Louder Than Words

by Laurie Plissner

The debut novel of an American original, Laurie Plissner's is both medical thriller and lyric love story in the tradition of magical realism

Since the snowy night when her family's car slammed into a tree, killing her parents and little sister, Sasha has been unable to speak except through a computer with a robotic voice. Nothing is wrong with her body; that's healed. But, after four years, Sasha's memory, and her spirit, are still broken. Then one day, she's silently cussing out the heavy book she dropped at the library when a gorgeous, dark-haired boy, the kind of boy who considers Sasha a freak or at least invisible, "answers" Sasha's hidden thoughts -- out loud. Yes, Ben can read minds; it's no big deal. He's part of a family with a host of unusual, almost-but-not-quite-supernatural talents. Through Ben's love, Sasha makes greater progress than she has with a host of therapists and a prominent psychiatrist. With him to defend her, bullies keep the world from ever understanding Sasha, he pulls away. Determined to win him and prove her courage by facing her past, Sasha confronts her past -- only to learn that her family's death was no accident and that a similar fate may wait for her, in the unlikeliest of disguises.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery, Fantasy, Fiction

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 18, 2012

About the author

Laurie Plissner, author of Louder Than Words, is a Princeton- and UCLA-educated litigator. She gave up the courtroom for life as a full-time mom, although she could not overrule her love of literature. She lives with her husband and two teenagers. This is her first novel.

Reviews

[jv poore · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a cool, and very sneaky book! It begins with our main character, Sasha, reliving a terrible accident that ripped her from a normal life; leaving her a shell of a person, with no parents or siblings, no childhood memories, and no voice. As if the perils of adolescent aren’t challenging enough, Sasha uses a “speak box” to communicate.

Before too much sympathy can be evoked, we learn that Sasha chooses to use the robot-voice on her voice box, rather than trying out the human-esque voice choices. Despite being an adorable teenager, she balks at fashion, existing in sweats and tees.

Like it or not, she attracts attention. As she walks home from the library one evening, four male classmates surround her. It can’t be good. Enter our amazingly dreamy male lead, Ben. Well, technically, he entered at the library about an hour ago, but this is more dramatic. Not only is he hot, but he happens to be on his way to martial arts class. Through a few well-placed punches and kicks, he convinces the boys to move on.

Oh, okay, it is going to be a romance….I’m down with that. Of course Sasha and Ben are immediately attracted to each other, when it becomes clear that Ben has an extra ability, above and beyond his black belt. Ah, intrigue…..this is going to be more than a romance!

As Sasha finally begins to live again, memories begin to surface. Was the car wreck really an accident? Of course, slick roads, going too fast, it made sense; but didn’t feel right. Sasha risks a visit to the crash site to find white tulips and very bad poetry. The remnants of older bouquets are there, as are more cryptic notes. No. Not an accident. Someone tried to kill her entire family. But, why? Now that Sasha knows, won’t she be targeted?

Aha! We have a mystery. This story keeps giving. The tumultuous journey to unravel the mysteries is absolutely riveting. Now, you won’t be able to put the book down. It’s okay, it’s totally worth it. Skip your chores and finish the book right now.

While, I (clearly) enjoyed this book, there is one thing I feel I would be remiss if I left out. Sasha and her best friend speak rather frankly about sex—not actually having sex, just the stuff a typical teen would find in a Cosmo; however, it is enough (in my humble opinion) to leave out a younger audience. Without the sex-talk, I would easily recommend this to young teens. I would even suggest it for Middle School, Jr. High and High School libraries; but with the sexual language, I feel that I can really only recommend it to high-school students. This makes me sad, because it is such an amazing story, and I really didn’t feel that those conversations added anything.

[Kath McStay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner is a fun and fast paced read. To call Sasha, the main character in this story a sassy young girl would seem somewhat unusual, considering that she is unable to speak. We begin the story when she turns thirteen, and wakes in a hospital with her Aunt Charlotte at her side. Sasha has no idea where she is or why, because as hard as she tries, she can't remember why she is in the hospital. Her main concern in those first moments are for her family. She senses something has happened, but can't remember what. To find her mother's sister at her bedside instead of her mother is somehow not right. Sasha wants answers, and she wants them fast. This is when she finds that she is unable to speak. She opens her mouth to question Charlotte and nothing comes out. The inability to speak is a shock to Charlotte as well, and as she hurries to find paper and pencils for Sasha, a doctor comes in and things begin to happen in a hurry. There is no time for Charlotte to explain to her niece what has happened. Sasha doesn't know that she is the only survivor of a car crash that took the lives of both of her parents and her slightly older sister. No idea, until one of the doctors investigating her muteness inadvertently lets it slip.

The news is almost unbearable. But there is no way to turn back the clock and make the accident not happen.The only choice is to move forward. Since she suffered no apparent physical injuries, and there was no physical injury to her throat, vocal chords or larynx, Sasha's inability to speak at all was diagnosed as Hysterical Mutism. This disorder is most commonly found in children and adolescents after a traumatic event. In some cases, like Sasha's, the young person is unable to speak at all. In other cases, it is possible for the affected person to speak to specific and well trusted person within their circle of friends or family. Sasha learns to communicate with a voice synthesizing device, which she calls her Hawkie Talkie, as it is the same sort of device that the famous physicist Stephen Hawking uses.

