The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais

Apr 13, 2019 Susan's Reviews rated it really liked it

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Maya Harris is 17 years old and was rendered deaf when a bout of meningitis left her profoundly deaf at the age of 13. Her mother's job relocation forces Maya to leave her special hearing impaired school and move to Colorado, to a regular high school. Maya's young brother is also afflicted with cystic fibrosis and her mother is a single parent, having to cope with two children with chronic h My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Maya Harris is 17 years old and was rendered deaf when a bout of meningitis left her profoundly deaf at the age of 13. Her mother's job relocation forces Maya to leave her special hearing impaired school and move to Colorado, to a regular high school. Maya's young brother is also afflicted with cystic fibrosis and her mother is a single parent, having to cope with two children with chronic health situations on her own.

This is a very well-written book, dealing with serious subject matters: the rights of the hearing impaired and the difficulties they face in a hearing world. I learned so much from this story and was very glad to have been given the opportunity to read it. For the most part, it was a very engrossing and enjoyable read. However, one weakness was characterization:. Maya often came across to me as an angry and hostile teen - she was so mean to poor Beau - a handsome young student at her new school. She raked him over the coals time and again, and he was nothing but kind to her. I have always believed that if you want others to "tolerate" you and your issues or idiosyncrasies, then you need to tolerate others as well. People make mistakes, especially when dealing with unfamiliar situations. I get that Maya was tired of being discriminated against, yelled at (in a well-meaning way) or coddled because of her disability, but she was in a new school, and I think she could have been a bit more forgiving of other's mistakes. When one of her misguided teachers spoke in an extremely loud voice to her on her first day, she should have gently told him something like: "my hearing aids only pick up large crashing or thudding noises. You can yell all you like but I still won't be able to hear you." (Even I have been misled into believe that a hearing impaired person who is wearing a hearing aid might be able to hear my voice. I thought she was being a bit harsh on her unsuspecting teacher in that instance. But I do get it: that type of thing gets old, fast.)

Maya is understandably upset and nervous in her new environment, and she often felt lonely and ignored, but perhaps her prickly attitude might have been a bit to blame for that? (Just saying!) Poor Beau learned ASL (sign language) in order to communicate with her. At first, she greeted his attempts with disdain and tended to point out all of his mistakes. I have no idea why Beau persevered and eventually won both Maya's friendship and her affections. That was a hard sell for me, but once the romance between Maya and Beau gets off the ground, I started to like Maya a bit more. (Don't get me wrong: I don't mind a fierce or spunky heroine: in fact, I prefer them. What I don't like is someone being unnecessarily mean.) The story did occasionally get bogged down in unnecessary details about homework assignments, etc, but for the most part, this was a very interesting story about a young girl who is forced by circumstance to leave her sheltered hearing-impaired learning environment. She does learn to cope, and even comes to prefer the challenges of her new school..

The author discloses in the end that she too is hearing impaired, so I am relieved to know that I was getting an authentic (although fictionalized) account of one person's personal experiences. Despite the minor characterization and plotting issues, I would still highly recommend this novel. ...more

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Mar 30, 2019 PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps rated it liked it

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE SILENCE BETWEEN US by Alison Gervais in exchange for my honest review.***

Maya is less than thrilled to beginning senior year at a hearing school half way across the country. Deaf for four years, leaving her secure previous school, where everyone signed to one where she’ll be the only Deaf student and need an interpreter scares her.

When Beau, a cute popular guy starts learning sign language, Maya is certain he’s either pitying o ***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE SILENCE BETWEEN US by Alison Gervais in exchange for my honest review.***

Maya is less than thrilled to beginning senior year at a hearing school half way across the country. Deaf for four years, leaving her secure previous school, where everyone signed to one where she’ll be the only Deaf student and need an interpreter scares her.

When Beau, a cute popular guy starts learning sign language, Maya is certain he’s either pitying or pranking her, unwilling to consider he may actually like her.

Maya was a difficult character for me to like. While she had positive qualities like caring about her family and little brother with Cystic Fibrosis, she was mostly self centered and often unkind.

THE SILENCE BETWEEN US is well written, distinguishing dialogue signed vs spoken. Aside from Maya, most of the other characters were likable.

I had a hard time buying into a lot of the scenarios in the book. For example, I didn’t believe a mother would move her sick son from New Jersey to the high altitude of Colorado and be surprised his condition worsened. Surely his NJ doctor would have warned the mother to consider her son’s life and death situation, no matter how good the job offer. I also didn’t believe this mother would take a week long business trip and leave her Deaf seventeen-year-old daughter to care for her struggling seven-year-old son with no backup contingency plan. She was a great mother except when in regards to her son’s life threatening illness!?!?!?

I also didn’t understand Maya’s insistence on not considering a cochlear implant. If she has been deaf all her life, I’d have understood more. She has a passion for becoming a pediatric respiratory therapist. Hearing would only seem to enhance the relationship with patients. After the scare with her brother, where he could have died, I’d think hearing would be a safety issue. Accommodations are great, important and necessary, but they also involve relying on others (in the case of the book) to provide those well-deserved services. I have a disability and sometimes have to rely on others to make my life. When my body won’t do what it’s supposed to do, I’m frustrated and would do anything to change the situation. I understand the Deaf community is rich and full. CIs are controversial and many have strong opinions against them. Maya had only been deaf for 4 years and so the majority of her experiences were hearing. I was glad she was proud to be Deaf and confident, but didn’t understand the safety and accommodations aspects of her choice.

