Book Review: Speechless - Hannah Harrington

Title: Speechless

Author: Hannah Harrington

Release Date: August 28th 2012

Publisher: HarlequinTEEN

Pages: 288 (paperback)

Source: Edelweiss

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.

Speechless was one of the first titles I requested at Edelweiss so I was ecstatic when I got approved, but what I didn't know was that I should be more than ecstatic because I'd gotten access to an exceptionally gripping book.

Chelsea Knot had it all: popularity by association, loving parents, and a knack for gaining access to other people's juiciest secrets - secrets that she had  never been able to keep to herself for long. She was in it to keep her clique happy, until the night she discovered something, talked about it, and unintentionally caused her friends to almost kill someone. 

I've read lots of YA written in first-person, but I haven't connected with a character quite as much as I did with Chelsea. I'm no ex-popular girl, sure, but I shared her worries and understood her complaints. She felt real. (Actually, all of the characters did.) And despite who she had been, I really liked her. Although I thought the vow of silence was a show of weakness and cowardice, I loved how from there, she worked to pick herself up and become a better person, facing the consequences of her actions. I also liked that she didn't strive for revenge, but rather to do what she should've done a long time ago.

Before I talk about the romance, let me get to Sam. Freaking swoon-worthy Sam, the erotic cook. Chelsea's words, not mine. God. Can I have him? Sorry, I just had to get that out.

Okay, romance. Chelsea and Sam's relationship started the way it should - with doubts and apprehensions - and developed at the perfect pace, so when it finally happened, I was like "I will go down with this ship!". 

Aside from the brilliant plot and even more brilliant characters - I'm running out of positive adjectives here, can you tell? - what upped the quality of this book was the writing, which flowed smoothly and wrenched me in the gut at the perfect moments. Straight-forward and fearless, Speechless is one thought-provoking, unputdownable read that I will surely pick up again in the future.

MY FAVORITE PART was when Chelsea finally faced Kristen (whom I can't help but imagine as Kristin from ANTM's college edition, lol) again.

RATING:

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)