What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

TL;DR senior year after a stupid decision leaves the main character mute

(finished 8/5/15)

This is the first book that I ever got through Bookbub, which both my grandmother and my friend introduced me to. I'd been getting the emails for a while, but because I can't use Google Play and I don't have iTunes on the laptop I normally use, I figured I couldn't get the book deals. (I was wrong.) I think What I Didn't Say was one of the few books that I've actually paid for so far, getting a 99 cent deal. The rest of the books I've gotten have been free so far. 

What I Didn't Say is the first e-book I've read since we went to Alaska two years ago. The e-book system my library uses is a pain in the butt to navigate, so I only stuck with physical copies from the library until I learned the ropes with Bookbub. 

I honestly think What I Didn't Say was worth more than the 99 cents I ended up paying for it. It's not all too realistic, and some things happen a little too conveniently, but I really enjoyed reading it. (I also enjoyed the fact that I learned Orcas Island is an actual place in Washington. I love real-life settings. I wish I'd figured it out while I was reading, though.) 

The plot is almost entirely character-driven, so it's not very action-y, but I found it really interesting. The only other book I know about with a mute character is The Summer of Chasing Mermaids, which I've been dying to read. Someone on Goodreads pointed out that Will should have had other options to partially recover his ability to speak, but I'm honestly not sure how that would've worked out within the story -- Jake's family is huge, so I don't know if they'd be able to afford some of the procedures other than just saving his life.

I'm not sure much of the plot would function really well in real life, come to think of it. Samantha's plot line probably wouldn't have lasted as long as it did in the book. It functioned within the book, though. I'm glad that the book explored her family life a little bit. That happens very rarely in a lot of the books I read. It's always just focused on the love interest themselves rather than that person's life outside of the relationship. 

I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book. It was pretty chill, at least compared to some other books I've read recently (*cough* Soul Seekers series *cough*). I think Jake was probably very laid-back for a teenage boy finally getting with the girl he's been crushing on, but hey, I'm not gonna complain about that. Nothing indecent happened. I really appreciated that fact. 

It was also really interesting to me to read about the characters' senior year, since I just finished that up myself. It was a little strange when I realized partway through the book that I had already experienced what they were going through. (I'm still not older than them, though, which is kind of the funny thing.) 

I'm a little hesitant to consider What I Didn't Say a fluffy book, since it does deal with depressing topics like the aftermath of a drinking and driving accidents and a less-than-perfect home life, and I usually only consider books fluffy if they're really lighthearted. It's still a really good contemporary romance, though. 

I'm not sure if this is only an ebook or if there's a way to get your hands on a physical copy, so I'm sorry about that. I can tell you that it's available through iBooks, but the deal I got through Bookbub will probably be over with by the time this review goes up. Sorry :c

TL;DR definitely try it out if you like contemporary romance, and especially if you don't want something marshmallow-fluffy but still has a nice feel to it.