Review: Silence by Natasha Preston

Publisher: Createspace
Publication Date: May 9, 2014
Rating: 2/5

For eleven years, Oakley Farrell has been silent. At the age of five, she stopped talking, and no one seems to know why. Refusing to communicate beyond a few physical actions, Oakley remains in her own little world. Bullied at school, she has just one friend, Cole Benson. Cole stands by her, refusing to believe that she is not perfect the way she is. Over the years, they have developed their own version of a normal friendship. However, will it still work as they start to grow even closer? When Oakley is forced to face someone from her past, can she hold her secret in any longer? (Goodreads)

I chose to read this book because I read a review by someone else and I was intrigued. Oakley is our main character here, she's 16 (I think) and she hasn't spoken a word to anyone since she was five years old. Her parents (mostly her mother) has tried to figure out of something is medically wrong with their daughter but for the most part, they live with her as she is. Oakley has a best friend who lives two houses over named Cole and they do just about everything together. He understand Oakley better that her parents and is head over heals for her.

Most of the book is about Oakley trying to stumble her way through forming a relationship with Cole that surpasses friendship. So we as the readers know that something has happened to Oakley, probably something along the line of sexual abuse. We know that her father is involved and it's easy to think that her father was the one sexually abusing her. I was okay with the story (there were some issues but I was living with them) until the end. I like how Oakley called Cole to come and help her, but it was all pretty anticlimactic, maybe I'm dramatic but there should have been fighting, chasing, something, but Cole just showed up and drove her away. Then the father and abuser are arrested and Oakley and her family randomly decide to move away. I haven't read the second book but I assume the ending was to set up the second book but I didn't like it at all. With some editing beginning and middle of the book could have been more solid (more details and substance) but the ending was all wrong. It was suppose to leave us wanting more, but... it just didn't work.

This book was almost there, but then fell flat.