What I Didn't Say in The Indie Bookshelf

May 11, 2012 Leslie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, young-adult, romance

If you know me on GR, you know I usually don't read YA books. Not because they're necessarily unenjoyable or not well written, simply because I can't always relate to the high school drama and immaturity. That being said, this story received great reviews and ratings so I decided, (in my constant search for something "different"), to take the plunge. I am very grateful I did.

Jake Hayes and his large family live on a small island off the coast of Washington state. The community is tight-knit and If you know me on GR, you know I usually don't read YA books. Not because they're necessarily unenjoyable or not well written, simply because I can't always relate to the high school drama and immaturity. That being said, this story received great reviews and ratings so I decided, (in my constant search for something "different"), to take the plunge. I am very grateful I did.

Jake Hayes and his large family live on a small island off the coast of Washington state. The community is tight-knit and no one does anything without EVERYONE knowing. Samantha, "Sam" is the new girl at school and catches Jake's eye right off the bat. She's smart, she's beautiful and Jake doesn't know how and is too scared to tell her about the deep feelings he's beginning to develop for her. One night, after a party involving alcohol, Jake makes a horribile decision and gets into a truck driven by an equally drunk driver. That choice changes his life forever as the accident drives a t-post into his neck, ripping out his vocal chords. Weeks later and lucky to be alive, Jake reluctantly returns to school; without his voice and with the horrific scars on his neck, as a constant reminder. Jake thinks his life is over. His love for flying, playing sports and even going into the Airforce has been permanently ripped away. However, his love for Samantha remains, and to his surprise, he finds she can offer a talent he didn't know she possessed to help his disability.

Sam's living situation, however, is a different story. Her life has been going steadily downhill since her mother's illness. The weight on her shoulders and her commitment to keep her grades up, leaves devastating affects on her physical appearance. Soon everyone notices and unfortunately for Sam, things are going to get a whole lot worse. Suddenly, for Jake, his life changing accident dosen't seem so tragic.

This book seriously surprised me. I wasn't expecting so much poignancy and depth. My GR friend, Karla, said it perfectly when she responded to one of my status updates while reading this story by saying, "It kind of punches you in the gut, dosen't it?" Wow, does it ever. I'm actually thinking this book should be required reading for all high school students. It's witty, it's tragic, it's heart wrenching, and it's a.b.s.o.l.u.t.e.l.y. lovely! ...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Nance rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-2012, nance-rr-2012-challenge, romance, young-adult

Jake Hayes has been in love with Samantha Shay for like...forever! While at a high school party drinking beer, he finally decides to go tell her with two of his football buddies, Rain and Carter. Even though Carter has had a few beers himself, he decides to drive Jake, with Rain riding along for moral support. Not far from where the party is being held, the three become the victims of an accident, which ultimately has devastating results for Jake. Flashback...Jake has always wanted to be an airp Jake Hayes has been in love with Samantha Shay for like...forever! While at a high school party drinking beer, he finally decides to go tell her with two of his football buddies, Rain and Carter. Even though Carter has had a few beers himself, he decides to drive Jake, with Rain riding along for moral support. Not far from where the party is being held, the three become the victims of an accident, which ultimately has devastating results for Jake. Flashback...Jake has always wanted to be an airplane pilot - a dream that has been part of his life since he was little. So, with Jake in his senior year of high school, he decides that he wants to join the Air Force and fly planes. Back to present...unfortunately now, though, when he is injured in the accident, he may have to re-think his future. Just when Jake thinks that life has dealt him a trump card, in walks Samantha with her long hair flowing, bright eyes shining, and willingness to help him get on with his life, no matter how heartbreaking it is. Unbeknownst to Jake, however, is the fact that Sam is hiding something. A big something that could cause her to move away – never to see him again. Jake eventually finds out her secret and promises her that no one will ever find out the truth – no matter what the cost. As a result, the two conspire together to keep Sam’s secret so that she can graduate school from the island on which they live and not have to move away. This was a nice little high school romance with just the right amount of intimacy thrown in for the teenage reader. Both characters were likable with their hardworking and devoted antics. I totally congratulated Jake’s entire family’s support and honesty when it came to their seven kids. His parents were firm discipliners, but yet also encouraging and understanding when faced with teenage crises. The young adult reader, or even the adult reader for that matter, will find this novel enjoyable because of the reliable and trusting family and friend support system and young tender romance. A novel to entertain every reader who picks up this marvelous book! ...more

