Skylar Brady has a plan for her life—until a car accident changes everything.Skylar knows exactly what she wants, and getting in a car accident the summer before twelfth grade isn’t supposed to be part of the plan. Although she escapes mostly unharmed, the accident has stolen more than just her hearing from her: she’s also lost the close bond she used to have with her brother.When her parents … brother.
When her parents decide to take a house-sitting job halfway across the province, it’s just one more thing that isn’t going according to plan. As the summer progresses, Skylar begins to gain confidence in herself, but as she tries to mend her relationship with her brother, she stumbles upon another hidden trauma. Suddenly, she’s keeping as many secrets as she’s struggling to uncover and creating more problems than she could ever hope to solve.
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Skylar is trying to rebuild her life after suffering a major trauma, and her family has suffered along with her. With lovely, descriptive language, Olivia Smit brings to life the challenges Skylar faces. Her sensory impressions are completely believable for someone who has had an accident leading to hearing loss, and she is re-learning how to communicate with others on many different levels. The supporting characters are as fully-fleshed-out and three-dimensional as Skylar herself, and I found myself rooting for all of them. A beautiful book about friendship, family, and learning to love oneself.
I am one of those people who love light, fluffy books. But I think that it’s good to have a balance of books that are heavier and lighter. In reality, life is hard and there has to be books that show darkness without leaving people with no hope. I think that Seeing Voices is one of those books.
Seeing Voices is about a girl who has been rendered partially deaf after a car accident. After the accident, Skylar was left feeling completely abandoned and alone especially by her older brother Mike. She ends up house sitting with her family for her aunt which leaves her stuck in a small town. Surprisingly, she ends up loving it and making new friends, one who helps her see her need for Jesus.
Seeing Voices is much heavier than my average book, but it was still really good. It had compelling and interesting characters, and a fascinating plot. I was enthralled in the book, and I liked seeing the different sibling interactions. While the book was sad, it also was hopeful. No matter what happened their family realized they needed each other. It was the kind of the book that reeled you in, and then gripped you with its realism.
Another reason I really liked Seeing Voices was because it was so real. The problems that the characters were facing were actual problems instead of “we like the same boy” problems. I actually really like those types of books, but this gave you a taste of how to solve life’s challenges.I think that one of the things that would have made me love this book even more would be to flesh out Skylar’s salvation. You didn’t really see her come to Jesus which is why I would love a second book. I would definitely recommend this book to older teens. This book does touch on some serious topics, but it leaves you with a feeling of hope.
As a homeschooling mother, I am always on the lookout for new books for my children to read. So when I had the opportunity to read this book, I knew I wanted to read this book. With interesting characters, a realistic storyline, and more, I feel this book is one that needs to be read.
When Skylar becomes deaf as a result of an accident, life changes for her entire family and especially with her brother. Nothing is the same for the family. So they go to her aunt’s home only to find out her father’s sister (the aunt) has left the country.
Arranging for a job for Skylar at the library, her aunt creates opportunities for Skylar to have a normal experience as well as make friends with Cam and Ana. They have quite a few experiences that are told in ways that are realistic and make the reader want to continue reading. The relationship between Skylar and her brother has incredible depth and caused me to react with relief when they are able to restore their relationship.
While Skylar does not feel like God cares about her, Cam and God Himself wind up grabbing her attention. I love how the author weaves the message of God’s grace and forgiveness throughout the story. Ultimately, Skylar finds she needs a relationship with God.
I would love to read the “rest of the story” or at least more of the story for these characters.
So if you have young people in your life you are looking for a book for, or you enjoy reading Young Adult Christian fiction, check out this book for yourself.
I received a copy of this book for my fair and honest review.
Wow. I loved this. The author did a wonderful job of taking bad happenings and problems become a wonderful story intertwining lives. Plus she took on hard topics and covered them with grace and ease. This was a great book to read and I can highly recommend it.
When I started this book I was intrigued. The further I went into this book I was in love. It deals with hurt and anger. But it also deals with disabilities and differences. Plus you find friendships and healing and finding your new normal.
This is a wonderful book and I can’t recommend it enough.
It is a young adult book and it’s wonderful. I don’t say that about young adult books often, but I would read a sequel or a spin-off of this one voluntarily!
A fun thing to note is that. . . . there is no romance! This is not a romance book. I repeat this is not a romance book!! In this book, you deal with a single individual, a sibling relationship, parents and family, as well as friends new and old. Look at all those relationships and not a one deals with romance! Love it!
This is a brand new author and her debut book and I have to say she hit it out of the park!
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
Ever since I heard about this book, I have been wanting to read it. And I can happily say that it was just as good as I thought it was going to be. It may even be better :). Seeing Voices is Oilvia Smit’s first book and it does not disappoint, she did a wonderful job with this book and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Seeing Voices gripped my heart, it was a book about a girl learning how to deal with the difficulty that has come up in her life and how to fight for her family. Skylar never thought that her life would end up like this, ending up in an accident before senior year. The accident took not only her hearing, but also her relationship with her brother. Now she has to learn how to gain back her confidence and hopefully fix her relationship with her brother.
I thought that Skylar was such a cool character, she was so complex and yet I felt like I could relate to her. She had gone through a horrible accident and she was now trying to figure out how to live the consequences. I really felt for her as she learned how to deal with being deaf and what it would mean for her in the future.
It was so cool to see her grow, to see her learn how to live again. But she had to learn that things will not be easy and unfortunately this accident affected her whole family. This family had to learn how to pull together after a tragic event. And how to stand by each other.
I loved the side characters. I really enjoyed reading about Skylar’s family and seeing her interact with Cam and Ana. Cam and Ana were such sweet friends, they helped Skylar grow. Characters definitely make a book, and Olivia has written great characters.
This book was amazing, Seeing Voices is one of a kind. It was such a refreshing change from many of the books that are often written for teens, that tend to be depressing. Seeing Voices had real life problems, but it had a happy and encouraging ending. I totally recommend it! I can’t wait to read more of Olivia’s writing.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
This is the first of this author I am reading and she stole my heart with this book.
This story pulled at all my heart strings. It was heartwarming, interesting, captivating in such a way that you would know you have read pages without stopping. My heart literally went out for Skylar and Mike. I felt all they were feeling; the pain, sad, loss and triumph. I love how the author wove faith into the story. It was so skillful and life changing. All the characters were relatable in one way or the other. This story like none other portrayed the love and pursuit of God like none other book I have read. The language is perfect for every age to read.
I received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.
This is such a good YA read! I almost instantly empathized with Skylar and her family’s trials. I appreciated the very raw emotions the family was going through, due to Skylar’s accident and injury. And I absolutely loved Cam and his sometimes awkward but honest conversations about God.
I cannot freely recommend this to all YA readers. It is so good for its intended audience, which I would say is more for teens in less-sheltered lives. Yes, it deals with anger, bitterness, rejection of God, and so many good subjects, but it also deals with drugs, meth, alcohol, and teen pregnancy. I thought it was super well done, portraying a very real picture (and in a negative way, not at all condoning it) without going into too many gruesome details in each subject, but teen readers should use discernment whether or not this is a fit for them.
The Christian message in this was very good when it came to a real picture of Who God is and how He doesn’t prevent bad things from happening, but He is still good, loving, and faithful. Skylar and her family are not believers, so the Christian thread was given through Cam. I don’t know if this is a book one of a series. I almost hope so, because it left things very open-ended. A plain salvation message was not presented. Instead, there was a scene where Skylar couldn’t “run away from” God’s love so big. But it was really not clear if this was supposed to be her salvation experience (in which repentance is not mentioned) or just a stepping stone to get her there. That would be the main thing I was disappointed in with this book, just because it wasn’t super clear.
All in all, I am super impressed with Olivia Smit and look forward to reading more from her someday!
*I received this book from Celebrate Lit and happily provided my honest review*
Seeing Voices is the debut novel of Olivia Smit and it is an exceptional story of family ties, lost hopes, and unexpected blessings. I loved the insights into the world of deafness; Skylar’s realization that “It’s funny, losing your hearing—you always expect the biggest surprise to be when you can’t hear what’s going on in the world around you, but for me it’s more shocking to miss the sound of my own voice”. What would it be like not to hear your own words? Not to know how your thoughts and emotions were sounding to others? And even though her hearing loss is traumatic, it is the lost companionship of her brother that hurts as much. Skylar and Mike no longer have the bond that they once had and it isn’t until much later in the story that the reasons are explained.
Seeing Voices deals with hurt and anger but in the end, it is a story of hope and resilience. I loved that during this special summer Skylar finds friendship with Cam and Ana and I especially enjoyed that she is able to work at a library! Skylar also experiences a spiritual growth and realizes that she is loved by her family and by God. “I’m not sure when I decided to believe in God, but I think I do. I just don’t know if I like it, yet”. Part of her growth can be attributed to Cam, who is young in years but very mature in his faith. As he talks to Skylar about why her accident occurred, he offers her this very profound advice about God. “He isn’t safe, not like a helmet or seat belt. His love for you isn’t easy or comfortable, but it is strong. His love for you is so strong.”
This is labeled as young adult fiction but it is a story that resonates with adults dealing with their own health issues. I enjoyed Seeing Voices and I recommend it to all who enjoy Christian fiction.
I received a copy of this book from the author and Celebrate Lit Book Tours. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.
At first I had a hard time getting into the book. I had figured out that Skylar had been in an accident but I thought the book was moving too slow. Oh how wrong I was. I’m glad I didn’t give up on this story because it is truly a powerful story about guilt, forgiveness and finding God. Skylar is dealing with an accident that has cost her more than she realized. How do you cope with suddenly losing your hearing? I liked how the author takes us on a journey where Skylar will come face to face with experiencing the love of God. I can understand why she is so angry at God. It seems like her life will never be the same and she blames God.
Many of us are familiar with the scripture that says,”What the enemy uses for bad, God will use for good.”(paraphrased) I think this is a perfect story to represent this scripture. The enemy wanted to tear a family apart. What I really liked the most about this book is watching the dynamics between Skylar and Mike. I kinda guessed that Mike felt like it was his fault about the accident. The closeness between brother and sister are fractured and Skylar sees her brother slipping away into a path of self destruction.
It was interesting to read about Skylar working at a library. I worked at a library for fifteen years and loved every minute of it. God always has a plan and Skylar working at the library had her cross paths with Cam. Now I think Cam is pivotal to the story because he made Skylar feel at ease and began to let her guard down a little. Getting to know Skylar better , Cam is able to relate to her because his sister is deaf. He is a constant in her life and shares his faith openly.
The story is a great look at what happens when an accident has a ripple affect in a family. I wondered sometimes if the parents knew how guilty Mike felt about the accident. His behavior gets out of control and that is the defining moment in the story for me. Will Mike and Skylar finally open up to each and talk about the accident? Does Cam find the right words to help Skylar see how much God loves her? It is a good story that peels away the ugliness of guilt and anger while bringing healing to the hurt.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.