Welcome to my stop on the SAY WHAT YOU WILL tour! I was lucky enough to be included and look forward to seeing everyone’s posts!
Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can’t walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.
When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other’s lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.
SOURCE: finished copy given for review/tour
Say What You Will is a very different book so I’m shaking up my review format a bit to best showcase it.:)
WHAT I LOVED:
* Matthew, he was perfect to me. Obviously he isn’t perfect, no one is, but for someone to be so selfless even when faced with negative reactions from others. WOW.
* That the kids at their school weren’t bullies. Sure there are prejudices everywhere, whether it be about race, disabilities, sexual orientations, but not every teen treats people horribly. They might not understand their situations yet (these are kids and are still learning, heck even as adults we are still learning) and be somewhat awkward around someone who is labeled “different” but they are open to trying something new, trying to help and to learn how to be accepting of others and their choices. I liked watching people grow to understand Amy and that her limitations do not make her less human than them.
* Amy’s condition isn’t sugar-coated and Matthew still see the greatness in her.
* That Amy is shown as a human being (which she is) and that you can laugh at something she does or joke around with her about it. There is a huge difference at laughing at the situation and making fun of someone.
WHAT HURT THE MOST:
* Amy pushing Matthew a bit too much for my liking. Everyone alive has some issue they are dealing with and forcing people to confront it while not confronting your own as well as before they are ready isn’t fair.
* A few turns the story takes. While I still love the book some of the events were a punch in the gut.
* Amy’s relationship with her mom. While her mom was great at helping she didn’t know when to stop and I hurt for Amy that the little chance she has at a normal life was almost wiped our by their lack of understanding of their mutual feelings.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
At the risk of sounding cheesy, I laughed, I cried. There are some hard moments to get through but there are some beautiful moments between people learning and accepting each other for what and who they are. . .a true and realistic love story.
4/5
Gone Pecan 
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