Speechless
Author: Hannah Harrington

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


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.


Can we talk about this cover first to get it out of the way?  I find it hard to believe that the cover department couldn't come up with something other than the boring cover of white that we got.  If I were to see this on a bookshelf at a store, I would pass it over without thinking twice.  Thank goodness I read the summary of this book beforehand and decided to give it a chance.  Truly a good example of not judging a book by its cover.

Moving on from the cover fiasco.  I was actually surprised by this read.  I thought this was going to be a plot that would be juvenile and not my cup of tea.  What we get though is something so good and the writing that actually kept me interested and curious to know more.  The author does a wonderful job at scene set up.  While I admit that the first part of this book was slow and something I had to force myself to get through, by the middle of the book it started to take off.  I ended up enjoying the characters and the plot of the book. Yes there is some angst.  Yes there is a boy involved. Yes there is teen drama and gossip.  The end result though was self discovery, consequences to actions, and characters that fit the story.

I really ended up enjoying this book and I can say that it was much better than expected.  Would I read the story again in the future? Maybe.  It won't be one I will be dying to reread again anytime soon, but it is one I would recommend to read a first time.

Labels: 3 flames, Hannah Harrington, Young Adult