Review Detail

Thousand Words was a solid read. I was never bored and Brown really made me feel for Ashleigh.

I couldn't believe some of the things Ashleigh went through. I mean, I suppose I can believe since I've heard news stories and such on the matter, but I'd rather not believe it. How can parents stand up and demand justice from a girl who never wanted a picture of her naked body floating around in the first place? In what way did it "damage" your child to see it? I just wanted to stand up and yell at these people on Ashleigh's behalf.

The parents from the community, the name calling, the distancing from her best friend: all terrible things to go through, but the thing I felt for Ashleigh the most was what her relationship with her parents suffered. I can relate to the type of relationship with her parents she had. They were close and didn't believe Ashleigh was capable of doing anything that would disappoint them worse than a bad grade. So when her parents finally do find out and they react how Ashleigh thought they would, it really hurts. Her dad freezes her out and her mom can barely look at her through the disappointment. That's the worst rejection.
In the end, though, I really appreciate the way her parents dealt with their own feelings and stood behind Ashleigh.

I liked Ashleigh's growth throughout the story. When it starts out, she's naive and kind of whiny. I mean, Kaleb was being a sucky boyfriend, but she wasn't helping matters by accusing him of cheating almost every time they talked. But by the end, she starts to realize who she is and that she doesn't actually need anyone else to validate it.

I loved Ashleigh's relationship with Mack. It's so slow going I was starting to wonder if the synopsis had just exaggerated their relationship. It felt more natural that way, though, and it meant more since Mack is so closed off. And I loved even more that their relationship wasn't anything more than friends. It wouldn't have felt right any other way.

The Nutshell: Thousand Words was a solid, quick read. It's not the most powerful "issue" book I've read, but it was good in a different way. I liked watching the way Ashleigh handled everything and how she grew throughout the ordeal.

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