Annabel's life seems perfect from the outside. She has a nice family, a nice house, popular friends, and a job as a model. But, her life is changed forever after she is assaulted and humiliated at a party. She becomes a social outcast. Fellow outcast, Owen, gives her the encouragement she needs to speak her mind and tell her secrets.

If you read a lot of YA fiction, this book is extremely predictable. You'll know instantly what happened at the party, and you'll know how the book ends. YA authors really need to start being more creative.

Spoiler

Rape isn't the only bad thing that can happen at a party. Speak is a wonderful book, but we don't need a thousand clones of it.

I found the flashbacks about Annabel's sisters a little frustrating. The sisters are nowhere near as interesting as Annabel and Owen. I was tempted to skim the flashbacks to get back to the main story. I didn't think that the sisters or the "mean girl," Sophie, were as well-developed as some of the other characters.

Owen is the best part of this book. He is awesome. It's great to see a complex teenage character who has interests, imperfections, and strong beliefs.

Finally, I thought the end of the book dragged on too long. There are a lot of storylines that needed to be resolved, but I think it could have been done more quickly. Since the book is predictable, I got bored with the end.

This isn't a horrible book. It's well-written, and most of it is entertaining, but I wasn't blown away by it.