What I Didn't Say in The Indie Bookshelf

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

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

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!

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

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Oct 08, 2012 Alexia Purdy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley-reads, so-can-t-wait-to-read, romance-but-looks-awesome, reviewed, contemporary-literature, indie-book-challenge, indie-book-challenge-2013

Wow, what an amazing story! I really enjoyed this one and I didn’t want it to be over, not one bit! I think a sequel would be perfect to follow the lives of Jake and Samantha. The writing is amazing, witty and fits the characters perfectly without the overly used clichés of teenage slang or lewd acts. This was extremely tasteful and the story was tightly woven.

Jake loses his voice after a drunken car accident with his friends leaves him injured and mute. He’s always had a crush on Samantha Shay, ...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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