Illustrated YA books are my weakness and will always remain so. Though I lack any artistic ability, cruising art installations and museums and online collections makes me so, so happy. Words will always be my favorite, but being visually engaged by images as well as words? JACKPOT. Plus You’re Welcome, Universe featured a Deaf Indian protagonist and I’m here for that even if it isn’t #ownvoices. Meanwhile, it is pretty darn good.

While doing my research in prep for this review, I stumbled upon Gardner saying her book went through multiple Deaf beta readers and interpreters for the best portrayal possible. Even before finding that nugget, it was clear in the pages of You’re Welcome, Universe how much work went into crafting it. I’m not necessarily the best judge because I’m a hearie, but Julia’s voice and her experiences as a fully Deaf girl radiate from the page. She outright confronts one of the stereotypes for Deaf people and characters as well: the idea they’re all excellent lip readers. Julia is an okay lip reader at best.

Another thing about Julia: she is not happy. The book’s cover is so bright and happy that you might assume the story will be too, but Julia spends a great deal of the novel angry. Angry at her ex-best friend for getting her kicked out of her old school, angry at whoever is adding skeletons to her street art, and angry at how her art is treated by the community at large as vandalism. Basically, angry at everything. Thankfully, she’s never truly angry at her Deafness. We don’t need yet another self-loathing disabled character.

Initially, she’s even angry at a girl she sneeringly calls Yoga Pants, a hearie girl at her new school who tries to befriend her despite knowing little ASL and occasionally saying things that unintentionally hurt Julia. YP (her name isn’t conclusively revealed) makes missteps in their growing friendship, but she tries to learn from them and commits to communicating with Julia in Julia’s own language: ASL. She’s not just The Friend either; as a fat girl in recovery from an eating disorder, she’s got her own issues and gets just as much development as Julia.

The friendship between these two is as much at the core of the novel as the street art Gardner includes in beautiful illustrations and Julia’s experiences as a Deaf girl in a hearie world. When Julia moves from calling her new friend YA mockingly to using it as a term of endearment, it’s utterly sweet and made it easier to read books with less developed female friendships.

(The nickname, by the way, comes from how she wears yoga pants to school every single day, which I call bull on. NO WAY HAVE HIGH SCHOOL DRESS CODES EASED UP ON THAT RULE IN JUST FIVE YEARS. Silly complaint is silly, so moving on…)

My major hang-up with You’re Welcome, Universe is the lacking black presence in the novel. Black culture–specifically hip hop culture–and street art like graffiti have intertwined histories, but there are no major black characters or discussions of that history. A black man Julia is certain is legendary graffiti artist Banksy makes two short appearances, but it’s generally believed Banksy is actually a white guy. Julia is Indian and (without spoiling their identity) her graffiti war opponent is white. The absence of black people from a novel with street art at its center is concerning and creates a lot to unpack. As a white woman, I simply don’t have the tools to unpack it myself.

I still want #ownvoices YA novels from Deaf people more than I want hearies writing Deaf people, but if they do their research right, I’ll still accept the latter. You’re Welcome, Universe is YA novel to remember and pass along to your friends. Broadening their reading horizons is always good and they may find a kindred soul in Julia whether they’re Deaf or a hearie.

Much angstier than I was expecting quite honestly and I hadn't realized (my fault) that the graffiti war would get so intense. Julia is an angry girl and I tend to shrink away from such characters, which is why it took more time for me to warm up to her personally, but I liked how strong she was in her convictions and passions, which was admirable.

Julia's blossoming friendship with YP is my favorite thing about this book, mostly because it's sweet and good, something Julia needs in the face of the lonely situation she's ended up in due to the unfortunate consequences of her actions. Julia is a hard shell to crack, but the way she slowly lets YP in was heartwarming, and I loved the girlfriend moments they had together. Friendships are such a valuable aspect of lives and I love that this book focuses on that, where it's the central relationship in the book, besides family. On a random side note, there's a scene where an apple pie shows up at YP's house and as an apple dessert connoisseur I died at the description.

