This an engaging novel from an “own voices” author about a mainstreamed deaf young woman. Lilah is the hard of hearing child of hearing parents; her younger brother also has limited hearing. Lilah did not learn much sign language as a child, her parents focusing more on technology (hearing aids, mics) and lipreading to mainstream her into typical classrooms. However, the older she gets, the more she misses having the ease of communication she felt while attending Camp Grey Wolf, a camp for visually and auditorily impaired kids. Frustrated and feeling isolated by parents, friends, and teachers who do not understand how exhausting lip reading and not catching entire conversations can be, Lilah longs for a place to belong. Reminiscing about her days as a camper, she applies and is accepted as junior counselor. At camp, she gains proficiency with sign language and a sense of acceptance among other kids and teens who have disabilities, including a romance with Issac,, another deaf counselor. Lilah loves this new community, but fears she may not be deaf enough. If you aren’t hearing, but aren’t really Deaf – where do you fit in? This was a powerful novel, detailing the difficulties of coping in a world prejudiced against the deaf. There are lots of insights, such as the resentment many deaf people feel towards hearing individuals who monetize deaf culture without having to suffer the limitations of the disability. However, the author gives us all this information while still maintaining the youthful enthusiasm for a new romance and the excitement of that first bit of independence being aways from home can bring. Although this novel features older teens, it’s appropriate for middle school and up, and recommended for anyone who enjoys a summer romance. I was given an e-edition of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino.
4/5 stars.
It was a super cute friends to lovers summer camp story. I loved the deaf representation and it educated so much about deaf culture. With a touch on found families and finding personal identity, Give Me a Sign is a perfect summer read!

This one is a cute YA book about deaf and blind, although much more so deaf, culture set in a summer camp specifically aimed at inclusion for these groups. I learned a lot about deaf culture, the distinctions, what it means to be "deaf enough" or the stigma surrounding it. This one is a true YA aimed at young adults as the plot was definitely aimed at that demographic and will likely provide comfort and inclusion amongst individuals who don't often see "themselves" depicted in books and their day-to-day struggles. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Lilah has grown up in a world that makes her simultaneously feel too deaf and not deaf enough, like she's a burden for needing accommodations at school and with hearing friends and for not being fluent in sign language. But when she sees a post online that reminds her of her own Summers spent at Camp Grey Wolf--a summer camp for the deaf and blind--she shoots her shot and ends up being hired on as the camp's new junior counselor. That feeling of not belonging no matter what she does continues to plague Lilah as she gets top camp, but she makes a lot of new friends there who help her with her sign language and with learning to accept who she is, and she's given the opportunity to not only fall more in love with her community, but to also learn more about it, to advocate for herself and her needs, and to finally realize and accept that she does truly have a place in it.

Honestly, this book meant the world to me. I learned so much more about the deaf community than I've ever been able to before now, and seeing the different sides of multiple debates and what it was like not only for Lilah but for her fellow counselors such as Ethan and Isaac and Natasha. I loved getting to read about a character struggling with her identity and to feel that she fits in in a community, which can feel like such a universal struggle, but having that added layer of not feeling like she's enough for the hearing or the deaf community gave the story so much depth, especially coming from an author who is deaf and who clearly wanted to show not only one, but multiple stories of teenagers and young adults who've grown up deaf. I love this book with my whole heart and can't wait to read more from Anna Sortino in the future.

This was such a heartwarming and thought provoking novel! Give Me a Sign is part coming-of-age story and part sweet romance. It explores what it means to fit in, to struggle with identity, and to find community. I learned so much about Deaf culture and camp Gray Wolf brought back my own fond memories of summer camp. The friends to lovers slow burn romance was so sweet and captured those young love insecurities and vulnerabilities so perfectly. Lilah’s struggle with her Deaf identity was particularly emotional and I really loved her character arc and growth. Some moments in the book borderlined on preachy, but I think that had more to do with this novel being intended for a YA audience than anything else. The heavier moments were balanced well with the more lighthearted ones (though there is quite a terrifying event towards the end of the book that I found very difficult to listen to) and I’m very impressed that this was a debut.

The audiobook was really well done and Elizabeth Robbins was perfect as Lilah. I liked that the speech was sometimes muffled, which helped to understand what Lilah was experiencing.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4 stars

CW: ableism, misunderstanding and negative encounter with the police, underage drinking

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*

I had no idea what this book was about when I first saw the cover and it didn’t matter in the slightest lol I am not afraid to admit that I am someone who judges books by their covers. So when I find one that I love, I immediately decide I’m going to read it as fast as I can. And that’s exactly what I did with this one.

