If you aren't immediately drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover, then I'm sure you will be enticed by the blurb – I know I was. My initial thought was that it was a really original concept, a girl who is selectively mute and a boy who is deaf. Having taught hearing impaired and deaf pupils for many years, I thought I had some understanding of what it might be like, but this book educated me on so many things I hadn't even considered and I felt like I had a greater insight into the deaf community (although I'm sure there is still a lot I can't comprehend). I have little understanding of selective mutism, but understand that the author was partly inspired to write the story after watching a documentary on the topic. I feel like it was very well researched and it introduced me to something I had only previously heard of, without understanding at all.
All that aside, Steffi and Rhys are very much teens like any others: they have insecurities, dreams, stresses and concerns, all whilst dealing with families, friends and sixth form. Their relationship develops in quite a natural way and I think both characters are well-developed and easy to relate to.
Whilst I am not a huge fan of reading sex scenes in teen fiction (probably because I'm old and prudish and it stops me being able to recommend the books to younger students, for fear of parental complaints) I appreciate it's part of real life and consequently makes the book more realistic. But this minor personal view is heavily outweighed by what I love about this book, namely:
The focus on communication;
How the text is broken up with texts and social media communication;
Added information about BSL;
The gorgeous cover design;
The metaphor comparing Rhys and Steffi's love to thunder;
The welsh spelling of Rhys is used.

Sara Barnard is an excellent writer and I can't wait to see what she brings out next!

A brilliantly diverse and much needed book in a world full of over-rated noise!
An incredible follow-up to Beautiful Broken Things, this one *deserves* all the awards(I'm sure it will get them).
Steffi and Rhys are incredibly relatable and the story was gentle and heart-warming and not at all critical - no slut shaming or negativity, there was nothing but good friendships and positive and important messages.

Standing on the sidelines when Steffi meets Rhys, it's all too obvious that we are watching the stirrings of what could become the most important relationship for each of them.
Steffi has, for many years, been selectively mute and Rhys is deaf. They are somewhat thrown together when Rhys joins Steffi's school and she is assigned to look after him. All too soon it becomes clear that for Steffi and Rhys the other helps them to feel needed. In each other they find their voice.
An understated yet touching romance.

3.5 stars.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was quite excited to start this one, primarily because of my love for Sara Barnard and Beautiful Broken Things. It is a struggle to rate this one, because I loved it, but there were just some things that bothered me.

This book is about Steffi Brons, who is selectively mute due to her severe anxiety and panic disorders. She's starting sixth form without her best friend Tem, and is introduced to Rhys Gold, a new boy that is deaf, because of their common form of communication, British Sign Language (BSL). I loved the idea and concept of the plot, and you could clearly see that a lot of research had been done into BSL and selective mutism; the book was incredibly realistic and authentic in that sense. What makes this book unique is the plot that emphasises the power of communication without spoken words.

However, with such a powerful idea, I felt like the story fell a bit flat towards the end (and I really, really wish I didn't have to say this because I loved the idea of the book so much). I personally feel like there could've been a lot more done to emphasise the power of communication, which I felt was lacking. I also felt that the constant arguments and fights were repetitive and slightly irritating at times (although others may disagree), and it made me feel like the characters were slightly immature for their age.

I loved Steffi and Rhys together, and I loved both their characters. However, I did feel that their love was slightly too insta-love for my taste. Aside from that, I loved them and their communication with each other.

Overall, I would give this 3.5 stars because it was great and I did really enjoy it, but I felt that it was lacking in certain parts, and didn't live up to its full potential at points. Regardless of my review, Sara Barnard is an incredible author, and very inspiring, and I would certainly recommend this to anyone who would like a unique story with love, humour and heartbreak.

