I'm back with a classic memoir read, this one is about a young man, who discovered that he is going to eventually be completely deaf. He has always loved music and music has influenced his life. But when he falls in love for the first time and finds out, he has Hay's condition, caused by a tumor, as soon as he falls in love, he realizes how important his hearing is. you travel through Matt life through songs that brings him back to different moments, while learning about his condition and some obstacles that he and his family have fought or overcome to regain his hearing in lust for life.

I enjoyed hearing Matt in this audiobook, it was very powerful. He himself and is an amazing person and his family seems to be just as incredible as he is. It took me a little bit to get into this one, but once I was a couple chapters in it was hard to take me away from it. You feel connected to Matt while he reads. I give this one a 3/5

What a moving story. I learned so much about hearing loss and deafness. I love that the audiobook is read by the author.

What a stunning autobiography! Matt Hay tells his story beautifully, and delivers a marvelous performance in the audio version of Soundtrack of Silence: Love, Loss, and a Playlist for Life.

Just recently I was having that old conversation with my adult daughter: If you had to give up one of your senses, what would it be? Well, me being an avid reader, I simply couldn't imagine living without reading. My daughter, however, is a huge music lover and said it would be the worst thing to never again hear her favorite songs.

Matt Hay definitely gets his message across in the early part of the book, with the way he blends his growing hearing loss with his passion for music, and his fears of never being able to enjoy listening to his favorites again. He perfectly parallels lyrics with pivotal moments in his life throughout his journey.

Hay also explains the medical reasons behind every step of his experience, but keeps this part easy to understand, and it doesn't overwhelm the book at all.

I found Soundtrack of Silence to be moving, inspirational, and uplifting. Hay has a great sense of humor, and managed to make lemonade out of a whole housefull of lemons. Bravo!

This was really interesting and emotional and informative, however I think the title and synopsis sets up false expectations. The majority of the book deals with Hay's upbringing and diagnosis, as well as getting to know his girlfriend. Only a small portion deals with him making a playlist to remember. Still a good book but maybe needed some.editing down or just renaming.

As the daughter of a lyricist, my life has definitely had a soundtrack. I have occasionally thought which sense I would least like to lose, sight or hearing, and it's definitely hearing. I can't imagine dealing with what Matt went through with his NF2. I love that he tells his story so openly and doesn't sugarcoat, especially dealing with his relationship with his wife. A very special lady--maybe she'll write her side of the story someday!

Anyway, I loved the way that he wove song lyrics into his story and how hard he worked to make sure he would be able to remember his most important songs. And I loved that he was able to narrate his own story--definitely wouldn't have been the same hearing it from someone else.

With all that love--definitely 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to preview this title in exchange for an honest review.

Matt has a life long journey that he talk about in this memoir , from childhood to adulthood . I listened to audio so I could hear his words in his own voice , it was moving and profound .

Dear Soundtrack of Silence,
I was so fascinated by Matt Hay's story. It was powerful, and heartbreaking. I personally could not imagine knowing that I would slowly and eventually become completely deaf, with no chance of it ever returning. I loved experiencing the persistence that he faced his medical diagnosis with. I think the most impactful part for me is that he admitted to many of the missteps that he made, and that he has taken the time to reflect on the way he treated his wife and how he compensated for his hearing loss in other ways in his life. The music was a wonderful addition and the perfect vehicle to drive this story

I received this wonderful audiobook as an advanced reader's copy from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio. I may not have picked this book up so quickly without their generosity, and I'm so thankful to them.

Matt Hay grew up hearing impaired, and this is a picture of his life so far. Due to a rare genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis (NF2), Matt gradually became completely deaf at a relatively young age. He reads his own incredible memoir, in his wonderfully unique and upbeat voice -- which he would like to point out, is as close to a "hearing person's voice" as he can possibly get. He has been through so much, and wrote about his diagnoses, his many surgeries, his multiple recoveries, and his absolute victories, in a way that made something unfathomable, more clear.

He shares his story with wit and lyrics from songs that he memorized before becoming completely deaf. We're talking, can't even hear his devoted wife Nora softly snoring next to him. The lyrics he shares inside each chapter are perfect and recognizable, and I truly believed they helped shape his story for me. I got chills from certain lyrics he sprinkled in.

I started listening to Matt's audiobook, not knowing that he grew up in the same state as I did. He was very relatable, growing up in small-town Indiana with hard working folks, going to college at Indiana University in Bloomington, which we know has an incredible medical program. He speaks about Nora, also a born-and-bred Hoosier, whom he met young, and knew she was the one instantly. I loved their story. She is as iron-clad as they come. I could feel their devotion to each other in this story. There were some pearls of wisdom for marriage sprinkled in throughout as well. He states that their marriage took some hits because of the things that they went through together -- but they did it TOGETHER. He compares working on a marriage to "not abandoning a car on the side of the road" if it veers off track. You get it back on the road and you get it fixed.

I am beyond grateful to have read this book, and I will be recommending it to friends. A truly inspirational story.

