Good

I really enjoyed reading this book and was quite satisfied with how everything turned out. It was a good short series. ( )

Okay... so I swore I wouldn't bother with the second one, but the story was unfinished, and I hate when things are unfinished, so I had to find out what happened. Only took a few hours to read so didnt take up too much time. Issues were skimmed over again, as in the first novel, and I got a bit bored with the repetition of feelings, so I skipped over a few bits throughout. It seemed like it was written really quickly and not with the detail and attention you would expect to go into a book. Apologies to the author but this one seemed like maybe a pre-teen would be more interested in it. ( )

There is a bit of a time lapse with this sequel to Silence, beginning a few years after the last ended. Oakley has definitely changed as a character, relearning herself now that her secrets are known and she is speaking once again. This sequel is less young adult and more new adult now, as neither of them are teenagers anymore.

Hands down, what I liked the most about this book was the fact that Oakley finally has the family she deserves. Her brother Jasper has always been there for her, but now her mother is, too. That was also the downside for me, the fact that her mother whisked her away to live in Australia. While I understood the mother's instinct to take your child away from all that was wrong, to protect her from the inevitable media storm, I felt for Oakley. I felt like her mother took her from the person she needed most, Cole, the person who had been there for her more than anyone else.

The central focus of this book was the trial and all of the emotional baggage that comes with that. It seemed that Oakley was still learning how to live again and was still a bit socially awkward and nervous, something I feel is absolutely normal. There is also the struggle between Cole and Oakley as they had to rediscover each other. Some of that was due to their time apart, but just as much had to do with the fact that Oakley now communicates.

What I loved most was the message... the idea that you can persevere, that you can choose to be survivor instead of a victim. It was a powerful message and an important one.

Things to love about Broken Silence...

--Oakley's strength. I love the messages of strength and courage that her story sends.
--The realistic portrayal. It is tough subject matter and I love how it was handled, no sanitizing it.

Things I wanted more or less of...

--More nice Cole. Towards the end of the last book and at various points in this one, I felt like he was bordering on jerkdom. While I understand that as a person, he had feelings and emotions in regards to all that happened in the story, I felt like he didn't have the understanding for the horror that Oakley went through and the inevitable issues that kind of thing creates.

Some quotastic goodness...

--Everyone says that getting over somebody ‘just takes time’ and that one day it will stop hurting and the door will open for you to move on. We are also told that love is eternal; something extraordinary that will stay with you forever. However, after a break up, suddenly love becomes something you should get over once a little time had passed. The contradiction is immense (Loc. 22-24).

--There had been no one else because I couldn’t stand the thought of being that close to anyone else. There was nothing wrong with the guys here or anything, I just didn’t feel safe and secure with them. They couldn’t make me forget every disgusting thing that had happened to me with one little smile (Loc. 140-142).

My recommendation: A dark, but beautiful and emotional read that I felt was very moving! ( )

The sequel to Oakley and Cole's relationship...after Oakley outs her father as a child abuser and pimp, she runs away to Australia with her mother and brother to get away from everything. And now four long years have passed and now the trial is set to go on in a few months and finally Oakley is ready to face her fears and return to England, return to face the man she had called her father, face her abuser and return to Cole. But will Cole still want anything to do with her after she left him high and dry before. For Cole, the past four years have been pure hell. All he can think about is Oakley. And yes, he wants her back desperately. Can the two work past their differences and face the trial of Oakley's abusers and stay together as strong as ever? ( )