Search This Blog

2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

2024 Challenge Sign-Up Post

January Reviews Link-Up

February Reviews Link-Up

March Reviews Link-Up

April Reviews Link-Up

May Reviews Link-Up

June Reviews Link-Up

July Reviews Link-Up

August Reviews Link-Up

September Reviews Link-Up

October Reviews Link-Up

November Reviews Link-Up

December Reviews Link-Up

My Progress:


9 / 30 books. 30% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia (1)
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*

International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Netherlands (1)

My Progress:


12 / 51 states. 24% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 50 words. 20% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


15 / 50 books. 30% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


32 / 50 books. 64% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


27 / 52 books. 52% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


21 / 40 books. 53% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


13 / 40 books. 33% done!

2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


5 / 25 books. 20% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


17 / 26.2 miles. 65% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


15 / 100 books. 15% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 104 books. 33% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


31 / 52 books. 60% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

My Progress


32 / 165 books. 19% done!
Monday, January 14, 2013

Speechless Could Have Said It Better

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Secrets are not safe with 16-year-old Chelsea Knot.  Everyone knows that.  The juicier the gossip, the more likely she is to spread it.  That's just what it takes to guarantee her place at the top of her high school's food chain.  So, when Chelsea learns a classmate's shocking secret, there's no way she's going to keep it to herself.  But sharing her discovery has terrible consequences.  A boy is beaten almost to death.  When Chelsea identifies his attackers for the police, she's labeled a traitor.  Shunned by the A-listers who used to be her friend, Chelsea finds herself in a place she's never been: the bottom.    

Unwilling to let her big mouth hurt anyone else, Chelsea takes a vow of silence.  Not everyone gets what she's doing, but she sticks with her plan, refusing to utter a word, even when she's ridiculed and bullied.  It's not easy, not at all.  And, yet, it's in the quiet that she learns to hear herself, to know herself, to forgive herself.  But will others do the same?  Or is Chelsea doomed to spend the rest of her high school career as the worst kind of social outcast?

As you can imagine, it's a little hard to feel sorry for the heroine of Speechless, a debut YA novel by Hannah Harrington.  It doesn't help that Chelsea's pretty self-centered, even as she's being "humbled" by her classmates.  Somehow, she just never got roughed up enough for me to sympathize with her.  She's funny, though, and her voice feels authentic.  So, there's that.  And the writing's better-than-average for a teen novel.  There's that, too.  Plot-wise, though, the story suffers because, really, there is no plot.  Chelsea has no clear goal except (it seems) to draw attention to herself, which doesn't do much for her likability.  Overall, I think the novel makes a good point, it just does it in kind of a heavy-handed way and through a heroine who's not all that convincing.  

(Readalikes:  The story reminds me of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson)

Grade:  C

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language, sexual content and depictions of underage drinking/partying

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of Speechless from the generous folks at Harlequin Teen via Edelweiss.  Thank you! 

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner (Or, Let's Try This Again)

I hate to do this to Jenny, but I've tried and tried to contact her and I just can't find her.  Pooh!  So, I'm going to draw another winner for the I Believe in Jesus Too giveaway.  The new winner is:

Heather 

Congratulations!  Please send me your mailing address (blogginboutbooksATgmailDOTcom) and I'll forward it on to Mark S. Nielsen so he can get your book in the mail.

If you didn't win this time, never fear.  I have lots more giveaways planned for this year.  You'll definitely want to stay tuned!


Blog Widget by LinkWithin


Reading

<i>Reading</i>
End of Story by A.J. Finn

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows



Followin' with Bloglovin'

Follow

Followin' with Feedly

follow us in feedly



Grab my Button!


Blog Design by:


Blog Archive



2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Susan has read 0 books toward her goal of 200 books.
hide

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction