Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Title: Every Last Word
Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mental Health
Release Date: June 16, 2015
Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you Disney-Hyperion!)
Read: June 2015

If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.
Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. 
Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear. 
Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear. 

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***I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Wow! I really loved reading Every Last Word! I can't believe I haven't read any of Tamara Ireland Stone's other books, her writing is beautiful. I definitely need to check out her other books. 

I stayed up really late reading this one. I just couldn't put it down. I was instantly pulled into the story and was swept up with wanting to know what Sam was going to do next. 

Samantha has had the same group of friends since she was in Kindergarten. She appears to be just like the other popular girls in school, but she isn't. She has kept a huge part of her life a secret from her friends and most other people. Samantha has Purely-Obsessional OCD. Her brain is always thinking and she can't control her thoughts. She is constantly second-guessing herself and is consumed by worries that she can't control. She can't let her friends know about her OCD, worried that everyone will just think she is crazy. So she pretends to be normal. One day, she meets Caroline. Caroline becomes someone that Sam can trust and feel safe sharing her secret with. Caroline shows Sam a place that will change her life: Poet's Corner. A place where Sam doesn't have to hide who she is and it is a place where she starts to feel normal. But something happens to make Sam question whether she can really feel normal, or maybe she really is crazy. Every Last Word is a beautiful story about a girl struggling with her OCD. There is drama, pain, friendship, romance, and self-discovery. 

This story made me smile, laugh, and also brought tears to my eyes. It is heartfelt and thought-provoking. And, oh my goodness, I didn't see that twist coming at all. It really caught me by surprise. 

One of my favorite parts of Every Last Word is the emphasis on words. I love the way Sam makes her playlists and how special they are to her. I love the poetry and the songs that the characters write. And I really liked how writing and words can make you feel, and I definitely got that feeling from this story. 

Not only is the writing beautiful, the characters are awesome and so lovable. It did take any time for me to start caring about Sam and what she was going through. 

I love the relationships/friendships in Every Last Word! 

Sam, is a very interesting character. Her OCD can be challenging and difficult for her, but she is so strong. And I really think she has a great support system with her mom, dad, and therapist. Sam's relationship with her therapist was heartwarming. I think they had a bond and it was good to see that she had someone that cared about what was going on in her life. I really enjoyed how much Sam loved swimming and writing and how these activities helped her through how she was feeling. 

I love the developing relationship between Sam and A.J. And I really love A.J.'s character as well. He is just so sweet. The romance has a good pace and is adorably cute. 

Sam's friendship with The Crazy Eights (her group of friends that she's had since Kindergarten) was interesting. I did feel bad for her when it came to some of the things that happened as a result of being in this group of friends. I liked how her character developed and these friendships developed and changed during the story. 

I also really liked the characters that Sam met in Poet's Corner. These friendships were so fun to see develop. They didn't know everything that was going on with Sam's life, but they accepted her for her. I was really happy that she found some friends that she was able to open up to and share her poetry with. 

My Recommendation:

I loved Every Last Word! I read the book in one night and didn't even think about putting it down until I was finished. I was hooked by the writing and the characters. I definitely recommend giving this one a read!

My Rating: