Alison Gervais

Maya has reservations about transferring to a hearing school after studying in a school for the deaf for years, but grows closer to Beau Watson, the student body president, who starts learning sign language to communicate with her.

The Silence Between Us

Nadine 

Nice teen novel with deaf protagonist moving to new school in last year. Includes discussion on ASL / CI and deaf pride issues. 
Suitable for YA or younger - innocent (kissing only) romance

Candyce Kirk

Jeni Enjaian

I found this book absolutely adorable and such a relief. At the point that I started this book I had read several books on the SCLA young adult nominee list and all of them had fallen flat on their face. This book, however, I could not put down.
Gervais did such an amazing job telling Maya's story. I found it incredibly believable (including frustration with teenage inability to actually communicate) and loved the arc of the story. I highly recommend this book.

“The Silence Between Us is eminently un-put-down-able.” (NPR) Schneider Family Book Award, Best Teen Honor Book 2020 “This is a great YA contemporary (clean) romance that follows Maya as she navigates a new school and plans for her future. The addition of representation by a Deaf character was really beautifully done. Highly recommend for people looking for a sweet, engaging, and educational romantic read.” (YA and Kids Book Central) #OwnVoices YA novel features Deaf / Hard of Hearing Community “It’s time we see more Deaf characters in books. It’s time we see more books celebrating sign language and Deaf culture,” said author Alison Gervais. Deaf teen Maya moves across the country and must attend a hearing school for the first time. As if that wasn’t hard enough, she also has to adjust to the hearing culture, which she finds frustrating—and also surprising when some classmates, including Beau Watson, take time to learn ASL. As Maya looks past graduation and focuses on her future dreams, nothing, not even an unexpected romance, will not derail her pursuits. But when people in her life—Deaf and hearing alike—ask her to question parts of her Deaf identity, Maya stands proudly, never giving in to the idea that her Deafness is a disadvantage. The Silence Between Us: Features a Deaf protagonist and an #OwnVoices perspective on Deaf and Hard of Hearing culture Is a clean YA romance by Wattpad sensation Alison Gervais Is perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and CeCe Bell

Gervais is an #ownvoices author for hearing loss and with The Silence Between Us she helps us engage with a world that many would otherwise not understand. 

In many ways I felt this was a fairly straight forward YA contemporary romance, in which two teenagers from different worlds figure out whether they can navigate their world together. We've seen this story before, but there are so few books with deaf or hard-of-hearing representation that this one deserves to be boosted. 

As someone with very little experience with hearing loss I felt that I could gain a small appreciation for how frustrating the responses of hearing-people to the situation can be. Or more simply, how frustrating ignorance or lack of knowledge can be. 

The book presents discussion on the rights and perspectives of those with hearing loss. For example, the opinions of "fixing" a disability, such as "fixing" hearing loss with cochlea implants, was a unique and important discussion throughout the book. The way in which both lip-reading and ASL was implemented through the book, particularly in the audio, felt authentic in portraying the sense of communicating with hearing loss.

**Note: I am not an #ownvoices reader and cannot accurately comment on the authenticity of this books represenetation and living with hearing loss. I recommend you seek out some #ownvoice reviews for this title! (Also note that this is written by an #ownvoice author).

Additionally, hearing loss isn't the only health rep in this book! The book also features the younger brother of our MC who lives with cystic fibrosis. 

Overall, I thought this was a well written story and a well presented audiobook that highlights a world with it's own struggles and boundaries. While it didn't blow me out of the water, it was a fantastic diverse addition to YA literature and a huge recommendation if you are looking at exploring how others may experience their day-to-day life.

Thank you to Libro.FM and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

The Silence Between Us

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