A QUIET KIND OF THUNDER is a fantastic young adult novel in which the main characters are not what readers will be used to. This is one of the reasons I really enjoyed this book. 

We need more diversity in all levels of fiction writing. It is rate that disabled people take a starring role in young adult novels, and when they do appear in books, they are too often portrayed as objects of pity. It seems like most writers seem to think that teenagers with disabilities live their lives spending 100% of their time focusing only on their "disAbility.' 

I love that author Sara Bernard realizes that disabled teens are just like every other teenager in more ways than they are different. It doesn't matter that Rhys is deaf, he is still a teenager looking for what all teenagers want ... Love and acceptance. 

In the young adult fiction category, I rate A QUIET KIND OF THUNDER as 5 out of 5 Stars

3.75*

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard was absolutely lovely. Some parts were slower but it was a cute story overall. I did find some things annoying but I guess I can understand why they were there. I liked learning about anxiety and deafness more. Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook copy.

DNF

Mini review:

I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Judging by the synopsis I was convinced that I would enjoy this. It sounded like a sweet story that would be enjoyable. Unfortunately I couldn't stand how rude the main character was. It wasn't that she was outright rude to people it was something about her thoughts and how it read. Maybe it was just me but I felt that she was extremely rude. 

Still recommend.

This was a slow book that was hard to figure out what the major plot was. It just seemed to be a day in the life of type of book and halfway through I wondered what the point of it was. I read through it and it was surprisingly good and the themes of anxiety and dealing with being deaf in a hearing society were explored and dealt with. It was a cute book with not a huge amount of depth but was good in helping understand the complexities of anxiety disorders and being deaf. Overall I would give it a 3.5 as it was just a bit too slow for my liking.

Adorable, emotional and impactful. This features a marginalised set of characters in such a powerful, positive and informative light. This is far more than the fluffy romantic story that is appears!

A Quiet Kind of Thunder tells the story of Steffi and Rhys. One who has been a selective mute for the greater part of her life and the other who is Deaf.  Steffi, who also lives with severe anxiety, has a basic knowledge of sign language and is assigned to help Rhys transition to his new school. As their relationship develops Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she's falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.

A Quiet Kind of Thunder is a book about friendship, love, diversity, and acceptance. Realistically depicting social anxiety, relationship issues, and the bonds of friendship, this novel presents wonderful characters that the teenage audience should find relatable.

3.5 Stars

A Quiet Kind of Thunder is a realistic story about a deaf boy and a mute girl that will really touch the reader’s heart. I enjoyed the lack of stereotypes in the book and the main character’s compassion and relatable awkwardness. I do, however, feel like the story became boring after a while, and didn’t find it as enjoyable as it could have been.

This book has such an inspiring concept! A girl with selective mutism meets a deaf boy. Before reading A Quiet Kind of Thunder, I didn’t know much about selective mutism at all, and I’m glad that this story is able to educate its readers on this topic in a way that is entertaining and pretty adorable. The primary method of communication in the book is sign language, and there are a few signs scattered throughout the book so the reader can learn a few simple phrases along with Steffi. While I am neither deaf nor a selective mute, I feel like Sara Barnard did a good job of avoiding stereotypes in her novel. The way this story is written comes across as respectful, which is exactly how a story about health should be.

I really enjoyed Steffi’s character. She is so caring and tries to remain positive, even though her anxiety makes it difficult. What I especially liked about Steffi is the fact that she makes a lot of mistakes around Rhys. She forgets sometimes that he can’t hear her favourite songs, and Rhys is understanding of that. All this makes the book more believable and relatable.

Although I enjoyed A Quiet Kind of Thunder, there were certain points where the pacing bothered me. Once Steffi and Rhys’s relationship was established, the book got pretty boring and repetitive. The beginning was amazing, but halfway through, the story just fell flat. Because of this, I was unable to enjoy it as much as I would have liked. It really has the potential to be a 5 star book.

A Quiet Kind of Thunder is an entertaining and educational book about a deaf boy who meets a selectively mute girl. I loved the concept and the main character’s personality, but the story became boring about halfway through. I didn’t love this book as much as I had hoped I would, but it is definitely one worth checking out.

A Quiet Kind of Thunder is a teen romance between a Deaf boy and a girl who has Selective Mutism.  As a former Sign Language Interpreter, the addition of the Deaf character was the reason I picked up this book in the first place.  Unfortunately, the book is only told from Steffi's point of view so we don't get a great representation of Rhys, the Deaf teen.  

Steffi suffers from anxiety and Selective Mutism - a debilitating condition where she is unable to speak in social settings. But, over the course of the book, it didn't seem like her mutism effected her daily life as much I would have expected.  There were a few instances where she was unable to speak to people but, for the most part, she seemed to be able to overcome her social anxiety and mutism without much trepidation.  Steffi's behaviour could be explained by medication and therapy - I just thought there would be more issues surrounding her condition.  With Selective Mutism being new to me I wasn't sure if this was an accurate portrayal.  

