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Whisper to Me
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Cassie is writing a letter to the boy whose heart she broke. She’s trying to explain why. Why she pushed him away. Why her father got so angry when he saw them together. Why she disappears some nights. Why she won’t let herself remember what happened that long-ago night on the boardwalk. Why she fell apart so completely.
Desperate for his forgiveness, she’s telling the whol ...more
Desperate for his forgiveness, she’s telling the whol ...more
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Margaret Smith
I sure hope so this book is amazing
Sophi Krause
About how Cassie first hears the voice in her head and then controls it later.
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Start your review of Whisper to Me
This book is 500 pages long. It contains a murder mystery, a mental health plotline, and a romance. And it manages to do none of it satisfactorily.
But somehow I read it in a day, so. Take that with a grain of salt I guess.
SUDDEN WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS.
All of the spoilers are things that are heavily foreshadowed and/or covered in the first half of the book, but still. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya. (And please do NOT yell at me.)
To elaborate on those three very non-cohesive plot ...more
But somehow I read it in a day, so. Take that with a grain of salt I guess.
SUDDEN WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS.
All of the spoilers are things that are heavily foreshadowed and/or covered in the first half of the book, but still. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya. (And please do NOT yell at me.)
To elaborate on those three very non-cohesive plot ...more
4.5 Stars
Wowza. I can definitely say I have never read a story like this one before. The way this starts off is I think the best intro to a book I have ever read:
“These are the things that you need to know:
1. I hear voices.
2. I miss you.
3. I wish I could take back what I did to you.
4. What they said in the news, what they said I did. It’s not true. You don’t have to worry about that.
5. I’m going to write it all down, all about Paris and why I broke your heart, and then I’m going to e-mail it ...more
Wowza. I can definitely say I have never read a story like this one before. The way this starts off is I think the best intro to a book I have ever read:
“These are the things that you need to know:
1. I hear voices.
2. I miss you.
3. I wish I could take back what I did to you.
4. What they said in the news, what they said I did. It’s not true. You don’t have to worry about that.
5. I’m going to write it all down, all about Paris and why I broke your heart, and then I’m going to e-mail it ...more
What was this author thinking?!
I will admit I have cooled off quite a bit when it comes to this book. I mean....you can't let the stupid ones get you down, am I right?? I haven't one starred a book since the atrocity that was Black Iris (BLEH BLEH BLEH STILL MY NUMBER ONE LEAST FAVORITE BOOK LIKE EVER), and I've had a couple (FEW) stinkers since then.
I'll make this quick because......it's just not worth it. To hate something so strongly is exhausting and I'd rather update some things on my b ...more
2/13/18: Yes, I re-read this...already... it's that good.
Original review:
“It’s not for us to find people. Or to make them pay. You take revenge, all you do is throw away your soul. Sometimes things happen that you can’t control. Sometimes we lose things we can’t get back. And there are some things we just can’t ever know.” (pg. 504).
OH, MY HEART. What just happened??? What just enthralled me and sucked me in for THREE WHOLE DAYS?????? I laughed. I cried. I was captivated. It has been forever s ...more
Original review:
“It’s not for us to find people. Or to make them pay. You take revenge, all you do is throw away your soul. Sometimes things happen that you can’t control. Sometimes we lose things we can’t get back. And there are some things we just can’t ever know.” (pg. 504).
OH, MY HEART. What just happened??? What just enthralled me and sucked me in for THREE WHOLE DAYS?????? I laughed. I cried. I was captivated. It has been forever s ...more
Oct 30, 2015
Megan • Reading Books Like a Boss (book blog)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
2016-releases
It’s weird. I’m writing this to you, and you haven’t walked into my life yet. But I guess you already know when you first saw me.
It’s like a wood in ancient Greece, a leafy glade. I’m here, and the voice is here—the echo—and we’re just waiting for you, for the real action to start.
Which is soon.
Things are going to go fast from here.
Are you ready?
Whisper to Me is one of those special books that will stay with you long after you put it down. Nick Lake paints a vivid picture of ...more
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and NetGalley.)
This was a YA story about a girl who heard a voice that wasn’t really there.
Cass was a bit of a messed up character, she listened to this horrible voice telling her what to do and how to act, and she followed exactly what it told her to do. The voice drove me nuts, and it would have b ...more
“When you get home, you will slap yourself. Hard. Twice.”
This was a YA story about a girl who heard a voice that wasn’t really there.
Cass was a bit of a messed up character, she listened to this horrible voice telling her what to do and how to act, and she followed exactly what it told her to do. The voice drove me nuts, and it would have b ...more
I was a bit hesitant to read this in the beginning, worried that the entire book would be written in letter format. I thought it would severely hinder my enjoyment as in my personal experience, books written in that format fail to deliver on the emotional aspects. I am so glad this was not the case here.
I could immediately connect with Cassie & how the trauma of her mother's death is affecting her daily life. She soon begins to hear a voice- someone who wants to punish her, wants to hurt her. I ...more
I could immediately connect with Cassie & how the trauma of her mother's death is affecting her daily life. She soon begins to hear a voice- someone who wants to punish her, wants to hurt her. I ...more
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I thought that this book was very well done. I have had this book in my review pile for years now but for some reason never picked it up. I decided to finally give it a try and went into the story rather blindly since the only thing that I remembered about the book was that it was a YA story. It turns out that this is a story about dealing with mental illness, grief, romance, and even a bit of a mystery. I am glad that I finally read ...more
I thought that this book was very well done. I have had this book in my review pile for years now but for some reason never picked it up. I decided to finally give it a try and went into the story rather blindly since the only thing that I remembered about the book was that it was a YA story. It turns out that this is a story about dealing with mental illness, grief, romance, and even a bit of a mystery. I am glad that I finally read ...more
Whisper to Me is a beautiful and heart-wrenching story. I was completely consumed from the very first page. Okay, that's a lie. I was hooked from the blurb.
The idea that we are reading an apology and explanation letter to someone really puts you, the reader, into the story. You feel as though you are the person being addressed. You gain a different perspective of things. You're not being told a story, you are living it.
Cassie's voice is an important one. One that we need more of in YA, and lit ...more
The idea that we are reading an apology and explanation letter to someone really puts you, the reader, into the story. You feel as though you are the person being addressed. You gain a different perspective of things. You're not being told a story, you are living it.
Cassie's voice is an important one. One that we need more of in YA, and lit ...more
4.5 stars
I have two things to say about this book:
A) It is the most brilliant portrayal of mental illness and its effect on relationships, particularly familial and romantic ones, that I have ever read. It gutted me in a beautiful way and I think it will stay with me for a long time.
B) It is way too long for a contemporary (I mean, 550+ pages is a lot)… but that’s my only complaint.
This was such a beautifully thought-provoking and insightful book about mental illness. Move over Jennifer Niven ...more
I have two things to say about this book:
A) It is the most brilliant portrayal of mental illness and its effect on relationships, particularly familial and romantic ones, that I have ever read. It gutted me in a beautiful way and I think it will stay with me for a long time.
B) It is way too long for a contemporary (I mean, 550+ pages is a lot)… but that’s my only complaint.
This was such a beautifully thought-provoking and insightful book about mental illness. Move over Jennifer Niven ...more
4 stars
“Think of this as the most screwed-up love letter ever.”
This book has been staring at me from my bookshelf begging me to read it. I got it several months ago and just barely started it a few days ago. It was my goal to read this book because I was interested in the plot.
So Whisper to Me. It's a complex book dealing with family relations, friendship, love and mental illness. Cassie, our protagonist, is writing a long, long letter to a boy explaining why she did what she did and why she bro ...more
“Think of this as the most screwed-up love letter ever.”
This book has been staring at me from my bookshelf begging me to read it. I got it several months ago and just barely started it a few days ago. It was my goal to read this book because I was interested in the plot.
So Whisper to Me. It's a complex book dealing with family relations, friendship, love and mental illness. Cassie, our protagonist, is writing a long, long letter to a boy explaining why she did what she did and why she bro ...more
Nick Lake's teen novels can be long and involved, and Whisper to Me is a prime example, clocking in at five hundred thirty-five pages. But when he's on his game, crafting majestic sentences that transport readers to places outside their own experience, his books could be even longer and I wouldn't mind. Whisper to Me takes the form of a letter written by the main character, Cassie, to the boy she fell in love with last summer, the boy she ultimately betrayed despite the fact that hurting him wa
...more
I knew this was a mental health book going in, but that’s about it. I had no expectations going into this at all. Unfortunately, this just isn’t a very good book at all.
This is a book told as an email a teen girl is sending to a boy to tell him why she did some mysterious thing (kinda gimmicky imo, since this really is told like a normal book for the most part). The book follows Cassie as she copes with beginning to hear a voice telling her to do things.
As a mental health book, it’s pretty meh ...more
This is a book told as an email a teen girl is sending to a boy to tell him why she did some mysterious thing (kinda gimmicky imo, since this really is told like a normal book for the most part). The book follows Cassie as she copes with beginning to hear a voice telling her to do things.
As a mental health book, it’s pretty meh ...more
Disclosure: I received a copy from the author/publisher, in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my review in any shape or form.
Whisper To Me is a book I want to hug and then shove in everyone’s face to read. It is exceptional, emotional, scary, heartbreaking and beautiful all in one.
Whisper To Me is an email written by Cass to the boy whose heart she’s broken. I haven’t really read many books with this approach and I have to say I really liked it. I really enjoyed the writin ...more
Whisper To Me is a book I want to hug and then shove in everyone’s face to read. It is exceptional, emotional, scary, heartbreaking and beautiful all in one.
Whisper To Me is an email written by Cass to the boy whose heart she’s broken. I haven’t really read many books with this approach and I have to say I really liked it. I really enjoyed the writin ...more
Don't let the cover fool you. This isn't some cute, fluffy, swoony read.
Quite frankly, this book is dark, and doesn't hold back in its themes of mental illness and trauma. I liked that--it didn't romanticise mental illness, as it showed how it actually damaged the main character Cassie's relationships with her dad, her friends, and the boy she meets that she addresses as 'you', as well as the fact that her illness is addressed by professional medical help and opinions. But that doesn't mean this ...more
Quite frankly, this book is dark, and doesn't hold back in its themes of mental illness and trauma. I liked that--it didn't romanticise mental illness, as it showed how it actually damaged the main character Cassie's relationships with her dad, her friends, and the boy she meets that she addresses as 'you', as well as the fact that her illness is addressed by professional medical help and opinions. But that doesn't mean this ...more
May 07, 2016
PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Grade: B+
One Word: Gripping
Cass tries to hide the voice she hears in her head. She doesn't tell the guy with whom she falls in love and breaks his heart. In one last effort to make him understand, she writes an email explanation, the entire story of WHISPER TO ME.
In writing to the young man, known only as You, Cass shows her complex character. After losing her mother violently three years earlier, her father, a vet suffering from untreated PTSD becomes emotionally abusive and controlling. She be ...more
One Word: Gripping
Cass tries to hide the voice she hears in her head. She doesn't tell the guy with whom she falls in love and breaks his heart. In one last effort to make him understand, she writes an email explanation, the entire story of WHISPER TO ME.
In writing to the young man, known only as You, Cass shows her complex character. After losing her mother violently three years earlier, her father, a vet suffering from untreated PTSD becomes emotionally abusive and controlling. She be ...more
Review up on blog: https://pagesreviewed.wordpress.com/2...
This book is ah-mazing. If you are not a fan of gooey contemporaties, then today is your lucky, lucky day! This book has all the fells, and is pretty much one of the best ental health YA books I've read in a while. It's quirky, reaslitic, and doesn't make you feel like you eaten some really bad cotton candy. Cassie sees like a normall teenager who's stuck in a bad situation. The title is a bit misleading, so let me clarify. No, this is n ...more
This book is ah-mazing. If you are not a fan of gooey contemporaties, then today is your lucky, lucky day! This book has all the fells, and is pretty much one of the best ental health YA books I've read in a while. It's quirky, reaslitic, and doesn't make you feel like you eaten some really bad cotton candy. Cassie sees like a normall teenager who's stuck in a bad situation. The title is a bit misleading, so let me clarify. No, this is n ...more
When I picked up this ARC at work, I figured it was just going to be another typical YA romance. Oooh, boy, was I wrong. This was wonderful! First love, screwing up, and forgiveness aren't exactly new fodder for YA, but the apology letter format and the inclusion of so many different factors (crime, PTSD, mental illness) make for a truly unique and heartwrenching story. As soon as I finished I immediately wanted to read it again. Everyone should go read it and then come talk to me about it.
