Review: Sound of Silence by Mia Kerick and Raine O'Tierney

High school senior Renzy Callen hasn’t uttered a word in years. He likes being invisible to all around him; it keeps life safe and predictable. In his attic bedroom, he experiences a world far from the drama of his family. He doodles, listens to music, and contemplates the troubled souls he observes when attending self-help meetings designed for people with problems he doesn’t have. Renzy lives his life like a spectator, always on the outside of life’s games, looking in at others.
Everything changes when Seven and Morning Moreau-Maddox relocate from their glitzy lives in Paris to boring, picturesque Redcliff Hills, Missouri. Tall, platinum blond, and as put-together as a pair of European high-fashion models, the sophisticated siblings befriend Renzy, drawing him in and then pushing him away. What starts as nothing more than a means to an end for Seven, however, quickly becomes something more. Could icy-hearted Seven be thawing for the silent, quirky charm of Renzy Callen?
Determined to find the cause of Renzy’s selective mutism, the three teens set off on a road trip, during which they discover that flawless physical facades can conceal the most scarred souls, and that sometimes silence is better than golden.

We're 23 days into 2018 and I've found my first contender for favourite read of the year. Not bad huh!

Before I start the review though, I need to get something off my chest...

Beemer

Beemer

BEEMER.

Cheers, folks, thanks for letting me do that. The only thing I didn't like in this book, well, apart from the things I wasn't supposed to like, was the fact the MC called his BMW a Bimmer, - it's a Beemer. B EE M ER. Okay, I know this is merely a pronunciation difference from two different English speaking people, but...

Well, it's the only complaint I have so I can mention it, right?

Other than that shockingly jarring mispronunciation (insert winky face here) I ADORED this story!

I loved Renzy, Seven and Morning. I loved how the authors approached the topic of Renzy's mutism. I loved how they highlighted different types of abuse and neglect without it feeling like a crusade. I loved the writing style - so easy to read and lose myself in. I just loved this story.

There is a mystery element to it; a journey, I guess, as Seven drives the trio into uncovering why Renzy lost his voice. Yes, it's in part a physical journey - road trip, anyone? - but it's also a metaphorical one. One that leaves all three MC's questioning themselves. One that leaves them pushing and pulling and searching within for answers.

At first glance it seems Renzy is the one who has the biggest hurdles to overcome, the one whose life needs the most "fixing". Morning, too, has a very obvious issue to deal with... despite this, in some ways it is brash, no fucks to give Seven who is perhaps the most in need. He refuses to let anyone see his vulnerabilities, including himself. 

"Renzy is trying to take care of me when caretaking is my job."

His journey is internal and calls for self acceptance - something both Renzy and Morning have, despite the difficulties they are both dealing with.

The romance between Renzy and Seven was inevitable - and beautiful. Renzy, in his silence, taught Seven a whole new way to view the world. 

"There are many ways to say the sky is a beautiful shade of blue."

He may have been the inexperienced one, but in many ways he was also the teacher. The spark and dynamics between them was compelling; it drew me in and charmed me. I loved them together, I loved the relationship between all three characters and the romance that burgeoned between these two was the icing on the cake.

This really has been a gorgeously enjoyable book that I found hard to put down.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.