I read Beautiful Broken Things last year and it was a full on breath of fresh air for me. I WISH I'd had more authors when I was a teen that wrote about friendship and not just romance. BBT was the book that really made me fall in love with Sara Barnard's writing and now I just want to read all of her novels, especially Fierce Fragile Hearts, set in the same world as BBT.
When Rhys joins Steffi's school she's asked to show him the ropes, with a special nod to their shared skill: sign language. Rhys is deaf, and Steffi has selective mutism which has meant that she's learnt to use sign language to express herself as she's gotten older. The book is a YA love story (no spoilers - this kicks in pretty early on), about anxiety and disability and how you can navigate these as a teen.
I really enjoyed this as a nice quick comfort read. I wouldn't say it's as good as BBT, but the insight into the insecurities and challenges you face as a teen absolutely hit the nail on the head. The plot is quite clear from the start, and there's the usual get together, someone cocks up, fall apart and get back together again narrative, but it's one I love.
I'm giving this 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it if you like YA romance. It'd be a good book for getting you out of a reading slump - I was muttering 'just one more chapter' under my breath for roughly half the book!
This was my gateway Barnard book. I have read all the others, but this is still my favorite. She captured first love so, so well, and I just felt so happy when I finished that book.
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