...more
...more
This book was good, but not mind blowing. When I began this book, I imagined it going a million different amazing directions. The book, however, didn’t follow any of those directions leading it to be surprising. The bad kind of surprising. I felt like the book dedicated well over 300 pages to random tangents that weren’t followed and had four plots running at the same time that made no sense together. Many loose ends were left and it was overall just missing something. The story itself was inter
...more
There are books that are so profound to leave a mark on you after you read them, and for me, this is one of those books.
The format in this book is fascinating and, for me, it worked. It is a long form email addressed to one of the characters in the book. The lack of chapter breaks both made perfect sense and pushed the story forward. The narrators voice was engaging, conversational, and raw. This book is part of the sub genre of YA books that tackle teens dealing with mental illness. I appreciate, deep down in my heart, the work those books and those authors are doing. Your heart will break for Cassie as she tell ...more
Review will come some time this week
I tend not to write reviews on books I’ve read purely because I find it difficult to get my thoughts down on the page easily! But I knew I needed to write something on this book because for me it was amazing. It covers a subject I’ve never read about it before and never come to terms with all that much either. The main focus of the book is about a girl called Casandra who begins to hear a voice in her head but what I found interesting was how she said it felt like it was any normal voice. I didn
...more
'your movements fit with the world, you interlock elegantly with it'. It's safe to say that Cassie does not.
This was a 500+ page love letter (little too long? can't decide) which took me so completely by surprise. It was heartbreakingly captivating. And YES I wanted more of the little romance throughout, it was quirky and sweet!
5 stars for the writing and cuz it affected me so deeply, couldn't put it down. Loved it!
P.s What is your name sweet boy? Dying to know! ...more
This was a 500+ page love letter (little too long? can't decide) which took me so completely by surprise. It was heartbreakingly captivating. And YES I wanted more of the little romance throughout, it was quirky and sweet!
5 stars for the writing and cuz it affected me so deeply, couldn't put it down. Loved it!
P.s What is your name sweet boy? Dying to know! ...more
Nov 08, 2015
Jamie (Books and Ladders)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
need-now,
cover-love,
contemporary,
young-adult,
2016-release,
may-2016,
bloomsbury,
quietya
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This was an emotional read for me. I always have a hard time reading about mental illness and characters with mental illness. I think Lake did this justice and really just created a wonderful portrayal of everything that goes along with dealing with a mental illness: the wanting to get better, the not doing everything you're supposed to, the lies you tell because you're a little ashamed. I think it was all done wonde ...more
This was an emotional read for me. I always have a hard time reading about mental illness and characters with mental illness. I think Lake did this justice and really just created a wonderful portrayal of everything that goes along with dealing with a mental illness: the wanting to get better, the not doing everything you're supposed to, the lies you tell because you're a little ashamed. I think it was all done wonde ...more
See that gif? Yea, that big one of the clapping hands? That just about sums up every single thing I could possibly say about this book. But, because I'm not awful - even though I want to be - stay tuned for an actual review after some serious fangirling.
BEAUTIFUL. GORGEOUS. ALLURING. DAZZLING. FASCINATING. MARVELOUS. SPLENDID. STUNNING. SUPERB. WONDERFUL. ENTICING. ELEGANT. RADIANT. REFINED. SUBLIME. MAGNIFICENT. DELIGHTFUL. BEWITCHING. TA DA! Whisper to Me has given me all the feels and I don't ...more
DNF at page 63.
I'VE started DNFing books this year and it's been the most refreshing thing. I just wasn't grabbed by this one within the first 50 or so pages so I decided I didn't want to spend my time reading it. It's a bit of a shame because I know this has a character with (correct me if I'm wrong) schizophrenia in it and that would've been great to read about as it isn't a Mental Illness I've seen represented very often in YA.
But yeah like I said it just wasn't grabbing me. The 'letter writ ...more
I'VE started DNFing books this year and it's been the most refreshing thing. I just wasn't grabbed by this one within the first 50 or so pages so I decided I didn't want to spend my time reading it. It's a bit of a shame because I know this has a character with (correct me if I'm wrong) schizophrenia in it and that would've been great to read about as it isn't a Mental Illness I've seen represented very often in YA.
But yeah like I said it just wasn't grabbing me. The 'letter writ ...more
A bookstore by my best friend Brian's school gives ARCs away when you buy books from them which I think like one of the best ideas I've ever heard in my entire life? But Brian brought this one over for me, and even though I usually have to own a book for about a year before I even think about reading it (lol), I was really drawn to this story - a girl who is writing a letter to a boy, an apology love letter, for we don't know what! But it sounds like something serious! So I started it about 2 da
...more
UGH THAT WAS SO FRIGGIN BEAUTIFUL UGHHHHHH
*Mini-review coming soon*
*Mini-review coming soon*
I wasn't expecting to like this book honestly.
I feel a lot of mental-health featuring books can feel contrived in the YA genre and often times cliche, but I really wanted a book that represented the psychosis community.
AND wow.
Maybe the author didn't fully understand what people like Cassie go through but I think as well as he could, he represented the community perfectly. Creepy yet beautiful and haunting. I love Cassie's story and this unique plot with it's refreshing characters!
The only t ...more
I feel a lot of mental-health featuring books can feel contrived in the YA genre and often times cliche, but I really wanted a book that represented the psychosis community.
AND wow.
Maybe the author didn't fully understand what people like Cassie go through but I think as well as he could, he represented the community perfectly. Creepy yet beautiful and haunting. I love Cassie's story and this unique plot with it's refreshing characters!
The only t ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA fiction about girl who develops Schizophrenia (or something that makes her hear voices) and the voices force her to do things. [s] | 3 | 17 | Jan 11, 2022 01:09AM | |
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Romance Thriller. Girl falls in love with boy renting garage. She finds severed foot and then has a voice in her head. Book is written like girl is sending email to boy. [s] | 3 | 10 | Jun 18, 2021 09:20AM | |
| 2022 SQHS Your Li...: Whisper To Me by Nick Lake. | 6 | 8 | Jan 30, 2020 12:25PM | |
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA/Young Adult - Contemporary Romance, Mental Illness, Family Dynamics. [s] | 3 | 27 | Jan 21, 2020 08:20PM | |
| YA Buddy Readers'...: Whisper to Me by Nick Lake - Starting May 3rd 2016 | 11 | 10 | May 04, 2016 06:26AM |
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My name is Nick and I write and edit books for young adults. My first YA novel IN DARKNESS, was published by Bloomsbury in 2012 and won the Michael L Printz Award for Excellence in YA Literature. I also wrote a book called HOSTAGE THREE about a girl kidnapped by Somali pirates.
THERE WILL BE LIES is coming in January 15 and is about a girl who learns that everything she knows is a lie. To say it's ...more
THERE WILL BE LIES is coming in January 15 and is about a girl who learns that everything she knows is a lie. To say it's ...more
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“Think of this as the most screwed-up love letter ever.”
—
6 likes
“I have learned that some people come into our lives, and then are gone. And that part of the thing, part of life, is to accept that fact, to accept that they're gone. But there's something else too: and that's realizing that a part of them will never be gone. We think of lives as stopping, suddenly. But they don't. They are like waves, like ripples, like echoes that continue to resonate from their point of origin, out into the world...And, of course...I can just remember those voices, and that keeps them with me. Remember their lives. Remember their words...But there are also, of course, people you don't have to just remember, because they're still around. And I guess that's the other thing I have learned. There are people who come into our lives, and then are gone. But there are also people who come into our lives and who we need to hang on to.”
—
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