Stella Layne has always been known as the girl with The Voice.  Ever since kindergarten, the 15-year-old has stunned people with her singing.  For shy Stella, it's become a pathway to fitting in, finding her place.  Something she desperately needs now as she deals with both her parents' divorce and a move that lands her in a new high school.  But, just as she's using her talent to make herself known, a freak accident steals one of her most precious possessions—her hearing.  Without it, Stella can't hear herself speak, let alone sing.  The accident has not just robbed her of the starring role in the upcoming school musical, but also of her lifelong goal of singing on Broadway.


Destroyed by the demolition of all her dreams, the last thing Stella wants to hear is that everything is going to be okay.  And yet, that's exactly what Hayden Rivers is trying to tell her.  With his movie star looks, the 17-year-old would probably be the most popular guy in school if it weren't for his persistent stutter.  Stella doesn't care about that—she's been drawn to him ever since she first saw him.  So, when he challenges her to give him 17 days to show her all the things she can do without her hearing, she takes him up on it.

As Stella steps outside her own grief, she realizes that there's more to Hayden than she ever could have imagined.  And that there's no one with whom she'd rather spend her time.  With an operation that could restore Stella's hearing fast approaching, both teens worry that it will change them, change the relationship they've built ever since Stella's accident.  Will Hayden's attention wane if she no longer needs his pity?  Will Stella turn her back on the boy who stutters if her life goes returns to normal and she doesn't need him anymore?  Can the two damaged teens find their happily ever after?

Silence, a new contemporary YA novel from actress/singer/songwriter/lawyer Deborah Lytton, is a clean, compelling novel about one girl's journey to find herself when she thinks everything that defines her is lost forever.  A quick read, Silence was engrossing enough to keep me turning pages, if not racing through them.  That being said, there are some big things in this book that drove me batty.  Stella, for one.  Her obvious pain garnered my sympathy—for a time.  After awhile, though, her absorption with her own suffering bugged.  I liked Hayden, who spent all his time trying to help other people despite his own trials, much better.  Stella also seemed a little aimless since her only concrete goal—making it to Broadway—was so far-off.  Prose-wise, Silence got very tell-y (as opposed to, you know, show-y), which made it feel overwritten and melodramatic.  So, while I appreciated that it told a clean, inspirational story (which isn't easy to find in teen lit), Silence's irritating heroine and lackadaisical writing turned me off this one.  In the end, then, I found it to be just an average, okay read.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler and When the Black Girl Sings by Bil Wright)

Grade:


  

While Minerva's trying to decide what to do about her father's sudden, out-of-the-blue interest in her life, she's got other things to worry about.  There's her exhausting new job as a birthday party princess, the money she still needs for her precious uke, and the confusing gymnastics her heart performs every time she's near Hayes Martinelli.  As if that weren't enough to give her an ulcer, she also needs to find the courage to ask her mom for the truth about Keanu Choy.  But, does she really want to know?  Does she dare let the man who walked out on her over a decade ago back into her life?  When she woke up on her birthday morning, Minerva thought the only thing she needed to be happy was a ukulele; now she wonders about the things she's been missing all her life and if it's worth risking everything to get them.

For a YA novel that clocks in at under 230 pages, Get Happy by Mary Amato, is surprisingly difficult to summarize.  Why is that?  Probably because Minerva has no real story goal, so the plot feels unfocused, more episodic than purposeful.  Which isn't to say the novel isn't entertaining.  It is.  Get Happy brims over with warmth, heart and humor, making for a bright, fun tale—with substance.  Still, the novel's flimsy plot, coupled with its selfish, whiny heroine stopped me from loving this one. In the end, it was only an okay read for me.  I did appreciate the book's clean, hopeful tone—something that's rare in YA books—I just wish Get Happy had been a little better crafted.  Ah, well.

Note:  One of the fun things about Get Happy is that it includes lyrics for songs Minerva makes up throughout the book.  Amato, who not only sings and plays guitar and ukulele, but also writes songs, has paired the lyrics with chords so that you can actually play/sing Minerva's songs yourself.  You can find the music in the back of the book.  If you'd like to hear songs from both Get Happy and Guitar Notes performed, visit Amato's website at: www.thrumsociety.com .

Also:  If you want more opinions about Get Happy, follow along on its blog tour.  You can check out the tour page here.  Be sure to visit Unorthodox Mama, who is also reviewing the book today.)

(Readalikes: Um, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

***

Now, for the exciting part.  Egmont is providing one copy of Mary Amato's Get Happy for a giveaway here at BBB.  If you want a chance to win, please comment on this post and tell me what makes YOU happy.  Be sure and include a working email address so that I can contact you if you win.  Also, please note that the giveaway is only open to readers with a U.S. or Canadian mailing address.  I will choose a winner on Wednesday, November 11.  Good luck!