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deaddolphins's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Honestly, I went into this book with pretty high expectations, given its promising premise, but I walked away feeling underwhelmed. It wasn’t a complete disaster—there were some redeeming qualities—but the flaws were hard to ignore. The setup was undeniably charming, with the potential for a heartfelt, meaningful romance. However, the execution left a lot to be desired.
One of my biggest issues was with Alex's reaction to Annie. The way his thoughts were portrayed during Annie’s vulnerable moments, particularly when she was reacting to the trauma of her abuse, felt deeply inappropriate and overly romanticized. It’s hard to believe that anyone, let alone someone positioned as the hero of the story, would be so focused on her physical appearance in such a context. This not only disrupted the emotional authenticity of the scene but also felt insensitive, trivializing her trauma for the sake of forced romantic tension. It’s a misstep that made it difficult to fully invest in Alex as a character, despite his otherwise likable traits.
Then there’s Annie herself. While the narrative attempts to paint her as someone who’s been belittled and underestimated her whole life, her characterization veers too far into childishness. Rather than evoking sympathy, her behavior often felt immature to the point of discomfort, which undermined the romantic dynamic. Instead of rooting for their connection, I found myself questioning the appropriateness of it. The moments that were clearly intended to be quirky and endearing—like the egg subplot and the dollhouse—just came off as bizarre and unsettling. These elements detracted from the emotional depth the story was aiming for and instead added an odd, almost surreal layer that didn’t fit with the more serious undertones of Annie’s backstory.
That said, the book isn’t without its merits. Alex, despite the aforementioned issues, had his moments where he genuinely shined as a character. His kindness and patience in certain scenes did make him feel like solid “husband material,” and it’s clear the author was striving to create a safe, supportive partner for Annie (and we cheer that!) But even his good qualities couldn’t fully compensate for the larger narrative issues.
Ultimately, the book had a lot of potential, but the mishandling of sensitive topics, combined with inconsistent character development, left me disappointed. With a more thoughtful approach to the characters’ emotional journeys and a better balance between quirkiness and realism, this could have been a much stronger story.
One of my biggest issues was with Alex's reaction to Annie. The way his thoughts were portrayed during Annie’s vulnerable moments, particularly when she was reacting to the trauma of her abuse, felt deeply inappropriate and overly romanticized. It’s hard to believe that anyone, let alone someone positioned as the hero of the story, would be so focused on her physical appearance in such a context. This not only disrupted the emotional authenticity of the scene but also felt insensitive, trivializing her trauma for the sake of forced romantic tension. It’s a misstep that made it difficult to fully invest in Alex as a character, despite his otherwise likable traits.
Then there’s Annie herself. While the narrative attempts to paint her as someone who’s been belittled and underestimated her whole life, her characterization veers too far into childishness. Rather than evoking sympathy, her behavior often felt immature to the point of discomfort, which undermined the romantic dynamic. Instead of rooting for their connection, I found myself questioning the appropriateness of it. The moments that were clearly intended to be quirky and endearing—like the egg subplot and the dollhouse—just came off as bizarre and unsettling. These elements detracted from the emotional depth the story was aiming for and instead added an odd, almost surreal layer that didn’t fit with the more serious undertones of Annie’s backstory.
That said, the book isn’t without its merits. Alex, despite the aforementioned issues, had his moments where he genuinely shined as a character. His kindness and patience in certain scenes did make him feel like solid “husband material,” and it’s clear the author was striving to create a safe, supportive partner for Annie (and we cheer that!) But even his good qualities couldn’t fully compensate for the larger narrative issues.
