Mari Jojie

Recommended: yes!!
For a romance and a falling out of love, for grief and recovery, for guilt and hope, for a portrayal of a deaf character who is so much more than that

Thoughts: I adored this book. Maybe I knew and forgot somehow, but one of the main characters is deaf. The way Kate and other characters interacted so naturally with Liam, a character who is deaf, made me really happy. Including written words, or noting they are writing, or his reluctance to speak, all built up that aspect of him and the story as a strong foundation.    There’s so much more to Liam and Kate and their slow romance than just Liam being deaf, though. As is probably expected in a plot where Kate and her husband are married but barely, there’s a lot of uncertainty and hesitation between them on what they each want or can accept. Liam has his own insecurities as barriers as well, and there’s a strong current of them each needing to figure out what they need independently before considering anything together.

Both characters hold so much grief in their lives. There’s a lot of potential pain in these pages even for readers. It’s delicately handled and allows the characters room to find their way through at their own pace.

Recognizing realistic barriers and their impacts was satisfying, as I hate when stories ignore actual problem’s in favor of a clean and easy “love conquers all” kind of ending. The ending was fitting and beautiful.

It’s no surprise for me that the travel aspect of this book drew me in effortlessly. Their exploration through the Philippines was mesmerizing and lush. I felt like I was there, and when I remembered I wasn’t, I desperately wanted to be.

This was a wonderful book, and one I will likely re-read, which is rare.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy. This is my honest review.… (altro)