What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

Title: What I Didn't Say
Author: Keary Taylor
Publisher: CreateSpace
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 80% or C
Buy It: Amazon

Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat.

His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.

When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.

My Thoughts:: 
There were a couple of things that made me want to request this book on netgalley. First of all, I feel as if I don't read enough books that have a male main character. The best I do on a regular basis is when a book has two narrators and one of them is a boy. But it is rare when I find myself totally enveloped in a male's perspective. Another reason I requested this book is because I wanted to delve into a down to earth novel without the gears and whistles that my current favorite genres have.

Jake was a great main character. He was very fleshed out. Once and a while he would get frustrating for me as a reader because he would be so down and I couldn't understand why. But yet, I wasn't really supposed to understand why because Jake barely understood it either. Him and Samantha blended well together and each had a lot to give to one another. It was interesting to watch their relationship evolve.

Rarely do I enjoy a book this much whose main plot seems to be majorly about the love interest. But as you read, it becomes more than that.  I liked the underline messages that the book included. My favorites were that you can't really judge a person based solely on what you think about them, and there is always a bright side and you could have it much worse. You can never assume things about people until you really know what their life is like.