What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor Book Review

We all make mistakes and bad choices.  Some are big mistakes that change your entire life.  Jake Hayes knows all about those big mistakes and bad choices.  In his senior year of high school, Jake's life is changed forever when he gets drunk at a party and gets into a car with a drunk friend.  On his way to Samantha Shay's house the car goes off the road and Jake's injuries are so severe he loses his ability to talk and the ability to tell Sam he's been in love with her for years.

Sam is just trying to keep under the radar, she's going through a tough time, but has had feelings for Jake as well.  After the accident she and Jake start sharing a lot of the same classes and soon begin to start dating.  But Sam still keeps a part of herself locked away from Jake and she won't let him "say" those words he almost died trying to tell her.  Will these two overcome his muteness and her commitment issues to start a future together?

What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor is an emotional story of making the best of the adversity and learning to love.  This is a young adult novel, but I think it's great for adults as well.  It had me crying and laughing.  I love how Jake didn't just get depressed about losing the ability to speak--he still lived.  However, like in real life, we all have set backs and days that we get down on ourselves.

In the beginning of the book, the story went back and forth between the present and the past, specifically the period right after Sam moved to the area.  I noticed myself trying to read through the "past" chapters to get back to the "present" chapters.  The "past" chapters do have a point to the story, but I liked the present timeline better.  I did like how the chapter titles weren't your regular titles (but you'll have to pick up the book to find out what they are!).

Ms. Taylor really wrote from the heart with this book.  There isn't a lot of swearing or sexual content (Sam and Jake remain virgins throughout the book), which I appreciated. This book has a lot of life lessons in it, it's one of those emotional feel good books that will have you rooting for every character.  I would especially recommend this book to teens since there is such a life lesson about drinking and driving (among others), but I think this is an enjoyable book for anyone who likes young adult fiction.  I give this book 5 stars and I will be reading more from this author.