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Shut Up
Shut Up
Shut Up
Ebook142 pages2 hours

Shut Up

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

Mary’s older sister, Gwen, has screwed up everything. Not only is Gwen pregnant at seventeen, but she’s also decided to marry the Creep who knocked her up. Now Mary is powerless to stop her family from imploding. Her parents are freaking out, and to top it off, the Creep has a gross fascination with Mary while Gwen enjoys teasing her to tears for sport. Despite her brother’s advice to shut up, Mary can’t keep her trap closed and manages to piss off Mom so much that it comes to blows. Mary doesn’t know what to do, and all her attempts to get help are rejected. When she finally plans her escape, she fails to consider how it could destroy them all.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 1, 2014
ISBN9781497663213
Shut Up
Author

Anne Tibbets

Anne Tibbets is the author of the Smashwords.com bestseller The Beast Call, a young adult fantasy. She is also coauthor of the middle-grade time-travel adventure The Amulet Chronicles, Book One: The Journey Home. A Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators award winner, Tibbets lives in Los Angeles with her family. Visit the author at writeforcoffee.blogspot.com and openroadmedia.com.

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Reviews for Shut Up

Rating: 3.70000002 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Let me tell you, going in to Shut Up I knew I was in for a pretty realistic read. What I didn't realize, was how vividly Anne Tibbets was going to share Mary's story. This is one of those books that is so raw, so real, that it hurts to read. However no matter how hard you try you just can't stop. Maybe it's morbid fascination, maybe it's concern for Mary, but either way you'll want to know how everything ends.

    For Mary, life is about living in her sister's shadow. Still that isn't as easy as it sounds. For most adolescents, living in the shadow means being ignored. For Mary, it means being blamed for the sins of her older sister. Gwen is the type of character that makes you want to kick her. HARD. She is rude, selfish, and downright cruel to her younger sister. What broke my heart more than anything though was the way that the rest of Mary's family dealt with the stress. Here is a girl who is trying her best to just get by, but how can you stay positive when everything you say and do is always wrong?

    What's most interesting about Mary's story is that her problems don't just stem from one location. There is nothing wrong with Mary. Sure, she might be a little bit lazy at times, or talk back, but what young person doesn't act like that at some point? Mary's problems come from outside sources. From the way her mother was raised, and now deals with stress. From the outside adults she tries to speak to that just don't comprehend what she is going through. Even from the possibility that she might somehow end up like her older sister. It isn't Mary who is the problem, but she is definitely the one who bears the brunt of it.

    As an older reader, and one who has worked with kids for many years, I saw where Anne Tibbets was going with this story. She openly bears her soul through the use of Mary, and shows that being an adolescent can be a lot tougher than just wondering who will ask you to prom. This story is real. It's harsh. It's truth even within the fiction. There are kids out there who just need that one person who can read between the lines and see what they aren't saying out loud. Kids who are lost even when they look perfectly normal. Shut Up deals with child abuse, but it does it in a way that is a little more palatable than most. That's not to say that this is an easy read. Not by a long shot.

    It did take me a little time to get through Shut Up, mostly because I was really hurting for poor Mary. However at the end of the day I feel better for having read it. Above all else, this story shows the power of the human spirit and the fact that sometimes, with the right help, things do get better. Despite a few minor issues, I really enjoyed this story. Readers who like a good contemporary, and are okay dealing with some of the more tough issues, should give this a shot.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was lucky enough to win this book through the First Reads giveaway from goodreads.com.

    First of all, I love the cover. It would be something I would pick up off the shelf if I didn't know exactly what I wanted to read. I also thought it was great because it was a really quick read, it was just over 100 pages so it wasn't something that would intimidate people who aren't really readers.

    I could defiantly connect with the main character Mary. Not only did I have coke bottle glasses that I got picked on for as a child, but I also didn't know when to keep my mouth shut. We got to see things a little bit from her brothers perspective, but I felt like if we were going to add him into the main character list, why not also add her sister Gwen and maybe even her younger sister Rose. I would have liked to know more about there life in Penn. and maybe it would have shed light on the reason Gwen was the way she was. I understand that the author wanted to focus solely on Mary but since she added a little perspective through Paul I don't think it would have been a stretch to add a couple more chapters covering all the siblings.

    All in all though I thought it was a solid story, I think it's something that most teens would be able to relate to.

    Another thing, and this has less to do with the book than it does the author, but at the end when she was thanking people she added that a Lifehouse song inspired her. I have often wondered if books would be enhanced by music that the author has picked out to accompany the book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Mary’s older sister gets herself pregnant and then decides to marry The Creep who knocked her up which causes her parents to freak out majorly. And to top it all off, Mary can’t seem to do anything right and is constantly getting yelled at by her mom and the now pregnant Gwen. Her brother just tells her to shut up and blend in, but Mary isn’t good at either. Unfortunately, all her attempts to get help are ignored which causes her to plan different forms of escape. This story is told in alternating points of view by Mary and her older brother Paul. The chapters are also divided into the present and the past. It starts off with Mary running away from home which is the present and then shifts to explain exactly why it is that she decided to run away in the first place. Other than that, there isn’t much of a plot. I thought Mary was very mature for a 12 year old especially after everything that she goes through. I don’t know what I would do if I was constantly being told that I was stupid and useless and made to feel unwanted. I was really happy with the decision she makes at the end and I was rooting for her to come to the conclusion that she does. As for the other characters, I didn’t really like any of them. Gwen was a complete bitch, Rose was a little tattle tale, Paul, who was supposed to be her one and only ally, never did anything and all the other adults in Mary’s life didn’t bother helping her even though they all knew something wasn’t right. And lastly, I love, love, love the cover. I feel that it shows how much pain Mary is in which makes it powerful.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When I was contacted to review this book I knew it was a book that would interest me and hold my attention as I am a huge fan of contemporary fiction, but this one despite its size blew me away. What a heartbreaking and tragic read. Mary will capture your heart from the beginning and you'll feel her pain and heartbreak until the very last page.Anne Tibbets' writing style is true and honest, and captivated me from the first page. You were able to connect to Mary and her pain reverberated off every page, It never felt forced or contrived, but just felt like a real girl telling a real story of a hardship she had to overcome. I don't want to give anything from this story away, because it is a short read and don't want to spoil it for the future readers, but if you like contemporary fiction or just need a book that will grip you from the first page to the very last then you need to pick a copy of this book up, It will make your heart break for Mary.

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Shut Up - Anne Tibbets

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