This book was absolutely delightful. Not being very aware of the DeafBlind community, this was a great eyeopening look into their culture. The story revolves around an interpreter, who is a young gay man, who becomes the translator for a DeafBlind Jehovah's Witness young man named Arlo. The story was heartwarming, kind, and very sweet. The character arcs were well-written and brought a subculture in front of me that I had never encountered. The writing was very easy to read but also imaginative as well. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Beartown and its ilk. The Sign for Home embodies the phrase "uplit" but still brings a very serious issue to the attention of the reading public - the lack of resources for many people who have a less "obvious" disability like being blind or deaf.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I so enjoyed this book! I will admit that I thought it would be more of a romance, and while it was a bit, it leaned much more towards coming of age. I loved Arlo, Cyril and his crazy friend Hanne. I think I felt every emotion while reading this, sadness, anger, frustration, hope, joy. Arlo’s growth throughout was incredibly heartwarming. The Sign for Home was eye opening and really makes you think about the things we take for granted that the deafblind community struggle with. This story also educates you about what developments have been made to help them live more independently. This all fit perfectly into the story though and never felt like the momentum was paused to provide this information. The Sign for Home is one that will stick with me for a long time, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Thank you so much @atriabooks for the digital review copy.

First of all: some sites have this tagged as a romance — I can say there is a love story, but I feel that the story as a whole is about Arlo himself. His experiences, his growth, his journey towards learning how to be more independent.

Living as a DeafBlind man with his strict uncle in a Jehovah’s Witness household, initially it felt like there was a limit to Arlo’s independence. When Arlo meets Cyril, his new interpreter, his beliefs are challenged as he gets to meet new people and finds out his old friends & first love might still be out there.

It’s very evident from the story and author’s note that Blair Fell ensured he wrote about the DeafBlind & Deaf community with the utmost care. I learned so much about these communities through this book.

When I finished this book and realized the meaning behind the title? My heart just got very mushy all over. This review doesn’t do it justice but this is such a great debut novel! Arlo is such a bright man with the sweetest heart and you’d just want to root for him.

Arlo Dilly is a young, DeafBind, Jehovah's Witness who hasn't had an easy life. After his mothers death, he goes to live with his strict, controlling Uncle. His Uncle sends him to a boarding school where Arlo meets the love of his life. After an accident that he doesn't quite understand, he is forced to leave the school without saying goodbye to his friends or his love.

Years later, after his Uncle feels like he can trust him, he allows Arlo to take a writing course at a local college. For this course Arlo needs a new interpreter. That's how he finds Cyril. They form a fast friendship when Cyril stands up for Arlo and allows him to make his own decisions. As time goes on, Arlo begins to wonder if the hearing people he's supposed to trust have been lying to him his whole life.

This is a very heartwarming coming of age story with the added complication of being DeafBlind. I appreciated how much research went into writing this book and how much I learned about the struggles in the DeafBlind community. Who knew there were so many different forms of communication when you couldn't see or hear? As a person who knows some ASL, I appreciated the descriptions, throughout the novel, of certain signs and where they originated. My favorite being the sign for home.

Thank You Atria and NetGalley for the free e-galley.
Publication Date: April 5, 2022

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Arlo Dilly is a deafblind Jehovah’s Witness who has gone through a lot but just wants to go to college and fall in love like anyone else. He has a chance to possibly meet his long lost old love with the help of his new friends.

This is tagged as romance and while romance is a big theme, I wouldn’t consider this a romance book. It’s more of a coming of age story about Arlo and also the friendship between him and his interpreter, Cyril (which is totally okay with me). The synopsis is also a little misleading because what it talks about doesn’t happen until over halfway into the book.

Going into this, I KNEW it would be way for too long and I was right about that. There’s really no reason for a contemporary coming of age novel to be so long. I kind of get why it was so long at the same time since we get Arlo’s sad backstory as well as the current timeline. I really appreciate what the author did nonetheless.

Definitely a unique book, I’ve never read a book with a Deafblind character or Jehovah’s witness.
The ASL syntax was interesting and learning how communication works for deaf/deafblind people.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this advanced copy of this book!

