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Speech and Debacles
Drama class is nothing like Taryn Platt’s favorite TV show—no one has broken out into song yet, and there isn’t nearly as much kissing. But the seventeen-year-old is surprised to find one thing going the way she’d hoped. It turns out she’s not half bad at acting. When her Drama teacher recruits her for the school’s powerhouse Speech and Debate team, she can’t believe her luck. Even better when she finds out the guy catching her eye, Riker, is one of the team’s strongest competitors—and hopefully he got the hint she likes boys as well as girls. But when painful, amped-up cramps invade her pelvis, performing on demand and getting close to Riker become increasingly less feasible.
Up until junior year, Riker Lucas had one life goal—break into the world of voice acting to perform videogame voiceovers. Then one look from the green-eyed new girl from Speech brings on a second goal—getting himself over the hurdle of actually talking to her. The task proves impossible when a nagging inner voice constantly reminds him how worthless he is, how he doesn’t stand a chance.
Taryn’s pain worsens, keeping her out of commission at the most inopportune moments, and Riker’s oppressive self-denigrating thoughts steal his interest from his favorite activities. As Riker and Taryn float closer together and then farther apart, they both must work to find solutions for coping—or they’ll miss out on each other as well as their performance goals.
Up until junior year, Riker Lucas had one life goal—break into the world of voice acting to perform videogame voiceovers. Then one look from the green-eyed new girl from Speech brings on a second goal—getting himself over the hurdle of actually talking to her. The task proves impossible when a nagging inner voice constantly reminds him how worthless he is, how he doesn’t stand a chance.
Taryn’s pain worsens, keeping her out of commission at the most inopportune moments, and Riker’s oppressive self-denigrating thoughts steal his interest from his favorite activities. As Riker and Taryn float closer together and then farther apart, they both must work to find solutions for coping—or they’ll miss out on each other as well as their performance goals.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2022
333 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 3, 2022
I find it really hard to write a review about this story. It has so much to offer, two teen falling in love, a bisexual girl with endometriosis and a boy with depression. Especially the endometriosis rep is excellent, I don’t think there are many YA books with this kind of rep in it, and I believe many teens don’t even know what it is. Furthermore, I love a dual narrative, and the book is very easy to read. The way queerness was handled as just normal was great. So, definitely bonus points for the wonderful rep!
Still, the book left me longing for more. Taryn and Riker both felt distant to me, and I can’t quite pinpoint why. It might be because of the writing in third person, but honestly, I think it’s the overall writing that I didn’t connect with as much as I wanted to. I felt like the characters could have been deepened more, and I didn’t always understand Taryn and Riker's choices. Sometimes the story didn’t feel consistent and certain events came a bit out of the blue (Taryn’s interactions with Quinn downright confused me). Of course, it might be an it’s me, not you case, and someone else could feel completely different. So if you want to read a sweet book with queer AND endometriosis rep, this might just be the book for you!
Thank you so much, Heather DiAngelis, for offering me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Still, the book left me longing for more. Taryn and Riker both felt distant to me, and I can’t quite pinpoint why. It might be because of the writing in third person, but honestly, I think it’s the overall writing that I didn’t connect with as much as I wanted to. I felt like the characters could have been deepened more, and I didn’t always understand Taryn and Riker's choices. Sometimes the story didn’t feel consistent and certain events came a bit out of the blue (Taryn’s interactions with Quinn downright confused me). Of course, it might be an it’s me, not you case, and someone else could feel completely different. So if you want to read a sweet book with queer AND endometriosis rep, this might just be the book for you!
Thank you so much, Heather DiAngelis, for offering me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
April 25, 2022
Thank you to the author (a personal friend) for the eARC.
As someone with a chronic illness, I'm always interested when I find such characters in books (even ones with an illness different from mine. When I find books with protagonists with my disease, I'm even more excited. So I'm very happy for all the women and girls out there with endometriosis who might find their own experiences in Taryn's story here. (And since this is an #OwnVoices book for endo, I trust that the descriptions will be familiar.) Even more relatable might be Taryn's social anxiety and bisexuality, or Riker's depression. These elements are woven throughout the story as they meet, get to know each other in drama class and on the Speech and Debate team, and become friends—then maybe more than friends.
As someone with a chronic illness, I'm always interested when I find such characters in books (even ones with an illness different from mine. When I find books with protagonists with my disease, I'm even more excited. So I'm very happy for all the women and girls out there with endometriosis who might find their own experiences in Taryn's story here. (And since this is an #OwnVoices book for endo, I trust that the descriptions will be familiar.) Even more relatable might be Taryn's social anxiety and bisexuality, or Riker's depression. These elements are woven throughout the story as they meet, get to know each other in drama class and on the Speech and Debate team, and become friends—then maybe more than friends.
