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Hits Different
DISCOVER YOUR BOOK OF THE SUMMER FROM TASHA GHOURI, LOVE ISLAND STAR AND DISABILITY CAMPAIGNER! Cassie needs a change.She's in a job she hates, dating a guy who couldn't care less about her, and secretly dreaming of making her dance ambitions a reality. But that's all they are, dreams. Because no way could she actually do it . . . right? But then an opportunity to dance on tour with a global superstar presents itself and Cassie decides to give it a shot. Jetting off for a hot summer in Ibiza, her dreams seem closer than ever, and so does real love. Levi, the guy she keeps bumping into, sees and uplifts her in a way no one else ever has. If only Cassie could believe in herself like he does, she might find that life hits different when you learn to love yourself first . . . A sizzling summer romance from Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and Lizzie Huxley-Jones, perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Talia Hibbert!
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2024
89 people are currently reading
1904 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
June 10, 2024
Hi, I'm one of the co-authors so I get to give it 5 stars. We hope you love our swoony summer romcom. Just as a note, there is one instance of on-page ableism, and references to transphobia, but nothing on page. <3
March 31, 2025
WHAT PACT DO I HAVE TO SIGN FOR THE UNIVERSE TO SEND ME A LEVI?😭
Plot Summary
Cassie finds herself stuck in a monotonous job and a lackluster relationship, all while harboring a deep-seated dream of becoming a professional dancer. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her best friend, Pen, secretly submits an application on her behalf for a spot as a backup dancer on a global superstar's tour.
I loved absolutely everything about this book, the communication between Cassie and Levi, the friendships and the disability representation.. Easy quick read
What to expect
▪︎ Friends to lovers
▪︎ Self discovery
▪︎ Disability rep
▪︎ Supportive friendships
▪︎ Dance / performance setting
▪︎ Found family
Plot Summary
Cassie finds herself stuck in a monotonous job and a lackluster relationship, all while harboring a deep-seated dream of becoming a professional dancer. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her best friend, Pen, secretly submits an application on her behalf for a spot as a backup dancer on a global superstar's tour.
I loved absolutely everything about this book, the communication between Cassie and Levi, the friendships and the disability representation.. Easy quick read
What to expect
▪︎ Friends to lovers
▪︎ Self discovery
▪︎ Disability rep
▪︎ Supportive friendships
▪︎ Dance / performance setting
▪︎ Found family
May 22, 2024
This was such a quick and easy summer read - I read this in one sitting and found the whole story just enjoyable. There wasn't any specific 'OMG I'm obsessed' moments, but that is ok! I do think had I not have been partaking in a weekend long readathon, I’d have struggled to re-pick the book back up if I had put it down for a long period of time.
What I did like, was the diversity this book carried - and the disability awareness. It was done SO well and I came out of this book feeling a little more educated on certain things than I did beforehand. Props to Tasha &Lizzie! I adored Cassie and watching her confidence grow as the book progressed and absolutely cheered on the sidelines when she would no longer tolerate Mason’s shit! Go Cassie. I must say, the found family aspect really is the main thing I had enjoyed about this book and would love to see more of each characters backgrounds/struggles within reaching the industry!!
thank you hot key books for the early copy as part of a blog tour with instabooktours!
What I did like, was the diversity this book carried - and the disability awareness. It was done SO well and I came out of this book feeling a little more educated on certain things than I did beforehand. Props to Tasha &Lizzie! I adored Cassie and watching her confidence grow as the book progressed and absolutely cheered on the sidelines when she would no longer tolerate Mason’s shit! Go Cassie. I must say, the found family aspect really is the main thing I had enjoyed about this book and would love to see more of each characters backgrounds/struggles within reaching the industry!!
thank you hot key books for the early copy as part of a blog tour with instabooktours!
August 8, 2024
4.5⭐️ This book exceeded my expectations! It has the perfect combination of self-love, romantic love and friendship! I loved learning more about those who have cochlear implants and how this impacts their life! I think the message of this book will stay with me for a while - you never take up too much space!
