A review by anna_reads_too_much
Say the Word by Jeannine Garsee
3.0
*Review originally posted April 2009.*
I have very mixed feelings about this book. In some ways, it's wonderful and it deals with a lot of great topics that you don't see too much in the YA genre. However, in other ways, it's just okay and kind of blahhh in some parts. This is going to be a really hard review to write just because of that. . .
The Good:
-->Say the Word dealt with a lot of issues that you don't see too much in YA books, such as: lesbian mothers and step-brothers who may not be step-brothers.
-->It's not sugar-coated. There are many things in this book that didn't seem sugar-coated -- one of them being Shawna's feelings towards her mother and her partner, Fran. This made the book seem realistic.
The Bad:
-->At some points, the events just seemed really rushed. I thought that a few of them could've been spaced out a little better to help this.
-->Shawna's character got annoying to me though the middle of the book. At the beginning, I was sympathetic towards her and her situation, but in the middle and towards the end of the book, Shawna just got on my nerves. She was really focused on herself, it seemed like, and that got on my nerves a lot. However, towards the end of the book, it was like she made a three sixty and her character started to grow on me again.
The Overall:
This book was just okay. I thought it would be a little better than it actually was.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. In some ways, it's wonderful and it deals with a lot of great topics that you don't see too much in the YA genre. However, in other ways, it's just okay and kind of blahhh in some parts. This is going to be a really hard review to write just because of that. . .
The Good:
-->Say the Word dealt with a lot of issues that you don't see too much in YA books, such as: lesbian mothers and step-brothers who may not be step-brothers.
-->It's not sugar-coated. There are many things in this book that didn't seem sugar-coated -- one of them being Shawna's feelings towards her mother and her partner, Fran. This made the book seem realistic.
The Bad:
-->At some points, the events just seemed really rushed. I thought that a few of them could've been spaced out a little better to help this.
-->Shawna's character got annoying to me though the middle of the book. At the beginning, I was sympathetic towards her and her situation, but in the middle and towards the end of the book, Shawna just got on my nerves. She was really focused on herself, it seemed like, and that got on my nerves a lot. However, towards the end of the book, it was like she made a three sixty and her character started to grow on me again.
The Overall:
This book was just okay. I thought it would be a little better than it actually was.