Speechless by Hannah Harrington

From Goodreads: 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.

Speechless was one of those books I practically stalked the postman for! I was so excited to read it! I loved Saving June and couldn’t wait to see what she did with this story.

At the beginning of this story Chelsea Knot was a character I would have gone out of my way to avoid in real life. I just didn’t like her at all. She came across as someone who didn’t think for herself – just did whatever her ‘best’ friend wanted her to do. Of course, in this ‘world’ secrets are a commodity – something to use as a way to make you more popular with the in-crowd. So when Chelsea stumbles across a very big secret she doesn’t think anything of sharing it with everybody. But when it leads to someone getting hurt it makes Chelsea take stock of what she has done and forces her to decide what kind of person she wants to be.

What I loved about this story is the growth in Chelsea’s characters. The fact that she actually takes the risk and reports what she knew made me think she was someone worth getting to know. And over the course of the novel she really evolves as a character – I loved her by the end. Her decision not to speak is understandable too – I can see why she would choose to do this. And it makes for very interesting reading – seeing how people react to her – and seeing what she learns from it.

We are also introduced to some wonderful characters. Asha is bubbly and someone who first thinks Chelsea is worth getting to know. Sam (who I absolutely adored!) – he’s so kind and nice and I loved the scenes he has with Chelsea. The rest of the gang at Rosie’s Dinner –  I loved that place – so warm and inviting. It made me wish it was real and I could go there!

Hannah Harrington has just secured her place on my list of authors to auto-by. I will read anything she writes! Her characters are so realistic and I adore her writing. Brilliant!

Saving June by Hannah Harrington (Review & Interview: Blog Tour)

From Goodreads:  ‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going, California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.

I really loved this one.  I thought it was a beautiful story, brilliantly written and I adored the characters.

I loved Harper's voice and it really made the book for me.  Hannah Harrington's writing is really beautiful and it gives Harper a great voice as she narrates the story.  I instantly liked her and could feel everything she was going through.  I really thought the story was a realistic portrayal of grief - there was confusion, anger, sadness - it just felt very realistic.  I couldn't help but be invested in it. 

I also really liked her best friend Laney (and her storyline too) and loved Jake.  I also loved him straight away and really enjoyed the way the relationship between him and Harper gently develops (despite not being quite sure about his relationship with June...)  I loved all the music references too - and the way it has such an important role in the story and in their relationship.

Plus road trip!  I don't know why but I love road trip stories.  Maybe because the characters are forced to stay together for long periods of time - I'm not sure - but it definitely works here.

I am honestly super excited to read Hannah Harrington's next novel when it is published.  Saving June has certainly left me with high expectations for it!

As part of the blog tour for Saving June, Hannah Harrington kindly answered a few of my questions...

What inspired you to write Saving June?

I first had the idea for Saving June while I was in high school. When I was seventeen, I'd lost a relative of mine to suicide and the "splitting the ashes" thing was something that actually happened. The summer after I graduated, I was living out of my car and working as a pizza cook. The radio would always be on in the kitchen, so I was spending a lot of time listening to music and kicking the idea around in my head. A few years later I found some of the bits and pieces I'd written back then, and decided to sit down and write out a full first draft. So some of it comes from my personal experiences, and of course some of it is inspired by music I love. It all ended up tying together!

I loved Harper’s voice. Was she an easy character to write?

I was pretty comfortable writing Harper’s voice. She is sort of similar to how I was at that age, though I don’t think I was ever quite as bitter or brash as she could be during the story. I have a natural tendency toward sarcasm so having her utilize that a lot wasn’t too difficult for me to write. The hardest part with her character was figuring out a way to get her to come out of her shell and really connect with people—especially Jake—without it feeling too forced.

Music plays a large part in Saving June, especially in terms of Harper and Jake’s relationship. Is music something that is important to you?

Absolutely, and especially when I was a teenager. I think some of the music I listened to played a part in shaping my own identity, and it definitely forged some friendships I had back then with other people who either introduced me to music or bonded with me over bands I already loved.

If you could cast Saving June for a movie who would be your ideal cast? And what would you choose as the movie's theme song?

This is a hard one! I think I’d go with “This Time Tomorrow” by the Kinks. It seems to be the most fitting, both lyrically and melodically. I always pictured Johnny Pacar as Jake. I could see someone like Kat Dennings as Harper and Amanda Seyfriend as Laney.

What’s next for you? Are you working on something at the moment?

My next book, SPEECHLESS, will be published by Harlequin Teen at the end of August. It’s the story of a girl named Chelsea Knot, who takes a voluntary oath of silence after her gossip-mongering ways get her in big trouble.
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Thanks Hannah!

You can find Hannah on her Goodreads and Twitter.

I want to read that...

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

From Goodreads: ‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.


This is one of the books listed on the Contemps Challenge and I've looking forward to it for ages. It sounds great!

It will be published November 2011.