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May 20, 2012 Michelle [Helen Geek] rated it liked it

Shelves: tbr-kindle, ntm_authors_2012, 3-star, ya, arc-netgalley

3 Stars

“What I Didn’t Say”, at its’ base, is a book about the choices we make. How, life can change its’ trajectory in a mere instant. This storyline has been done so many times and in so many ways… As a writer, it must be very tough to put a unique spin on the “tried and true” so as not to appear worn out. Many have been able to do it very well. For me, this book didn’t quite hit the “better than average” mark. It had its’ moments, but not frequent enough, in my humble reader opinion. Another “ 3 Stars

“What I Didn’t Say”, at its’ base, is a book about the choices we make. How, life can change its’ trajectory in a mere instant. This storyline has been done so many times and in so many ways… As a writer, it must be very tough to put a unique spin on the “tried and true” so as not to appear worn out. Many have been able to do it very well. For me, this book didn’t quite hit the “better than average” mark. It had its’ moments, but not frequent enough, in my humble reader opinion. Another “tried and true” storyline component is the “year in the life”. This book plays this soundtrack too and for me, this too fell short. Put all together, and this book was no better than average.

The book blurb encapsulates this story very well. We have Jake. Jake isn’t a drinker but on a whim one night, to give himself some “liquid courage”, he drinks in excess with his friends. He is now prepared to tell the girl he has had his eyes on for a while he loves her. Flash to him and his two friends leaving a party to go tell Sam. Enter the fifth character in this scenario, a cell phone. While reaching for a cell that dropped on the floor of the truck, they run off the road. Jakes life is forever changed. He loses his voice box in a mutilating accident. I do like how the author has us thinking what this would be like. How Jake can’t even make the growling sounds. Absolutely no sound. He has no mechanism for sound. Think about it… He can’t make a sound when he laughs, he can’t indicate sounds of pleasure. He is forever a pantomime.

They were traveling to Sam. Now Sam doesn’t know this and this component plays a very small role in the book. So, Sam. She has an interesting story to tell and I appreciated her. She has it tough all on her own. She goes out of her way to help Jake adjust. We see their relationship grow through the little things; sitting next to each other in class, Sam helping Jake learn sign language, Jake helping keep Sam’s secrets, etc. Unfortunately the story begins to drag as we go to school and home with these two through their senior year. And, they had an uninteresting senior year. These two and their life situation was interesting, but was told in a few chapters. The remainder was just drawn out teen drama and not too interesting.

Okay, I know I’m not the target audience for this book, but I’m also not a novice at YA reading. And, if a YA book is told well with a unique storyline and character depth, it can more than hold its’ own with any genre, so, for me this one fell flat. I would recommend the reader read the blurb. If you find it interesting, then give it a shot. It will probably hold your interest and you will probably think it an average read. And, if you have nothing else, average isn’t too bad.

Happy Reading!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ARC provided by the author on Netgalley for an honest review on 06/03/2012. ...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Jennifer Garcia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc

My Blog

This book was absolutely wonderful! Amazing!

It seems that most of the books I've read lately are set in small towns, and I'm totally into that. I've always liked the idea of living in a small town, especially after reading this story.

Jake Hayes made a huge mistake in his senior year of school. He had big plans of joining the Air Force when he graduated but because of that mistake he would never be able to. The Air Force wasn't the only thing he lost with that mistake... he lost the abil ...more

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Jul 11, 2012 -Edamommie- rated it it was ok

I'm in the minority but I didn't care for this at all! So many things that didn't seem right. I never connected with Sam or Jake. Jake has an accident, life changing to say the least, however I feel like it took a backseat to Sam's issues. I felt more drawn to Rain and Jordan's relationship rather than the main characters. :) ...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Kimberly Russell rated it really liked it

Shelves: indie

The only thought I'm walking away with is - Powerful. Loved the author's note as well. I can't wait to read more from Keary Taylor. ...more

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Jul 11, 2012 -Edamommie- added it · review of another edition

something about this story is just ...not fitting.. the assembly for Jake and the not drinking pact, Im having a hard time believing this is the first "accident" related to drugs or alcohol. ;/ and Sam?...she's like the missing link..almost half way and still don't get her ...more

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