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A hopeful novel about love, disability, and the inevitability of change by the author of Give Me a Sign. Ellie’s Deaf boarding school just shut down, forcing her to leave the place she considered home and return to her hearing family. Back in a mainstream school, Ellie quickly becomes the subject of hateful rumors. That’s when her guidance counselor pairs her with Jackson, a student who’s supposed to help her adjust. Can the boy who tries to say the right things, and gets it all wrong, be the lifeline Ellie needs? Jackson has been avoiding his teammates ever since some numbness in his legs cost them an important soccer match. With his senior year off to a lonely start, he’s intrigued when he’s asked to help the new girl, initially thinking it will be a commendable move on his part. Little does he know Ellie will soon be the person he wants most by his side when the strange symptoms he’s experiencing amount to a life-changing diagnosis. Exploring what it means to build community, Anna Sortino pens a story about the fear of the unknown and the beauty of the unexpected, all wrapped up in a poignant romance that will break your heart and put it back together again.
Publication Year: 2024
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2024 reads: 187/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
ellie’s deaf boarding school just shut down, and now she’s forced to return to her hearing family and a mainstream school. she’s paired up with jackson, who’s meant to help her adjust to the school. jackson is going through changes of his own, though—his soccer team lost an important match after jackson tripped on air, and now he’s avoiding his teammates. he’s intrigued by the new girl, and she quickly becomes the person he wants by his side the most when his strange symptoms start to heighten.
i loved these characters so much. on one hand, we have ellie, whose confidence i deeply admired. unfortunately, her hearing family never wanted to learn ASL, so she feels isolated as soon as she gets home from boarding school. on the other hand, jackson’s parents are a bit too involved, and not in ways that are always helpful. in the story, he finds out he has MS. anna sortino mentioned in the author’s note that this is a diagnosis she’s also getting used to, and i think she showed throughout the book how personal jackson’s story is.
i loved give me a sign, so i was really excited when this book was announced! i’m not going to try to figure out which one i liked better, because they’re different books and i enjoyed them for different reasons. with that said, i would say that anyone who enjoyed give me a sign is likely to enjoy this one, and vice versa. i can’t wait for whatever’s next from anna sortino!
0 Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group for letting me read an ARC of this book through NetGalley!
On the Bright Side
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.42/10 overall
Characters - 6
I wish the characters in this book had more growth. For a while they felt very cohesive and reasonably relatable, but in the last 25% of the book they became much more stagnant.
Atmosphere - 7
The atmosphere was pleasant but nothing to write home about. I can't say it really stood out to me, but it was there.
Writing - 6
The writing was fairly consistent. It wasn't bland, but it wasn't the most attention-grabbing either.
Plot - 7
The plot was good until it wasn't. For a while, everything made enough sense and was reasonably spaced out but then suddenly it was like time-jump central and the characters were making questionable decisions. Suffice to say, the ending did not satisfy me. :/
Intrigue - 7
I was decently intrigued by this book. The cover looks amazing and the description sounded unique, but the hype died down a bit for me the further I got into the book.
Logic - 6
There was enough logic to make the book passable. I would've liked a bit more explanation/description here or there though.
Enjoyment - 6
I enjoyed parts of this book. It was nice to see the main characters slowly realize that they are in control of their own lives, not their shitty parents. I was hoping for a bit more from the story, but it was still interesting enough.
0I really loved this book and once I started it was hard to put down. As with all of Anna’s work, the disability representation is amazing and gives me a new perspective. As a partner of a hard of hearing person, Anna’s books really make me think critically about the accessibility of the world around me even in terms of my own relationship and household.
I highly recommend reading this book both for the information and experiences that clearly shine through the characters, but for a YA rom com that will have you giggling and kicking your feet throughout.
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