is not a very likable character at first. She is hurt and sarcastic and a "bad g...more This book was just okay for me. I'm a speech-language pathologist and I enjoy young adult fiction, so I thought a book about a girl who cannot speak but instead uses a computerized voice box might appeal to me.

This book felt like it had too many stories going on. It felt like part teen love story, part mystery, part psych session and that none of those stories were fleshed out as well as they could have been. Sasha is not a very likable character at first. She is hurt and sarcastic and a "bad girl". She has a wonderful best friend, Jules, who has stuck with her through the tragedy of her family's death and for the past 4 years since then of Sasha's mutism. Then Sasha meets Ben and the story plays out like Twilight for a little while. He's perfect, beautiful, gentlemanly, and has a supernatural power; he can read minds. Then after a little while of lovely perfectness, he pulls away from her and she spends the rest of the book trying to heal herself to win him back.

It's typical teenage story/behavior where the teens find a problem and decide that they have to solve the mystery themselves rather than telling any adults about it. So, it's full of situations that aren't entirely believable (aside from the mind reading) of things teens would be able to get away with on their own.

The ending wasn't anything spectacular to me. I didn't find it to be any big twist and wasn't surprised by anything. I didn't predict all of the details per se, but I didn't find any of them very surprising or intriguing either.

When it ended, I felt like I was missing some details still, like there were some unanswered questions. Ben's mom, for example, was never fleshed out more. We know that Ben comes from a "unique family" and that she also has some kind of "special power" but we never learn what it is. Also, the scene where Ben was home with his parents and acting like a jerk to them and also said later that he didn't want to talk about his mom, we never find out why. Why would the author even bring those things up if they weren't going to add to the mystery/story at all? It didn't make him seem like a "normal teenager" at all. I don't know, I just feel like I want to know more about his family and his sixth sense.

Overall, it was a light, fluff teen fiction. This book was a quick read - I read it in 2 days, but I'm sure someone else could read it in one day. Interesting premise, but not fleshed out enough for me.(less)

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Feb 14, 2013 Jeanbooknerd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

Laurie Plissner’s Louder Than Words is a riveting tale about a girl named Sasha who lost the ability to speak after an unfortunate car accident that killed her little sister and parents. Even after four years, she’s still feeling the after effects of that dreadful day. Her body is healed now and uses a computer to speak with a robotic voice. When she yelled at the books she dropped at the library in her head, someone answered her out loud. It was Ben. The handsome dark-haired boy is part of a fa...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Kayla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-received

You can see this review and others at my blog, KDH Reviews.

I’m going to admit that I wasn’t that interested in reading Louder Than Words after reading the summary for it. I figured it was going to be a typical romance where the girl was falling all over herself to win over the boy. You know, I’m not even sure what caused me to request it on Netgalley. I did, though, and I’m really glad I did.

I feel like Louder Than Words was different. There was romance, mystery, and a little bit of the supernat...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Courtney Whitefield rated it 4 of 5 stars

Though I adored the story, as a bookseller at age 23, I found that it might be kind of hard to sell this book to say, a 13/14 year old, because of the sexual content. It would be something I have to point out to parents, even though the plot was fantastic. I loved the characters and their personalities! I wouldn't by any means steer anyone from reading this mystery, but I'm not gonna lie, it might be kind of difficult to sell. At the age of 23 though, I loved it! Bravo!

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