Don't Breathe a Word in Sophomore Reading Challenge

May 30, 2010 Princess Bookie rated it it was amazing

My Thoughts: Wow, whoa, insane! I know this review is going to be difficult to write because that is how awesome of a book it is. I started Don't Breathe A Word late on a Thursday night before bed. I figured I'd just read a few chapters and than go to bed. So much for that! I read the whole book in one sitting and lost track of time. I looked up at the clock when I was finished and it was 3 in the morning. Yes, that is how good it was.

We are introduced to Joy who lives with her family. Don't Br ...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Shanyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: src

Don't Breathe a Word is brilliantly beautiful.

There really isn't much to say here - when I was finished I closed the back cover and just kind of sat there, thinking about everything I had just read and how the ending came together and the lessons learned. The characters were all amazingly built, with backgrounds and stories and lives that you cared about, even though they weren't the main protagonist.

I don't know much about being homeless (basically all I know is what I've read in a book), so w ...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Sarah (YA Love) rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary-ya, realistic-fiction, young-adult-lit, read-in-2011, jan-2012-release, relationships-abuse

Don’t Breathe a Word starts off strong with an attention grabbing scene. Joy is in the process of staging her kidnapping because she needs to get away in order to save her family, but we don’t know why she feels compelled to do this. We don’t know why she needs to save her family. This had me hooked and needing to read more.

Joy’s story is one that isn’t told very often in young adult literature. She’s in a relationship with Asher, which we discover isn’t a healthy one. Holly Cupula does an excel Don’t Breathe a Word starts off strong with an attention grabbing scene. Joy is in the process of staging her kidnapping because she needs to get away in order to save her family, but we don’t know why she feels compelled to do this. We don’t know why she needs to save her family. This had me hooked and needing to read more.

Joy’s story is one that isn’t told very often in young adult literature. She’s in a relationship with Asher, which we discover isn’t a healthy one. Holly Cupula does an excellent job of slowly revealing the truth behind Joy’s scars and suffering. Most YA novels about abusive relationships deal with physical abuse, so I appreciate that Holly Cupula focuses more on emotional abuse because I know it’s unfortunately a common occurrence. Don’t Breathe a Word has the potential to help teens realize that emotional abuse exists, and like physical abuse, it shouldn’t be ignored.

As much as I enjoyed Don’t Breathe a Word, I’m also a little torn. Joy runs away from home to live on the streets of Seattle. While doing this, she meets a group of teen runaways that take her in. These characters are well-developed and believable. My issue is that I felt more connected to these characters than I did to Joy. Part of this is because Joy purposely keeps her past hidden because she doesn’t want any of the runaways to take her less seriously. I can appreciate this about Joy, but I would have felt more connected to her, which I very much wanted to experience, if she would have opened up sooner. It became distracting from the story because I found myself thinking more about these characters as opposed to Joy. I wasn’t as impressed with the ending, which makes me wonder if the reason for this is because I wasn’t as invested in Joy’s character.

Despite some misgivings I have with Holly Cupula’s second novel, I wanted to keep reading and enjoyed Don’t Breathe a Word. It’s a compelling story, but it’s compelling for reasons I didn’t expect upon reading it. The writing is superb, but I craved a stronger connection with Joy. ...more

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Nov 23, 2010 tarawrawr rated it really liked it

Don’t Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala is a very intense and moving read.

I’ve never read anything like Don’t Breathe a Word before, in regards to the story. I mean, I’ve volunteered at a homeless shelter, okay? But oh my god, after reading Don’t Breathe a Word, I just can’t imagine ever going through what Joy went through, especially not willingly. And the situation that led her to make her choice just broke me.

I loved every single character in Don’t Breathe a Word. I loved Joy and how strong she ...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Hannah rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012, own-finished-copy

I'd heard great things about Holly Cupala's debut, Tell Me a Secret, and Don't Breathe a Word, too, so I had pretty high expectations for this one. And while I struggled to get into it in the beginning, I really liked Don't Breathe a Word!

In the beginning, I had trouble understanding Joy's motivations. Yes, her boyfriend is emotionally abusive and how he treats her is horrible, but I still didn't understand why that would make her run away from home and live on the streets. I understand that she I'd heard great things about Holly Cupala's debut, Tell Me a Secret, and Don't Breathe a Word, too, so I had pretty high expectations for this one. And while I struggled to get into it in the beginning, I really liked Don't Breathe a Word!

In the beginning, I had trouble understanding Joy's motivations. Yes, her boyfriend is emotionally abusive and how he treats her is horrible, but I still didn't understand why that would make her run away from home and live on the streets. I understand that she didn't want to break up with him or stand up to him because she was trying to protect her dad, but... I don't know, I can't imagine running away to live on the streets for that. Couldn't she have waited a little longer, saved some more money, and then run away to another city? She could have gotten a cheap motel room and started working somewhere. That, to me, seems much more logical than running away to live on the streets. And I know, she also did it because Creed sort of offered to help her and that drew her to the homeless, but still. I can't really explain it, but that reasoning wasn't enough for me, and that made it hard for me to get into the story in the beginning.

But once Joy ran away and started living with the homeless, I loved Don't Breathe a Word. I loved reading about Joy's life on the streets. I don't know much about being homeless (I volunteered at a shelter for a while, but really, I don't think you can know what it's like unless you've actually lived on the street), so this was really interesting to read about. I like that we got to read about everything from a newcomer's point-of-view - Joy doesn't know much about being homeless either, so it feels like you yourself are living on the streets, finding out how everything works. The plot is great; fast-paced and gripping, and it kept me turning the pages way past my bedtime. (I think how long a book can keep you up at night is the ultimate measure of how good it is.)

Joy is a good character. She's got a lot going on, with her asthma, her overprotective family, and Asher. I felt for her and related to her without a problem. One thing I didn't like, though, is how she always feels guilty for being with the rest of the homeless kids. She sees herself as a traitor and is always afraid of them finding out about "the real her." I get that this is supposed to protray how society doesn't accept emotional abuse as abuse as much as physical abuse, but still. I found that guilt and fear unrealistic, considering Creed's, May's and Santos's personalities. Creed's story isn't all that different from Joy's, really.

The secondary characters are what I loved most about Don't Breathe a Word. I loveloveloved Creed - he's amazing, the perfect love interest. The way he treats Joy is so sweet. The rest of the homeless population are complex characters, too - I loved reading about each of their stories and finding out about what got each of them on the streets. The strong bonds between the characters are really well-done.

I'm split on what to make of the ending. It's too happy to be realistic, but I kind of liked it anyways. Even though it's unrealistic considering the characters' situations, it made me so happy and hopeful, so I can't really complain about it.

With vivid, lyrical writing, a strong sense of atmosphere, a gripping plot and complex, lovable characters, Don't Breathe a Word is the story of a girl finding her inner strength in the most unlikely of situations. Maybe now that I've seen how amazing Holly Cupala is, I can get around to finishing Tell Me a Secret - I've listened to the first few chapters on podcasts, but because of the format (I don't really do audiobooks), I couldn't get into it. Maybe loving her sophomore novel will give me the incentive to buy a paper copy of Tell Me a Secret. But anyways, I loved Don't Breathe a Word, and I definitely recommend it!

Reviewed at http://www.paperbacktreasures.blogspo... ...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday) added it

Shelves: standalone-challenge-2012, sophomore-challenge-2012, completely-comtemp-2012

Full review posted on my blog www.jenryland.blogspot.com

I went into this book knowing little about it and came out a huge fan. This is a gripping and beautifully written story about abusive relationships and life on the street that isn't preachy or depressing or melodramatic. It's just .... really good!

I'm off to put Holly Cupala's first book, Tell Me a Secret, on my TBR list!
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