THE SILENCE BETWEEN US was enjoyable, though sometimes slow, disjointed and repetitive. ...more

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May 26, 2019 Britt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: realistic-fiction, physical-disability, young-adult, things-i-loved, 2019, five-stars, contemporary, dreaming-reviews, netgalley, ecopies

I got this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

You know those stories where you fall in love with everything after just a few pages?
That, for me, was this book.
The Silence Between Us was, in a nutshell, some of the best disability representation I’ve *ever* read. I am not deaf, but, as someone with hydrocephalus, right-sided cerebral palsy, and partial blindness, I am always looking for good representation, and this book was It. The Silence Between Us celebrates disability I got this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

You know those stories where you fall in love with everything after just a few pages?
That, for me, was this book.
The Silence Between Us was, in a nutshell, some of the best disability representation I’ve *ever* read. I am not deaf, but, as someone with hydrocephalus, right-sided cerebral palsy, and partial blindness, I am always looking for good representation, and this book was It. The Silence Between Us celebrates disability instead of shying away from it.
The characters in this book were amazing — I don’t think there was a single character that I didn’t like. Maya was a fantastic MC, Beau was adorable, Nina was an awesome friend (I LOVE that Nina and Maya ended up becoming friends because I was anticipating the dreaded “popular girl hates the new girl” cliché). Even the side characters — Connor, Maya’s mother, Maya’s interpreter, and Melissa — were wonderfully written. They all enhanced the plot so well, and I adored every single one of them.
This book even managed to teach me a little bit about sign language. Not necessarily how to actually sign, but just little tidbits about the language and about deaf culture, and about little things here and there that deaf people might appreciate or be annoyed by. Even though this book doesn’t really use verbal dialogue (other than signing, Maya can only read lips — but she *can* Speak), I think the interaction between characters ran very smoothly and, while I don’t know if this is the common way to express sign language in books, I appreciate the way the author wrote out the sign language in ALL CAPS. That made things really easy to follow, and definitely made up for the lack of verbal dialogue.
Did I mention that Maya and Beau are absolutely adorable? I adore their chemistry, and Beau is an absolute darling. A lot of “love interests” in YA (and in general tbh) come off as totally douchey, so words cannot describe how much I love the fact that Beau is sweet and genuine. He is such a good character, I love him a lot, and it’s so nice to see able-bodied people accepting people with disabilities, disabilities and all.
Overall, I ADORED this book. I’m so glad I was approved on NetGalley to review it, and I think it definitely became one of my favorite YA contemporaries. I highly encourage everyone to check this book out, but especially if you love contemporary romances and/or disability rep! ...more

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Aug 11, 2019 Joshee Kun (조수아) rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, contemporary, harper-collins, physically-owned, physical-arc

Thank you, Blink, for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just because someone may have a "disability" doesn't mean that someone needs to be pitied or ridiculed.

My dear papa was part of the deaf ministry at church, so whenever I see forthcoming or published books with hard-of-hearing characters, I immediately add them to my TBR shelf. Also, the author was right when she said that the deaf community needs more representation in YA literature. I've already enjoyed many b Thank you, Blink, for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just because someone may have a "disability" doesn't mean that someone needs to be pitied or ridiculed.

My dear papa was part of the deaf ministry at church, so whenever I see forthcoming or published books with hard-of-hearing characters, I immediately add them to my TBR shelf. Also, the author was right when she said that the deaf community needs more representation in YA literature. I've already enjoyed many books that discuss depression, anxiety disorder, and other mental health issues. However, #OwnVoices novels like this one are still rare.

The Silence Between Us is about a deaf girl named Maya. After moving to Colorado, she has a challenging time adjusting to her new life, particularly in her school full of hearing people. Most of Maya's peers are unfamiliar with the deaf community. Some of them are even ableists, treating her with pity and blatant condescension. Consequently, Maya feels ostracized and begins to question her dream of becoming a doctor someday. When Beau, one of the popular boys at Engelmann High, shows an interest in her, Maya suspects that he only wants to earn brownie points. After all, why else would a hearing boy bother to learn ASL?

For someone who took pride in her condition, Maya could be so sensitive. I liked how she was brave enough to confront those who looked down on her. But sometimes, I thought that she was merely overreacting, especially when it came to Beau. His kindness seemed genuine, so he didn't deserve to be reprimanded or humiliated in public. Looking back, the final conflict in the book could've been easily avoided; it was only a result of Maya's penchant for overanalyzing things.
Moreover, Maya's expectations of people, including her loved ones, were low to a fault. So when people did nice things for her, she was either surprised or apprehensive. It's all right to be cautious around strangers, but friends or loved ones deserve more trust.

To be fair, Maya was a loving daughter and sibling. Her little brother, Connor, had cystic fibrosis. Thus, he had to use an oxygen tank in case his lungs became clogged. He also experienced bouts of weakness, which prevented him from maximizing his childhood. Wanting to ease Connor's suffering, Maya resolved to be a CF therapist. And when their finances dwindled, Maya didn't hesitate to look for a job. If anything, her sense of responsibility was remarkable.

Beau was my favorite character. I guess I was a bit biased because he was a fellow introvert and bookworm. I loved the scene where he left the homecoming party, found an insolated corner, and read a book. If I were in his shoes, I would've done the same thing. Parties are the bane of my existence, and I'd rather have other forms of socialization. I could also relate to Beau's passion for academics. I didn't join any club when I was in high school, but like Beau, I took my grades seriously and hoped to study in a prestigious university. In light of all these similarities, Beau was practically me in a fictional story.

As a fan of linguistics, I loved how the author constructed the Maya's conversations with both deaf and hearing people. ASL is indeed extensive. However, gleaning from the book, it doesn't require articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. Furthermore, I'm not sure if you can use it to conjugate verbs. So if you want to abide by the rules of grammar, you have to fingerspell the words. I'm usually a grammar Nazi, but thankfully, the caps-lock and hyphenated dialogues didn't trigger me. Haha. On the contrary, I was very intrigued by the "simple complexity" of the language. ASL requires the basic forms of words for efficiency, but the signs can be hard to memorize.

Ultimately, The Silence Between Us is a profound and diverse novel. I recommend it because it's a story that illustrates the tenacity of the deaf community. Losing one of your senses doesn't mean that you don't have a chance at success and happiness. With the right perspective and support network, "disabled" people can reach their dreams and make a difference in the world. ...more

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May 18, 2019 Marisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, fave-2019-reads, present-day, young-adult, disability-rep

I’ve been waiting so long for a book like this. Like our protagonist Maya, I was born hearing and have slowly lost bits of my hearing over the years in addition to dealing with Auditory Processing Disorder, both of which require me to wear hearing aids. While Maya is immersed in the Deaf community, I’ve remained a part of the hearing community into which I was born, but I can relate to so many of the experiences Maya has all throughout the novel.

