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A review by lorilaws
Speechless by Hannah Harrington
5.0
Speechless by Hannah Harrington hit a little close to home for me. I had a hard time in high school. I had a really close nit group of friends going in but our friendship just seemed to fall apart that first year. Then things just got ugly. I’m sure today it would be referred to as bullying now, but at that time and in a super small school bullying wasn’t something you heard about often. Like Chelsea, I definitely wasn’t innocent. I did my fair share of name calling, but others just crossed a invisible line into being hateful and hurtful. So, that’s my long winded way of saying that Speechless was very real to me and I loved every page.
What’s so great about Speechless is that it’s about some serious topics, but there’s also some undertones that make the story sweet. I loved watching Chelsea make new friends and really come into her own with them. Man, I remember what it was like to pretend to love things just to fit in with your ‘friends’. I also remember how amazing it was when I realized I didn’t have to do that. Being a teenager was the worst, wasn’t it? It was pretty amazing seeing Chelsea make these realizations and really start to be herself. Plus, there’s a pretty adorable and swooney romance.
Chelsea was a very, very well done character. She was so strong. She definitely made mistakes, but she learned from them and came out a better person because of them. She’s the kind of character that teenagers should be reading about. You would be hard pressed to not see a little bit of yourself in her. Her growth throughout the story was extraordinary. She was very admirable and just a pleasure to spend 260 pages with.
Hannah Harrington has solidified her place in the YA contemporary genre with Speechless. It’s a beautiful story with an important message. I can’t recommend it enough.
What’s so great about Speechless is that it’s about some serious topics, but there’s also some undertones that make the story sweet. I loved watching Chelsea make new friends and really come into her own with them. Man, I remember what it was like to pretend to love things just to fit in with your ‘friends’. I also remember how amazing it was when I realized I didn’t have to do that. Being a teenager was the worst, wasn’t it? It was pretty amazing seeing Chelsea make these realizations and really start to be herself. Plus, there’s a pretty adorable and swooney romance.
Chelsea was a very, very well done character. She was so strong. She definitely made mistakes, but she learned from them and came out a better person because of them. She’s the kind of character that teenagers should be reading about. You would be hard pressed to not see a little bit of yourself in her. Her growth throughout the story was extraordinary. She was very admirable and just a pleasure to spend 260 pages with.
Hannah Harrington has solidified her place in the YA contemporary genre with Speechless. It’s a beautiful story with an important message. I can’t recommend it enough.