Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino

 

"It's not just the fluency, but the confidence. I know who I am. I don't need to be more hearing or prove my deafness. I can bring both worlds together. Just being myself, I'm complete."

Release Date: July 11, 2023

Genre: YA

Rating:

Summary:

Lilah is stuck in the middle. 

At least, that's what having a hearing loss seems like sometimes-when you don't feel "deaf enough" to identify as Deaf or hearing enough to meet the world's expectations. But this summer, Lilah is ready for a change.

When Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, her plan is to brush up on her ASL. Once there, she also finds a community. There are cute British lifeguards who break hearts but not rules, a YouTuber who's just a bit desperate for clout, the campers Lilah's responsible for (and overwhelmed by)-and then there's Isaac, the dreamy Deaf counselor who volunteers to help Lilah with her signing. 

Romance was never on the agenda, and Lilah's not positive Isaac likes her that way. But all signs seem to point to love. Unless she's reading them wrong? One thing's for sure: Lilah wanted change, and things here are certainly different than what she's used to.

In her sweet and swoony debut, Anna Sortino delivers a poignant coming-of-age story and a revelatory exploration of Deaf culture, its vastness, and its beautiful complexities. 

Review:

This utterly adorable YA novel incorporates deaf and blind representation that is paired perfectly with a sweet coming-of-age story and it is a completely welcomed breath of fresh air. 

Anna Sortino does an impeccable job incorporating the diversity of the deaf/HOH community while also weaving a heartwarming tale about finding your community and falling in love at summer camp. 

 I have been looking to read books with more representation and I think this does a fantastic job. I highly recommend! 

This was also my first time annotating a book before. I don't think I will be showcasing any of annotations anytime soon...I am a bit shy while I am trying to navigate this new element of reading. I thoroughly enjoyed annotating this book though. I felt a deeper connection to the story and the characters. I definitely cannot wait to continue annotating books as I read but also interested in re-reading some of my favorites to annotate! 

Quotes:

"There's so much energy, emotion, and personality that goes into ASL, and it clearly translates to their approach to this job. The way they move around, eager to take up space. It's not just vocabulary and grammar that I need to learn, but also how to set my expressions and movements free."

"This is how I want to embrace my disability and the access I need. It's not hearing loss, it's Deaf gain."

"It's not just the fluency, but the confidence. I know who I am. I don't need to be more hearing or prove my deafness. I can bring both worlds together. Just being myself, I'm complete."

"There's still plenty of summer left," he says. "And a whole life ahead of you. You can keep finding yourself again and again. The important part of all of that is just being true to what your heart tells you."

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

 

"Enemies-to-Lovers-it's our trope, Buxbaum."

TW: Death of a family member 

Release Date: May 4, 2021

Genre: Young adult fiction

Rating:

Summary:

Liz Buxbaum has always known that Wes Bennett was not boyfriend material. You would think that her next-door neighbor would be a prime candidate for her romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only proven himself to be a pain in the butt, ever since they were little. Wes was the kid who put a frog in her Barbie Dreamhouse, the monster who hid a lawn gnome's severed head in her little homemade neighborhood book exchange. 

Flash forward ten years from the Great Gnome Decapitation. It's Liz's senior year, a time meat to be rife with milestones perfect for any big screen, and she needs Wes's help. See, Liz's forever crush, Michael, has just moved back to town - and horribly, annoyingly - he's hitting it off with Wes. Meaning that if Liz wants Michael to finally notice her, and hopefully be her prom date, she needs Wes. He's her in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz her magical prom moment, she's shocked to discover that she actually likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own perception of what Happily Ev er After should really look like. 

Review:

This book ABSOLUTELY blew me away. It is, in fact, better than the movies. 

I connected with Liz instantaneously for our love of romantic comedies. Always waiting for the picture perfect "meet cute", that screen worthy moment. Also our affinity for dresses.

The references to different timeless rom coms throughout the book AND a curated playlist for the book? Absolutely obsessed. Lynn Painter knows how to win my heart.

Enemies-to-lovers is one of my all-time favorite tropes. This book showcases this trope so beautifully. Wes is absolutely swoon worthy. From the first mention of Wes Bennett, I was absolutely infatuated. Heart eyes all the way. Wes gives the PERFECT Mr. Darcy/Mark Darcy vibes.

Fake dating is one of my least favorite tropes. I have never been a fan. I do not like the deceit and the mess of lies. HOWEVER, this book was able to make me enjoy the fake dating trope. I didn't find myself getting horribly annoyed or frustrated as easily like when I read other books featuring this trope. Now, do not expect me to continue reading books with the fake dating trope! This is a rare occurrence! 

I finished this book so quickly, lightning fast. Now I am upset I didn't take more time with it. I think a re-read of this knockout is an absolute must!

Now excuse me while I listen to the book playlist on repeat. 

