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Saving Silence
A high-octane, intricately plotted teen thriller, by an exciting voice in YA fiction.
Sam is the new kid at school – he keeps himself to himself and people don’t take much notice of him. Imogen is little miss perfect – she’s popular, clever, good at sports and has the dream boyfriend – and yet for some reason, she’s drawn to Sam. One day Imogen is with her friends and Sam rushes up – he needs to tell her something urgently. Before he can, a car drives towards him and tries to knock him down – Imogen pushes him out of the way and saves his life. After that, Sam avoids Imogen, but she can’t stop thinking about him. What was it he wanted to tell her? Why would someone want to kill him? Why won't he speak to her now?
As Imogen and Sam get pulled deeper and deeper into the criminal underworld of East London, they have to rely on each other. Suddenly there’s nothing perfect about Imogen’s life, and people will never ignore Sam again...
Sam is the new kid at school – he keeps himself to himself and people don’t take much notice of him. Imogen is little miss perfect – she’s popular, clever, good at sports and has the dream boyfriend – and yet for some reason, she’s drawn to Sam. One day Imogen is with her friends and Sam rushes up – he needs to tell her something urgently. Before he can, a car drives towards him and tries to knock him down – Imogen pushes him out of the way and saves his life. After that, Sam avoids Imogen, but she can’t stop thinking about him. What was it he wanted to tell her? Why would someone want to kill him? Why won't he speak to her now?
As Imogen and Sam get pulled deeper and deeper into the criminal underworld of East London, they have to rely on each other. Suddenly there’s nothing perfect about Imogen’s life, and people will never ignore Sam again...
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Gina Blaxill
8 books64 followersGina Blaxill wanted to be an author from a very young age - she started writing properly when she was eight and has not stopped since.
Gina lives in Essex with her family and two imperious cats and edits as well as writes. Prior to that, she worked in schools liaison, helping teenagers puzzle out the mysteries of higher education.
Gina lives in Essex with her family and two imperious cats and edits as well as writes. Prior to that, she worked in schools liaison, helping teenagers puzzle out the mysteries of higher education.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 7, 2025
I really liked the idea, but tbh not much happened in the book and I didn‘t connect with any of the characters at all. I also didn’t feel any kind of romance between the two characters…
November 18, 2013
A 4,5:) fast paced and mysterious throughout the whole thing. Gets straight into it at the beginning.
March 7, 2017
What a shame this hasn't made more of a buzz - SS is a brilliant read! It's marketed as a crime-thriller but I think it's quite a "soft" thriller (this is a good thing in my book) - that is, there are thriller elements, but it's not squarely a thriller, it's an all rounder of a book about fear, family, gangs, relationships and the dangers of doing the right thing vs protecting yourself. It's gripping, complex and realistic, with likable characters. The best thing about this book is that it could actually happen. The plot isn't flashy or far-fetched and feels very real, scarily so in fact. It's a clever read which delivers more than you expect it to.
I really liked the characters and how they developed over the course of the book. MCs Imogen and Sam narrate the plot equally and both have distinct voices. I'm not always the biggest fan of multiple POV novels but it's done for a reason here and the balance is very equal between Imogen and Sam. I especially liked Imogen, who is tough, confident and quite funny and sarcastic at times - but with kindess to her. She can be quite black and white and is more of a doer than a thinker so contrasts nicely to the more sensitive, broody Sam, who as an outsider it's easy to feel sympathy for. I also really liked the role Imogen's boyfriend Ollie plays (no spoilers, but the big scenes with him are the best ones in the book), Imogen's best friend Nadina is fun and attitudey and how the adult characters (Imogen's mum, Sam's dad and stepmum) are all dinstinctive too - parents can be quite generic and poorly drawn in YA novels (loved Imogen's mum and the mistletoe).
I definitely recommend reading Saving Silence - it's a breath of fresh air to the this genre and a very pacy exciting read which is complex enough to satisfy adult readers too! My only gripe is that I feel this hasn't been marketed so well - billing it just as a thriller isn't to its credit.
