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.

Chelsea Knot is known as the school’s biggest gossip. Not only does she spread gossip like wildfire, but she does so vindictively to please her best friend, Kristen Courteau, their high school’s resident princess. During a New Year’s Eve party, Chelsea sees something she shouldn’t and quickly shares the news with Kristen and her boyfriend, Warren. But Warren and his basketball buddies react negatively to the gossip and, in sharing, Chelsea condemns another student to near-death. When Chelsea realizes the horrific effect her words have on people, she takes a vow of silence. Her old friends turn against her and finding new friends becomes nearly impossible when everyone hates or judges her. And now, Chelsea’s on the receiving end of Kristen’s bullying. This story is a lesson in learning just how hard doing the right thing can be.

Oh. My. God. Breathtaking. I’d heard great things about Speechless for awhile and I enjoyed Hannah Harrington’s debut novel, Saving June, so I knew it was only a matter of time until I picked up her second book. But despite all the positive reviews, I still wasn’t prepared to fall as in love with Speechless as I did. Believe me when I say all of the hype is 100% justified. Even those of you who don’t particularly enjoy contemporaries will love Speechless for it’s message and it’s strong characters. I’m a dialogue-lover; a bad book can keep my attention until the very end if the dialogue is witty and realistic, so I was a little skeptical about picking up a book where the main character takes a vow of silence, but Harrington pulls this off flawlessly. I didn’t mind Chelsea’s speechlessness at all. In fact, I was riveted by her inner thoughts and self-reflection. Chelsea undergoes such a remarkable transformation; she learns so much about herself, the people around her, and the way our actions and words affect those around us.

Every scene in Speechless is ridiculously emotionally potent. Harrington tackles tough, all-too-real topics. While in the middle of reading, I couldn’t help bringing Speechless into every day conversations. It breaks my heart that the events in this book actually take place in our world, though I know they do. But I commend Harrington for bringing attention to these topics and opening the floor for discussion. And I’m just so grateful to her for giving us Chelsea, a girl willing to stand up against what’s wrong and to make a change in her community. Chelsea is such an admirable character. I LOVE that she refuses to back down. My favorite moment of hers is when she confronts Lowell at the vending machine. I am so tired of passivity in books these days, and when Chelsea marched up to Lowell, I was rooting for her to punch him. Yeah, yeah, I know. Violence is never the answer. But some kids just really do need a good smack across the face. I definitely would’ve smacked him. But Chelsea displays remarkable control and maturity in her handling of the situation, and I was rooting for her the whole time. I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud of a YA heroine before, and that’s saying a lot, given my loyalty to Katniss, Caelina, Lena, and a host of others. Chelsea sticks up for herself and others with a poise I certainly didn’t possess in high school. She’s just fantastic.

In addition, stick any of my favorite characters in a new job at one of the cool town locals and you’ve already ensured my undying love. This has always been one of my favorite aspects of any Sarah Dessen novel: getting to know the new coworkers that become your family at job that becomes a second-home. And Chelsea’s job as a dishwasher/busser at Rosie’s is no different. Harrington gives us a phenomenal cast of characters with Asha, Sam, Andy, Dex, and Lou. Doesn’t seeing all their names together like that just bring a smile to your face? You know that’s going to be a fun group of people. And these are good people. Loyal friends, friends with convictions and opinions instead of cookie-cutter, formulaic characters. Every character in this book simply shines.

The amount of strength portrayed in this book is reason enough to pick it up. I was so thrilled that Chelsea had to strength to visit Noah and to seek closure with Kristen when everything was said and done. These are the scenes I often yearn for in YA novels, but never see. I think this book is so, so important for teens and adults alike to read. Plus, despite being unable to talk, Chelsea still manages a ton of sass and the romance Speechless is super sweet. It literally gave me butterflies. Speechless is a home-run and I can’t wait to see what Harrington comes up with next. Fans of Sarah Dessen and Kody Keplinger will be especially taken with this knock-out of a novel.

