Speechless in E.Y.A.B.

Sep 14, 2012 Vanya D. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

NOTE: I received this book to review from Netgalley.

I'm glad to say that my expectations of this book were actually surpassed. To be honest, I had forgotten what the book was supposed to be about. And so I plunged in the story, expecting something paranormal. But it came out to be a contemporary YA! Which, by the way, I was totally in the mood for.

And so it goes. I loved this book. Perhaps the only things I didn't like about it, was the use of cuss words now and then. But, I guess I could overl NOTE: I received this book to review from Netgalley.

I'm glad to say that my expectations of this book were actually surpassed. To be honest, I had forgotten what the book was supposed to be about. And so I plunged in the story, expecting something paranormal. But it came out to be a contemporary YA! Which, by the way, I was totally in the mood for.

And so it goes. I loved this book. Perhaps the only things I didn't like about it, was the use of cuss words now and then. But, I guess I could overlook that, since the story was pretty good.

The storyline was unique - a teenage gossip girl, who messes up big time (no news there!)decides to take a vow of silence. I've never read such a story, so it totally grabbed me, and I read the book in just one standing. That's how amazingly good it was.

Also, this was one of the books that didn't 'kill' the parents, or have them be absent all the time. Chelsea's parents were actually there, and cared.

So, the characters:
*Chelsea - the girl with the big mouth - was the biggest gossip in the school. So much that she could never ever keep her mouth, eyes, ears and so on shut. Not for even a second. It's what got her in trouble in the first place. But I'm glad that all that stuff happened, because the little girl was sort of forced to grow up in a matter of days. Chelsea had to figure out her mistake, had to realize that her big mouth could (and has) ruin people's lives, and to decide not to use it for gossip anymore. That took courage, determination and bravery, and I can very well say that I came to admire the girl. There were times when the urge to forsake her vow were too great, but she held on, knowing that beeing speechless was sort of a blessing in her case. In other words, she developed. She grew and matured, and I loved how well she turned out.

*Kristen - the 'best' friend, who was actually nothing but a nasty mean girl. She was never a good friend, and she never had real friends. I sort of felt bad for her, because really - even though she was popular, she was actually pathetic. Plunging a knife in your supposed best friend's back is very nasty. I'm glad that Chelsea matured enough to realize that there was no use (need) to stab Kristen back.

*Sam was the sweetest guy. Suspicious at first, he had no clue what Chelsea could be up to with her vow. He didn't take her seriously, and why should he? Her reputation spoke for her. But the more time and interraction passed between them, the more he realized that the girl the whole school hated, wasn't really that bad. She had feelings, she had thoughts, dreams and desires. And she was a mess herself as well. I'm very glad that Sam was there for Chelsea when she needed him. He didn't push her to speak before she was ready. He was that sweet.

*I also liked Andy, who seemed like a pretty hard-core guy at first, but then his exterior shell sort of cracked and his true character shined. He was forgiving and sweet, and I had fun reading about him.

In conclusion I can only say: READ this book, people! You won't regret it!!! ...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Rachel "Rai29" rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

(Originally posted on http://rai29bookreadnreview.blogspot....)

ISBN: 9781921796579
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 268

Saying she’s sorry just isn’t enough . . .

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignor ...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Blue rated it it was amazing

This review was originally posted on my blog on 28th August, here

The Rumours Spread
There are some reviews where I sit with my fingers poised over the keyboard while my mind tries to think of the best way to articulate the thoughts and emotions that are swirling around in my head. Sometimes the words come easily and sometimes they take forever to form. In some reviews, however, I struggle so much with knowing what to write not because I don’t know how I feel about a book, but because I feel so st This review was originally posted on my blog on 28th August, here

The Rumours Spread
There are some reviews where I sit with my fingers poised over the keyboard while my mind tries to think of the best way to articulate the thoughts and emotions that are swirling around in my head. Sometimes the words come easily and sometimes they take forever to form. In some reviews, however, I struggle so much with knowing what to write not because I don’t know how I feel about a book, but because I feel so strongly about a book that I don’t want to ruin it’s perfect words with some scrubby ones. Speechless is a book that I know I am going to struggle to fully define well but the first thing I know without absolute certainty is that this book rendered me speechless.

The Action is Taken
Knowing where to begin with this review has been incredibly difficult; knowing how to describe this book has been even harder. The reason for this is that I was completely moved by this story. I could relate to it so much, and it simply is written so well, with such powerful marvellous words. The plot was easy to follow and although it did follow a general pattern of other books like it (I kept being reminded of Welcome Caller, This is Chloe-a book about speaking out in a different way), it still managed to keep it original and entertaining. Really, looking past the plot, it was the messages that this book carries with it that truly made it such a great read for me. Dealing with issues of bullying, friendships, morality, and learning to be who you are, not who you want to be, this book is simply inspirational.

Consequences Appear
What really brings this story alive are the characters. Just like in Saving June, the characters are strong, three-dimensional, and simply come bursting to the brim with depth. At first I really didn’t like Chelsea. In fact, I really, really, didn’t like her at the beginning and I had to grit my teeth as I read her words but then the story continued going and I very quickly found myself not just falling in love with her character but truly understanding her character. Chelsea goes through a very coming-of-age story and you can just see how her own actions are weighing her down. I loved her journey, it was inspiring. She was so lost after everything collapsed under her but instead of just rolling over, she picked herself up and did everything she could to make everything better. A brilliant, strong character who simply wasn’t aware of just how strong she was.

