This one reminded me a bit of Pretty Woman with church and some beat downs thrown in with an autistic main character.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58212532-the-sound-of-violet" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Sound of Violet" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622468501l/58212532._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58212532-the-sound-of-violet">The Sound of Violet</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13094287.Allen_Wolf">Allen Wolf</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4325878759">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I read this through NetGalley and I am so glad I did. It has been a long time since I read a book in one can't-stop-reading session. It is a bittersweet love story, but also an insightful peek into an autistic man's life as he navigates relationships, work, and modern life in NYC.<br />Apparently this was written from the screenplay, but by the same writer (seems like that process is usually reversed). Some of the writing feels stilted, like he is giving stage direction or setting notes. But then a beautiful passage that breaks through the story gives this reader a new perspective of the real world. That is what good fiction does.<br />There's a tendency to head-hop into even minor characters' thoughts which can throw off the flow sometimes. Omniscient POV is difficult to do, though I can see why a writer wants readers to learn more about those characters too. Also, as the story progressed, it began to feel more like a religious novel, which is not what it is described as, or what I seek in my reading. There is a fine line between including religion or spirituality in fiction, and writing Christian fiction. I am not opposed to that category and have read Christian fic, but do not like my fiction to proselytize. TBH, I hope the film does not have that tone as much because it may turn off a lot of people who need to have stories like this. <br />The book, and probably film too, will donate proceeds to help victims of human trafficking. It does a pretty good job of showing how people use and survive that dark side of society, as well as working on breaking some (not all) of the stereotypes of sex workers, and also of autistic people living their daily lives. It's a great story, with a HEA end, and I would not want non-Christians to be put-off by that factor.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2966207-janet-flora-corso">View all my reviews</a>

This checked off everything I look for in a book. Was not disappointed. Really enjoyed this book. I will read more from this author. Must read

I am just under half way through and I'm going to dnf this for now. The concept of the book is really interesting and the family dynamics seem to be sweet.

I find the insta love trope a bit too much.

There were several phrases said by men who aren't main characters that made me feel uncomfortable and I know that's the purpose because that's what Violet has to deal with due to her job.

Maybe I'll come back to this in the future.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and netgalley for this copy

A great read thats from some very difficult and dark themes. Loved the whole storyline but it felt a little flat in a couple of places for me. Loved the characters and how they played out.

Definitely recommended and worth a read.

Thank you Netgalley.

I think the premise and the discussions behind the book that the author brings up are really interesting and definitely something that needs to be brought up in more main stream media, however, for that to happen, I really believe that there needs to be accurate representations of the people that are being played.

I work with a lot of neurodivergent people in the setting of working alongside neurotypical people and U really didn’t think this was an accurate representation of this minority.

I think the book was ok but it was hard for me to get around this problem.

SHAWN AND VIOLET!!!

I really enjoyed The Sound of Violet. Shawn was a character from the moment he first spoke - straight talking and unknowingly hilarious and absolutely romantic. He was such a well written character and I was rooting for him all the way. I did get a bit nervous that I wouldn’t get a HEA but I’m so glad I did because I was rooting for Shawn all the way.

And I really liked Violet from the start too! There was just something so warm hearted about her even though she always kept her guard up and I’m glad Shawn was the one to thaw her heart by allowing her to feel loved.

Both characters loved each other in the ways the other needed to be loved and there’s nothing I could want more from a love story.

I wish the plot and world building could have been a little bit more developed (especially with Shawn exhibiting synesthesia) but I was so invested in the two of them that I was hardly paying attention to anything else.

SHAWLET SUPREMACY!

The book is a good way of showing others a perspective on Autism and relationships. Although, I don't know much about autism, I like the idea of Allen Wolf presenting others with more information, such as the websites provided at the end. Not only does the book deal with human trafficking, but also to give the hope that with a little love and support a person can get out of a situation that they don't like. I look forward to the motion picture and hope it does Violet and Shawn's relationship justice.

This is a nice little story with loveable characters, though the story itself does not tread much new ground.

Shawn is autistic. His grandmother cares for him, and his parents rarely visit. He is close to his brother Colin, who works at a café. With his condition, Shawn struggles with relationships, and has had only one which was progressing, but his girlfriend tragically dies. Shawn works with a company as a programmer which has a dating app as its main product. This, he thinks, offers him an initial advantage in finding dates, but none of them seem to sustain even up to an hour. At an office party, Shawn meets with Violet and goes on a date with her - he does not realize she is a sex worker and she only later understands he is not a client. She finds him odd, yet considerate & caring, the kind which she rarely meets.

Both Shawn with his naiveté, and Violet with her painful background are loveable characters. While, the story is largely on expected lines, the dialogues and events are good to read.

An easy feel-good book to either end this year or start a new one!

The synopsis of this book intrigued me. I had never read a book with a well written autistic character, and I really wanted to. But this book brings more of the same stereotypes about autistic characters that most of the media portrays.
I wanted to like this book, but the portrayal of autism felt more catered to the audience than to reality.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review.

The Sound of Violet is a different love story revolving around Shawn, who is determined to find 'the one' and get married. His autism presents him with various challenges and affects his dating life but one day, he meets Violet and decides he wants to marry her but doesn't realise she is a prostitute.

This is a quick read with characters you're bound to like, especially Shawn and his family. Shawn's perspective of the world is endearing and the story develops at a fast pace. It also touches on topics such as human trafficking and seeing beyond someone's past. Overall, it's a good book to read.

