Speak

Overall: 10.0/10.0

Summary: Melinda's a quiet girl. She didn't used to be, but since the start of high school she's mostly kept to herself. All of her friends want nothing to do with her since she called the cops at the big end-of-the-summer party. That was a real downer. At least for them. But Melinda would really rather not talk about her experience at all. That's okay, because no one really wants to hear about it. They're all too mad at her. Except for the new girl. But the new girl kind of talks too much for Melinda to get a word in edgewise, so that's okay, too. And Melinda's parents are too busy fighting to check in on her much. So it's easy not to say much. Her grades slip, her social life is down the toilet, but she doesn't mind. The only class she really even kind of likes is art, but that's also frustrating. Melinda just can't seem to find her voice.

Opinion: Wow, this was fantastic. I read it in one sitting, practically. (as in, I would've read it in one sitting if not for that pesky thing called the start-of-period-bell) It's not written in the normal style, but I don't quite know how to explain the tweak. It caught my attention though, and kept it. The story is great. It's told from Melinda's POV and describes her slow descent and sudden comeback. I loved this story. It was recommended to me by a couple of friends a while back and I just never quite got around to opening it up until now, and I wish I'd read it much sooner. Amazing story.

Title: Fits the story perfectly. Short and sweet. Love it.

Cover: Interesting. I didn't get it at first, but after reading the book it makes perfect sense. In my opinion not the most appealing cover, but I don't hate it, either. At the very least it's creative.

Recommendation: Read it! I was skeptical but when I finally opened it up I couldn't put it down until I was finished. Even if it's not necessarily your genre, you'll probably like it.