Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speaking up is still important.

From the first moment of at Merryweather High, Melinda Sordino knows she’s an outcast. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won’t talk to her, and people she doesn’t know glare at her. No one knows why she called the police, and she can’t get out the words…

After finally reading this book with years of expectation. It's fine. For its time it was big deal to have a main character in YA be a survivor of rape, but now more is need. It is aimed at lower age group, with the main character being 13/14 than most modern books, it opens a door, more than a full discussion about rape and the culture that lets it be.

My main reason for reviewing this book, was the silent Protagonist aspect. She speaks more than I was led to believe, but does stopped talking to her parents and teachers, which is briefly addressed in the book.

This book famously deals with rape and this it was released in 1999. Next to modern books, it not as good. The character also self-harms, biting her lips to the point their covered in scabs and picks her fingers till their bleed, which is something I've not seen discussed by anyone else. Being a survivor of rape can led to mental health issues so it's nice to see this, and it going unseen is also common sadly.

I do like how this book shows bad friendships, especially aimed at age group vulnerable to them. Melinda becomes friends with someone looking for something better than her and is estranged from her middle-school friends due her calling the cops and is never given the chance to explain why. 

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars for Drawn Flowers. This was an important book, and is still as relevant now as was then. I think the ending feels like a fantasy next to the realism of rest of the book. It is a book to give younger teenage and I know it becoming a problem that there's a lack of Young Adult. I think these book are hard to criticise, since they deal with serious issue that under talked about with respect. This isn't a bad portrayal but things could have been better for me. I rate stars by my gut, and three felt right. 

Book Review: Girlhood by Cat Clarke

Bordering School in Scotland and a Dead twin, what does that remind me of?

I lost myself

               when my sister died,

  and these girls rebuilt me,
     piece by piece.
I thought that nothing could 
  ever come between US.
I thought I knew who I was...
        Until
                  the new girl 
                        showed up.

This book came out on my Birthday and I went out and brought it on my Birthday which was an 2 hour journey for me. So course I've only read it now, despite also receiving a NetGalley of it as well. I don't even read the NetGalleys of my favourite authors on time (though I only got access to it, a day before it came out).

I've read most of Cat Clarke books (except one only published in America and the one that's not out yet). This was the most disappointing. It was the only one that didn't make me cry. It's not bad. It's not okay. It's is good. However, it was not Clarke ripping my heart out like she has with every other book. Even my least favourite book of her books made me cry. Though, I like this one better than A Kiss in the Dark.

It's similar to Cat Clarke books in I sat and read it in one sitting. Because you have to read Clarke in one sitting or you will spend all your time thinking about it, even if you're a sleep.

Okay, so what didn't work for me. The big conflict is a lot smaller than other Clarke books, it relays on subtly and relationships. The relationships and friendships are done well, but the issue is obvious from outsider point of view (even without another character saying exactly what's happening). Yes, I am not 17 like Harper is, but I think

Harper's relationship with her sister is a bit shallow for me. The idea of someone losing their identical twin sounds horrific, especially when they in their teens. This happens before the book and is one of Harper's defining issues. My problem is it all feels like plot to me. We have Harper talking about parts of their childhood and her death, not really flashbacks, more Harper talking to the reader about her sister like we were her friend/therapist. Anorexia is usually a slow death, so the time line feels a little muddled. Harper's guilt plays a role, but maybe a more hit and run death would have worked better. Clarke has done grief for a sister before and it worked then, so why didn't work now for me.

This also some girl on girl sexual tension which I always appreciate. We have a canon lesbian, Bi and someone at least willing to go there. It has almost nothing to do with the plot which is fun. There's some romance stuff, but it also like nothing. It's definitely a friendship book. I really should have loved this book.

Clarke as always, likes to tackle a harder subjects. We have grief, body image issues, depression and other stuff that's too much a spoiler to talk about in a review.

I thought the plot was going one way, it didn't which is probably for the best. The plot works for the most part. 

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for Stone Bars. The real problem is Cat Clarke is amazing and this didn't stab me in the heart, so I'm disappointed. Maybe I'm just getting more heartless as I get older. My actual guess, is that Clarke was juggling a lot more important characters than she normally does and my expectation was too high. I'm still going to shove Cat Clarke books at people, even they talk about books.

I got this book for Review off NetGalley and Quercus Children's Books. But I always going to read this anyway. It was published on 4th May 2018.

Currently £4 on Amazon (Affiliate Link):https://amzn.to/2HW1eLK

Book Review: I have No Secrets by Penny Joelson

Maybe this book should be called I have all the secrets.

I have no secrets of my own.
I can't do anything without someone knowing about it.
I can see, though, and I can hear, and sometimes
people forget that.
Sometimes people talk about me
as if I'm not there.
I hate that. 
And sometimes people tell me their secrets.
Dan did.
And I can't tell anyone.
I wish I could do something.  

This novel is told from POV of someone with cerebral palsy on the extreme end. It's done okay. She does feel like a person and full out character. Jemma is fourteen and has own stuff going on.

Jemma is also forested by a family who forest two other children with specials needs, an autistic non-verbal six-year Finn and Olivia whose nine and something going with her, which was interesting to see as I've not came across another book YA that had the main character in that situation as portrayed positively. It was nice to see that dynamics.

The mystery/thriller side is kinda slow as Jemma is unable to communicate to people in anyway, so a lot of it is just her frustration and overhearing things. I do feel like the ending was bit of cop out, but this is on the young side of YA.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for nose technology. This was an interesting idea and I'm glad people with disabilities getting to be in Thriller-est books instead of just standard contemporaries, while straight contemporaries are fine (usually too romance heavy for me), but they often just about people's problems and not tracking much besides that, no conspiracy or magic. Though, this book's plot is heavily reliant on her disabilities, I still enjoyed it.

I also did a video review.