I’ve seen some people say in their reviews that Ma ...more

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Mar 15, 2019 Maggie Carr rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-titles, read-in-2019

#OwnVoices is quickly becoming my favorite part of YA Lit. Having lost a lot of my own hearing just out of high school, I really related to 'The Silence Between Us' (pub. August 13, 2019). Maya was born hearing, but lost it due to Meningitis; however, she gained her confidence; embracing her deafness. "There was one thing I knew for certain. I was happy being Deaf, and I was not about to change that just because a cochlear implant might make my life easier."[280] I loved that Maya's character, s #OwnVoices is quickly becoming my favorite part of YA Lit. Having lost a lot of my own hearing just out of high school, I really related to 'The Silence Between Us' (pub. August 13, 2019). Maya was born hearing, but lost it due to Meningitis; however, she gained her confidence; embracing her deafness. "There was one thing I knew for certain. I was happy being Deaf, and I was not about to change that just because a cochlear implant might make my life easier."[280] I loved that Maya's character, supported by her mother and brother, knows what she wants and can educate and share her beliefs with others as a teen, dealing with a cross country relocation, new school, making friends, and completely starting over. "I've been having a hard time figuring out who I am... Probably I wasn't the only high school student that felt this way, Deaf or hearing."[278] Maya owns what others label as disabled; she is proud to declare "[she] doesn't need to be fixed."[280] I have never read a book the way 'The Silence Between Us' is written. For those who don't know, American Sign Language isn't directly interpreted the way English is spoken. Many words are dropped from conversation, and the signs are often shortened and notated early in a conversation, and then referenced in a shortened way later on. The font changes inside this book read accurately, text indicated in CAPS LOCK showing ASL usage in dialog verses what Maya is thinking in her head or other characters are verbally speaking- amazing! I am completely impressed that Alison Gervais saw the lack of Deaf characters in YA Lit and did something about it. “No matter how hard you try to understand something, sometimes there’s a personal connection to the cause that you’re missing, something you may not ever reach, and that can make all the difference. That’s why this is important to the real world.”[147] Thank you b
Blink YA Books for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for an honest review. I am cheering this title on to the finish line! 5☆ ...more

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Aug 15, 2019 Lisa Mandina rated it it was amazing

A great story about a deaf girl who moves and has to now attend a regular, as she calls it, "hearing" school. As a hearing person, there was a lot that hadn't known about, and I always enjoy a book that makes me learn things. It took a bit to read and get used to the way sentences were cut out or cut short based on how she lipread and obviously couldn't always catch every single word sometimes. Or also just the way they signed they didn't use all the words we use as we talk, because that would b ...more

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Mar 31, 2019 Sara (Alicorn Feathers) rated it did not like it

I'm almost done with my second semester of ASL, and I love and appreciate the language. So I was very excited to read this book, from the perspective of a deaf high schooler, and I perked up when I realized that the ASL would actually be written as ASL instead of just translated into English like in most the other books I've read with a deaf character.

But the book left me wanting, in so many ways.

Without even getting into my problems with how certain aspects of Deaf culture were displayed, the I'm almost done with my second semester of ASL, and I love and appreciate the language. So I was very excited to read this book, from the perspective of a deaf high schooler, and I perked up when I realized that the ASL would actually be written as ASL instead of just translated into English like in most the other books I've read with a deaf character.

But the book left me wanting, in so many ways.

Without even getting into my problems with how certain aspects of Deaf culture were displayed, the characters were incredibly boring. I really don't know what the author was trying to do with the main character's personality. She was inconsistent. Maybe a stupid example, but Maya said at least 4 times, to the reader, "Why would I ever turn down food?" but we only ever saw her appreciate it one time, and it was cookies and her appreciation was simply her eating a lot of cookies. At one point, she was aghast when students were surprised that she could speak, and she made a HUGE deal about how deaf people are perfectly capable of speaking, but the author never once brought up that some deaf people CANNOT speak, or that they only choose to speak around certain people, or that deaf people who lost their hearing young, or were born deaf, have to go through intensive speech therapy to be able to speak well. It was such an illogical way for her to go about the situation, and, while I don't ask for characters to always make logical choices, I ask that, when it comes to representation of something so few people understand, they do.

Look at that. I already failed at not getting into my issues with the deaf aspect.

Sometimes I can get over characters' bland personalities if the romance is good and it brings out different aspects in the characters, but I have to say, this was quite possibly the most poorly written romance I have ever read. There was zero chemistry. ZERO chemistry. I honestly didn't pick up on the fact that the guy was the love interest until a few chapters in, and I was still skeptical. If you've read any number of romances, you know how obvious it usually is (and not in a bad way: if you can't tell, it means there's NO CHEMISTRY) (even platonic relationships have chemistry) but I thought that he was just going to be the nice friend who wanted to learn sign language because who reads past the first paragraph in a book summary. Not me, apparently.

Way too much of the plot was focused specifically on Maya's struggles being deaf in a mainstream school, and maybe this would have been more interesting or dynamic to me if I had less knowledge on the subject, but I think just the way it was presented seemed whiny and melodramatic rather than helping the reader understand where deaf people are coming from. Again, I could not get on board with Maya's character.

We also had two very common tropes: the kid whose dad wants them to go to medical school but the kid loves something else, and the kid who has a passion for a certain career, but they don't think they'll be able to get it. These are both still usable tropes, if done correctly, but these were tired situations.

Before I get into the rest of my problems with the deaf representation, I am just an ASL 2 student. I am well aware that I don't fully understand Deaf culture or any other aspect of being deaf. But our main character didn't understand what it meant, either, and I just couldn't get past the bad depiction.

It was weird to see Maya saying that she was part of the Deaf community (capital 'D' Deaf) when she had no connection to the community other than her one deaf friend she spoke to on FaceTime. She had just moved to a new town, but there was zero reference to deaf adults or other kids in her life. We also only saw 2 characters who liked being deaf, Maya and her friend.

Partway through the book, Maya tries to go out and meet deaf kids, but they were actually a group of kids with Cochlear Implants, and none of them used sign. Not a single person at the event had any respect for ASL or deaf people, and it made every person with a CI seem like jerks. And it wasn't like it was just the main character's opinions--it was the way the other characters acted.

When Maya had lost her hearing, her mother learned ASL along with her, and her younger brother learned a little. So when she went to the aforementioned CI group, she was surprised to find that the mother of one of the deaf kids didn't understand ASL. I understand that this book should not represent every deaf person, but this was coming directly from Maya's head. She was genuinely surprised--surprised--that the mom didn't know sign even though that type of situation (the family of a deaf kid not learning sign) is more common than it should be. If she was really part of the Deaf community, she would know this.

