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jnwunder's review
5.0
Literally the best portrayal of a Deaf character I've ever seen written down, even down to the little things like calling people by initials because that's their sign name. Julia's deafness is not treated as a fault with her, but with people in her environment who don't take the time to figure out how to communicate with her. No magic lipreading and just wow. I was shocked to find that the author is not deaf because of how well she captured this POV. Julia was a little annoying at times, but I'm still absolutely in awe of this book. WOW, just WOW.
stopthesun's review
2.0
If you love art, then you'll love this book. If you're interested in or connected to the Deaf community, you might also be interested in this book.
From my limited understanding of Deaf culture (stemming from my language focus in college and my sister's deafness), You're Welcome, Universe does a great job of emulating and informing on the d/Deaf experience and culture without making it too obvious that you're being taught something. If you have never been exposed to Deaf culture before then at the very least, you'll learn a few minor things about it.
I have...mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the book was exactly what I was looking for and more. I mean, the main character is this refreshing mix of not-your-typical-YA-protagonist vibes. Julia is not just d/Deaf. She's Indian and has a great relationship with her two moms. The best part? Her race and family structure aren't even plot points; they just exist as part of Julia's life.
So why didn't I love this book? I wanted to love this book, I really really did. I've been looking for a YA book with a d/Deaf main character for years. But Julia was so...unlikable.
Julia spends almost the whole book judging people without knowing them and generally acting like no one else in the word matters. She repeatedly lies to her parents despite feeling mildly guilty, disses and defends YP in the same paragraph (also, never bothered to learn her name),, and hates on everyone who tries to be even a little friendly (except the art teacher who she still screws over anyway). Even when I wanted to be sympathetic because of the poor way some people treated her I still felt Julia acted unfairly.
Jordyn does suck though.
It wasn't until page 267 out of 293 that Julia stops to realize that she's been horrible to literally everyone and tries to make up for it.
From my limited understanding of Deaf culture (stemming from my language focus in college and my sister's deafness), You're Welcome, Universe does a great job of emulating and informing on the d/Deaf experience and culture without making it too obvious that you're being taught something. If you have never been exposed to Deaf culture before then at the very least, you'll learn a few minor things about it.
I have...mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the book was exactly what I was looking for and more. I mean, the main character is this refreshing mix of not-your-typical-YA-protagonist vibes. Julia is not just d/Deaf. She's Indian and has a great relationship with her two moms. The best part? Her race and family structure aren't even plot points; they just exist as part of Julia's life.
So why didn't I love this book? I wanted to love this book, I really really did. I've been looking for a YA book with a d/Deaf main character for years. But Julia was so...unlikable.
Julia spends almost the whole book judging people without knowing them and generally acting like no one else in the word matters. She repeatedly lies to her parents despite feeling mildly guilty, disses and defends YP in the same paragraph (also, never bothered to learn her name),
Spoiler
makes out with her ex-best friend's boyfriend just to...just to what? make her feel bad?Jordyn does suck though.
It wasn't until page 267 out of 293 that Julia stops to realize that she's been horrible to literally everyone and tries to make up for it.
afkehuldrike's review
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
ajb24's review
3.0
3.5 stars*
I really enjoyed the portrayal of Deaf culture and the casual inclusion of her lesbian moms (I think it helps normalize that a family can come in many forms). I also liked the emoticon chapter headings they were cute.
The plot itself was fine, I don’t have a big opinion on it either way.
However, Julia’s attitude could be quite annoying at times, and I didn’t really like how the Donovan/Jordyn/Julia storyline played out. Plus, YP’s weight issues are never fully resolved or even fully developed, so I kind of wish the author had spent less time focusing on Julia’s teen angst and more on developing a deeper relationship between the two.
Overall it was a fun read and I felt like I learned something about the d/Deaf community (even though the author herself isn’t deaf, she used several sensitivity readers so I’d like to believe that she captured various nuances as accurately as she could). I appreciate the representation included but feel as if the plot could have been handled better if more focus was put on developing Julia’s relationships to other characters instead of listening to her brood and angst all the time.
I really enjoyed the portrayal of Deaf culture and the casual inclusion of her lesbian moms (I think it helps normalize that a family can come in many forms). I also liked the emoticon chapter headings they were cute.
The plot itself was fine, I don’t have a big opinion on it either way.
