A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

A Quiet Kind of Thunder

by Sara Barnard

Steffi doesn't talk.
Rhys can't hear.
They understand each other perfectly.
Love isn't always a lightning strike. Sometimes it's the rumbling roll of thunder . . .

From the bestselling author of Beautiful Broken Things, Sara Barnard's A Quiet Kind of Thunder is stunning love story about the times when a whisper is as good as a shout.

Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life - she's been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He's deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she's assigned to look after him. To Rhys it doesn't matter that Steffi doesn't talk and, as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she's falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.

Reviewed by Joséphine on

4 of 5 stars

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January 15, 2017

My full book review is up on Word Revel.

_________
January 2, 2017

Initial thoughts: A Quiet Kind of Thunder is the first novel I've ever read involving a character with selective mutism and a character who is deaf. Before this book it didn't occur to me that I hadn't, so I'm glad I received this book for review. If not for that, I might not have picked it up because I don't actively seek out romance. Then I realised that the author also wrote Beautiful Broken Things, which I enjoyed too, and decided to give her second book a chance.

Even though I expected a great deal of focus on the romance, I didn't think there'd be quite this much kissing involved. If you're into budding romance, couples who are bliss personified, and can't get quite enough of each other, then A Quiet Kind of Thunder is perfect for you. Even I have to concede that it was kinda cute for the most part.

In terms of plot, A Quiet Kind of Thunder wasn't awfully exciting but as with Beautiful Broken Things, what mattered were the experiences of the characters. To begin with, Steffi, the MC, had a lot to deal with in terms of her social anxiety, selective mutism, and starting a school year without her best friend who had been by her side her whole life. It's her daily life and her determination to get better that were central to the book.

Note: I received an advanced reading copy from a local distributor in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 2 January, 2017: Finished reading
  • 2 January, 2017: Reviewed