So. In the end, I did appreciate the way the ASL itself was portrayed. But that was pretty much my only positive. ...more

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Apr 09, 2019 Kasey Hebert rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc

I enjoyed this book because I've never read anything like it before! I loved that this story is from the perspective of a female high school student who is deaf and confident with who she is as a person. The discussions characters had regarding cochlear implants were necessary and a delight to read. I loved that the conversations in sign remained in ASL syntax on the page! This novel only dipped its toe into the culture of the Deaf community; there's so much left to explore, and I can't wait for ...more

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Mar 12, 2019 Rebecca marked it as to-read

Shelves: young-adult

It's about GD time that the universe (and publishing) gave us (meaning: me as a hearing impaired reader) an #ownvoices Deaf kid in a hearing school story. #thankyouverymuch Now to read the ARC that I just got ...

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Jul 07, 2019 Stephanie Roxane rated it liked it

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

3/5

This review may contain very mild spoilers.

The Silence Between Us is a book about a girl who is deaf and transfers to a hearing school for the first time since becoming deaf. I enjoyed parts of the story, but overall was kind of let down.

One thing I really loved was the writing. The author wrote sign language in a really cool way that I've never personally seen before. She also wrote parts where the main character Maya is *I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

3/5

This review may contain very mild spoilers.

The Silence Between Us is a book about a girl who is deaf and transfers to a hearing school for the first time since becoming deaf. I enjoyed parts of the story, but overall was kind of let down.

One thing I really loved was the writing. The author wrote sign language in a really cool way that I've never personally seen before. She also wrote parts where the main character Maya is lip reading, and there will be words missing in the sentence that Maya isn't able to read, so we don't get those words either and have to infer, as Maya does, what the sentence is supposed to mean. I thought that this was a brilliant way for the author to give us just a hint of what it must be like to be Maya, or any other deaf or hard of hearing person.

There were a few things in the story that didn't really make a lot of sense to me. For one, Maya's brother has cystic fibrosis. The first thing that happens in the story is Maya's mother moving them to Colorado, a city with a higher elevation almost certainly going to wreak serious havoc on her brother's health. I'm not a mother, but i can't imagine ever, for any job, moving my child with serious health issues somewhere that will exacerbate those issues. I knew that we would end up having a scene where he gets very sick because of this. I really loved the mother in this story, but i felt like that was just a really stupid thing to do, and I couldn't wrap my head around it. the mother was far from stupid, so it felt like it was just added to give her a reason to be at that school, which is fine, but didn't really make sense to me.

Also, something that happens with Maya and the love interest close to the end I didn't really like. The love interest does something that I felt was very out of character not only for the character in general, but felt really off considering how the character had been acting even a page before. It felt like it was added in purely for drama between them, and though we got a resolution, the resolution felt too easy, and i feel like that part could have been cut out and we could have gone straight to the epilogue and had the same, if not better impact on the story.

Maya herself was really hard for me to like. While i liked that she was perfectly happy with herself the way she was and wanted nothing to do with things that could make her life easier, like a cochlear implant, I found her judgemental, sometimes selfish, and pretty unkind, particularly at the beginning. She wants nothing to do with hearing people. She judges people for not knowing how to communicate with her, but also suspects some sort of agenda when they want to learn how to communicate with her. I do understand this is part of her development, and also because of prejudices she's faced in the past. But i felt she was particularly rude and mean to the love interest, and it just really held me back from liking her. she definitely got better throughout the story.

A lot of this story was pretty cliche in terms of really following closely a normal contemporary. there wasn't anything groundbreaking story wise.

"Just because my world looks a little different than yours suddenly that means its not as important?"
The book had a lot of good lines, and as i mentioned earlier I did really enjoy the representation and the writing. The overall plot and the characters were what brought it down a bit for me, but it was still enjoyable and I'd still recommend it, if it sounds interesting to you. ...more

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Jul 08, 2019 Chana rated it liked it

**I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

The Silence Between Us follows a Deaf girl named Maya as she navigates a hearing school for the first time in many years. I was initially excited for this book because of the disability rep. The author, Alison Gervais, is hard of hearing, and I think that she did a great job at representing a Deaf main character. There were so many little things that added to the experience, from the choppier way conversations in sign were r **I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

The Silence Between Us follows a Deaf girl named Maya as she navigates a hearing school for the first time in many years. I was initially excited for this book because of the disability rep. The author, Alison Gervais, is hard of hearing, and I think that she did a great job at representing a Deaf main character. There were so many little things that added to the experience, from the choppier way conversations in sign were represented, to how you only were able to read the words that Maya saw while lip-reading, instead of the full sentences that people were speaking. It really helped me get a feel for how Maya’s communication as a Deaf girl differs from those that are hearing.

That being said, throughout the book, I found it very hard to connect to Maya as a character. There are some points of the book where it felt like we were supposed to feel sympathy or sadness, but the writing just did not help deliver that. There was nothing in the story itself that made me care, or want to keep reading very much. The characters and storyline never quite made me want to keep reading more. It wasn’t so much that it was a bad book, it’s more that it was a little bit boring at times.

One part of the book that highlights the underdevelopment of the plot and characters was Maya’s little brother, Connor. Her younger brother was a major character for the book plot-wise, with his cystic fibrosis being the reason the family moved to Colorado in the first place, and his illness being the reason Maya wants to become a respiratory therapist. However, despite all of that, he just wasn’t developed enough to make me feel much of anything. There was never a time that we felt that I felt the depth of his illness and its effects. It was all very surface level.

And as for the plot, there wasn’t much going on. What is mentioned in the synopsis on Goodreads, doesn’t even happen till pretty much the end of the book. This just made the book feel like it dragged on, and like not much was happening, partially because nothing much was happening. The synopsis mentions a romance, struggles with college, and debate over a cochlear implant. Those things don’t really come into play until much later and weren’t as big a deal as I expected.

I know that all these negatives might make it seem that it’s not a good book. But honestly, it’s not a bad book. The main reason why I didn’t give it a higher rating is that it could have been so much better! As I mentioned the representation was fantastic, and the idea of the plot was very good, but I just felt that the execution was lacking.

I still would recommend this book, since it just seems like this was a case of it’s not you, it’s me. While this book fell a little flat for me, I'd still recommend reading it just for the awesome disability representation. ...more

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Jun 20, 2019 Maddie☾✶ rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-on-my-shelf

4.7 stars
I’m so so so grateful I was able to receive an ARC for this book, it was definitely unexpected favorite of the year.

