Firstly I’d like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.. it’s not my typical read but I adored it! As a hearing person it was interesting to learn about deaf culture! It opened my eyes and gave me something to think about.. Give me a sign was a wonderful easy read, it was easy to get into and I couldn’t put it down! It’s also the first book I’ve read with mostly deaf characters, I am so glad I got the opportunity to read this and there should be more books like this! It was a beautiful story about finding yourself, your community, fitting in and all the usual summer camp fun.

This was so good and so important! I loved reading about Lilah as she grew more into herself and her identity as a Hard of hearing person in society and the deaf community. I gained so much insight into deaf culture and the many obstacles deaf people face in a world that doesn’t try to represent and include them. Stories like these matter for positive representation that doesn’t view deafness as a loss but a gain. They're essential for bringing awareness that will lead to more change and empowerment. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the arc!

Thank you to Anna Sortino and Penguin for this ARC!

i feel very indifferent about this book. i loved the insight into the deaf community and thought it was nice to “see” what it was like to be hard of hearing in todays world! i unfortunately found lilah to be a bit annoying, her constantly feeling out of place and being rude when others were trying to help. maybe this was a bit too young adult for me but lilah is 17 so i thought she would be a bit more mature.

This was unlinke anything I’ve ever read before and I loved it even more because of that. From the plot, characters, signing. Everything was so beautifully written. I couldn’t get enough.

Ahh! This is everything I want in a contemporary young adult novel. Sortino weaves a beautiful story about two strong characters each in their own way, who find each other exactly when they need it. The Deaf representation is just beautiful and I wish we had more books that had seamless disability representation like this, especially by disabled authors. This is going to be the highlight of someone's summer! And the love! I read this in one sitting. Five stars recommended.

I have always absolutely loved sign language. It is an incredibly beautiful and amazing language that can be interpreted and changed in so many amazing ways (ASL, BSL, BASL, PSE, SEE, and many others). Being able to read this book was more like an honor than anything else and it has become a top 10 book for me. This book had me giddy for hours after finishing it! It was so good and written so incredibly well. The author does such an amazing job at writing about real problems the deaf and blind community face every day.

Lilah and Isaac were beautifully written and the cover art is spectacular. Everything about this book is just perfect and a must read for all YA romance readers!

balances educating the reader with a cute story really well. of course it reads little preachy at times, but it's YA! it's meant for teenagers to learn something through the art of storytelling!

it's a super solid book about the deaf/hard of hearing community. you can tell that anna put a lot of herself into the story - it reads so genuine.

thank you anna sortino and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the arc <3

A really charming summertime coming-of-age novel about fitting in, falling in love, figuring out the world, and finding a community.

As a hearing reader, this is a great introductory and accessible book about experiencing the world as a Deaf or HOH person.

I loved the summer camp vibes, the young love nostalgia, and the opportunity to learn about a culture different than mine.

I would like to hear more reviews from people within the Deaf/HOH community as it's their opinion and their experiences that matter here. So I hope publisher can get ARCs into the hands of people who can say more on that.

thanks to penguin teen for the ARC!

Give Me a Sign was a cute and fun read that gave me lots of summer camp nostalgia (even though I’ve never actually been to summer camp), and it gives readers a much-needed look into the Deaf community. Very infrequently are there main characters who are Deaf or blind, and here’s a book where the majority of the characters represent some type of minority and does a good job of showcasing the nuance of each one. So for that reason, I gave this book 3 stars.

That doesn’t mean, though, that it’s not without its flaws. As a main character, Lilah felt very one-dimensional to me. Outside of being Deaf and being into Isaac, she has very few defining characteristics. She doesn’t really do much of anything, despite being at a camp where there should be lots and lots to do. And despite this book taking place predominantly outside, there’s very little in the way of physical descriptions, or any kind of imagery. The book focused so much on teaching the reader about ASL and the Deaf community in general, which is in no way a negative thing, that the basic parts of every novel seemed to be ignored.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

5⭑

Tropes;
- friends to lovers
- summer camp
- deaf rep
- single POV
- YA

“It’s not hearing loss, it’s Deaf gain”

This book follows Deaf 17 year old Lilah who lives in a very hearing world. Has hearing parents, hearing friends, attends a mainstream school etc but struggles to fit in or keep up.

