Book 5: Don't Breathe A Word, Holly Cupala

My book reading challenge is going quite well, and I am glad that I am somehow up to date. My book choices are also superb so far, which is probably why I am too excited to invade my bookshelf.

Don't Breathe A Word is another intriguing novel. Its protagonist, Joy, is a disturbed, sickly teenager who ran away from her family. Her boyfriend, Asher is said to have contributed to Joy's disturbing past, as a victim of domestic violence. I liked the plot of the story. I have read a lot of books about bullying where the bullied and the disturbed sincerely believed that suicide is the best solution there is. I am not saying that running away is a good solution, but absolutely not worse than putting an end to a life of one's self.

I was expecting a lot of situations of Joy's involvement in domestic violence because I wanted enough reason for Joy to run away from her family. Sure, what Asher did to her was way too cruel, but it wasn't unexpected. Her disappointment and pain towards Asher were totally vivid, but for me, what Asher did to her wasn't really enough to throw herself away on the streets. Sure, Joy described how humiliated she felt by Asher's abusive words, but I was looking for why she felt humiliated in the first place.

And as in all stories with a romantic element, a knight in shining armor always come while the damsel is in distress. I imagine Creed as a hot, young man who is always there to save the day. If that is the kind of boy I would meet on the streets, I'm gonna love it to be a streetkid myself (lol). Well, what I am trying to say about him saving the day is that, he was able to keep Joy from falling apart. His presence became her comfort, along with her friendship with May and Santos. Ultimately, it was their welfare and Santos' tragedy that saved Joy from a life without direction.

Don't Breathe a Word is one, nice read, full of lessons about being open with family. It also made me realize that the amount of value I have for other people depends on the amount of value I have for myself. Self-respect is very important. I recommend this read to all teenagers who feel lost and losing their sense of value.