June 5, 2024
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
thank you to hot key books & netgalley to this proof copy prior to its release day (which is today)
“hits different” follows cassie clyne, a 20year old aspiring dancer who essentially navigates through discovering self-love and not letting anything get in her way even if she has a disability.
the awareness and representation in this book was incredible, i didn’t know much about cochlear implants prior to reading this book and it was so informative as well as inspiring to read about a character who gains confidence, disregarding the struggles that she may face within the hearing world.
this book also had subplots of romance( levi <33), female friendships and also LGBTQIA+ representation. i loved cassie’s friendship with pen, how they always had eachothers backs and were each others support systems. even though she’s a fictional character, i was so proud of cassie and i’m so happy she didn’t let people’s judgements and own remarks get in the way of her chasing her dreams.
this book is a perfect, easy to read summer rec, and as i know tasha through love island, i do hope she writes more books in the future!
thank you to hot key books & netgalley to this proof copy prior to its release day (which is today)
“hits different” follows cassie clyne, a 20year old aspiring dancer who essentially navigates through discovering self-love and not letting anything get in her way even if she has a disability.
the awareness and representation in this book was incredible, i didn’t know much about cochlear implants prior to reading this book and it was so informative as well as inspiring to read about a character who gains confidence, disregarding the struggles that she may face within the hearing world.
this book also had subplots of romance( levi <33), female friendships and also LGBTQIA+ representation. i loved cassie’s friendship with pen, how they always had eachothers backs and were each others support systems. even though she’s a fictional character, i was so proud of cassie and i’m so happy she didn’t let people’s judgements and own remarks get in the way of her chasing her dreams.
this book is a perfect, easy to read summer rec, and as i know tasha through love island, i do hope she writes more books in the future!
May 29, 2024
Hits Different - Little to No Spoiler Review;
🤍 Cassie
🤍 Rating: 3/5
🤍 Genre: Romance
🤍 Single POV
🤍 Standalone
🤍 Format: Proof Copy - Paperback
I was kindly sent a proof copy of this book by Hot Key Books, I was really looking forward to it as I loved the sound of the book, and feel like it is so important to speak about and normalise disabilities. Tasha does some amazing work for the deaf community and this book honestly had so much potential.
-
Cassie is in a job she hates and dating a guy who doesn't pay much attention to her or her disability. She loves to dance but hasn't got a lot of confidence due to being deaf and having a cochlear implant, she records videos on TikTok but never uploads them. She see's a job listing for an understudy dancer role for a global superstar but doesn't apply - turns out her bestie Pen does it for her. Cassie gets the job and jets off for a summer in Ibiza but is still dating the same guy. She happens to meet someone at the airport and then keeps bumping into him whilst in Ibiza. Cassie has to navigate training to become a dancer with some unkind colleagues along with her relationship being on the rocks, living with new people and having a crush on Levi - the airport guy.
Tropes:
🤍 Self Love/Self Discovery
🤍 Summer Romance
🤍 Found Family/Friendships
🤍 Disability Representation
🤍 LGBTQIA+ Representation
🤍 Mild "Spice" Scenes (not closed door, but no full details)
This book had so much potential but I feel it was missing a few things to make it hit what I needed. I am giving it 3 stars mainly for the amount of representation, the female main character has a cochlear implant and it was very educational round the deaf community which I really enjoyed learning about. Her best friend was non binary, one of her flatmates had epilepsy and another was transgender and there were men and women of colour. This was so great as it wasn't just the typical white people in a romance book.
I struggled with the pacing of this book, I thought it was going to be mainly about being on tour and the "summer romance" but she was still with the first guy who was an a-hole until like 3/4's of the book whilst pining for this other guy (yes they weren't official but she claimed she loved him and missed him etc) and we didn't get to the tour until the last chapter. It was mainly just seeing them during the training phase which is important to the story but it just went on a bit too long. I think it also would have been nice to see her and the new guy together a little more, as it was the last few chapters and they became boyfriend and girlfriend so quickly, so it just felt a bit rushed. There was also quite a lot of unnecessary information given like what everyone was wearing, meals people were eating etc and it just felt not needed and as if it was just there to fill.
