I am so surprised I didn't enjoy this one at all. I was so excited to read this. The main character was obnoxious. She was so guarded that she never gave anyone a break including Beau. Beau was always willing to apologize and see her side of things, but she couldn't do the same for him. I thought it was out of character for Beau to do what he did at the end of the book which immediately made me think less of this book than I already had. He is so open and understanding of her so why did his character suddenly do a 180? Everything was such a problem with Maya. Why was every second of this story filled with her having to be combative? Instead of me seeing the struggles people may have in the deaf community this just made me annoyed at this teenage girl. And the romance... Where was it? I don't see why Beau would ever want to be with Maya. She constantly berated or embarrassed him. And he clearly liked her from the beginning and she played it off like she wasn't sure. He literally blushed and started learning sign language because he liked her. Also, what was with the pacing? He suddenly learned a bunch of sign language in like a day? There was some odd passage of time that didn't do anything for the story. I'm just really disappointed overall. How this could have won the Schneider Family Book Award is beyond me.

The Silence Between Us follows a Deaf girl named Maya as she navigates a hearing school for the first time in many years.
I appreciated the book's theme and message that just because someone has a disability does not mean they're miserable or in need of pity, or that they crave to be "normal."
I also found myself a bit torn on how realistic psrt of the story was . I enjoyed learning about the draf community.
Thank you netgalley and blink publishing for my review fopy.

I had a hard time staying interested and relating to the thoughts of the main character. She just wasn’t my favorite;therefore I wasn’t compelled to finish the story.

This is the first YA contemporary that I have read about a Deaf protagonist and is own voices. This book was fantastic! The representation in here is great, and I really related with the main character, Maya. I love how unapologetic she is and how she just goes after what she wants. Also, the cover art is phenomenal! Highly recommend!

This seemed to have all of the ingredients to make an enjoyable read, but for whatever reason, I really could not connect with them. I did not have a problem with each individual part, the plot was good, the characters well fleshed out, and the pacing was fine - again, I think it's just a me problem. I would recommend others to check out the novel and decide for themselves.

So what if this teen romance is predictable?!  It's so well written that I stayed up half the night to finish it.  I loved how Gervais conveys the three different ways Maya communicates - ASL, writing notes, and lip-reading/speaking.  This is also a great cross-cultural book, one I think the TCKs I work with will like.  Maya's transition to "hearing school" is similar to those faced by kids starting school in a new language.  Maya's story immersed me in deaf culture.  Highly recommended for teen readers who want a story of challenges and an ending that makes you smile.

A beautiful contemporary with amazing representation and a heartfelt story that explores hearing and deaf worlds.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the early copy.

I could not connect with the writing style so I decided to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blink Publishers for the copy of The Silence Between Us for review. 
This is a solid coming of age story of a 17 year old deaf girl who moves from New Jersey to Colorado and has to attend her first hearing school. Like most coming of age stories there was some growth with Maya’s character even though it takes place over a year. Unfortunately, she still kind of came off as needlessly stubborn and arrogant sometimes. I understand as someone coming from a group that is often marginalized she would be a little guarded but I found her exhausting with the chip on her shoulder. I did like the love interest Beau a lot along with the other supporting characters. I learned a lot about sign language, cochlear implants and issues facing the deaf community. 
I did find the ending a little abrupt and I wasn’t fond of the epilogue

Thank you NetGalley! 

This was  a book that tackled matters that I am ashamed to admit, I never really thought about before.  The rights of the hearing impaired and the challenges they face. 

Maya, who has been death since she was 13, is being forced out of her comfort school and into a "regular" high school with an interpreter.  Needless to say, she is less than thrilled.  I wanted to like Maya, I really really did, I felt for her and the cards she was dealt.  I just couldn't though.  She's so angry, mean and with the exception of her brother, she doesn't think of anyone but herself.  She left a bad taste in my mouth which is why I think I couldn't get into the book as much as I wanted to. 

