A review by kristyndcruz
Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really liked this book. I wanted to read it because it was recommended as a really sad and emotional love story. I agree with that, but don’t think it affected me as much as I thought it would, or wanted it to. It was a really sweet story, and I liked the idea of the plot, but don’t really like the way it was done. I don’t like how Archer is portrayed. He can’t speak due to an accident when he was young, but can still hear really well. He was strong, resilient, kind, and mature but constantly likened to a helpless puppy. Bree would call him “her beautiful, silent boy”. I think the idea that he has this disability that makes him different is important, but don’t like the way it was written. It’s like he was helpless because of it, even though the entire story was aimed on proving he wasn’t. Bree was also made to seem like such a white hero, with a saviour complex because oh she saved the silent boy how sweet. Bree never came across this way, but little thoughts she had and the way Archer was characteristically shows otherwise. Anyone who relates to Archer in terms of being mute, probably would get offended by this story. I think it was written more for able bodied people to feel better that they saved someone, rather than for someone who had a disability. It was a story written about disabilities by someone who doesn’t have one, so I feel like it doesn’t accurately and respectfully portray Archer as a person. But I also did love the plot that he left to better himself. I was so proud of him that he did things like went to movies, ordered food. I teared up at the strength of that. I also loved how in this story, both characters recognised the relationship as obsessive and unhealthy, and Archer set out to change that rather than just accepting it. He fixed his issues, which I love. I didn’t like how Sheridan wrote Bree’s trauma too. It was a great storyline and revealed a lot about her, but wasn’t written well. She had PTSD and nightmares and flashbacks about past trauma, but when she had sex it completely disappeared. It was like the sex cured her and everything was fine after that. Make her more complex than having a man come along and make everything okay. PTSD cannot be fixed by an orgasm, so don’t write it like it can. I was upset at that. It downplayed her trauma and made it less important, when it wasn’t. I also don’t really like how it was written, as it was a bit cringey at some points and just overly sweet. Like “ilu” after every single text, no thank you. Too sweet for me, means definitely too sweet. I also don’t like how much of a build up and foreshadowing there was to Bree’s attacker, being constantly referred to as a threat. It was clear that he would return. When he finally did, it wasn’t well done. He was only there for a page, and the consequences, two pages. Based on how much build up there was, I wish there was a lot more on him rather than the scenes in the middle. There were just boring scenes that randomly had conflicts thrown into it to make it more dramatic. Anne’s heart attack mattered for all of 5 minutes and then they moved on. I would rather a few big conflicts than lots of minor ones. It doesn’t really add much to the story, except for a slight twist in the plot, and more emotions being heightened. It was mentioned once after that. I also really wish Travis had better character development, as he had a lot of potential but still wasn’t great at the end. It could have been a lot better. I also wish there were a lot more chapters with Archer’s POV. Bree’s got boring. I did love the plot twist though. It built up, and wasn’t the most shocking but it did fit the book nicely. Overall, it was a nice book. I would recommend it for a cute love story, but definitely think it was overhyped on the emotion and love aspect of it. It didn’t really affect me, so I would go into it more lighthearted, with some emotional aspects.
"Sometimes an understanding silence was better than a bunch of meaningless words"
“I want to be able to love you more than I fear losing you“
“Try to believe that maybe more light shines out of those who have the most cracks”
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