Speechless by Hannah Harrington.

For my first review I will begin with the book I finished just this morning.

Title: Speechless
Author: Hannah Harrington
Genre: Teen Fiction

With quite an intriguing cover, it was hard to walk past this book everyday at the bookstore I was working in. I wasn't really sure what I was getting into, but once delving into the story I was glad I listened to my coworkers.

While reading Speechless,  I was constantly transported back to my days in high school with girls just like the main character, Chelsea. Snobby, rude, popular and bitchy. The interesting thing about Chelsea is that she is not the most popular girl in school. That's her best friend Kristen, who is right up there with Regina George from Mean Girls.

After one disastrous night, Chelsea ends up spilling a secret that almost kills a classmate. This is enough to wake her up from her gossiping, conniving self and she decides to take a vow of silence. Quite interesting for a teenage girl to decide to stop talking, which I think saves this story from becoming too much like Mean Girls. Chelsea's vow opens her up to many attacks from her now ex-best friend Kristen, and seriously makes you believe that total silence may not be such a good idea either.

Chelsea goes through many mini enlightenments throughout her silence but what becomes the driving point of this story is her breaking point. The longer she stayed silent, the longer I began to realize that something huge was going to have to happen for her speak again. Unfortunately, the build up was there, but blew over anticlimactically.

The story ends on a bittersweet note, concluding that high school is not the be-all and end-all of life.

As an avid teen fiction reader, this by no means is a novel that slips under the radar. Although cliche at times, the concept of a silent teen for any amount of time is worth reading, even if the themes of rumors and gossip have become somewhat exhausted.

Pick it up and give it a try. Definitely a good fast read during a busy time.

Favourite Quote:

"I walk to my car without looking back, and as I drive away, I'm hit with a sudden wave of sadness. But it's a distant kind of sad-- like when you look at your Barbies and realize you don't want to play with them anymore, because you're growing up and you've moved on, and in your heart you know it's time to make room for other things."