I do think though, that this does shed a lot of light and opened my eyes to the challenges the hearing imparied face on a daily basis

DNF @70% 

I tried so hard to finish this book and power threw but my brain is turning to mush trying to push my way through it's not even worth it anymore. 

There are so many things that I didn't like about this book. If I were to of finished, it would've gotten a 2/5 stars. No point in finishing if im not having a good time or I know it's going to be only 2 stars. 

1. I absolutely disliked the main character Maya. She was every way unenjoyable and down right annoying and selfish. I get being angry because you're deaf and you struggle more, but she was constantly angry and always looking at things in such a negative aspect and never had any character growth, it was exhausting as a reader. I also disliked how when she'd be talking to other characters in the book, and she didn't like what they'd say she'd just get up and leave the conversation and go pout elsewhere. It was so childish. 

2. The book really lacked a spark. I liked the idea being about Deaf people, but it just lacked having interest. Some parts I found dragged me in but other than that once I hit the 60-70% mark I was dying to get it over with. It was overall very boring and needed something better to spice it up. 

3. I did like the side characters. They were all very sweet, especially Nina and Beau. I liked Connor and his focus on him struggling with CF. Mom wasn't even a main focus and I still liked her. I liked everyone besides Maya. Everyone had good personalities but Maya lacked compassion, character growth and just not being annoying for once. 

4. I noticed there was a load of spelling errors. It kinda annoying me but it wasn't the biggest deal. 

5. The author had her characters constantly saying "What's wrong?" to Maya mainly and then she'd respond "Nothing." Like why is communication so difficult in this book? I hate nothing more than when characters lack growth and communication. It's not a good trophe. 

6. The romance took way to long to get to. If you were wanting this for romance, good luck: It takes up to 65% for it to happen. Waste. of. time. 

Overall, this book exhausted me. 4% in I was enjoying my time and then once I got almost finished, it was just at the point of it taking to long to get better and to finish. I wish this was better because of it focusing on Dear and CF rep, but this was not worth my time.

This is one of my favorite books of 2019! Books written by disabled authors are hard to come by so it’s always enjoyable to find a book like this. Even if you don’t experience the same type of disability, there’s things that that the disabled community experience that are universal. Lack of compassion and understanding from others is just an example. I loved the view of Cochlear implants from a HOH author and I think opinions like these should be taken into account when discussing things like this.

I also enjoyed the romance between Beau and Maya and how he was willing to learn sign language for her. I also loved Maya’s little brother Cole and the side story of his medical struggles.

I would totally read this again and recommend that others read it as well.

This was such a well written YA book about the rights of the hearing impaired and the things they face. The main character Maya has to grow on you a bit but she definitely does! I'd recommend this novel!

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!

I like that the main character didn’t let her being deaf stop her or make her not try to make her dreams happen or stop her from living life the way she wants and paving her own path in life. The only part that I didn’t really like about this book is that the plot was kind of slow at times.

The Silence Between Us is a rousing young adult novel with a Deaf protagonist who never lets her disability set her back. It explores the challenges of a Deaf/hearing relationship and addresses the strain a sibling’s chronic illness can have on a family.

Thank you, Blink, for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE MAY HAVE A “DISABILITY” DOESN’T MEAN THAT SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE PITIED OR RIDICULED.

My dear papa was part of the deaf ministry at church, so whenever I see forthcoming or published books with hard-of-hearing characters, I immediately add them to my TBR shelf. Also, the author was right when she said that the deaf community needs more representation in YA literature. I’ve already enjoyed many books that discuss depression, anxiety disorder, and other mental health issues. However, #OwnVoices novels like this one are still rare.