However, Julia’s attitude could be quite annoying at times, and I didn’t really like how the Donovan/Jordyn/Julia storyline played out. Plus, YP’s weight issues are never fully resolved or even fully developed, so I kind of wish the author had spent less time focusing on Julia’s teen angst and more on developing a deeper relationship between the two.
Spoiler
it also kind of bothers me that we never find out “Yoga Pants” actual name - I thought eventually once they started hanging out together more often it would be revealed, but the nickname sticks for the entire novel and I’m not a huge fan :/Overall it was a fun read and I felt like I learned something about the d/Deaf community (even though the author herself isn’t deaf, she used several sensitivity readers so I’d like to believe that she captured various nuances as accurately as she could). I appreciate the representation included but feel as if the plot could have been handled better if more focus was put on developing Julia’s relationships to other characters instead of listening to her brood and angst all the time.
mserin's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nklosty's review
4.0
I really liked the idea that the main character was deaf and wanted to be independent. The story relays a true to life depiction of what people's lives may be like even when facing a difficulty. 86
xsleepyshadows's review
5.0
I took an 8 week course in ASL and have continued to use it since. I can not express enough what an amazing job representing deaf culture and in general the book is really nicely diverse. Whitney Gardner has some nice experience with the deaf community as well. You can read an interview with her here.
Even though this is a young adult and does have that high school type drama troupe I really didn't mind because Whitney managed to keep the whole book interesting and wrap up nicely in 300ish pages. I think a couple of issues are legitimate like what should be considered graffiti vs. art and what true friends should be. All in all, a very captivating read! I love that Julia's art is in the book and it makes a really big impact. Excellent book, I recommend! ~Ashley
Even though this is a young adult and does have that high school type drama troupe I really didn't mind because Whitney managed to keep the whole book interesting and wrap up nicely in 300ish pages. I think a couple of issues are legitimate like what should be considered graffiti vs. art and what true friends should be. All in all, a very captivating read! I love that Julia's art is in the book and it makes a really big impact. Excellent book, I recommend! ~Ashley
ameserole's review
3.0
You're Welcome, Universe was okay if I'm being honest.
While I feel the relief of knocking another book off of my wonderful TBR, I just feel like this had potential to be a lot better. Yes, I liked getting to know Julia. She's an aspiring street artist but unfortunately gets kicked out of her school for vandalism. I mean, she is a street artist so what were they expecting?
Don't get me wrong, this book had way more pros than cons. Mostly because of Julia and her artwork. I just feel like the drama was so predictable and I was definitely expecting something different. Maybe it's a me thing and I'm just in a funky mood.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the diversity throughout this. It was probably my favorite part other than the actual art. The one thing that broke my heart was the racism within this. Especially when it was focused on Julia. Honestly, I wanted to reach into this book just to throat punch some people, but I think that's why I loved Julia so much. She was stronger than she looked. She just really deserved to be treated better.
In the end, I'm so happy that I got the chance to jump into this. Will definitely need more characters that are deaf in my life.
While I feel the relief of knocking another book off of my wonderful TBR, I just feel like this had potential to be a lot better. Yes, I liked getting to know Julia. She's an aspiring street artist but unfortunately gets kicked out of her school for vandalism. I mean, she is a street artist so what were they expecting?
Don't get me wrong, this book had way more pros than cons. Mostly because of Julia and her artwork. I just feel like the drama was so predictable and I was definitely expecting something different. Maybe it's a me thing and I'm just in a funky mood.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the diversity throughout this. It was probably my favorite part other than the actual art. The one thing that broke my heart was the racism within this. Especially when it was focused on Julia. Honestly, I wanted to reach into this book just to throat punch some people, but I think that's why I loved Julia so much. She was stronger than she looked. She just really deserved to be treated better.
In the end, I'm so happy that I got the chance to jump into this. Will definitely need more characters that are deaf in my life.
mbrandmaier's review
5.0
Julia gets expelled from her school for vandalizing, which is kind of ironic considering the circumstances of the vandalism. She is not enjoying the people at her new school, where everyone else is a hearing person, until she begins getting to know a new friend and gets into a coveted art class. In the meantime, every time she puts up a tag around town, an unknown rival puts their own mark over top of her own. If I read this novel with a book club, my question for everyone would be, "what makes tagging different from vandalism?"
syndi3's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ugh a big no no for me.
do not feel connected to the writing and the character.
do not feel connected to the writing and the character.