Scan barcode
reviewsandreadathons's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Cursing, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Vomit
novella42's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Drug use, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Racism
clovetra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
this book has everything and more
- as a disabled person i go NUTS for representation. a book where most main characters are deaf, written by a deaf author? im a rabid dog im so thrilled
- the excerpts following charlie were so brilliant and added to this book quite a lot, such as the excerpt on alexander bell when she's learning about him in history class
- the excerpts about signs too!!!!! i loved them!!!!!
- the mention of the intersectionality between race & disability AND gender & disability.... chefs kiss
- highlighting BASL (which i didn't even know existed!) (granted im australian but still)!! this taught me so much about deaf culture in such an endearing and interesting form
- loved to see a CODA. i used to be able-bodied (long story) and as a child of disabled parents i resonated with february. obviously in very different ways, but mainly due to the underlying commonality between us (or at least a commonality that used to exist)
- wlw rep LETS GOOOOOOOO
- charlie and austin..... my loves. my little baby grills. i also loved kayla a LOT. couldn't stop picturing mel as mel buttle but u know what it works! every character felt like their own person, with motives and goals and a LIFE outside of the main plot.
- writing style was magnificent
- writing FORMAT????? ugh i was in love. the little italics to show when a character was signing vs orally speaking? perfect. the chapter titles being the main pov's initial fingerspelled???? magnificent.
this book accomplished so much. there were so many themes and none of them felt poorly fleshed out. this book covers everything - grief, eugenics, isolation, race, ableism, jealousy, teenage romance, rebellion, gentrification, community, ableism (both outright and unknowingly), and so much more.
i don't think i can truly put into words how much i loved this novel. this book is very clearly a love letter to the deaf community, and i have to say i fell hook line & sinker.
Graphic: Ableism, Dementia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Racism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Bullying, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Police brutality
invaderday's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
anywayy this book was really super cool and kept my attention the whole time. i kind of left wanting a bit more from the ending but overall it was a satisfying story and just an all around good fucking read
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Medical trauma, Drug use, Ableism, Child abuse, Racism, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
marioosa517's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Drug use, Alcohol, Medical content, Medical trauma, Ableism, Cursing, Dementia, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Child death, and Racism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Police brutality, and Vomit
good_names_dont_exist's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Dementia, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Drug use
Minor: Homophobia and Vomit
sorenzs's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Car accident, Ableism, Alcohol, Medical content, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism
Minor: Vomit
tree_swallow_in_flight's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
(Disclaimer: I as a hearing person cannot speak from experience regarding the representation in this book, but given the author and illustrator are both Deaf, I think it's safe to say there was care and authenticity put into it)
I can't quite pinpoint how I feel about this book. It was absolutely worth the read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's curious about the Deaf community. It finally pushed me to learn the ASL alphabet. It captured my attention and I devoured it in a matter of days. And yet, there were aspects of the storytelling that didn't quite click for me.
So, let's do some +/-!
What I liked:
- building suspense (through dramatic irony, slowly hinting toward reveals, etc.)
- nuanced discussions regarding raising/educating Deaf kids
- Charlie's conflicted relationship with her mother. This dynamic felt very realistic, allowing us to feel the repercussions of damaging decisions in the past and the humanity of both characters
- watching Charlie gain confidence in her Deafness
- pacing/plot held my attention for extended periods of time
What fell a little flat:
- - the many POV changes
- Personally, I found Charlie's story and character the most compelling and developed. While there were some interesting differences in perspective showcased by February's and Austin's points of view, ultimately I felt that having so many points of view left a lot of underdeveloped characters and relationships, and lots of side characters and backstories to keep track of. We even got random chapters from side characters, which felt unnecessary. If they have something important to add, can't that be revealed in dialogue?
- - the ending
- This might come down to personal preference, but the ending, to me, felt unresolved, like it was just abruptly cut off right after the climax. There were a couple of established conflicts where the outcomes were left hanging, and the climax itself did not feel like it actually resolved anything.
- - the romantic relationships
- I felt like we only ever saw the surface level of romantic relationships, and the moments where we got to witness the characters actually connecting were rare.
Moderate: Ableism and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit, Dementia, Death of parent, and Child abuse
marissab's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Ableism, Alcohol, Car accident, Dementia, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Police brutality, Classism, Cursing, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Bullying
liesbethvv's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, and Cursing
Minor: Pregnancy, Racism, Lesbophobia, Gun violence, Child death, Car accident, Bullying, and Vomit