Customer Reviews

Read My Lips

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

For Serena Nelson, fitting in has never been easy, but it was possible. A punk skater at heart, she had her own niche of likeminded friends who didn't mind that she was deaf. Serena's talents for lip reading are excellent, and allow her to live a pretty normal life. But when she moves to a small town, the preps in her new school see her talent as something to profit off of, and use Serena to get the juiciest gossip, enticing her with a membership into a secret sorority and the promise of fitting in. But will her so called friends go too far?

Read My Lips is an attention grabbing page turner. Serena is a smart and edgy narrator, who is quite normal despite her condition, and doesn't seek attention because of it. Her desire to fit in is something that we can all empathize with, and the lengths that she goes to do so are relatable. But it's how she fights back and overcomes those that belittle her that makes Read My Lips such a compelling and quick read. Read My Lips is a delightful mix of complex characters, biting wit, and the angst that comes with making new friends.

Unfortunately, I didn't like this book at all. I had to push myself to finish it, just so I could write a proper review. Teri Brown is a really great writer- don't get me wrong- but the story wasn't there. It was too fast, too jumpy and too cheesy- all of my least favorite things in a novel.

Serena was an annoying character. The eye-rolling comments were enough to overlook, but I couldn't get past the sheer conformity. In the beginning, she's written with at least a shred of confidence and personality, but as the story unfolds, she just moves back and fourth to please other characters. Maybe that was the intention, but I didn't like how incredibly fast everything was.

A few other things that bugged me- the labels and stereotypes. I felt like the entire story was focused on those. It might just be my own personal annoyance, but all the use of "prep, preppies", and "punk skater chick", it just got to be a bit much. Then there was also the throwing around of the L word. (Love- just in case you're thinking of something nasty) After only a short, short time of knowing and spending time with each other, Serena and Miller, the love interest of the story, were reciting it with ease. This could be another thing that only bothers me, but I think the word love should only apply to characters who have a long, established and meaningful relationship- something Serena and Miller do not.

I would've given it three stars, maybe, if the story ended with a conclusion, but it didn't. Not really. In the end, Serena still basically ended up conforming, she didn't make up for the things she did to people, and she still got her perfect fairy-tale ending with Miller. I think maybe this book should be directed towards twelve & thirteen year olds- which there is nothing wrong with- but for a nineteen year old who normally reads really mature literature? Not a good recommendation.

Read My Lips
Serena just wants to fly under the radar at her new school. But Serena is deaf, and she can read lips really well-even across the busy cafeteria. So when the popular girls discover her talent, there's no turning back.

What I liked about Read My Lips was how real the characters were. Serena has a very real desire to fit in, just like we all do and sometimes that longing to be part of the crowd makes good choices kind of fuzzy. The mean girls did mean girl things, but they weren't horrific. They were just kids, doing kid things. Then there was the description of Serena's mom who does one thing that drives her crazy; the mother hover.

The Mother Hover - classic

This debut novel from Teri J. Brown is a fun, light read and I highly recommend it!

Moving to a new town is never easy. Neither is navigating through high school. When a girl befriends both an outcast boy and the popular girls at her new school, she quickly becomes an unwilling player in the game of gossip. Uncomfortable with the situation but glad to finally be part of a group, she must decide what's right, what's wrong, and what's best kept secret.

Read My Lips is the perfect title for Teri Brown's debut novel. The main character, Serena Nelson, is oral deaf, meaning that she able to speak and has some level of hearing. She would rather read lips than use sign language. On her first day at a mainstream high school, without really meaning to, Serena reads someone's lips from a distance - kind of like overhearing something - and accidentally shares that conversation with some of her classmates. When they realize that Serena's ability to lip read may come in handy for their personal gain, they lobby for her friendship. These are the school's social butterflies, the girls everyone likes, the cream of the crop. Initially, Serena loves the feeling of acceptance, but she soon discovers that the price for admittance to their exclusive sorority may be too high for her to pay.

Like all teenagers, Serena has things she loves (like hooded sweatshirts and skateboarding) and things that bug her (like having to move to a new town). She starts crushing on a guy called Miller who is an outcast at school. She finds that she can be herself around him, and he becomes one of her strongest supporters. Even though the popular girls don't like him, Serena does.

Throughout the story, Serena deals with her physical and moral challenges realistically. She is not ashamed of her hearing impairment, but she tends to hide her hearing aids with her hair. She responds well to her own moral compass. When she lip reads private conversations between classmates or teachers at someone else's request, she knows what she's doing is similar to eavesdropping or spying, and she doesn't always tell them everything she sees and hears.

As Serena tries to balance her time with her crush, her family, and her friends, Brown gives each character distinct traits. Rather than the sorority being a clique of clones, each of the main girls has her own personality, and not all of them are gossip hounds. Some prove themselves worthy of Serena's friendship, while others, with their selfish agendas, do not.

For a time, Serena allows herself to look and act like the queen bees by taking out her eyebrow piercing and dressing in trendy clothes rather than comfy hoodies, but thankfully, she comes back to her senses. When the truth comes out in the end, as it always does, Serena is genuinely apologetic. She is a solid, believable character, and this is a solid story. Recommended.

