The Sign for Home is a very unique and original book, The main character is DeafBlind, and Arlo is quite extraordinary. His circumstances, his home life, and his past were filled with heartache and confusion, but he was determined to improve his life and learn new things. The story is told from two points of view; both Arlo and his interpreter Cyril tell the story from their unique viewpoints. It was fascinating to be in Arlo’s world, with its hardships and challenges, but always with hope for a better future.

I absolutely loved this story of Arlo, a young DeafBlind man with Usher Syndrome. Arlo is also a Jehovah's Witness living with his controlling great uncle. He is very isolated until his uncle agrees to let him take a writing course in preparation of their mission trip. Little do they know that his new interpreter, Cyril, will open up Arlo's world and help show him the endless possibilities for a DeafBlind person. The story alternates between Arlo and Cyril's point of view which I always love in a story.

I adored Arlo and Cyril's characters. There is one part in the book where Cyril is trying to explain what the word "sublime" means. He's at loss trying to explain it without using something that you can see. It was such a touching scene. I didn't want the story to end. I also loved that this book brought awareness to the DeafBlind community and Usher Syndrome which is the leading genetic cause of DeafBlindness. I hope that people reading this will learn alot of DeafBlindness and ways to be more inclusive. I highly recommend everyone read this book!!!!!

The Sign for Home by Blair Fell

I really enjoyed this exciting, adventurous, entertaining, sometimes disturbing, and very heartwarming book!

The book is about Arlo, a 23-year-old DeafBlind young man, who is desperately trying to begin his adult life. He was born deaf and then slowly lost his vision also. He has been taken care of by an overprotective guardian. But when Arlo begins a college English class, his new interpreter, Cyril, unknowingly, starts to give Arlo information about how to become more independent. ‘Everyone’ is not happy about this situation, to say the least.

As the story goes on, we find out about Arlo’s past, which includes an uncomfortable situation during his high school years that his guardian wants him to forget. And, yes, it is a love interest! Of course, he can’t forget. When he finds out that ‘S’ might still be out there “somewhere,” Arlo must try to find her. And it is very exciting!

What I will say overall about this book is that I truly enjoyed learning information about American Sign Language (ASL) and tactile sign language (that Arlo had to use because he was deaf and blind). There was lots of good information about the ADA and rights and accessibility for the blind and deaf. It made me see another way of life that I was unaware of.

I highly recommend this book. I hope you enjoy getting to know Arlo and his guide dog, Snap, and the whole gang that ends up helping Arlo and ‘S!’

I'd like to thank NetGalley, Blair Fell, and Atria Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Absolutely loved this book. It is so well written. The first chapter Sniff, introduces the reader into the world of the Deaf Blind in such a unique and impactful way. The author did a fantastic job describing a DB world. I loved reading the chapters from Arlo which in turn was put into the reader’s perspective. The storyline is beautiful, sad and heroic. Well done!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

There is a lot happening in this book. I enjoyed it but I felt like there could be less going on and not so much headache.

The main character is Arlo who is a blind deaf Jehovah’s Witness, and under the strict guardianship of his controlling uncle. Due to this Arlo has missed out on a lot in life and is ready to get some freedom.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

There is a lot happening in this book. I enjoyed it but I felt like there could be less going on .

The main character is Arlo Dilly who is a blind deaf Jehovah’s Witness, and under the strict guardianship of his controlling uncle. Many years ago, at a boarding school for the Deaf, Arlo met the love of his life. Unfortunately, tragedy struck, and their love was lost forever. Now he is on a journey to find love and freedom.

After years trying to heal his broken heart, Arlo is assigned a college writing assignment which unlocks buried memories of his past. Soon he wonders if the hearing people he was supposed to trust have been lying to him all along, and if his lost love might be found again. Arlo convinces a small band of misfit friends to set off on a journey to learn the truth. After all, who better to bring on this quest than his gay interpreter, Cyril, and wildly inappropriate Belgian best friend? Despite the many forces working against him, Arlo will stop at nothing to find the girl who got away and experience all of life’s joyful possibilities.

I have to say that my favorite character is Cyril. I really enjoyed his character. I would honestly love to know what happens after the end of this book. Does Arlo get his happily ever after or does everything fall apart? What happens to Cyril and the other characters??

"The Sign for Home" by Blair Fell
a 10-STAR MUST READ for everyone
This is not an easy fun day at the beach kind of read. This is a read that will, maybe, just might, change your life. Or, at a minimum make you think twice about those with disabilities that share your world. It is their world, too. I nearly gave up on this story. I had to keep pushing myself to continue. Until about a third of the way into the story; when the threads the author was weaving began to make a fabric that I could/would wrap about myself. And I was invested in the rest of the story and couldn't put it down. IF you can only read one story this year, I strongly suggest you make it this one. It is ultimately a love story worth your time, smiles and tears. This is a novel, thus fiction, but maybe too often it comes too close to reality for some of our fellow citizens of this world. I usually end with 'Happy Reading' yet this story still brings tears and smiles to my eyes and my heart. So a big, HAPPY READING !!
NOTE: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley
This review expresses my honest opinion. I have never wished I could give 10 stars to a story before. More than 5 stars, yes, but not 10.

Rating: 4.7/5 stars

THE SIGN FOR HOME by Blair Fell is an humorous novel about a very sad situation of being under the thumb of an unscrupulous Elder of the JW church. I loved Arlo's sense of humor. Arlo, a 23 year old orphan, was raised by his Uncle, a Church Elder. Arlo is a Jehovah's Witness and is embarking on a new chapter in his life as a student at a local community college. All his life, Arlo has been under the control of his uncle. Arlo has Usher's Syndrome and is DeafBlind.

Molly, the Sign Language interpreter, is another JW. She met Arlo at the Rose Garden school and continues to work with Arlo at the community college. She wants another interpreter to work with her but Arlo decides that he wants Cyril instead. This leads to a big argument between Molly and Arlo.

Cyril is an American Sign Language interpreter. He encourages Arlo to advocate for himself. Cyril has this uncanny talent for thinking outside the box. His homosexuality is part of who he is.

Hanne is Cyril's best friend. She is Belgian and works at a coffee shop. Meanwhile, she is a nursing student. She is very perspective. Despite not knowing sign language, Hanne and Arlo strike up a friendship communicating with a special device designed for DeafBlind.

Big Head Lawrence, Martin and S are Arlo's best friends from the Deaf boarding school called the Rose Garden school. Ironically, there is not a Rose Garden. A tragedy separates the friends due to school bullying that lead to a startling event that almost destroys everyone.

Professor Lavinia Bahr is Arlo's English professor at the community college. I laughed at the meeting between Arlo and the Professor.

Content warning:
- Death of a parent
- Emotional abuse of a DeafBlind child
- School bullying
- Police brutality
- Allegations of Rape
- Selfishness of some people

Things that I liked:
- References to literature like Sherlock Holmes and Cyrano
- the humorous dialogue
- Honest look at the Deaf Community
- well developed characters
- Protactile and Haptic (I learned something new!)
- Diverse characters
- Rescue from distressing circumstances
- Gorgeous Blue cover and illustrations

Fans of LGBT and Diverse stories would love this story.










Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Esther Besler Books for the temporary loan of the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There was so much happening in this book. Overall, too much happening in this book.

I was intrigued by the DeafBlind protagonist and that story line was engaging but overrun by the secondary storylines. The other aspects of the novel (JW, queer elements, alcoholism, etc.) took away from the significance of telling the story of Arlo, and none of them were fully explored. It felt more like they were included out of necessity rather than to drive the plot forward.

I appreciated the development of Arlo throughout the novel, but his immaturity made it easy to forget that he was 23. In fact, there was little difference between his voice at 15 and his voice at 23. This made it hard to believe in the authenticity of the character.

Cyril was more believable, but the writing in his voice and Arlo’s didn’t have much difference. I felt like the writing in chapters from Cyril’s perspective should have been more distinct, but instead it still felt stilted and very similar to Arlo’s voice even though part of the focus of Arlo’s story was his development as a writer and engaging in the English language, and how it differs from ASL.

There was also very little romance in this book that’s been classified as a romance.

ARC was provided by Atria Books and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Sign for Home is a huggable book. I loooove unlikely friendship stories and this story was just that. I have to start by saying the synopsis is misleading. The looking for Arlo's "sweetheart" doesn't start until the last third of the book.

This book is a very educational, unique, beautiful piece of contemporary fiction. There is some romance in it but the main focus is, in my opinion, on Arlo and Cyril's relationship. Arlo, a 23 to DeafBlind Man, is very sheltered and forced to live somewhat a dependent life. This is because of his legal guardian, great uncle, Father Birch's distorted beliefs about keeping Arlo pure. Arlo doesn't have access to latest technology and he is not aware of his rights. Then Arlo signs up for a summer course to improve his writing skills, Cyril comes into the picture as Arlo's interpreter. Cyril doesn't rescue Arlo! He just becomes the friend Arlo needed. Cyril is conflicted about staying professional (keeping the relationship as a interpreter-consumer based one) and helping Arlo see his true potential.

Blair Felt's extensive experience in the field is apparent, He lets us take a glimpse into the life of a Deafblind person and that of an interpreter.

The part where Arlo explains why he has such a hard time writing English. Because English is not his first language. American Sign Language is. "Writing in a language that you've literally never heard is like battling monsters with your hands tied behind your back. The worst are the confusing Preposition Monsters and the giant Verb-Tense Rodents, sharp-toothed beasts who time and time again.., have eat you? Have eat-ed you? Has ate you? Have will eaten you?"

Another section where I was super moved was when Cyril was translating a poem for Arlo and the word "sublime" comes up. Arlo doesn't know the meaning of it and Cyril tries to explain but how do you do that without referring to the mountains and oceans Arlo has never seen? The whole conversation was so touching. Maybe it is the teacher in me but I thought that was a great scene.

It is not quite a 5 star read for me because the "love" is first love and it is between two teenagers. The narrator of the chapters where Arlo and his sweetheart get intimate is Arlo. A teenage boy. I didn't like being inside the mind of a teenage boy:)

This book was fantastic, about something I did not know much about. Arlo is DeafBlind and meets a new interpreter who opens his life and allows him to remember a love that Arlo believed was lost tragically in his youth. Arlo starts taking college courses and his mind starts opening up and realizing he is more capable than he realized. A heartbreaking book but also filled will optimism, friendship, and dedicated love.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book.

This book is ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* messy *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Told through alternating viewpoints, "The Sign for Home" tells the story of DeafBlind 23 year old Arlo and his gay Community College ASL interpreter, Cyril. Arlo spent his youth in a residential home for the Deaf and through short snippets, the reader learns his time there was quite traumatic. He now lives with his devout, conservative Jehovah Witness uncle who severely restricts his access to the world. His friendship with Cyril opens up a whole new world of possibility, one that allows him to dream of independence and freedom.

There's a lot going on in this story (potential spoilers!): religious trauma, homophobia, ableism, assault, child abuse, infidelity. The author clearly brings a level of knowledge and expertise to Cyril's character, as an interpreter himself. Arlo's interpreted communication is written on page in ASL syntax, with ASL idioms. I learned so much about the DeafBlind community and felt that my eyes were opened to a world completely foreign to me. However, every character in this book is a hot mess. They make impulsive, silly choices and I found myself struggling to empathize when they faced the natural consequences of their decisions. Especially towards the end, the absurdity of the plot escalated so much I felt the entire tone of the book shifted towards near comedy. Was I entertained? Yes. Did I enjoy the diverse representation? Also yes. But ultimately, I think it could have been better plotted without the excessive backdrop of trauma and with a sharper storyline.

4.5 stars

CW: death of loved ones (past, cancer), grief, alcoholism, loneliness, bullying (past), homophobia, abuse, language deprivation, paralysis resulting from fall, discussion/allegations of rape, religious shame, ableism

The Sign for Home has consumed all my thoughts for the last few days. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened next, but I also purposefully slowed down so that I could savor every word. This is such a unique and heartfelt coming of age novel. It is not a light romcom or really a romance. There is a second chance romance subplot, but the heart of the story is one of friendship, discovery, and independence.

