Book Review~What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

Title: What I Didn't Say
Author: Keary Taylor
Publisher: Self-published
Pub Date: May 11, 2012
Format: e-book
Pages: 184
Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site
Summary: Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat.

His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.

When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn't the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.

Trailer: 

Rating: 9.5/10

Source: NetGalley. Thank you so much Mrs Keary Taylor for accepting my request and letting me read your amazing book!

Cover Talk: I didn't like the cover much at first but (after reading the book) I took a closer look at it and I noticed the notebook and the handwritten font and I liked it better! I like when the cover has little details like these which match the story. 

My Thoughts: I loved this book! It was so amazing and inspiring. The cover, synopsis & trailer do not do it justice. Because after reading and watching all that, I thought it was going to be a story about a guy who loses his voice and is now trying to tell a girl he loves her. And that's it. But the story was so much more than that! It was about finding yourself. It was about being a better person. It was about being strong. And most of all, it was about being thankful for all he things you have.

I loved the story. I love books like these, which have a message. Which give you something to think about. Which make you want to change for the better. Which deal with all these issues without being boring. And Mrs Taylor was able to do that very brilliantly! Her writing is amazing.

I don't usually read books which are from a boy's POV. The only boy POV books that I've read are the ones by Nicholas Sparks and some books which are in alternating POVs like Pushing The Limits and From What I Remember. I enjoyed reading this book from Jake's POV. I could notice the differences between a book from a boy's POV and a book from girl's POV and while I definitely enjoy books from a girl's POV better, as I can relate to the feelings and emotions better, I enjoyed this too. It was a nice change :)

The characters were very well-developed. I don't know how life on an island is, but it was fun reading about it. I loved Jake's family! I live in the city and me and my siblings are pretty independent. Also the neighbors aren't that close to each other either. I like how on the island everyone was so supportive of each other and they were all like a big family.

I liked all the characters in the book. Jake had really good friends, Rain and Carter. And I really liked Samantha. I especially liked Jordan, Jake's sister, and how supportive she was of him. Sam's and Jake's romance was so sweet! Jake was a real gentleman. ;) 

Sam's and Kali's stories were really touching too. I won't spoil the book for you, but I gotta say I did not see the Sam part coming. And I think it's the most important part of the story, as it changes Jake for the better. I love how Sam and Jake gave each other hope. I'll shut up now or else I might spill a spoiler :P

Overall, this book was really good. It didn't hit the 5 mark for me but it was really close. I would definitely check out other books by Keary. A fact here, this book was somewhat inspired by a real experience. I'll let you read more about it in the author's note at the end of the book. BTW I'm so glad the author added the author's note in the end!

Favorite Quotes: This book was filled with inspiring quotes! Here are a few of them:

“Yet I knew this was one of those experiences for me that made you grow as a person. This was one of those times that made you put things in perspective and appreciate everything you had.” 

“But I had become a different person. One who looked at things in a new way. I appreciated life a whole lot more than I had last year.” 

“It was perfect moments like that that made all the bad ones worth living through.”

“What I didn’t say before no longer mattered. We had the entire future before us to say everything else.” 

“It would have been really easy to spiral down into drugs or alcohol that year, for both of us. But instead we were there, together. We’d taken all the bad things that had happened to us and turned them around into something good and bigger than the two of us.” 

About The Author: 

Keary Taylor grew up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night.

Also by Keary Taylor
FALL OF ANGELS
Branded
Forsaken
Vindicated
Afterlife: a Fall of Angels novelette
EDEN

To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com

Extras: As an extra I'll share with you the theme song of What I Didn't Say (as said by the author), Somebody Wishes They Were You by Adelita's Way: