This book touches on a very important issue that a lot of girls and women have had to deal with. Anderson does a good job of portraying the emotions and thoughts of someone dealing with what Melinda has to face and asserts the moral that people need to speak up. The whole time I was reading this I was saying "speak up Melinda, say SOMETHING!". It was basically like real-life high school and the inner thoughts of a social outcast. 
 With that in mind though, I couldn't really get into the story because I'm not a fan of too much inner monologuing. I found it a bit drawn out and there was so much rambling I didn't really know where the story was going or if it would ever get to the point. Melinda hardly says anything throughout the whole book and nothing real exciting happens until the end, but I still think it's a strong book. It would definitely resonate with young readers who are still unsure about many things in life and are still looking for their voice. Although it wasn't my cup of tea, I give it praise for the meaning it tries to get across to readers.