Thursday, March 17, 2016

WRI Reviews Again: Louder Than Words by Iris St. Clair


#bookreview






Louder Than Words by Iris St. Clair
Pages: 300
Publisher: Swoon Romance 
Source: YA Bound Book Tours
Format: ePub
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Disappointment has been on speed dial in Ellen Grayson's life lately. Her dad died, her mom numbs the grief with drugs and alcohol, and her so-called friends have slowly abandoned her.

Trusting a popular teacher with her troubles should have been safe and should NOT have led to an unwelcome seduction attempt that made her desperate to escape the final moments of Junior year. Lesson learned. Best to keep all the sordid details to herself and trust no one.

Enter Rex Jacobi, a cocky boy, recently transplanted from New York City and fellow summer camp employee. Though his quick wit and confidence draws her in, she can't let him get too close. And summer is just long enough and hot enough to keep a boy like that at arm's length.

But by the time Rex's charm wears down her resistance, it's too late. He's put Ellen on the "just friends" shelf and has shifted his romantic attentions to the impossibly annoying and perky anti-Ellen. Even worse, the teacher who tried to get her to sleep with him is still at it, preying on other girls while Ellen struggles to come to terms with what happened.


With her ability to trust as shaky as a chastity vow on prom night, Ellen must decide if she has enough remaining courage to speak up about the well-liked teacher and risk retribution, tell Rex how she really feels about him and risk heartbreak, or hold all her secrets inside. After all, it's the only safe place she knows when the only thing louder than words is the fear of being rejected.

Purchase

My Review
This is a re-read for me. I don't remember what rating I gave it. This is a great story. Ellen, Rex, and crew are relate-able teenagers in the way they act and speak. This is a serious story but it isn't written with the overt purpose to pull at your heartstrings. 

The beginning starts with the inappropriate actions of a teacher. The thoughts and feelings of Ellen are honest and real. Many people, no matter the age, fear of unknown repercussion keep people from coming forward. I liked Ellen. She was smart and withdrawn but she is functioning. She knows what she has to do to have the future she was and she is focused. 

Rex is a pretty good guy. At times he is completely clueless but then again what teenage boy gets girls (mindset) all the time any way. He hasn't gone through what she has but he has his own abandonment issues. He's a good listener and friend.

The story flows well. I found the characters believable even the bullies. The way the school turned against her was believable as well. Rumors quickly became facts. All the while Ellen braved through it. There are ups and downs threaded throughout. There isn't a single point where the story gets bogged down. It's just a great read.

If you are looking for a read with a serious topic that is fast paced, this just may be the one for you.





About the Author
Iris St. Clair is the pen name for a long-suffering cubicle worker by day, a Walter Mitty-like dreamer by night. (Her alter ego Tatiana Ivanadance also choreographs gravity-defying routines in those fantasies, but that's another bio.)
No matter what genre she writes, she prefers witty, insecure heroines and kind, persistent heroes able to break through to the gooey heart inside.
In high school she was voted most likely to win at Monopoly and Clue, but least likely to throw a ball anywhere near a target. Thank goodness writing requires less hand-eye coordination, punctuation errors notwithstanding.

Iris believes in the two-year "fish or cut bait" dating rule and has a 20+ year marriage and two teenaged sons as proof of concept. She lives, writes, dreams and dances in the rainy Portland, OR area.


Author Links
Facebook  -  Twitter  -  Website  -  Goodreads  -  Pinterest




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