I'd have loved to meet the actual pop star earlier, and seen them on tour but like I said this was in the last chapter. I'm also unsure if it's because I'm from the UK but the mentions of things like the BBC felt really strange and then also there was a lot of TikTok/influencer mentions, which for me I'm not overly keen on in a book. Some of the language used was very "love island" which felt like it wasn't super authentic, and then we suddenly got Northern slang thrown in there too.
My favourite part of this book was the representation and having a deaf female main character, and I think for someone younger this book could be perfect, especially to look up to someone and see someone who looks like you on the front cover of a book. I liked how she discovered self love and became really confident too. Overall I didn't love or hate it, it wasn't a bad book - I just wish the pacing was a little bit faster and we got to the actual plot sooner.
🤍 Cassie
🤍 Rating: 3/5
🤍 Genre: Romance
🤍 Single POV
🤍 Standalone
🤍 Format: Proof Copy - Paperback
I was kindly sent a proof copy of this book by Hot Key Books, I was really looking forward to it as I loved the sound of the book, and feel like it is so important to speak about and normalise disabilities. Tasha does some amazing work for the deaf community and this book honestly had so much potential.
-
Cassie is in a job she hates and dating a guy who doesn't pay much attention to her or her disability. She loves to dance but hasn't got a lot of confidence due to being deaf and having a cochlear implant, she records videos on TikTok but never uploads them. She see's a job listing for an understudy dancer role for a global superstar but doesn't apply - turns out her bestie Pen does it for her. Cassie gets the job and jets off for a summer in Ibiza but is still dating the same guy. She happens to meet someone at the airport and then keeps bumping into him whilst in Ibiza. Cassie has to navigate training to become a dancer with some unkind colleagues along with her relationship being on the rocks, living with new people and having a crush on Levi - the airport guy.
Tropes:
🤍 Self Love/Self Discovery
🤍 Summer Romance
🤍 Found Family/Friendships
🤍 Disability Representation
🤍 LGBTQIA+ Representation
🤍 Mild "Spice" Scenes (not closed door, but no full details)
This book had so much potential but I feel it was missing a few things to make it hit what I needed. I am giving it 3 stars mainly for the amount of representation, the female main character has a cochlear implant and it was very educational round the deaf community which I really enjoyed learning about. Her best friend was non binary, one of her flatmates had epilepsy and another was transgender and there were men and women of colour. This was so great as it wasn't just the typical white people in a romance book.
I struggled with the pacing of this book, I thought it was going to be mainly about being on tour and the "summer romance" but she was still with the first guy who was an a-hole until like 3/4's of the book whilst pining for this other guy (yes they weren't official but she claimed she loved him and missed him etc) and we didn't get to the tour until the last chapter. It was mainly just seeing them during the training phase which is important to the story but it just went on a bit too long. I think it also would have been nice to see her and the new guy together a little more, as it was the last few chapters and they became boyfriend and girlfriend so quickly, so it just felt a bit rushed. There was also quite a lot of unnecessary information given like what everyone was wearing, meals people were eating etc and it just felt not needed and as if it was just there to fill.
I'd have loved to meet the actual pop star earlier, and seen them on tour but like I said this was in the last chapter. I'm also unsure if it's because I'm from the UK but the mentions of things like the BBC felt really strange and then also there was a lot of TikTok/influencer mentions, which for me I'm not overly keen on in a book. Some of the language used was very "love island" which felt like it wasn't super authentic, and then we suddenly got Northern slang thrown in there too.
My favourite part of this book was the representation and having a deaf female main character, and I think for someone younger this book could be perfect, especially to look up to someone and see someone who looks like you on the front cover of a book. I liked how she discovered self love and became really confident too. Overall I didn't love or hate it, it wasn't a bad book - I just wish the pacing was a little bit faster and we got to the actual plot sooner.
