A Quiet Kind of Thunder

By Sara Barnard

From the bestselling author of Beautiful Broken Things, Sara Barnard's A Quiet Kind of Thunder is stunning love story about the times when a whisper means more than a shout. Now with a bold cover look.

She doesn't talk.
He can't hear.
They understand each other perfectly.

Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life – she's been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He's deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she's assigned to look after him. To Rhys it doesn't matter that Steffi doesn't talk and, as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she's falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.

Love isn't always a lightning strike.
Sometimes it's the rumbling roll of thunder . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: Jan 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781509810994

Sara Barnard

Sara Barnard lives in Brighton and does all her best writing on trains. She loves books, book people and book things. She has been writing ever since she was too small to reach the 'on' switch on the family Amstrad computer. She gets her love of words from her dad, who made sure she always had books to read and introduced her to the wonders of second-hand book shops at a young age. She is the author of the bestselling Beautiful Broken Things and won the YA Book Prize for her novel Goodbye, Perfect.

Reviews for A Quiet Kind of Thunder

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

diverse teen romance ("selective" mute 17 y.o. girl with severe anxiety meets Deaf 18 y.o. in Britain)
I can't speak personally to the severe anxiety or Deaf culture, but it seemed like the author had really done her research, and the characters felt very authentic.
parental notes: includes drinking (legal at age 18 in England), and sex (Stef and Rhys eventually lose their virginity to each other, after first making sure each other gives consent; bestie Tem also has sex with her boyfriend, who turns out to have been sleeping around and who picks another girl as his girlfriend afterwards).

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a cute romance and well researched which made the story feel authentic. I liked how the author took the time to investigate British Sign Language and included some basic signs throughout the book.The characters in "A Quiet Kind of Thunder" were varied and wonderful. Steffi and Rhys were both very relatable and readers will find themselves easily empathising with them. Rhys, in particular, was a sweetheart and I adored him. He was sensitive, caring and a genuinely good person. I also liked Steffi with her compassion and awkwardness, and I loved following her emotional journey. Despite Rhys' deafness and Steffi's selective muteness and anxiety issues, both refused to be defined by their disabilities, and their romance was super sweet.However, I think the book's strength was in the various relationships, they were all so positive and honest - Rhys and Steffi, Steffi and her parents/step=parents, Rhys and his family, and Steph and Tem. Tem, Steffi's best friends was one of my favourite characters. She was so full of life and fiercely protective of Steffi.Overall, despite a slow plot at times "A Quiet Kind of Thunder" was a touching read which highlighted some important social issues.