Quotes:

"Because of things like car accidents and lost loves, life and death and broken hearts, we should grab every moment and absolutely devour the good parts."

"My inheritance was the knowledge that love is always in the air, always a possibility, and always worth it."

"You look best when you're you."

"Be brave enough to go big."

"Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have."

"She's not you." "What?" "She. Isn't. You."

"She's pretty, but her face doesn't transform into sunlight when she talks about music.: He did that clench thing with his jaw and said, "She's funny, but not spit-out-your-drink-in-astonishment funny." It felt like my heart was going to explode as his eyes moved down to my lips under the glow of the buzzing streetlight. He moved his face a little closer to mine, looked into my eyes, and rumbled, "And when I see her, I don't feel like I have to talk to her or mess up her hair or do something - anything - to get her to swing that gaze on me."

"I fell in love with teasing you in the second grade, when I first discovered that I could turn your cheeks pink with just a word. Then I fell in love with you."

"Enemies-to-lovers-it's our trope, Buxbaum."

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

 

"We're everything. Anything. Whatever we want."

Release Date: January 3, 2023

Genre: Young adult romance, fiction

TW: parental abandonment/absent parent,  anxiety, OCD, 

Rating:

Summary:

Could you brave the wilderness with your highly suspicious and unfairly cute ex-best friend?

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect: he's a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes...except the ones he shares with Celine Bangura. They used to be best friends, until Brad decided he was too cool for conspiracy-theory-obsessed Celine and literally abandoned her for the popular kids' table. (At least, that's how Celine sees it). These days, Brad hates her guts-and the feeling is mutual.

So when Celine signs up for a two-part survival course in the woods, she definitely doesn't expect to find Brad right beside her. Forced to work together for the chance to win the grand prize, Celine and Bradley must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. As this adventure brings them closer, they start to remember all the good parts of their history.

But has too much time passed...or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

Review:

Hey everyone! It's been a minute hasn't it? I just finished reading this book but it took me an OBSCENE amount of time to finish reading it. 3 WHOLE WEEKS. That is a long time for me when I normally consume a book in less than a week! Albeit, I had a LOT going on in my life that made it difficult to sit down and read. However, I also found myself just...not wanting to read this book? When I did have time to sit down and read,  I found myself wishing I had something else to read instead. But let's get into it!

I discovered this book strolling through my local Barnes & Noble and there was such a cute display advertising this book. I am such a sucker for a good cover and the summary seemed cute, so I picked it up! 

Here's what I loved: 

I really loved ALL the characters in the book. Not just our amazing main characters, Brad and Celine. But also their families, their school friends, and their new found friends at the survival course. I truly was invested in all their stories and their interactions (which rarely happens for me). 

My FAVORITE character was Bradley. He is such a unique, refreshing individual. He is a star football player who is extremely smart, very kind, compassionate, bisexual and has OCD! What a well-rounded character. I loved the mental health representation when discussing OCD. Brad has been to therapy for his OCD and regularly uses different coping mechanisms and skills when he is having a hard time with his OCD. It is not WHO he is but it is a huge part of him and greatly affects his thinking as well as his every day life. Also to see that he has cultivated such great people in his life that accept him and are patient with him. 

The witty banter between Celine and Brad was off-the-charts and was VERY funny. 

It was also a book that touched on a lot of deep, mature topics but in such an easy-going and light-hearted way.

What was not my favorite:

This book immediately gives off enemies-to-lovers and grumpy x sunshine vibes but I felt that it was not adequately delivered. These concepts were not fully fledged. This was such an interesting timeline between Celine and Brad but it was SO RUSHED. It felt like we just sped through it so quickly. They used to be friends, now they are enemies but also becoming frenemies, to friends again, to enemies again, to lovers. It felt as if we spent no time really delving into WHY their friendship ended and also these two characters truly discussing what happened. Then spent almost no time discussing how they were ENEMIES FOR YEARS but now they are somewhat passive aggressive acquaintances? To then discovering they are actually in love with each other? It just felt like so many plot lines were being thrown at the reader and not fully developed. It was really great to read what was going on in both of their heads about what happened and their new relationship, but I don't feel they every truly communicated that to each other. This was a big no-no for me. Something as special and once-in-a-lifetime that Brad and Celine has deserves a conversation. It deserves more information and that was sadly lacking for me.

The story was simply...flat for me. I kept waiting for the magic, the spark but sadly it fizzled out for me. Truly, a forgettable book for me (which I absolutely HATE to say). Let me be clear, it was not a bad book but it could have been MORE. I guess I am guilty for having too high of expectations. 

Quotes:

"You don't need to be special or significant to have value. You're just as important, always, and people either see that or they don't."

"I'm positive. You're Brad Fucking Graeme. I'd bet on you any day."

"Nothing changes if we don't make it change."

"We're everything. Anything. Whatever we want."