Writing-wise, this book didn't wow me, but I really think it hit the nail on the head content-wise. It's mainly an exploration of the shitload of pressures/expectations students have to deal with daily to do well and be well-rounded and get good grades and go to uni and always stand out, etc. etc.—and lemme tell you, that shit is too real. I would definitely file this book under "relatable af." I'm not sure how much of Frances's story mirrors Oseman's, but I can tell you that Oseman really gets just how shitty and unfair this whole charade often is. Speaking of "getting it," Oseman also really gets what I'm gonna call "teen talk," for lack of a better term. Her dialogue feels so organic, rife with all the wonderful
ers and
ums and
likes that make everyday speech so familiar. One last thing: this book places a major—almost exclusive—emphasis on friendship, a (wonderful) boy-girl friendship no less, so it gets like 50000 bonus points from me for that.
As for my rating, I give Radio Silence 3.5 stars not necessarily because of what it had, but because of what it didn't. It just didn't emotionally hit me as much as I would've liked it too, and I felt like the writing was too stripped down to be particularly evocative. Apart from that, I think the messages that this book delivers are really important and frankly, really damn necessary—especially for the bajillion students out there who feel like they're not enough, like they don't know what they're doing, like they're lost. Grades are not the be-all end-all—they don't, and shouldn't, define your self-worth.
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