Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Review:
Chelsea Knot is a popular and talkative sophomore at her local high school. She loves to gossip and her penchant for spreading rumors has earned her the reputation of someone who can't be trusted. Under normal circumstances, Chelsea would relish this description. But when she tells a secret that ends in a physical assault, Chelsea's world comes crashing down. Hated by both the victim's friends and the perpetrators, Chelsea decides to take a vow of silence. Not talking is hard, but learning to forgive herself is even harder. With a new set of friends and a new job, Chelsea learns that sometimes it's better to remain silent, and sometimes it's okay to speak up.

Summary:
I thought that Speechless was an excellent YA novel. I loved Hannah Harrington's debut Saving June so I was hoping this would be just as good. Also if you liked If I Lie, you will definitely like Speechless, since they're very similar.

In the beginning, Chelsea isn't a very likable character. Obviously spreading rumors isn't very nice, so she easily gets on people's bad sides. She hangs out with the shallow popular crowd and her best friend is Queen Bee Kristen. This all changes when she tells a very important secret. I won't tell you what it is, but once you find out it makes perfect sense.

What I love about Speechless is that Chelsea learns a very important lesson: that words (like actions) have consequences. I think that's such a great message. What you say is sometimes just as important as what you do and thinking before you speak is an essential part of becoming an adult. Taking a vow of silence really taught Chelsea the importance of communication. I can't imagine giving up talking. It would be too difficult! I was glad that Chelsea stuck with it for a pretty long time.

I also loved that Chelsea moves on from the popular crowd and makes new friends who are actually nice people. The cast of characters at the diner were all fleshed out and had their own personalities, which added a lot of depth to the novel. Sam was a great love interest and Asha seemed like the best friend someone could have. Chelsea even is on good terms with Noah, the boy she hurt with her rumors, which shows the power of forgiveness.

Overall, Speechless was a great read and had a great message of doing what's right, forgiveness and speaking out when it's important.

Rating: 9 out of 10.
FTC: recieved from LitPick

2012/Harlequin Teen/286 pages.

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Summary:
‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going, California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and 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 she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I was wary of reading Saving June because it has a very similar plot to Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel (and they have practically the same title; I didn't realize that at first). The only difference is that in Saving Zoe, Zoe was murdered instead of committing suicide. Though when I started this novel, I realized that it was its own book and was a very enjoyable read.

Harper is a lot different than June: June gets good grades and is the perfect daughter, while Harper is more of a rebel. So when June commits suicide, Harper is sad, confused and feels inadequate to her recently divorced parents. I felt bad for Harper because of her grief and guilt. Her and June didn't always get along, but you could tell through Harper's thoughts and memories that the two sisters really loved each other.

It was June's dream to make it to California, so most the novel is Harper road-tripping to CA with her best friend Laney and June's mysterious friend Jake. Road trip novels are always awesome, and Saving June was no exception. They drive all across the Midwest and it's a chance for Harper to heal and accept her sister's suicide.

An important part of the novel is music and its healing capabilities. Jake is somewhat of a music snob (he likes a lot of classic rock) and exposes Harper to a lot of new sounds. I absolutely loved the music references but I thought some of it was unrealistic. Harper doesn't know who Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones are? I don't believe that for a second. Even so, there are playlists in the back of the novel of the songs featured in Saving June which I thought was a nice touch.

Overall, I really enjoyed Saving June and thought it was one of the better novels I've read recently.

Rating: 9 out of 10.
FTC: received from Harlequin Teen

2011/Harlequin Teen/336 pages.