Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel for an honest review. It is set to be published in July 2023.

"Give Me a Sign" by Anna Sortino is a fresh coming-of-age novel telling the story of a Deaf teenager who goes to summer camp, where she finds her community and discovers her identity.
I am not part of the Deaf community, and I admit that before picking up this book, I had never heard the phrase "Deaf pride", and I was completely unaware of so many of the obstacles and dangers that Deaf people have to deal with on a daily basis, in a world that is mostly designed for the hearing.
What can I say? I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover art, and then the writing style and the story totally captivated me; I read the second half of the book in one sitting, because by that point I couldn't put it down.
I found the characters extremely relatable - even though we live very different lives - and, even if at times there was more exposition than I would normally like in a novel, it didn't annoy me as much as it usually does, because these were things that I honestly knew nothing about, and I didn't mind too much being lectured about.
Overall, I immensely enjoyed this novel, not only for the romance, but most of all for giving me the chance to experience the world through a whole new perspective. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author, and hopefully from other Deaf writers just as talented!

I loved the information we got on not only the deaf community but also just hearing aids. It was interesting to see the struggle that deaf and hard of hearing people go through even with each other.
I didn’t really feel all the fun camp vibes I felt this should have had, it was very much focused on the drama, romance and Lilah feeling “out of place”. I see why she felt out of place but at the same time she was very rude and snappy when I felt like others were just trying to help her.
I think the book is really just focused on Lilah finding her place and feeling comfortable with herself, yes she has a relationship but I didn’t think it really added anything major to the plot.
Overall I really feel like I learned a lot about the deaf community, the struggles and how important it is for anyone involved in the community to not feel “left out” or “different”.

Give Me A Sign is the perfect blend of self discovery, finding your community, and romance. The story had me hooked from the first page, and the characters felt like close friends by the time it ended.

This book is a great representation of Deaf culture and as a hearing person I found it eye opening to what those around me might be experiencing.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.8

What an excellent read courtesy of Penguin Young Readers and Netgalley! Give Me A Sign by Anna Sortino is a fluffy romance novel set at Camp Gray Wolf, a summer camp for deaf and blind youths.

I loved the main character Lilah and enjoyed watching her navigate a community that she felt she wasn’t “enough” to be in. The book also taught me a lot about Deaf culture — like the logistics of cochlear implants and the differences between BSL and ASL. I liked how not everything was translated, so that the readers can experience Lilah’s confusion first hand and not have everything spelled out for us. I’m a big fan of the summer romance trope and I enjoyed the setting and cast of characters I was introduced to.

Overall, this book gets a 4.8 out of 5 from me and I’m looking forward to Anna Sortino’s next novel!

5/5 🌟🤟🏻💕

I received an e-arc of this YA novel from Net Gallery in exchange for my full, honest review! I was very interested in seeing this book to be requested on Net Gallery and became ever more excited at the opportunity to read it before it had been published!

I genuinely find ASL to be beautiful and the community that deaf people have built to be so interesting. I can’t completely understand the wholeness of the importance of this story and what it can mean to this community but I can tell when an author has heart in his/her message, and Anna certainly does <3

I’m definitely excited to see whatever else this author has to offer and to learn more about this wonderful community of people!

This review is based on an ARC of Give Me a Sign which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Penguin Young Readers Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers).


Is it too much to ask for a diverse and inclusive, fluffy, YA summer romance without nattering SJW chastisement? I wanted to read a cute story about falling in love over canoes and campfires, not be lectured on how to be PC toward the deaf community. I get that these topics need to be broached--and obviously in a book with deaf characters, written by a deaf author, there is ample chance to do so--but the execution here was a tad heavy-handed.

Also, I didn't click with the characters. Maybe I am getting too old for YA... If this is the new norm--lecturing and guilt-tripping from the voices of self-pitying, know-it-all teenagers--I'll leave modern YA to the kids and go back to the classics. Kissing Kate , anyone? Anything by John Green?

I'm just gonna stamp this one with a big ol' "Not For Me".

I received a digital copy of Give Me a Sign via NetGalley to read and review.

I think Give Me a Sign is geared more towards teens but I think any age group can gain insight by reading. Just keep in mind the story is from the point of view of a 17 year old so it makes for her to not always make the best choices. Even with that I don’t feel like any of the experiences described were over embellished- a lot of these things can and probably do happen.

The story takes place at Camp Gray Wolf which is a summer camp for Deaf and visually impaired. Lilah is a junior counselor who is hard of hearing. We follow her while she tries to become more fluent in sign language (her parents are hearing and don’t sign). It’s great to notice her confidence build and be able to communicate with others in her community.