Maya Harris is deaf and when maya has to leave her school for the deaf in her senior year to go to attend a hearing school things change drastically for her.
💫☁
This was such a simple yet emotional and educational read. it was funny and romantic and had so many different layers. Maya is charismatic, witty and relatable and I absolutely adored reading from her point of view o ...more

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Mar 30, 2019 Renea rated it it was amazing

Thank you to Net Galley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Finally. FINALLY. This is the first book I’ve read with a Deaf character that accurately portrays the experience of a Deaf student in a hearing high school. As a CODA and former teacher of the Deaf, I have worked with many students in both the residential and mainstream settings. Although there were times I wished Maya weren’t quite so angry, I quickly realized that her feelings were entirely honest a ...more

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Apr 16, 2019 Carro Herdegen rated it liked it

Shelves: kiss-the-book

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G
After moving halfway across the country, Maya found herself wary about going to a new school for senior year. Maya is not as worried about having to transfer to a new school as she is that the new school is a hearing school—which she hasn’t attended since becoming deaf a few years ago. Fighting discrimination, family issues, and her own self-doubt, Maya has a long year ahead of her.
While I found it difficult and somewhat frustrating t ...more

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May 15, 2019 Savannah rated it did not like it

Shelves: advanced-readers-copy, netgalley, ya-fiction

The plot of this book just seems unrealistic. What parents would uproot a kid with a chronic illness and bring him to a high-altitude location that's almost guaranteed to worsen his health? For that matter, what parents would toss their deaf daughter into the deep end of a hearing school when she's only been in mostly deaf communities so far? Honestly, none of this makes sense and it really detracted from my ability to enjoy this book.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest revie ...more

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Apr 02, 2019 Pallavi rated it really liked it

RATING: 4/5 STARS

Maya is a Deaf teenager who moves to Colorado before her senior year of high school. It's a big adjustment for her, as she's leaving behind her school for the Deaf to attend a hearing school. Gradually, Maya befriends classmates Nina and Beau who demonstrate interest in learning ASL to better communicate with her. With encouragement and support from her friends, her interpreter Kathleen, her single-parent mother, and her younger brother Connor who has cystic fibrosis, Maya navi RATING: 4/5 STARS

Maya is a Deaf teenager who moves to Colorado before her senior year of high school. It's a big adjustment for her, as she's leaving behind her school for the Deaf to attend a hearing school. Gradually, Maya befriends classmates Nina and Beau who demonstrate interest in learning ASL to better communicate with her. With encouragement and support from her friends, her interpreter Kathleen, her single-parent mother, and her younger brother Connor who has cystic fibrosis, Maya navigates the world of the hearing and opens herself up to new experiences. Along the way, she untangles her growing feelings for Beau and battles staying true to herself even as she fears her community wants her to be someone different.

The biggest strength of THE SILENCE BETWEEN US is its integration of ASL into the writing. I have read contemporary fiction that featured deaf MC's, but this is the first book I've read that I feel truly captures the essence of the language. ASL has its own rules of grammar and syntax that are different from that of English prose. It might take a chapter or two to get accustomed to reading ASL interwoven with fragments of conversation that Maya is able to lipread, but it's worth it for its uniqueness and the authenticity it lends to the novel.

Another positive aspect of this book is that it was written by an #OwnVoices author. I'm glad that the book included an interview section at the end because I like to know the background behind the voice I'm reading in a story. The author is Hard of Hearing and works with the Deaf community, and this shows in the writing. It's hard to truly get inside the head of and create a character unless you've experienced his or her struggle in some form. I was glad to see the issues that face the Deaf community brought up by someone who is familiar with this subject.

The characters in this book were fairly well-developed. I enjoyed Maya's friendship with Melissa (who is also Deaf), and I'm glad that Maya finally accepted Nina and Beau's wholehearted attempts to get to know her. Beau was a very sweet character and I thought his struggle with his college decisions and future was relatable for the YA demographic. I loved that he continued to learn ASL, despite making mistakes and being pushed away by Maya. However, without revealing too much, I thought how he incited a confrontation with Maya about cochlear implants was a bit out of character though this conflict is eventually resolved.

A character that I slightly struggled with was Maya herself. I wasn't happy with how she treated Beau in the beginning, though I acknowledge that her change of heart and shedding of skepticism towards his intentions are part of her growth throughout the story. I liked that she had aspirations to become a respiratory therapist to help patients with CF like her brother. (Side note: Maya mentions once that she plans to go to medical school to become a respiratory therapist, but this is inaccurate. There are specific training programs for this career, including a bachelor's degree track that she talks about wanting to be accepted for. This is just a small detail that I noticed since I'm studying in the medical field.)

The appeal of this novel is that is brings up topics of debate in the Deaf community, which makes it more than "just another YA contemporary." For the record, I believe that most acclaimed YA contemporaries have important insights into adolescence, a fragile period full of uncertainties and firsts that gives the genre its credibility and significance. But this book sheds light on subtle discrimination and the perception of deafness in the context of disability, which I think is important.

I'm glad I read this novel. Although it's unlike anything I've read before, it's lacking a bit of that fluttery, jumping-off-a-cliff feeling (difficult put a finger on) that I've gotten from previous stand-out YA novels. But it's definitely worth a try for those who enjoy coming-of-age narratives and want to learn more about the Deaf community.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley and Blink YA Books for providing an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Jul 23, 2019 Brittney rated it liked it

Thank you so much Blink publishing for sending me this eARC to review through Netgalley.

3.25 / 5 stars

Maya is crushed when she learns that she must move to Colorado for her final year of high school. Maya must transition from a Deaf school to a hearing school. Maya lost her hearing at a young age, but she is not sad by the outcome of her loss of hearing. Maya is proud to be deaf and the community that welcomed her in with open arms. As Maya navigates a hearing school and new environment she must Thank you so much Blink publishing for sending me this eARC to review through Netgalley.

3.25 / 5 stars

Maya is crushed when she learns that she must move to Colorado for her final year of high school. Maya must transition from a Deaf school to a hearing school. Maya lost her hearing at a young age, but she is not sad by the outcome of her loss of hearing. Maya is proud to be deaf and the community that welcomed her in with open arms. As Maya navigates a hearing school and new environment she must decide if she wants to give her new classmates a chance to know her.

I love the discussion that occurs within this novel about Deaf culture and community. I believe that Deaf culture, customs, and community are fairly-well represented. Sign language is included in this novel in an accurate form. I also appreciated how some of the spoken sentences had words omitted to show how Maya is not always able to lip-read as people speak to her. This gives the reader a glimpse at how hard it can be to understand things that are omitted due to trouble with communication. This novel discusses real, important subject matter in regard to Deaf people and representation.

