By: Hannah Harrington
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Genre/Age: YA Contemporary
Pages: 288
Source: ARC from Around the World ARC Tours &
NetGalley
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 absolutely adored Hannah Harrington’s debut
novel, Saving June, and I was so
excited to read Speechless. And while
I don’t think that Speechless had
quite as much magic for me as Saving June
did, I still loved it and can highly recommend it.
At times, Speechless
was incredibly difficult for me to read. The incident at the beginning that
sets everything in motion was real and painful and I actually had to put the
book down for a while and walk away. Which, even though it made me vaguely
nauseous, is a great thing, because I love it when a book can affect me on that
level.
On a related note, I really disliked Chelsea at
the beginning and honestly doubted whether or not I would ever be able connect
with her and root for her. This is usually a deal-breaker for me, because if I
can’t connect to the main character it’s not likely that I’ll be able to enjoy
their story. But Chelsea’s development throughout the novel was really well
done, and Hannah Harrington did a great job at making it feel gradual and realistic.
The Chelsea at the end of the book is still recognizable as the girl from the
start; she still has flaws and issues to work out, but she does a lot of
growing in between. I do have to admit though, I definitely liked her better
when she wasn’t speaking.
However, I did love all the supporting characters
in a way that I never really loved Chelsea, and they really made the novel for
me. They’re all incredibly well-developed, and they managed to worm their way
into my heart even with the minimal amount of page time they got.
Overall, Speechless
is an engrossing and wonderfully written novel about one girl’s path to
realizing what is really important in life. It will make you cringe, it will
make you laugh, and it will make you think. I devoured it all in one sitting
and I can’t wait for Hannah Harrington’s next book!