Charlotte and her husband Stuart welcome Sasha into their family, they love and cherish her and do everything in their power to help her to find her voice again. According to all the experts, it is simply a matter of getting past the traumatic moment in whatever way it is possible to do so. But for Sasha, with no real memories of the accident, and not feeling the need to seek those memories, four years pass with no success. She is a studious and mostly quiet girl with a best friend called Jules, who has stood strong by her side from the days they were toddlers, through the accident and beyond. Sasha does have a difficult side, and this emerges through inappropriate behavior in school which often lands her in the midst of what you might call a bad crowd, as she is often sittin in detention. Unfortunately, it is there that she comes to the attention of some unruly jocks who learn her after school routine. Despite her school time behaviors, Sasha's favorite place to spend her time out of school is the library. One day she is joined in her little corner of the library by a good looking boy, and that moment has a momentous affect on the next part of her life.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book due to the fact it features a disabled heroine: a young girl with hysterical (selective) muteness. Due to a car crash in which she lost her parents and sister, PTSD has rendered her speechless.

Wanting to keep people at bay, she uses a robotic voice, drawing lots of backlash and Stephen Hawkings jokes--even from teachers. She's an outcast, a misfit. I understood and sympathized with her.

And she has an incredibly LOL sarcastic humor and wit. I loved it and was all set to give this book a five 'til the hero really entered the picture.

At first I was perturbed by the "I can read your mind" thing. It was just too convenient. Personally, I would have preferred he love her, ROBOT VOICE AND ALL, than be able to talk to her without it. How do we know he really cares for her? After all, she can just telepath her thoughts. Would he love her so much if she was using her hawkie talkie every ten minutes?

Then, he did the inexcusable in my eyes. He told her he wouldn't be with her until she talks again. I don't care if it's selective muteness, she has a disability, and you must accept her for how she is. That would be like my husband telling me "I don't want to be with you until you can hear." I'm deaf. Hello? How rude.

I enjoyed the coming of age tale, the heroine's wit, the mystery of her the car crash, but I did not enjoy or like the boyfriend. Yea, yea, he claims he didn't want to hinder her healing, but I never bought it.

So I both liked and didn't like this. I think a YA book should tell teenagers it's okay to be different. It's okay to be mute, deaf, crippled, whatever. Don't try to change yourself for anyone else. But this book to me sent the other and the wrong message: change so you can have a boyfriend!

I still enjoyed it overall, though.

[C.G. Worrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this book in two days on my Kindle.

Seventeen-year-old Sasha is still mute four years after the tragic death of her family in an auto accident. She has one friend and can only communicate via a voice synthesizer. As you can imagine, high school is a living hell for this girl. When she's saved from gang rape by a mysterious boy named Ben, Sasha is surprised to learn that he can actually read her mind...and what a witty sarcastic mind it is! I enjoyed going along for the ride as Sasha develops a relationship with Ben and revels in her first romance. When Ben eventually decides they must separate for Sasha to recover her voice, the stage is set for Sasha to unravel the truth behind the accident that claimed the lives of her family.

Laurie Plissner's debut novel is a fast-paced medical-thriller/teen romance that will keep you turning pages. The premise, writing style, internal dialogue, and sexual tension are great. I notice that the story has been criticized for the degree of sexuality, however no lines are actually crossed. I think it's an honest representation of what many high school teens discuss and think about.

My only criticism is a perceived plot hole: I wanted to see the four bullies get their just desserts. I can understand Sasha's reasons for keeping quiet about the attempted rape, but I wanted to see the jocks get nailed for drug trafficking, versus Ben just alluding to it.

On the whole, "Louder Than Words" is an explosive debut novel with a strong voice (no pun intended). I look forward to reading future YA works by Ms. Plissner. Kudos!

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating - 3.5

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is one of those books that I read at the wrong time. I was hyper-sensitive to almost everything that happened in this book and took issue with many items.

First of all, there are 2 very aggressive and more titillating than is necessary sexual assault scenes. As I've stated many times, I am not anti-sex, but there is a time and a place for these kinds of incidents. This book didn't need it and it was far more graphic than the scene required. Another issue I had stemmed from these scenes because the female in question was completely helpless, forcing her would-be love interest into a "white knight" role. Again, not necessary & actually damaging to the character's character. Even worse, her best friend AGREED with her not to get the police involved. Encouraging that kind of behavior is just ridiculous. Sexual assault is something taken far too lightly, especially among teens (that whole "boys will be boys" adage).

Furthermore, the portrayal of psychiatry in this book is abysmal. As if it's not hard enough to convince someone to go to therapy for the help they desperately need, this book twists that relationship into a manipulative, ego-driven way. I also felt like the ending was very immediate. We were following a trail of clues to figure out what really happened the night of the accident and within the space of just a few pages BAM it's all over. It was definitely very abrupt, with a sense of confusion.

Now, all that being said, I did enjoy the mystery elements of the story. Sasha's hysterical mutism is a fascinating medical anomaly that I've never seen used in such a unique way. Even better are the different ways she communicates & how her attitude shows. You'd be amazed at the incredible power of words once you've lost the ability to use them.

