It took me a few chapters to get into this book and give it my full attention however I am glad that I did. I love the subject matter as a whole in the book. It actually asks some important questions that we, as people in a tell all generation, should be asking. I came to a point where I really liked the main character for who she was and what she wanted. After I read into the story a bit more it moved along at a better pace.

Once in a while, it is a treat to find yourself enjoying an unexpected book. There are books that one knows their reaction to based on any previous books by the author and some (many) times by the cover. When both of those fail to guide the reader in a good way, it is a cause for excitement.
This was one such book for me. I was so invested that I actually found myself looking up ways to get my hands on the next book (given that the first in the series was originally released in 2018). I found the second on KU and read it almost at the heels of the first. But, I am getting ahead of myself. I should first talk about the content of the book. We have Rebecca Marley, who works for a magazine, in an important role. She likes only two people in her workplace in extremely different ways and is in a bad mood when she is introduced and the scene is set. Things spiral to such a point that Rebecca takes a vow of silence. This is not just silence though, it is the lack of actual communication unless it is an emergency (or required updates of her life for the magazine).
The challenge seems simple enough to the reader and to Rebecca herself until the days start to blur. Given the pandemic and lockdowns that many people faced, quite a few without family or very close friends on hand will surely empathize(even if it is just a self-planned challenge in this narrative) with how the mind plays tricks.
Rebecca is not a happy, satisfied individual, she is troubled in mild ways, but the silence makes her question a lot of things. I would not have bought into the explanations of how Rebecca felt during the period if it was all dark or all light and fluffy. The mix of the two, as well as the past and once or twice the future, intrudes to add something to the narrative.
I would not have assumed there would be much to add in the sequel except to draw out a romantic entanglement, but that was a surprise as well.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers and the review is solely based on my reading experience (and maybe the concept of lockdowns).

Interesting and thought provoking. This was a fairly quick read but with a lot to say. There are sections I'll be going back to to see if I'm still reacting the same after reading the entire book.

I really really really enjoyed this and the journey Rebecca went on through the book. Very touching and thought provoking and I feel like I read it at a good time in my life. I can definitely picture myself coming back to this book more than once.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
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Overall, this was a good book. To me, the best part was how the experiment affected Rebecca, and her relationship with others. It's interesting to think what would happen if we just stopped talking, the challenges we would face, etc. I think reading this also made me think about the people who don't have the opportunity to do so.

Mute is a quick, enjoyable read.

Interesting concept. I read it in a day or so, but honestly ended up skimming some paragraphs. I don't think I was in the right mindset, but I did enjoy it. I'd love to be able to conduct an experiment like that!

An interesting premise which reminded me of the silent religious retreats my mother talked about in her childhood as a point of reflection. various stages of my life, not talking would feel near impossible, and other times it would feel like solace, as Rebecca discovered. At The book itself is interesting, and provides a good understanding of the main character, her thoughts and feelings.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley and all opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this story as it had an unusual idea behind it as well as plenty of heart. In addition to this the writing it good and I liked the slow delving beneath the layers on Rebecca which allowed the reader to understand further why she thought and acted as she did. The story explored relationships well, particularly those with her mother and Bubbles.
However, the romance felt a bit forced as there was little interaction between the two people before they declared they were in love. Also the ending was a bit abrupt and lacked the depth of previous chapters.
At times, the story rang true with the reader as it mirrored an almost lock down experience which many of us have been experiencing recently, adding an extra layer to the story.