I received an eARC edition of this book courtesy of Macmillan Children's Books via NetGalley in exchange

Is there a single person who can say that they didn't at least tear up at this book at one point or another? Probably not. This novel did something Barnard's previous book didn't manage to do - it made me feel things. Good things, bad things not much of the in between really. I was crying, laughing and definitely thinking slightly too hard about the contents that this novel held within its pages.

It definitely dealt with some pretty difficult subjects, anxiety, panic attacks and grief were handled in an adept way, much more I felt than in Beautiful Broken Things. It was just dealt with in a really matter of fact yet gentle way.

Steffi was a great protagonist - there was no moment in which she turned into a giant whiney mess, despite having every reason to. Of course, she had her down moments; which were palpable through the pages yet I felt like she and the people around her dealt with them in incredibly mature and sensible ways.

Parents played an important role in this novel, unlike others of the genre they were actually present. But that wasn't always a good thing... Steffi's mother.... was an interesting character. I disliked her quite strongly at points, there was no reason for her to blame Steffi for the way she was and yet I feel like her mother did exactly that making the heroine feel slightly inadequate. Yet at other times, it was still clear that she loved Steffi, although showed it in strange ways sometimes. And I feel Barnard reflected on regular parent-child relationships really well when it comes to that, it is often how relationships of that kind work and this book showed that really well.
The romance, whilst a bit on the rushed side which irked me slightly was great. There was no "girl meets boy and suddenly she's all better" instead, it was a collaborative effort between Rhys and Steffi, I felt like they were honestly so good for each other - it was clear that the love between them was genuine, and that they really did care for each other and it just made the whole slight insta-love thing more bearable for me.

THE REPRESENTATION IN THIS BOOK. From physical to mental disabilities - the novel was truly divere. I also really liked the fact that Barnard cared enough to actually seem like she researched into BSL enough to be able to give a solid rendition of it within her book. The fact that there were snippets that "taught" you how to do some of the signs which were relevant to the story at the time was a great idea and really added to the experience for me.

However, the plot of the story sort of meandered and seemed to do a tennis-match a lot, back and forth between some topics. Which slightly detracted from my enjoyment, but not largely enough to lower my rating drastically.
My Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

This was my first book from Sara Barnard and it won’t be my last. It’s a very sweet coming of age story and is absolutely packed full of feels. I was worried it would be an angsty and depressing story but it couldn’t be further from this. Yes I did shed a couple of tears but mostly it just made me smile and laugh. I loved it.

As Steffi seems to be a lover of lists such as “The 10 stupidest things people say to you when you don’t talk” and “The Top 5 Worst Times to be Mute” I couldn’t resist creating my own list of the 7 Things I Loved about A Quiet Kind of Thunder:

1. The lists – I’m a lover of lists and Steffi’s lists are used to great effect. They’re often funny (as you can probably tell from the previous examples) but the author makes great use of them to demonstrate a number of different things including Steffi’s previous experiences, the attitudes of others and sometimes whatever she’s thinking about what’s going on right at that moment. Beware there are a couple of lists which made me laugh out loud (thankfully I was at home at the time).
2. Steffi – I loved Steffi from the very first few pages. She’s been struggling with selective mutism for years but rather than giving up she keeps trying. She wants to get better, to fit in or at least be included and accepted and to be able to do what others her age can like speak to a shop assistant, ask for help and go to Uni. She’s also just a genuinely nice person, with a tendency to think the worst of herself (something I can definitely relate to).
3. How it portrays living with anxiety – it’s so realistic at times I found it scary. As someone who has suffered from anxiety since my teens I was impressed with how well the author reflected those feelings. You’re inside Steffi’s head so you get her stream of consciousness as she worries about things, panics over nothing and becomes frozen and unable to move or speak. While I have never been mute (although I am quiet) I can honestly say her thoughts at times were a mirror of my own.
4. Rhys – OMG Rhys!!! (yep I OMG’d), he’s just sooo cute and sweet and just loveable. He’s deaf so is almost the opposite of Steffi in that she struggles to be heard and he can’t hear but they have a surprising amount in common. He’s also just so lovely and understanding and funny and a bit mischievous. One of the highlights of this story for me were the text conversations between him and Steffi. I loved how he teased her.
5. The romance – sorry romance haters but there’s a really cute (I seem to be using that word a lot) romance between Steffi and Rhys. It’s not lightning bolt, insta love but a slow building, realistic and healthy relationship. They just seem to instantly click and have some real chemistry. I was rooting for them to get together and make it even though they do have some issues. Even if you don’t like romance I think you will like this one.
6. There’s no magic cure – I hate to tell you this but meeting a boy doesn’t result in Steffi suddenly becoming happy, confident and outgoing (if only it were that easy). She works at it and she gets professional help and support.
7. The feels – there are just so many feels in this book and most of them were happy. I did have a little cry at one point (only a couple of tears, I promise) and I got frustrated and angry but mostly I found myself smiling and laughing.

