Monday, October 22, 2012

Review: Speechless


 Title: Speechless
Author: Hannah Harrington
Publication Date: August 28th, 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
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.
Fact #1: Clichés in YA are annoying to read about.

Fact #2: Hannah Harrington is an amazing author and can make the most overused clichés work.

Speechless is a unique blend of commonly-used themes, such as high school and bullying, and a very refreshing, new idea: a vow of silence.

The high school environment in Speechless is a huge cliché: the popular kids rule and there's a gorgeous queen bee that can make your life miserable if she chooses. Seriously though, whose high school is actually like that?! I know mine's not. This is a cliché used time and time again in YA, and while I wasn't crazy about it in this book, Harrington still managed to win me over with her magnificent characters. 

Chelsea Knot starts off as the typical popular mean girl--the gossiper, the follower. In the beginning, she's the type of character you love to hate. However, as the novel progressed, I fell more and more in love with Chelsea's character. This girl is funny, sassy, and tough as nails. Yes, she made a bad decision, but she chose to do the right thing, despite what it would cost her, and in the face of all the bullying she endured, she kept her head high and she never let it break her. 

Despite the fact that she doesn't actually talk to anyone for most of the novel--vow of silence, remember?--I loved her voice. It's so distinct and utterly relatable and very realistic. Chelsea underwent so much character growth throughout the novel and I loved seeing the inner Chelsea overcome the years of social conforming she did to please her so-called best friend.

The side characters were also fantastic. Chelsea's new friends were super cool people that I wished I could meet in real life and while the romance was a bit slow, I liked the development between Chelsea and Sam.  
But guys. More importantly... HARPER AND JAKE MAKE A CAMEO APPEARANCE!! 
That one little excerpt literally made my day as I read this.  :D

My Rating: 4.5 stars*
This is a powerful and emotional book and even inspirational book, with interspersed moments of utter hilariousness and garnished with sparkling wit. Hannah Harrington had such a strong debut novel that I worried Speechless wouldn't be able to live up to, but she did it. She's crafted an another spectacular must-read novel that I can't wait to add to my shelf!

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review

8 comments:

  1. This is a great review. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Nice blog, and great review. Now following you on twitter and following your blog. I will post a link on my blog to yours!
    LadyBug
    http://english-written-portairt.blogspot.pt

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  3. Great review! I agree, not most high schools are like that, mine wasn't!

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  4. When I read your Fact #1 I was really worried that you didn't like it, then I continued reading! I can't wait to read this book and I'm not even big on contemporary books!

    Great revue!

    Amber Elise @ Du Livre

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  5. The setting was a bit cliche, true, but I think most of us have experienced being alienated from our peers/friends because we did something that they don't approve of.

    I also found Chelsea very relatable. She's a great character to read about. Great review!

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  6. This sounds so good; great review! :) I love the girl's eyes on the cover too!

    Alice @ Alice in Readerland

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  7. I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. So happy you loved it too! Hannah Harrington is AH-MAZING!!!

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  8. LOOOOOVEEED. THIS. REVIEW.

    Miss you girl. I haven't been on Blogger in forever. But anyhow, I've been wanting to read this book ever since I saw that it was coming out, and I think your review just pushed me over the edge. I definitely have to read this soon.

    So if a review for speechless shows up on Raindrop Reads (though perhaps not quite so eloquent as yours ;), then you know who my inspiration was. Ha!

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Thanks so much for commenting! I read every single one and they always make my day! <3

*Sorry, this is now an awards-free blog as I've already been nominated for them. Thanks for your consideration!

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