As someone who has tied so much of my life and memories to music this one really hit home.

Matt writes about the significance of music in his life and then his progressive hearing loss and the impacts it has had.

This is such a vulnerable memoir, and at times medically technical, but it drew me in. The honesty and the look into Matt’s life will leave a lasting impact for me.

A very profound memoir.

This is a memoir of Matt Hay gradually losing his hearing due a rare genetic disorder that grows tumors on his auditory and other nerves, the difficult surgeries he endured to try to counteract the tumors, and his dogged attempts to recover from them. It's a memoir of clinging to hearing, and especially the ability to process and enjoy music, at all costs; it's also the story of making hard choices over and over again without really having enough information to assess their potential challenges. Throughout the resulting setbacks, Hay remains remarkably buoyant. It's not a memoir of connecting to the Deaf community or learning ASL and alternate means of communication; throughout it, Hay remains firmly tied to the hearing world.

Thanks to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for my free earc. My opinions are all my own.

Matt's story amazed me especially because like the author I am a music lover and I sympathized with his hearing loss especially around music. This memoir is not just about a seemingly healthy person losing their hearing, it's medically more complicated because there were tumors which affected his hearing. While removing those tumors, Matt became partially paralyzed, a condition that improved but never completely went away.

Not only is Matt impressive for training and competing in an Ironman competition, my admiration goes to his wife for patiently stepping into the role of caregiver at an early age, later submitting to in vitro procedure to ensure their child was not born with the same condition and much more.

If you're like me and get frustrated with family, work or traffic in my mundane middle class existence, reading this was a reality check for me.

A very beautiful and heartwarming non-fiction book. Matt Hay seems like a really nice and emotionally intelligent man. Matt started losing his hearing at a young age, and this book made me tear up many times. The main problem I had is this book starts to feel repetitive very quickly. I liked how each chapter surrounds around a song. There were good points about this book and some bad parts. Good book just not very memorable.

Wow, this was a memoir like nothing I’ve ever read before. I found the subject matter and his life so interesting and captivating. We are a music family and this really touched me. I think this is a book that anyone tangentially connected to music will really appreciate, and it will get a lot of people thinking about how music impacts us. Congratulations to everyone working on this book! Thank you for the opportunity to read it early. I will definitely be telling people about it!

Thank you to both MacMillan Audio and St Martin's Press for review copies of this engaging memoir. Soundtrack of Silence is a charming love story that is grounded in many touch points for people like me who love music, hear a song and link it to specific memories, who make playlists that are more than favorite songs but playlists with a theme/milestone in mind. Soundtrack of Silence is also an excellent read for those seeking a disability awareness memoir as it focuses on hearing loss and experiences of individuals who are deaf. I loved the focus on remembering music as a way to remember important moments, of parts of self and relationships, and simply the chance to be a part of understanding the journey of hearing loss and Matt Hay's story.

The audiobook is narrated by the author himself, which is important for more fully embracing the book as well as reminding us that inclusion in audiobook narration matters too. I appreciated the chance to listen to parts of this memoir as well as read the review ebook.

Soundtrack of Silence is a phenomenal memoir about love, hope and the ways that music affects all of us. Matt Hay’s personal story of hearing loss and the love of his life and the music that tied all of it together is funny, heartfelt and makes you appreciate your life and all that you have.

I requested this for two reasons -
1) music is connected to the majority of my memories, and is of vital importance to me
2) I have lost more of my hearing than I ever imagined I would and need hearing aids


However, I didn’t enjoy my time reading this one; this was for a number of reasons, which I won’t list.




Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the DRC

Soundtrack of Silence by Matt Hay is one of those nonfiction reads that you can't help still thinking about hours after you have put it down. This Memoir made me really grateful for the senses I have and how they function, I will be recommending this book for the nonfiction shelves at the bookstore I work at.

An inspiring memoir of a young man who discovered he was going completely deaf just at the moment he’d fallen in love for the first time.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for sending me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! I enjoyed reading this book. It was so inspiring. If you like inspiring stories, I would recommend this book.

This was an informative and inspiring memoir of Matt Hay. He shares his spiral down from hearing to deafness and his related efforts to remember his favorite songs before it’s too late. It is a story of living life intentionally and trying to maximize each day. Matt endures surgery to try to restore some hearing and is met with challenges related to the surgery. It is a memoir that will appeal to anyone struggling with untreatable medical conditions and their loved ones. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This book is so inspiring. I loved every word and felt it was such a good book for me in this moment in time. This man has been through so much, and I love his focus and determination. As soon as I finished it, I had to go and listen to music that held a special place in my life. The love story of he and his wife was also one to marvel at, and I would love to see this turned into a movie. Bravo, and I will be recommending this book to everyone.

"Soundtrack of Silence" by Matt Hay is a poignant and resonant exploration of the power of music to heal and connect. Hay's novel delves into the life of a talented musician, navigating loss, love, and the pursuit of one's passion. The narrative is both lyrical and deeply emotional, capturing the transformative nature of music in the face of adversity. Hay's prose is evocative, immersing readers in the protagonist's journey of self-discovery. "Soundtrack of Silence" is a beautifully crafted ode to the universal language of music, offering a moving and immersive experience that lingers in the heart long after the final note.

Soundtrack of Silence by Matt Hay was a truly amazing memoir.
It had me in tears and laughing all at the same time.
I loved the humor Matt showed throughout this book. I thought he did a great job detailing his story.
Soundtrack of Silence is a testament to resilience, offering hope and love poignantly articulated through Hay’s journey.
Thank you for writing such a unique and inspiring story.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Soundtrack of Silence is a memoir of a man who lost his hearing as a young person and how he persevered. His story is peppered with songs, artists, and lyrics that make up the soundtrack of his life. Many times, I stopped reading to listen to a song that I didn't know well. This inclusion made my two loves, music and reading, come to life.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book for review.

Soundtrack of Silence is an odyssey of one man’s life. We accompany a young man as he navigates hearing challenges, eventual deafness and all of the other hurdles that love and life offer. It’s a surprisingly funny, heartbreaking, and music filled journey.

**Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an electronic ARC and the opportunity to review this book.

Soundtrack of Silence is a memoir about persevering despite overwhelming personal issues. Matt Hay does an excellent job of telling his story, using music to describe his life.

Matt always had issues hearing, but never realized the extent to which what was happening to him was not normal. He ended up losing his hearing due to a rare genetic disorder- noncancerous tumors that blocked the nerves that transmitted sound to his brain. Knowing his fate, Matt set forth a mission to catalog and remember the music that was so important to his life.

Soundtrack of Silence was about his illness, but mainly how he dealt with it, fell in love, and made a life. The author used good analogies to describe what was happening to him, like having access to three crayons instead of a whole 64 count box. Though he was sometimes depressed, Matt's positive attitude and the love of his wife and family helped to see him through.

Soundtrack of Silence is an excellent read, as it reminds readers how a good outlook on life can help you in even the most trying of times. I would definitely recommend this memoir to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

Rating - 5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - October 21, 2023
Publication Date - January 9, 2024

*I received an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley!

First things first... this book is amazing. I will be reading it multiple times. I want to get the paperback. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know. Please read it.

Okay, now that's off my chest, onto the rest of my review. Soundtrack of Silence is like nothing I have read before, in the best way possible. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me feel. All of the best books make you feel something 💛

On a personal note, my mom is hearing impaired and so many things that Matt Hay spoke about in his book echoed things my mom has been describing my whole life. The catch? My mom thought it was just her. I can't wait to get a copy of this book for her to read and so she can see that it was never just her. I also loved reading about Matt's children and how they live with a hearing impaired parent. It made me take a step back and remind myself about my mom's perspective as well.

Soundtrack of Silence hit home the truth that nothing is ever guaranteed. That 1% chance is still a 1% chance that can, and sometimes does, happen. You can choose to pretend that chance doesn't exist. You can choose to constantly fear that chance. Or you can make the most out of every moment and choose to live.

Please read this book.

Get excited to read Soundtrack of Silence by Matt Hay, coming to all major retailers January 9, 2024! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

As someone with a genetic condition impacting my hearing, I REALLY wanted to like this book. I’ve had hearing loss since birth and like the author, I have a profound love of music and so the premise of this book resonated with me. Unfortunately I felt disappointed by many facets of this book. I won’t detail them here, but one thing I’ll point out to those who might see this: while the author used the phrase “hearing impaired” A LOT, it’s an outdated term and many people with hearing loss prefer the term hard of hearing. Additionally, deafness is a spectrum, whereas the author expressed deafness as a complete loss of sound, and anyone with some hearing as “hearing impaired.” I do worry that this is misleading to those who might read this book and I urge anyone who does read it and who wants to know more, to do research elsewhere to gain a better and more representative understanding.

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of Soundtrack of Silence, by Matt Hay.

Matt Hay memoir is a mixed tape of his life with progressive genetic hearing loss. "Step by Step," he shares his reflections and reminds readers to "Don't Stop Believing" in human resilience and determination.

HIs use of song lyrics (and not song titles as I have played with in this review) is a poignant way to tap into readers' own memories of events that pair with songs in their own soundtrack of life.

For readers who love inspirational stories this one is for you.