REVIEW What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

What I Didn't Say
by Keary Taylor
May 11, 2012

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.

This is a self-pub that I received for review from Netgalley. I wanted to read it as soon as I read the summary, but wasn't sure if I'd get the chance because of my never-ending to-read pile. I figured I'd squeeze it in sometime between my other reads, but wasn't holding out a lot of hope of getting to it.

But for some reason, I just kept thinking about the summary and how much I was drawn to it, and when I got home today I just couldn't stop myself. I curled up with my eReader and started reading.

I read this thing straight through, and I'd just like to tell you...it was adorable!

Jake, the main character, has been in love with Samantha for years, ever since she moved to the island in freshman year. He's admired her from afar--he's a jock, she's a brain, and he's never gotten up the courage to ask her out, or to tell her how he feels. He's been pining. (It's adorable).

And then one night, after getting drunk with his buddies at a party, he decides he's going to tell her (well, really he's egged into it by his friends, who are as drunk as he is) and he and his friends pile into the car and head over so he can finally do it. Except along the way they get into a car accident, and Jake's life is changed forever. He wakes up days later in the hospital and is told that a pole went through his throat in the accident, and his vocal cords have been destroyed.

Jake is bitter, depressed, and more alone than he has ever felt in his life. And it's only then that he starts getting close to Samantha, and learns that her life is full of secrets.

This was such a cute read. I loved Jake and how genuine he was.

My only complaint with the book is that there were a handful of spelling mistakes scattered throughout (I'm a little OCD about things like that, so it kind of drove me crazy at times) but other than that, this was a wholly enjoyable read.

Happy Reading!

-geekgirl