"Soundtrack of Silence: Love, Loss and a Playlist for Life" by Matt Hay is a great memoir! I laughed. I cried. I felt sorry for him and proud of him and happy for him. It is very well written and well told in his own voice, which is clear and easy to understand. The challenges this man went through are astonishing. He grew up hard of hearing, and it only got worse. He eventually found out it was caused by brain tumors pressing on his auditory nerves, called NF2. He found out he would eventually go deaf. After each surgery, he had major side effects, which required lots of physical rehab and time.
Matt realized how important music was to him, and he feared losing the sound when he went deaf. He spent a lot of time memorizing his playlist of favorite and important songs. He quoted bits of many songs that are in his playlist. He encourages us to create our own playlists of the songs of our lives. I'm working on mine.

I could empathize with having an eye operation and how you need to be awake during it, which is not easy!

I highly recommend this memoir to those who appreciate memoirs and nonfiction. He has many challenges, but he overcomes them with great effort and thrives. It is very inspiring!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio from St. Martin's Press and Matt Hay, for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Even though going deaf sounds horrible, this felt like a pretty lighthearted memoir. I thought the narration was good, and tying memories to music was a unique viewpoint I haven't read before.

A memoir of a man living with NF2, this memoir was beautiful and heartwarming and devastating all at once. Matt lets the reader into his life and his heart, showing all of his thoughts. I was lucky enough to receive an advance version of the audiobook, narrated by Matt himself. In affirmation of what Matt mentions often throughout this memoir, he absolutely does not have problems with monitoring his volume and pronunciation. Without going into much detail, this memoir is one that needs to be experienced, especially as an audiobook, something that is less ironic and more of a testament to the journey Matt Hay has taken.

The Soundtrack of Silence by Matt Hay is a memoir of a young man who loses his hearing at a pivotal point in his young adulthood.

I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by the author. I thought he did a great job telling his story. I felt invested in his journey and it gave me a lot to think about regarding the experience of those in the hard of hearing/Deaf community.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me an audiobook ARC in return for an honest review. This book was published on 1/9/24.

This is one of the most inspiring memoirs I have ever read. Though it dealt with some difficult topics, I couldn't help but admire the author's determination to overcome the many medical hurdles he encountered. He gives a lot of the credit to his wife Nora who was there with him every step of the way. Having lived with a deaf roommate and older relatives who were hard of hearing, I could relate to some of his issues. What initially drew me to this book was the way he connected particular songs to the pivotal moments in his life. I have always done that myself and feel that music definitely plays an important role in the memorization process.

This was a touching and inspiring portrayal of one man’s journey through hearing loss and his seemingly insurmountable odds. Well written, funny and heartfelt. Hay’s depictions of his life with these challenges really opened my eyes and heart to those who struggle with the same. I learned something new and found more compassion for others in his circumstances, and isn’t that what we want from a good story? I truly enjoyed listening to this, and found the audiobook narration by the author himself even more impactful.

This book was excellent and engaging. The narration (by the author) really draws you in since it’s so authentic. Feels like sitting down in a one on one conversation. Matt shares his story of loosing his hearing. How does on prepare for the inevitable? He shares through the lens of music. Committing music to memory, so he can hold those memories to his heart. It is fascinating how music helped him learn to teach his brain how to mechanical sound from his hearing device.

It’s helpful to hear the day to day challenges of a hard of hearing, or deaf, person. It’s so much more than simply no sound. How it impacts sleep, balance, awareness, marriage, parenting, etc

I’m glad I picked up this book!

This is a journey that is close to my heart and my families heart. So this was a memoir that I wanted to read/listen to. I don’t think it’s easy to understand what it is like to lose a sense. Very emotional and moving

Thank you for an advanced copy of this audiobook! I have read several memoirs and stories about people who are born deaf, but never from someone who loses their hearing. I found Matt's journey very captivating and moving. The story was told very honestly, and I enjoyed all of the musical references. The audiobook narration was done very well.

I enjoyed every moment of this moving, emotional, heartfelt memoir. The author shares his journey from denial to acceptance and everything that he went through along his journey thus far. The myriad day to day issues, life altering surgeries, work and loss of it, home life, children and just navigating the world while dealing with everything. It is honest, smart, witty, educational and filled with amazing music. This is one of the best memoirs I’ve read/listened too. The author narrated this and it was wonderful.

Thank you to both MacMillan Audio and St Martin's Press for review copies of this engaging memoir. Soundtrack of Silence is a charming love story that is grounded in many touch points for people like me who love music, hear a song and link it to specific memories, who make playlists that are more than favorite songs but playlists with a theme/milestone in mind. Soundtrack of Silence is also an excellent read for those seeking a disability awareness memoir as it focuses on hearing loss and experiences of individuals who are deaf. I loved the focus on remembering music as a way to remember important moments, of parts of self and relationships, and simply the chance to be a part of understanding the journey of hearing loss and Matt Hay's story.

The audiobook is narrated by the author himself, which is important for more fully embracing the book as well as reminding us that inclusion in audiobook narration matters too. I appreciated the chance to listen to parts of this memoir as well as read the review ebook.

A moving memoir of one man's slow journey to total hearing loss, experience with cochlear implants and how it all affected his relationship with his wife and experience as a father. Heartfelt and great on audio read by the author himself. This was a great look at what its like to go through hearing loss and the varied way it affected his life, from mourning being able to fully hear music, chronic pain, high doctor/hospital fees and much more. A perfect memoir to read during Disability December month! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!