Author: Chelsea Swiggett
Release: Out now
Source: TLC Book Tours
Summary:
Rae is beyond socially awkward...
Since she was a little girl, Rae Swiggett knew something was different about her. The sound of planes flying overhead could spark a panic attack. Being called on in class was enough to push her over the edge. She feared the unknown, life, death, people...even fear itself.
By the time she reached ninth grade, Rae was muddling through life in relative silence, convinced everyone was mocking her, judging her, picking her apart, bit by little bit. Rae knew she couldn't' keep going on this way. She knew something had to give.
Review: RAE is raw, real, and I'm truly grateful that Swiggett shared her story.
As one of the newest additions to the Louder Than Words series of memoirs, RAE is definitely memorable and worthwhile to read. Rae is quiet and introverted outside of her comfort zone at home. She gets tongue-tied whenever she has to speak in class, forgetting the right answers in only seconds. She worries that everyone's watching every move she makes. Even her weight becomes something she struggles with. She's the girl who just might be faking sick at home, or maybe even ducking her head when you pass her in the halls...and she's completely real.
RAE is one of those memoirs that I'm sure a lot people can relate with at one point or another. I knew by the time I finished reading the first chapter that RAE was eerily close to how I remember my high school experience. All those times when you think everyone is mocking you and your heart won't stop pounding, or when all the wrong words come out in a jumbled mess whenever you try to speak around people you aren't comfortable with, the fear that grips you sometimes, even when you know everything is okay...it's real, it happens, and it's nice to know that those of us who experience some of these moments are not alone.
Highlights: I could relate with certain aspects of Swiggett's memoir. I remember those days in high school (I still can feel that way in class). I have to really praise Swiggett for taking a chance, being brave, and sharing her story. I know I really wish I had read something like RAE back when I was in high school.
Lowlights: There were a few confusing moments. Yet, I couldn't stop reading until I finally finished the entire book. I couldn't tear myself away.
Rating: 
GIVEAWAY:
Four Winners!
One gets a set of all three books in the Louder Than Words series (Alexis, Hannah, Rae),
One person gets Alexis,
One person gets Hannah,
And one person gets Rae.
Open to US + Canada, no P.O. boxes.
Ends: Friday, August 27th at midnight
(Form will open in new window)