The main reason I wanted to read this was because my library system is getting ready for when we have a thing and I realized that we haven’t had much representation of disabilities. I thought this would be the perfect one. It DID have some moments where I felt like the author was just making things happen for the sake of telling us about it, but I still liked it. The things she wanted to tell us was important and needed to be said. It didn’t make me like it any less.

I definitely liked the characters too. It was strange to feel how much I related to her. I have been in the same position where I felt like I wasn’t enough of something and I wasn’t sure if I was enough in my identity. I still feel that way sometimes. This is a great coming of age story where she learns there’s always time to learn that there’s no wrong way to be in your identity. I didn’t know I needed to hear it until I did. I love stories that teach me something when I read them. It shows me that that book was something I needed at the time. And watching her go through her journey, although she’s almost 20 years younger than me, it helped me too.

The camp setting of this was so fun! I wanted to go to the camp lol I just thought it was fun the way she was learning and getting to know everyone. I liked the way she was trying new things to find herself while still having fun. And the romance?! Yes please! It was so cute watching them fall for each other while they play in the pool and the lake and teaching each other new things.

The narration of this was amazing too. Not only as an audio version, but also because of the way the book was written. The author tells you that it’s written like Lilah hears, so sometimes the words are missing. In the audio version you hear the muffled sounds that Lilah might hear. In the book it just blocks out the word. The irony is listening to the book and hearing the muffled sounds made it feel more real.

I hope we decide to use this in our library program. If nothing else it can show the teens how to be more inclusive and how to realize that being diverse means more than just race and ethnicity. We want to be inclusive to all and this book can help us see that.

This book was so fun and sweet and cute, and gave a really wonderful insight into what deaf and Deaf experience is like for different people. Lilah feels like she's caught in the middle of two worlds, yet feeling "not enough" for either of them. That sense of not feeling like enough and struggling to find identity is something that many readers will find relatable, and I loved watching Lilah's growth and self-discovery. I also love that this book is clearly a love letter to the Deaf community, and you can just feel that so strongly while reading it. It's a celebration of the different ways deafness can look, and more broadly showing the beauty of embracing disability rather than hiding it away as if it's a problem. Of course, it also highlights some of the struggles and prejudice many deaf people face. I think whether you're actually part of the Deaf community or someone who wants to learn more, you can find something in this book that can really touch you.

I should also say that this is also just a really fun summer camp story. There's just something that makes me smile reading about the camp shenanigans, outdoor activities, campfires, and the wild freedom of summer. And of course, the summer romance. I love that this is a romance that doesn't feel intense and submerged in drama – it's sweet and genuine and just made me smile reading it.

I really loved Lilah as a protagonist, and one of my favorite aspects was seeing her as a counselor. She's a perfect combination of somewhat awkwardly bumbling through the role, trying to figure out what she's doing, and an extremely caring, passionate role model who wants to help other kids come into their own. Her relationships with different campers is heartwarming, especially when her younger brother becomes one of those campers. I also love that even when she does deeply care, there are also times she finds some of the kids annoying, because that's truthfully how it goes in my own experience. It's all a part of what made this book the perfect combination of sweet and funny and heartwarming.

I think this is a perfect summer read (and any other time of the year, really). If you want a story that's sweet and makes you happy reading it, and/or if you want to see some good Deaf representation, this is the perfect read for you. Great characters, great romance, great humor, great story.

This is an amazing read which would help hearing people understand the perspective of a deaf teen. I would hope my hearing children would read this one. I also love that this is relatable for deaf teens.

I really enjoyed this book about a summer camp for the hard of hearing and visual disabilities. It reminded me a little bit of Sharon Draper's Out of My Heart, the second book in the Melody series where she goes to a summer camp for kids with disabilities and finally experiences what so many of her "normal" friends have always done. However, this reads a little older, and our main character is a junior counselor rather than a first-time camper.

I appreciated the deaf rep, although it's impossible to represent the full spectrum of those who are hard of hearing. Still, I learned a lot about what it's like to navigate this world as a child who has been mainstreamed with the help of a hearing aid but still doesn't hear like other people. There was a lot of discussion about what accommodations could help, not just in school, but from friends and family as they interact with them daily. I also appreciated the author taking on the more serious topic that took place in the second half of the book. This scene could be triggering for others, so just be aware that it involves a huge misunderstanding that results in the police being called.

I really liked how Lilah and Isaac's friendship developed, and how patient he was with her lack of experience with ASL. ASL is another topic that is discussed in this book, and I learned a lot about different dialects, and that if you really want to learn to communicate in ASL with those who are hard of hearing, you should learn it from one of them, rather than in a class or something you watch online.

