2015, 320p, YA Clean Contemporary Romance
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review
Love is blind, but it's also deaf. Stella was born to sing. Someday Broadway. Even though she's only a sophomore at a new high school, her voice has given her the status as a "cool kid." But everything changes when a tragic accident renders her deaf. She can't hear herself sing not to mention speak. She can't hear anything. Silence. What happens when everything you've dreamed of and hoped for is shattered in a single moment?
Enter Hayden, the boy with blond curls who stutters. He's treated like an outcast because he's not "normal." And, yet, Stella feels an attraction to him that she can't explain. As Hayden reaches out to help Stella discover a world without sound, his own tragic past warns him to keep a distance. But their connection is undeniable. Can the boy who stutters and the girl who's deaf ever find a happily-ever-after? Silence is a story of friendship and hope with a lesson that sometimes it takes a tragedy to help us find and appreciate beauty and love in unexpected places.
I loved this book! Stella moved about a year ago to a new high school but is so quiet that nobody really knows who she is and she only has one friend, Lily. She has a beautiful voice and finally took a chance by trying out for the school play. Amazingly, she lands the starring role! She's becoming more popular and is on the verge of her dreams coming true. However, a tragic accident changes everything. When she wakes up, she learns that she's deaf and she's not sure what that means for her future.
Hayden is a new boy who is considered to be weird because he speaks slowly and stutters. He's also a talented pianist and Stella feels a connection to him but doesn't make an effort to get to know him. Until the accident. He saves her physically and now he's challenging her to give him 17 days to help her imagine herself differently.
This book alternates between Stella and Hayden so we get to know both of them well. Hayden is keeping a secret and it's the reason he stutters. Stella is devastated when she learns she's deaf. She starts to retreat into herself. When there are 17 days before she is scheduled to meet with the audiologist to see if she will be able to hear again, Hayden asks her for that time so he can help her imagine herself differently. She figures she has nothing to lose so she agrees.
I loved Stella and Hayden's time together and the things they were able to experience. They slowly opened up to each other and Stella learned about other talents she had through using her other senses.
There are some great side characters, too. I loved Stella's mother and sister, Emerson. They were supportive and loving. Stella and Emerson grew closer after the accident. I also loved Hayden's grandfather. He gave Hayden a loving and stable home and expressed himself through his sculptures.
While reading this book, I thought about how it would feel to not be able to hear. Life would be so challenging. I enjoyed reading about Stella and what she was able to learn through her experience. I also love that this book is clean and one that I will be able to pass on to my daughter when she's a little older. It's a fantastic book which helps explore other options when life doesn't go the way you planned!! I look forward to reading more by this author in the future!
Deborah Lytton is an established writer who began her work life as an actress at the age of six. She graduated from UCLA and Pepperdine University with a degree in law before becoming a writer. She lives in California with her two daughters and is an active blogger and member of SCBWI.
1 comments:
Thank you for reviewing SILENCE. I really appreciate it!
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