At First Sight: Living in Orcas Island, where everyone knows everyone and their business, Jake Hayes sometimes felt like he had no privacy - and the fact he is one of seven brothers and sisters, doesn't help - but he was popular, well liked and with big plans for the future.
But one night, at the beginning of senior year, Jake's life takes a tragic turn when a out-of-character drunken escapade turns into a freak accident that leaves him mute and with a huge scar on his neck, dashing his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot and leaving him with more than a few regrets.
The biggest of them is that he never got to tell Samantha Shay that he loved her.
After a long stay in the hospital, Jake goes back to the island, where he has to live his recovery in front of everyone, struggling to find a new normal with the help of his friends and, surprisingly, Samantha, growing closer in a way he never thought possible before the accident.
But Sam has her own secrets and her own problems, and she might need more help than Jake himself does.
Second Glance: What I Didn't Say was a very peculiar read. Over all, I liked it, but I also had a few issues with it.
To start with, I found the premise to be different, and the situation Jake finds himself in wasn't one I had read about before. I liked him and his big, loving family and how he makes a conscious decision to move on with his life after the accident, trying hard not to let himself turn bitter.
I liked him and getting to know him, but I had a bit of a problem with Sam. Nothing personal, but I felt this was supposed to be Jake's story and her issues kind of overtook the second part of the book. And I found her story to be a little convoluted and I don't know, I got bored with her sometimes and I couldn't really see why Jake loved her so much.
Bottom Line: What I Didn't Say was a sweet book over all. I kind of expected more from it but it was an enjoyable read all in all, though it had more potential than what it ended up delivering.