I will admit I've never read a book that deals with deafness in such a visceral way, and it was an eye-opener. Gardner writes Julia's life so clearly and it definitely made me more aware of living as a deaf or Deaf person, such as the nuances between Julia and Jordyn. I cannot vouch for the rep of the Indian culture either, but from what I've seen from other #ownvoices reviews, it's well-rounded.

I also liked how there were some supportive and nice adults in this book, always good to see in YA. Julia may not get along with all of them, which is all too true of life as a teenager or anyone really, yet they play an active role, which is sometimes difficult to find in books. I particularly liked the way Julia's character growth is seen in her interactions with her interpreter Casey and her art teacher Mr. Katz.

The graffiti war is intense, and while I was intimidated by that, I could also sense the urgency and frustration that bled out of Julia every time she sees the mysterious art being added to her tags. Graffiti is her outlet, and having it hijacked is brutal, and I liked how the plot unraveled the mystery and tension surrounding them.

Also, the art/illustrations that go with this book are perfect. Even through reading an electronic copy, I can say the final hard copy will be so pretty. The art is as gritty and statement worthy as the rest of this book is and complements the writing quite well.

It's the small moments in YOU'RE WELCOME, UNIVERSE that kept me coming back for more. It's an amazing story of a deaf street artist and a growing friendship. It's about allowing competition to build yourself up instead of breaking you down and stretching yourself creatively. I loved taking this journey with Julia.

Talk about diversity! You’re Welcome, Universe pretty much has a corner on that market; from Julia, the deaf, Indian-American protagonist to her two moms, I loved how colorful this cast of characters was. It’s a book that really makes you think about deaf culture, and I felt like I was really immersed in this culture that I don’t know that much about. Since I’m not deaf, I can’t tell you how accurate the portrayal was, but it felt very real to me, and I loved how descriptive Whitney Gardner was.

For me, I think the biggest problem of this book lies in the fact that even though I thought she was an interesting character, Julia never fully connected with me. I didn’t really even like her very much. She has some major anger issues, which didn’t make a ton of sense to me since she seems to have a pretty great life (her moms are super supportive of her, she’s super talented, and she can make friends she just chooses not to for the most part). She had this whole “my life is so awful because I got in trouble for doing something illegal” chip on her shoulder, and I never really felt like I was rooting for her.

But maybe I’m just missing something here – graffiti isn’t really my thing either, and while I enjoyed learning more about street art and why it’s important, I don’t think I was fully engrossed on that spectrum either. So if you like graffiti and want to read about a diverse protagonist, this book might be for you.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This took me a LONG time to finish. I wasn't really into it. But I took a break, and then I came back to it, and I ended up enjoying it. The MC could be super unlikable, and I wasn't 100% cool with some of the things she did and said. BUT I did like her a lot, and I adored the relationships in this book. The one between her and her moms, and the one between her and her new friend, YP. This book had zero romance, and it had a lot of focus on Julia working through her anger and trust issues by letting someone else in. It was just about growing up and figuring out who you are, the people you want around who will not only take but give and fill your life with color. And it had SO MUCH ART, I LOVED IT. I can't wait to flip through the finished copy to see all the artwork in a way better than my kindle screen.

Rating: 3.5 Paw Prints!

There are times when I wanted to strangle the main character, Julia. This is not to say I didn't like the book, as I quite enjoyed it. I just hate the stupidity that marks so many teenagers, but as one of her moms says "you're 16, it is to be expected"

What I like about this is that the author got the deaf culture, excuse me Deaf with a capital D, as Julia pointed out. I like that her two moms are just part of the story. I like that she is into graffiti , for no other reason that that is how she does her art. And I really like herm sometimes, difficult relationship with YA (Yoga Pants, as she has dubbed her).

Though the author is not deaf, she has researched this, and communicated with those in the Deaf community, so may of the feelings Julia has ring true.

A cool book, with twists and turns, as to who is bombing her graffiti. There were clues, and it all works.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

What a fresh, interesting YA novel with a great blend of suspense, art, friendship, and personal growth!

To be honest, what made me want to review this one was the cover. I was definitely feeling the super bright colors and I needed to know what was in between those pages. And I'm so glad I picked this one up, because I was in for a special surprise!
Julia is helping out her best friend when she's caught. She's expelled and sent to a school of "hearies." Julia is Deaf and some kids treat her horribly. She hangs on to one thing: her art. She begins painting again, but soon finds herself in a war.
I LOVED the marginalized voices in this one! Julia has two moms, she's Deaf, and they're people of color. This book helps the readers learn so much about different languages, cultures, and lifestyles and I was all here for it.
I also loved the artwork. I wish I had read a final copy though to see it in its full glory. In the e-ARC the format was kind of wonky so some of it was cutoff and on different pages and it was a little annoying. I can see myself reading this again as a finished copy.
My main issue with the book was the plot. It was so S L O W and by the time it picked up, it was at the end. i wanted to see more about the back and forth from the war,by the time she strted really painting, they had already revealed who it was. I just wish I could have had a little bit more "umph" before the rushed ending.
I seem to pick up a lot of books on a whim, and normally I'm disappointed with those. But this one was a good pick. I did pretty good with picking this one. Let's see what else Gardner has up her sleeve after this book!

Posted on Goodreads.
I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
For a more in-depth review check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=ZxC2xqNtNjU

When Julia tries to defend her best friend, Jordan, by defacing school property she is thrown out of her school for the deaf and sent to a public school in the suburbs. Julia is thrown into a world that is unknown to her filled with cliques, challenging teachers, and new friends.

There were parts of this book that I really liked. The description of deaf culture was fascinating and wonderfully well written. Plus, the fact that this is a book featuring a friendship that isn't a romance and the love interest never really moves beyond a crush was refreshing. However, I found Julia annoying and extremely unlikable to the point that I would be reluctant to re-visit this story.

Overall I did not enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. I appreciated the wide arrange of diversity seen through Deaf characters, LGBT+ mothers, Indian characters, and the culture of street art, however I thought the plot and book lacked substance. It started off looking like it was going to head somewhere real, but in the end it was very much some dumb teenage drama shit that I am so over at this point in my life.

You're Welcome Universe was an interesting and fun YA contemporary. It's fast and engaging with likable diverse characters and an interesting storyline. If you are looking for a palette cleanser read with some diversity to it, check this book out.

Such a fantastic book! I'm here for the A+ diversity and seriously excellent writing.

This book was amazing. Shows what friendship is all about. That even if you have disabilities doesn't mean that you can't be human like everyone else.

A beautiful story of friendship, colors and graffiti! Recommended for its unique theme and the need of a youngster to belong.

Whitney Gardner’s debut, You’re Welcome, Universe, was a refreshing YA book that chose not to focus on romance, but on the friendship between two girls. It’s a story that’s fresh, gorgeously written and that had a lot of heart and soul to it. This might only be Gardner’s debut, but she is one author whose next book I’m already eagerly awaiting.

There was so much to love about this little book, and there’s lots I want to talk about. My number one best part about You’re Welcome, Universe was Julia. Oh this beautiful, angry and rash girl completely stole my heart away. I’ve come to realize that I want nothing to do with perfect characters. Instead, multi-dimensional, flawed girls like Julia are what I want more out of YA books, because to me, they are more relateable. Reading through Julia’s POV was particularly interesting and new to me because she is Deaf, surprisingly not a disability that I have come across a lot in books. Her deafness did not entirely define who she was and I loved that Gardner took the time to flesh out her character completely. She was fierce, witty and unapologetic. She did not mince her words and often times that got her into trouble with her loved ones. I really did love how many mistakes she made along the way, and how much she learned from them. Not to forget, her passion for art, particularly street art was infectious. Fun point, there’s lots of Julia’s artwork, done by Gardner herself, peppered throughout the story that added a whole new level to the story.

As I mentioned, there’s a lovely friendship that buds between Julia and YP, which I was obsessed with. As with Julia’s depiction, this was another element that Whitney Gardner spent her time building throughout the book. I cheered for these two and nearly burst into tears when YP decides to learn ASL, so she can communicate with Julia. There was something very sweet and genuine in their friendship, and it just made me so happy seeing Julia find someone who respected and loved her. Then, there was Julia’s bond with her moms, which was just as amazing. I loved seeing how close Julia was to them and even when she did lash out, they were always there to support her no matter what. I also want to briefly mention the rich and complex diversity You’re Welcome, Universe has. In my opinion, there was an accurate representation of an Indian American main character, a Deaf heroine and a same-sex couple. What was great about the diversity here was how it wasn’t forced or used as plot point, but it was natural and was just there. It’s obvious that Gardner has done her research because the representations came across as very tactful and respectful to me.

I know that there’s lots and lots of shiny new debuts out this year, and your TBR piles probably don’t need more books added to them, but make sure that You’re Welcome, Universe is on your lists. I don’t think you will regret reading this book because it’s just lovely in every way. Now, who do I need to beg to get Whitney Gardner’s next book in my hands ASAP?

Didn't hate this one, just didn't feel a connection to the characters. Loved the cover though. that's why i picked it up in the first place.

PLOT

The Goodreads synopsis for You’re Welcome Universe pretty much captures what this book is about so I won’t paraphrase, instead I’ll cover the themes. This book seriously had it all & then some! the result is a EPIC story you won’t want to put down. We start off with the main protagonist Julia getting into some trouble in school after she is caught using graffiti to cover up slurs on a wall aimed at her “best friend”. Julia’s intentions were good but as we all know graffiti is illegal & frowned upon. Graffiti is Julia’s way of expressing herself in a world that is very much silent to her. More importantly, she finds that in her art she can be seen in a world where she feels invisible & therefore bypassed. You’re Welcome Universe is a book about the up’s & down’s of friendships, self expression, trust, and staying true to yourself no matter what.

CHARACTERS

Our main protagonist Julia considers herself a rare anomaly & proud of it. This character is confident even when she may not feel that way on the inside. Most of the time she is speaking her mind through sign language & won’t shy away from giving her two cents when asked. I appreciated Julia’s raw & straight forward personality because we don’t see a lot of that in YA contemporaries.

"I flip Through some magazines, hoping lightning will strike, but there’s not a cloud in the sky. No one in the pages of Nylon is like me. I’m a fingerprint, an anomaly, a snowflake. Indian, Deaf, girl, two moms. You couldn’t make this shit fit in the pages of those glossy mags.”

Julia is also very loyal & expects the same in return from her friends. She doesn’t wear a hearing aide & communicates via sign language. Both of Julia’s moms are also deaf which meant that a lot of the book was also internal monologue. Julia is sarcastic & so when you’re in her head you can’t help but smile at this strong & witty gal who is navigating friendships, crushes, and the parentals while also trying to feed her passion for graffiti. what I loved most about Julia had to be her commitment to being REAL when it came to her friends/non friends & giving it to them straight! This is admirable, too many times your friends hold back for fear of losing you but its rare when you find a Julia 😉

The Parentals Mee & Ma play the role of good cop/bad cop which felt realistic, there’s always one parent who gets pegged the “strict one”. I enjoyed seeing Julia’s parents interactions & conversations as well as the cute traditions they created. There are good times & bad ones just like with any teenager but at the end of the day, their love for one another helped them overcome the challenges along the way. Julia also befriends a girl in her new school who she assigned the nickname YP (Yoga Pants) in sign language. YP is an interesting character, from the instant she meets Julia they hit it off but even they are aware of how unlikely their friendship appears. YP at the time is in the Cheerleading squad and is dating the “hot” guy in school, but YP also has a secret. I loved YP’s character, seeing her take initiative to learn sign language in order to be able to communicate with Julia stood out the most for me. Given how our story begins with a broken friendship, I was weary of YP but also happy to see Julia find a good friend. YP struggles with a hidden disorder I won’t disclose cuz spoilers but I will say that I appreciated how it was handled. I also loved Julia’s treatment of YP, she wasn’t afraid to tell her friend “you’re beautiful” & that’s quite rare. Julia cared to see YP happy & looked out for her feelings which meant a lot considering Julia herself is the opposite of sensitive. We also get to meet Julia’s interpreter Casey who sits in on all of her classes & truly cares for Julia. Casey, I felt played an important role in the sense that her presence gives the reader a taste of what it’s like for Julia to need her to communicate with other people on her behalf.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

Every once in a while I pick up a YA Contemporary that gives me all the feels & renews my interest in the genre…You’re Welcome, Universe is that book! Julia referring to herself as an anomaly/snowflake set the tone for the book. She knew she was one of a kind & that gave her a sense of pride which I loved seeing. The positive portrayal of a Indian deaf girl with 2 deaf moms…I absolutely admired & adored this fictional family.

