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samantha_leigh's review against another edition
To explicit
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
amelia_forest3's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kbhayford's review against another edition
2.0
Let me just say first that I thought it was a good concept. A selective mute finding her comfort and other half in a Deaf boy. It explored real obstacles and insecurities that a couple can face when they come from two different worlds (hearing and not hearing). That was portrayed brilliantly. And the overall idea was there. But the delivery was not.
I started reading this thinking it would be about two people with their own problems finding comfort and confidence in each other and learning to navigate the world together. Instead I read a book about 2010 middle school cringy puppy love. They acted and sometimes sounded like middle schoolers rather than young adults, and the way they were constantly all over each other was really gross. I know it's new young love, but even then I thought it was overboard and cringy.
I started reading this thinking it would be about two people with their own problems finding comfort and confidence in each other and learning to navigate the world together. Instead I read a book about 2010 middle school cringy puppy love. They acted and sometimes sounded like middle schoolers rather than young adults, and the way they were constantly all over each other was really gross. I know it's new young love, but even then I thought it was overboard and cringy.
8lueminn0w's review against another edition
4.0
"It's not up to you to make my world smaller or bigger. That's up to me. But I want you to be in it. And I want to be in yours."
3.5 ⭐️
3.5 ⭐️
bellecrawford's review against another edition
2.0
loved the idea, hated the writing style. steffi was the most stereotypical teenage girl and seemed like a robot in many ways. the book felt like it was written for a younger audience, but had content in it that made it YA. I wanted to love this book, but had a hard time even making it halfway through.
nhdk's review against another edition
4.0
This is a surprising book. In a way, there's no conflict, or at least very little till right at the end. Which should make it a very slow dull book, except it's not. It's awesome, and I loved it. The story of the two characters, a deaf teenager and a teenager with anxiety and selective mutism falling in love is so wonderful I read it practically in one sitting. It's a little fairytale, because not a lot goes wrong, but I don't mind because the characters were so full of depth and interesting backstory.
For me it didn't quite get 5 stars because I felt like the plot bubbled away slowly - a bit like the metaphor from the title, quiet thunder, and perhaps that's the point. But for me, I like a bit more tension and conflict. Arguably the characters had enough personal barriers to get over to warrant more in the plot, but for me I just wanted a little more earlier on.
Nevertheless, this was a wonderful guilty read for me, unique characters in a fairytale love story with a super satisfying end.
For me it didn't quite get 5 stars because I felt like the plot bubbled away slowly - a bit like the metaphor from the title, quiet thunder, and perhaps that's the point. But for me, I like a bit more tension and conflict. Arguably the characters had enough personal barriers to get over to warrant more in the plot, but for me I just wanted a little more earlier on.
Nevertheless, this was a wonderful guilty read for me, unique characters in a fairytale love story with a super satisfying end.
bibielle's review
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
slow-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
laurenkara's review against another edition
4.0
Read this review @ my blog Wonderless Reviews
** I'm participating in a Blog Tour hosted by Pan Macmillan and received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own **
Trigger warnings: anxious thoughts, panic attacks
If you've been following my blog for a while then you know I always say I tend to stay away from YA romantic-contemporary because it's just not usually my thing. When I was asked if I wanted to review A Quiet Kind of Thunder I was hesitant, but since it was also dealing with issues such as deafness, anxiety and selective mutism I decided I wanted to give it a go. I've rarely read books with deaf characters and as someone who suffers anxiety I always like to see how it's handled. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised with A Quiet Kind of Thunder. It was such a refreshing change and had everything a contemporary should.
I really enjoyed Steffi and Rhys as characters. They were brilliant on their own and together. Again, it's not often that I find myself enjoying romances in books but I found their relationship to be incredibly adorable. I loved being in Steffi's head because I related to her so much. Rhys was super sweet and adorable but not in the Nice Guy™ way that normally comes across in YA. He was just a genuinely good person, which I loved. He was sensitive and caring and showed emotion and it was so great seeing that in a male character. I can definitely see a lot of younger people who read this book falling in love with him.
Both Steffi and Rhys refused to let others define them and hold them back and I really appreciated seeing that. There wasn't Instalove as such, but I did feel as though there was a bit of Instalike. They made some decisions that I found frustrating, but they're teenagers who are trying to prove everyone's expectations of them wrong so I understand where their choices came from. The best thing though is that book didn't fall into the trope of "The Love Interest Cures All". Steffi and Rhys both helped each a other a lot, but it was by no means an instant fix. Steffi's counselling and medication played a part too and it was fantastic seeing that.
My favourite thing about A Quiet Kind of Thunder was how well all the issues were handled. I can't comment on the deaf or mute rep, but it did seem respectful. It really helped more understand more what being selectively mute is and it actually helped me realise that I was potentially going through the same thing as a kid. I loved that it included sign language as well. The characters weren't solely the things that made them diverse. They weren't just their skin colours or their illnesses. I think we need more books like that. The anxiety rep was handled amazingly. I teared up quiet a few times because it hit way too close to home.
