3 Sept 2012

Review: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

 
Speechless by Hannah Harrington
August 28th, 2012 · Harlequin TEEN Australia
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 268
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.
When I first heard of Speechless I was excited just by the fact that it was written by the amazing, Hannah Harrington. I then read the blurb and was further intrigued and after devouring Speechless, I am happy to say that it doesn’t disappoint.

I loved Saving June, but I must admit that it did take me a while to warm up to it. However, this wasn’t the case at all with Speechless. As soon as I started reading, I was thrown straight into the story. From beginning to end, Speechless had me in a page flipping frenzy; I couldn’t read fast enough.

Chelsea is your stereotypical popular girl, who loves the limelight – but then one night she goes too far. I won’t go into details but because of Chelsea’s love for gossip, secrets and being the centre of attention, all of a sudden, she’s been ditched by the popular crowd and even ridiculed by her “so called” friends. In the beginning, I didn’t like Chelsea but as the story progresses, and she starts to become a better person, the girl she once was, I began to really care for her. The secondary characters are what really make the story and whilst they are all amazing I especially loved Sam, Asha, and even though they weren't mentioned nearly as much as I would have liked, Noah and Andy.

Hannah has done it yet again! Gut wrenching, honest and real with the perfect amount of romance, Speechless left me feeling content and full of hope.

4/5

P.S - I think it’s really important that before you read Speechless, you remind yourself that this isn’t Saving June, it’s a completely different story but still an amazing one. It’s easy to compare and expect similar things from a certain book after being blown away from an author’s previous work. I’ve done it myself and the result usually ends in a disappointed reader. It’s not the books fault; it’s just that the reader has set unbeatable expectations. If you open up your mind and accept this, I have no doubt that you’ll love Speechless.

21 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you loved this one! I loved it as well. It's my first Hannah Harrington novel so I'm really excited to read her debut, Saving June! Great review! :D

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    1. Enjoy Saving June! It's very different compared to Speechless but still amazing. I'm actually not sure which is my favourite, both Hannah's book are special to me. Thanks, Sarah! So nice for you to stop by :)

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  2. This book seems so interesting, I love the premise of it and I have Saving June but, I haven't gotten a chance to read it yet but, I can't wait!

    Kristin @ Young Adult Book Haven

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    1. I hope you get around to reading Saving June and Speechless soon, both are amazing :)

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  3. I've heard really good things about this book! Maybe I should read this first and then Saving June if I like it? I know what you mean about comparing author's previous works. I do think that the writing should improve and I always look for that, but I like when authors try different genres and things out too. :) Thanks for the review Rebecca!

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    1. Start wherever you like. Anything written by Hannah Harrington I recommend, she's such a fantastic contemporary author and I hope you enjoy her books as much as I do. ♥

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  4. I love that moment when an author becomes a favourite *points at my heart and then back at Hannah* Saving June was amazing, so I knew to expect great things with Speechless and Hannah did NOT disappoint me either! I kinda love how she makes you warm up to Chelsea... she's not the most admirable person in the beginning, but you find yourself having fallen in love before you know it. I loved her journey and the characters and her writing and EVERYTHING. And you know what else I find incredible and compulsively readable? YOUR REVIEW, BECCA <3

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    1. Hannah is absolutely amazing! *happy sigh*

      Aw, Brodie, your too much! *blushes* Thanks, cupcake! ♥ ♥

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  5. I have yet to read anything by Hannah Harrington and I feel like I'm missing out hugely! I've heard amazing things about Saving June, but I think I've heard even more about Speechless, so I can't wait to give this one a try. I love a story that draws me in immediately and has me ignoring all the things I should be doing in favor of reading. Thanks for the review Rebecca!

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    1. No worries, Jenny, thanks for stopping by! Hope you love reading and discovering Hannah's books as much as I do - enjoy!

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  6. YAAAAY, so glad you loved liked this! I've been dying to read Speechless since I first heard about it and I'm SO HAPPY to hear that it delivers x) I can see why you had a hard time liking Chelsea from the start though, just based on the summary itself but I love that there's character development and she becomes a better person! And don't you just love it when supporting characters are just as fleshed out as the mains? :D

    Plus, I love what you said at the end. Because I always seem to get caught up in the wave surrounding an author's new work and have to always remind myself that I shouldn't be expecting the same things that made their past books so amazing! c:

    FANTASTIC review, Rebecca! <3

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    1. Your comment's are AMAZING. I love, love, love it when you stop by ♥ Enjoy reading Speechless!

      It's SO easy to get caught up in the authors previous work but it's important that readers focus more on the story at hand than to keep comparing it to the authors other books. I love Saving June and Speechless oh so much but in different ways, too. I'm actually not sure which my favourite is... ;D

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  7. I absolutely enjoyed reading this too, I too was excited about diving into this because it was by the amazing Hannah Harrington, she made me smile and even sob a little with Saving June, but with this she surprised me so much more. I think what took me completely by surprise was the fact that I was able to zoom through this book, I was immediately hooked and couldn't bear to part with the characters (especially from the secondary characters)! I honestly can't wait to to dive into Harrington's next read! Another beautiful review Rebecca! :)

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    1. I was immediately hooked, too! At the time I read Speechless the Olympics was currently on so I remember having the TV, watching it and then putting it on mute on the ad breaks to read more of Speechlees because it was THAT addictive. Fun times ;)

      Thanks, Jasprit! ♥

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  8. I was pleasantly surprised by this book too, althouhg you're right and it wasnt' quite like Saving June. I wasn't hoping for a similar story, just a similar emotional impact. Nevertheless, I really loved Speechless and I'll read Hannah's next book as soon as I can.
    Lovely review.

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    1. Thanks, Maja, so nice of you to stop by.

      Speechless isn't Saving June but that's a good thing! Saving June and Speechless are both amazing in their own ways and I love them both. Yay for another Hannah Harrington fan! I'm anxious to read her next book, aswell ;) Can't wait!

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  9. I'm currently reading this right now! I've heard such great thing about it and your review's definitely lifting my expectations (just a lil' bit). I have Saving June sitting on my shelf but I haven't had the chance to crack it open yet *hides face in shame*

    Awesome review, Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed it :)

    Jenni @ Jenni's Bookshelf

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    1. Jenni, it's so nice to meet you! *waves*

      Enjoy Speechless and I hope you get round to reading Saving June soon after! Ha, don't worry I actually think that's a good thing that you haven't read SJ yet. Your able to read Speechless with a clear mind and not let expectations get in the way of your reading experience.

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  10. I loved this too and raved on our blog as well. Ive just downloaded Saving June and Im so glad to hear it is just as good albeit different!

    -Mary
    Http://mysistersbookshelf.com

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  11. BECCA! YES! AGREED ON EVERYTHING!
    It's a profoundly different story to Saving June, and even wonder if it's aimed at a slightly younger audience.

    And what you said about taking a while to warm up yo SJ? YES! It actually took me a bit, too. Then it wound up being an all time favorite.

    But Speechless? It was SO readable. I deoured it. So glad you loved, love! ♥

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  12. LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! Hannah Harrington is pure awesomeness!! her writing is so beautiful!! <3 <3 I loved Saving June, but Speechless was somehow the same awesomeness just in a different way. These books make you think about life, and that's maybe why I love them so much :) ;) Beautiful review ;) ;)

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