I really liked the characters and how they developed over the course of the book. MCs Imogen and Sam narrate the plot equally and both have distinct voices. I'm not always the biggest fan of multiple POV novels but it's done for a reason here and the balance is very equal between Imogen and Sam. I especially liked Imogen, who is tough, confident and quite funny and sarcastic at times - but with kindess to her. She can be quite black and white and is more of a doer than a thinker so contrasts nicely to the more sensitive, broody Sam, who as an outsider it's easy to feel sympathy for. I also really liked the role Imogen's boyfriend Ollie plays (no spoilers, but the big scenes with him are the best ones in the book), Imogen's best friend Nadina is fun and attitudey and how the adult characters (Imogen's mum, Sam's dad and stepmum) are all dinstinctive too - parents can be quite generic and poorly drawn in YA novels (loved Imogen's mum and the mistletoe).
I definitely recommend reading Saving Silence - it's a breath of fresh air to the this genre and a very pacy exciting read which is complex enough to satisfy adult readers too! My only gripe is that I feel this hasn't been marketed so well - billing it just as a thriller isn't to its credit.
May 8, 2016
This book was okay. It was very well written, the characters all had their own stories and were very realistic and believable. Yup, even Ollie. I really loved how the author switched between the POV of the two main characters each chapter, too. That was a nice touch.
Still, the actual plot of the book left much to be desired. From the main summary of the book, it's about Imogen and Sam are being pursued by someone out to kill them. Who could it be? Some deeadly underground criminal agency? The mafia? Hitmen? Someone out to silence them now that they've seen some important government secret?
No, nothing like that. It's...two thugs. That's it.
It's a bit underwhelming, isn't it? Sure, the thugs have knives, but apart from that it's not exactly in a league of its own. It's pretty predictable at the end too, and Ollie was acting very suspiciously from the beginning.
Nevertheless, I can praise this book for having the characters written really well. It just needed more of an exciting plot and it would be much more awesome.
Still, the actual plot of the book left much to be desired. From the main summary of the book, it's about Imogen and Sam are being pursued by someone out to kill them. Who could it be? Some deeadly underground criminal agency? The mafia? Hitmen? Someone out to silence them now that they've seen some important government secret?
No, nothing like that. It's...two thugs. That's it.
It's a bit underwhelming, isn't it? Sure, the thugs have knives, but apart from that it's not exactly in a league of its own. It's pretty predictable at the end too, and Ollie was acting very suspiciously from the beginning.
Nevertheless, I can praise this book for having the characters written really well. It just needed more of an exciting plot and it would be much more awesome.
December 6, 2013
Sam and Imogen couldn’t be more different. Sam is the new boy at school, an outsider and loner. Imogen is the perfect girl - popular, good at sports and school, cute boyfriend. For reasons she can’t explain, Imogen has always been drawn to Sam. So when he seeks her out one night to tell her something important, she can’t ignore him.
Sam never gets the chance to talk to Imogen and she ends up saving his life...and landing herself in a world of trouble. Suddenly nowhere is safe for Sam or Imogen and the only ones they can trust is each other.
I thought Saving Silence was a really interesting, gripping book. Imogen and Sam’s voices are both compelling and drive the book forward. I found my mind racing, trying to stay ahead of the plot and failing miserably to guess what would happen next.
This book is full of intrigue, doubt, betrayal and survival. A very welcome addition to the YA crime genre.
Sam never gets the chance to talk to Imogen and she ends up saving his life...and landing herself in a world of trouble. Suddenly nowhere is safe for Sam or Imogen and the only ones they can trust is each other.
I thought Saving Silence was a really interesting, gripping book. Imogen and Sam’s voices are both compelling and drive the book forward. I found my mind racing, trying to stay ahead of the plot and failing miserably to guess what would happen next.
This book is full of intrigue, doubt, betrayal and survival. A very welcome addition to the YA crime genre.
November 15, 2013
The main characters are Sam and Imogen, Sam is very quiet and Imogen is everyone's favourite, she is clever, bright and has an attractive boyfriend. One night when Imogen is out with her school mates in a cafe Sam rushes in to speak to Imogen urgently. She goes outside with him and suddenly a car speeds towards Sam to knock him down. Imogen quickly pulls Sam to one side and saves his life. The car speeds off. Imogen is now involved in something but who was it that tried to kill Sam and why is Sam involved?
I don't normally read Suspense books, but I enjoyed this story it was well written by the Author.
I don't normally read Suspense books, but I enjoyed this story it was well written by the Author.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews