Review: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Name of book: Speechless
Author: Hannah Harrington
Publication: August 28th 2012 by HarlequinTeen
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...

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 ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

-- My Rating --

-- My Thoughts --

    I have heard so many good things about Hannah Harrington's "Saving June". When I got a copy of this book, I started building so many expectations that when they didn't all come true, I got depressed and disappointed. But overall, this was an insightful read.

     Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot cannot keep a secret. She has always been the gossip-girl, spreading gossip and secrets about everyone, without thinking about the consequences. When she discovers a new secret at a party, she immediately tells her friends. But what should have been just a little joke, turned into a disastrous fight that lead someone to the hospital.

     Chelsea decides to take a vow of silence. She needs to keep her mouth shut, so that nobody else will get hurt. Turns out, being mute has its advantages. Chelsea gets to make many new friends, build strong relationships, know her true self, and even fall in love. But a journey like Chelsea's is not so easy to start, to keep going, or to stop.

     What did Chelsea do that caused so much trouble? What will she learn from her vow of silence? Will she find her true self or stay speechless forever? Find out much more when you read Hannah Harrington's realistic, thought-provoking novel, Speechless...

    I liked this book VERY much. I was pretty confused while rating it between 3.5 stars or 4 stars. But I decided to go for 4 stars. I have to admit that I LOVED Hannah Harrington's style. I am such a sucker for simple and straight-forward writing. It was a beautiful style, a little amount of description, and a whole lot of feelings laid bare.

     The thing that I didn't like about this novel is some of the characters. Some were hallow, like a pieces of card box. I admit that I still don't like Chelsea very much. She was an arrogant and a little self-centered girl. But as the plot progressed, she began to grow on me. I began to respect her decisions and admire her strength to keep the vow of silence even when she get bullied, and assaulted. Overall, I think that I like her. The secondary characters were believable and relate-able, I loved them!

     This book addressed a very interesting subject and I got to see it from a very different perspective. The plot plays out very well and the story is deeply intriguing. Even though it lacked the "wow" factor, I still enjoyed Chelsea's journey. I will be going back to read Hannah Harrington's "Saving June" very soon! Speechless is recommended to every contemporary lover, old or young. Specially the ones who have been through a tough high school life, or the ones who are still going through it. You'll find out that YOU are not ALONE when you read this heart-wrenching journey, SPEECHLESS.