Hits Different by Tasha Ghouri; Lizzie Huxley-Jones
Rating: 4/5

Cassie craves a transformation. Stuck in a job that drains her, entangled with a partner indifferent to her, and harbouring silent aspirations of dancing professionally, she feels trapped in the realm of mere wishes.

Then, an unexpected chance to dance alongside a global sensation emerges, prompting Cassie to seize the opportunity.

Embarking on a journey to Ibiza for a scorching summer, her aspirations feel within reach, as does genuine affection. Levi, a recurring presence in her life, offers support and encouragement unlike anyone else. If only Cassie could muster the self-belief he sees in her, she might discover that life takes on a new hue when one learns to cherish themselves first.


I found this book incredibly heartening, especially due to the tight-knit bond among Cassie and her friends; their unwavering support for each other truly warmed my heart. Levi, in particular, struck me as an ideal character, with his unwavering encouragement of Cassie and his genuine acceptance of her. Moreover, the novel provided valuable insight into cochlear implants, shedding light on a topic many, myself included, may not be familiar with. The authors' adept explanation of how cochlear implants function was commendable, and I appreciated the inclusion of sign language throughout the narrative.

Thank you so much to Bonnier Books | Hot Key Books and the authors, Tasha Ghouri and Lizzie Huxley-Jones, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

This books is great at including lots of diverse characters
The storyline is easy and fun if not a bit cheesy and cliche
But likeable characters and a nice summer read!
Loved hearing more about deafness and how cochlear implants work😊

Thank you NetGalley for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a heartwarming read, the main thing I loved was Cassie and her group of friends - they were so supportive of one another and had each others back. Levi was honestly perfect, I loved how encouraging he was of Cassie and everything about her. This book was a great insight into cochlear implants, something I feel a lot of people (including myself) don’t know anything about and the authors did a really good job of explaining how they work, also loved how sign language was used throughout the book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Hits Different' written by Tasha Ghouri and Lizzie Huxley-Jones.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Synopsis: 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 . .

Review: As a fellow dancer, I was immediately drawn in by the first chapter, captivated by Cassie's journey and her friendship with Pen. Their bond, along with the development of their wider circle of friends, was truly heartwarming. What stood out to me was the focus on Cassie's personal growth beyond just her love life. It was refreshing to see a romance novel delve into themes of self-discovery and self-love, particularly within the context of the dance world where Cassie finds both her passion and her ideal partner. The book's emphasis on inclusivity in the dance industry was so interesting to read about, adding an important layer to the narrative. Overall, it was an enjoyable and easy read, filled with endearing characters and a compelling storyline.

Thank you Net Gallery for the ARC!

A heartwarming story of Cassie, a young dancer who is deaf and understanding who she is and what she is capable of. A lovely story of self-discovery, friendship, self-understanding and flourishing confidence…. As well as a beautiful romance along the way! Set in Ibiza, this is a great summer romance. I particularly enjoyed reading about how Cassie manages situations with her cochlear implants and hearing loss as I work alongside several children with CI. An insight into their daily struggles managing their deafness in a hearing world and recognising the impact this can have on them…. This doesn’t stop Cassie from chasing her dreams!!

3⭐️

Hits Different by Tasha Ghouri who is a new author and ex Love Islander. I watched Tasha in Love Island and was excited to read her first book. The FMC, Cassie, is finding love while experiencing life while being deaf. Cassie has a cochlear implant like Tasha and this was a such a nice read. This was a nice 3 star read.

I enjoyed this story which is vaguely a romance but is mostly about a young Deaf woman finding the confidence to achieve her ambitions. It seemed like there might be an element of self-insert between Cassie as a character and Tasha herself, but they do say write what you know!

I found it interesting to read about how cochlear implants work and how people with them experience social settings etc.

Obvious care has been taken to include a diverse array of characters but some of the characterisation felt a bit clumsy and basic - the dancers all kind of blended into one mass of the "nice people" versus the "mean girls." From the start Mason was obviously the not-boyfriend with all the red flags, while Levi was Mr Perfect who never assumed anyone's gender identity, had conversations about birth control, consent and boundaries, and didn't ever misstep in conversations about disability. He was just a bit too good to be true!

Despite this, I really enjoyed the story. It's a great summery beach read, and it's really good to see a romantic novel with a Deaf heroine, since I'm almost 100% certain this is the first one I've read.

This was exactly what I needed whilst having one of the worst flus ever (😅). I was cheering for Cassie every step of the way and its was so nice seeing her stand for herself and becoming more confident and go after what she wants and is so great at!
I loved the overall themes of the book, the amazing representation and the side characters and friendships in the story were so funny and wholesome. The romance was also really well done.

Thank you to Team Hot Key and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Hits Different' written by Tasha Ghouri and Lizzie Huxley-Jones.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Hits Different' written by Tasha Ghouri and Lizzie Huxley-Jones.

'Hits Different' is a new venture for Ex-Love Islander Tasha Ghouri, who is also a model and an advocate for deaf visibility. In combination with the amazing author Lizzie Huxley-Jones - who I have read previous books by - this novel follows Cassie in finding love. Not only does it delve on self love and love in general, it also shows an insight to life as a person who is deaf by using scenes such as feeling overwhelmed and getting headaches over needing to use her cochlear implant, something Tasha has actually spoken about before, to her love interest carrying spare batteries for her so she always has a back up. This book was such a beautiful read and I hope these two continue to work together for some more books.

This was cute. Cassie needed a change, in more ways than one. Getting that little push from Pen changed her whole world.
Really nice story with a good message. Would like to read more from these authors.

I wanted to read this due to Tasha Ghouri being a disability campaigner and I ended up absolutely loved reading this book overall.

When I saw that ex-Love Islander Tasha was releasing a book, I have to be honest, I thought it would be decent but probably nothing special (she’s not known for being a writer after all.) But, I can safely say I was completely wrong, I loved this book!

This story follows 20 year old Cassie as she gets an opportunity to jet off to Ibiza to follow her dreams and dance on tour with a global superstar. Although this is advertised as a romance, I would say this is much more of an early 20’s coming of age story with a romance subplot.

There were many aspects about this book that I really enjoyed:
- I read this book in 24 hours! The story flowed well, was well written and it was very easy to read.
- Amazing representation! Characters with different disabilities, LGTBQ, different ethnicities.
- Cassie felt like a very relatable character, a girl in her early 20’s trying to figure out her life and her confidence.
- I appreciated that this book educated me on the experiences of being deaf. From how cochlea implants worked, to the need to train yourself to hear with one, to being overstimulated from complex noises for long periods of time. This awareness was weaved beautifully into the story and never felt like an “information dump”.
- The side characters and the friendships in this story!

I did think that some of the social media references and language used was very of the time, which I didn’t mind too much but they do risk dating the book in the future.

Overall, this book completely exceeded my expectations! It was refreshing to see characters with disabilities take the spotlight in this story. If you’ve ever been in your early 20’s a little unsure of yourself and not quite sure what to do with your life, I think you’ll resonate with this story. This should be on everyone’s reading list this summer!

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Tasha Ghouri’s debut novel was the perfect light summer read that I know is gonna be a hit on release in the summertime! I’ve always loved Tasha and followed her journey throughout Love Island and beyond, and this book just felt like a love letter to herself and everything she’s been through and accomplished. That’s why this is a special read more than anything.

Cassie’s journey was the highlight of the book for me— her passion for dance and her life as a deaf woman, Cassie shone the most. The romance was fun and easy, not something I was overly excited about but it was adorable nonetheless. The writing style was fluid and ideal for a summer holiday read you want to devour in one sitting.

And I appreciate Tasha’s transparency about her co-writer Huxley-Jones. A lot of celebrities aren’t so honest when they have a ghost writer or co-writer for the novels, so it’s something that gets an extra star in my book!

3 stars - a fun, uplifting summer romance ✨

I loved Cassie’s resilience and warmth, and really enjoyed reading about her as a main character. Her journey was lovely to read, though I wish it had taken place over a longer amount of time to give enough space for some real growth. I also liked her flatmates - I only wish we’d seen a bit more of them! It would have been particularly good to see more of her relationship with Tyra and their shared understanding of each others’ situations and challenges. The writing style was clear and easy to read, and I enjoyed the way the dancing was written about.

Levi was sweet but he was written as a little too perfect for me, and in the same vein, Mason was almost a caricature of a bad boyfriend. I wish they had both felt a little more human! Everything moved incredibly fast considering the time span of the book, and I think it would have been better if the story was spread across a longer timespan.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review! This review will be shared on Goodreads closer to the publication date.

This looks so sooo good! I love a good Read Now book and this fits the bill. I love that it’s set in the world of dance and I absolutely cannot wait to share my full thoughts and review on this! I apologize I’m currently running behind on reviews due to an unexpected family emergency issue, but I am slowly catching up and this book looks like it will a perfect pick me up!