Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Review: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Speechless
by Hannah Harrington

Publication Date: August 28th, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9780373210527

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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. (Goodreads)
Speechless by Hannah Harrington is a novel that will leave you, in a word, Speechless. This is the first novel that I have read by Hannah Harrington, and now I’m itching to get my hands on more. It definitely did not disappoint!

Chelsea Knot is one of the popular girls at school. Or, at least she’s friends with one of the most popular girls at school. Another thing about Chelsea, she cannot keep a secret. But when one of her secrets results in someone getting severely hurt, she decides to take a vow of silence to keep the same thing from happening to anyone else, ever again. With this silence, Chelsea discovers a new side of ‘friends’ that she knew before, of new people she’s met, and of herself.

Chelsea was such an interesting character. At first, I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to connect with her. She was the mean girl that I always avoid. But as we go through the book, it’s plain to see that she has a conscience, and that, deep down, she does care about people. The author did such a great job of conveying Chelsea’s emotions on the pages. I could feel her pain, her embarrassment, her loneliness. I envy her the journey that she travels with her vow of silence. It’s definitely a journey of self discovery, as we are shown throughout the book.

There were some really great secondary characters in this book, ones that you will really love; especially Sam and Asha, two new friends that Chelsea meets after taking her vow of silence.  I also really liked Chelsea’s father, he was such a great dad.  There are also characters that you are going to love to hate. Wow, these characters will get under your skin and make you crazy!

The storyline for the book is extremely engrossing.  It includes a lot of issues that teenagers face today, ranging from cliques to bullying and more.  I love books that deal with these subjects, because it’s good for teens to be able to relate; both as a bully, and as one that is bullied. All of the drama kept me flying through the pages, and I literally couldn’t put the book down.

Overall, this book was great. The storyline was addictive, and the characters were intriguing. It all wraps together for a novel that will leave you completely Speechless. If you haven’t already ordered a copy, you definitely should!

Happy Reading!

6 comments:

  1. Great review Christy. I really enjoyed Hannah's other story Saving June so I'm eager to read this one. Glad you enjoyed it.

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  2. Christy, you should read SAVING JUNE. It's also by Harrington and it absolutely blew me away, and stripped me raw! I've got to get on SPEECHLESS before my e-arc expires because I SO want to read it. I had that same fear about Chelsea, so I'm really glad to hear that you did like her!

    Molli | Once Upon a Prologue

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  3. I really liked it, but I loved Saving June more. I had a hrs time connecting with Charlotte, even thought The author did a great job capturing her!

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  4. Oh, cool! I can't wait to read this one because I know it's a story that my students will love and totally relate to. I just started at a new high school and am amazed at how many stereotypes continue to exist to this day and age.

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  5. Awesome review! I haven't read any of her books yet, but I'm definitely planning too. There are some positive reviews on the web and I'm becoming more interested in this book. I wasn't a fan of it first - I even thought about skipping it - but I'm starting to like the sound of it :)

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  6. I read and really enjoyed Saving June and based on this review I need to read Speechless. I am intrigued by anyone that would take a vow of silence, and even more impressed when they follow through. It sounds like a touching story with some great characters. Awesome review!

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