Throughout the book we get to see some of the street art Julia so graciously shared & I enjoyed seeing the Graffiti battles on the pages. I didn’t include any of the actual images from the book because I found those to be the most fun getting to as I was reading. You want to flip the page & see what she tagged on the wall & how the mystery person who is challenging her tags with their own, responds. I also got bit nostalgic since Julia lives in NYC and the places she was visiting to tag up are places I am familiar, being born & raised here in NY. Graffitti played it’s role in this city’s history and can still be found if you’re looking…

The writing is very easy going in this book but perhaps what has resonated deeply within me is the positive messages this book sent out to overpower the negativity people with disabilities & disorders are subjected to. I couldn’t be more satisfied with our female protagonist & wish only to see more from Whitney Gardner in the near future *fingers crossed*

*Thank you RandomHouse, NetGalley, and Whitney Gardner for the opportunity to read & review You’re Welcome, Universe in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own*

Have any of my bookish peeps read You’re Welcome, Universe? Thoughts? drop your links down below if you happen to have a review ;)

I give You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner @HeyWhitney 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was one of the most educational books I've ever read about a character who was Deaf. Whitney Gardner introduces us to Julia, an Indian-American girl who was born Deaf, and through her demonstrates a great many things that stem both from her Deafness and from her racial identity.

Julia is a teenager that loves street art and is quite the accomplished artist. After using her skills to cover up a slur against her friend at their school for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, she's caught (because of said best friend) and forced to matriculate at a regular high school. That presents a whole range of complications, from getting along with her interpreter (hired by her moms and someone she's antagonistic towards) to dealing with the students and teachers who don't know how to interact with a Deaf student.

A lot of times in film or in literature, a Deaf character is portrayed as being able to lip read perfectly and communicate eloquently without any difficult between them and a hearing person. Gardner's treatment of this situation in the novel shines a light on the reality that this isn't always so and for good reason: People have accents, thus their lip movements aren't the same as everyone else's; also, American Sign Language isn't a translation of English or any other language. It is its own language, which presents some problems when Julia tries to communicate with those around her.

The characters in the book were alright, though most of the interest I had was concentrated on Julia and YP, the new friend she makes at the school she's sent to after her expulsion. There were many other characters introduced throughout the book that served purposes, but were ultimately forgettable as I found them to be, at best, really good set dressing: Mr. Katz (Julia's art teacher), Casey (Julia's interpreter), Dominic (Julia's co-worker and the temporary love interest of the friend that got her expelled), etc. Some were there as red herrings for the identity of the rival vandal in town and each was plausible up until the reveal that they weren't, at which point they faded and became much less important or visible in the narrative.

The art in the book was amazing. Since this was an e-galley, I wasn't sure whether or not there would be any included, but fortunately there was! The combination of Julia's solo pieces and then the pieces that blended her style with that of the vandal were beautiful. I peeked into a finished copy of the book and the only regret I have about the publication is that the pictures are not in color. I think that really would have added a pop.

Not having known anything about graffiti art prior to reading this book, I liked not only the art as mentioned above, but the inclusion of Julia's mentions of actual well-known graffiti artists such as Banksy. These names weren't familiar to me when I read them, but I got curious and saw some amazing work from around the world. Thank you, Whitney Gardner, for this introduction!

You're Welcome, Universe is a quick read that is a gorgeous experience that has its rough moments with a main character who doesn't take shit from anyone, won't accept pity, and finds the art in herself to share on the city streets in a unique style that's so in-your-face you'll remember it for a long time to come.