Overall this is just an easy, enjoyable and fun read that I couldn’t put down. I did have a little niggle about the ending but it’s fairly minor. I’d recommend this book to everyone and I will be hunting down Beautiful Broken Things as I loved this author’s writing and want to read more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. All gushing is my own

Review set to go live on my blog on Monday 16th Jan

I was hooked on this book from the first few pages. As a sufferer of anxiety I found myself able to relate to that part of the story. I also found myself hooked on the love story between Steffi & Rhys made my heart melt. If a sequel is ever on the cards I'll welcome it with open arms.

ISBN: 978150981987. 12th January 2017. Pan Macmillan/ Macmillan Children’s Books, I voluntarily reviewed this book. Much thanks to Netgalley for supplying my Ebook.

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.
The stunning follow-up to Beautiful Broken Things is a love story about the times when a whisper is as good as a shout.

I really wanted to red this book as had heard great things about the author’s previous work ‘Beautiful Broken Things’, so was super excited when I got accepted to review it. I was really worried at first that I would struggle with this after finishing the previous books so fast.. I needn’t have been worried at all.

The cover is cute, a bit pink, but cute. The writing style was easy to get in to. The characters completely likeable and realistic. I found I associated with Steffi on many levels, especially when it comes to her relationship with her mother.

Sara has covered the mental health side of things perfectly. Having been through much of it myself, I found it easy to understand the thought processes and what was going on.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I made me laugh and cry all at once and I cannot wait to add it to my collection.

I’m going to give this a 5 out of 5 stars.

I have been anticipating this book for months and couldn’t wait to read it. I read Beautiful Broken Things last year and really enjoyed Sara Barnard’s style of writing and how she captures teenage relationships/friendship perfectly. This book is exceptional and has blown Beautiful Broken Things out of the water.

Steffi has a condition called selective mutism, crippling shyness and anxiety, this has been her life since she can remember. Unable to find the words to communicate to people at school or in public has left her somewhat lonely especially as her best friend has left to attend a different college.

Rhys is the new guy starting at Windham sixth form, Rhys is deaf, as Steffi knows British Sign Language (BSL) they are introduced and Steffi is to be his guide for the time being until he gets to know his way around.

Being thrusted into Rhys’ world, Steffi finds another way of communicating and starts to embrace her problems head on and starts to realise she has so many possibilities out there….one of them being LOVE!

There was just so many aspects of this book that I loved for example; this is the best interpretation of anxiety I have read about in YA fiction. There is a part in the book where you get to witness Steffi’s thought process when she is anxious and it was spot on and I could really empathise with her. I also appreciated the fact that Sara Barnard didn’t use the popular trope of ‘anxiety being cured because of a boy’.

‘I don’t want a boy to be the reason I get better, what would that say about me if it is?’

I was so glad that this young girl despite her anxiety and mutism was really level-headed and wanted the change to be her doing. The topic of medication comes up several times and not once was it put in a negative light. I think anyone that suffers with anxiety will find this book relatable and show non sufferers just how much anxiety takes over your life.

