Scan barcode
jnwunder's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book, I really did. Especially when I found out the author is hard of hearing herself. The idea of a hoh girl falling for a Deaf boy and becoming immersed into the Deaf community-- great. Except... the hoh girl is so clueless she doesn't even use captions? Or know basically anything at all? And the Deaf guy goes from empowered one minute to relying on his interpreter friend the next? Um.
Go read "You're Welcome, Universe" by Whitney Gardner instead.
Go read "You're Welcome, Universe" by Whitney Gardner instead.
caseroo7's review
4.0
Find this review and more at Ramblings From This Chick
Signs of Attraction is the first book that I have read from Laura Brown and I loved that it was something so different from everything else out there. I have not come across many books where the main characters have hearing loss or are deaf, so I was really looking forward to experiencing that here. I think that the author did a great job in tackling the subject, and I think a lot of that came from her own experience with hearing loss which she shared with her readers here.
Carli is a senior working towards becoming a teacher. She has struggled with hearing loss since she was a child and when one of her new professors is impossible for her to understand, Reed steps in and helps her. Because of the way she was raised, Carli has never received the help she needed and Reed shows her that not only is she not broken, but that there are many others out there just like her with a lot of solutions available to them. But when an incident causes a huge setback on all the progress she has made, Carli finds herself struggling more than ever. Reed has a past that changed everything for him, and as strong as his feelings are for Carli he finds himself wondering if it would be better to walk away than risk his heart yet again.
I liked Carli and Reed. I loved that they had such an easy connection right from the start. They were a part of a small community that not many others would understand, and Carli had never been shown that she wasn't damaged goods until Reed came into her life. He introduced her to so much, and I really liked seeing her learn how to adapt and live a normal life. She was just getting by before, same as with Reed, but when they met each other everything changed and they both started living. Reed had his own struggles that he was working to overcome, and I really loved Carli for him as well. These two were so sweet together, and they had a ton of chemistry. I enjoyed their texting and that they spent time getting to know one another rather than just jumping right in. While their feelings did develop rather fast, it felt natural and was believable and they took their time to start acting on those feelings.
I also really loved Reed's group of friends and how they welcomed Carli. They were protective of him and wary of her after everything that he had been through, but once they started getting to know Carli, things clicked and she fit right in. They were all amazing, and I was so glad that they were such a big part of Carli and Reed's story. This book was emotional and well written, and I really loved these two together. I will say that at times things were a bit slow, but I think part of that is because this story is more about the texts between them and Carli learning ASL as well as how to cope with some huge changes in her life. There was at times not a lot of dialogue or interaction between the characters with more of this story being internal, and I think that it slowed the pace of the story down. I still really enjoyed it and I am glad that I didn't let that stop me from continuing this one. I look forward to reading more from Laura Brown in the future, and if you are looking for a different romance story this is definitely one worth checking out.
**ARC Provided by Publisher**
Signs of Attraction is the first book that I have read from Laura Brown and I loved that it was something so different from everything else out there. I have not come across many books where the main characters have hearing loss or are deaf, so I was really looking forward to experiencing that here. I think that the author did a great job in tackling the subject, and I think a lot of that came from her own experience with hearing loss which she shared with her readers here.
Carli is a senior working towards becoming a teacher. She has struggled with hearing loss since she was a child and when one of her new professors is impossible for her to understand, Reed steps in and helps her. Because of the way she was raised, Carli has never received the help she needed and Reed shows her that not only is she not broken, but that there are many others out there just like her with a lot of solutions available to them. But when an incident causes a huge setback on all the progress she has made, Carli finds herself struggling more than ever. Reed has a past that changed everything for him, and as strong as his feelings are for Carli he finds himself wondering if it would be better to walk away than risk his heart yet again.
I liked Carli and Reed. I loved that they had such an easy connection right from the start. They were a part of a small community that not many others would understand, and Carli had never been shown that she wasn't damaged goods until Reed came into her life. He introduced her to so much, and I really liked seeing her learn how to adapt and live a normal life. She was just getting by before, same as with Reed, but when they met each other everything changed and they both started living. Reed had his own struggles that he was working to overcome, and I really loved Carli for him as well. These two were so sweet together, and they had a ton of chemistry. I enjoyed their texting and that they spent time getting to know one another rather than just jumping right in. While their feelings did develop rather fast, it felt natural and was believable and they took their time to start acting on those feelings.
I also really loved Reed's group of friends and how they welcomed Carli. They were protective of him and wary of her after everything that he had been through, but once they started getting to know Carli, things clicked and she fit right in. They were all amazing, and I was so glad that they were such a big part of Carli and Reed's story. This book was emotional and well written, and I really loved these two together. I will say that at times things were a bit slow, but I think part of that is because this story is more about the texts between them and Carli learning ASL as well as how to cope with some huge changes in her life. There was at times not a lot of dialogue or interaction between the characters with more of this story being internal, and I think that it slowed the pace of the story down. I still really enjoyed it and I am glad that I didn't let that stop me from continuing this one. I look forward to reading more from Laura Brown in the future, and if you are looking for a different romance story this is definitely one worth checking out.
