Why Every One Should Read A Quiet Kind Of Thunder!
Hey lovelies!
I have a very special book to be sharing with you all today
and that is A Quiet Kind Of Thunder by the lovely Sara Barnard. I had read
Barnard’s other book Beautiful Broken Things last year (review here!) and I
really loved it so when I heard she was coming out with a new book – this one
being a diverse read – of course I had to read it!
I read this book in about a day and then proceeded to write
a super lengthy goodreads review for it (my longest one yet!) just because of
how much I loved it!
And before we get started, can we talk about how utterly
gorgeous the cover is? The cover designer at Macmillan for Barnard’s books
really needs a round of applause because DAMNNNNN! *insert heart eye emoji*
About the book.
Author: Sara Barnard
Pages: 320
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Synopsis: Steffi doesn't talk, but she has so much to say.
Rhys can't hear, but he can listen.
Their love isn't a lightning strike, it's the rumbling roll of thunder.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. (source)
Synopsis: Steffi doesn't talk, but she has so much to say.
Rhys can't hear, but he can listen.
Their love isn't a lightning strike, it's the rumbling roll of thunder.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. (source)
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Recommended for: Anyone 14+.
Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for sending me a review copy of this title however all thoughts and opinions are my own and this is an honest review.
Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for sending me a review copy of this title however all thoughts and opinions are my own and this is an honest review.
{ WRITING }
I love Barnard’s writing. It’s so easy to read and relate to
and it really helps the readers connect with the characters. You get sucked
into her story and you feel like you really know the characters and as if they
are right there in front of you, acting out the book rather than you simply
reading it alone in your room.
Everything about her books is just so vibrant and engaging.
Through her writing, I fell in love with the characters and the story and there
were times where I just wanted to reach through the book and either shake some
sense into some of the characters or just give them a hug because they seemed
like they needed it!
{ IDEA + PLOT }
Okay, prepare yourself because this is going to be a long
one!
I thought the idea of this book was AMAZING. In fact,
amazing probably doesn’t even cut it. I hadn’t read a book with selective
mutism and a deaf main character before and I learnt SO MUCH! It was so well
researched and informative and I can tell you right now that this knowledge has
changed my perspective on so many things!
This was such an excellent idea and (to my knowledge) had
excellent representation of this disabilities where it showed how these
characters learned to lived normal lives. It had such a great family dynamic
and Tem and Steffi were #friendship goals. This book provided hope for those
with a disability similar to Steffi and Rhys that it IS possible to live a
normal life and it was so inspirational.
I loved how Barnard also zoomed out a little and focused on
the bigger picture including the reactions of others so deafness and selective
mutism. (Eg talk louder to a deaf person thinking that they can hear you).
I liked how the book focused on the disability but not to
the point where the entire book became about the disability. There were other
things going on like growing up, two people trying to make a relationship work,
Steffi struggling with her grief and anxiety and all that added so well
together to create such a beautiful story.
This book is so real. Everything from the personality of the
characters to the story to the romance and relationships and conversations. It feels
so raw and truthful. It doesn’t sugar coat anything, including the disability
Rhys has or the anxiety Steffi feels and it especially doesn’t sugar coat the
romance between the two.
The plot I felt was a little lacking and could have been a
little more busy however, I can also see that Barnard intended it to be that
way as she wanted to focus on the character development of the individual
characters and the romance between the two.
{ CHARACTERS }
Let me just start off by saying I liked how Barnard didn’t create perfect characters, especially when it came to the romance. Both Steffi and
Rhys made mistakes and could be irrational but they could also be sweet and
caring.
Same with the parents. I loved how Steffi’s mum wasn’t always
the most supportive and understanding because it made it real. She wasn’t mean
or cruel to her – she just wasn’t able to understand what was causing Steffi to
be selectively mute and wanted to help her, in her own way.
I loved Steffi as a character. I could see a lot of myself
in her with our anxiety and social shyness and awkwardness. Although I wouldn’t
say my social anxiety or anxiety in general is as severe as Steffi’s, a lot of
her thought processes were similar to mine. I also admired what a level headed
and patient character she was. From her relationships with her parents and her
step parents to her friendship with Tem and how much she cared for her half
siblings and dog (did I mention there is a dog in this book??? Because any book
with a dog in it automatically gets raised a notch in my opinion!) she was
determined and realistic and such an awesome character.
Rhys. Aha, Rhys! Before I express my love for Rhys, let me
just say how much I respect him. He is such a determined character. He has a disability
which could have made it difficult for him to do normal things but he just
pushes past it with his never-ending enthusiasm. He is so friendly and kind and
observant and all round brilliant.
Tem is another great character. This book, like Barnard’s
other book, focuses on a good female relationship where the girls lift each
other up instead of getting catty. Tem and Steffi have such a beautiful and
intricate friendship and I love them. Tem also.
{ FINALLY… }
I had originally given this book a 4.5 star rating but I have
decided to revise it to a 5 star rating because THIS BOOK IS SO BLOODY
BRILLIANT. I am going to recommend this TO EVERYONE that I meet from now on
because this book deserves to be read and talked about and fangirled over.
