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Speechless

Hannah Harrington

Start date: September 1, 2012

Finish date: October 1, 2012

Discussion: Book Of The Month

Discussion leader: Zee

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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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Mar 04, 2013 Holly Letson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: yuri-yaoi, library-books

The magnificance of the cover is rivaled only by that of The Beatles' self-titled (White) album. So, sure this cover isn't amazing, and the one with the redhead all over the cover with duct-tape across her mouth is alot better-suiting for the story. But, don't you dare let that keep you from reading this wonderful book.
At first, I wanted to stop reading this book, after I read how Chelsea's so-called "friends" reacted to the outing of Noah Beckett as a homosexual. Yes, that's painful to read, The magnificance of the cover is rivaled only by that of The Beatles' self-titled (White) album. So, sure this cover isn't amazing, and the one with the redhead all over the cover with duct-tape across her mouth is alot better-suiting for the story. But, don't you dare let that keep you from reading this wonderful book.
At first, I wanted to stop reading this book, after I read how Chelsea's so-called "friends" reacted to the outing of Noah Beckett as a homosexual. Yes, that's painful to read, and that reaction bothered me. But, as my father said when I told him how I felt about that, that's how things are. Not everyone in this world is accepting of people of different sexualities as I am.
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Chelsea Knot is your classic popular girl. She lets the HBIC of the school, Kristin, dominate her life in almost every way imaginable. So, she ends up at Kristin's New Year's party, only because Kristin talked her into it. She gets drunk, and doesn't want to wait to go to the bathroom, so opts to go to the main room to use that one.
In that bedroom, she catches Noah and Andy making out. Chelsea had not realized Noah was gay, since he isn't someone that her popular crowd associates with. But, she feels the need to tell Kristin. She ends up outting Noah and Andy to everyone in Kristin's crowd.
So, a few male friends, Joey and Warren, go beat the hell out of Noah, assuming it will teach him a lesson. Like they think it will turn him heterosexual or something. Chelsea tells the cops exactly what they did. So, now, Noah is in the hospital. Joey and Warren might be going to jail. Kristin has disowned Chelsea as a friend. And, Joey and Warren's friend, Lowell, is out to make Chelsea wish she had never been born. All hell has definitely broken loose. And, Chelsea is not sure how to handle it.
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Chelsea sees a *National Geographic* article about a monk, and how he took a "vow of silence". She decides that is the perfect solution. But, instead of things getting better, they just get worse. The taunting and running her into the ground and public humilation all just continue on a larger scale, making Chelsea hate Kristin and everyone connected with her.
But, the great thing is that Chelsea meets Asha. And, even better, Sam. They turn out to be the best friends a girl could ever wish for, seeing her for who she truly is, instead of merely as an extension of Kristin. Asha accepts her, silence and all. Sam is there for her, like no guy has ever been before.
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Don't miss the wonderful turn-around that the end of this book has in store for you! ...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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