Out of Heart by Irfan Master

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 272

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 20th of April 2017 

Donating your heart is the most precious gift of all.

Adam is a teenage boy who lives with his mum and younger sister. His dad has left them although lives close by. His sister no longer speaks. His mum works two jobs. Adam feels the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

Then his grandfather dies and in doing so he donates a very precious gift - his heart. 

William is the recipient of Adam's grandfather's heart. He has no family and feels rootless and alone. In fact, he feels no particular reason to live. And then he meets Adam's family. 

William has received much, but it appears that he has much to offer Adam and his family too.

What I Have to Say 

This was a good story, but the way it was written didn't click with me. It was too arty, with all the words suddenly appearing in the text. I think that's a big reason as to why I didn't get on with it. It was easier as I got on through the story and as I began to engage with the characters, but it didn't make that much of a difference. 

I liked Adam as a character. I liked his drawing and the way he is with his sister. I also liked the graffiti and the way that Adam wanted to leave his mark on the world. How he wanted to show what was in his head to more people. 

I still think it's a bit weird how the family treated William. I mean what kind of people just accept someone who shows up on their doorstep into their home like that? But I understood it more as it went on. 

It would have been nice to connect more with this book, I think I would have really enjoyed it if I hadn't been so put off by the style. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books 

Released: 12th of January 2017 

Steffi doesn't talk, but she has so much to say.

Rhys can't hear, but he can listen.

Their love isn't a lightning strike, it's the rumbling roll of thunder.

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. 

What I Have to Say 

Another wonderful book from Sara Barnard. This one is important for different reasons than her last, but just as good and, as with Beautiful Broken Things, it featured a very strong friendship. With this book Barnard, shows us that not only can she write beautiful friendships, but she can also balance them perfectly with romance. 

The main reason I liked this book though was that it is a fantastic addition to the brilliant collection of books exploring anxiety. It shows a girl who learns how to calm her anxiety enough to talk again through her relationship with Rhys, a boy who couldn't hear her even if she did talk.

Most of the books about anxiety have messages at their heart, a part of recovery that the book explores. With Holly Bourne's Am I Normal Yet? and  Sophie Kinsella's Finding Audrey it's about accepting relapses and the ups and downs of recovery. Louise Gornell's Under Rose Tainted Skies tells us that love may seem like a cure, but really it's our strength that gets us through. And A Quiet Kind of Thunder emphasizes the need to celebrate achievements, even if they feel like failures. 

Everyone, whether they live with anxiety, know someone with anxiety or even are just looking for something good to read should get this book. It is beautiful and pure perfection. 

My thanks go to Macmillan for providing me with a copy of this book.