I would like to clarify how Maya is deaf and not Deaf. Deaf refers to someone who has never been able to hear. When deaf is not capitalized, it refers to someone who has lost their hearing. It may also represent those with a cochlear implant, but I am not exactly sure how this is represented. Regardless, I am no expert but the Deaf and deaf community is very close to my heart. I loved the representation for Maya and how her deafness was represented.

I do want to mention how I think Maya was a little too close-minded at times. As a deaf person who was once hearing, she seemed to discourage hearing people from getting close to her at times, or trying to communicate with her through her language of sign. I know that she was nervous during this transition, but her attitude came off almost a bit rude and cold at times. Maya was always quick to judge and jump to conclusions.

Some inclusions in this novel do not make much sense. Maya’s brother has cystic fibrosis and he is moved to a colder, higher elevated environment. It is hard for him to breathe at times and this environment begins to hurt his health even more. Why would their mother do this? She seems to genuinely care for her children; so why is this present? No job is worth hurting and impacting your child’s health. Also, there is some unnecessary drama at the end of this. The subject of cochlear implants is discussed at times in the novel, and it plays a role towards the end. All I will say is that the unnecessary drama relates to something with the love interest, and it felt totally off base. I could clearly tell that it was the author injecting this in and changing the character a bit do work with this topic. I know the character that was presented up until that moment never would have done this. It was so unnecessary and it all felt ridiculous for the author to add it at that point. The ending was okay but not as good due to this unfortunate addition.

Overall I enjoyed the representation and discussion most of the time. Good points and topic are discussed throughout the novel. I appreciated the relationships of friendship that slowly progress in the novel. I would recommend this. ...more

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Aug 21, 2019 Jen rated it liked it

Shelves: ala-midwinter-2019-seattle, arc, from-publisher

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I LOVED that this book had a deaf MC. Just YES, all the yes. She had a regular life, had the same concerns with school, boys, grades, as anyone else. This book just shined when showing the differences and similarities, the things that were harder and the things that she embraced as a deaf person. It felt real, what she went through and how she reacted.

Why not five stars then? Because key, to me, questions were ignored or barely touched on.

1) ghost dad much? Divorced when she was eight, no ment I LOVED that this book had a deaf MC. Just YES, all the yes. She had a regular life, had the same concerns with school, boys, grades, as anyone else. This book just shined when showing the differences and similarities, the things that were harder and the things that she embraced as a deaf person. It felt real, what she went through and how she reacted.

Why not five stars then? Because key, to me, questions were ignored or barely touched on.

1) ghost dad much? Divorced when she was eight, no mention of him skipping on alimony or child support, yet the mom worked her @SS off and the younger kid had a disease that required a lot of medical attention. The MC is discussing wanting to get a job to help with the bills, but doesn’t even MENTION the father and his financial responsibilities? That is not realistic at all.

2) mom is apparently the best at what she does (whatever it is, we never find out), so she is moved from NJ to Colorado to be in that office, but her son has CF, which affects the lungs, so SHE AGREED TO MOVE SOMEPLACE WHERE BREATHING IS HARD?!?! And she wasn’t getting paid enough, if the MC is worried about the bills and she was working from home most of the time to take care of her sick son. So why not stay in NJ and work from home there??

3) a school for the deaf was an hour away from where they moved. Why didn’t she move closer so her other child, the deaf MC could go there? Not saying the deaf shouldn’t go to school with the hearing, but at the beginning the MC wanted to go to a school geared towards the deaf. Does this mom even CARE about her kids?

4) it’s not even mentioned until about 100 pages in why the dad isn’t in the picture and how the MC became deaf. She was born hearing and became deaf later in life. Those are pretty crucial story points that I would think would come out a tad earlier, just my thoughts.

So yeah, those issues knock a couple of stars off for me, unfortunately. Not a bad book, but I couldn’t overlook those issues. Definitely recommended anyway, the deaf MC and the insight into the deaf community are important for those not exposed to the deaf community to learn a little about it. I found that aspect of it fascinating and I feel I learned from reading this book. 3, I wish I could rate it higher but I can’t, stars. ...more

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Jun 08, 2019 Lauri rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, classroom, realistic

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I can not wait to share this title with my students. Maya's story grabbed me quickly, I knew almost the moment I started that I would not put this book down until I finished it. I learned so much about how my deaf students experience the world around them. I'm gobsmacked. I could not wait to read to the end to know the outcome and when I got there, I was so sorry to have Maya's story ...more

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Aug 06, 2019 Jocelyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned-digital, rep-disability-mentalillness, ownvoices, contemp-realistfic

I am so happy that the first YA contemporary I've read about a Deaf (deaf? I listened to the audiobook so I'm not sure if she capitalizes) teenager was written by a HoH author because this was everything I wanted it to be. Maya is fiercely proud and always unapologetically herself. Between learning about her aspirations to work in the medical field, her challenges navigating a hearing school and dealing with hearing teachers and students that have never had to accommodate deaf folx, and conversa ...more

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Aug 14, 2019 MandM rated it really liked it

An impressive book by Colorado author Alison Gervasis. It is a YA and has that romance factor but so much more. It focuses on a deaf high school student and her trials and tribulations both academically and socially. Maya is also living in a single parent home with a little brother with cystic fibrosis. The audio book includes a interview with the author who is also hearing disabled. She discusses what it is like to be labeled disabled and her feelings about writing this book.

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Jun 01, 2019 Amy added it

I started this, and the writing is fine and all, but I just don't want to read about high school, even if it's a unique, important voice. But if you are into YA fiction and looking for something new, this might be the book for you!

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May 28, 2019 Emilie Hrabak rated it really liked it

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The Silence Between Us" is a unique and fresh take on an own voice story about a deaf girl who decides to attend a hearing-school environment for her senior year of high school. The reader follows Maya's struggles as she overcomes them to reach her goals for the future, and there is also an element of romance.

This was a quick and enjoyable read that I would highly recommend! The reader can really empathize with Maya's struggles ...more

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Jun 01, 2019 Rebecca Akins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-of-the-best

I loved this! I love that all the dialogue was written according to ASL grammar. I’ve found that in a lot of books with deaf characters their dialogue is written in standard English.

**I was sent an e-arc copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This in no way affects my rating or review.