I also really enjoyed Plissner's writing style. The banter among characters and the attention paid to the details was well done. The word and events were quite convincing and helped me to move past the glaring flaws that lurked around every corner.

Overall I'd rate this one a pretty big dud. Fortunately this is the author's first book and she shows some promising talents. I hope that she can tidy up her closure & reevaluate her portrayal of certain instances. While not a "not to be missed" title, it's worth a read if you can move past the issues outlined above.

[Wendy Hines · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I found the premise to be totally unique and I loved reading everything from Sasha's perspective. She does have spunk, which comes through in her own mind, and occasionally though her voice box. The voice box basically works like this: she has a keyboard that she types what she wants to say and then a microphone thing speaks it. The only thing is, her's is set to the voice of a male renowned scientist. It's a bit off-putting.

Anyways, she doesn't remember anything of her life before the accident, and even though their is nothing wrong with her physically, she can't speak. She goes to a therapist to work on different issues but after four years, nothing has worked. When a handsome boy helps save her from being accosted, she is stunned when he can read her mind. She finally feels like someone can hear HER and not just her words. Although she and Ben fall head over heels together, he decides she needs to find herself and her voice, he breaks up with her, but he's always waiting and watching.

Determined to get Ben back, Sasha immediately gets to work, even as she nurtures a broken heart. With the help of her best friend Jules, they try to go back to that fateful winter day of the accident, only what they find out isn't what they expected at all. It wasn't an accident at all, but can Sasha remember what happened before she's next?

I loved this book but I did have a few concerns with it. It's geared toward young adults, but there is alot of heaving petting and sex talk in this book. I would suggest a mature teen audience, like seventeen and up! Also, there is quite a bit of swearing and two scenes of bullies trying to have forced sexual favors. I definitely wouldn't want my teenager to read this, and she's sixteen. The other concern I had was the font. Silly, I know. But when Sasha is speaking through her voicebox, all the words are capitalized, which is very off-putting. When she's writing, it's all bold and cursive and when she's talking to Ben in her head, it's italicized. It's really hard to get used to all of the fonts and figuring how what's going on with the who and the what. All in all, though, I enjoyed the premise and although I figured out who the killer was, I was surprised with the why.

[Kristy Sartain · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://whisperingprettystories.weebly...

Wow! I haven't cried so much while reading a book since Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks.

Sasha is the only survivor of a car crash that killed her parents and older sister. It happened when she was 13. She is now 17, lives with her aunt (her mother's sister) and uncle, and hasn't been able to speak since the wreck. She uses an electronic talking device where she types in what she wants to say and it speaks for her. Sasha has successfully alienated almost everyone she goes to school with except her best friend, Jules.

Sasha has gone to therapy with Dr. O since the wreck and still hasn't regained memories of her life before, the accident, or her voice.

Then Ben walked into her life. Wow. Ben. *dreamy sigh* I kept waiting for him to be a figment of Sasha's imagination or a ghost from another era. He is so perfect in every way.

The only complaint I have about this book, and it's a big one, is that Sasha didn't report the incident that brought Ben into her life. I'm very upset about that. Okay, maybe one more. What is up with Ben's parents? Is there a sequel coming soon that explains them? Ben told Sasha they had special gifts like he did, but their gifts never materialized in this story.

Overall, I really liked this book. I can't wait for it to be published so I can try to get it for my library. I'm not usually a fan of contemporary books, but this one had *just* enough paranormal for me to be able to get into it.

I will recommend this book to students who devour Nicholas Sparks novels.

[Viviane Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sasha’s world came to a screeching halt on the night when a devastating accident killed her parents and younger sister. Sasha can’t remember a thing that happened that night. All she knows is that she’s been unable to speak since that awful night!
A famous psychiatrist who has practiced around the world seems unable to make any progress with Sasha. But now her attention is distracted by a young fellow student she meets. Ben has the uncanny ability to read the minds of people he is close to in physical space. It’s unnerving to say the least and yet Ben’s gentle revelations of Sasha’s thoughts begin to make her face what a private hell she’s created for herself by constantly focusing on her inability to communicate.
The challenge Ben springs on Sasha is quite startling, especially considering that she has totally fallen for him and wants to be treated like a girlfriend. To Ben, however, Sasha needs to overcome her disability, to totally heal as much as one can in her experience. Her anger over this ultimatum and the help of Ben’s mother, a woman with her own unique alternative therapy skills, pushes Sasha to a new level.
The clues and memories that return are gradual and then absolutely stunning when it all comes together. While the end might be considered too neatly tied up, it is very, very real to Sasha and is worth reading to see what finally frees her from her own self-imprisonment and a very real danger!
Louder Than Words is a fast-paced, young adult novel that will rivet readers’ attention to the very last page. Nicely done, Laurie Plissner!

