Review Tour: Silence by Deborah Lytton

Silence by Deborah Lytton

March 3, 2015

320 pages

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Content: Clean

Source: eARC for Honest review

Love is blind, but it's also deaf. Stella was born to sing. Someday Broadway. Even though she's only a sophomore at a new high school, her voice has given her the status as a "cool kid." But everything changes when a tragic accident renders her deaf. She can't hear herself sing not to mention speak. She can't hear anything. Silence. What happens when everything you've dreamed of and hoped for is shattered in a single moment?

Enter Hayden, the boy with blond curls who stutters. He's treated like an outcast because he's not "normal." And, yet, Stella feels an attraction to him that she can't explain. As Hayden reaches out to help Stella discover a world without sound, his own tragic past warns him to keep a distance. But their connection is undeniable. Can the boy who stutters and the girl who's deaf ever find a happily-ever-after? Silence is a story of friendship and hope with a lesson that sometimes it takes a tragedy to help us find and appreciate beauty and love in unexpected places.

Silence is a very thoughtful, sweet, and poetic read exploring the depths of self-identity, hopefulness, and new love. Not only is it well-written, but it is cleanly written, stripping away the distractions of over-sexualization and vulgarity that have become commonplace in this genre, and replacing them with sincere motives and purity of intention and heart. Silence is a beautiful and meaningful story and one I have no hesitance recommending.

I had not intended to read this book as quickly as I did, but once I got started I had a difficult time putting it down. I was instantly drawn into the story of Stella, who lost her hearing right before starring in the school musical, and has to find a new way to identify herself. Enter Hayden, who has had his own very difficult journey, and takes it upon himself to help Stella transition. But at the same time as he's trying to help her, it is obvious that a deeper connection is developing between them. A kindred spirit, a gentle friendship, and quiet love, developing over time and within the bond that they've created. There was such a sweetness and tenderness to the two of them, and I loved the way they handled each other's griefs and triumphs, woes and healing. Despite their youth, circumstances have forced a maturity of outlook upon them, and I loved how they handled it all, overcoming their fears, winning over their pasts, and finding that special person who truly understands you, the whole you. This was a beautiful, sweet, and meaningful read, and I loved it.

AMAZON -- GOODREADS