Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Speechless by Hannah Harrington.
Publisher: HarlequinTEEN.
Pages: 288.
Release Date: August 28th.
Source: Publisher.

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret.

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

Saving June was absolutely amazing - one of my favorites of 2011 - and Speechless impressed me just as much. The way Hannah Harrington mixes drama and harshness with a subtle sweetness feels like a bit of Courtney Summers and Sarah Dessen in one novel.

Before I even began reading, I was worried that the plot would seem a bit overdramatic. Taking an oath of silence because a rumor spiraled out of control felt like a bit too much, but this book totally proved me wrong. Harrington shoved us right into Chelsea's head and it became so easy to understand where she was coming from. And I love that the author writes such lovable characters. They're flawed and not always nice, but in the end, I just want to squeeze-hug them. *coughSAMcough* And and and, the drama was extremely entertaining. Personally, I didn't find it entirely realistic - as with most contemporary YA novels - because my own high school didn't have those target "mean girl" and "ignorant jock" types but for fictional purposes, I was never bored.

Harrington is also boss at writing amazing, believable romances. NO INSTALOVE FTW! Romances that can start out with the two characters never having said a word to each other to having this awesome connection without ever rushing anything along. The romance wasn't even a huge part of the novel, it was more a friendship but it was such a sweet spot amongst the harsh drama.

Overall, Hannah Harrington has made herself one of my favorite contemporary authors with Speechless. This book could be the love child of Speak and Some Girls Are. (Yeah, it's THAT good) I definitely recommend this to EVERYONE reading, even if you aren't a big fan of contemporary. Because - I repeat - it is THAT GOOD.