May 31, 2025
I managed to finish this but with a lot of skim reading. I couldn’t get on board with the characters. Once the story was in Ibiza , I couldn’t visualise much. There was too many characters to keep up with and it was hard to work who was talking and when except when Pen was speaking.
Pen was probably the most interesting character in fairness. They had some funny sections talking about the cat they was left in charge of.
It’s a shame and the book itself is so lovely. Colourful illustration on the cover and sunset theme sprayed edge:
Pen was probably the most interesting character in fairness. They had some funny sections talking about the cat they was left in charge of.
It’s a shame and the book itself is so lovely. Colourful illustration on the cover and sunset theme sprayed edge:
June 9, 2024
meh. i expected more from this because i really liked the storyline but it was just bland in some parts and the writing style wasn't my thing. but it's a good debut book!
May 20, 2024
Hits Different is described as being a 'sizzling summer romance' and I think that's the book's main issue. It isn't a romance book, it's more like women's fiction with a light sprinkle of romance towards the end.
Cassie, the main character, has a sort of boyfriend/situationship throughout most of the book and that causes some serious issues with the pacing of the romance. At the 50% mark, she's still with her 'boyfriend' and has only met the future love interest in passing a couple of times. She finally splits from her 'boyfriend' at 68% and then gets together with her love interest at 80%.
The majority of the story is about Cassie attending a dance camp to try and become a dancer on a singer's world tour, the parallels to Taylor Swift and The Eras Tour were a bit annoying. I absolutely love Taylor Swift but I would've preferred it if the pop star in the story was a fresh person, it just felt like a copy - there's even a reference to 'the chair routine'.
All of that being said, I think the disability representation was done very well and I'm sure this is the sort of book that will resonate with lots of people, I love all the different disability representation we're starting to see in fiction books lately. It was really informative and I think I've learnt a lot about life with a cochlear implant.
As far as debut books go this is pretty decent, I just really think the advertising is misleading.
*Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity to view an advanced copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was provided an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*
Cassie, the main character, has a sort of boyfriend/situationship throughout most of the book and that causes some serious issues with the pacing of the romance. At the 50% mark, she's still with her 'boyfriend' and has only met the future love interest in passing a couple of times. She finally splits from her 'boyfriend' at 68% and then gets together with her love interest at 80%.
The majority of the story is about Cassie attending a dance camp to try and become a dancer on a singer's world tour, the parallels to Taylor Swift and The Eras Tour were a bit annoying. I absolutely love Taylor Swift but I would've preferred it if the pop star in the story was a fresh person, it just felt like a copy - there's even a reference to 'the chair routine'.
All of that being said, I think the disability representation was done very well and I'm sure this is the sort of book that will resonate with lots of people, I love all the different disability representation we're starting to see in fiction books lately. It was really informative and I think I've learnt a lot about life with a cochlear implant.
As far as debut books go this is pretty decent, I just really think the advertising is misleading.
*Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity to view an advanced copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was provided an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*
June 7, 2024
this book is not a romance!! or the 5 star summer rom com i was imagining!! were my expectations too high based on HuxJones' other work? MAYBE! maybe!! 2.5/3🌟
July 2, 2024
I just know this would make such a lovely romcom movie.
If you're looking to add some summer vibes to your holiday TBR, make sure to add this one! It has all the disability rep, and be honest: how often have you read a romcom with a deaf main character? And it's such a sweet story, with Cassie learning she deserves to surround herself with people who support and uplift her.
If you're looking to add some summer vibes to your holiday TBR, make sure to add this one! It has all the disability rep, and be honest: how often have you read a romcom with a deaf main character? And it's such a sweet story, with Cassie learning she deserves to surround herself with people who support and uplift her.
July 8, 2025
A feel-good, summer romance with a nice HEA!
August 19, 2025
2.5 ★ rounded down because it made me visibly cringe throughout
August 13, 2025
great summer romance with a powerful message!