Pages: 288
Publication Date: August 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Edelweiss
Rating :

Teaser Quote: “Listening to Eminem makes me feel like a badass. Or at least as though I have the potential for badassery. I mean, the way he sings, it’s like he’d probably punch out a puppy if it looked at him wrong. Obviously I’m not glorifying animal cruelty here, I’m just saying, I could use some of that attitude. It’s better than the attitude I have now of just letting everyone mess with me all the time.“

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost may be a distant relative of Robert Frost, but she has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a mystery in her lap—one that might be the key to uncovering the truth behind a town tragedy, she decides to take a chance.

Golden is amazing. Lovers of contemporaries — and especially mysteries — will adore Golden and Jessi Kirby. She’s a great, fresh voice with tons of talent and beautiful stories. Golden follows Parker Frost, a senior in high school and hopeful Stanford attendee. She’s always followed the straight-and-narrow, until she finds a journal. Julianna Farnetti’s journal, to be exact. Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz were high school royalty ten years ago. They were the golden couple everyone looked up to. Unfortunately, they never received their happily ever after; the two died in a horrific car crash on a dangerously snowy night. Even though she thinks it’s wrong, Parker can’t resist cracking open the pages of Julianna’s private thoughts. Parker is shocked to learn just how many secrets Julianna kept, from Shane and from the world. The journal also raises a mystery surrounding the night Julianna died, a mystery Parker can’t ignore.

Kirby has a talent for character development. I fell in love with each and every character in this book. There were a lot of instances where Parker reminded me of myself and I can see a lot of girls very easily relating to her. The fact that she can only come up with witty quips for her crush, Trevor, when her best friend’s around describes my high school experience so perfectly and I loved seeing a character who wasn’t unbelievably without realizing “just how perfect she is,” according to every male love interest ever. No, Parker was a perfect blend of awkward, shy, snarky, and brave. She’s a great role model and the type of person I’d love for a best friend.

Then we have Trevor and Kat, Parker’s best friend. Finally, a fully developed best friend. We get to see why Kat and Parker love each other and just how close they are. But we also get to see how frustrating close relationships like that can be, and we see the two push each other to be better. Kat encourages Parker to take more risks, while Parker encourages Kat to think before she acts. They’re best friends that compliment each other, neither a sidekick to the other. Kirby has really offered quite a beautiful friendship in these two. Meanwhile, Trevor is that guy we all know — the guy we’ve known and gone to school with for years. The guy in the back of our mind that we never really think of romantically until one day we just do. He’s not a mysterious stranger who appears out of nowhere with only eyes for Parker, thank God. The two have history, chemistry, and Trevor’s just honestly a nice guy with depth. I love him so much and while I appreciated that he wasn’t the focus and Parker’s world didn’t revolve around him, I still want to see more of him because I’m ridiculously in love. A sequel is downright necessary, if only so I can drool over Trevor a little longer.

I’m a lover of contemporaries, but I’m a huge fan of contemps with truly engaging, riveting plots. And Golden delivers just that. I couldn’t put the book down. As much as I loved the characters, the plot and the mystery surrounding Julianna commandeered the majority of my attention, much to my surprise and delight. My only problem was Julianna’s writing style in her journal. Julianna’s journal entries read too sophisticated for me to believe. They sounded more like the author and/or narrator. Don’t get me wrong, the journal entries were beautifully written. Just too beautifully written for me to believe they were the musings of a high school senior. But I decided not to let that distract me and just let myself enjoy the beauty of Kirby’s writing.

Oh, another important thing to note: Parker has a mother who is actually present and concerned about Parker’s well-being. As in, she’s not mysteriously gone all the time so that the characters can throw huge parties without getting in trouble or come and go at all hours. This is something that bothers me a lot in current YA and I think Kirby did a fantastic job of incorporating Parker’s relationship with her kind of heliocoptery mom. Points to Kirby for recognizing that teenagers do, in fact, have parents. Well-meaning parents that sometimes get things wrong, at that. This relationship was just so perfectly rendered.

So, essentially, you should read Golden. It’s a quick, easy read with a gripping plot and likable characters. Oh, and there are some fun Frost quotes and allusions. Who doesn’t love Frost? After you’re done, you’ll probably want to bow to Kirby for allowing you the pleasure of reading such a great contemporary. I mean, that’s how I’m feeling. And I’m definitely keeping my fingers crossed for some sort of sequel or spin-off.

