7.59k reviews for:

Speak

Laurie Halse Anderson

4.02 AVERAGE

gwyneira's review against another edition

5.0

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Melinda is starting a new year at school, but not in a good way: at an end-of-summer party, she called the cops and got everyone busted. It's not just that, though; something happened at that party that Melinda doesn't even want to think, let alone speak, about. I thought this was amazingly well written. The style is trenchant and darkly funny, and the sarcastic Melinda is a memorable heroine. I can't say that I was terribly surprised by her secret, but the gradual reveal was handled well.

maria_vg's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

aminarbrown2's review against another edition

5.0

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When I first started reading Speak I thought "Hey, the girl has problems....I'm gonna like this book" and I LOVED Speak it's just a novel you don't forget.

midn1ghtvicky_'s review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

bananajo's review against another edition

4.0

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I avoided this book for a long time, but I finally read it when someone gifted it to me. And I think that it's also important to read something that my students might be reading. It's sometimes a difficult book to read, but I do think that it's important as well.

(August 2025)

meganori's review against another edition

4.0

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A powerful ya novel

liesjestr's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

nina_capo4's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional sad

mholbrook1210's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

raeoflight5's review against another edition

4.5

emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated