About the Author

Laurie Plissner is the author of Screwed, a Simon & Schuster book.

New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard has written many novels for adults, including Two If by Sea. She has also written young adult novels; children’s books; a memoir, Mother Less Child; and a collection of essays, The Rest of Us: Dispatches from the Mother Ship. Her first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, was the inaugural selection of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club, later adapted for a feature film starring and produced by Michelle Pfeiffer. Mitchard is the editor in chief and co-creator of Merit Press and a professor of fiction and creative nonfiction at Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband and their nine children.

Reviews

"Laurie Plissner's Louder Than Words is a fantastic debut. Plissner's writing style is witty, modern, and touching. Plissner manages to engage her reader with a smart and grieving protagonist, and a climax that will take the reader's breath away." --Blogcritics

"Author Laurie Plissner's debut novel portrays a defensive and smart-mouthed yet funny girl, damaged by tragedy, whose journey to recover her lost memories includes rediscovering herself. The protagonist's shocking findings are both frightening and dangerous, and the nonstop action draws the story to a most unlikely and terrifying ending." --New York Journal of Books

"Part medical drama, part mystery, part love story, Plissner takes us on a journey of young love and putting the pieces back together to reclaim your life. This is a quick read with an interesting premise and great characters. Great book which I completely recommend as a must read." --Maria's Space blog

"First, I found the premise to be totally unique and I loved reading everything from Sasha's perspective. I would suggest a mature teen audience." --Minding Spot blog

"This was an interesting book. I liked the mystery as to whether Sasha would ever recover her voice, as well as the mystery over whether there was someone else involved in Sasha's family's accident." --Sarah Elizabeth's Bookshelf

"Laurie Plissner's Louder Than Words is a fantastic debut for the older young adult audience. Plissner's writing style is witty, modern, and touching. Plissner manages to engage her reader with a smart and grieving protagonist, and a climax that will take the reader's breath away. Witty and unapologetic, Plissner's novel is a realistic representation of the teenage world: imperfect and complicated." --Book Addict blog

"Just from reading the synopsis, I knew that this was going to be a good story. The emotions going on in this book is a roller coaster ride; I didn't know what to expect at the next turn! Both characters are strong, which keeps the story blooming. This book is quite memorable, and I'd recommend it to anyone." --Bookworm 1858 blog

"I was really surprised by the layers in this novel. It's a psychological thriller, it's a romance, it's a mystery. I found that strong bond between teen and parent figures to be so refreshing--it's not something you see often in YA literature.... This is a great debut novel and a standalone that is perfect for those who are looking to read something out of the box. It's such a pleasant treat to stumble upon a novel that isn't like anything else out there!" – Christi, The Teen Librarian blog

"Louder Than Words is a fast-paced, young adult novel that will rivet readers' attention to the very last page. Nicely done, Laurie Plissner!" --The Best Reviews blog

"The characters were absolutely wonderful. The story was delightfully crafted with that special Shakespearean humor and banter but modernized. Tempestuous was an amusing and interesting read. A fantastic take on a classic with a magic all its own. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a fun, fluffy read with a little meat to it." --Refracted Light Reviews

"Sasha is a feisty character with a sense of humor." - School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Sasha is suffering from amnesia and hysterical mutism as a result of post-traumatic stress. At 13, she was the only survivor of a car accident that killed her parents and older sister. Now she lives with her aunt and uncle and is counseled by a psychiatrist. Enter Ben, a hunky classmate who carries a torch for Sasha. Coincidentally, he and his family live in her old house, and Ben is conveniently telepathic. Sasha juggles three narratives: a silent dialogue with Ben, one with herself that he eavesdrops on, and one that Ben seems locked out of in which she stage-whispers to readers. Adding to the melodrama, she is stalked by four high school thugs and is cornered, taunted, and almost gang raped before Ben comes to her rescue. Twice. He begins sex therapy to help Sasha scream and speak her first words in four years. Instead of being overjoyed to regain her speech, she is fixated on the growing sexual attraction between them. Then there's a dark memory shift as the teen suspects that her world-famous psychiatrist has a hidden agenda. Sasha is a feisty character with a sense of humor, but the superhero boyfriend, the malevolent thugs, the abundant sexuality, and a psycho psychiatrist add up to too much fiction without much substance.-Alison Follos, formerly at North Country School, Lake Placid, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.