Things I loved:
- The representation. Representation matters.
- I found the book to be very educational. I learned quite a bit about the DeafBlind community, accessibility, ASL syntax, Tactile ASL, Screen Braille Communicator (SBC), Protactile, and Haptics. I found the ethical conflicts and rules for interpreters to be especially interesting. The book inspired me to learn more and I googled terms and watched YouTube videos to better understand what the characters were doing and experiencing.
- The moments of beautiful innocence. There are quite a few heartbreaking scenes in the book, but there are also moments of great joy, wonder, and triumph. I cried during the cafeteria scene from the sheer happiness Arlo felt at experiencing that small slice of life and choice.
- The friendship between Martin, Big Head Lawrence, and Arlo. Yes, there was a lot of teen boy discussions/humor, but seeing Arlo so carefree and acting like a teen boy is what made it so wonderful.
- No one is perfect. Every character is facing their own crises and challenges and sometimes they stumble, lose their temper, or make poor choices. I may not have always agreed with the different decisions/actions, but they were certainly relatable.
- Snap. The goodest girl ever.

Things to note/consider:
- The Jehovah's Witness details were sometimes overwhelming and preachy, but I understand the role it played in contributing to Arlo's interactions and initial view of the world/society. I'm not familiar with the JW faith, so I'm unsure how accurately it was represented.
- The ending felt a bit rushed and the "plan" was pretty over the top and unbelievable. It was all a little too convenient, but I was rooting for Arlo and Cyril from the start, so it didn't bother me too much.
- I would have loved a little more exploration of Cyril's character. We got snippets here and there about his backstory, but it felt like just scratching the surface.
- The story is told in first person (Cyril) and second person (Arlo) point of view. This felt odd at first, but I got used to it very quickly.

I definitely recommend this heartwarming and ultimately uplifting novel and I look forward to reading more from Blair Fell in the future.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

"They probably know, just like I do, that our freedom is precarious and everything still might fall apart. It could, right? In real life, things don't end so happily, right? But, at the moment, we are just moving forward, swinging our white cane right, then left, dodging obstacles, taking one more step, finding our way."

Arlo Dilly is a 23 year old male who is DeafBlind due to Usher syndrome, a disease that can cause both profound deafness and blindness. He is also under the strict, tyrannical guardianship of his uncle "Brother Birch," an elder in Kingdom Hall, He is a staunch Jehovah's Witness that uses his religion to control Arlo's access to the wider world around him.

Arlo persuades his uncle to allow him to take a writing class at the local college, under the guise of better preparing him for his future missionary work with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Because of the demands of the course, he is assigned an additional interpreter to assist him in the class. Cyril takes the job, albeit reluctantly, due to a previous failure that he had with a former DeafBlind client. However, he quickly develops a relationship with Arlo, due to the dismay of Brother Birch and his longtime, fellow Jehovah Witness interpreter, Molly, who consider Cyril a "dangerous" influence because he is gay and tries to widen the narrow confines of Arlo's world.

When a college writing assignment unearths a past trauma in Arlo's life that has defined his journey, Arlo's new circle of friends including Cyril, coffee shop worker Hanne, and his writing professor, Dr. Bahr, try to figure out a way for Arlo to find freedom and to have the ability to seek out his own happily ever after.

This book is a revelation. It's a window into the world of the DeafBlind community and in that way is a necessary education. It's also a beautiful love story that is deeply felt. At times, I read it with tears streaming down my face, haunted by the complexity of emotions and the story of both Arlo and Cyril, who are each in their own ways in grief and in pain, reaching for a way out. This is a book that will become my go-to recommendation and this is a book that will stay with me.

First off, this book should not be marketed as a romance based on the last 100 pages of the book. Instead, it is an unique, coming-of-age book about friendship between a DeafBlind man named Arlo and his interpreter.

The Sign for Home starts out at a very slow-pace, which could be discouraging if not in the right mindset. Yet, I am glad I continued to read as I learned about the different types of sign languages used to communication devices and resources now available to real-life challenges for the DeafBlind community. The author, who is an ASL interpreter himself, did an amazing job educating the reader.