Until she attends Gray Wolf, a summer camp for the Deaf and Blind, as a counsellor. She knows very little ASL but being surrounded by people who are like her, she starts to become more comfortable and accepts herself as she is.

This was a lovely friends to lovers romance and had excellent Deaf representation in all main characters & side characters. I personally identify with Lilah a lot and got quite emotional at times reading her (very relatable to me) struggles with her deaf identity - of being stuck in the middle between the hearing and the deaf world.

I honestly wish this book had been around when I was 13 years old bc it would’ve made younger me sooo happy to read a character who I could see myself in.

The book is a great insight into living with deafness and deaf culture and one I 100% recommend. I’m

Few books give a look into the struggles of the deaf trying to navigate life in a hearing world. This novel does a wonderful job of showing how various types of deaf people adjust. Lilac, the main character, is not completely deaf. She is able to read lips as she tries to fit into two “worlds.” She struggles with her identity within the deaf community. Her job as a junior counselor at Gray Wolf Camp teaches her how to become more fluent in ASL (American Sign Language) and how to feel comfortable with who she is. She also finds happiness and romance.
Throughout the novel,, several senior counselors - Evan, Gary, Natasha, and Isaac- help guide Lilah. They are deaf, but to differing degrees. They each handle events differently as a result.
I truly really liked Give Me a Sign. I think this kind of story is long overdue. We need to understand the deaf better and dispel any misconceptions about their abilities. I am so happy that I was able to read it and I would definitely recommend it to others.

FR
En premier, je tiens à remercier NetGalley et Penguin Group pour l'envoi de cet A.R.C. (Advanced Reader Copy; je ne connais pas l'équivalent en français, sorrry !). Le livre sort le 11 juillet.
Ensuite, j'ai appris après avoir lu le livre que c'est le tout premier de l'auteure alors; bravo à elle !
Il y a quelques cw dans ce livre, mais je ne les citerai pas. Quand il sortira, ils seront trouvables très facilement sur internet.
Pour ce qui est du résumé du livre; je savais juste qu'on allait suivre une jeune fille qui est malentendante, et qu'il y allait avoir d'autres représentations avec des sourd.e.s. C'est clairement ce qui m'a motivée pour ce livre. Il faut savoir que je souffre de la maladie de Menière, et que je perds mon audition à chaque crise d'acouphène (sans compter les autres symptômes). Donc, c'est un sujet qui est très cher à mon coeur.
Et clairement.. WAOUH.
Je vais commencer par citer le défaut du livre qui m'a "embêtée"; c'est que on est sur du "adolescent" très très cliché. Cliché; pour moi. Certaines personnes trouvent ça classiques etc. Pour moi, ce sont des clichés; car je ne suis pas du tout comme ça, même quand j'étais ado'. Alors forcément, ça me "bloque" toujours un peu. Mais vraiment, ce n'était rien de très important.
Pour le reste.. Que ce livre m'a fait du bien. La représentation est TELLEMENT mais TELLEMENT importante. On en parle pas assez; à quel point les autres n'apprennent pas, ne s'éduquent pas. Que ça soit parfois juste les familles, les amis, les alentours. Les écoles aussi. Tout était bien écrit, j'étais plus que ravie.
Outre ça, ça reste un bouquin vraiment agréable et chouette à lire; avec une très belle histoire (très importante, je ne le dirai pas assez). La plume de l'auteure était vraiment "simple", dans le sens où on dévore les pages !
Bref, vous l'aurez compris, c'est un livre coup de coeur; et je suivrai de très près ce que l'auteure va faire ensuite !!

