Not my type of book but I did enjoy reading this. I would’ve changed a few things around, but I’m not the author.!

The novel circles around grief and second chances. Readers are given the opportunity to explore the ways in which grief may occur and how each person may deal with the emotion differently. The story is written with sensitivity and understanding. I felt a connection with the main character, Kate, and I came to understand her choices. And Liam as a character that one can only admire.

This story surprised me - I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I would definitely recommend reading A Hundred Silent Ways if you enjoy reading stories in second chances.

I cannot say enough about this title. It is beautiful, poignant, and with many discussion points for fellow readers or book clubs.

This is my first book to read by this author but I cannot wait to read more by them! This is such a uniquely written story that you will find yourself thinking about long after you finish it. Highly recommend!!

“Have you ever stared at a photo long enough that it deluged you with the past? A lost fragment that you regrettably wished to go back to. And that during moments of recollection, you begin to understand, perhaps in a hundred silent ways, that it was once real. Because you still carried the pain. The pain was evidence that it was real.”

A book about missed opportunities and second chances. About living through the worst possible thing imaginable, but surviving. Making the choice that you are surviving for you, not for someone else. It is choosing to crawl your way back after loosing yourself. Maybe not to the person you used to be, but to someone new.

This was such a great debut novel by Mari Jojie. The characters, although flawed, were living through unimaginable circumstances, and coping the best way the could. I felt every emotion while reading … I cried, I wanted to shake Kate’s shoulders, give them all a hug and lend a listening ear.

Thank you so much Mari for this book, I cannot wait to see what you write next.

A delicate and beautiful novel of healing and second chances.

I feel so blessed to be asked to review this debut novel from Mari Jojie. It embodies the type of writing that only someone with the heart of a poet can conjure.

While novel started in a very sad place, I felt transported by the prose and am glad I persevered. The writing is beautiful and engaging, and the story heart-felt. The world of characters were three dimensional and sympathetic, and the story had a wonderful arc and finish.

Three cheers for Jojie’s first novel. I’m so excited to see what cakes next from this author.

A woman dealing with a staggering loss and grief meets a kind and alluring man on her way to Manila. A Hundred Silent Ways is a moving, intimate story of healing and of love.

Kate is spiraling, reeling from a tragedy and decides to run away from her life and try to reconnect with her father in the Philippines. While on a stopover at an airport in Tokyo, she meets Liam. They seem to have an instant connection. Liam is also traveling to Manila. Now, Kate has to decide whether she will meet up with him in the city.

I enjoyed following Kate’s and Liam’s stories and think the author made an interesting and effective choice in sharing Kate’s story in first person and Liam’s in third person. Recommended to those looking for a sweet, moving romantic drama.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this via NetGalley.

Recommended: yes!!
For a romance and a falling out of love, for grief and recovery, for guilt and hope, for a portrayal of a deaf character who is so much more than that

Thoughts:
I adored this book. Maybe I knew and forgot somehow, but one of the main characters is deaf. The way Kate and other characters interacted so naturally with Liam, a character who is deaf, made me really happy. Including written words, or noting they are writing, or his reluctance to speak, all built up that aspect of him and the story as a strong foundation.

There’s so much more to Liam and Kate and their slow romance than just Liam being deaf, though. As is probably expected in a plot where Kate and her husband are married but barely, there’s a lot of uncertainty and hesitation between them on what they each want or can accept. Liam has his own insecurities as barriers as well, and there’s a strong current of them each needing to figure out what they need independently before considering anything together.

Both characters hold so much grief in their lives. There’s a lot of potential pain in these pages even for readers. It’s delicately handled and allows the characters room to find their way through at their own pace.

Recognizing realistic barriers and their impacts was satisfying, as I hate when stories ignore actual problem’s in favor of a clean and easy “love conquers all” kind of ending. The ending was fitting and beautiful.

It’s no surprise for me that the travel aspect of this book drew me in effortlessly. Their exploration through the Philippines was mesmerizing and lush. I felt like I was there, and when I remembered I wasn’t, I desperately wanted to be.

This was a wonderful book, and one I will likely re-read, which is rare.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy. This is my honest review.

This book is about loss, love, and finding your true self, the book is heart breaking but opens up to a full circle of hope and forgiveness.