The relationships in this book are freaking awesome, the family relationship was great,I loved the dynamics of the family and the different roles in which they played. The friendship between Steffi and Tem was really relatable, with them sharing gossip and worries about boys. There were so many emotional moments in this book, that had me turning the pages wanting more. The relationship between Steffi and Rhys was brilliant and cute and all things fluffy and the development is fantastic.

This book is so diverse, what with mental health, POC and disability, it was so beautifully written and had a perfect blend of them all that nothing was overshadowed.

This book is really easy read and uses different formats such as IM’s and text messages between Steffi, Rhys and Tem. There are also some lists which makes it much more fun to read.

This is a wonderful coming of age story with tons of diversity and a realistic portrayal of mental health and relationships.

I rated this 4.5/5 stars

4 - Bronze & Gold Stars!

I am going to be honest and say that the blurb was 100% the reason why I chose to read A Quiet Kind of Thunder.

Steffi doesn't talk.
Rhys can't hear...

IMAGE.

Anything that offers up a different take on your usual relationship is something that I am going to be interested in reading, and Sara Barnard absolutely pulls you into Steffi’s story from the very first page.

Sometimes, I just get tired of being me.

This isn’t a fast paced read, and the relationship that develops between Ryan and Steffi is very much a slow burn friends to experimentation situation, Steffi is seventeen at the end of the day, and has very much led a sheltered life, so if you are looking for a teen sex-fest, this is not the book for you. But the organic pace in the way things moved along and developed between them worked, Steffi with all her challenges isn’t a character that you can envisage rushing into anything, especially a full blown relationship with a boy.

Meekness is my camouflage,
Silence is my force field...

Add in a little family intervention, a few set-backs, and in essence two teenagers, going through life with even more challenges to deal with than your average youth, and it was just refreshing to sit back and read of more innocent times. I loved Steffi’s best friend Tem, she added colour to the story as a whole, and weird as it sounds it was nice to step back and read of love blossoming in a more innocent and less drama and angst filled way.

This is my first book by this author, and I would happily read more from her in the future. She hit the teen voice and emotions of her characters believably, without using the usual lack of respect, crass language, sexperts and general disagreeability as characteristics that seem to be the normal portrayal of young-adults nowadays.

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was a pleasure to provide the above honest review.

Thank you to Sara, Macmillan Children’s and Netgalley for the review copy!

‘A Quiet kind of Thunder’ was my second read of 2016 and boy, did it pack a punch! It tells the story of Steffi, who doesn’t talk and Rhys who can’t hear. Which is one of the best premise for a book I have read in a long time.

Not only is this the first time I’ve read a book about someone who is deaf/hearing impaired, it’s the first time I’ve read a book about a selective mute, too! It’s a wonderful thing to have brought into the bookish world and even more so as a pairing. Barnard writes in such an intense way. It feels so raw and real, especially in the frustration both the characters feel. It’s hard to imagine a world where i can’t articulate what I want to say whether it’s because my mouth just won’t say them or because I can’t find the BSL to describe it properly. It made me think not only about these characters but also people in my society who feel this way. It really opened my eyes.

Steffi and Rhys’s relationship is wonderful. The struggles their relationship faces in terms of Steffi being mute and Rhys’s deafness are not romanticised. It’s very much their thing and their relationship. It’s not perfect. They struggle and it’s hard for them and that made it so real and so beautiful. I backed them 100% all the way through the book. I totally believed in them as a couple and them as individuals. You feel so comfy in these two characters’ world that reading about them feels like you’re hanging out with your two best 30981706.jpgfriends. One of my favourite moments was when Steffi sent Rhys a youtube link for a song…and then remembered he can’t hear. Which was hilarious. And so honest. You end up having such an intimate relationship with them because you’re very aware of the fact that only you, and them have, have any idea of the full extent of what’s being said, whether you’re reading their sign language or the messenger conversations. I ended up connecting with these characters and their relationship more than most characters.