The Silence Between Us is about a deaf girl named Maya. After moving to Colorado, she has a challenging time adjusting to her new life, particularly in her school full of hearing people. Most of Maya’s peers are unfamiliar with the deaf community. Some of them are even ableists, treating her with pity and blatant condescension. Consequently, Maya feels ostracized and begins to question her dream of becoming a doctor someday. When Beau, one of the popular boys at Engelmann High, shows an interest in her, Maya suspects that he only wants to earn brownie points. After all, why else would a hearing boy bother to learn ASL?

For someone who took pride in her condition, Maya could be so sensitive. I liked how she was brave enough to confront those who looked down on her. But sometimes, I thought that she was merely overreacting, especially when it came to Beau. His kindness seemed genuine, so he didn’t deserve to be reprimanded or humiliated in public. Looking back, the final conflict in the book could’ve been easily avoided; it was only a result of Maya’s penchant for overanalyzing things.
Moreover, Maya’s expectations of people, including her loved ones, were low to a fault. So when people did nice things for her, she was either surprised or apprehensive. It’s all right to be cautious around strangers, but friends or loved ones deserve more trust.

To be fair, Maya was a loving daughter and sibling. Her little brother, Connor, had cystic fibrosis. Thus, he had to use an oxygen tank in case his lungs became clogged. He also experienced bouts of weakness, which prevented him from maximizing his childhood. Wanting to ease Connor’s suffering, Maya resolved to be a CF therapist. And when their finances dwindled, Maya didn’t hesitate to look for a job. If anything, her sense of responsibility was remarkable.

Beau was my favorite character. I guess I was a bit biased because he was a fellow introvert and bookworm. I loved the scene where he left the homecoming party, found an insolated corner, and read a book. If I were in his shoes, I would’ve done the same thing. Parties are the bane of my existence, and I’d rather have other forms of socialization. I could also relate to Beau’s passion for academics. I didn’t join any club when I was in high school, but like Beau, I took my grades seriously and hoped to study in a prestigious university. In light of all these similarities, Beau was practically me in a fictional story.

As a fan of linguistics, I loved how the author constructed the Maya’s conversations with both deaf and hearing people. ASL is indeed extensive. However, gleaning from the book, it doesn’t require articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. Furthermore, I’m not sure if you can use it to conjugate verbs. So if you want to abide by the rules of grammar, you have to fingerspell the words. I’m usually a grammar Nazi, but thankfully, the caps-lock and hyphenated dialogues didn’t trigger me. Haha. On the contrary, I was very intrigued by the “simple complexity” of the language. ASL requires the basic forms of words for efficiency, but the signs can be hard to memorize.

Ultimately, The Silence Between Us is a profound and diverse novel. I recommend it because it’s a story that illustrates the tenacity of the deaf community. Losing one of your senses doesn’t mean that you don’t have a chance at success and happiness. With the right perspective and support network, “disabled” people can reach their dreams and make a difference in the world.

The Silence Between Us is terrific! Moving to Colorado right before senior year wasn't Maya's first choice, let alone leaving behind her Deaf school to a hearing school. This book gave me Switched at Birth (the show) feelings, it showed the Deaf culture in a positive light and show us a few different points of view. I found it a joy reading about sign language and how the author shows it to us. I know a few of the basic signs, so I could easily see these characters do the signs. The relationship between Maya and Beau is one of the main parts of this book and I did enjoy it. Beau is a hearing boy from her new school and starts learning sign language so he can talk to her. I found that to be very cute. It wasn't rush of pushed too far. I felt that Maya's growth in some areas of her life while other parts I felt she didn't grow enough The Silence Between Us is a loud and proud book of the diverse world of the Deaf culture mix with romance and a coming of age story.


(This review was also in Double the Books Magazine issue Aug.)

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for granting me early access to "The Silence Between Us".

This book topped my favorite books this year, however I'm currently in the middle of a major move, and will definitely come back at a later time and write out a full review and rating. 

Thank you so much!

Wow, really cute novel but has it serious moments. I’m really glad to see a Deaf author write a book about a Deaf character overcome their fears of a “hearing” school and world.