REVIEW: DON'T TELL, DON'T TELL, DON'T TELL by Liane Shaw

DON'T TELL, DON'T TELL, DON'T TELL

Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Frederick has a lot of rules for himself. Like if someone calls him Freddy he doesn’t have to respond; he only wears shirts with buttons and he hates getting dirty. His odd behavior makes him an easy target for the “Despisers” at school, but he’s gotten used to eating lunch alone in the Reject Room.

Angel, in tenth grade but already at her sixth school, has always had a hard time making friends because her family moves around so much. Frederick is different from the other kids she’s met - he’s annoyingly smart, but refreshingly honest - and since he’s never had a real friend before, she decides to teach him all her rules of friendship.

But after Angel makes a rash decision and disappears, Frederick is called in for questioning by the police and is torn between telling the truth and keeping his friend’s secret. Her warning to him - don’t tell, don’t tell, don’t tell - might have done more harm than good. 

Title: DON'T TELL, DON'T TELL, DON'T TELL

Author: Liane Shaw

Source: Purchased from Bryan Prince Bookseller

Publisher: Second Story Press

Publication Date: April 5, 2016

Rating: 2.5 stars

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

I did like this one but I had a couple issues with it. I always have a hard time getting into books that use stream of consciousness to tell the story but this one wasn't too bad until we switched from Frederick's point of view to Angel's. One of the main problems for me was the scene were Frederick finds Angel was very confusing. I had to read it three times until I fully understood what was happening and even still I have some questions. It didn't flow the way the rest of the story did and was really jarring.

I did like that both characters had something they didn't want to tell and I liked being in Angel's mind as she tried to figure out if she should tell or keep it to herself. However, being in Angel's mind was very underwhelming after having been in Frederick's mind. She was very one dimensional and didn't really add a whole lot to the story once we were in her mind. She added more, in my opinion, when Frederick was trying to analyze her and her motives and emotions. Because I always understood Angel since she was fairly neurotypical compared to Frederick. 

This was a really quick and easy read but it didn't feel like too much really happened. I feel like it could have had a bit better narrative while still telling the same story. Instead it felt a bit pieced together to create something that it wasn't. The plot wasn't anything special and was a little underdeveloped in my opinion. The real star of the show was Frederick but the rest of the story and characters didn't live up to what he brought to the page.

I still really enjoyed the characters and being in Frederick's mind, but this isn't a book you HAVE to pick up and read. It is just sort of meh to me.