[Tamsin · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 out of 5 rounded to 2 to be nice

Wow, so much to say about this book.
Not much of it is good.
I actually picked it up because of the cover art, admit it, it's pretty.
The story line I thought could be a hit and miss so I tried it anyway.
Tbh, I didn't actually finish it. *GASP* I know.
I stopped when she got her voice back because she had facking sex with her bf. WHAT THE FACK?
I get it, I get it. It's stimulation and what not, I'm no scientist but really? Then you're all like, YAY THE BITCH CAN TALK* and then she's all like DAMN I CAN ONLY TALK TO PEOPLE I HAVE INTERCOURSE WITH*.
Now CALM YOUR FARM CHILDREN I liked smidgets of it such as.... Oh I got nothing. Oh wait! I tolerated her friend!
But now, let's talk about Sasha for a moment shall we?
Describe her in 5 words: AROGANT SELF-CENTERED BORING PLAIN ANNOYING
She is officially THE WORST protagonist I have ever read.
Wait...... NOPE! SHE ACTUALLY IS!
If you were about to pick up this book and read it PUT THE DAMN BOOK DOWN BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT
not worth your time, your money, not even worth your library card swipe.
Sorry Laurrie Plassner, it's a flop.

Tam xx

[Wanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why would I finish a book and then give it a one star review? I'm basing my review on the fact that I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. The amount of times I rolled my eyes, I'm surprised they weren't stuck back there. I went on and finished it because I am a stickler for figuring out the end of a mystery (I'm nosy like that). It was an easy enough read, the first few chapters held my attention, but the first time our main character was sexually assaulted out of nowhere and the incident was brushed off started my thoughts that this book was going to be an absolute mess of ridiculousness.

I checked it out because I thought it would be about her ability to learn to communicate after being mute due to severe trauma. It was kind of about that in the worst way.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting

I loved this book! It was a relatively short read, which I completed in a morning. I think most teens could relate to the dynamic between Sasha and Ben. This book was a true page-turner.

[Sahana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted to lose myself in a YA fiction after staying away from it for a long time but was really not in a mood of getting into some dystopian theme, that, unfortunately is what YA mostly consists of these days. After a bit of research I picked Louder than Words - something about the main characters trauma spoke to me. I am so glad I did, because this book is a page turner but with all the teen angst/lethal attractions that you expect out of a YA. There are a few “why is she so freaking stubborn?” moments, but over-all, if your are looking for teen angst to lose yourself in, this is a great book!

[Missy Weeks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Promising but not quite

This book started out so great, but got so weird at the end. It was almost like the author spent a great deal of time developing the beginning of the story and then ran out of time or has at the end and rushed through it. I’m bummed that I paid for this book. Ah well..

[Sheir]

In the Lost for Word, I instantly fell in love with the characters. I could actually relate to the story, which is hard.The journey of life is hard, and this book certainly portrays it well, as well as it is capable to fight the demons that we have by ourselves. Of course the hot, sexy, intelligent as well as the ultimate gentleman that she has to sweep Sash was icing on the cake.

[Lavender Darcangelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Ben was just a character in the book, I almost started to fall in love with him too. Her boyfriend was very grown-up for his age and he understood her on a higher level than most. If it wasn't for him saving her all the time, where would Sasha be?

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure I would really like this book when I had read a few chapters, but really glad I stuck it out to the end. A young girl is traumatized by an accident that claims the lives of her parents and older sister. She’s left unable to speak but has no other physical injuries. Four years after the accident, she meets a young man and forms a friendship with him and his mother. There is quite an interesting twist to the story and I quite enjoyed the outcome.

[Sidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a book quite like this one.
This will be going on my bookshelf:)

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well articulated in teen-style writing; underdeveloped themes and overlying message.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Nice story. I really liked Jules the best.

[Jeni Napolski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Plots and twist keep you reading.

[Stuti Rai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review also appears on my blog At the End of the Story

So the book starts with our protagonist reliving(sort of), in her sleep, the accident that decimated her entire family and lost her the use of her voice. I had no particular reason to, but I felt like this book was going to be a mish-mash of If I Stay, Where She Went and Forgotten. And it was, to a certain extent.

Now, Sasha employs an electronic "voice-box" to do the talking for her. For this, she becomes the victim of much ridicule at her school. But I felt like that was partially her fault. She herself never came to grips with that fact, but she expects other teenagers(who are obviously immature, Yours Truly excluded). Even though it's been years since the accident and Sasha insists on telling everyone that she's giving up, it doesn't seem like she even tried to recover the use of her voice in the first place. Reason? She insists on using the default monotonous(Stephen Hawking wannabe much?), robot-voice instead of the various, more explicit and expressive options available to her, which would probably make it easier for others to accept her. But that's her decision and she clearly doesn't want to be part of the mainstream, so I respect her for it and also, I understood her incentives somewhat.

Act One, Scene One: Sasha walks out of the library. Enter four goons from High School who try to rape her. Enter hunk, sweeping in and saving her virtue with his killer ninja skills and Nun-Chuck.

A bit too fairy-tale-like and not up my alley. Not that I'm saying I've anything against fairytale.

Act One, Scene Two: Hunk tells her "I can read minds, as one does." Sasha gets doe-eyed, with not the appropriate response to the trauma she experienced. Worries about him knowing her deep, dark secrets.

It takes people months of therapy to deal with almost getting raped by people they know. Rather, almost getting raped, period. Whereas Sasha only feels a slight headache and nausea and later on, after a good scrubbing, the chapter is all over.

Of course, why didn't she know that? And obviously, she accepts it without batting an eyelid. But perhaps, she's read too many books
and is very familiar with the idea of mind-reading. I am; I probably would have had that same response.

