What I Didn't Say Review

What I Didn’t Say by Keary Taylor

Published: April 30th 2012
Publisher: CreateSpace

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.

Tell me about the plot...

What I Didn’t Say is a captivating story. It’s a story of hope with some pretty raw emotions for you to get your heart squeezed and patch up again. Jake finds himself in a situation no one’s ready for. He ends up mute, unable to communicate with all his friends and family the way he was used to and is bound to have what he calls “Conversations in Slow Motion” - which to be honest, sucks big time!
He gets angry, at himself, at his friends, at the world and at the girl he loves. He gets depressed and he finds the will to get back up after his dreams are shattered. And that’s when he discovers that the place he so desperately wanted to leave, is the only place where people will always be there for him.
The story has some twist and turns and very believable characters that I absolutely liked!

Main Character

I’ve read some books from men’s POV and this one I really enjoyed! Meet Jake Hayes, your typical high school boy who has had a crush on Samantha since she moved to Orcas Island. But his accident changes his life for the better or the worse. Through it all, Jake can focus on other people and starts learning things about his neighbors. He’s caring and after all the help he receives after the accident he learns to give it back.

What about the girl?

Sam is an interesting character. At first she’s hard to understand and Jake doesn’t have all the information about her. She’s easy going and completely focused on school. She’s also not afraid to let Jake know when he’s not being fair and when he needs to stop feeling sorry for himself.



What was the best part?

I loved how real the emotions and reactions felt. He didn’t magically accept what happened, he blamed a lot of people for it, he acted out because of his feelings and he also learn from it.
Another thing I really enjoyed was that the story doesn’t focus just on him, but on Sam’s problems as well.

What didn’t you like about the book?

I said the emotions felt real, but some facts didn’t. Jake keeps telling how small the island is, how everyone knows each other so well, and yet there are some VERY important things the characters keep a secret. That didn’t feel true for me, somehow I imagine people would have known.

Anything else I should know about this?

Yes, if you’re one of those people who cry a lot, get tissues ready.
This is a stand alone book that you’re gonna enjoy!

About the Author

Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. She is the author of the FALL OF ANGELS trilogy, EDEN, and WHAT I DIDN'T SAY.
To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com