September 10, 2012

Review: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Speechless by Hannah Harrington
Paperback, 288 pages
Published August 28, 2012 by Harlequin Teen
Digital ARC courtesy of Netgalley

Goodreads | Amazon


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.

I was very apprehensive going into Speechless. I am not a fan of books that center around a mean girl, even if it boils down to her getting knocked off her pedestal. I can’t empathize with a character I don’t like, so I do my best to just avoid these stories. However, I loved Saving June, so I knew I had to give this one a shot.

Surprisingly, I didn’t want to bang my head against the nearest wall. In fact, I actually enjoyed it. I think this has a lot to do with the reason Chelsea fell from high school royalty. I was expecting it to be shallow, a character drowning in her own self-pity more than anything, but that wasn’t the case. There are serious issues dealt with here, and I liked that Harrington took it to that place.

Despite that fact, Speechless was still predictable. It follows the same path that those like it have, and there wasn’t a single thing that surprised me. That didn’t stop me from enjoying it, though.

I wish we had gotten to see more interaction with the person who was ultimately harmed by Chelsea’s actions. I understand that the book is about her personal growth and coming to terms with the things she has done, but I felt like he should have been a much bigger part of the story.

In Speechless, Chelsea Knot learns the power of words, and learns that sometimes you just have to do the right thing, regardless of the repercussion. Hannah Harrington’s writing is raw and addicting. I would recommend it.

4/5 Stars



12 comments:

  1. I'd seen this book around and was interested in seeing what people thought. I like that the book was about Chelsea's growth rather than, like you said, another book with a character you can't empathize with. Thanks for the review!

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  2. I enjoyed Speechless as much as you did. I like the whole aspect of taking a vow of silence. So people really need to practice not talking. LOL.

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  3. Love your review for this one. I think as readers, it's hard to be surprised nowadays because a lot of stuff has been written before. I am hoping to read this one soon. I like the simplicity of the cover and the synopsis had me very interested!

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  4. This book is already on my TBR list. It's refreshing to read about somebody taking responsibility for his/her actions, even if that somebody is hard to sympathize with.

    I agree with you in that, although Chelsea's personal growth is important, equal emphasis should have been given to the victim of her actions.

    Yes, keeping quiet while picked on is difficult but many victims of bullying most likely feel that's their best option. Bullying is not always necessarily physical. One's words, written, spoken,texted,tweeted...can have profound devastating consequences on both perpetrator and victim.

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  5. What a great review! This book sounds so good and its already on my TBR list.
    I think I'll be able to relate to this book because of the bullying I went through in my grade school/high school years.
    I'm definitely looking forward to reading this one.

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  6. I was interested in reading this book before. This review gave me a little more info on the book and I may just go and check it out. :)

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  7. I haven't read this yet but it sounds like a book I will enjoy reading.

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  8. THis is on my to read list! I got to be in a chat with her and she's so gracious. I don't know if I could be speechless!

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  9. I really want to read this book! It sounds so good(: Good job on the review.
    xo

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  10. i totally agree about not connecting with the mean girl. but i am going to read this book because it does sound like a good quick read. good review!!!

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  11. Saving June was one of my favorite reads last year and I've been anxious to get my hands on Speechless for a while now. I have seen a ton of good reviews for it so I can't wait for my copy to show up :)

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  12. I just bought this - can't wait to read it!

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