_______________________________________________________________________

Geez, that's tiresome- rehashing everything that happened in Acts and Scenes. I'm gonna stop or it'll get very spoiler-y.

I did NOT care for Sasha at least for the first part, where she only worries "why isn't he responding to my signal when he can read my mind? why?" However, in the next portion when he breaks up with her she develops so much as a character and is way more likable.

The premise of the book is interesting and the author's writing flows smoothly. And I would like to check out her next book. Also, there is too much sexual content but it's dealt with realistically, I suppose.
Her friend, Jules, is pleasant enough. But both Ben Fisher and Jules didn't feel that real; they had no real qualms with her and felt like they were just along for the ride.

The last bit that aggravated me was when she says:

ISN'T IT LOGICAL? WHAT GUY WOULD WANT ME IF HE HAD TO LISTEN TO THIS ROBOT-VOICE ALL DAY?

And Ben, or Jules, doesn't contradict her. Do they accept that? So now all the mute persons have to look for a mind-reader for themselves to be happy. And that robot-voice missy, is your own damn stubbornness. Also, I would have loved if we didn't receive such closure at the end and that last thread(regarding her larynx) shouldn't have been tied so neatly.

All that said, I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining read to pass these unbelievably cold and foggy days, snuggled in a HP comforter and sipping chocolate, trying not to count the days until the next installments of Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Unspoken come out. Oh why didn't I think of that for myself?

Many, many thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so I think the summary above does little to make sense of this novel. First it's Sasha's older sister that is killed in the car crash. Sasha goes to live with her mom's sister and her husband who had decided not to have children because of their law careers. But lucky for Sasha, they are kind and loving people who, if they don't get it right it's not for lack of trying, it's more for lack of knowing how. Charlotte, her aunt, tends to be neurotic and a bit dramatic but Stuart, Charlotte's husband always seems to be able to say one word to bring her back to sensible reason and he can talk her out of any kind of kooky scheme like talking to Ben when Sasha and Ben break up.

So while we're on the subject of Sasha and Ben, yes, Ben can read minds. There is a funny little scene in the library where he dares to invade Sasha's private little sofa area and then she's trying to look at him on the sly and with every thought about how sexy he is his smile grows despite the rather serious book he's reading by Sartre. At this point, and throughout the book, her only forms of communication are through a computer generated voice box and a piece of paper and pen. She leaves in a huff at his apparent amusement only to make a stupid girl mistake, walking through a park in the dark alone. (This is the second book I've read where this happened. Are teenage girls really that dumb?) And when Ben rescues her from something truly frightening she finds out about him being able to read her mind. Also, she doesn't report the incident he rescues her from like she should. Again, I know it's traumatic but why let them get away with it. They picked her because she couldn't tell, because she was mute. It left me uncomfortable, especially when Ben told her she was beautiful afterwords. Creepy. They do begin a relationship which Sasha has no experience with and is clearly not ready for. Her hormones are leading the charge very inexpertly and with a guy that can read her every desire it's very awkward. Thankfully, Ben is more of a gentleman than most men and he keeps things at a slow and chaste pace until the breakup.

Sasha's biggest problem is that she can't talk. She can't remember the accident nor anything leading up to the accident including her childhood. The renowned PTSD psychiatrist working with her has had no success with her after four years. But then Sasha starts doing a few things on her own and discovers some secret notes at the crash site and fresh flowers and realizes that maybe there was another car there. She has a wonderful best friend that I would have loved to have seen more of but what I did see was someone that was loyal to a fault. This girl was very popular, head cheerleader, boyfriends by the handful, but she pushed all that away to stand beside her friend and never minded the talking machine she used. Jules never gave up on the idea that Sasha would one day get her voice back. She went on stake outs and fact finding missions with her. She was as loyal as a hound dog.

And Ben, though he had the best intentions when he broke up with Sasha, finally realizes the error of his ways. But I didn't like how all over the place he was. He seemed too good to be true, but then he played with Sasha's emotions.
But he did come through in the clutch. And his mother was a wonderful healer for Sasha and mother figure for her.

In all, I really enjoyed the book except for the fact that attempted rapes aren't reported as I've seen in several other books. Why? I think this encourages girls to keep silent. NO! Speak out. Don't stay quiet. It really bothers me that the police didn't get involved although some revenge was exacted upon them. The mystery part of the story lead somewhere I hadn't even thought about so that part was well done. I hadn't even considered that person being involved in the crash. So that was a complete surprise. And again, this one is a nail biter to the very last sentence.

I'd recommend this one to contemporary readers that don't mind a dash of magic with their romances. All the questions about sex and flirting and relationships with the opposite sex were difficult for even me to answer so I felt Sasha's angst. And I could only imagine her pain at the loss she suffered. In all it was a solid story, just a few pet peeves touched on.

Definitely for a mature YA reader as a lot of focus on sex.

I received a copy of this novel from Merit Press through NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5*

I didn't really know what to expect going into Louder Than Words. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll probably know I'm a HUGE fan of contemporary books (YA, Adult, New Adult). However, this one seemed a little different from my typical read, and from the summary, I knew it would probably go two ways: I would love it or I would hate. However, as it turns out, I shouldn't have been worried at all, because Louder Than Words turned out to be one of the best books I've read so far this year. It was emotional. It was blunt and honest. And best of all, it showed that even when you're in the worst of places, you can still manage to pull it all together.