April 23, 2022
Heather DiAngelis wields character vulnerability like a powerful hammer and batters the reader with feelings. This one isn't in my usual genre or even adjacent, but I found the innocence of the YA leads really disarming and engrossing nevertheless. I was rooting for them, hurting with them, and happy for them in rapid succession. The snark is strong here, too.
The book also triggered quite a bit of nostalgia for my high school days, specifically for after school sessions of making a box of macaroni and cheese by myself and eating it straight out of the pan while playing video games. But also for the general feeling of being young and vulnerable and the exciting things feeling enormous, like anything was truly possible.
I'd describe this one as hyper-realistic, at least compared what I normally read. The planet is not in peril here, but somehow the author made the stakes of normal high school life (and drama class) feel more than big enough.
Usually if nobody gets stabbed in a book, that's an automatic one star deduction for me, but this one was life affirming and witty enough that I'll make an exception.
The book also triggered quite a bit of nostalgia for my high school days, specifically for after school sessions of making a box of macaroni and cheese by myself and eating it straight out of the pan while playing video games. But also for the general feeling of being young and vulnerable and the exciting things feeling enormous, like anything was truly possible.
I'd describe this one as hyper-realistic, at least compared what I normally read. The planet is not in peril here, but somehow the author made the stakes of normal high school life (and drama class) feel more than big enough.
Usually if nobody gets stabbed in a book, that's an automatic one star deduction for me, but this one was life affirming and witty enough that I'll make an exception.
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January 30, 2022This apparently has endometriosis rep?! So so here for that.
May 16, 2022
4.5 stars/5
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As someone who mostly reads books about mental health and is a clinical psychology student, I think this was an incredibly successful representation of depression, anxiety, and dealing with chronic pain. For depression, I appreciated the inclusion of passive indifference leading to missed days of school, etc. It is also the first book with endo rep, something I wish there was more of when I was younger. The other characters' comments about period pain being normal were dishearteningly realistic. Even better, the bisexuality representation that does a great job of being an aspect of Taryn's personality, without it being the main conflict or her only defining trait.
Other important themes this book does well include parental neglect and the resulting parentification of teens, success independent of one's love interest (i.e. not having one person "save" the other, or causing the other's character growth alone), and navigating crushes in high school.
My issues with the book were mainly those I would attribute to editing - the timeline jumped around a bit, with some chapters starting a few scenes before the chapter before, others jumping way ahead, etc. This pulled me out of the suspended reality of the book, and left me frustrated at times. Some of the writing/phrasing was a bit awkward as well.
All-in-all, this is a wonderful book with great chronic illness/mental illness representation by a talented author.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As someone who mostly reads books about mental health and is a clinical psychology student, I think this was an incredibly successful representation of depression, anxiety, and dealing with chronic pain. For depression, I appreciated the inclusion of passive indifference leading to missed days of school, etc. It is also the first book with endo rep, something I wish there was more of when I was younger. The other characters' comments about period pain being normal were dishearteningly realistic. Even better, the bisexuality representation that does a great job of being an aspect of Taryn's personality, without it being the main conflict or her only defining trait.
Other important themes this book does well include parental neglect and the resulting parentification of teens, success independent of one's love interest (i.e. not having one person "save" the other, or causing the other's character growth alone), and navigating crushes in high school.
My issues with the book were mainly those I would attribute to editing - the timeline jumped around a bit, with some chapters starting a few scenes before the chapter before, others jumping way ahead, etc. This pulled me out of the suspended reality of the book, and left me frustrated at times. Some of the writing/phrasing was a bit awkward as well.
All-in-all, this is a wonderful book with great chronic illness/mental illness representation by a talented author.
June 27, 2022
What's not to love! Highschool drama, teenage angst and, love triangles, all happening within the unique setting of a speech and debate team. The author also features the underrepresented issue of living with endometriosis and how so many females suffer in silence. All while another character deals with depression in a very relatable way for many teens. It makes you wonder how many more teens are going through life-changing experiences, and perhaps we should be more thoughtful of how we help them navigate these issues.
June 8, 2022
In many ways this book feels like it was written for teenage me. I, too, was a (closeted) bi Forensics (Speech & Debate) nerd, going to tournaments with my friends, carrying around my little black book, and talking to walls. Meanwhile, I was dealing with symptoms from endometriosis that I didn’t have a name for yet, much like Taryn, and hiding my anxiety and depression much like Riker. I wish teenage me had this book. Between the joy of rediscovering the magic of bus rides and overnight tournaments, and the will they, won’t they/missed connections of Taryn and Riker, there is so much to love about this book. DiAngelis writes the aching heart of teenage longing and magical backstage kisses so well. My one disappointment is that the gynecologist in the book states the incorrect definition for endometriosis. Endometriosis is tissue SIMILAR to the lining of the uterus that grows outside the uterus—an important distinction. Still, I’m looking forward to what DiAngelis writes next.
