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jmelauren's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
3.0
After reading some reviews I learned that ASL was actually in the book and I kinda wished I read it instead of listening to it.
I can not say for sure as I am not deaf, but there was great representation here! Actually speaking the way ASL is communicated. For example, simply saying "school, now" instead of "okay I'm ready for school now". It's very interesting.
I can not say for sure as I am not deaf, but there was great representation here! Actually speaking the way ASL is communicated. For example, simply saying "school, now" instead of "okay I'm ready for school now". It's very interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
geckotigerwolf's review
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I'm not great at writing reviews but I wanted to write a couple of things I really liked.
I really liked that the sign language (ASL not BSL as this is set in America) was glossed instead of written in English. I also liked that when she's lipreading "you... sentences... like this" to represent that she's not catching every word and is extrapolating from the ones she does catch. These are two really strong stylistic choices that I think really help you immerse yourself in Maya's worldview.
One part did feel a bit icky. Early in the book, Maya is (understandably) upset when a deaf girl with a cochlear implant insists she's not deaf, as if it's shameful or a dirty word. But then Maya does the same thing later in the book with the word disabled. The author says in a note at the end that many of the Deaf community don't consider themselves disabled which would be fine if the next sentence wasn't "There is NOTHING wrong with having difficulty hearing." Of course there isn't but there's nothing wrong with being disabled either! As a character it's probably internalised ableism on Maya's part but when the rest of the book is so careful to challenge any prejudices against the Deaf community it felt odd to have this unchallenged.
Anyway, thankfully that was more or less a throwaway line. I really did enjoy this book quite a lot. The characters were great (Melissa in particular, though Maya was also great), I really enjoyed the way language was expressed on the page, and watching the characters get to know each other and learn more about each other and the unique challenges they all faced.
I really liked that the sign language (ASL not BSL as this is set in America) was glossed instead of written in English. I also liked that when she's lipreading "you... sentences... like this" to represent that she's not catching every word and is extrapolating from the ones she does catch. These are two really strong stylistic choices that I think really help you immerse yourself in Maya's worldview.
One part did feel a bit icky. Early in the book, Maya is (understandably) upset when a deaf girl with a cochlear implant insists she's not deaf, as if it's shameful or a dirty word. But then Maya does the same thing later in the book with the word disabled. The author says in a note at the end that many of the Deaf community don't consider themselves disabled which would be fine if the next sentence wasn't "There is NOTHING wrong with having difficulty hearing." Of course there isn't but there's nothing wrong with being disabled either! As a character it's probably internalised ableism on Maya's part but when the rest of the book is so careful to challenge any prejudices against the Deaf community it felt odd to have this unchallenged.
Anyway, thankfully that was more or less a throwaway line. I really did enjoy this book quite a lot. The characters were great (Melissa in particular, though Maya was also great), I really enjoyed the way language was expressed on the page, and watching the characters get to know each other and learn more about each other and the unique challenges they all faced.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Chronic illness
Minor: Medical content and Death of parent
rklynn85's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
asen123's review
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I love thé characters especially the dynamic between Maya and Beau. I love how healthy and sweet their relationship is, and it’s just so ahhhh. Her relationship with her brother is also so cute and wholesome. I read this book so quickly. I couldn’t stop reading. I also love the representation and how the author writes what they are signing in proper ASL grammar. It added realism and was a great touch. Overall such a sweet book and beautifully written characters as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Medical content
Moderate: Ableism, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
tinysierra's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In The Silence Between Us, we got to see into Maya’s pov as a Deaf person navigating an ableist hearing world. We get to learn a little about Deaf history in the story, which was very informative.
I wish the relationship had more substance. They spent a lot of time together in school but they only went on like one date.
I feel like the characters could have been more fleshed out. I think at one point Maya gets a gift for her “favorite show” and it just felt too vague like we didn’t get to know her well enough.
Some of the plot points didn’t feel like they were completed by the end of the book. There was some drama with Jackson that didn’t feel like it was fully resolved. Maya asked Beau why he was friends with Jackson but he never got the chance to answer properly. At the end they never said whether Maya got an interpreter for college or not. I guess it’s… up for interpretation.
This book has Harry Potter references in it.
If you are looking for books similar to The Silence Between Us, I recommend Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest
I wish the relationship had more substance. They spent a lot of time together in school but they only went on like one date.
I feel like the characters could have been more fleshed out. I think at one point Maya gets a gift for her “favorite show” and it just felt too vague like we didn’t get to know her well enough.
Some of the plot points didn’t feel like they were completed by the end of the book. There was some drama with Jackson that didn’t feel like it was fully resolved. Maya asked Beau why he was friends with Jackson but he never got the chance to answer properly. At the end they never said whether Maya got an interpreter for college or not. I guess it’s… up for interpretation.
This book has Harry Potter references in it.
If you are looking for books similar to The Silence Between Us, I recommend Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Medical content, and Death of parent
mengzhenreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I love the idea of this book, and think it’s great to see more underrepresented groups in YA getting more representation, but honestly from an enjoyment perspective this book was okay. I think the conflict and idea of the separation of the deaf and hearing worlds is great, but the actual writing and plot was boring, with no real stakes or tension. Anytime something went wrong, instead of having the characters reflect and grow more from that challenge, it seemed to me like it was just a bunch of scenarios that gave the opportunity for the author to talk about the deaf community without any growth for the actual characters of the story. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I did learn a lot about ASL and the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, it wasn’t very engaging as a plot, especially since none of the characters changed or grew much from beginning to end. Overall, not a bad book, certainly an important topic, but basic nevertheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Medical content
Minor: Car accident
sarkenobi's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Medical content
sammymilfort's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism