The premise of this book sounded promising. I was really excited to read it. But I have to say that in the end I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would - or maybe I should say that I liked parts of it, and other parts of it - not so much.

The heroine is not very likable. From the beginning she just seems like this self-centered spoiled little girl, and while I tried to be understanding of her situation, she lost her family and her memories and it's a tragedy, the author laid the story out in a way that evokes no sympathy (maybe on purpose? I'm not sure) from the reader. To me, Sasha was just a brat and I couldn't get over it. Often times she would belittle Charlotte's efforts to do her best with this situation they were given, and I kind of resented her for it.
Eventually she does get it together and even though she continues to act like a brat, I did warm up to her in the end.

Ben was a sweetie, and I liked the whole special bond thing they had. But both of them were constantly playing hot and cold with each other. Also, I felt kind of cheated, we never saw them get to know each other, it was more like: they meet BAM they kiss and date BAM they break up BAM...the whole first half of the book had weird pacing.

But it improved in the second half, and it's only then that I started to get into the story more, after the whole mystery about her family's death started to unravel. Even though I had it figured out pretty fast, because it was heavily hinted at, I still thought it was interesting.

Things that bothered me about this, and beware, there are spoilers:
There are two near-rape scenes that I felt were just used as some sort of plot device and forgotten all about once the story moved on. I am not talking threats and a bit of overpowering, this went beyond that and I find it hard to believe that any girl would get over being assaulted like that so fast, and then move on thinking all kind of smutty thoughts about some other guy, almost immediately, acting like this never even happened.

The ending - eh, the reason for Dr. O. killing her family turned out to be somewhat anti-climatic. A woman scorned, etc...pretty boring.

And I did mind that we are never explained why exactly Ben could read minds. Or what's the deal with his whole family?

Laurie Plissner's writing style is simple and straight-to-the-point, and I did enjoy that aspect of it. This being her debut I have to say I was pretty satisfied, good supporting characters (Jules, Ben, Stuart, Ben's mom), great chemistry between Ben and Sasha (at least what we got to see of them - the library scene was so promising).

I want to give this a five star rating, because the idea was really good, but I can't overlook the things that bothered me about it. Sometimes a book is just mindless fun, and that's how I look at it, but when you bring things like attempted rape into it I expect the author to treat it a little more seriously.
So yeah, I would recommend this because it has a bit of everything: a love story, a mystery, a little thrill towards the ending and just a touch of paranormal, but don't expect it to blow you away.

**Free copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )

Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner is a fun and fast paced read. To call Sasha, the main character in this story a sassy young girl would seem somewhat unusual, considering that she is unable to speak. We begin the story when she turns thirteen, and wakes in a hospital with her Aunt Charlotte at her side. Sasha has no idea where she is or why, because as hard as she tries, she can't remember why she is in the hospital. Her main concern in those first moments are for her family. She senses something has happened, but can't remember what. To find her mother's sister at her bedside instead of her mother is somehow not right. Sasha wants answers, and she wants them fast. This is when she finds that she is unable to speak. She opens her mouth to question Charlotte and nothing comes out. The inability to speak is a shock to Charlotte as well, and as she hurries to find paper and pencils for Sasha, a doctor comes in and things begin to happen in a hurry. There is no time for Charlotte to explain to her niece what has happened. Sasha doesn't know that she is the only survivor of a car crash that took the lives of both of her parents and her slightly older sister. No idea, until one of the doctors investigating her muteness inadvertently lets it slip.

The news is almost unbearable. But there is no way to turn back the clock and make the accident not happen.The only choice is to move forward. Since she suffered no apparent physical injuries, and there was no physical injury to her throat, vocal chords or larynx, Sasha's inability to speak at all was diagnosed as Hysterical Mutism. This disorder is most commonly found in children and adolescents after a traumatic event. In some cases, like Sasha's, the young person is unable to speak at all. In other cases, it is possible for the affected person to speak to specific and well trusted person within their circle of friends or family. Sasha learns to communicate with a voice synthesizing device, which she calls her Hawkie Talkie, as it is the same sort of device that the famous physicist Stephen Hawking uses.

Charlotte and her husband Stuart welcome Sasha into their family, they love and cherish her and do everything in their power to help her to find her voice again. According to all the experts, it is simply a matter of getting past the traumatic moment in whatever way it is possible to do so. But for Sasha, with no real memories of the accident, and not feeling the need to seek those memories, four years pass with no success. She is a studious and mostly quiet girl with a best friend called Jules, who has stood strong by her side from the days they were toddlers, through the accident and beyond. Sasha does have a difficult side, and this emerges through inappropriate behavior in school which often lands her in the midst of what you might call a bad crowd, as she is often sittin in detention. Unfortunately, it is there that she comes to the attention of some unruly jocks who learn her after school routine. Despite her school time behaviors, Sasha's favorite place to spend her time out of school is the library. One day she is joined in her little corner of the library by a good looking boy, and that moment has a momentous affect on the next part of her life. ( )

Okay so I think the summary above does little to make sense of this novel. First it's Sasha's older sister that is killed in the car crash. Sasha goes to live with her mom's sister and her husband who had decided not to have children because of their law careers. But lucky for Sasha, they are kind and loving people who, if they don't get it right it's not for lack of trying, it's more for lack of knowing how. Charlotte, her aunt, tends to be neurotic and a bit dramatic but Stuart, Charlotte's husband always seems to be able to say one word to bring her back to sensible reason and he can talk her out of any kind of kooky scheme like talking to Ben when Sasha and Ben break up.