August 12, 2024
4.5 Stars
This was such a fun, summery read. The romance was really sweet and the disability representation phenomenal!
Cassie was such a loveable character and I enjoyed watching her grow in confidence, accept the support from the people who love her most and embrace her differences instead of trying to hide or minimise them.
I’ve not read many books with a deaf main character, so found Cassie’s experiences with Cochlear implants really interesting and informative. Plus her chemistry with dreamy love interest Levi was absolutely perfect, I couldn’t help but root for them!
I loved soo many of the supporting cast of characters too, particularly Cassie’s bestie (and biggest supporter), Pen who definitely deserves a sequel of their own.
If you’re looking for a quick read to lose yourself in this summer, then you definitely need to check this out.
This was such a fun, summery read. The romance was really sweet and the disability representation phenomenal!
Cassie was such a loveable character and I enjoyed watching her grow in confidence, accept the support from the people who love her most and embrace her differences instead of trying to hide or minimise them.
I’ve not read many books with a deaf main character, so found Cassie’s experiences with Cochlear implants really interesting and informative. Plus her chemistry with dreamy love interest Levi was absolutely perfect, I couldn’t help but root for them!
I loved soo many of the supporting cast of characters too, particularly Cassie’s bestie (and biggest supporter), Pen who definitely deserves a sequel of their own.
If you’re looking for a quick read to lose yourself in this summer, then you definitely need to check this out.
September 2, 2024
Love you Tasha but unfortunately I don’t love the book. I was really excited to read it from a dead perspective but I found that it overtook the book and whilst it’s important it doesn’t define a person but to me it felt like that was what this book did, saying this it was an easy read.
February 5, 2025
I loved this book so so much! I loved learning more about the dance industry and how things work for the understudies for shoes and tours. loved the style of writing and he really just loves the book
July 24, 2025
4.5⭐️
Heerlijk wegleesboekje, de voorspelbaarheid spat ervan af
Heerlijk wegleesboekje, de voorspelbaarheid spat ervan af
August 10, 2025
No words
August 5, 2024
cutesy little romance and was very enjoyable
a very fast paced read too
a very fast paced read too
October 2, 2024
I enjoyed this book, particularly because of it being from the perspective of someone deaf. This made it extremely interesting and helps you understand what life is like for deaf people.
The story was good, I enjoyed the self love elements however, I found that it got rushed in the last half and some of the language made me cringe.
Overall, I liked it and would recommend it if you’re looking for a lighthearted, easy read!
The story was good, I enjoyed the self love elements however, I found that it got rushed in the last half and some of the language made me cringe.
Overall, I liked it and would recommend it if you’re looking for a lighthearted, easy read!
July 9, 2024
I liked the book. I enjoyed reading about a deaf character and feel I have learnt a lot. I had no idea that there were different kinds of sign language. However, I did find the writing a bit young at times. I’m not sure what age the characters were supposed to be, but I felt considerably older than them. Regardless it was fun summer read.
July 29, 2024
Hits Different is the perfect sizzling summer romance and so much more. When the opportunity of dancing on tour for a global superstar presents itself, Cassie jets off to Ibiza leaving behind her dull life and a guy who doesn't seem to care much. What awaits her there is a summer full of self discovery and love in all its many forms.
Tasha and Lizzie have not only written a swoon worthy romance but also a beautiful uplifting story about learning to love yourself, strong and supportive friendships, and finding your own unique place in the world. I loved the cute flirty banter between Cassie and Levi and how you could tell how deeply he cared from the beginning.
I'm also grateful to have learnt so much about cochlear implants, what CI wearers struggle with daily while managing their deafness and the impact it can have on them. It was incredibly interesting and eye opening to read.
Tasha and Lizzie have not only written a swoon worthy romance but also a beautiful uplifting story about learning to love yourself, strong and supportive friendships, and finding your own unique place in the world. I loved the cute flirty banter between Cassie and Levi and how you could tell how deeply he cared from the beginning.
