Speak (Laurie Anderson Hale)

Ok, ok, short review, and at one am. Yes. I am a bad person. I have two books still waiting to be reviewed, even. And I don't even really have a decent excuse. Promise I'll get a better review for this book sometime soon... but for now, a minireview.



My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Four and a half stars. I'll admit to having high expectations for this book. Perhaps higher than I should have. I've read too many good reviews, had too many friends swear by it. It's good. Very, very good. But through the entire novel I was stuck wondering when it would be more. Don't get me wrong, I loved Speak. Melinda is witty and sarcastic, her narritive has an almost vicious bite to it at times. Her story is undeniably brilliant, masterfully told. The author's characters are genuine and her voice is honest. I read the majority of it in a day, reading through multiple classes. It flows and it's addictive. It's good. Really, really good. But it's not that good. Read the book because it's good. Don't look for a message--the author didn't purposefully write one in {according to the interview in the back}. Don't get your hopes up; be pleasantly surprised rather than wondering what you missed.