There were two things that prevented me from giving it 5 stars. First, as much as Lilah was tired of feeling judged by her friends at school or by those who she felt thought she wasn't "deaf enough", I felt that she was constantly judging others. She had some valid reasons for feeling the way she did, but I also thought she approached a lot of people with a preconceived notion about who they were and what they thought. But I do feel that she did a lot of growing during the story, which also included giving herself grace. The other thing that gave me concern was about the drinking. There was quite a bit of underage drinking, and those in charge who were of age didn't seem to be too concerned. But it wasn't the underage drinking so much as them making her the designated driver without her knowing ahead of time, which meant she didn't have her glasses with her. (I think kids under 21 can drink with responsible adults around, at the discretion of the adults.)

Overall, I enjoyed reading this summer romance story that included some serious topics, and I will be looking for more books from this author.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and the publishers, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Don’t pay attention to the star rating bc I had to put one! (I wasn’t going to rate in this way as I decided not to finish…) I think it was a bit too young for me (in my opinion it read as a middle grade) and it was just a bit slow for what I’m looking for.

Things I loved: the summer camp vibes, camp counselor romance, sign language and deaf representation.

Someone will love this book… I could tell pretty quickly that it just wasn’t for me!

I took an ASL class at community college a while back and, even though I can only recognize the basics, I was familiar with a lot what was discussed throughout the book. From the details around Deaf culture to the difficulties of Deaf or hard of hearing people face with how much they feel the need to accommodate to the hearing world, all of this and more was very well represented in this book. I especially like how Sortino distinguished signing in her writing by italicizing the dialogue (This wasn't done all the time, but it's made clear the characters are signing when the dialogue is standard).

As for the story itself, it was fine for what it is. Outside the disabled rep, it's just a standard summer camp book. It does nothing too outstanding with the setting or characters besides them struggling with Deafness or blindness; it just makes them so one dimensional. I also found it so weird that the councilors, most of whom are underage, go out to a bar and don't make Lilah aware she's the designated driver until they got there? It doesn't help Lilah had to borrow someone else's glasses so she could almost accurately see the road. This is so irresponsible all around. This sort o stuff shouldn't be normalized.

All in all, if you're looking for good Deaf rep, that's here, but the lackluster story and questionable stuff around the drinking scene makes me hesitate to properly recommend it.

If there’s one thing the world needs it’s more Deaf representation in books! When I joined the Penguin Teen Influencer’s program, I honestly just had my eye on Ruta Sepetys’ new book, but when I saw the cover for Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino, I couldn’t pass it up!

Although I have some hearing loss, and doctors think I will eventually be deaf in my right ear, I have not had many opportunities to connect with the Deaf community. I recently started learning ASL, and I’ve wanted to find other ways to connect with people who are HoH and Deaf. Give Me a Sign popped into my life at the perfect moment (some might even say it was a sign). People frequently talk about books they love, but every now and then, we come across books we need, and this was one of those books for me.

There were many wonderful features of this book, but obviously the representation was my favorite. The protagonist, Lilah, goes to a summer camp for the deaf and blind. She attended the camp when she was younger, but returns as a counselor. At the heart of the story, Lilah struggles with her identity, feeling as if she is too deaf to fit in with hearing people, but too hearing to fit in with the Deaf community. In the end she learns that accepting who she is will be an ongoing process, full of victories and challenges at every stage of her life.

Additionally, Sortino addresses many important issues within the Deaf community. For instance, there is a hearing character who is in school to become an ASL interpreter, but she is also an influencer and basically teaches ASL in her videos. I appreciated the way this character learned from the other camp counselors. There are so many hearing influencers that profit off of Deaf culture, to the point that many Deaf influencer's are often overlooked. It was refreshing to see this character learn her lesson without being ostracized from the group. Instead of lashing out at the characters who told her that she was in the wrong, she took what they said seriously and changed her behavior.

Furthermore, the use of hearing aids, cochlear implants, and ASL was discussed throughout the novel. I enjoyed the way Sortino included a vast array of experiences in relation to the devices and language. Lilah has mixed feelings about using hearing aids; on the one hand, her hearing parents expect her to use them, and they do help her in some ways, but on the other hand, constantly trying to decipher what people are saying is exhausting, and the summer camp gives her an opportunity to be accepted regardless of whether she chooses to use hearing aids.

Likewise, Lilah’s brother is eligible for the cochlear implant surgery, but she worries that he is rushing into the decision. She has the opportunity to listen to other characters’ experiences with the devices, and sees that they are a valid option. One character explains how her family felt as if she weren’t deaf enough after going through the surgery.

The use of ASL is portrayed in a similar manner in that Lilah sees how one camper’s family is not supportive of her learning the language. Lilah herself does not have easy access to ASL outside of the summer camp.

All of these aspects shined a light on real-life issues. Sortino showed multiple sides to so many different experiences, and to have the opportunity to learn more about the Deaf community was invaluable to me. The theme of belonging that was woven into the story made it feel welcoming and the romance was cute, too. I have no doubt that there are many people that need this book in their lives.

Arc received from Netgalley for an honest review

4.5 Stars

Give Me a Sign was a book I was incredibly excited to get into.
As a hearing person who has been self studying ASL online for the past few years, I was elated to see a book about deaf characters and deaf culture.

This YA book follows Lilah who goes to summer camp as a counselor and along the way discovers a lot about herself. She questions if she's deaf enough while trying to catch up and learn more ASL with the help of some of the other counselors and campers. She finds relationships and friendships along the way, and we see some of the discrimination and ableism that deaf people may experience day to day.

There are a lot of topics that are covered in this book that show some of what deaf people experience, ranging from daily occurrences to more serious and scary situations. I've learned a lot throughout the book and despite being aware of most of them, there were still moments that made me pause and think.

I adored the romance within this book and rooted for Isaac and Lilah the entire time. We see them slowly build a relationship that I can only describe as incredibly adorable and I cheered them on as their friendship blossomed into something more.

The way the book is written puts you in Lilah's shoes. Dialogue for her is broken up at times due to her hearing. There are moments when words are cut out and you as a reader have to experience something that she does daily.
I think that was one of the most impactful parts to me, because I've never truly thought of how that must feel to be hard of hearing, and how over time it's something you simply adjust to, because sadly others choose not to adjust to you (ex. when asking to repeat oneself, people get angry or annoyed. They aren't patient or decide not to even attempt to speak to the person at all).

I'm really happy to have read such an incredible debut novel with lovable characters and important messages. I teared up at the end because I found so much beauty in this work, and I hope people who don't see themselves represented in books can read this and feel proud and confident the same way Lilah does by the end of this story.

Give Me A Sign will be releasing on July 11th, please check it out!

Anna Sortino's "Give Me a Sign" is a touching, lightly romantic story of a young woman trying to reconnect with the Deaf culture she experienced at her childhood camp. Returning to Camp Gray Wolf, Lilah, a hard-of-hearing teen, hopes to get back into using ASL by becoming a counselor at the camp she attended as a child. Though she has been mainstreamed at school and is used to being a speaking person, with the help of her hearing aids, Lilah wants to regain the little ASL she learned while at Camp Gray Wolf. She is soon immersed in the community she missed so much, making new friends, discovering new things about herself, and trying to feel comfortable with her identity. Along the way, she meets Isaac, a cute and helpful fellow counselor. Their budding friendship turns into something more.

Sortino's story is so warm and comforting. I so love the camp setting, the summer feels, and getting to feel immersed as Lilah in the Deaf community. I appreciate Sortino taking the time and effort to try to portray communication through ASL in a written format. She manages it in such a way that it doesn't feel clunky or difficult to follow. I appreciate the many moments where Sortino provides a window into Deaf culture and how ablest the world can be as experienced by those who are hard-of-hearing, deaf, or Deaf. Sortino also includes the blind in her story, as well, since Camp Gray Wolf also includes children (and staff) who are blind.

The characters in this story are really fun and varied. I liked seeing many different representations of the Deaf community through the side characters, like Natasha, Jaden, and campers. Lilah and Isaac, the two main characters, are both really interesting. I liked reading about Lilah's growth, not just through her learning of ASL, but also about how she views her place in the Deaf community. She begins the story not feeling like she can be included since she can still hear some. She doesn't feel she is "deaf enough." But over the course of the novel, she grows comfortable in connecting with her Deaf side and embracing that part of herself. Isaac is goofy and cute, but he also presents Lilah with some deep conversations. We also get to see him struggle and come through some tough situations.

I really enjoyed this book. It had so many humorous moments, but it also addresses some very serious issues, like ablism, responsibility, Deaf culture representation, and feelings of belonging. The book progresses quickly, too, which I always like because I'm a slow reader, so it was nice to feel like I needed to keep reading each time a chapter ended.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. I think it's a great way to learn a bit about Deaf culture, to see some disability representation in the YA genre, and it has a really sweet story plus romance. There's lots of humor, great summer vibes, and the story really grabs you.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a contemporary YA novel about a dead girl and how she comes to understand herself and find love. I enjoyed this novel and applaud the topic!!!! The book was a little slow at parts but loved the interaction with main character Lilah and love interest Issac.

I loved this book! I found the characters lovable and very real. Also, the summer camp setting was very immersive and it made me want to go back to summer camp!

We follow Lilah, a 17 year old who is hard of hearing and feels kind of lost. She feels not 'deaf enough' to call herself deaf, but also isn't hearing enough to meet the expectations of her in the hearing world. She decides to become counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind with the plan to brush up on her rusty ASL skills. Once there she also finds a community she hadn't found before. But her wonderful oasis is in danger of closing down permanently, and the fellow counselor she is majorly crushing on is sending mixed signals. Can she find a way save the camp AND get the guy?

This was such a heartwarming, nuanced, thoughtful look into deaf culture, all packaged through a charming, sweet, funny coming-of-age romance. I was able to get a glimpse inside a community I don't know a lot about, but the protagonist's voice, challenges, and arc were also relatable on a fundamental level. A lovely, impressive debut.

Thank you Anna Sortino, NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Give Me a Sign is Anna's YA debut novel about Deaf pride, young love and all things summer camps. Really eye opening story, definitely made me realise there is a lot to learn with regards to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Very well written too, the text flowed really nicely and I especially loved the dialogue, both spoken or signed.

Lilah is struggling with school, finding it hard and frankly just tiring to constantly advocate for herself as a hard-of-hearing person. She reminisces her time at the summer camp for the deaf and blind, Gray Wolf, and ends up asking for a position as a junior counselor there. At the camp, Lilah realises her ASL really needs some practice, and finds some extra motivation to learn when she meets one her co-councelors, Isaac.

The love story between Lilah and Isaac was so sweet! I just kept on reading, fascinated by how Lilah's life as a hard-of-hearing / Deaf person was described. There are just so many things you simply do not realise as an able-bodied person.

This book brought me back so many good memories from my own youth, I spent many summers at day camps close to home, week long themed camps with sports, hiking and scouts.

Anna Sortino is a fresh new voice bringing incredible weight and a much-needed lens to YA disability fiction. She writes a really powerful story in a fun setting grounded in camaraderie and friendship. I absolutely loved Give Me a Sign, and cannot wait to see what else Sortino has in store.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for give me a digital advance copy of Give me a Sign in exchange of an honest review.

REALMENTE DISFRUTÉ ESTA LECTURA!! Recomiendo altamente este libro, tiene un poco de todo, inclusión, amistad, romance, superación, injusticias, desafíos, etc.
Al rededor de 2 meses estaremos acompañando a la protagonista Lilah durante su verano, en un viaje de autodescubrimiento y también en su nuevo empleo como Consejera Junior en un campamento de verano. Este campamento es para niños y adolescentes sordos y ciegos, y a los ojos de la protagonista, es algo así como un oasis para quienes tienen alguna de estas condiciones.
Lilah es sorda, y muy seguido siente que no encaja con las personas oyentes (como sus padres o sus amigos de la escuela), sin embargo, a veces incluso cree que por so ser "lo suficientemente sorda", tampoco merece estar entre ellos. Vive en el limbo, ya que su diagnostico es pérdida de audición, y con audífonos logra integrarse bastante al mundo. Aun así, no es suficiente.

En el libro (own voices, porque la autora es sorda) se nos narra la visión de mundo de una chica que siente que no encaja en ninguna parte, y que aunque pone todo de sí misma para acomodarse a los demás, nadie lo hace por ella.

De alguna forma, me enamoré de esta historia. Hace un tiempo ya que la cultura sorda y su lenguaje me llaman la atención, y me generan la curiosidad de querer saber más de ella. Me hizo muy feliz este libro porque me ayudó a leer más diversidad de personas, y un poco más de las miles de formas de vida que existen. A veces nos encerramos mucho en nuestro propio mundo y no vemos lo que hay más allá. Me gustó este libro porque muestra otra realidad que es tan valiosa como otras.

Además, al final de la historia, la nota de la autora me pareció estupenda. Ella decía que cuando pequeña le hubiera gustado verse representada en alguna historia, libro o película, pero no existían. Ahora con este libro, ella espera que las niñas que leen la historias puedan verse reflejadas en la protagonista, y saber que no están solas.

En fin, se que la reseña quedó un tanto desordenada. Pero lo importante para mí aquí es que quedara claro LO BUENO QUE ES ESTE LIBRO, Give me a Sign tiene entre sus páginas una muy bella historia y personajes dignos de conocer. Te dejo invitado a leerlos!!!