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Aug 10, 2019 Carrie G rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs

***I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.***

I was very excited to find out about this book - a story about a Deaf character written by someone with a hearing loss! As a teacher of the deaf, finding contemporary YA books that include D/deaf characters is hard, so of course when one pops up, I'm all over it! :)

My feelings on this book are divided. From the Deaf character standpoint, this book is wonderful. I am personally not deaf, but I have worked with D/ ***I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.***

I was very excited to find out about this book - a story about a Deaf character written by someone with a hearing loss! As a teacher of the deaf, finding contemporary YA books that include D/deaf characters is hard, so of course when one pops up, I'm all over it! :)

My feelings on this book are divided. From the Deaf character standpoint, this book is wonderful. I am personally not deaf, but I have worked with D/deaf individuals for almost 20 years now, and from what I have seen, been told, and lived, the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of Maya are spot on. I also liked the inclusion of ASL glosses (the written approximation of American Sign Language) and the occasional brief description of a sign. Writing this way kept the reader cognizant that Maya was truly using another language. I think if the conversations had been written in English, and we were just told Maya was signing, we would have lost some of the authenticity. I also liked how Gervais managed to educate readers unfamiliar to Deaf culture through natural character interactions instead of using the narrator or some other storytelling device - it maintained the flow of the story while at the same time providing valuable information. Finally, I appreciated that Nina and Beau's journey learning about Deaf culture and ASL wasn't a flawless, smooth one. I have read other books where friends seem to magically learn sign language, becoming fluent in a month. This is NOT how it works with ASL; and it's not how it worked for Nina or Beau. These friends also made the same cultural blunders a person new to Deaf culture would make - like jumping in to "interpret" without being asked or assuming a cochlear implant is a miracle life-saver. So, for all of these reasons, and probably more, this book did an A+ job with the D/deaf aspects of the book.

But... some of the story elements left a little to be desired. The thing that bugged me the most was Maya's roller coaster, hot-and-cold feelings for Beau. Repeatedly, Maya would be all about Beau, thinking he was just the best - so wonderful for trying to learn sign, being supportive and encouraging, and then he would make a small faux pas, and Maya would Flip. Her. Lid. Suddenly she couldn't stand Beau; she doubted every feeling either of them had ever claimed to have about the other; she never wanted to see him or talk to him or be near him again; and then two pages later, they were back to BFFs. ?!? Her reactions just felt exaggerated to me; it seemed like the author was trying to create tension and conflict, but the reaction was so disproportionate that it ultimately just felt confusing and disingenuous. Then there's the ending. I won't spoil anything here, don't worry. All I want to say is that it felt very abrupt. I've said this before, but it was like the author reached her deadline and said, "Welp. I'm not done, but... guess I'll just stop here, throw in an epilogue, and call it a day!" I literally went back and forth between pages (between the last chapter and the epilogue) several times because I was sure I had missed something. I hadn't (that I could tell).

But, at the end of the day, I teach D/deaf kids. This book has a Deaf main character. It has warm, fuzzy moments, shocking moments, educational moments, and some downright sweet moments. I'll definitely be getting a copy for my classroom and watching for other books from this author. ...more

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Apr 14, 2019 Noel rated it really liked it

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Warnings for spoilers

I thought that this book was super cute and a good read, and please don't let what I'm about to say discourage you. I do have one real complaint about the book, and it's that the book kind of just seemed to end with some things left unresolved. There was a lot of buildup around Beau's mom and the scar on his leg, but when the backstory behind it was revealed, it was kind of pushed aside in favor of other I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Warnings for spoilers

I thought that this book was super cute and a good read, and please don't let what I'm about to say discourage you. I do have one real complaint about the book, and it's that the book kind of just seemed to end with some things left unresolved. There was a lot of buildup around Beau's mom and the scar on his leg, but when the backstory behind it was revealed, it was kind of pushed aside in favor of other things. Since there was so much buildup that I was kind of anticipating more than a page being spent on it, and it left me feeling a little unresolved. A good portion of the book also focused on Maya searching for a job because it seemed like her mom was struggling to pay her brother's healthcare bills. However this storyline was kind of dropped in the midst of the CI debate with Beau? There was some resolution to the storyline, but it still felt like it could have been elaborated on a bit more. I was also a little confused because the CI storyline with Beau appeared to be a major part of the story based off of the book description. However, it doesn't appear until near the end of the book, and not a lot of time is really spent on that plot thread compared to other aspects of the story. There's nothing wrong with that storyline kind of taking a backseat for most of the book, but it doesn't make sense considering how much weight this storyline was given in the book description.

Definitely don't get me wrong--I really liked this book. The reason that the things mentioned above disappointed me so much is because I liked everything else about the book. I really love the main character Maya and how unafraid she is to be herself and call other people out on their missteps. I really love how this book looks at the difference between Maya's relationships with other Deaf people and her relationships with hearing people, and it really goes deep into Maya's feelings as she navigates a hearing school and prepares herself to go to a hearing college.

I really liked her love interest Beau, and I only wish that we got to know him more. We did get to know him well, but as I mentioned earlier, I felt like there were some questions about him that were left unanswered or the answers we got felt like they could've gone deeper. Overall though, I thought Beau was a good love interest, and it was great to see him grow along with Maya throughout the book. He definitely made many mistakes, but the important thing is that he always apologized for those mistakes and took the initiative for himself to learn more about the Deaf community.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and it's characters. It's always great to get to read books that are from different perspectives than you usually see in YA, and I would definitely read it again. ...more

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Aug 13, 2019 Jessica Higgins rated it it was amazing

At its core, The Silence Between Us is about learning to listen with more than just our ears. Once we learn that, the space between us can close beautifully.

After losing her hearing in her early teens due to meningitis, Maya has had learned to adapt to the deaf world. Things get complicated though when her mom moves her and her brother to Colorado and Maya’s senior year is spent being the only deaf girl at a hearing school. Even though she is deaf, Maya has hopes of getting into the right colleg At its core, The Silence Between Us is about learning to listen with more than just our ears. Once we learn that, the space between us can close beautifully.

