Louder Than Words by Ashley Woodfolk (review)

Reviewed by: Louder Than Words by Ashley Woodfolk Jessie Maimone Woodfolk, Ashley Louder Than Words by Ashley Woodfolk and Lexi Under-wood. Scholastic, 2024 336p Trade ed. ISBN 9781338875577 19. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 9-12 Jordyn is hoping for a new beginning at Edgewood High, where she's just starting her junior year and looking forward to becoming a better version of herself. When the anonymous podcaster of Tomcat Tea lets listeners know that Jordan was expelled from her private school, she's put in the awkward situation of being the talk of the school before people really get a chance to know her. Tomcat Tea thankfully doesn't spill all the details, and Jordyn flourishes in making new friends; she's especially ecstatic to find a friend group where she doesn't stick out as the only person of color. The group makes it their mission to find out who the podcast host is after one of the episodes puts Jordyn's crush's athletic scholarship on the line, which leads to Tomcat Tea finally revealing exactly what got Jordyn expelled. As Jordyn deals with being abandoned by her friends after her secret is exposed, she simultaneously turns up the heat on uncovering Tomcat Tea's host and making amends with those she's wronged. While there are moments of predictability surrounding the reveal of the podcast host, the book succeeds at genuinely depicting the high school experience. Each of the people in Jordyn's circle has their own hobbies, desires, and personalities, and they all feel believably teen. Fast friendships, inside jokes, heaps of silliness, and budding romances abound and offer moments of levity as a contrast to heavier topics around bullying, gossip, and self-harm. Forgiveness is a dominant theme, creating space for teens to mess up, apologize, and decide to change. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois