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A review by clymistra
Stronger Than Words by Paula Stokes
3.0
Review of the manuscript uploaded on swoonreads.
This manuscript was a bit of a mixed bag for me. For starters, as a lifelong resident of the Willamette valley I always get excited when I find Oregon rep in literature, especially when the author is familiar with the area, as [a:Paula Stokes|6549373|Paula Stokes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1408899676p2/6549373.jpg] clearly is. I really enjoyed all the name dropping of actual places in the Portland Metro Area and, though I've never personally been big on Portland myself, Ms. Stokes very clearly and articulately captured the feel of living in that city.
Secondly, I really connected with Mackenzie's struggles to learn how to speak again. While I have never suffered anything close to a stroke, I have struggled with a speech impediment since childhood so I know how frustrating it can been when you can't always express your thoughts in as articulate or as timely a manner as your peers. Also, it's evident that Ms. Stokes put a lot of time into researching strokes and the kinds of rehabilitation stroke patients go through on their path to recovery which ultimately lends credence to the believability and flow of the overall narrative.
One trivial thing I liked: Wheels enjoying car rides. For many years I was the proud owner of an orange and cream tabby who loved to go on car rides. I've never encountered an instance of a cat enjoying car rides in a work of fiction so it was a pleasant surprise to read about a cat so similar to one I used to own.
There were a few things, however, that didn't work for me in this book. One of them being, minor inconsistencies in the plot. In one chapter, for example, Mackenzie mentions that Dalton dropped her off at home after returning from a trip to the vet. The very next chapter, which takes place a day later, however, Dalton texts her asking her where she lives so he will know where to pick her up - something he should already know. There are also minor things that I feel were never fully explained to the reader - why did Mackenzie feel like she had to do all 120 hours of community service before her meeting with the board when the judge gave her till the end of the year to complete her service hours? How did Dalton know she had a stroke? Did Rosa tell him before he met Mackenzie? Did he make an educated guess after googling medical conditions online? And why were there never any other volunteers at the animal rescue center aside from Dalton? Since Mackenzie volunteers on the weekends, and most people are off work/off school on the weekends, one would assume there would be at least a few other volunteers helping out at the center when Mackenzie is there. Again, it's never really clear. I assume if this book ever gets picked up for publication, a decent editor would point out the inconsistencies and areas that aren't totally clear and they would suggest minor edits to those segments.
My biggest issue with the text, however, is with the characterizations of some of the characters. For starters, let's look at Cheyenne. She is arguably the most fleshed-out/ well-written character in the book. However, this strength is also a bit of a weakness unfortunately as pretty much all the other characters pale in comparison to her. As at least one other reviewer pointed out, the mother, in particular suffers from Cheyenne being such a strong character. The majority of the time Cheyenne came across as being more adult/mature/rational than the mother, which was extremely unfortunate. Given that Mackenzie didn't really have any friends during the course of the novel, I think that it would have had worked better if Cheyenne's characteristics (her love of volunteering, political activism, vegetarianism, etc.) had been transplanted onto another character, perhaps another animal shelter volunteer, who Mackenzie could interact with on a regular basis/befriend.
On a similar note, let's look at Simi, the only friend of Mackenzie's that we ever meet over the course the summer. I was really disappointed by Simi's treatment or lack there of throughout the course of the book. First mentioned in the first few pages of the book, she quickly disappears from the text by around the 20-25% mark only to reappear from the abyss around the 80-85% mark for a brief moment to reveal some critical info to Mackenzie. She then promptly disappears again. It occurred to me while reading that this character was clearly a plot device and not a 'true' character. In my opinion, a reader should never feel that a character is superfluous and serves no purpose except to help move the plot forward and yet this description fits Simi to a tee. As stated above, I would have liked to see Mackenzie have at least one true, well-fleshed out friend over the course of the novel - perhaps Simi could fill this role one day with some creative re-envisioning of her place in the overall novel as either a school friend or a new acquaintance at the animal rescue center.