This has made it into my favourite books ever list and I could
NOT stop thinking about it long after I put it down. AND I loved it so much
that after a week of having finished it, I picked it up again to read my
favourite parts because DAMN!!
I highly, highly, strongly, 100% in fact 10000000% recommend
you read this book! It is BEYOND brilliant and I loved it so goddamn much!
OVERALL RATING:
★★★★★
So please, READ IT. Also, let’s give a round of applause to
the lovely Sara Barnard for writing this brilliant book. Are you clapping? You
better be!
Have you read this book yet? What did you think?
Also, follow me on twitter (@sprinkledpages) for my upcoming giveaway of this amazing book!
Have you read this book yet? What did you think?
Also, follow me on twitter (@sprinkledpages) for my upcoming giveaway of this amazing book!
24 happy thoughts
I'm so excited that you adored this so much! I JUST ORDERED MY COPY. *flails wildly while waiting for it to arrive* I always specifically seek out books about anxiety (and if you want more Selective Mutism recs, you might like The Things I Didn't Say by Kylie Fornaiser and The Problem With Forever by Jennifer L Armentrout! I loved them so much too. <3 Anyway yayyyy this this lived up to your expectations and I hope I love it too!
ReplyDeleteOOH I will try those out soon thanks for recs Cait! ALSO, I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT! I ALWAYS LOVE IT WHEN MY FAV PEOPLE ENJOY MY FAV BOOKS ;)
DeleteI can tell you really enjoyed this book Anisha, particularly with the anxiety, awkward character, the doggie and the disability aspects! Thank you for sharing lovely.
ReplyDeleteNo problem Jeann, thanks for reading and commenting Jeann!
DeleteThis one sounds amazing! I haven't read any of her books before, so maybe I should start with her first book. I agree that the cover is gorgeous, and the premise is really interesting! Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteYou must Tasya! It is such an amazing book and I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading and commenting!
DeleteI adored this book so glad to see you enjoyed it too. Sara Barnard is definitely an author to watch out for - although I must admit, her debut, Beautiful Broken Things remains my favourite. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Thanks for commenting and reading also and YES Beautiful Broken Things was absolutely amazing though AQKOT is my fav hahah, opposite to you!
DeleteWasn't it magnificent Anisha! I loved the characterisation and that's a brilliant point you bring up too, how the narrative panned out to include family members and friends which felt so much more realistic. I loved Steffi's dad in particular, thank goodness she has his support because her mother was so narcissistic. Brilliant review Anisha, really enjoyed it <3
ReplyDeleteOMG YES KELLY! IT WAS SUCH AN AMAZING BOOK I CANNOT EVEN!!!! And aww you're too kind!
DeleteGreat review! I absolutely loved A Quiet Kind of Thunder, it's such a beautiful story! I also loved how it looked at Steffi and Rhys' struggles, but that their anxiety and deafness wasn't the sole focus of the plot, that their relationship with each other was. Just a gorgeous read! And it's made me even more determined to learn BSL!
ReplyDeleteYES OMG IT'S SUCH AN AMAZING BOOK IM SO GLAD TO FIND SOMEONE ELSE THAT LOVED IT AS MUCH AS I DID YAY!
DeleteThis sounds like an amazing book! Thanks for sharing your review :)
ReplyDeleteStephanie Jane @ Literary Flits
http://litflits.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks for reading and commenting Stephanie!
DeleteGreat review, Anisha! I also really, really loved this book - the characters are flawed yet really likable, and I thought the way it explores selective mutism/deafness/disability was very sensitive and respectful. I haven't read Beautiful Broken Things yet, but now I'm kind of curious. :)
ReplyDeleteREG GO READ IT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING OH MY GOD YOU MUST!!!!!
DeleteAww I'm so happy to see you loved this book so much! I already ordered this and it's on its way right now! So excited hahaha also yes the cover is sooo gorgeous and the writing+the characters sound really awesome! I mean, I admit I didn't actually read your review because I like going in blind hehe also I almost bought Beautiful Broken Things but didn't :( if I love AQKOT I'm definitely gonna buy it next <3
ReplyDeleteOMG YAY HOPEFULLY YOU ENJOY IT! And then that means you'll also buy Beautiful Broken Things so double plus! Thanks for reading and commenting Puput!
DeleteAh so happy to hear you enjoyed this book! I read it last month as well and I can only wholeheartedly agree with your review ;)
ReplyDeleteYAY LINDSEY SO GLAD WE AGREE! Thanks for reading and commenting! <3
DeleteI'm so excited to read this. I've heard nothing but amazing things about it and the cover is gorgeous. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!
ReplyDeleteBrooklyn (https://brooklynsippingacupoftea.blogspot.com.au/)
OMG YOU MUST READ IT BROOKLYN! It is a wonderous wonderous book!
DeleteOh my goodness, I really want to read this!
ReplyDeleteDDDDDDDDOOOOOOO ITTTTTTTTTT :)))
DeleteLeave me a comment below! And feel free to leave your website URL so I can come visit!