ENG
First, I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group for sending this A.R.C. . The book comes out on July 11.
Then, I learned after reading the book that it was the very first by the author then; bravo to her !
There are a few cws in this book, but I won't name them. When it comes out, they will be easily found on the internet.
As for the summary of the book; I just knew that we were going to follow a young girl who is hard of hearing, and that there were going to be other representations with deaf people. This is clearly what motivated me for this book. You should know that I suffer from Menière's disease, and that I lose my hearing with each attack of tinnitus (not counting the other symptoms). So this is a subject that is very dear to my heart.
And clearly... WOW.
I'll start by citing the flaw in the book that "bothered" me; it's that we are on the "adolescent" very very cliché. Cliché, for me. Some people will find them classic etc. For me, these are clichés; because I'm not like that at all, even when I was a teenager. So inevitably, it always "blocks" me a little. But really, it was nothing very important.
For the rest... This book did me good. Representation is SO, SO important. We don't talk about it enough; how others do not learn, do not educate themselves. How sometimes it's families, friends, surroundings. Schools too. Everything was well written, I was more than delighted.
Besides that, it's still a really nice and fun book to read; with a very beautiful story (very important, I will not say it enough). The pen of the author was really "simple", in the sense that we devour the pages !
In short, you will have understood it, it's a favorite book; and I will follow very closely what the author will do next !!

It's always a wonderful thing when you learn something when you are reading a new book. I know there are a lot of people out there with disabilities or differences than my own and it's always a pleasure to see life through their eyes.

This book really opened my eyes to the moon hearing world. Not only did I feel educated and intrigued but there was such a great story throughout the book. I've never been to camp but I can imagine this is what it's like.

I loved all the characters and Lilah and Isaac's story was wonderful. What really got me was Lilah's journey throughout the book, how she grew as a person and experiencing a deeper lol into dead culture.

Amazing read, and I would definitely read more from this author. The story flowed freely and consistently with heart and interest.

“It’s a strange realm, here in the middle.” Anna Sortino, quote from ARC.

“Give me a Sign”, by Anna Sortino (Penguin), is a sweet story about young love and finding your identity while embracing two worlds and struggling with different ways of communicating with others.
I liked how the author wrote the protagonist, Lilah, the way she’s split between two worlds and the difficulty defining herself (“Am I deaf enough?”).
Lilah’s journey to figure out who she is, while living in two worlds – the hearing one and the Deaf - is full of doubts, challenges, fears and finding things and making decisions as the journey happens.
Isaac is such a sweet, strong young man. He has a stabilizing, enlightening role in Lilah’s quest, while he also has struggles of his own.
The atmosphere of the summer camp, with its magic, enthusiasm, strong relationships and overcoming hurdles together is realistic and vibrant.
I liked how the author depicted the process of bonding, making new friends, falling in love while dealing with trouble communicating and frequent miscommunication because languages are different.
I also liked how Sortino captured the differences between being hard of hearing and Deaf and its implications in real life.
There’s a message of tolerance and empathy in a world that can be full of prejudice and intolerance. The story is also very didactic.

Drop everything and read this book! I’m obsessed with camp Gray Wolf and all its counsellors, but especially with Isaac and Lilah. This book weaves some important and interesting insight into D/deaf culture and experiences with teenage romance, a little angst and a lot of fun. This charming cast of characters each have their own personality and their own flaws. They’re experiencing relationship issues, identity crises, difficulty making friends, and all those other things we’ve all been through. It made it incredibly easy to empathise with the characters on that front but I also know this is going to be so impactful to those who are D/deaf or blind and don’t see themselves represented in books.

I liked the mix of group activities and one on one which allowed me to get to know the different characters better, even the grumpier ones. The dynamic between Bobby and Simone was also an absolute joy but the stars of the show are definitely Lilah and Isaac. Who doesn’t feel all the feels when there’s a shy boy in a book (or in real life!)? I loved watching this pair overcome their language barrier to get to know each other, as well as Lilah’s boldness in sharing her feelings with a bravery I have never shown myself.

This is a great story of friendships, coming into your own, romance and real life whilst also being a great opportunity to better understand a culture and community I don’t belong to.

All in all, a fantastic read that will leave you wanting more from Anna Sortino, immediately!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Give Me a Sign is a charming and beautiful novel about falling in love and finding your community. I adored the representation of Deaf culture and I learned so much as a hearing person. I love books that takes place in the summer so this book's setting being in a summer camp felt pretty nostalgic.

Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for Deaf and Blind kids. The people in her life don't really understand her, so she's excited to be around people who can relate to her. This book shows the large spectrum of deaf and hearing loss. There are different characteristics and events that give each character their own identity. The characters were hilarious and seriously had their own personality! Lilah sometimes feels like she isn't deaf enough so she can't really call herself deaf. Isaac reassures her that she belongs to the Deaf community just as much as he does, and only she can place herself where she is.

I loved the summer romance and dramatic moments. Lilah clearly struggles everyday with hearing people constantly giving her micro aggressions or just leaving her out of conversations. She makes new friends who are patient with her, She even practices her ASL! Learning a new language is tough but she perseveres because she is genuinely wanting to learn.

While I know I can't relate to what these characters go through, I have.a huge admiration for disabled communities and the need for more accommodations in public and among society. The story completely captivated me and the characters becoming comfortable with their identities warmed my heart.

This was a great story! I really felt like I was back at camp (even though I was a counsellor at an arts camp, and I am hearing!) This story gave such an interesting insight into the deaf community, and addressed so many things in deaf culture etc which I hadn't even thought about. Oh, and the cover - PERFECT. love it! The only thing stopping me giving this 5 stars is the dialogue. A lot of it just didn't feel very natural to me, and though that may well be due to deaf to hearing language barriers, it often didn't resonate with me as much as I would have hoped. But overall, a great read, and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a sweet YA read, with excellent deaf/Deaf representation!

GIVE ME A SIGN is a YA contemporary romance about Lilah, a teenage deaf girl, who gets a job as a camp counselor at Camp Gray Wolf, a summer camp for deaf and blind kids. The only thing is, Lilah doesn't feel "deaf enough." In the "outside world" she "passes" by using hearing aids and reading lips, but at Camp Gray Wolf, Lilah takes it upon herself to brush up on her ASL skills. It helps that another counselor, the cute baseball star Isaac, is willing to teach her.

The romance is so cute! Lilah and Isaac are fully-realized with their own wants and desires, and while the characters are flawed, it's real and relatable, and you can't help but root for them. The themes about identity and belonging is particularly resonant and the perfect coming-of-age story.

I am not a member of the deaf community, nor am I hard of hearing but my mom is though, and I think she'll be thrilled to see this kind of story in the world. Sortino doesn't hold back when it comes to laying it all down in plain English just how unaccommodating - sometimes hostile - the hearing world can be. Seeing it so plainly on the page is a breath of fresh air. Sortino writes honestly, and it's a joy to read.

This book should be on the summer reading lists of YA fans everywhere. Taking place at a summer camp, this book made me feel like I was living in a log cabin spending my days swimming in lakes and roasting marshmallows over a fire. I cannot authentically review the deaf representation in this book because I am not a part of the deaf community. I will say, however, that this book further illuminated the inequities that exist in society when it comes to accommodating people of different hearing and sight levels. The friendships and romance that occurred throughout the book were so sweet and charming; Sortino perfectly captured the beauty of forming relationships at camp, while also recognizing the fear of what happens to the relationships when camp is over.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel for an honest review. It is set to be published in July 2023.

"Give Me a Sign" by Anna Sortino is a fresh coming-of-age novel telling the story of a Deaf teenager who goes to summer camp, where she finds her community and discovers her identity.
I am not part of the Deaf community, and I admit that before picking up this book, I had never heard the phrase "Deaf pride", and I was completely unaware of so many of the obstacles and dangers that Deaf people have to deal with on a daily basis, in a world that is mostly designed for the hearing.
What can I say? I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover art, and then the writing style and the story totally captivated me; I read the second half of the book in one sitting, because by that point I couldn't put it down.
I found the characters extremely relatable - even though we live very different lives - and, even if at times there was more exposition than I would normally like in a novel, it didn't annoy me as much as it usually does, because these were things that I honestly knew nothing about, and I didn't mind too much being lectured about.
Overall, I immensely enjoyed this novel, not only for the romance, but most of all for giving me the chance to experience the world through a whole new perspective. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author, and hopefully from other Deaf writers just as talented!