After losing her hearing in her early teens due to meningitis, Maya has had learned to adapt to the deaf world. Things get complicated though when her mom moves her and her brother to Colorado and Maya’s senior year is spent being the only deaf girl at a hearing school. Even though she is deaf, Maya has hopes of getting into the right college to help her get into the medical field. It doesn’t matter to her if she is the only one that feels she can accomplish this, she is determined to prove that the only thing she can’t do is hear. After arriving at Englemann High School Maya meets Beau Watson, student body president and one of the only students who attempts to learn sign language to communicate with Maya. With each passing day, Beau and Maya’s feelings for each other grow but staring them in the face are their differences. Even though Maya knows what it is like to hear, she has no desire to get a cochlear implant. She is proud of being deaf and doesn’t want to change. Beau doesn’t understand why Maya wouldn’t want to hear again and Maya doesn’t know if she can be with someone that doesn’t accept her for who she is and always will be.

The Silence Between Us is a perfect young adult novel that teaches acceptance in a way that may not always appear to most of us. Hearing loss is not something that is easily noticeable, especially if the person doesn’t have a hearing aid or cochlear implant that is visible. I loved the way Alison Gervais made it relatable to anyone of us that could find ourselves in the situation Maya and Beau did. The writing is easy to follow with all the signing in all caps so the reader can differentiate between signs and other communications. Maya has had some hardships in her life, she has lost her hearing, her brother has cystic fibrosis, and now they have moved to a new town and she must attend a hearing school after years being at a deaf school. Maya is uneasy to trust any of the new friends she makes at her new school. She appreciates the effort Beau makes to communicate in her language, but she can’t see them as ever being anything more than friends with her being deaf. She takes her only limitation and sets it up to be her failure until she is presented with the option of seeing it in a new light. I loved how every obstacle was a chance to look at things in a new way. Every reader will come away from reading this with a new-found respect for the deaf community. I highly recommend this book to young adults and even adults that want to learn a little bit about a different culture and how they can hear us, but we need to see them.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
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Jul 22, 2019 Laura rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-read-2019, favorites, standalone, disability, arcs-read, girl-power-books, fun-and-diverse

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Maya is not pleased about being the new girl for her senior year, halfway across the country. She's even less pleased to be the only Deaf student at her new school. While she is initially reluctant and prickly towards her new environment and the people she interacts with, things start to look up as she makes friends with Nina, who was initially assigned as a peer mentor for her first day, and student body president, I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Maya is not pleased about being the new girl for her senior year, halfway across the country. She's even less pleased to be the only Deaf student at her new school. While she is initially reluctant and prickly towards her new environment and the people she interacts with, things start to look up as she makes friends with Nina, who was initially assigned as a peer mentor for her first day, and student body president, Beau. Maya works hard at school, because she wants to be a respiratory therapist to help kids like her little brother, who has cystic fibrosis. She knows that there are many challenges that face her in reaching this goal, and at her new school she is already facing some of them. Microaggressions, misinformation, ignorance, and lack of accessibility have always been challenges for her, but now it seems to come full force. And why is Mr. Overachiever Beau learning sign? Could this be the beginning of his fabulous college application essay, befriending the new Deaf girl? Or is he doing it for honest reasons?

I devoured this novel, and loved every moment of it! A brilliant novel with a fantastic voice and cast, Gervais has majestically portrayed her own experiences as someone who struggles to live in a hearing world while d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing. Also a brilliant job portraying Deaf history (through an amazing presentation from Maya about the Deaf President Now movement), differing views towards Cochlear Implants, and why technology isn't always the greatest when it comes to making the world truly accessible (Does anyone have a truly functional VRI????). My undergrad senior thesis was about why American Sign Language needed to be taught in more schools and count as a foreign language, and most of my research came from d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing voices like Gervais, so while not much of this information was new to me, I felt Maya's frustration even more keenly.

Maya herself is such a strongly written character, her emotions almost tangible, almost as if they are the reader's responses, not a character in a book. Maya is probably the most realistic character I have ever encountered in fiction. Then there is the stylistic choices in the writing. Sign not necessarily being conveyed in the same way as spoken English, lip-reading being broken apart... Beautiful and wonderful and amazing!

Fantastic story, fantastic characters, fantastic writing, and let's not forget a fantastic cover! (For those who do not know sign, the sign portrayed on the cover is the American Sign Language sign for 'friend', very fitting for this book.) I eagerly await what Alison Gervais will write next! ...more

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Aug 03, 2019 Clockwork Bibliophile rated it liked it

Thank you Netgalley and Blink for sending me a complimentary digital copy of this book.

3.5 stars

After years of attending school for the deaf, Maya, who recently moved to Colorado, has to attend a regular school for the first time in her life and she isn't too thrilled about it. With her dreams for getting into college and becoming a respiratory therapist, Maya has never considered herself disabled. However her classmates and teachers do not seem to understand that and hence, she is a constant su Thank you Netgalley and Blink for sending me a complimentary digital copy of this book.

3.5 stars

After years of attending school for the deaf, Maya, who recently moved to Colorado, has to attend a regular school for the first time in her life and she isn't too thrilled about it. With her dreams for getting into college and becoming a respiratory therapist, Maya has never considered herself disabled. However her classmates and teachers do not seem to understand that and hence, she is a constant subject of their pity or insensitivity. But then there are Nina and Beau who don't treat her differently. In fact, Beau seems to make extra effort to learn sign language and get to know and understand her better. Yet their world are very different and no matter how much efforts Beau puts in, there are somethings he can never understand. As Maya starts developing feelings for him, she starts questioning if they can really look past the differences and be together despite of everything.

This book was so wonderfully written. I loved each and every character in this book. They are all precious. I loved how masterfully the author addressed the struggles of a hearing impaired person in the world of hearing people. There are so many things I learned from this book that I did not know before. Maya's brother has cystic fibrosis which is another great representation. Beau is so adorable and I loved how much willing he was to learn about Maya's world. In fact, each and every character of this book was so supportive and nice.

Maya is a nice protagonist who has many great qualities. I love how she stands up for herself and does not take anyone's shit. Her bond with her mom and brother is also beautiful. But I also felt she was too unkind and rude sometimes. She always expected other people to understand her but she failed to do just the same for others. She was hostile towards Beau right from the beginning even through he was being really sweet. She was even rude to Nina when she met her the first time in the principal's office. Maya often came off as self centered person who was constantly thinking of her struggles without being aware of the struggles of the people around her. She also kind of disrespectful towards people with CI.

Maya and Beau are totally adorable together. I loved all the interactions between them. I wish we got more glimpses of Beau's relationship with his dad and what really went down when he told him about his future plans.

Overall, this was a great book with representations. Even through I had issues with some parts, I thoroughly enjoyed most of it and learned so much. I would definitely recommend it. ...more

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