May 31, 2022
Love this book! I had the honor to read an early copy and I just love Taryn and Riker's story. This story has a lot of heart to it. It tackles some difficult topics and has you routing for the characters. A story not to miss!
June 9, 2022
Words can’t express how much I loved this book! So much positive rep for endometriosis and bisexuality. I’ve struggled with both painful periods (suffering from PMDD) and depression, so it was great to see that on the page. I loved Taryn and Riker’s relationship and their character evolution. The writing style flowed well and kept me turning the page. Yay for happy endings!
A instant classic in young adult fiction. I can’t wait to read more books by this author! I’m obsessed now.
A instant classic in young adult fiction. I can’t wait to read more books by this author! I’m obsessed now.
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March 31, 2024I liked parts of this book but it ended so abruptly I still feel confused... I'm left wanting more answers and more development for the characters.
July 1, 2022
thank you to the author for sending me an eARC!
I have mixed feelings after finishing this book. There were some great elements—talking about endometriosis, Riker's passion for voice acting, the presence of speech and debate, etc. But at the same time, it didn't feel like a book for the audience it was written for. It feels like it was written for adults who wanted the nostalgia of being in high school, without truly having an authentic voice in YA. This didn't make SPEECH AND DEBACLES bad, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
Let's talk about the good elements first. Despite the voice feeling out of place in YA, both perspectives felt pretty well developed from a character standpoint, albeit sheltered from the world at large. And while I cannot speak for the accuracy of the endometriosis rep, I thought it was a really good element in the book and part of Taryn's character at large. I also enjoyed both Riker and Taryn's journeys with speech. All of the speech & debate aspects felt pretty accurate, and I'll chalk up any differences to state by state and league by league differences! And while it wasn't the main plot, I did enjoy the presence of Taryn's bisexuality and I love the way in which this book was almost completely queer normative!
In terms of arcs, the one I enjoyed the most was probably Riker's journey with voice acting. It wasn't as fully developed as it probably could have been, but it was really interesting and satisfying to see him succeed at the end of the day.
While there were good elements in this book, it doesn't really feel like they came together all that well. As I mentioned before, this book seems to lack an authentic YA voice. At times it felt like a romance novel that had just aged down its protagonists without adapting anything else. This also contributed to a really weird dynamic, one made worse by the complete lack of communication between Taryn and Riker and also with the reader. There were multiple times that I truly had no idea what was happening. Sometimes the lack of communication was understandable, especially regarding Taryn's endometriosis and Riker's struggles with mental health, but other times it just felt like lazy conflict.
Overall, I think this book just feels underdeveloped. There are plenty of good elements and some really important representation, but it was increasingly hard to connect with the book. I may be on the upper end of the YA audience, but I still felt like it was written for people older than me. It was a relatively easy read and if you like the concept of this book, you might still enjoy it. And you'll definitely get some funny comments, and queer people throughout
3.5 stars rounded up
I have mixed feelings after finishing this book. There were some great elements—talking about endometriosis, Riker's passion for voice acting, the presence of speech and debate, etc. But at the same time, it didn't feel like a book for the audience it was written for. It feels like it was written for adults who wanted the nostalgia of being in high school, without truly having an authentic voice in YA. This didn't make SPEECH AND DEBACLES bad, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
Let's talk about the good elements first. Despite the voice feeling out of place in YA, both perspectives felt pretty well developed from a character standpoint, albeit sheltered from the world at large. And while I cannot speak for the accuracy of the endometriosis rep, I thought it was a really good element in the book and part of Taryn's character at large. I also enjoyed both Riker and Taryn's journeys with speech. All of the speech & debate aspects felt pretty accurate, and I'll chalk up any differences to state by state and league by league differences! And while it wasn't the main plot, I did enjoy the presence of Taryn's bisexuality and I love the way in which this book was almost completely queer normative!
In terms of arcs, the one I enjoyed the most was probably Riker's journey with voice acting. It wasn't as fully developed as it probably could have been, but it was really interesting and satisfying to see him succeed at the end of the day.
While there were good elements in this book, it doesn't really feel like they came together all that well. As I mentioned before, this book seems to lack an authentic YA voice. At times it felt like a romance novel that had just aged down its protagonists without adapting anything else. This also contributed to a really weird dynamic, one made worse by the complete lack of communication between Taryn and Riker and also with the reader. There were multiple times that I truly had no idea what was happening. Sometimes the lack of communication was understandable, especially regarding Taryn's endometriosis and Riker's struggles with mental health, but other times it just felt like lazy conflict.
Overall, I think this book just feels underdeveloped. There are plenty of good elements and some really important representation, but it was increasingly hard to connect with the book. I may be on the upper end of the YA audience, but I still felt like it was written for people older than me. It was a relatively easy read and if you like the concept of this book, you might still enjoy it. And you'll definitely get some funny comments, and queer people throughout
3.5 stars rounded up
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews