Unspeakable

I wanted to like this more than I did. It has some strong emotional beats, and good interactions between Megan and Jasmine. But there were some misfires.First, Jasmine's infatuation with the local bad boy. I hated that part. By bad, I mean seriously screwed up. Megan's mom tries telling Jasmine he's trouble, and I'm like, "Shut up, shut up, shut up! Her stupid teenage brain is translating that as 'Makes a good first baby daddy.'"Second, having Megan write things was a cop-out. Check out Interference by Zoe Reed if you want to see a selectively mute lesbian character done right. Wow, there's more than one of that very specific type. Anyway, it stretches credulity that all it takes for Megan to be willing to talk to someone is if she can write the words down.Third, and worst of all, the school counselor. He finds a weak point, and keeps digging. Megan very clearly doesn't want to go there. She's breathing heavily and clenching her fists, on the verge of panic. He keeps at her. She loses it and strikes him. Frankly, I thought he deserved it. She's made to apologize. He isn't. Well, fine. I can accept that that's the sort of bull---- that a student would encounter. On another occasion, he wants her to tell him something. And flat out says she won't be allowed to leave until she does. WTF? This guy should have his license revoked! I know enough about therapy to know that you DO NOT treat trauma victims this way.The survival mechanisms developed in response to trauma are important, and for someone who calls himself a counselor to attempt to tear them down that way is appalling. At no point is his wrongness acknowledged. Megan actually thanks him after that last session. I wanted to reach through my Kindle and throttle him.Three stars. I docked half a star for being written in present tense. I am so ready for that fad to be over.

Unspeakable is possibly one of the better depictions of someone being non-verbal I've ever seen, plus it's gay too, so that's a plus. For laypeople, being non-verbal differs from mutism in that someone can hypothetically make sounds and speak when non-verbal, but they have a mental barrier stopping them from doing so, usually due to trauma or falling on the autism spectrum. The story handles this really well, while also showing a realistic, complicated relationship between the protagonist and her mother. I cried a fair amount at the right moments too. Pretty good read, all said.

Good book. Megan was a great character. Jasmine was good. I did like the story but felt the ending was a bit of a let down. A big build up that didn't quite live up to what a reader wanted. Luke was obviously at the center of it all so it wasn't very surprising. Still pretty good and should go over well with the YA crowd.

This was a great read, kept my interest the whole way through. This is about teenagers, but it wasn't sappy or irritating. I sort of guessed the ending early on, but that did not ruin the suspense and there were still some surprises. Very believable and likable characters.

It was chopped up and not easy to follow it started and stopped so many times. Frustrating to read because it felt like i just started to understand and then the story would go in another direction

Written well, this novel is not exactly revolutionary but is still enjoyable. The unfolding of the narrator's personal mystery is well done, as are the themes of family, friendship, and romance. Overall, it's an good read, especially for readers who are starving for solid queer-lit content, but it also struck me as quite similar to a variety of other teen-lit novels in terms of storyline and characterization.

Great book. Heartbreaking story

I hadn't read a good novel in a long time and figured I'd do an impulse buy with Unspeakable. I am so glad I did, easily one of the best novels I've read in some time now.

I really enjoyed this, especially as I'm bisexual and for some time have been looking for a cute YA f/f romance so it was really lovely reading Megan and Jasmine's relationship developing from friendship to something more and I related to all Megan's feelings of having a crush on a cute girl SO much! Of course you don't need to be a gay girl to read this because the romance is beautifully done and love is love, but just on a personal note it meant a lot to me.It was a gripping and quite an easy read for me which I got sucked into and read in one sitting! I thought the mystery element of how Megan lost her voice and also why someone is trying to intimidate Jasmine was well done and kept me invested, and I also thought the exploration of how this impacted Megan and her relationship with her mum/school/general life was pretty well explored. You really got attached to the characters and as Megan was working through therapy to regain her voice you couldn't help but be supporting her and wishing with all your heart for her to make it and speak! There was also some beautiful descriptions going on- that way where sometimes a certain line or metaphor makes you think "damn I wish I thought of that first for my writing!"I thought there were some cliché high school elements such as the "mean girls" who seemed incredibly cruel for no reason but gradually they are given more depth. It's not exactly high brow literature either, but I read it for a light enjoyable read, a cute romance and an interesting premise and that's what I got! For what it is I really had a good time reading it and if my description sounds good to you as well then I recommend picking it up.

This narrative got my attention in the very first pages, it held me there throughout and now I've finished it I have that disappointed it's over feeling; that's when you know you've read a good book! The characters are believable, a sensitive relationship well handled with raw and gentle curiosity and the twist at the end is well disguised until the author wants to let you in. I can't easily find a criticism here, but, if pushed, I would have liked a spicier reason for Jasmine to have moved schools at such a crucial time in her education. Unspeakable is an excellent read, a remarkable debut and well worth your time.

well done Abbie on your first published work!! It's such a lovely story and I really enjoyed reading it. Would Appeal to a wide age group of readers will be passing it on to my teenage niece. I've had the pleasure for many many years knowing 'Grandpa Joe' and 'Gran Sylvie' and still Sylvie on a regular basis. When my lads were young they thought Joe was funny when he used to sing them the robin song! Let's hope this is the first of many books to come!

I am not a YA but I write in the genre and had this recommended to me. I'm so glad it was. I loved it. This is beautifully written. A novel about love, relationships, family dynamics and secrets, it had me mesmerized from the start. It touches on so many difficult issues but handles them all so skilfully. Congratulations to this debut author.

My 14 year old daughter loved this book. Arrived very quickly