This book is more than just a romance novel, though. It shows a very accurate portrayal of friendship with Steffi’s bestie, Tem. This hit home because in life I’m very much a Tem. So to see life from someone like Steffi’s perspective was so moving. I take so much for granted.

When I finished the book, because it was just such a roller coaster, I didn’t sob or anything but I did have single tear just running down my cheek. I don’t even know if it was happiness or sadness or catharsis or because the book was so beautiful, I think it was all these things! Sara Barnard’s writing is just THAT good.

I will be very surprised if this doesn’t make it into my fav books of 2017, yep I love it that much. I know it will stay in my mind for a long, long time. I also need to pick up ‘Beautiful Broken Things’ ASAP. Please pick this book up, you won’t regret it. One of the best YA Romances I have ever read. Thank you Sara.

A complete and total 5/5 stars! Completely loved it.
❤



Thank you lovelies and happy reading! ox

There is nothing that could make me love this more. A brilliant book. Go read it. Preferably right now!

Sara Barnard’s celebrated début novel Beautiful Broken Things was a great addition to young adult fiction, but A Quiet Kind of Thunder stunned me. I think I’d forgotten anyone could get much better at writing when a first novel was that good. The style is still fairly plain, but it does so much work with such everyday words and most importantly, it has improved: it flows better, it’s more memorable, and it’s more vivid. Fans of Sarah Crossan and Stephanie Perkins looking for a new writer to add to their shelves will find an excellent companion here.

Quiet, determined Steffi has learned the hard way that the world does not really know what to do with someone who should be able to, but cannot, talk. Sixth form will be difficult enough without her best friend Tem – sporty, rambunctious, big-hearted Tem, who has traitorously abandoned her for a different college and can send only texts to keep her spirits up – but when she’s asked to act as a guide for the new boy at school, her day reaches new levels of socially-anxious terror. But Rhys is not at all like she expected: kind, charming, ridiculous and maybe a little more nervous than he lets on, he is the first person in a long time to look at Steffi and see her. There’s just one complication: Rhys is deaf, and Steffi’s sign language skills are more than a little rusty.

I loved Steffi. I loved Rhys. I loved Tem. I even loved Meg, who steals every scene she’s in.
I loved how Steffi and Rhys actually spend time with each other and get to know each other. Theirs is somehow both a slow, unfurling love story – full of shyness and affection, mistakes and mishaps – and a swoony, sweet romance – full of kisses and conversations, humour and hope. And honestly? This book has set new standards for me when it comes to romance in YA fiction. It’s thoughtful and down-to-earth but also heartfelt and gorgeous. It’s astonishing. HOW CAN IT BE ALL THESE THINGS AT ONCE??! Where has Barnard been hiding this talent? CAN I READ ABOUT THEIR WHOLE ADORABLE LIFE TOGETHER?!

Funny, cheesy, romantic and serious, the story is told in traditional narration, but also notes, text, chat exchanges and British Sign Language. Consistently bolded or explained, BSL is Rhys’ first language and Steffi’s second: it is the wholly embraced dialogue of their relationship. And just as love does not give Rhys hearing, neither does it cure Steffi’s selective mutism or anxiety. They simply help and understand each other. Oh, and there are dogs. And families! And hope! And dogs. And some subplots! Supportive, enthusiastic teen friendships! Platonic, caring boy-girl friendships! AND DOGS.

A strong, character-driven plot proves contemporary fiction can be both romantic and highly engaging. It’s focused, fluid, dramatic and just a little heartbreaking, and it fits the characters. Things go wrong, there are failures of communication, there are roads to true love with a few bumps along the way. The ending is a bit rushed and I would’ve liked a touch more description, more sex-positivity for Steffi herself (though the book is sex-positive on the whole), or to have seen appearances from the characters of Beautiful Broken Things (NO MATTER HOW INEXPLICABLE). Alas, it will have to wait until this book’s delightfully romantic sequel. Or the Belinda-Davy short story. Or the Meg spin-off. YA NEEDS A MEG SPIN-OFF.

A full version of this review will appear on my blog prior to publication day.

A Quiet Kind of Thunder has been on my radar for awhile now. As someone who grew alongside the Deaf community in which my mother worked for thirty years, I've always been surprised by the lack of good Deaf YA. This is it, though the main "disability" here is mute-ism, both characters want to be understood and heard - which is what they give each other. I found it heart warming and lovingly written. You can tell Sara Barnard knows and loves these two! Beyond the enjoyment of the characters and story, I recognized a childhood friend in some of the description; it gave me knew insight into our long friendship.

I highly recommend it for anyone with a quiet friend and most especially if you're the quiet friend!

Having read Beautiful Broken Things last year and managing to fall in love with Sara's writing, I just had to get a copy of A Quiet Kind of Thunder and thanks to the lovely people at Macmillan/My Kind of Book I was able to.

The one way I feel I can explain our protagonist Steffi is that she has a voice (or not even) of a real teenager. She gossips with friends, has crushes, she doesn't always get on with her family, but she loves them all the same. I think as a teenager we all feel these things. Sara is really great at writing about relationships, whether its friends, family, or romantic love. She just hits the nail on the head.

Steffi is a selective mute and finds it really hard to communicate with others, but not her close family and friends. Then she meets Rhys, who also has difficulty communicating with others because he's deaf. They both struggle with mental health issues surrounding their disabilities, but what makes their relationship in this book beautiful is the way they accept who they are and find a way of making each other feel like they aren't any different to anyone else. I want to squish them both because they really are adorable. I also found it really endearing where Sara writes in the BSL actions in the book too, so I was learning something too.

This book explores a range of topics that evolve around teenage life, whether its mental health, body image, romantic relationships including the pressures of sex. We see that it really doesn't matter when we do things in life, only that we should feel ready to do them when its right for us and not others. I feel this is an incredibly message for YA readers to take on board, not necessarily a specific age group.

This is a steady going book in the best possible way, its a journey that with Sara's storytelling is a red hot page-turner. Sara creates the most relatable characters I think I have ever read in YA fiction, and I feel a personal love towards them all as if they're my close friends and I think that's an incredibly special value to find in a book these days.

I'm now excited for what Sara comes up with next.

Reading this book can only be compared to being trapped in a joyous, wonderful, beautiful whirlpool of raw emotion. From the very beginning I was drawn to Steffi and her world and I was in it right up until the very end. I read this book in two sittings and was quite happily lost in this extremely important and very relevant story. Sara Barnard has truly succeeded here to create a special, warm yet incredibly honest story of relationships, friendships, anxiety and teenage life.

A Quiet Kind of Thunder is the story of Steffi. Steffi isn’t like all the other kids at school: she is a selective mute who also suffers with extreme anxiety. Steffi struggles to communicate but even she can’t explain why. That is until she is introduced to Rhys, the new deaf boy at school. Thrown into Rhys’ world, Steffi learns to embrace her difficulties and open herself up to a whole world of possibility, hope and love.

I have to start by pointing out that I was a little anxious after reading the first few pages and even treated myself to a little eye roll when I assumed this would be the classic YA trope of 'teenage girl meets boy who will cure her of all her woes'. I now have to apologise for allowing this thought to enter my head because I am delighted to say that I could not have been more wrong. This book is not about Rhys fixing Steffi, or Steffi fixing Rhys, it is much more than that.

‘I don’t want a boy to be the reason I get better, what would that say about me if it is?’

There is so much growth in this book and so much to learn from it that I genuinely got to the last page and felt completely enlightened. I feel like I went on a real journey with these characters and I can’t help but confess that I loved every single second of it. I laughed, I held my breath, I ached, I rolled me eyes, I smirked: I felt like a teenager again. That’s how wonderfully Sara Barnard captures these characters and their world, thoughts, experiences and emotions.

This book was a very quick read with the additions of IMs, text messages, lists and even some BSL to learn along the way. I loved these little touches to the chapters as they truly reminded me that this is a story about teenagers.

There is such honesty to this book that at times I openly cringed and then found myself thinking ‘So what? We’ve all put our foot in it at some point’. A prime example from the book is when Steffi and Rhys are talking about a song and Steffi sends Rhys the link – he’s deaf. This book is scattered with the light-hearted impulsivity of teenagers, those small acts in life that we don’t think about that can impact on those around us. Some of those actions in this book, like the one above, are merely cast aside by the affected characters. Others are not and that is where we delve into the true complexity of the characters and story.

The characters in this story are all fantastic. Steffi is incredibly relatable, despite not being a selective mute or a teenager, I found so many ways in which my present and former self could relate with her. She goes on such an inspiring and sweet journey in this story but all of it seems so real. She is not cured by the end because that wouldn’t be realistic. She has, however, learned to embrace herself, her condition and her anxiety. As she learns to love others, she learns to love herself and, being both a human and a high school teacher, I cannot emphasise enough how important this message is to the world.

Our other two characters who I consider to play a key role in this story are Rhys and Tem. Rhys is a sweet, caring and wonderful person. I say that knowing full well that it implies he is perfect, but he isn’t. He has his flaws and those are explored in this book. In fact, I loved that Sara Barnard took the time to explore how the use of BSL can cause users to hold back some of what they really want to say, which in Rhys’ situation in the book causes him to be frustrated and to experience some anger issues, almost destructing relationships he has built.

Tem is the fierce best friend of Steffi. I absolutely adored Tem right from the very beginning. She is the daughter of a refugee and her and Steffi have been best friends since they were toddlers. Tem is fiercely protective of Steffi and their friendship reminded me so much of mine and my best friend’s relationship. Those all consuming friendships that we sometimes take for granted but know will always be there to save us. Barnard cleverly tackles the very teenage issue of friend vs boyfriend by having Steffi have to come to terms with some poor decisions she makes and for me that was the most painful part of this book. Tem also happens to be a POC and there is an example of racism in the book which is included sensitively but also to reflect the extent to which Steffi’s SM affects her life.

Relationships. Relationships. Relationships. I loved them. There were SO many fabulous examples of positive relationships in this book but they were all so different. I’ve already touched upon the wonderful relationships between Steffi, Tem and Rhys, but I cannot write a review of this book without talking about the relationship between Steffi and her parents. Steffi primarily lives with her father and step-mother, living with her mother and step-father during school holidays. Steffi’s relationship with her father was so incredibly supportive and loving that it really filled me with emotion. I understood immediately why she would want to spend the majority of her time living with him. Steffi’s mum has a different type of relationship with her. She is fiercely over-protective of Steffi, which as a teenager, Steffi obviously sees as being unfair. I loved how these relationships developed right at the end of the book.

Something that really resonated strongly with me throughout this book was the descriptions of anxiety. Steffi constantly battles with her anxiety and I loved how openly Barnard explored this. It was so relatable and I think that anyone who suffers with anxiety, regardless of the extent, will completely and utterly empathise with Steffi. Whether this was specific mention of her anxiety, the back and forth of positives vs negatives, the panic attacks, this book really shows how life consuming anxiety can be and I am glad that this book carries such a positive message about anxiety: it is difficult, sometimes impossible, but it is and will be okay.

‘It becomes something physical that clutches at my insides and squeezes out the air and the blood.’

This is truly a coming of age story that will be guaranteed to touch people of all generations. There is something for everyone to learn from reading this book. We all remember what it was like to be a teenager, but most importantly, to all those quiet ones out there, know that the world is listening to you and know that it’s okay to be you.