An intriguing title, and the cover unashamedly sells itself as a romance. It’s not brash or showy – but it will leave a rather warm feeling in you.
Steffi has, since she was young, been selectively mute and she suffers with social anxiety. Rhys is the new boy to her school and, because she knows some BSL, Steffi is asked to show him around. Initially, Steffi is acutely conscious of the fact that what she calls the two oddballs are thrown together. As she gets to know Rhys, she realises that it doesn’t matter. In each other, they find their voice.
Perhaps the focus on their developing relationship will be more appealing to the target audience. Following them from their first talk, through their texting to the inevitable boyfriend/girlfriend conversation and then onto their developing sexual relationship felt a little earnest to me. However, it does seem churlish to criticise a romance for focusing on the romance!
On the whole, this was a well-writer read – it just didn’t strike quite the same chord with me as Barnard’s ‘Beautiful Broken Things’.