MINI-REVIEW: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Name: Speechless

Author: Hannah Harrington

Publisher: Mira Ink

Date published: February 2013

Pages: 263, Paperback ARC

Source: For review (from publisher)

Rating: 4.5 teacups

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.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

My Thoughts

It didn't take me long to request a copy of Speechless.  The fact that it was authored by Hannah Harrington, the oh-so-amazing-creator of Saving June, was enough to make me want to read it straight away.

When I first met Chelsea Knot, I knew she wasn't someone I'd want to be friends with in real life. She was gossipy and shallow and I wondered how I would ever come to warm to her.  However, by the end of the book, I really empathised her and felt truly protective of her.  Character development is such a key element in Speechless and is what made the book such a touching read for me.

The secondary characters also deserve a mention for adding their own quirkiness and warmth.  Asha was such a wonderful friend, soft-spoken and kind-hearted, and Sam was definitely a swoon-worthy love interest.  All of them were such unique figures with huge individuality.

Hannah Harrington has definitely not lost her touch for addressing deeper issues with such sensitivity and Speechless proved to be another heartbreaking, thought-provoking read with an important message which rings true for all its readers.  My words cannot do this book justice, so I'd like to finish with a quote from one of the characters that nicely sums everything up:

“Hate is... It's too easy. Love. Love takes courage.”

 4.5 Teacups for Speechless!

*Many thanks to Mira Ink for the review copy and apologies for the late review*

Happy reading,

Beverley

REVIEW: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Name: Saving June

Author: Hannah Harrington

Publisher: Mira Ink

Release date: June 1st 2012

Pages: 336 

Source:  For review from publisher (via Net Galley)

Rating: 5 stars

Your sister is dead. Nineteen songs can tell you why. Only one boy can help you understand.
Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated. So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going-California.
Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession...and an unknown connection to June. When he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs. Except...Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down again.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Beverley's Review

Saving June is an achingly beautiful novel of a girl desperate to piece together the broken fragments of her life.  Her sister's sudden suicide leaves her with an endless list of unanswered questions: Did she really know June?  Could she have stopped it?

The questions and grief and not knowing what to do next lead her to Jake, a mysterious boy whose nature of connection with June is unknown.  With her best friend, Laney, they take off on a summer road-trip in a bid to scatter June's ashes in California, a place she dreamed of visiting before her death.

Saving June is definitely not a light-hearted read, it is heart-wrenching and tear-inducing.  It will take you on an emotional rollercoaster filled with love, loss, friendship and grief.  The best part of the book, for me, was the powerful emotions conveyed in each page.  Hannah Harrington writes sensitively yet realistically and deals with the topic of suicide wonderfully.  Her writing completely overwhelmed me and there were parts where I just felt choked; I was amazed by her ability to describe the pain and angst so vividly.

Therefore, sympathising with the characters wasn't difficult.  Harper is a likeable character with whom I empathised from the start.  I came to understand her grief and how hard life was for her and I wanted so desperately for her to find closure.  Thankfully, she had the most amazing best friend by her side.  Laney is one of those friends people spend their whole lives wishing for.  Her selfless, caring personality filled me with such admiration for her as a person.

The road trip had it highs and lows and they had some pretty crazy encounters.  What I loved was that Jake really grew on me as the journey progressed. Both Harper and I learnt more about him and I came to appreciate his honest, sensitive side.  Unfortunately he didn't make my list of potential book boyfriends but this is only because he's the sort of guy who would make a better friend, someone who will listen and lend you a shoulder to cry on.

Throw in loveable characters, witty narration, a wild road trip and buckets of emotion and you get Saving June.  It has all the elements of an enjoyable read, plus more.  Hannah Harrington has crafted such a heart-breakingly raw story out of something so devastating and life-shattering: a novel which has made my Favourite Contemporaries of the Year list.  Saving June will make you think and most importantly, help you realise that you shouldn't take your loved ones for granted.

5 teacups for Saving June!

*Thanks to Mira Ink for providing me with an e-copy via Netgalley*

REVIEW: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Name: Speechless

Author: Hannah Harrington

Publisher: Harlequin TEEN

Release Date: August 28th, 2012 (US)

Pages: 288, Paperback

Source: For review via Netgalley

Rating: 4.5 Teacups

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.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

You know a book is good when there are Reader's Guide Questions for Discussion in the back of the book.

Just kidding. But seriously, Speechless was breathtakingly beautiful and definitely a special contemporary that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. If you enjoyed Hannah's debut novel, Saving June, you will for sure like Speechless as much or even more. For me, Hannah's sophomore novel rendered ME speechless and craving for more. Much more.

From the beginning, Speechless captured me from the start. Although Chelsea's character was extremely shallow at first, I could tell right away that the vow of silence was going to change her. So, I went along with it, and before I knew it, her character and inner personality was changing. I couldn't help but admire her progress after awhile and after that, I thoroughly loved Chelsea. But Chelsea isn't the only character I enjoyed. I loved Sam, Asha, and the whole crew at Rosie's just as if they were MY family. Asha is so quirky and NICE, I wish there was an Asha in my life. And Sam, oh Sam. He is not necessarily swoon-worthy, but so dorky and adorable it hurts.

Along with the totally endearing characters, there is the imperative lessons that every reader can learn from Speechless. I always love a good contemporary where they deal with issues that teenagers (or, people in general) need to be more aware of. In Speechless, there is mental and physical harassment, sexual orientation harassment, and more. I really appreciated the way Hannah created the characters who had to deal with the situation. And most importantly, for Chelsea, for constructing a character who can stand and speak up for others, and herself.

And of course, I HAVE to talk about Hannah Harrington's writing. It is so unique and raw. It was stunning in Saving June, but Hannah KILLS it with Speechless. Seriously y'all. It's amazing. Not only was it awe-inspiring, it's also more sarcastic and funny. I have more than 15 parts highlighted in my Kindle. No joke. SO MANY AWESOME QUOTES.

So just in case you guys haven't noticed, I LOVED this book. If you're looking for a serious contemporary that deals with serious issues, but has that light-hearted romance, Speechless is the one for you. Heck, read it, even if you're not looking for anything specific like that. Just go read it. This is another great masterpiece from Hannah Harrington! 

4.5 stars for Speechless!

                 *Thanks to Harlequin TEEN for providing me an eARC to review*