**ARC Provided by Publisher**
thukpa's review
3.0
I've been trying to expand my reading experiences this year. I'm not a romance reader, and I've tried a few this year. The first one was okay, once I got into, although the "I'm too fat to be loved" thing got old quick. I tried another book by another author and quit ALMOST immediately, due to the fat thing. So I was excited to hear about Signs of Attraction and waited months for the book to make it to my library (giving me a healthy palate cleanse before trying another romance.)
Carli is hard of hearing and getting by in college hiding it, when she meets Reed, who is deaf. He introduces her to the accommodations she is entitled to, which make their shared linguistics class easier for her to follow (she has the first teacher whose lips she cannot read due to a lot of facial hair.) I was compelled to read this for the unique plot element of the main characters' disabilities. As the author draws on her own experiences with hearing loss, the parts of the book dealing with this aspect of Carli and Reed's lives is rich and accurate.
Perhaps it is because I fell asleep reading a couple of times, there were parts where the writing seemed clunky and confusing, but not enough for me to feel like I should re-read and try to get the minor details. It could have been my sleepy brain.
Of course there is a PROBLEM, and they have some time apart, and that bit wasn't as satisfying - it was rushed.
Ultimately, though, I'm glad I read it, and I'm sure the experiences of being deaf/hard of hearing are going to remain with me far longer than the romance.
Carli is hard of hearing and getting by in college hiding it, when she meets Reed, who is deaf. He introduces her to the accommodations she is entitled to, which make their shared linguistics class easier for her to follow (she has the first teacher whose lips she cannot read due to a lot of facial hair.) I was compelled to read this for the unique plot element of the main characters' disabilities. As the author draws on her own experiences with hearing loss, the parts of the book dealing with this aspect of Carli and Reed's lives is rich and accurate.
Perhaps it is because I fell asleep reading a couple of times, there were parts where the writing seemed clunky and confusing, but not enough for me to feel like I should re-read and try to get the minor details. It could have been my sleepy brain.
Of course there is a PROBLEM, and they have some time apart, and that bit wasn't as satisfying - it was rushed.
Ultimately, though, I'm glad I read it, and I'm sure the experiences of being deaf/hard of hearing are going to remain with me far longer than the romance.
ameserole's review
5.0
Signs of Attraction was so freaking good! Hot damn, I am full of emotions right now and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with them. I'm like a hot mess right now.
Carli and Reed were MY everything. Yes, I say that a lot with couples that I fall in love with but with them, it's 100% true. Not that I'm lying about all the other ones but damn, their love was real, genuine, and utterly amazing. The writing was magical and beautiful as well.
Carli and Reed were amazing. Carli and is losing her hearing and Reed is deaf. They both had some shitty and terrible things happen in their lives. However, they had such a fantastic support group to help them through certain situations. Now for Carli, her dad was a straight up asshole and I hated him. I hated how he treated her and I wanted to punch him in the face or cut off his balls repeatedly. Her friends are what got her through each day and drugs, but that's another thing for another time.
Then there's Reed, who still doesn't understand why his dad killed himself. His mom was amazing and I loved her. She made me laugh when they had their little text chats. Reed also didn't let being deaf define him or keep him held back from whatever he wanted to do. I loved that he was teacher because the kids he taught were adorable and just accepted him for him. They didn't care that he was deaf.
Now I will admit that this book defined a real relationship because it's based off of communication. Hell, communicating is the most important thing for any relationship or friendship to survive. Plus, their conversations basically gave me life because of how deep they went into them. They weren't all just fluffy and cute. These two dug into the real and super deep shit. Pretty sure that's why I fell in love with them so quickly.
Overall, I loved this book. All of the characters were amazingly written, except for Carli's douche of a dad. Yes, still salty AF about him. I really enjoyed this book and was super glad that my library had the ebook available. Still highly emotional too and I'm in need of food to deal with what I just read.
Carli and Reed were MY everything. Yes, I say that a lot with couples that I fall in love with but with them, it's 100% true. Not that I'm lying about all the other ones but damn, their love was real, genuine, and utterly amazing. The writing was magical and beautiful as well.
Carli and Reed were amazing. Carli and is losing her hearing and Reed is deaf. They both had some shitty and terrible things happen in their lives. However, they had such a fantastic support group to help them through certain situations. Now for Carli, her dad was a straight up asshole and I hated him. I hated how he treated her and I wanted to punch him in the face or cut off his balls repeatedly. Her friends are what got her through each day and drugs, but that's another thing for another time.