Arlo's journey towards independence and self-confidence may be fictional, but I do not believe he is the first disabled person to be "sheltered" from real-life by their caregivers who assumed they knew best. It should be noted that religion is brought up throughout this book as Arlo and his caregivers are Jeohovah's Witnesses and are not often portrayed in a positive light. It often me uncomfortable, but I am hoping the author included this into the story to advance the journey and to stress how sheltered/socially withdrawn Arlo was from the rest of the DeafBlind community, and not to speak ill of a religion.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @atriabook for this advanced copy. It is set to publish on 4/5/2022!

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. It left me with so many feelings. I laughed, I cried, I was frustrated, disappointed and angry.

Arlo is a 23 year old DeafBlind guy who is taking a college class. Molly is his regular interpreter who has been with him for a long time. Cyril is a middle aged gay guy who has been hired to help interpret the college class with Arlo. You can't help like Arlo as learns to navigate his new world at college.

The professor pushes Arlo to write about things that Arlo has buried. He begins to wonder if Cyril can help him find someone he used to love. This is where the fun begins.

It made me sad that so many people lied to Arlo over the last 10+ years. The caper at the end, made me laugh and if this book were a movie, it would be a fantastically hilarious scene.

I loved to see how Arlo expanded his world and learned how to be happy.

I'm always looking to read more diverse reads and when THE SIGN FOR HOME came on my radar, I was excited to learn more about DeafBlind life. The story is beautifully written, and filled with little sections on how to do certain signs. I found myself trying to teach myself how to do them whenever I came across one.

The story itself moves a bit slow, but it's incredibly moving and very powerful. Arlo's character is incredibly developed; between his life now, his past and everything in between, he is a strong character.

I didn't know much about the DeafBlind community or Jehovah's Witnesses, so it was certainly an eye-opening read.

It was 3.75/5 stars read for me, simply because the story moved a bit slow, but I enjoyed reading it.

Thank you Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Arlo, a Deaf/Blind individual who happens to be Jehovah's Witness. He gets a new sign language interpreter--Cyril, an interpreter struggling to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. They bond with one another and help each other move on in life.

This was definitely an interesting book. I'm not a fan of how the marketing is pushing it as a romance story, it is, but that's only a small part of it. Honestly, this book is more of a coming-of-age story than anything. Both Arlo & Cyril are learning to grow as people and explore more of the world and romance isn't at the forefront. I especially liked how the flashbacks were handled with Arlo's early years, it was tragic but peppered with comedic moments throughout. He is more than his disabilities and I really liked that. I know people are uncomfortable anytime the disabled have "sexual" thoughts but I mean...it's true. It's not like being disabled magically makes you asexual. There are disabled asexual people yes, but it's annoying for books revolving around disabled people to never have mentions of sex or anything it because it's A Bad Thing apparently. I liked Arlo's hilarious jumps into sex and love and felt it refreshing.

The summary mentions Arlo being part of Jehovah's Witness which made me second-guess reading this but it's not super preachy. There's definitely some religious parts in there but it's not overly positive for Arlo as a person. We see first hand how people assume the best for the disabled and "shelter" them from the rest of the world. It just so happens that his two caretakers are Jehovah's Witness and limited Arlo's interactions with the rest of the world on purpose to protect him from "evil temptations". Their religion is just used as motivation for us to understand why they thought they were doing the right thing. (Spoiler: they aren't.)

I think my only issue with the book was how there was four women in the book and all of them were shit-talked at some point by many characters. I especially hated how Cyril treated his best friend Hanne and called her a slut several times. The teacher was excessive and ridiculous and it was hard to like her because she was painted an idiot for most of the book. Hanne was my favorite character in the book, yet Cyril and everyone else (other than Arlo) treated her with suspicion. Annoying!

Still, I really enjoy seeing more books revolving around the disabled in general and the struggles they deal with. Definitely a good start! Lastly, I loved all the research put toward the technologies and interpretation techniques! The author did a fantastic job with it all and it was great to see that on the page, all well explained and explored throughout. Awesome book!

#thesignforhome by Blair Fell is profoundly moving and eye-opening coming of age and breaking free novel about a DeafBlind man and his interpreters. This is a much needed story that helps recognize life for the DeafBlind community. 📚🤓❤️

Thank you to #NetGallery and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a review