Louder Than Words starts the story of Sasha, a girl who has been in a truly horrible place since a terrible accident took the lives of her parents and sister. Sasha somehow managed to come out from the accident unharmed physically but emotionally it's a different story. Basically, Sasha can't speak or recall anything about the accident, because for some reason her body's taken back those abilities from her, and while everyone promised her she would get better eventually, it's been four years and she still can't remember or talk for beans. Because of this all, she's forever the odd one out at school. However, everything changes when a new student arrives on the scene. He tells Sasha he can read her memory, and that he can help her overcome her problems. But will he be able to? Or will Sasha have to step up and fix it all on her own?

I have to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Sasha at first. She was crass and just a bit peculiar. However, as the novel progressed, and I began to get used to her and her voice, I started to like her quite a bit. Sure, she wasn't the nicest of girls, but considering the situation, I could understand it. Plus, as the story went on, I began to see just how wise Laurie was to make her that way, because when I really thought about it, Sasha wasn't the normal teenager. She lost a lot of development years of her life, so really it was making it true to the story to make her just a little bit odd. As it turns out, watching her develop from this point to another truly was one of my favorite parts of the book. I also really enjoyed the various people Sasha encountered in this. Her best friend Jules add comical relief to the book, and Ben managed to do a lot for the story as well as Sasha. Ben was a different kind of guy, and sometimes I hovered between liking him and not too, but by the end, he manged to win me over.

The plot in this was really interesting. I thought it was unique how Laurie gave Sasha this physiological disorder quite simply because I had never heard about it before. Therefore, it was interesting to see not only how a person lives with this problem but how they learn to overcome it. It added a lot of emotion and drama. I also enjoyed how Laurie included a little twist about the accident at the end as well. It was fun to see Jules and Sasha play detectives as well as to think right along with them of possibly answers to the rising questions. Lastly, the relationship between Sasha and Ben. I thought it was developed quite well, and I especially liked seeing how it helped Sasha overcome her problems as everything progressed.

Plissner's writing was excellent. She did a great job of creating the plot and characters. I also give her props for giving Sasha such a raw voice as well as for how she always managed to make everything realistic and honest.

In all, Louder Than Words is a fabulous debut, one that I highly suggest you all give a chance to. It's a little hard to like in the beginning, but by the end, it is easy to see how worth the read it is.

Grade: A

[Dayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Article first published as Book Review: Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner on Blogcritics.

Review also appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

I received a copy for review

Laurie Plissner’s Louder Than Words is a fantastic debut for the older young adult audience. Plissner’s writing style is witty, modern, and touching. With the barest hint of the paranormal, Plissner manages to engage her reader with a smart and grieving protagonist, and a climax that will take the reader’s breath away.

Plissner’s characters are well-rounded and realistic. Sasha, the protagonist, deals with the loss of her family through an extreme form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder called selective mutism. Though her body chooses a rare form of PTSD, her grieving process appears natural for someone who has lost her entire immediate family. Plissner’s words, as she leads the reader through Sasha's troubled thoughts, are powerful and raw.

The paranormal aspect of the novel is understated. Ben, Sasha’s romantic interest, is a mind reader with an antiquated morality code, while his mother is more aware of the world around her than most.

But Plissner does not bog down her story with winded explanations of why her characters are so supernaturally inclined. By omitting the usual lengthy description of why a character can do something unusual, Plissner is trusting her readers to just accept her story and enjoy the ride.

Louder Than Words has a touch of sensuality that makes it more appropriate for an older young adult audience. The chemistry that Sasha and Ben have is evident in their frisky actions, but it is slightly dramatic and unrealistic. But then again, Ben is a boy who can read minds, and Sasha is a depressed teenager. They're not exactly a conventional pair.

Perhaps the most addicting part of Plissner’s debut is the mystery surrounding Sasha. The reader can’t help but dissect everyone Sasha encounters, and everything she learns once she decides to pursue the truth behind her family’s death. All of her sleuthing and attempts at regaining some semblance of a normal life lead to a surprising conclusion.

Plissner’s success in creating a powerful ending comes from the fact that she slowly builds up to it, throwing the reader a proverbial bone with every chapter, either leading him/her astray, or hinting at the obvious truth that sits in plain sight.

With an outspoken protagonist, and a quickly paced romantic relationship, Plissner’s novel touches on more than just the mystery of the novel. Sasha's world explores the troubles teenagers face growing up, the dangers of the naive world they tend to inhabit, and the complexities surrounding hormones. All of these aspects make Louder Than Words more of a contemporary read, rather than a supernatural romance novel.

Older teens who like reading books about teenagers who overcome seemingly impossible odds, pretentious boys who steal girl’s hearts, or just a hint of the supernatural in fiction, will most likely enjoy Louder Than Words.

Witty and unapologetic, Plissner’s novel is a realistic representation of the teenage world: imperfect and complicated.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Merit Press and Netgalley.)
Four years ago, Sasha was in a car accident that claimed the lives of her parents and her older sister Liz. Sasha was unharmed, but Has since been unable to speak – a condition which the psychiatrists have told her is ‘hysterical mutism’.

Now 17, Sasha has been seeing a psychiatrist weekly for 4 years, and is still no closer to recovering her voice. Then she meets Ben.
Ben is also 17 but he seems much older. He rescues her from a near gang rape by four boys from her high school, and she realises how he managed it when he seems to be able to hear exactly what she is thinking.

Ben being able to ‘hear’ her is a revelation for Sasha, and she finds herself falling for him. But when he tells her that he’s worried that she will give up trying to get her voice back because of him, and that they need to take a break, Sasha is devastated, and makes a renewed effort to regain her voice.

Can Sasha ever get her voice back though? Was there someone else involved in her family’s accident? And can she ever get Ben back and have a normal life?


This was an interesting book. Sasha had obviously been through a lot, and was still having to deal with a lot, and being then attacked by boys at school it made her feel even more like a weirdo, which she hated.
I did think at times that maybe Sasha could have been a little more motivated to recover her voice, but after 4 years with no success I can see how she might lose motivation, especially whilst having to deal with her grief as well.

Sasha’s problem was not something that I have read about before, and I did feel sorry for her. I would have hated to have been in her situation, although I didn’t think that her psychiatrist was really helping her very much by basically telling her to fix herself!

I liked Ben, and I liked his supernatural abilities, which didn’t seem so out-there, just cause it was so natural for him. As bizarre as being able to read other people’s thoughts should have been in this contemporary book, it wasn’t weird at all, and was even endearing coming from Ben.
I also liked Sasha’s friend Jules, who was so supportive and such a breath of fresh air. She came out with some cracking lines and ideas and I really loved her influence on Sasha.

Funnily enough, this book was funny in places, and I even found myself laughing out loud. I liked the mystery as to whether Sasha would ever recover her voice, as well as the mystery over whether there was someone else involved in Sasha’s family’s accident.

I did want a little more drama at times. I felt at moments that what was happening should have gotten bigger reactions from the people involved, and that sometimes events were a little anti-climactic, which was a little disappointing.

The romance angle was nice, and although this book was very much a young-adult style book, there was quite a few discussions about sex, and actual sexual moments in the book, although nothing explicit.

Overall; an interesting idea, and a nice mix of mystery and romance.
7 out of 10.

[Tabitha Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay story. The premise is very intriguing, but the execution wasn’t my favorite. I was pulled out of the story many times due to inconsistencies and things I just didn’t believe.

I wasn’t all that fond of Sasha, and I couldn’t connect to her because I thought her characterization was inconsistent. She starts off telling us what happened to her family and what she remembers when she woke up in the hospital, and then all of a sudden she’s telling one of her classmates ‘f-you’ in the middle of class. Apparently, this is a common occurrence because the detention teacher knows her well, as do the other students who are regulars. This threw me. I get that people can change drastically when they’ve lost their entire family to tragedy and then been teased for four years. But we need to see that change, or else it’s too jolting.

BTW, even though the opening to this story breaks some rules, it totally works in this case. I hear editors say all the time not to start a story with a character waking up or with a flashback, but we get a flashback of Sasha ‘waking up’ in the hospital. And it works. We get her backstory in an interesting way, and I developed something of a relationship with her. But then she turned into someone else entirely when we see her in school, so I was really bummed about that.

I’m glad that Sasha has a good, loyal friend (Jules), and that there aren’t any mean, catty girls in the story. Jules is even head cheerleader, so it was a refreshing change of pace. I wish her character had been more consistent, though. She starts off as an upbeat supporter, but then sort of morphs into something else. And then she shocks Sasha by saying swear words, even though Sasha will say the f-word in class. So I didn’t really get their relationship.

Ben was okay, though too good to be true. He’s a bit over the top with opening doors, coming to Sasha’s rescue all the time, likes old music stuff, plus he’s a sexual genius. He’s also a fourth degree black belt—BTW, I didn’t buy that part at all. It’s not that it’s impossible to become a fourth degree black belt at such a young age, but it’s *highly* unlikely. If one has gotten so far so young, then there’s no way he would be so easily disarmed by an untrained jock. And he certainly wouldn’t be rendered helpless by the loss of his nunchucks. A first degree black belt can see a punch coming long before it gets there and will get out of the way, let alone a fourth degree black belt.

The sex and lust between Sasha and Ben was over the top. I don’t mind love scenes, but Sasha was a walking porn site (another thing Ben comments on). I also didn’t buy all the profanity. It felt gratuitous to me. If I understood the characters better, then this might have felt more natural.

The whole thing with Dr. O was a bit much. Ben called the situation a bad TV movie of the week, and I have to agree. Sometimes it works when a character acknowledges something fishy, but most times it doesn’t. It didn’t in this case. And I was really disappointed with the enormous bow at the end, tying things up too neatly. Not my cup of tea.

[Asha R · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner, the main character, Sasha, loses her voice from being in an accident. Her vocal chords aren't physically damaged, she was just traumatized by the fact that her whole family died. She feels as if she doesn't belong, and that she is different because of her disability to talk. Then one day she meets a boy named Ben who can literally read her mind, which starts to make her feel like a normal teenager again, that is until Ben decides to leave her until she gets her voice back, because he thinks he is a distraction to her finding her voice.