This was a well-done book for someone who is looking to understand the lived deaf experience and to also create sensitivity for those who are challenged in some way because of a disability. I enjoyed the insights and the fact that this was written by someone who is hearing impaired was certainly an asset, because the author writes from a place of having had to face similar challenges to the characters in her own life. I did find that the description of the book was misleading, because it pitches things as a bit more exciting than the book actually was. That doesn't mean it was boring, but I found that the real story is in Lilah figuring out her place in the community and owning her deafness, so all of the other pieces referenced in the description were minor and secondary to that. And someone who picks this up expecting excitement, bonding and romance would likely think this didn't quite deliver. I do think the book was well written and the character of Lilah well developed. That being said, I also think it was a bit longer than it needed to be and crammed a lot in that wasn't necessary. Lilah and Isaac's relationship did very little for the book; there were so many characters depicting different aspects of the lived deaf experience that I was sometimes lost with who was who; and there were a lot of things that happened that seemed to have been thrown together just to show specific situations like the storm and the run in with locals. I feel like the book could have left some of those out, reduced by 100 pages, and still done a really good job of building awareness and understanding. I also found the introduction of Max at camp really jarring, especially as he kind of popped up in the last 50 pages and factored in a total of two interactions. Again, he was there so that Lilah could have a voice on implants, but it definitely didn't work.

A good middle school to young adult read (PG not MA) which will help to build awareness for deaf culture. Readable, but not earth shattering. I would likely have given this a 3 star if I had been rating it for romance. But as a book about being deaf, it's a solid 4.

What an important, informative, and wholly sweet book. I loved how Lilah explored the nuances of her deafness and finding her place within the Deaf community. It's a beautiful coming of age story that helps to point out the ableism that affects her everyday life without being (for the most part) too heavy-handed. I've loved the recent crop of media about Deaf culture--but most likely it was there all along, and shame on me for not having found it.

I find it hard to find the right words for this book, it was just so heartwarming, sweet and wholesome.

We get to know Lilah who is a junior councilor at camp Grey Wolf, a camp for blind and deaf kids. Through the summer Lilah comes to grips with her own deafness and becomes comfortable using ASL and confident without hearing aids. Even though I'm not deaf or hoh, I could relate to a few of the things Lilah have experienced with me having adhd and probably apd. The frustration Anna manages to convey when you can't understand the world around you and how difficult it is to ask for accommodation to your disabilities is too good.

I would love to read more from Anna and get to know the deaf community better and hopefully this book will help the stigma surrounding deafness.

Lilah’s journey of finding herself in the deaf community was beautiful. At summer camp she was able to find her first love( a summer romance troupe), fight a battle of injustice and make friends. She found her voice in sign and it was truly beautiful. She was able to fight for what she thought was right. Her love interest, Issac, is completely death and they find love and cute flirts in ASL. The author did a beautiful job of conveying why hearing shouldn’t assume the struggle of the death community. I can’t wait to add this to my shelf.

I absolutely loved this book!! I was given an ARC by Penguin Young Readers and Netgalley in exchange for a honest review!!

This book was incredible! I am a deaf blind intervenor and have only dipped my toe in deaf culture these past 7 years as there is so much to learn and explore. I loved how authentic this book was and how it explored all levels of deafness and we also got to see blind characters as well! I loved the camp setting and all the side characters. I loved how Anna talked about even though someone may wear hearing aids they are still missing pieces of the conversation. I like how Anna wrote all the interactions and left blank spaces for the things Lilah misses. It made you feel like you were missing just as much as the information Lilah was missing. I enjoyed reading about the different experiences of someone that has a cochlear implant. One person may love their experience well another person could hate their experience and wish they never got one in the first place. I adored the relationship between Lilah and her brother Max. I loved the relationship between Lilah and Isaac. I also really enjoyed the growth of Lilah throughout her time at camp you could really see her start to flourish. I loved this book and definitely need a copy for my shelves!

Be sure to pick this up on July 11,23. Thanks again for letting me read my most anticipated read early!!

Thank you so much to PenguinTeenCanada for this arc!

I honestly chose this arc specifically because the synopsis sounded like my friend Jo's life and my first thought was "she needs to read this". So, with some finagling, I was able to send her a copy to read and review, and after hearing her thoughts I decided to pick it up sooner rather than later. If she ever gets around to writing a proper review, I'll probably edit this one and add it here because I don't think my thoughts would do this book justice.

I'm always hesitant when it comes to summer YA romances because most of them are just meh and I don't care too much about the plot and whatever the characters are going through. But the theme for me seems to be that if the book has diverse characters and representation, I'm 100% more likely to love it.

