Review: WHAT I DIDN'T SAY by Keary Taylor

WHAT I DIDN'T SAY
by Keary Taylor
pub date 5/11/2012


product description from goodreads.com


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. 

My Review:

If you've never heard of Keary Taylor, you're truly missing out. Keary has the ability to draw you into her novels from the first page and keep you glued to her words until the very end. And WHAT I DIDN'T SAY is no exception--a haunting tale of loss and love that wouldn't let me go until the last word (I read it in only a few hours!)

WIDS tells the story of Jake, a high school senior looking forward to leaving his island home and joining the Air Force. Jake first appears as a typical high school teen, his life filled with sports and hanging with friends. But we quickly learn that he is far from normal. He hides (not very well, lol) an unrequited love for fellow classmate Samantha, whom he has pined over since the first day he laid eyes on her. In fact, it is Sam who sets this beautiful story into motion when Jake--drunk on his love for her as well as too many beers-- and his friends are in a horrible accident because he is desperate to tell her how he feels.

From that moment, Jake's life is forever changed. No longer able to speak, Jake cannot help but dwell on the things he didn't say to Sam before the accident--mainly that he loves her. The rest of the novel is filled with poignant insight into Jake's thoughts and beautiful notes shared between the two. 

Sam isn't without her own issues, however, harboring a secret that nearly destroys both she and Jake. But in the end, the love they have for each other proves strong enough to withstand even the toughest of trials.

My Rating:

I happily give WHAT I DIDN'T SAY 4 Stars, and urge all of you to pick up this book today and meet Jake and Sam, two characters that will leave an imprint on your heart and soul.