Then there's Reed, who still doesn't understand why his dad killed himself. His mom was amazing and I loved her. She made me laugh when they had their little text chats. Reed also didn't let being deaf define him or keep him held back from whatever he wanted to do. I loved that he was teacher because the kids he taught were adorable and just accepted him for him. They didn't care that he was deaf.
Now I will admit that this book defined a real relationship because it's based off of communication. Hell, communicating is the most important thing for any relationship or friendship to survive. Plus, their conversations basically gave me life because of how deep they went into them. They weren't all just fluffy and cute. These two dug into the real and super deep shit. Pretty sure that's why I fell in love with them so quickly.
Overall, I loved this book. All of the characters were amazingly written, except for Carli's douche of a dad. Yes, still salty AF about him. I really enjoyed this book and was super glad that my library had the ebook available. Still highly emotional too and I'm in need of food to deal with what I just read.
curls's review
5.0
On sale $0.99 11/21
This was one of my favorite reads of 2016 and my personal choice for Goodreads favorite romance. I loved this book. I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romance but this novel was just lovely. The hero of this novel Reed is a deaf man and the heroine Carli is hard of hearing. The author is hard of hearing and wrote the book based on her experiences. It's not just a sweet romance, it's an interesting look into Deaf culture.
I did take off a star because the Carli made some seriously dumb decisions and had so much self doubt. It was in character for her life situation but that didn't make me want to roll my eyes any less.
Go read it though, it's great and it's on sale!
This was one of my favorite reads of 2016 and my personal choice for Goodreads favorite romance. I loved this book. I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romance but this novel was just lovely. The hero of this novel Reed is a deaf man and the heroine Carli is hard of hearing. The author is hard of hearing and wrote the book based on her experiences. It's not just a sweet romance, it's an interesting look into Deaf culture.
I did take off a star because the Carli made some seriously dumb decisions and had so much self doubt. It was in character for her life situation but that didn't make me want to roll my eyes any less.
Go read it though, it's great and it's on sale!
balletbookworm's review
3.0
I’m really torn about the rating. On the one hand, this is an excellent #ownvoices romance between a Deaf man and a Hard of Hearing woman who each have a lot of emotional baggage they have to deal with to get to a happy ending. On the other, there are a few plot tropes unrelated to the above representation (an evil old girlfriend with a very complicated level of shittiness, perhaps not the best ways of describing race, and at least one instance where I was surprised the police were not called) that I did not like. Also, it’s alternating first person POV, which grated on me.
merkyr's review
1) A good fun and dramatic New Adult romance. 2) A great nuanced look inside the world of Deaf and Hard of Hearing characters. I've made it a goal to read more widely within genres I enjoy and as soon as I heard about this one it went straight to the top of my list and didn't disappoint.
kbranfield's review
4.0
Laura Brown’s debut novel, Signs of Attraction, is a new adult romance that provides an in-depth look into the world of a person who is Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing.
College student Carli Reynolds has been Hard of Hearing for as long as she can remember but she has still manages to make it through life with no help other than hearing aids. However, in one of her current classes, she is unable to understand a word her professor is saying. Assistance comes from an unexpected source when her Deaf classmate, Reed encourages her to look into the options available for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. After a lifetime of feeling ashamed of her hearing loss, Carli is surprised by how easily she fits into Reed’s world after they begin dating. Just as Carli is beginning to move past her insecurities, a visit with her family threatens to destroy everything she has been working for.
Carli does not let her doubts and uncertainties affect her dream of becoming a teacher. She does not let physical pain, her hearing loss or her unconventional way of studying stand in the way of accomplishing her goals. She tries not to dwell on her dysfunctional family but Carli still feels judged for her hearing loss. Although at first skeptical of Reed’s suggestions, she is pleasantly surprised by the difference these changes make in her day to day life. Carli is thrilled by the his friends’ acceptance and for the first time in her life, she feels like she belongs. While she does not believe in love, Carlo finds it impossible to say no when Reed asks her to go out with him.
Reed is fighting his own demons when he meets Carli and although his friends are concerned for him, he cannot resist offering her advice. He is a genuinely kind and caring young man and he wants to do everything he can to help her reach her full potential. Although Reed was betrayed by his last girlfriend, he does hesitate to risk his heart again. He is incredibly sweet and patient with Carli but he is eventually forced to walk away from their relationship when she begins coping with her problems in a very unhealthy manner.
