What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor (ARC)

What I Didn't Say
Keary Taylor
Pub.: April 30, 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.

You know that guy you were totally crushing on in high school? You know the one I'm talking about... The one you never had the courage to confront because you feared any type of rejection on their part would shred your heart and rip apart your very soul. Yeah...that one.

Meet Jake. Typical high school hero, and totally in love with Samantha. He began making the moves on her before last year, but with summer approaching fast, he wanted to wait until school began to ask out the girl he's loved for like forever. But come Fall, Samantha seems to brush him off. In fact, she seems to brush everyone off, and for some reason quits all her extracurricular activities and keeps to herself now. After getting drunk following the homecoming game, Jake's friends convince him to just shout it out to her already, and they leave the party and head for her house. But they don't make it. Long, tragic story short: a car accident leaves Jake's vocal chords permanently damaged. Now he'll never be able to tell Samantha he loves her.

Drinking is bad, boys and girls. Bad, bad, bad.

But with despair comes hope. The only person in the high school that can teach Jake sign language happens to be Samantha, who volunteers to be his personal study buddy in their very own class period. As happy as he is to be spending time with Samantha, Jake can't help but notice her appearance slowly degrading before his eyes. Her body is thinning and her clothes are thread-bare. As their friendship finally get backs on track, Jake learns the truth about Samantha and comes to realize the outcome of his tragic accident isn't nearly as dire as Samantha's reality.

Sigh....this was a really sweet novel, even though it's filled with tragic circumstances suffocating both characters. Jake and Samantha are both dealing with loss in their own way, and the repercussions that followed. You can tell the two characters deeply care for one another (sans stupid mistake all boys seem to make) and it's a nice, slow build to love. Be sure to check this one out when you need a nice, good love story.

Novel provided by author through NetGalley for honest review.