Pages: 288
Publication Date: May 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Provided by Publisher
Rating :

Teaser Quote: “I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like for him in the beginning, not to be able to show the depth of his grief for her or what it meant. Not to be acknowledged as someone who lost her.“

“Bono met his wife in high school,” Park says.
“So did Jerry Lee Lewis,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be,” she says, “we’re sixteen.”
“What about Romeo and Juliet?”
“Shallow, confused, then dead.”
”I love you,” Park says.
“Wherefore art thou,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be.”

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under

As many of you know, I am extremely picky when it comes to contemporary books. In order to make me fall head over heels in love, the book must contain witty and relatable characters, a beautiful romance that slowly progresses, heartbreaking scenes, and intense topics. Lucky for me, Eleanor & Park contained all of that.

The best thing about Eleanor & Park was Eleanor. Eleanor lived in a house with an abusive stepfather, a coward of a mother, and four little siblings that knew when to hide and to keep their mouths shut. She had barely any personal possessions, washed her hair with dish soap, did not own a toothbrush, had weight problems, and dressed like a homeless hippy on a daily basis. There are not enough words to describe Eleanor, but if I had to try I would use words such as brave, strong, lovable, independent, remarkable and beautiful. She was my favorite character in the whole book, and I honestly could just read about her all day long.

This book has so. many. feels. I laughed out loud. I cried. I bawled. I smiled. I cringed. There were even times I wanted to throw the book clear across the room. Thankfully it was on my nook, and I have more control than that. I haven’t cried over a book since the last Harry Potter, but I was an emotional basketcase almost from the very beginning. The first time I cried was when Park’s mother realized what kind of homelife Eleanor came from. Reading about his mom breaking down broke me down completely. The second and last time I cried was when Park’s dad opened up to Eleanor and basically told her she was a part of the family. Reading about Eleanor’s homelife was tragic and depressing, but reading about Park’s parents caring enough about her to do something about it was an entire different level for me.

Park and Eleanor’s relationship was just so adorable. They were snarky, hesitant, in love, crazy, and just teenagers. I felt like both characters really grew as the story progressed, which made their relationship more mature and romantic.

I would have rated this book 5 stars, but I had to dock it down to a 4 for a few reasons. Let’s start with Park. I found Park to be a good character, but he really grated on my nervous…especially during the last half of the book. I found him to be a little controlling, a little dumb in the girl department, and wayyyy needy. Also, I know that teenagers spout off the words “I love you” like they really know what they mean, but he got on my last nerve every time he said it. I also didn’t like how he accused Eleanor of bullying herself and making things up. I think it was at that point that I really started to despise his character.

Eleanor’s mom made it really difficult to stick with the book at times. I have no respect for any woman who lets a man beat her up and terrorize her kids. It’s one thing if you’re by yourself, but when you have 5 kids it is your responsibility to woman up and get yourself and your children out of a horrible situation and homelife. The mom absolutely disgusted me.

Most of all, I had a problem with the ending of the book. I was not a fan of the ending. I read this book and fell in love with the story and the characters, and then the ending just plummeted. Not only that, but the ending left a lot of questions, and I don’t think that this is a series. What happened to the mom and the kids? Did they ever reunite with Eleanor? What became of Eleanor and Park later on? What happened to the step father? On one hand, this ending is perfect because the reader can decide what happens. But I’m not the type of reader who can finish a book and then make those decisions. So the only thing that’s going through my head is the ending that Rowell provided, and I don’t like it.

Overall, I found Eleanor & Park to be a beautiful read. It swept me off my feet and twisted me all over the place as emotion after emotion blindsided me. Eleanor & Park’s relationship is one for the records, and I hope to read more about them in the future. Fans of Catherine by April Lindner will really enjoy this one!

Pages: 320

Publication Date: February 26th, 2013

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Rating: :

Teaser Quote: “Nothing before you counts,” he said. “And I can’t even imagine an after.”

“I just meant that… I want to be the last person who ever kisses you, too…. That sounds bad, like a death threat or something. What I’m trying to say is, you’re it. This is it for me.”