The first half of Signs of Attraction is rather light-hearted and easygoing. Reed and Carli are a good fit for one another and their relationship easily flourishes despite their busy schedules. Both Carli and Reed are somewhat reluctant to discuss certain things from their pasts, but this does not seem to affect their blossoming romance too much. However, after the horrifying events of Carli’s visit with her family, these unresolved issues quickly derail their relationship. Carli is drowning in self-pity and her downward spiral affects every area of her life. Despite Reed’s continued efforts to reassure her she is experiencing a temporary setback, Carli’s self-destructive behavior becomes a major point of contention between them. At an impasse, Reed has no choice but to end their relationship. Will this be the wake-up call Carli needs? Or will she continue to self destruct?
Despite the somewhat angst-ridden second half, Signs of Attraction is an engaging romance that is quite compelling. The storyline is enlightening and educational and Laura Brown provides readers a insightful look into everyday life as a Dear or Hard of Hearing person. A heartfelt and emotional debut that fans of new adult contemporary romances are sure to enjoy.
College student Carli Reynolds has been Hard of Hearing for as long as she can remember but she has still manages to make it through life with no help other than hearing aids. However, in one of her current classes, she is unable to understand a word her professor is saying. Assistance comes from an unexpected source when her Deaf classmate, Reed encourages her to look into the options available for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. After a lifetime of feeling ashamed of her hearing loss, Carli is surprised by how easily she fits into Reed’s world after they begin dating. Just as Carli is beginning to move past her insecurities, a visit with her family threatens to destroy everything she has been working for.
Carli does not let her doubts and uncertainties affect her dream of becoming a teacher. She does not let physical pain, her hearing loss or her unconventional way of studying stand in the way of accomplishing her goals. She tries not to dwell on her dysfunctional family but Carli still feels judged for her hearing loss. Although at first skeptical of Reed’s suggestions, she is pleasantly surprised by the difference these changes make in her day to day life. Carli is thrilled by the his friends’ acceptance and for the first time in her life, she feels like she belongs. While she does not believe in love, Carlo finds it impossible to say no when Reed asks her to go out with him.
Reed is fighting his own demons when he meets Carli and although his friends are concerned for him, he cannot resist offering her advice. He is a genuinely kind and caring young man and he wants to do everything he can to help her reach her full potential. Although Reed was betrayed by his last girlfriend, he does hesitate to risk his heart again. He is incredibly sweet and patient with Carli but he is eventually forced to walk away from their relationship when she begins coping with her problems in a very unhealthy manner.
The first half of Signs of Attraction is rather light-hearted and easygoing. Reed and Carli are a good fit for one another and their relationship easily flourishes despite their busy schedules. Both Carli and Reed are somewhat reluctant to discuss certain things from their pasts, but this does not seem to affect their blossoming romance too much. However, after the horrifying events of Carli’s visit with her family, these unresolved issues quickly derail their relationship. Carli is drowning in self-pity and her downward spiral affects every area of her life. Despite Reed’s continued efforts to reassure her she is experiencing a temporary setback, Carli’s self-destructive behavior becomes a major point of contention between them. At an impasse, Reed has no choice but to end their relationship. Will this be the wake-up call Carli needs? Or will she continue to self destruct?
Despite the somewhat angst-ridden second half, Signs of Attraction is an engaging romance that is quite compelling. The storyline is enlightening and educational and Laura Brown provides readers a insightful look into everyday life as a Dear or Hard of Hearing person. A heartfelt and emotional debut that fans of new adult contemporary romances are sure to enjoy.
stephaniemarie's review against another edition
3.0
This is a solid NA romance featuring Deaf and hard of hearing characters. It was given to me by some publishing friends who know I love Colleen Hoover, and I’d probably recommend it to other coho readers as well.
The writing flowed nicely and I sped right through it. It was a bit heavy on the soap opera angst— more than CoHo if that’s possible. We were already dealing with heavy issues, only to be pummeled with even heavier, darker drama. It began to detract from the relationship and my personal enjoyment of the story about halfway through.
I went into this book expecting a story about Reed helping Carli learn to accept herself and open up her world with new language and new connections— and we do get that to an extent. BUT it was overshadowed by the soap opera, which is why this lost me a little bit.
I enjoyed the first half far more than the angst-ridden second half, but overall it was a good read and just what I was looking for. Also Reed is a super lovable babe. A+ for him.
The writing flowed nicely and I sped right through it. It was a bit heavy on the soap opera angst— more than CoHo if that’s possible. We were already dealing with heavy issues, only to be pummeled with even heavier, darker drama. It began to detract from the relationship and my personal enjoyment of the story about halfway through.
I went into this book expecting a story about Reed helping Carli learn to accept herself and open up her world with new language and new connections— and we do get that to an extent. BUT it was overshadowed by the soap opera, which is why this lost me a little bit.
I enjoyed the first half far more than the angst-ridden second half, but overall it was a good read and just what I was looking for. Also Reed is a super lovable babe. A+ for him.
kmanuel's review
5.0
Enjoyed the book and was actually surprised with some plot twists. I think this book could have benefited from trigger warnings