Another thing I loved about this book was the family and friendship dynamics. There are definitely no absent tropes here. The friendship and family relationships aren't perfect, but that's what makes it realistic. Steffi's mum definitely wasn't the nicest person in regards to Steffi's mutism though and she did some cruel things that could potentially be triggering to try and "force" Steffi to stop being mute. Apart from that I really loved seeing how everyone interacted together. Steffi's relationship with her best friend Tem was wonderful. They had fights but that's what happens with friends and it was great seeing it portrayed. I feel like friendships can be so one dimensional in YA sometimes, but that wasn't the case here. Despite being a side character Tem was probably one of my favourites. She had such a strong and defined personality and was really developed. There's also sex positivity in here, which is something else that's extremely important.
The only slight problem I had with this book is that it felt like bad things kept happening for no reason. I have no problem with angst-y moments in books, but there needs to be a reason for it. These things happened just for the sake of them happening, if that makes sense? They didn't really add anything to the plot, it was just to cause the characters unnecessary pain.
Overall, this was a quick and wonderful read that I definitely recommend everyone checking out. If you're a fan of contemporaries then I feel like this could potentially become a new favourite for you! I'm really glad I decided to read it and I'll definitely be checking out Sara Barnard's debut book Beautiful Broken Things.
** I'm participating in a Blog Tour hosted by Pan Macmillan and received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own **
Trigger warnings: anxious thoughts, panic attacks
If you've been following my blog for a while then you know I always say I tend to stay away from YA romantic-contemporary because it's just not usually my thing. When I was asked if I wanted to review A Quiet Kind of Thunder I was hesitant, but since it was also dealing with issues such as deafness, anxiety and selective mutism I decided I wanted to give it a go. I've rarely read books with deaf characters and as someone who suffers anxiety I always like to see how it's handled. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised with A Quiet Kind of Thunder. It was such a refreshing change and had everything a contemporary should.
I really enjoyed Steffi and Rhys as characters. They were brilliant on their own and together. Again, it's not often that I find myself enjoying romances in books but I found their relationship to be incredibly adorable. I loved being in Steffi's head because I related to her so much. Rhys was super sweet and adorable but not in the Nice Guy™ way that normally comes across in YA. He was just a genuinely good person, which I loved. He was sensitive and caring and showed emotion and it was so great seeing that in a male character. I can definitely see a lot of younger people who read this book falling in love with him.
Both Steffi and Rhys refused to let others define them and hold them back and I really appreciated seeing that. There wasn't Instalove as such, but I did feel as though there was a bit of Instalike. They made some decisions that I found frustrating, but they're teenagers who are trying to prove everyone's expectations of them wrong so I understand where their choices came from. The best thing though is that book didn't fall into the trope of "The Love Interest Cures All". Steffi and Rhys both helped each a other a lot, but it was by no means an instant fix. Steffi's counselling and medication played a part too and it was fantastic seeing that.
My favourite thing about A Quiet Kind of Thunder was how well all the issues were handled. I can't comment on the deaf or mute rep, but it did seem respectful. It really helped more understand more what being selectively mute is and it actually helped me realise that I was potentially going through the same thing as a kid. I loved that it included sign language as well. The characters weren't solely the things that made them diverse. They weren't just their skin colours or their illnesses. I think we need more books like that. The anxiety rep was handled amazingly. I teared up quiet a few times because it hit way too close to home.
And people really like explanations. They like explanations and recovery stories. They like watching House and knowing a solution is coming. They like to hear that people get uncomplicatedly better.
Another thing I loved about this book was the family and friendship dynamics. There are definitely no absent tropes here. The friendship and family relationships aren't perfect, but that's what makes it realistic. Steffi's mum definitely wasn't the nicest person in regards to Steffi's mutism though and she did some cruel things that could potentially be triggering to try and "force" Steffi to stop being mute. Apart from that I really loved seeing how everyone interacted together. Steffi's relationship with her best friend Tem was wonderful. They had fights but that's what happens with friends and it was great seeing it portrayed. I feel like friendships can be so one dimensional in YA sometimes, but that wasn't the case here. Despite being a side character Tem was probably one of my favourites. She had such a strong and defined personality and was really developed. There's also sex positivity in here, which is something else that's extremely important.
The only slight problem I had with this book is that it felt like bad things kept happening for no reason. I have no problem with angst-y moments in books, but there needs to be a reason for it. These things happened just for the sake of them happening, if that makes sense? They didn't really add anything to the plot, it was just to cause the characters unnecessary pain.
Overall, this was a quick and wonderful read that I definitely recommend everyone checking out. If you're a fan of contemporaries then I feel like this could potentially become a new favourite for you! I'm really glad I decided to read it and I'll definitely be checking out Sara Barnard's debut book Beautiful Broken Things.
Here's the thing about anxiety: it's not rational. It's not rational, but it's still real, and it's still scary, and that's okay.
sandsstrokes's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content