If I could give it zero stars, I would. I'm very sorry to have to say that this book is the only truly horrible book I have ever read that I wish was good. The story promises potential and an opportunity to learn something. However the writing style is horrible. With badly constructed sentences that don't seem to divulge anything more about our protagonist other than that she is: deaf, a self labeled 'skater-punk' who wants to fit in with A-listers, and in three seconds seems to fall madly in love with the only other 'different' person she meets. The love angle is pathetic and seems to have been put together by chopping up every trash chick-lit book for horny teens. You hardly hear mention of Serena's deafness except to give her the power of super lip-reading and an odd assortment of thoughts about having been teased or feeling different. And even these seem to have been inserted as reluctant afterthoughts. This story seems more like a strange mixture of a daydream, and fantasy with bad writing. I've read fanfiction better than this. I have no idea how this got published. This story deserves much better. The worst waste of money and time. If it weren't a Kindle edition I would either return is or throw it in the rubbish. DO NOT WASTE ANYTHING ON THIS BOOK.

This is a great read for anyone who can relate to high school drama and loves to read about a heroine and happy endings. Over coming adversity and romance included in this book.

This is one of those great finds that you sometimes run across when searching through older books. This was such a cute book. Serena's new friends tend to use her skill of lip-reading to dig up dirt and information. She is deaf, but rather than learn sign language, she instead learned how to lip-read extremely well, where she can read what someone is saying from across a large room even. Her unique talent in this caused some rather funny scenarios that had me grinning and laughing.

Although there were funny scenarios, Serena also learns some not so nice things that make her feel guilty for spreading the information to her eager buddies. This relationship between herself and her friends complicates her relationship with the guy she likes, Miller.

I loved the growing relationship between Serena and Miller. It was a cute romance. Additionally, I loved how neither Miller, or anyone else seemed to make too big of a deal about Serena's disability. It was refreshing.

I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun, lighthearted read that will lift your spirits and make you happy.

Teri Brown has created an emotional joyride through the eyes of Serena. No good can come of being a new students, especially a deaf new student. Serena's gift has always been lip reading, so when the popular girls learn of this talent they persuade her to use her gift to spy for them. Serena has never fit in and now she's offered the chance to be a part of the popular group and join an exclusive secret society, how can she say no?

I wanted to read this novel to see how the author dealt with telling the story through the eyes of a deaf girl, and she handled it fantastically. Serena isn't 100% deaf. She has hearing aids that help her hear, but it's not perfect. I was able to immediately relate with Serena. Who hasn't wanted to fit in before? And, having such a disability probably isn't the easiest thing in high school. This novel is full of choices gone wrong and peer pressure, which totally reminded me of high school. Even though it's hard to understand why she would give personal information about others to these popular girls, her motivations are believable.

It has a simple plot that's not too complicated and an expected ending, but it did keep me reading to find out how deep the secrets would get.

Serena Nelson is not your typical teenager, as much as she'd like to be. She's deaf, but has a particularly talent that can come in handy : she can read lips. Wanting to fit in, she try to keep it a secret, but it isn't that easy, especially when the popular clique discovers it. When her secret falls under their claws, she can't deny it. But is she ready for this world that isn't always pretty. With each new secret discovered, she's pressured to find out more. But what is she willing to do to be a part of the popular? The thing that didn't change? She's still attract to Miller, the rebel of the school, who has some secrets of his own.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I think Terri Brown did very well for her first novel. And the fact that the main character is deaf brings something different that isn't in every teen books.

When Serena's parents make her move to a small town she's not sure her skater chick self will fit in with all the preps. To top things off she's deaf and quite a few people, including some teachers, think she's a freak. Even though life isn't perfect Serena is pretty content with her life and especially enjoys hanging out with her crush and the school rebel Miller. Surprisingly though Serena makes friends with preppy girl Rachel very quickly. While Rachel is really nice she is also part of a group of super exclusive girls and Serena is sure she won't fit in. Especially when she meets Sonya who has it out for her the first time their eyes meet. Soon the group of girls who weren't the most accepting at first find out that Serena has an amazing talent for reading lips. She can pick out anyone's conversations and can easily pick up gossip. The group knows that Serena's talent can be used to learn many dirty secrets and make the girls even more popular. With her new found popularity Serena learns the difference between true and fake friends, takes down a secret sorority, and finds the true person she really is.

This was a stunning book. It was a light read, but still had substance and was completely captivating. The storyline was completely original and was very enjoyable. I honestly don't think that there was anything that I disliked about this book. The characters were three dimensional and I felt like Serena was my best friend. It was also very easy to relate to Serena. While I have no idea what it's like to be deaf, I do know how it feels trying to fit in and be accepted. What I loved is how Serena was able to stay true to herself and while she deterred a little bit, she always came back to her true self. Then there's Miller. He sounds like the perfect boyfriend any girl could ever dream of and I am very jealous of his and Serena's relationship! Like I said before there was nothing I disliked about this book and completely look forward to more books by the fabulous Teri Brown, who I may add is a member of the amazing Class of 2k8.