You follow this journey with Kate and decisions she makes that only she can do to open her heart again. The writer does a great job of drawing you in, I felt all the emotions and all the joys. There are some twists and unexcepted events that you don't see coming. You know when people meet and you realize that you are connected, maybe you met before or know them through friends are family. Then you say "Oh it really is a small world" LOL.

A quick read that keeps you engaged the whole time, will break your heart then have you crying with happiness at the end.

Thank you NetGalley for the gifted copy of this book I truly enjoyed every page of it.

Overall, while this book had a lot of faults, I think that it was a gorgeous slice of life that I definitely liked reading. I'll be taking a lot from it.

THINGS I LIKED:
I liked all the visuals of the airport.
I thought the pacing of the story was very good.
All the characters were very complex and well-written.
The portrayal of the grieving process was beautiful.
The plot twist that two characters know each other was so, so cool!

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
I felt like the beginning threw me into a setting, but not a story. I honestly couldn't find the plot or defining character for a moment.
The descriptions in the sex scene were off-putting
It was kind of weird that Liam and William have the same name. I couldn't imagine being interested in someone who has the same name as my son

This was an interesting book. I did enjoy most of it. However, there were moments that dragged on too long for me. I couldn't connect with the story and the characters.

What makes A Hundred Silent Ways unique are the interesting paths Jolie weaves from a basic story of love and loss into a complex tale that takes us from California to Asia and back. The story begins as Kate a young Filipinos American falls in love with Kyle. They marry, and they unexpectedly find themselves having a baby. Kyle is in the military, and Kate works at a bakery. Kate is close to her mother and stepfather. Her family is important to her, as she was mostly raised by her mother, after her parent's divorce, and her dad went back to the Philippines.

Kates's world turns upside down after a devastating tragedy, and she finds herself escaping her life, and heading randomly to Tokyo, then on to the Philippines where he is reconnected with her father. On this random adventure, she meets an ex-soldier named Liam. Even though he is silent, and boy does his character work beautifully, they manage to start a relationship. Here is where Jojie works some magic and is able to express subtly the depth of their connection even though they are using their voices.

Without giving too much away, at this point, the story doesn't just roll up into a happy ending. Each character still has work to do, and under Jojie guidance, we see the characters change and learn to bring a happy ending.

Kicking off AAPI Heritage Month by reading this debut novel from Filipino-American author, Mari Jojie! I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book (especially since it has already been released as of May 2021), so I’m very excited to read from an author who is Filipina like me! 🤗

This was a typical emotional romance, cliche to the bone but exactly what I needed. Miscommunication trope is always kind of difficult for me to read, it leaves me hanging for the remainder of the book wanting the two characters to look at one another and talk. This wasn’t the case in this book. Communication was a key method of understanding one another in this book and when it did occur, it didn’t occur for drama purposes but a way to continuously build onto this romance. I really really loved this book!

Words are one of the Hundred Silent Ways to say I'm unconditionally in love with this book.

𝘈 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘴 begins with Kate's life coming undone and not for the first time. Filled with torment, she runs off to Manila, Philippines to be with a father she hasn't seen in twenty years. What unfolds is an intricate and intimate web of seemingly impossible coincidences and a chance encounter where Kate might finally meet herself again.

- ~ -

I don't know where to begin honestly, but there's a phrase in one of my native languages that I'll attribute to this book:

" اُمید پر توہ دنیا قائم ہے۔ "
Hope is what keeps the world alive.

The synopsis gave a vague sense that this was going to be a sweet romance where the characters happen to find themselves as well.
It was that but also so much more. I wasn't foretold it was going to be such a heartwrenching read but in the end it was more than worth it.

With a somber monologue throughout and two genuine, flawsome characters, the story sets you up to live. You feel every bit of the tears they shed, the love they share and every thread of the hope that keeps the world revolving even when everything seems to come to an end.

I will not give away even a miniscule detail regarding the plot because half the distress and half the fun is in grieving along with the characters. And there's ton to grieve for.

What I'll conclude by saying is that, even after the darkest of days and the seemless impossibility of ever finding the will to live again, they survived, they loved and were loved, they found the strength to go on and hope for more which is only testament to their unbeknownst resilience.

- ~ -

4.97 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 & 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.