Super interesting read! I enjoyed learning more about ASL interpretation. I felt very connected to the characters!

Definitely loved this book! It’s a fun light read that gives you happy vibes! I highly recommend reading it with a drink in the pool!

I love coming of age stories and breaking free stories. This is one like no other that I have read before. The representation of deaf and blind community...it's about time. There were a few things here and there that may bother some readers who pick up on it. All in all though, I would be so happy to see more books that have characters representing all people. Representation truly matters.

If you are looking for a book that will really give you the opportunity to experience life vicariously like you have never experienced it before and live in another person's shoes, this book definitely fits the bill. The Sign for Home is the story of a DeafBlind man named, Arlo who has been kept under the thumb of his guardian/uncle a strict Jehovah's Witness but he can't get the memory of the girl he once loved out of his mind. When Arlo gets a new interpreter, Cyril, he starts to learn more about what he is missing out on and the things his uncle has kept from him. He begins to experience new things and take charge of his own life which leads him on a journey to find out what really happened to the girl he loved,

Arlo is a really strong drawn character and the way the book is written you really get inside his head and learn about what it is like to go through life without being able to see or hear. The story is unique and interesting and extremely touching. All in all, it is a great book.

hope @blair.fell had an amazing Pub Day for The Sign for Home.
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I absolutely love this book and would highly recommend to everyone, but especially for educators.
I learned so much! Things we don’t think about - that writing in English is essentially a second language the Deaf/DeafBlind community. Mind blown.
I loved learning about signing, tactile signing, and Deaf/ DeafBlind Culture.
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This will definitely be one of my top books for the year. It’s unique, immersive, and has moved me. I love Arlo and Cyril - they are etched into my memory banks. Read this one.
My deepest thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the ARC.

Sublime! This debut novel is funny, heart breaking and hopeful. It is told in the second person POV of Arlo Dilly, a young DeafBlind man and the first person POV of Cyril, his interpreter. I could not put this one down! Loved the characters, loved the story, and especially loved the new understanding that I have of what it might be like to be Deaf or DeafBlind. From the difficulty of understanding the English language when you can't hear it and learned to speak in ASL, to the struggles of not being able to read the facial expressions and body language of the people around you. Not to mention the day to day challenges of navigating a new place that I, as a seeing, hearing person, definitely take for granted.

Thank you to Atria Books and #NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

This book was not quite what I expected. It is the story of Arlo, a deafblind person who needs an interpreter. Cyrile is given the job and he was my favorite character. Arlo has had a sheltered upbringing and Cryile helps Arlo expand his world. I was very interested in how the deafblind communicate. I know this is a fiction book but it highlights how much they need to advocate for themselves and have someone advocate for them who they can trust. While the book was different than I expected I still enjoyed the book.

The Sign for Home by Blair Fell is a wonderful book bringing great attention to the deaf community. I loved Arlo and his quest to learn about the world outside what he’s always know. His new interpreter, Cyril, helps open his eyes to different things. He also wants to go to college and continue to learn and grow without judgement for his disability. I absolutely loved this book as it is so relevant to today's society.

#FirstLine ~ Sniff.

This book has all the feels and I loved every minute of it. I love that there is representation for the deaf and blind community through this book. Not only was this book heartwarming and funny, it was an education that I did not understand I needed until after I finished reading. I was instantly pulled into the story and I adored the characters. This is was an original, special and hopeful story. I will not soon forget this book and I am still smiling!!! Highly recommend!!

An emotional read.
Arlo is deafblind and we meet him just as he is going to start college and Cyril is joining him as a second interpreter.
You get very drawn in to the story. What happened to Arlo in the past?

Read If You Like:
❤️ Reading Inclusively
❤️ MC is a Person with a disability
❤️ Dual POV
❤️ Short Chapters
❤️ Discussion of Values/Religion

Book Review:
This book has some great features as it has dual POV from Arlo’s perspective as a deaf-blind young man, and Cyril his new Tactile ASL (TSL) interpreter. I really enjoyed the etiquette and ADA discussion in this book to get people thinking about communication and what equal access really means through Arlo’s experiences.

I do wish the change in POV would have been more clearly indicated, and honestly I felt like much of Cyril’s POV wasn’t needed as it wasn’t his story, yet we were getting things not tied to Arlo and his story in those POV sections that I felt were unnecessary and detracted from more important topics that could have been discussed further or shortened the book as it is quite long.

The MC and one of his interpreters are both Jehovah Witnesses and I didn’t realize the amount of religious discussion would be such a big part of this story, so if that’s not for you, you may want to pass on this one as it is a heavy theme.

Honestly, this book was not it for me, other than my appreciation for the inclusive storyline that kept me reading because of my line of work and feeling representation of all disabilities is greatly needed.

Oh, this book was so heartwarming, hilarious, eye-opening, and beautiful. I learned so much about being DeafBlind and their lives. I was completely fascinated and the punchy humor and quirky characters kept everything light despite the education I was receiving! Arlo is so amazing, and so is Cyril, but in a different way. Actually, every single character held such an important place in this book and I loved if not the person themselves, then the part they played. It was so interesting to me to read what Arlo was typing, and to read his point of view about language by smells alone. To be deaf, blind, gay, a Jehovah’s Witness, and under the strict guardianship of his controlling uncle all in themselves are incredibly challenging and to have an advocate like Cyril is just so wonderful and powerful. I loved watching their relationship morph and grow, and felt so emotional so many times. It was no surprise to me to learn that the author has been an ASL interpreter for the Deaf since 1993, he was able to convey absolutely every single aspect of this book so perfectly and precisely. I have no doubt that this book will win awards and will be a huge worldwide bestseller. I can see it as a film like Wonder and I hope that it will be. This book was absolutely amazing, important, and brilliant.

This story was so wonderfully written, and while I am not personally like the main character I do think the representation was done well. I love being able to see a story in a new perspective that was different than anything I had read before. This book took me on a roller-coaster of emotional, and it was amazing. So much about this book hit me right in the feels. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

"This is real access, I thought. Why can't it always be like this?"

Happiness. Frustration. Joy. Triumph. Laughter. Anger. Love.

This book made me feel all that and more. The Sign for Home really tells two stories. There is Arlo who is DeafBlind and starting a writing class at the local community college. To do so, Cyril comes on board as a secondary ASL interpreter in addition to Arlo's regular one, Molly. Cyril's story is truly interwoven here as well. He is nervous about taking on the job of helping Arlo as he had difficulty with his last tactile ASL assignment and is worried he won't be able to do the job well for Arlo.

There really is so much to unpack in this book it's hard to know where to begin. Arlo, a 23 year old man, is under the guardianship of Brother Birch - his uncle and an elder in the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall. His uncle is extremely controlling and, with Molly's help, really holds Arlo back more than Arlo realizes at the start of the book. Arlo has really had a very difficult time growing up. His stories about his mother, about his time at the Rose Garden School, and about his first love are heartbreaking and yet there is goodness there as well.

Cyril is at a difficult time in his life after experiencing his own losses and hardship. Seeing these two bond as they continue to work together and get to know one another was heartwarming. I loved their open and honest conversations...about what it was like to be a JW, what it was like to be a gay man, and what it was like to be DeafBlind. The friendship formed, despite all the obstacles they faced, had me tearing up at times and cheering at others.

I really loved the representation in this book and so deeply appreciated the different perspectives that allowed us to get to know the characters better and what it was like to work and live within the DeafBlind community. Getting to be in both Arlo's and Cyril's heads really added to the experience. While I felt a deep seething anger about how Arlo was treated at times, I couldn't help but feeling grateful that this book is now out there on shelves for others to read and learn and fall in love with. And Cyril's story just really broke my heart. I loved his character and couldn't help but wanting his win in the end.

This book really touched me deeply with its laughter and tears. I truly think it should be required reading and can see myself going to back to it again in the future to revisit these wonderful characters. The author has written about how it took years and years for him to write this story and I am so glad that he persisted. A solid 5 stars!