This Is What I Want to Tell You (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: matthew levitt, Jessica Marino, Snake Mountain, Keeley Shipley

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This compelling first novel is structured as a confessional, with 15-year-old Noelle and her twin brother, Nadio, alternately telling their sides of a story. When their best friend, Keeley, returns from a summer abroad, the twins view her differently. Noelle has become resentful of the opportunities awarded to her wealthier, strikingly beautiful friend; Nadio now finds himself attracted to Keely. He and Keely soon become involved in a secret romance while Noelle strikes up an unlikely relationship with archetypal-bad-boy Parker, a cook she meets at a party. The story's appeal lies mainly in its unveiling of secrets, but Stone also offers insight into feelings of jealousy and lust. Noelle's growing bitterness is clearly defined, as is Nadio's chilling realization that he possesses the same animal instinct as a boy who sexually assaulted Keely in England (Just for one second, I knew what he felt like. That's the part I can't get rid of). Readers will likely guess that poor judgments made by both siblings will lead to explosive confrontations, but that won't lessen the story's dramatic impact. Ages 14–up. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

Nadio and Noelle are 15-year-old twins; Noelle’s best friend has always been Keeley; now Keeley has feelings for Nadio. Seem simple? It is. Fortunately, Stone’s central triangle of relationships is both strong and universal, and her details are authentic. As the new school semester is beginning, Keeley is just returning from a summer in England. “I couldn’t figure out why I was mad at her,” Noelle says, but it becomes clear that these are the fitful growing pains of two friends drifting apart. While Keeley and Nadio begin secretly seeing each other, Noelle furthers her relationship with Parker, an older guy who works at a restaurant. It’s these scenes with the more experienced Parker that feel the most painfully realistic; other sections become overwrought and spill over into melodrama. Thankfully, Stone is a sharp writer; here she alternates between the twins’ viewpoints and eschews quotation marks in paragraphs that sometimes read as poetry. Often impressive is the amount of hope and anguish contained within single words of dialogue—“Hey” has rarely felt so heavy. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Flux (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073871450X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738714509
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #479,424 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Emotional Story of Love and Heartbreak, July 30, 2009

By	Vania Stoyanova "Reverie Media Book Reviews" (Atlanta, Ga) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Heather Duffy Stone's Debut book is a mixture of both first loves and first heartbreak. When Noelle's twin brother, Nadio, ends up dating Noelle's best friend, Keeley. Each keeps their own secrets making falling in love destructive and painful.

When Noelle dives head first into a relationship with an older boy she is blinded by the consequences and the destructive pull of such an affair. Both Keeley and Nadio fail to share their relationship with Noelle and as a result pushes them further and further. Stone pulls us into the emotional and psychological side of love. What it means to love and be loved and the heartbreak that comes with it.

The characters are flawed and twisted but filled with compassion and promise. I was so emotionally attached to each characters struggle and was most impressed with Nadio's heartbreaking struggle with the father he never knew. The story is gripping and engaging and with each page turned, with each alternating point of view, the reader grows more and more connected to the characters and the story they have to tell. It is inspiring and a true testament to the power of love, hope, friendship and family and the ability to heal any scar. I recommend this book to everyone who's loved or been heartbroken.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An insightful read, June 11, 2009

By	Shon - See all my reviews

Noelle and Nadio are twins. Noelle and Keeley are best friends. Keeley spends the summer in Europe with her family. This story is what happens after Keeley returns.

Upon her return, Keeley knows something is different with Noelle. Their friendship is not smooth anymore. There's too much space between them and no words can be used to bring them together. Noelle finds a new friend, Jessica, while Keeley is away. It's because of this friendship she meets Parker.

Parker is Noelle's secret. She doesn't speak of him with Nadio and certainly not with Keeley. As her feelings for Parker intensifies, Nadio and Keeley are starting a new love themselves. Keeley is conflicted with keeping their relationship a secret from Noelle. She's also struggling with an event that occurred during the summer that can negatively impact her relationship with Nadio.
When Noelle discovers their relationship, she reacts in such a volatile way, that all parties will begin to question the closeness of their friendship.

I have to say, I wasn't sure if I liked Noelle or not. She kept her relationship with Parker a secret, but yet was angry with Nadio and Keeley for keeping their relationship a secret. It wasn't until I saw how scared she was of not having a chance to live, that I started to warm up to her.

Nadio has an interesting role in the story. Not only is he the twin brother and the best friend's brother, he's the man of the house. Nadio's father left the family and Nadio isn't sure how to be. He questions his feelings, he isn't sure what to do and blames his father for this. He begins to write letters to his father as a way to figure out who he is as a son, a brother, a boyfriend and an individual. Nadio is conflicted with his new feelings for Keeley and his loyalty to his sister.

This Is What I Want to Tell You illustrates the repercussions on a relationship that is strained by jealousy and secrets.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars addictive and insightful, February 27, 2009

By	LEE (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

I was hesitant at first to read this novel because I thought maybe I would be too old for it, though I do remember being a teenager and I work with teenagers. So I opened with the expectation that I would enjoy it maybe, but not be particularly emotionally invested. But the minute I started reading, I was completely hooked by the plot, the characters and the depictions of friendship, romantic relationships and family. This novel captures the anxiety and the intensity of being an adolescent so well, it made me remember things I haven't thought about in years and also made me re-empathize with the students I work with everyday.

Heather Duffy-Stone writes in a way that reflects the way people really talk and really think -- she is very skilled at making the inner lives of the characters visceral and relatable. This book could be read by people of any age, but any teenager in your life would benefit from this story and the thoughtfulness with which these heavy themes are addressed. In Duffy-Stone's careful hands, the novel is impossible to put down, but also important in its insights about the process of becoming an adult and figuring out who you are.