Publishing Date: August 28th, 2012
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 288 pgs
ISBN: 9780373210527
Source:Received from Harlequin Teen for review at Ontario Blog Squad Meetup
Summary from Goodreads:
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.
My Review:
I was excited when I got this book in my bag of goodies from the Ontario Blogger Meetup in Toronto. This book had been on my radar for a while and I couldn't believe my luck when I saw it. It took me a little time to pick it up because I was in a bit of a reading slump at the time. As soon as I was out of my reading slump I went promptly to my bookshelf and picked this book up.
To start with, let's discuss the cover. When I first saw it I thought that it was just for the ARC but I have seen the finished copy and it is exactly like the cover shown. It is plain white with the title embossed on the front. It is shiny and beautiful and while it may not be the first book that catches your eye, it is pefect for the plot of this book.
The book is about a young girl, Chelsea who, through gossip, indirectly causes harm to someone. After it happens she decides to try to set things right and as a result she is ostracized by her friends and her peers at school. She then decides to take a vow of silence to try to right her wrongs.
I quite liked Chelsea as a character. She, not unlike me, has a big mouth that can get her into trouble. I can definitely relate to saying the wrong things at the wrong time. I have often had to say to people that things sounded better in my head. I liked her because she was a flawed character. I also liked that the author introduced people who would be upset with Chelsea, not just her superficial former friends.
Harrington writes beautifully and I remember thinking the same thing when I read her other novel Saving June. Her writing just flows and it keeps you interested. You can't help but fly through her novels, eating them up like chocolate cake.
This book also invokes a lot of emotions and I found myself crying during some of it. This is not really something that is difficult to do though; I admit to being a bit of a cry baby. Overall, I quite enjoyed this novel and I would definitely recommend it.
I actually didn't like Chelsea much at all because, even though she was trying to make up for what she did, she was pretty me me me me about it. You know what I mean? Self-centered heroines drive me crazy. Harrington's writing is compulsively readable, though, and I ended up liking the book more than I thought I would.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review! It's always interesting to read other people's views on books I've read, too :)