Review: Silence by Deborah Lytton

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

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published January 6th 2015 by Shadow Mountain

Terri's Thoughts

I received a copy of this book from the publisher Shadow Mountain via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  Netgalley says that the publication date is expected for March 3rd however Goodreads says it was on January 6th.

I really should have disliked this book.  It was so full of "rainbows and unicorns" and so squeaky clean.  It spoke of a powerful love that went deeper than anything I have ever experienced and the main character was only 15.  It had two people who could communicate without words.  Sounds kind of corny doesn't it?  Let me tell you...it wasn't!  I couldn't help but fall in love with this story.

I will not be discussing the plot today.  Read the synopsis, it covers the basics.  This story made me feel one thing and that was optimistic.  Today's novels rarely leave you feeling that way but this story did.  Think about that first mild spring day you go out for a nice leisurely walk after a bitter cold winter.  Or cuddling with your pet with a good book.  This is just a couple of examples of how I felt reading this.

Think about first love and the butterflies you got every time you saw them.  How one smile from them could brighten your entire universe.  I could go on and on.  This story reminded me of the innocence of youth and first loves and discovering who you are through someone else's eyes.  How could you not be lured in by that.  

While the relationship between Stella and Hayden could be argued as bordering on the sappy factor it just worked for this story.  Perhaps the fact that I have a hard time picturing real life like this story is what made it work for.  I honestly don't really care and I am going to stop trying to analyse it.  The bottom line is that the story got under my skin and made me smile.  It was nice to read something that makes you feel good for a change.  I also think Hayden was a wonderfully written character.

I will close by saying that I predict good things for this story in the YA genre.  In a market dominated by dystopian and paranormal stories this one stands out as refreshing because it is not.  I can see this being a big hit among YA females.  I am already recommending it to my teenaged nieces.

About the Author

Website:  http://www.deborahlytton.com/