Lastly, let's talk about Dalton. As much as I liked Dalton, I couldn't help but think he was just a slightly more insecure version of Jordy from Ms. Stokes' earlier work [b:Girl Against the Universe|22297294|Girl Against the Universe|Paula Stokes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460011581l/22297294._SY75_.jpg|41685437]. Both boys come from affluent families (both boys comment that their parents' are really the one's paying for food they buy for the McGuire and Mackenzie), their houses are described very similarly (big screen TVs in multiple rooms of the house, a very big clean and orderly home that Mackenzie and McGuire are afraid to mess up/make dirty), their parents (especially their mothers) are described very similarly (wanting to control their sons' lives, critical of their sons wanting to get involved with McGuire and Mackenzie), and both boys being a bit hesitant to express to their parents what they really want in life. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Dalton and I really liked Jordy when I read [b:Girl Against the Universe|22297294|Girl Against the Universe|Paula Stokes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460011581l/22297294._SY75_.jpg|41685437]. However, I just wish Dalton was a more unique character and didn't fall back on the same tropes Ms. Stokes explored previously in her earlier work. Again, with some creative rewrites, I think Dalton could be a truly special and unique character and not just a less confident, shyer shade of Jordy.
One trivial thing I didn't like: what is up with the cover? Two teens huddled under an umbrella in the rain? This book takes place in the summer - the one time of year you are pretty much guaranteed to not to need an umbrella in the otherwise notoriously rainy pacific northwest.
My final thoughts: [a:Paula Stokes|6549373|Paula Stokes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1408899676p2/6549373.jpg] is a talented author in the YA verse. Her characters come across as actual teens and not as an adult trying to sound like a teen. I have enjoyed several of her previous works, particularly [b:Girl Against the Universe|22297294|Girl Against the Universe|Paula Stokes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460011581l/22297294._SY75_.jpg|41685437]. While I had my issues with this book, overall, it was an enjoyable read. With some edits, I think it could become an even stronger piece. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
This manuscript was a bit of a mixed bag for me. For starters, as a lifelong resident of the Willamette valley I always get excited when I find Oregon rep in literature, especially when the author is familiar with the area, as [a:Paula Stokes|6549373|Paula Stokes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1408899676p2/6549373.jpg] clearly is. I really enjoyed all the name dropping of actual places in the Portland Metro Area and, though I've never personally been big on Portland myself, Ms. Stokes very clearly and articulately captured the feel of living in that city.
Secondly, I really connected with Mackenzie's struggles to learn how to speak again. While I have never suffered anything close to a stroke, I have struggled with a speech impediment since childhood so I know how frustrating it can been when you can't always express your thoughts in as articulate or as timely a manner as your peers. Also, it's evident that Ms. Stokes put a lot of time into researching strokes and the kinds of rehabilitation stroke patients go through on their path to recovery which ultimately lends credence to the believability and flow of the overall narrative.
One trivial thing I liked: Wheels enjoying car rides. For many years I was the proud owner of an orange and cream tabby who loved to go on car rides. I've never encountered an instance of a cat enjoying car rides in a work of fiction so it was a pleasant surprise to read about a cat so similar to one I used to own.
There were a few things, however, that didn't work for me in this book. One of them being, minor inconsistencies in the plot. In one chapter, for example, Mackenzie mentions that Dalton dropped her off at home after returning from a trip to the vet. The very next chapter, which takes place a day later, however, Dalton texts her asking her where she lives so he will know where to pick her up - something he should already know. There are also minor things that I feel were never fully explained to the reader - why did Mackenzie feel like she had to do all 120 hours of community service before her meeting with the board when the judge gave her till the end of the year to complete her service hours? How did Dalton know she had a stroke? Did Rosa tell him before he met Mackenzie? Did he make an educated guess after googling medical conditions online? And why were there never any other volunteers at the animal rescue center aside from Dalton? Since Mackenzie volunteers on the weekends, and most people are off work/off school on the weekends, one would assume there would be at least a few other volunteers helping out at the center when Mackenzie is there. Again, it's never really clear. I assume if this book ever gets picked up for publication, a decent editor would point out the inconsistencies and areas that aren't totally clear and they would suggest minor edits to those segments.
My biggest issue with the text, however, is with the characterizations of some of the characters. For starters, let's look at Cheyenne. She is arguably the most fleshed-out/ well-written character in the book. However, this strength is also a bit of a weakness unfortunately as pretty much all the other characters pale in comparison to her. As at least one other reviewer pointed out, the mother, in particular suffers from Cheyenne being such a strong character. The majority of the time Cheyenne came across as being more adult/mature/rational than the mother, which was extremely unfortunate. Given that Mackenzie didn't really have any friends during the course of the novel, I think that it would have had worked better if Cheyenne's characteristics (her love of volunteering, political activism, vegetarianism, etc.) had been transplanted onto another character, perhaps another animal shelter volunteer, who Mackenzie could interact with on a regular basis/befriend.
On a similar note, let's look at Simi, the only friend of Mackenzie's that we ever meet over the course the summer. I was really disappointed by Simi's treatment or lack there of throughout the course of the book. First mentioned in the first few pages of the book, she quickly disappears from the text by around the 20-25% mark only to reappear from the abyss around the 80-85% mark for a brief moment to reveal some critical info to Mackenzie. She then promptly disappears again. It occurred to me while reading that this character was clearly a plot device and not a 'true' character. In my opinion, a reader should never feel that a character is superfluous and serves no purpose except to help move the plot forward and yet this description fits Simi to a tee. As stated above, I would have liked to see Mackenzie have at least one true, well-fleshed out friend over the course of the novel - perhaps Simi could fill this role one day with some creative re-envisioning of her place in the overall novel as either a school friend or a new acquaintance at the animal rescue center.
Lastly, let's talk about Dalton. As much as I liked Dalton, I couldn't help but think he was just a slightly more insecure version of Jordy from Ms. Stokes' earlier work [b:Girl Against the Universe|22297294|Girl Against the Universe|Paula Stokes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460011581l/22297294._SY75_.jpg|41685437]. Both boys come from affluent families (both boys comment that their parents' are really the one's paying for food they buy for the McGuire and Mackenzie), their houses are described very similarly (big screen TVs in multiple rooms of the house, a very big clean and orderly home that Mackenzie and McGuire are afraid to mess up/make dirty), their parents (especially their mothers) are described very similarly (wanting to control their sons' lives, critical of their sons wanting to get involved with McGuire and Mackenzie), and both boys being a bit hesitant to express to their parents what they really want in life. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Dalton and I really liked Jordy when I read [b:Girl Against the Universe|22297294|Girl Against the Universe|Paula Stokes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460011581l/22297294._SY75_.jpg|41685437]. However, I just wish Dalton was a more unique character and didn't fall back on the same tropes Ms. Stokes explored previously in her earlier work. Again, with some creative rewrites, I think Dalton could be a truly special and unique character and not just a less confident, shyer shade of Jordy.
One trivial thing I didn't like: what is up with the cover? Two teens huddled under an umbrella in the rain? This book takes place in the summer - the one time of year you are pretty much guaranteed to not to need an umbrella in the otherwise notoriously rainy pacific northwest.
My final thoughts: [a:Paula Stokes|6549373|Paula Stokes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1408899676p2/6549373.jpg] is a talented author in the YA verse. Her characters come across as actual teens and not as an adult trying to sound like a teen. I have enjoyed several of her previous works, particularly [b:Girl Against the Universe|22297294|Girl Against the Universe|Paula Stokes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460011581l/22297294._SY75_.jpg|41685437]. While I had my issues with this book, overall, it was an enjoyable read. With some edits, I think it could become an even stronger piece. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.