While I really should mention Sam next, I can’t ignore the fact that Asha is my second favourite character. She’s so lovely and friendly and just sees the good in everyone and all throughout the film I just wanted to pick her up and give her the biggest hug. I think the journey she travelled in this book is small in comparison to Chelsea but is still so great and amazing and I was so happy for her. I truly loved her and could actually see one of my friends in her and it made me want to tell that friend to never change. Moving onto Sam, I have to admit that I really, really, really liked this guy. He was sensitive and caring, yet he was protective and cautious all at the same time. He knows he doesn’t have all the answers, that things aren’t black and white but he’s willing to work on things. He’s admiring and brilliant and someone that I just loved reading about.

Scores are Settled
The ending of this novel was perfect. It was a brilliant balance of things being calm while there’s still things that could go rocky and unsure. It gives the reader a sense of hope, but also a sense of reality. Things in life are never clear cut. Things don’t just end happily and this book makes sure to know that while the future is unknown, at least, for now, things are as they should be. I loved the ending as much as I loved the rest of the book, it simply manages to tie everything together. They’re moving forward, working out the problems in the school, in their lives but they’re doing it together and praying for a better future than the past gave them. It is a brilliant message and one that really struck home for me.

Normality Resumes
All in all, this book is simply magnificent. It was read by me in a day – which never happens – as I was truly compelled to keep turning the page and refusing to do much of anything else. It has some deep, meaningful messages hidden within the pages and is a perfect vision of friendship and growing-up. It’s not easy, it is something we have to work at, but when we get it right, it’s the best feeling in the world. This book shows how we shouldn’t judge people on first sight, we don’t know what they’re like or what they’re dealing with and that sometimes even the meanest people in the world are actually soft and gooey in the centre. A brilliant, emotional, moving read that I would recommend to people in a heartbeat. ...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Pavan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley

Review posted on my blog: Keep it Fictional

*I was given this review copy from HarlequinTeen Aus on netgalley for an honest review.*

Speechless is the second book I have read by author Hannah Harrington and definitely lived up to the high expectations I had since Saving June was a high 4 star read for me. Speechless is an amazing, deep, emotional read of a book and I loved every minute of it! It met and surpassed the expectations that I had.

The cover I own has the image of a teenage girl with the Review posted on my blog: Keep it Fictional

*I was given this review copy from HarlequinTeen Aus on netgalley for an honest review.*

Speechless is the second book I have read by author Hannah Harrington and definitely lived up to the high expectations I had since Saving June was a high 4 star read for me. Speechless is an amazing, deep, emotional read of a book and I loved every minute of it! It met and surpassed the expectations that I had.

The cover I own has the image of a teenage girl with the tape across her mouth with the title “Speechless” written across it. I have to say the cover really did fit the plot of the book in a unique way, however I did feel that it was a little plain but still interesting enough that if I had never heard of it I would still pick it up to find out what it’s about.

I absolutely adore the plot as it really showed a real interpretation of teen life. Chelsea is in the popular crowd and would do anything to stay there, including tell her supposed best friend all the secrets that she finds out. Even the one where, at a party, she found two buys kissing, one of which was a peer at her school. That secret is out of her mouth and into the wild without any regard for the consequences-consequences which involves someone ending up in the hospital. Noting how she inevitable caused this, Chelsea enforces a self-imposed vow of silence. The plot isn’t the most elaborate but Hannah Harrington definitely has a way with words as you could feel the emotion just pouring off the page. Chelsea’s guilt, the beautiful relationship between Andy and Noah-one of their scenes made me tear up and the sweet romance between Sam and Chelsea. And who could forget the amazingness that is Asha, what a sweetheart!!

This novel had to deal with a lot of tough and common issues, one of which is bullying. I though the author handled this topic brilliantly. There was no sugar coating and I could easily picture some of these events happening in real high schools. As in the crude language the ‘popular’ individuals use against those who are deemed beneath them, the backstabbing of people who are supposed to be friends, and also how easy it is to want to stay at the top because you are afraid of what will happen to you if you don’t.

Chelsea, our leading lady was definitely unlikeable in the beginning-which was, I thought, exactly what the author intended. Why would we want to like someone who seems to have a stuck up personality who doesn’t care about the privacy of others? But that’s the beauty of this book; you really get to see amazing character growth. It really shows the strong will of Chelsea to go to the police after she finds out what her own actions have unintentionally caused. And I could not even last a day without talking so good on her for sticking to her guns! However even though it was the premise of the book, I found that a teenager would undertake a vow of silence is a bit unbelievable but it was easy to set that aside and enjoy the story. The more we go through the story the more I liked Chelsea. She blossomed into a new, kind character that even though she was getting picked on herself she would try and help others. I adored her friendship with Asha, it was really sweet!

Now to Sam, our love interest. And yes I say “our” because I love him as well. He is not the bad boy, he is not the jerk. Sam is the nice guy, the sweet and charming one who you can’t help but fall in love with. He is so far off the YA boys I have been reading lately it was like a breath of fresh air! Starting off as art partners which turned into wary friends, which blossomed into a sweet romance.

Now I have to say my favourite part of Speechless is with Andy and Noah. I won’t say because I’d rather you experience it yourself. But this scene was sweet and beautiful and I absolutely loved it.

Hannah Harrington has written a beautiful book which I really enjoyed; I hope to read more from her soon!’

5 out of 5 stars all the way!

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Aug 12, 2012 Rachael rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, chick-lit, 2012, netgalley, review-copy, arc, reviewed, 2012-favorites, ebooks-i-own

Rating: 4 / 5

If you want to see more of my reviews, check out my blog @ Moosubi Reviews!

Disclaimer: The fact that I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review has not affected my opinion. This review expresses my honest opinions.

As a reader, what do you look for in books? An escape from reality? Some action to entertain your weekend? A new swoon-worthy guy to crush on? I would say Speechless is more of a “feel-good” book – the characte ...more

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