Say What You Will - by Cammie McGovern (Paperback)

About the Book

Includes an excerpt from an upcoming novel by the author entitled 'A step toward falling.'

Book Synopsis

"A unique and unforgettable love." --Teen Vogue

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel.

Cammie McGovern's insightful young adult debut is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about how we can all feel lost until we find someone who loves us because of our faults, not in spite of them.

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear.

Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

From the Back Cover

I want someone who will talk to me honestly about things. You're the only person who ever has. Maybe you don't know this, but when you're disabled almost no one tells you the truth. They feel too awkward because the truth seems too sad, I guess. You were very brave to walk up to the crippled girl and say, essentially, wipe that sunny expression off your face and look at reality. That's what I want you to do next year. Tell me the truth. That's all.

Review Quotes

"In Cammie McGovern's debut novel Say What You Will, Amy and Matthew will break your heart and then with their resiliency and wit and ardor put it back together. This is a book to read, savor, and pass on and on until it has gone around the world twice." - Ron Koertge, author of Stoner & Spaz
"Exhilarating and heartrending. With a smart, proud, and capable protagonist eager to take her life by the reins, this novel is stunning." - ALA Booklist (starred review)
"McGovern avoids gooeyness or condescension by making Amy and Matthew individuals, not diagnoses, and their relationship not just plausible, but suspenseful, as they try to figure out what they can be to each other. Watching Amy and Matthew grapple with big questions--Is love possible for them? What about sex? What do they want after high school? Can mistakes be forgiven and loss survived?--readers will be surprised, moved, amused, worried, hopeful, and grateful to have spent time with them." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"McGovern avoids gooeyness or condescension by making Amy and Matthew individuals, not diagnoses, and their relationship not just plausible, but suspenseful. Watching Amy and Matthew grapple with big questions, readers will be surprised, moved, amused, worried, hopeful, and grateful to have spent time with them." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"McGovern's triumph is how well she normalizes and highlights the variety of disability experiences among teens and their often circuitous journeys toward claiming their voices and right to self-determination. Ultimately, a deeply engaging and rewarding story." - Kirkus Reviews
"Cammie McGovern crafts a story that takes a realistic look at people who have disabilities but who are not their disability. It is a bit of a roller coaster ride as you laugh, cry and feel the pain that these characters do. And while many stories like this would be about someone saving Amy, this story isn't about rescuing anyone. It is about setting aside fears, limitations, and appearances, and taking a chance at opening up. Overall this book is a must read for fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell. Say What You Will is an important book to share and everyone should meet Amy and Matt." - Hypable.com
"It's a little bit 'Perks of Being a Wallflower, ' a little bit 'Eleanor & Park' and a lot of something else entirely. A young adult book with grown-up lessons." - Metro US
"A unique an unforgettable love." - Teen Vogue
"Cammie McGovern crafts a story that takes a realistic look at people who have disabilities but who are not their disability. This story isn't about rescuing anyone. It is about setting aside fears, limitations, and appearances, and taking a chance at opening up. Everyone should meet Amy and Matt." - Hypable.com
"What this book does best is move beyond the typical concerns and stigmas people with disabilities inevitably encounter to present an honest portrayal of the difficulties of growing up faced by these particular characters. Matthew's apprehension about his future (with or without Amy) is poignantly balanced with his crippling fear of being left behind, while Amy's insistent drive toward independence pushes her abilities and loneliness to the breaking point." - Horn Book
"What this book does best is move beyond the typical concerns and stigmas people with disabilities inevitably encounter to present an honest portrayal of the difficulties of growing up faced by these particular characters." - Horn Book
"Cammie McGovern channels her knowledge and passion for special needs kids in Say What You Will. Like the deservedly best-selling Wonder by R.J. Palacio--required reading for every family--this doesn't just get you talking, it gets you thinking, feeling and rejoicing" - Family Circle