I believe that once Sasha meets Ben and finds out that he can read her mind, she gives up on trying to talk again. I believe this because in the book, one of her thoughts to Ben is, "After such a long time, I worry I may never talk again, but since I met you, it doesn't matter so much. I can still be happy, thanks to you". This showed that Ben was partly distracting her from her goal of being able to talk.

When Sasha started to try to find out about who crashed into her parents' car, the clues started to lead towards someone she least expected. I think that the reason she kept trying to figure out who crashed into her family's car was for closure so that she would be able to finally understand what happened and she would be able to finally speak. I personally loved that the person who crashed into Sasha's family was someone that was kind of close to her and someone that no one would really suspect to run away from their problems.

The genre of this book is young adult fiction with a little bit of mystery. I have read many books with this type of genre before, and I love to read this genre because I feel like I can relate to the young adult characters in the book. I think that the author used a girl who didn't have determination until something was at risk to make readers aware of the good results of determination. I learned that through determination, I can accomplish the dreams that I have in my life.

This book is very similar to the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. In the novel Speak, there is a girl who also doesn't talk because of a traumatic event that had happened to her before her first year of high school. I would give the book Louder Than Words , 3 out of 5 stars because I liked the plot of the story, but I wished that the main character had more determination because I didn't like that she felt sorry for herself but did nothing about it.

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sasha has had the same horrific dream almost every night for the past 4 years. It's hazy, but replicates what little she can remember about the accident that killed her parents and older sister. She was relatively uninjured, but has been unable to speak ever since. Her condition is called hysterical mutism. She calls it sucky and even worse when it interferes with any chance of a normal life.
She lives with her aunt and uncle, both lawyers who never planned on having kids, but are doing their best to raise her. She has a best friend, Jules, who has stuck by her despite her bouts of despair and her having to use an electronic box when communicating. As much as she'd like a relationship with a guy, that's off her radar, or at least she believes it is.
Her favorite spot to hide is a couch at the public library where she reads about places she'd like to visit and fantasizes about a boyfriend. When a strange, but very attractive guy sits on her couch, she is annoyed at first, but the more she sneaks looks at him, the more she incorporates him into her ongoing fantasy. Flustered at what's going through her head, she decides to leave, but forgets her coat. While going through the park in the darkness, she's accosted by four members of the football team who decide that raping her might be easy since she can't speak.
The attack is interrupted by the mystery guy who drives them off with a pair of nunchuks. He helps Sasha regain as much composure as possible before helping her put her shirt on. He'd followed her to give her coat back and confesses that he has the ability to read minds and knew why she bolted from the library.
Sasha can't decide whether to be angry, embarrassed or intrigued by Ben, but one thing she does know, he's awakening feelings and urges she thought had withered away. How their relationship develops, even though he backs off pretty quickly because he says it has to be that way if she's going to get her voice back is extremely interesting. Equally intriguing is how she, Jules and Ben play detective and discover that what was supposedly a single car accident was anything but. Sasha has to navigate fragmented memories, the shock of finding something at the accident scene and betrayal where she least expects it before her life can return to normal. That process makes for a very hard to put down read. Granted there are two scenes where sexual assault almost happens and the growing attraction between Sasha and Ben gets pretty steamy at times, but those fit well with the story and shouldn't be a deal breaker for mature teens.

[Megan Palasik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just okay for me. I'm a speech-language pathologist and I enjoy young adult fiction, so I thought a book about a girl who cannot speak but instead uses a computerized voice box might appeal to me.

This book felt like it had too many stories going on. It felt like part teen love story, part mystery, part psych session and that none of those stories were fleshed out as well as they could have been. Sasha is not a very likable character at first. She is hurt and sarcastic and a "bad girl". She has a wonderful best friend, Jules, who has stuck with her through the tragedy of her family's death and for the past 4 years since then of Sasha's mutism. Then Sasha meets Ben and the story plays out like Twilight for a little while. He's perfect, beautiful, gentlemanly, and has a supernatural power; he can read minds. Then after a little while of lovely perfectness, he pulls away from her and she spends the rest of the book trying to heal herself to win him back.

It's typical teenage story/behavior where the teens find a problem and decide that they have to solve the mystery themselves rather than telling any adults about it. So, it's full of situations that aren't entirely believable (aside from the mind reading) of things teens would be able to get away with on their own.

The ending wasn't anything spectacular to me. I didn't find it to be any big twist and wasn't surprised by anything. I didn't predict all of the details per se, but I didn't find any of them very surprising or intriguing either.

When it ended, I felt like I was missing some details still, like there were some unanswered questions. Ben's mom, for example, was never fleshed out more. We know that Ben comes from a "unique family" and that she also has some kind of "special power" but we never learn what it is. Also, the scene where Ben was home with his parents and acting like a jerk to them and also said later that he didn't want to talk about his mom, we never find out why. Why would the author even bring those things up if they weren't going to add to the mystery/story at all? It didn't make him seem like a "normal teenager" at all. I don't know, I just feel like I want to know more about his family and his sixth sense.

Overall, it was a light, fluff teen fiction. This book was a quick read - I read it in 2 days, but I'm sure someone else could read it in one day. Interesting premise, but not fleshed out enough for me.