This was a slowly paced story about a sweet teen relationship but I was expecting their communication issues, social anxiety and Deaf culture to play bigger roles in the plot. Instead the focus was on the teen romance which had that sweet, first love feel to it.  Ah, l'amour! That said, I felt their connection developed too fast with their bond having an Insta-Love vibe to it.  And while I applaud the author for including BSL (British Sign Language) into her book I felt that Steffi picked up BSL unbelievably easily - we're talking about a whole new language. 

This book addresses several relevant issues - mental health, teen sexual health, first love and a strong nod to relationships with parents and best friends.  I liked seeing the different ways in which Steffi and Rhys' families dealt with issues surrounding Deafness and Selective Mutism as well as Steffi's relationship with Tem, her BFF.  These secondary relationships were well drawn and added diversity to the cast.

Overall, this was a decent, slow burn kind of read which gives readers a general idea about being Deaf in a mainly hearing world as well as what it's like for someone living with Selective Mutism and social anxiety.  I think other readers (who have more romantic souls) will enjoy this book more than I did.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to MacMillan's Children's Books at NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, Publishers Group Canada, for sending me an ARC of this book (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

All I need is just a little sign language. Show me that you're mine, baby. And say what you wanna say. —Dylan Gardner, Sign Language

This book was my second contemporary read (in 2017) concerning mental illness, and I am happy to say that I liked it very much. The premise itself was intriguing: a selectively mute girl forming a bond with a deaf boy. One would expect the story to implode with all kinds of infamous tropes (e.g. instalove and romanticized mental illness), but I actually found it to be educational, substantial, and refreshing.

British Sign Language (BSL) played an important role in A Quiet Kind of Thunder. Given the characters communicative impairments, BSL was primarily what they used to talk to each other. With that in mind, I really enjoyed the dialogues between Steffi and Rhys. The author enriched their conversations by helpfully explaining how to sign particular words and phrases, and I applaud her for doing so. It made me think about my father back home, who is (or used to be) adept at American Sign Language. I fondly remembered the days he taught me how to finger spell each letter of the alphabet. xD In other words, I liked this aspect of the novel because it rekindled my childlike interest in silent speech. 

Another strength of this novel was its meaningful content. Interestingly, it explored the dichotomy of the "Speaking World" and the "Non-speaking World." To simply put it, I enjoyed how the author debunked the stereotypes "normal" people have against those who are deaf or mute. I was sad whenever Steffi and Rhys felt alienated from others, including their own loved ones. Still, it was inspiring how they managed to find their own voice in spite of the ignorant and insensitive people around them. 

I would have given this book five stars if I wasn't perturbed by the values of the characters, especially their attitude towards sex. I was particularly offended by Steffi's subtle mockery of chastity. I do not condemn fictional characters who are non-conservative, but it's a different matter when they attack my own beliefs. This criticism is clearly subjective, but my conscience would bother me endlessly if I keep it to myself. 

In the end, A Quiet Kind of Thunder lived up to its title. It's characters were indeed quiet, yet the message of their story resonated in my mind like thunder: do not look down on those who are deaf or mute, because their condition does not prevent them from achieving a happy and purposeful life.

“It’s not up to you to make my world smaller or bigger,” I say. “That’s up to me. But I want you to be in it. And I want to be in yours.”

You might think that you have this book all figured out. Steffi and Rhys. Mute and deaf. Bronze and Gold. But there is so much more to it than that.

The representation in this book is phenomenal. The main characters (and their friends) are all either mixed-race or POC. And as if that isn’t amazing enough, our two protagonists are selectively mute and deaf. The diversity is commendable, but I certainly hope this was written for people who can identify with these characters, as opposed to being written with the intention of coming across as “something different”.

Others have said this better than myself, but it goes without saying that I am neither deaf nor mute. Although I loved the diversity and representation in this novel, I have no right to say whether or not these circumstances are handled accurately and respectfully. I can, however, say that the depiction of anxiety and panic attacks are very accurate and portrayed authentically (speaking from personal experience). Besides that, I would really like to know how other readers (who are represented in this book) feel about the portrayal of selective mutism and deafness. I feel like it raised some very important issues about how people are treated by society when they do not communicate like the majority. It has also rekindled my love and appreciation for sign language. We can speak our thoughts without using our voice. We can listen and understand without using our ears.

So, yeah, you could say that this book is about a lot more than selective mutism and deafness. It is about love. Love is loud and explosive and quiet and soft.

Steffi and Rhys are all of the above. They want to take care of each other so badly that it hurts my heart. It’s so cute. But do not be mistaken, they don’t fall in love because they are both different. Being deaf or selectively mute is just a part of who they are. Falling in love just happened naturally because they are both lovable people.

I feel like it’s also worth mentioning that the romance did not overshadow the important issues discussed in this book. Instead, it highlighted them. Both Steffi and Rhys questioned why they were attracted each other, and they raised some very important thoughts in the process. It’s very enlightening. I personally thought it was fantastic.

Basically, I just really loved this book. It’s insta-love and fluff in all the best ways. And it’s diverse as heck! Does it get any better than that?

A Quiet Kind Of Thunder was the contemporary that I needed right now. I wanted something light and fun and fast-paced, but most of all, I wanted something new and diverse. A Quiet Kind Of Thunder achieved all of these things.

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What I Liked

A new perspective. I don’t think I had ever heard of selective mutism until I read this novel. Just by reading the synopsis and seeing it mentioned made me really want to pick this book up in hopes of learning more. After reading the novel and learning that Steffi’s selective mutism was brought on by her severe anxiety, I was extremely glad that I decided to read this novel. I myself struggle with anxiety, and while it isn’t nearly as severe as Steffi’s, it was still really nice to read about a character with similar issues as myself. The moments when we got to see inside her head and her thought process were extremely relatable for me. Thinking of every possible scenario that could happen as a result of one action until you feel like you’re going to be sick is something that I can relate too. I really enjoyed learning about a new form of anxiety and how Steffi was able to grow despite her condition.

Learning BSL (British Sign Language). I’m not saying I’m now fluent in BSL after reading this book, because that is hardly the case, but I love that A Quiet Kind Of Thunder took us through some of the sign language that BSL consists of. There were some things I knew from my VERY limited knowledge of ASL (American Sign Language), like how to say “I love you” and “thank you”, but each chapter header also included the sign for that corresponding number which I thought was a lovely addition to this novel. There were many moments from throughout the story where the signs that the characters were speaking with were explained to the reader and I really enjoyed that aspect.

The diversity of characters. I feel like a lot of books, especially young adult, are finally making an effort to include a cast of characters that are diverse and it’s about damn time. A Quiet Kind Of Thunder not only features characters of many different races, but it also features characters with different mental and physical disorders. It goes without saying, novels containing diverse characters, ESPECIALLY in young adult fiction, are beyond important. To be able to find a character or a story that you can relate to is one of the most important things about reading in my opinion.

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What I Didn’t Like

A little bit of insta-love. It wasn’t as terribly fast as some other stories I’ve read in the past, but the love definitely happened a little too quickly for me. I understand it was supposed to be that little bits of time had passed here and there throughout the story, but it didn’t really feel that way for me. I get that things like love at first sight may exist, and that these two characters definitely had an instant bond, but I kind of wish there was more of a build up to their relationship.

The arguments. There were a few moments where I thought, “are these characters really arguing/fighting about these things right now?”. Some of the problems and arguments felt a little juvenile for me and slightly redundant unfortunately.

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While there were a few minor hiccups for me personally, A Quiet Kind Of Thunder was exactly the contemporary that I was looking for. It delivered everything that I had hoped for and it was a fun and fast-paced read. I highly recommend if you’re looking for something new and refreshing in the YA contemporary genre.

*I received an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

I read 'selective mutism' in the description and I was like "SIGN ME UP" because I used to have selective mutism. I was always a quiet child but in first grade I stopped talking completely. I could talk perfectly fine at home and to my close friends. Over the years I gradually started speaking more and it wasn't till fifth grade that I could actually speak out loud in class. For years I could only whisper to friends and teachers that I was really comfortable with. Now I can talk to anyone but I'm still really anxious about talking to people.

Representation in books is often not very good because the author did not do enough research or other various reasons. Let me tell you that the selective mutism representation in this book is so accurate. I was literally on the verge of tears because I was so happy about the selective mutism representation. The book allowed me to look back and reflect upon how much I've improved over the years.

The story is essentially about a girl who used to have selective mutism and now has severe social anxiety and a boy who is deaf. It's a love story. If you love cute, lovey-dovey romances then this book is perfect for you. If you aren't a big fan of cute, lovey-dovey then this book might not be for you. Personally I'm not the biggest fan of lovey-dovey romances so it got annoying at times.

Despite it being annoying it's still really cute. I'm actually really jealous of Steffi and Rhys relationship. I need someone to date me so that we can be like them. That's all I need, I'm not asking for much.

I gave this book at 3/5 stars. I loved the selective mutism representation and because of that I will end up recommending it to a lot of people. The romance was kind of annoying but it was actually pretty cute. I'm going to have to check out Sara Barnards other book Beautiful Broken Things to see if its good!