I'm also grateful to have learnt so much about cochlear implants, what CI wearers struggle with daily while managing their deafness and the impact it can have on them. It was incredibly interesting and eye opening to read.
May 12, 2024
I really enjoyed this book it was informative and entertaining yet lighthearted and easy to read. I will say that this is very much women’s fiction with a dash of romance so if you’re going into it solely for romance i’m not sure if this will be the book for you regardless it’s an enjoyable read.
one of my best friends has a son who is deaf and he has cochlear implants and it was interesting picking up everything i did know about them but also things i might not have known.
this is a very character driven book which is definitely my favourite type of book to read and it was great seeing cassie grow her confidence and overcome some of her fears and stand up for herself and reflect on what she really wants in life. The friendships in this book are so special too which i think is actually more important than the romance aspect and the fact cassie has such a great support unit surrounding her was just amazing to read.
i think sometimes there’s a lot more description for things that we don’t really need, typically when it comes to describing the outfits both cassie and her friends wear. it kind of slows everything down for me and doesn’t really add to the plot or character growth.
Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the arc!
one of my best friends has a son who is deaf and he has cochlear implants and it was interesting picking up everything i did know about them but also things i might not have known.
this is a very character driven book which is definitely my favourite type of book to read and it was great seeing cassie grow her confidence and overcome some of her fears and stand up for herself and reflect on what she really wants in life. The friendships in this book are so special too which i think is actually more important than the romance aspect and the fact cassie has such a great support unit surrounding her was just amazing to read.
i think sometimes there’s a lot more description for things that we don’t really need, typically when it comes to describing the outfits both cassie and her friends wear. it kind of slows everything down for me and doesn’t really add to the plot or character growth.
Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the arc!
November 3, 2024
For you all out there, you are beautiful in every way – remember that! T. G.
For all my disabled friends who live harder, louder and brighter; this one’s for you. L. H-J.
“I wanted to incorporate some of my own personal experiences into Cassie’s story, and so she’s deaf, wears a cochlear implant and dreams of becoming a professional dancer. Sounds familiar, right?”
- I loved how it had her story into cassie’s life about her being deaf.
I liked the book. Didn’t love it but didn’t hate it. I feel like the book would’ve been better read in the summer and not in November 🤣🤣
It had a lot of self love in the book, which I love as it can allow other readers to notice that they need to give themselves self love more often. It can also allow readers who are possibly deaf themselves to see how tashas life was and how she managed to give herself self love if the readers don’t give themselves that.
3 stars 🌟🌟🌟
For all my disabled friends who live harder, louder and brighter; this one’s for you. L. H-J.
“I wanted to incorporate some of my own personal experiences into Cassie’s story, and so she’s deaf, wears a cochlear implant and dreams of becoming a professional dancer. Sounds familiar, right?”
- I loved how it had her story into cassie’s life about her being deaf.
I liked the book. Didn’t love it but didn’t hate it. I feel like the book would’ve been better read in the summer and not in November 🤣🤣
It had a lot of self love in the book, which I love as it can allow other readers to notice that they need to give themselves self love more often. It can also allow readers who are possibly deaf themselves to see how tashas life was and how she managed to give herself self love if the readers don’t give themselves that.
3 stars 🌟🌟🌟
June 19, 2025
This book is not the romance it claims to be!!! I was so excited to read this book but found myself simply hating it after the half way mark and forcing myself to finish it. I will say I loved the diversity in this book it was amazing to see, it was so insightful reading from the perspective of a deaf person however it simply became her whole personality and defined her, and whilst I find it extremely important it didn’t have to be wrote this way, I also found the fmc to be completely weak minded at times and lacking of a personality, it was lovely to see her confidence grow at the end, it just simply wasn’t for me.
