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readwithkiekie's review against another edition
3.0
Silence was one of the very first books I ever read on Wattpad. But it's so great seeing the improvement and changes to the published version.
Silence is an important story that showcases the life of a mute teenage girl who just wants to escape her life and find someone who will love her. And while the story itself is cliché and predictable at times, I can't help but love the characters for all their flaws. And for me that's one of the things Natasha does well: her characters are realistically flawed people floating about in a world trying to find out who they are and who they want to be.
A great read for anyone wanting to get into Contemporaries.
Silence is an important story that showcases the life of a mute teenage girl who just wants to escape her life and find someone who will love her. And while the story itself is cliché and predictable at times, I can't help but love the characters for all their flaws. And for me that's one of the things Natasha does well: her characters are realistically flawed people floating about in a world trying to find out who they are and who they want to be.
A great read for anyone wanting to get into Contemporaries.
astraia_sun's review against another edition
4.0
Engaging story and characters, but there were some gaps that I would have liked to know about, especially with what happens near the end when we're only in Cole's chapter. However, I really enjoyed it and I couldn't put it down.
lauhunya's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I read this book at the recommendation of a friend. She said it broke her heart and made her cry. While this book was sad, I was hoping the reveal would've been sooner than 30 pages before the end. I was bored reading it and couldn't wait to finish it. This was just not for me and I will not be reading the sequel.
mbfeeney's review against another edition
3.0
Reading the synopsis of this book, I ad a feeling what the main theme of the story was going to be, and I wasn't wrong. It had the potential to be an amazing book because of that theme, but sadly, for me at least, it fell a little short of the mark.
While Preston dealt with the subject of selective mutism in a fantastic and sensitive way, but the character of Oakley herself never felt fully formed. I understand she was only fifteen, but she seemed younger than that to me. Cole was a bit better, but not much. He was supposed to be seventeen, and the way he spoke reflected that, but now and then he seemed younger also. It wasn't anything in particular either of them did, it was some of the language Preston used. It was often younger than it needed to be.
I loved the friendship between Oakley and Cole, and his acceptance of her as she is. This aspect was by far my favourite part of the story - couple with their relationships with their siblings. Oakley's mum was constantly trying to repair her broken daughter, and that often took over her love for her.
The bullying in the school was well done also, but the character of Julian confused me. He bullied her, yet what? He felt like a bit of an 'add on' - a character given to the readers for someone to hate, but without much substance.
The pacing of the book was very slow - until the final 3-4 chapters. Then it went by too fast. The balance wasn't quite there, and more than once I was tempted to put it down, but I wanted to know if I was right about my suspicions.
However, the ending... that came out of left field completely. I understood the reasoning behind it, but I would have preferred it be told from Oakley's point of view rather than Cole's to give it more depth and to help the readers understand the thought process behind it.
I will read the rest in the series, simply because I want to see these characters improve and grow, but I'm not in a rush to grab them just yet.
While Preston dealt with the subject of selective mutism in a fantastic and sensitive way, but the character of Oakley herself never felt fully formed. I understand she was only fifteen, but she seemed younger than that to me. Cole was a bit better, but not much. He was supposed to be seventeen, and the way he spoke reflected that, but now and then he seemed younger also. It wasn't anything in particular either of them did, it was some of the language Preston used. It was often younger than it needed to be.
I loved the friendship between Oakley and Cole, and his acceptance of her as she is. This aspect was by far my favourite part of the story - couple with their relationships with their siblings. Oakley's mum was constantly trying to repair her broken daughter, and that often took over her love for her.
The bullying in the school was well done also, but the character of Julian confused me. He bullied her, yet what? He felt like a bit of an 'add on' - a character given to the readers for someone to hate, but without much substance.
The pacing of the book was very slow - until the final 3-4 chapters. Then it went by too fast. The balance wasn't quite there, and more than once I was tempted to put it down, but I wanted to know if I was right about my suspicions.
However, the ending... that came out of left field completely. I understood the reasoning behind it, but I would have preferred it be told from Oakley's point of view rather than Cole's to give it more depth and to help the readers understand the thought process behind it.
I will read the rest in the series, simply because I want to see these characters improve and grow, but I'm not in a rush to grab them just yet.
payt_corn's review against another edition
5.0
I have read this book so many times and I still fall in love with there love story over and over again, I love Oakley and Cole's friendship that ends up turning into a epic love story. I love how protective Cole is over Oakley and that even thought he is frustrated that Oakley won't tell her why she no longer talks and how much he wants to know the reason behind it he still loves her the same way and never looks at her differently and is still her best friend. The ending is intense, when she called Cole and tells him she needs help and speaks for the first time in 11 years. I love this book and mostly likely will read again.
evermoreliterary's review against another edition
1.0
I was hopeful for this book...but it was kind of a let down. The whole book i was waiting for her to admit the problem..and then when she finally did.. the reactions were just painful to read. And the ending is so sudden its ridiculously unbelievable.. I hate to write a bad review but really.. you can skip this one.
Had potential, failed to execute. Biggest downfall is the ending.
Had potential, failed to execute. Biggest downfall is the ending.
anafran03's review against another edition
1.0
WAR IS OVER!!!!!!!! I read this cuz it was free on iBooks but it turned out to quite costly to my mental health. I’d like to thank God for getting me through too many years of this “book”. It would get 0 stars but Jasper was a decent character I would rather hear more about him.
rowangazdewich's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0