Thank you Net Galley for a copy of The Sound of Violet. This one was between Shawn and Violet. Shawn is on the spectrum, Violet is a prostitute. This one I flew through. 4 stars!

The storyline for The Sound of Violet was unique. It was unlike anything I've read before. I enjoyed the storyline and felt like I was understanding more about the characters with each chapter. As their relationship evolved, my feelings for the characters and where they were headed changed as well.
To give a critique, it can be difficult to get through a book where the character has the same apprehension or inner dialogue across multiple chapters. I think the character development helped to ease the very slight monotony of how each main character felt about their situation, but I did find myself wanting them to learn to get over it.
Overall, it was refreshing to read a story that was so unique and I appreciated the opportunity to read and review the book.

Shawn is an autistic guy who desperately wants to find his soulmate which is how he ends up meeting Violet. Shawn is also funny, distracted, not good with hugs, jokes, or sarcasm, but also a thoughtful and smart guy. He has a big heart and wants desperately to find someone, even though it`s very hard since people think of him weird and awkward, especially when he blurts out random things which in his mind doesn’t feel as random. Shawn`s colleagues are somewhat annoying and kind of feel shallow and rude at times, Tammy however we get to know on a somewhat deeper level and I kind of like her. Violet or Olivia as we learn later in the story, is her real name is interesting, lonely, funny but also damaged beauty. Her life has not been easy on her and we get to learn how she got roped into becoming a prostitute and how she became insecure and sad. Ruth and Colin which are Shawn`s grandmother and brother, and all the family he has left – are very worried about Shawn and get bad vibe from Violet/Olivia. I get that Shawn goes quickly especially from dating to marrying, but sometimes I felt that they attacked and came too harsh, instead of trying to see reason and listen. But they opened their arms slowly too the possibility of them and saw how it was. I liked that even though Colin didn`t always understand Shawn and visa versa, they both tried and supported each other. Ruth is a good grandmother and I’m glad she sorts of started to date Douglas.

Shawn wants nothing more than to find a woman to be his wife.  Shawn works as a programmer at Exclusiv, a dating app.  He goes on first date after first date, but his autism keeps him from forming a connection.  Shawn's grandma and brother help where they can, but Shawn is still dateless until a corporate party that Shawn's boss set up.   At the themed Pimp & Ho's party, Shawn meets Violet who he finds a connection with right away.  Shawn's social skills prevent him from seeing that Violet is an actual prostitute and he invites her on a date where things get weird.  Violet doesn't know what's going on with Shawn at first, but enjoys spending time with him .  Violet's pimp, however, doesn't approve of Violet and Shawn's progressing relationship.  Shawn's Grandmother and Brother see Violet for what she is as well and try to get Shawn to end the relationship.  Shawn and Violet's love will have to  overcome society's expectations for them.   

The Sound of Violet is a heartfelt and sweet romance.  Shawn and Violet are both well written and unique characters.  I had a good feel for Shawn right away as he talked about his dreams to get married and went on a series of awkward dates.  It was great to see Shawn portrayed as a regular person in society with a job and ambitions who just needed a little help with things.  Violet's story as a victim of human trafficking was distressing.  However, her ability to overcome, see the best in people and get the help she needed was inspiring.  When their relationship begins, Violet and Shawn see each other as a solution to their problems, Shawn will have someone to help take care of him and Violet will have someone to help her get out of prostitution.  Though unconventional, Shawn and Violet fight for each other to make their relationship work and be worthy in other people's eyes.  I thought Shawn's relationship with his grandma was the most interesting, especially his connection to church.  I felt like this set up some unrealistic expectations for Shawn.  It was great to see Shawn's grandmother's opinions change as she watched Shawn grow.  With a great pace, characters and heartwarming romance, The Sound of Violet is a great read. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. It have me all the feels, especially the last 30 minutes. I had tears streaming down my face!

I also had a good chuckle when Shawn was saying the wrong. My favourite was when he told the woman at the party she could easily sort out her ‘tache, it’s what I tell myself in the mirror everyday!

I know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but if I was in a book store, I wouldnttpick this up based on the cover on here. The blurb would make me buy it but the cover usually is the reason why I pick up the book to read the back. I think the book deserves its own cover separate to the movie. Also the cover has Seattle on and the book takes places in New York… give this book a beautiful violet cover it’s worthy of!

Unbelievable and Sweet Love Story
This is a remarkable and poignant book. The one-liner is a young, autistic man who falls in love with a prostitute. The story is so much more. It is about love being out there if you look for it and are willing to work hard and sacrifice. I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying this book. While this book has been made into a movie, I can't imagine it being any better than the movie that played in my head when I read this fine book. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Shawn and Violet's story is not your typical romance story, it goes deeper, with characters that are very different from what you would normally read, they are well developed and the plotline flows perfectly. A computer programmer on the autistic spectrum and a prostitute find their story. This is story is coming to the screen and I would love to watch it unfold. The writing certainly gave enough description to imagine every scene. The story itself will make your heartache and will throw you in turmoil, between the characters' interactions, you will find healing and acceptance within this story. It might be a trigger for some readers, so be aware of it.

The Sound of Violet started with a strong premise and interesting characters. However, the book became too heavy handed with religious overtones for me - if that's something you connect with, you'll probably really enjoy the book.

I was initially intrigued by the book as it started out well, but the timing throughout the book was off. The writing felt choppy and I never felt invested in the story and/or characters even though the book covers important topics. Sadly, the references to God didn't feel quite authentic either. The movie should be released soon and I think it will make a better movie than book. I'm bummed that this one just wasn't for me.