Slightly better than 3* read for me as an adult, but I think younger teens would enjoy this YA read. Finlay has a stammer, a missing Mum and no friends. He does love Scrabble - hence the 7 letters of the title, and through the course of the novel playing Scrabble intersects with all the other issues in his life. An enjoyable, satisfying read.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Actual Rating = 3.5/5

A Seven-Letter Word is a fun and quick read about a 14-year-old buy suffering from a stutter so the story is also quite sad at times. I did find the idea of the story pretty original, especially the way the story revolved around the board game, Scrabble. There is a different rule, tip or fact about Scrabble at the beginning of each chapter so it was actually quite interesting. The story also highlights certain words and the points they would gain a player in Scrabble.

I really liked the main character, Finlay. He's just really sweet and does have a hard-time of it (especially with bullies). It was amazing to see how much his character develops throughout the story. To begin with, he barely speaks (even to his dad), but as the story progresses he slowly gains the confidence to speak out more. However, I did think he was a bit naive, but he is 14 so I'm going to let that slide.

I also liked Maryam. She's definitely the person that gives Finlay the confidence to start speaking again. She even helps Finlay with techniques to help his stammer. They really do become great friends. I think Maryam is just a genuinely lovely person.

A Seven-Letter Word is told from Finlay's perspective. This was fantastic as showing how he fights with himself to get words out. It makes you realise just how much of a struggle living with a stammer is. I didn't find Finlay's story predictable at all either. I was completely wrong with who I thought Alex really was. It came as quite a surprise to me.

The short chapters that make up A Seven-Letter Word made the story progress at a nice, quick pace. I read it so quickly. The plot doesn't lag either. It has a nice pace that is maintained steadily throughout.

I also thought the ending was lovely. Most of the plot points are tied up nicely and it appears that Finlay will receive the answers he has been needing over the past two years.

I enjoyed A Seven-Letter Word. It's a very different book, in my opinion. It highlights a speech disorder that I haven't seen highlighted in a book before. As the characters are quite young and the story is an easy read, I think I'd recommend A Seven-Letter Word to younger teenagers. Though I think many others would enjoy the story too.