August 3, 2024
A light-hearted quick read which was, overall, enjoyable. Only lost stars because it felt like the first 2/3 of the book was quite slow paced and then the last 1/3 was kind of rushed. It also differed story wise compared to how it was described on the back cover - I expected it to be a lot more about self-love and independence than it was (which I kind of needed right now lol) but whilst the main character did learn to love herself it seemed like she wouldn’t have done that without the guy! (Not necessarily a bad thing just not what I expected!)
April 28, 2025
SUCH a good book. Not only was this the lighthearted romance I needed, but I also caught myself crying so many times from feeling SEEN by the main character. She’s both deaf and a dancer, and I’ve never seen a deaf/hard of hearing romantic interest in a book before. The ways she describes the struggles she’s gone through that are unique to her hearing as well as the beautiful example Levi, her love interest, sets for how a romantic partner can support and help their partner was so beautiful. Now I just need to go find my Levi. 😉
December 8, 2024
3.5 stars ⭐️
This is a great summer read. I loved all the different characters and the representation in this book, which is much needed. I think Cassie’s character resonated with me the most as she has a cochlear implant and although hearing aids and cochlear implants are different, I could still relate to some of her experiences myself.
Hopefully there will be more books representing hard of hearing/deaf people in the future :)
This is a great summer read. I loved all the different characters and the representation in this book, which is much needed. I think Cassie’s character resonated with me the most as she has a cochlear implant and although hearing aids and cochlear implants are different, I could still relate to some of her experiences myself.
Hopefully there will be more books representing hard of hearing/deaf people in the future :)
September 29, 2025
DNF-ed this book at about 60%.
I appreciate the intentions of this book, I do think it’s very important to include disabilities in an accurate and informative way. I like the idea of loving yourself before you love someone else but that’s where the praise stops.
First off, it was so predictable that I was bored easily. Instances of conversations between friends felt like sitting through mind numbing small talk that failed to add to the story line at all. The interactions surrounding her disability/deafness felt artificial, like the author was trying too hard to get the point across rather than just subtly incorporating it into the story.
Characters were one dimensional and were impossible to picture despite the endless details of what they were wearing.
Additionally, it felt like the writing style would have been good for a younger audience. It wasn’t exactly poor and definitely has potential to bridge the gap between child and young adult fiction. However, because of this identity crisis, the book felt immaturely written yet still incorporated swearing and sexual content so definitely couldn’t be read by a younger audience.
On a deeper level, (hot take time) I did like the diversity of the friendship group. I really do think it’s important to incorporate this into fiction subtly and help to normalise it further in society. However, every friend she found seemed to tick a diversity box either gay or Black and that was it. This seemed to be their whole character and thus came off as ignorant in itself….diverse side characters to a straight white romance??
This was just how I personally experienced the book and I am quite disappointed because, as I said, I was really looking forward to reading a cutesy summer romance when she falls back in love with herself.
I appreciate the intentions of this book, I do think it’s very important to include disabilities in an accurate and informative way. I like the idea of loving yourself before you love someone else but that’s where the praise stops.
First off, it was so predictable that I was bored easily. Instances of conversations between friends felt like sitting through mind numbing small talk that failed to add to the story line at all. The interactions surrounding her disability/deafness felt artificial, like the author was trying too hard to get the point across rather than just subtly incorporating it into the story.
Characters were one dimensional and were impossible to picture despite the endless details of what they were wearing.
Additionally, it felt like the writing style would have been good for a younger audience. It wasn’t exactly poor and definitely has potential to bridge the gap between child and young adult fiction. However, because of this identity crisis, the book felt immaturely written yet still incorporated swearing and sexual content so definitely couldn’t be read by a younger audience.
On a deeper level, (hot take time) I did like the diversity of the friendship group. I really do think it’s important to incorporate this into fiction subtly and help to normalise it further in society. However, every friend she found seemed to tick a diversity box either gay or Black and that was it. This seemed to be their whole character and thus came off as ignorant in itself….diverse side characters to a straight white romance??
This was just how I personally experienced the book and I am quite disappointed because, as I said, I was really looking forward to reading a cutesy summer romance when she falls back in love with herself.
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