So while we're on the subject of Sasha and Ben, yes, Ben can read minds. There is a funny little scene in the library where he dares to invade Sasha's private little sofa area and then she's trying to look at him on the sly and with every thought about how sexy he is his smile grows despite the rather serious book he's reading by Sartre. At this point, and throughout the book, her only forms of communication are through a computer generated voice box and a piece of paper and pen. She leaves in a huff at his apparent amusement only to make a stupid girl mistake, walking through a park in the dark alone. (This is the second book I've read where this happened. Are teenage girls really that dumb?) And when Ben rescues her from something truly frightening she finds out about him being able to read her mind. Also, she doesn't report the incident he rescues her from like she should. Again, I know it's traumatic but why let them get away with it. They picked her because she couldn't tell, because she was mute. It left me uncomfortable, especially when Ben told her she was beautiful afterwords. Creepy. They do begin a relationship which Sasha has no experience with and is clearly not ready for. Her hormones are leading the charge very inexpertly and with a guy that can read her every desire it's very awkward. Thankfully, Ben is more of a gentleman than most men and he keeps things at a slow and chaste pace until the breakup.

Sasha's biggest problem is that she can't talk. She can't remember the accident nor anything leading up to the accident including her childhood. The renowned PTSD psychiatrist working with her has had no success with her after four years. But then Sasha starts doing a few things on her own and discovers some secret notes at the crash site and fresh flowers and realizes that maybe there was another car there. She has a wonderful best friend that I would have loved to have seen more of but what I did see was someone that was loyal to a fault. This girl was very popular, head cheerleader, boyfriends by the handful, but she pushed all that away to stand beside her friend and never minded the talking machine she used. Jules never gave up on the idea that Sasha would one day get her voice back. She went on stake outs and fact finding missions with her. She was as loyal as a hound dog.

And Ben, though he had the best intentions when he broke up with Sasha, finally realizes the error of his ways. But I didn't like how all over the place he was. He seemed too good to be true, but then he played with Sasha's emotions.
But he did come through in the clutch. And his mother was a wonderful healer for Sasha and mother figure for her.

In all, I really enjoyed the book except for the fact that attempted rapes aren't reported as I've seen in several other books. Why? I think this encourages girls to keep silent. NO! Speak out. Don't stay quiet. It really bothers me that the police didn't get involved although some revenge was exacted upon them. The mystery part of the story lead somewhere I hadn't even thought about so that part was well done. I hadn't even considered that person being involved in the crash. So that was a complete surprise. And again, this one is a nail biter to the very last sentence.

I'd recommend this one to contemporary readers that don't mind a dash of magic with their romances. All the questions about sex and flirting and relationships with the opposite sex were difficult for even me to answer so I felt Sasha's angst. And I could only imagine her pain at the loss she suffered. In all it was a solid story, just a few pet peeves touched on.

Definitely for a mature YA reader as a lot of focus on sex.

I received a copy of this novel from Merit Press through NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review. ( )

(This review was originally posted at My Library in the Making.)

They say laughter is the best medicine, but what if—aside from a few huffs of air—you couldn’t even laugh?

That’s Sasha’s life, post-accident—the accident that had taken her family and her voice. After four years of psychotherapy, she still suffered from hysterical mutism and retrograde amnesia, and had to choose between pen and paper or her Hawkie Talkie to communicate with others... well, that was until Ben Fisher, cute black-belter and Italian-speaking mind-reader, came complete with nunchucks to save her.

I have to say, I certainly didn’t expect Louder Than Words to be such a fun read. Sure, Sasha was mute and had little memory of her life before the accident, but she wasn’t too down on herself. She was hopeless but positive. I doubt I’m making any sense here, but I really understood her outlook in life because it’s pretty much mine, too.

Now, on to Ben freaking Fisher. I admit, he reminded me of Edward Cullen more than once—probably because of the mind-reading, Roman-god-looks, maturity, and out-of-the-blue chastity—but aside from his special talent, he was very much human. And very much swoon-worthy.

Although it frustrated me (a lot), I liked how Ben prioritized Sasha’s mental health over their relationship, knowing she would never be whole without fully understanding her past, and I liked it even more that, instead of wallowing in grief, Sasha concentrated on getting better.

With the perfect balance of giggles and I’m-suspecting-everyone mystery, Louder Than Words was the complete package, and I would love to pick it up again soon.

MY FAVORITE PART was Sasha and Ben’s date in the city. Swooooooooon. ( )