Review: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Release Date: September 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Source: Received from publisher

Quick Thoughts: Really enjoyed Speechless. A strong story about the consequences of gossiping and bullying

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thank you to the wonderful people at HarlequinTeen for supplying me with a review copy of Speechless. This does not alter my review in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the first book I have read of Hannah Harrington's, though I have been trying to get my hands on a copy of Saving June!

I want to stop here and look at the cover. It in its self sends is so powerful and thought provoking that I just couldn't wait to dive into this book.

Speechless is thought provoking young adult novel, about the consequences of gossiping and bullying. Teens these days are faced with these everyday, becoming victims of gossip and bullying. Hannah gives a powerful voice to those being bullied. As in the case with Speechless the topic of bullying is Homophobia. Hannah approaches this issue with great care and a well thought out plot line.

Chelsea, the school gossip, and main character, finds herself in a very awkward situation. Having walked in on a boy from her school making out with another boy at a party, she instantly runs downstairs to tell her friends what she saw. Something that Chelsea ordinarily wouldn't think twice about. However, as soon as the words leave her mouth and she see's the reaction of the 'popular' boys at the school she regrets ever opening her mouth.

Chelsea later finds out that the boy from her school has been hospitalised. He was walking home from the party that night and was attacked and brutaly beaten up, winding up in hospital.

The last thing Chelsea says is to the police, revealing who beat up the boy and why. This begins Chelsea's vow of silence. After being the school gossiper for so long, and having now realised what effect it can have, she no longer wants the words to come out of her mouth to cause something like this again.

Chelsea carries on with her school year, becoming shunned by nearly the entire school. Now finds she is being bullied herself. In the only class she has a chance of escaping from all of that is art. But on the first day back at school she realises that Noah's best friend, Sam is in the class with her, not only that, the only seat left is the one next to her. This is going to be a total train wreck. Or so she thinks. You guessed it. She meets a boy, Sam. But he's not just any boy, he's Noah's best friend. Yikes! She feels guilty as hell but finds that Sam 

Speechless is a captivating story about a girl who was once a gossiper and bully herself, becoming the victim, allow with others in the story. Chelsea along the way tries to figure out who really matters, and how to be the type of person she doesn't hate and to just be happy. Through her journey of silence she makes new and unexpected friends and finds herself happier than she has ever been. 

I really loved this book and I just chewed through it so fast. Speechless keeps a good pace, that kept me interested throughout. Chelsea really grows as a character through this book and props to Hannah Harrington for achieving this really effectively!! Love love loved!

So, have you read Speechless? What were your thoughts?

Happy reading!
- Amy

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: December 2nd 2010
Publisher: Dutton
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Quick thoughts: I absolutely adored this book! Definitely a must read. 

From Goodreads: "Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?"

I have waited for my hold of this book to come into my library for (I kid you not) 3 months at the least. So I have been waiting a good long while to be able to read this one. When I finally got the email that it had come in I was so excited. I have read Lola and the Boy Next Door and really enjoyed it, though I would have liked to read this one first since both Anna and Etienne (<3<3<3 siiiiighhh) were mentioned.

Anna and the French Kiss follows the story of Anna and the gorgeous St. Clair, or as he is later known, Etienne (at the start of this book this really confused me, I thought they were two different people for a while... Oops! Pay attention Amy!) Anna is sent to Paris, against her wishes, to the American school there. She doesn't want to leave her friends, how will she survive a whole year away from her best friend when they do everything together? Her first night there, after her parents leave, she breaks down, she can't imagine what life will be like here and frankly she doesn't want to. That is until Meredith knocks on her door to check on her. The walls are paper thin and Meredith is her neighbour, she heard Anna crying. She invites Anna to her room where Anna discovers walls of endless posters. On leaving Merediths room for the night she (literally) runs in to Etienne, the most dreamy boy at the school. Later she finds out that Etienne is the St. Clair that Meredith told her about. Meredith introduces Anna to the rest of her friends and they integrate Anna into the group.

Along the way Anna finds herself falling for Etienne, er - St. Clair.. Even though she knows he has a girlfriend (booo!) and that Meredith likes him and has liked him for long time. All of that aside she and Etienne spend more and more time together. Especially when they are two of only a few who stay at the school over the break. They become best friends. He becomes the one who knows her better than anyone else there, and he is the one who steals her heart.

Stephanie Perkins has succeeded in creating a contemporary YA novel that is light hearted but at the same time invigorating. Anna and the French Kiss is a book that I could easily read over and over, which I rarely do, without getting bored. I anxiously await Isla and the Happy Ever After, said to be released in 2013. How on earth will I wait that long??!!

For those of you who have read both Anna and Lola, I ask you this: Etienne or Cricket?
Tough question for myself to answer... I think would have to say Etienne <3

Happy reading!
- Amy

Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Release Date: August 14th 2012
Series: Beautiful #1
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Australia
Source: Copy supplied by publisher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Quick thoughts: Must read! Edge of your seat good.

From Goodreads: "The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match."

Before I get into the review I would like to thank Simon and Schuster for supplying me with a copy of Beautiful Disaster for review. This does not in any way alter my review of this book. All opinions expressed are my honest thoughts.

I hadn't heard a lot about this prior to receiving it, I have been a bit absent from the book world. I was also on a book buying ban for a while so I didn't want to discover to many books that I needed or my purse would complain! Anyway onto the review.

I seriously could not put this book down. I didn't want to answer the phone, I didn't want to go to sleep, I didn't want to leave the house, not until I had finished this wonderful book.

Abby Abernathy. Where do I start. She is a good girl, but she hasn't always been. She moves towns and changes college to get away from her father and her past. She tries her best to keep her past a secret from everyone except her best friend, who not only witnessed her past but was part of the events that made Abby want to escape. I don't want to give too much away, but you know you're best friends when they up and leave with you to help get your Dad out of debt... And this is exactly what Abby's best friend does. Countless times. (I cannot for the life of me remember her name, but I have a feeling it's Maddie.... Could be wrong though).

Then there is Travis. The lean-mean-fighting machine. Oh and he tends to sleep around... A lot. All the girls on campus knows who he is, and most of them have spent one night with him. Only one. He has issues. lots of them. He is a fighter, 'the first rule of fight club: you don't talk about fight club' kind of fighter. I wasn't Travis' biggest fan in the start, but I sure did learn to love him!!

When Travis and Abby meet for the first time, she is at one of his fights, finding her self splattered with blood and way to close for comfort to the fight. This isn't her usual scene, but she was talked into it by her best friend and her boyfriend (Who so happens to be Travis' best friend!). The second time they meet Travis tries to work his charm on Abby and she shuts him down, Intriguing him even further.

Love is just around the corner for these too, but they keep making wrong turns and doing u-turns and 8 point turns.. I think you get the picture. It ends up being somewhat of a beautiful disaster.

Jamie McGuire has done an excellent job of creating characters with such depth and passion. There are twists and turns that I didn't see coming, particularly about Abby's past. I just couldn't figure out what had happened. I love being surprised by books and not being able to predict what's going to happen next. Beautiful Disaster had me on the edge of my seat the entire time that I am surprised I didn't fall off. If you haven't already, I highly suggest you read it!

I don't want to wait for the second book in this series. I am very curious about how Jamie McGuire will go about it. According to the media release the second book, Walking Disaster will be release in 2013 and the story will be continued from a 'different and surprising point of view.' So excited!!!

Have you read Beautiful Disaster? If so, what did you think?

Happy reading!
- Amy