oofsharkz73 's review for:

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

“JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO SCARED TO TAKE ANY RISKS DOESN’T MEAN THE REST OF US SHOULD BE.”

Say What You Will is enjoyably simplistic. Much like her children's novel, Frankie and Amelia, Cammie McGovern's YA novel -about a disabled girl and a boy with OCD- is to the point. Something I've found I enjoy about McGovern's writing style is that she doesn't write droning paragraphs, chalk full of detail. She paints a picture, not in any sort of intricate way, just enough to visualize. And I like that. I like that even a YA book is at a middle grade level in comprehensiveness. I'm not sure if it was her intention, but it seems that her books - even while covering more mature topics - are written in a way that those that aren't as intellectually abled, or who simply don't enjoy reading a dense book, could still read with ease.

“It was in preschool, actually. He was the person who told me there was no such thing as a nap fairy who came in and put stickers on children who were asleep. He said it was the teachers wanting the kids to sleep so they could get a break.”

That’s the whole point. If you want to get better, you don’t make the easy choice; you make the hard one.

Stains were a patchwork of mistakes you couldn’t get rid of. They showed the world your real self, even the parts you didn’t want it to see.

“Our weaknesses aligned pretty well. We filled each other’s gaps.”

Say What You Will is still impressive in its imagery and emotion. Honestly, it's one of the best coming of age novels for those who aren't the textbook highschooler, but still want to feel loved and included. 5 stars all the way!