This book was so so good. It reminds me of how I felt after reading "Love from A to Z". That book was the kind of representation I needed as a kid, and as Jo told me, what she needed too. I'm so glad we live in a world where books like this now exist and I hope this book reaches all the Deaf kids and teenagers out there who want to see themselves as the main character in a book.

Were there some cringe parts? Yes. Did I care? No, lol. It was overall very cute and I was shipping the two characters from the beginning. Mackenzie did annoy me a lot, but I did like how everyone called her out on her behaviour. Lilah's interactions with the kids was probably my favourite, and I loved seeing her become more confident with ASL.

This book does have some heavier, more emotional parts that could be difficult for some people to read, but I think were important to capture the reality of living in a world that isn't very welcoming or understanding of Deaf folk.

If you're looking for a good summer YA contemporary and are hesitant like me, I highly recommend picking up this book. You won't be disappointed.

I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I do not suffer from hearing loss of any sort. That being said I have always been intrigued by ASL and deaf culture. I was excited to see and be chosen to read a book about this. Knowing the author is actually deaf was a huge plus. It was someone with real experience having a voice and getting a say by knowing firsthand how life as deaf is. I really enjoyed how the struggles were upfront and honest. I like how the highs were celebrated. The romance in the book wasn't instalove or over the top. It was just cute and sweet. You got to see the main character grow in her confidence in herself along with the friendships of those around her. Great book!

Give Me A Sign is a warm, fuzzy comfort read that I thoroughly enjoyed. This is such an uplifting story about access and belonging.
I have never read a book with almost all deaf or blind characters. I wasn't sure how such a visual language like American Sign Language would come across in a book, but it worked.
I loved how, through Lilah, I got to know more about American Sign Language and Deaf culture. The book is a perfect balance of education and fun.

The romance was cute and realistic. I loved that Lilah and Isaac didn't go from 0 to 100. None of the after-summer commitments seemed unreasonable. It was low-stakes and low-intensity with the potential for more.

But, there's one thing that bothered me.
The violence in the third act came out of nowhere! It completely changed the tone of the otherwise lighthearted summer camp vibe. While I was still reeling from shock, all of the characters had seemingly moved on. The violence wasn't well-addressed.

Anna Sortino if you see this review, I'd love a sequel set in college!

Bottom line: All in all, this was a delightful debut novel

**Thanks to NetGalley for this free ARC! This review is my opinion.**

Lately, I have been really interested in learning Sign Language. I work in a library and I have a couple of Deaf patrons who I would love to be able to communicate with instead of expecting them to just understand what I am saying. This book really helped me realize that as someone who is not Deaf, I have it very easy when it comes to communication. I can't imagine the difficulties Deaf or blind people have to deal with on a daily basis. The incident when Isaac gets hurt was definitely scary and I know, sadly, this has happened to real deaf people. This book was enjoyable and very informative.

However, it did fall a bit flat on the character development. The story didn't really feel like a story; more like an educational film. Lilah is an interesting character, but she wined a lot and acted very childish at times when someone else was only trying to be helpful. Some of the things she did really annoyed me, and I do wish the other characters had more depth to them.

Overall, this is a good book that gives a small view of what Deaf culture is. Despite Lilah and her childish personality at times, I highly recommend this.

A fantastic YA debut from author Anna Sortino, Give Me a Sign offers the reader an introduction to Deaf culture, highlights the different ways members of the Deaf community identify, and wraps it all up in the nostalgia of summer camp. Great read, four stars!

*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I absolutely loved this book. Sortino said that she hopes it gives readers a glance into the depth and complexities of Deaf culture, and that it surely did, for me at least. I'm grateful to be able to learn so much in such an accessible way.

The story follows Lilah, a hard of hearing teen, who is having a difficult time finding her place–never really feeling "deaf enough" or hearing enough.

After landing a job as a junior counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, she hopes this will all, finally, start to change.

What a heartwarming journey, watching Lilah find a community–and love– where she finally feels like she belongs. 🧡

- YA
- Wide range of Deaf rep
- Summer Camp vibes
- Great cast of characters

Thank you so much for the ARC!

This was such a cute and refreshing YA read! It took me right back to my summer as a camp counselor and everything the main characters participated in, so did I!
I loved that this gives representation to those hard of hearing and the struggles they deal with not only physically but mentally and socially as well. There wasn’t one thing that I didn’t like about this and I highly recommend

This is a heart-warming story. What an amazing introductory story into ASL, Deaf culture, and more. I loved getting the experiences of the author tied into the story. This book follows Lilian a main character as she navigates through being at camp, learning ASL, and falling in love. If you’re interested in YA romances this is a must pick up.