Ultimately, the book had a lot of potential, but the mishandling of sensitive topics, combined with inconsistent character development, left me disappointed. With a more thoughtful approach to the characters’ emotional journeys and a better balance between quirkiness and realism, this could have been a much stronger story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Rape
ruthierose's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Ableism, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is so tragic and traumatic and I could not put it down. My one *tiny* beef is that the MMC (Alex) BLESS HIM, was maybe a little less controlled in the bedroom than I would have liked. Given everything that happens to Annie in this book (PLEASE CHECK THE CW), it seemed a little out of character that this man simply could not stop at kissing and so would not kiss his wife. This is a very small complaint about an otherwise emotionally impactful and beautiful book. OMG CHECK THE CONTENT NOTES THOUGH PLEASE FOR THE LOVE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
reclusivebookslug's review against another edition
I cannot overstate how uncomfortable and angry this book made me. Really, I should have investigated more before starting it. Considering the subject matter involved (sexual assault and intellectual disability), I would not have even attempted it had I known it was originally published in 1996 (all I saw was that the eaudio I was listening to was published in 2020). I've since heard this book described as a "product of its time" and similar sentiment, which gives an idea about how such subjects are handled. TLDR; don't read this book if you have the slightest qualms about abusing, infantilizing, or stigmatizing people with intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses.
Annie is utterly infantilized, treated as a small child due to her perceived disability, even as a grown woman. She has no autonomy or independence, to the point where she is not even permitted to bathe herself. I presume that she was not given the same education she would have had if she were not perceived as disabled. What is absolutely clear is that she was not given the knowledge or tools to protect herself; she does not know the concept of sex or rape or reproduction or how to differentiate bullying from serious threats of violence.
Her parents abuse her, although it would not have been described as such in the historical context presented. She is subject to severe corporal punishment for minor infractions. She is also fearful of punishment for behavior that should not be punished, such as attempting speech and crying when in distress. Her family makes no secret of the fact that they are ashamed of her; she is hidden away from visitors, is never permitted to go into town, and relatives avoid visiting to distance themselves from an association with her. Similarly,when she is raped, her parents main concern is their reputation and how this might affect her father's political aspirations. Everyone in their town is cruel to her, from minor teasing to throwing rocks to eventually rape, and I can't help but believe her parents are complicit in everyone's horrible treatment of her. She would not evenly be labeled as slow-witted if they had not been blind to the truth that she was deaf and so obstinate as to reject any attempts for her to communicate her true condition.
Other characters view her parents treatment of her as just and even commendable. There is something particularly infuriating about abuse perceived as normal or accepted, and I would say this is true of both the characters and the author. I expect that later in the book some if not all of her parents treatment towards her would be seen as either harmful or misguided when it is revealed that she's reallyjust deaf , but I see no hope that the thought of someone treating a woman with real intellectual disabilities the way they treated Annie would be demonized as it ought to be.
The love interest and presumably the author are also clearly anti-abortion.When it is discovered that she's fallen pregnant with his brother's child as a result of the rape, her father says he would have had her undergo an abortion (presumably without Annie's knowledge or consent, which is appalling) if he had known at an earlier stage of the pregnancy. Alex thinks that this would have been completely unacceptable on the grounds of some vague notion of the sanctity of life and because of his own personal connection to the unborn child, which he feels responsible for. But when he finds out that "madness" runs in the family and so the child had some chance of inheriting a mental illness or cognitive disability (as per the period, it's all quite vague) both Alex and Annie's father agree that the only solution is to put the child in an orphanage and ensure that the child is never adopted out. The cruelty of this is astounding and the implication that a disabled or mentally ill child is an evil that no one should have the misfortune to have to raise, but that a woman carrying this child (as a result of rape, and is to his knowledge incapable of understanding what's going on or for caring for the child) should not be permitted to terminate this pregnancy, is terrible beyond words.
Annie is utterly infantilized, treated as a small child due to her perceived disability, even as a grown woman. She has no autonomy or independence, to the point where she is not even permitted to bathe herself. I presume that she was not given the same education she would have had if she were not perceived as disabled. What is absolutely clear is that she was not given the knowledge or tools to protect herself; she does not know the concept of sex or rape or reproduction or how to differentiate bullying from serious threats of violence.
Her parents abuse her, although it would not have been described as such in the historical context presented. She is subject to severe corporal punishment for minor infractions. She is also fearful of punishment for behavior that should not be punished, such as attempting speech and crying when in distress. Her family makes no secret of the fact that they are ashamed of her; she is hidden away from visitors, is never permitted to go into town, and relatives avoid visiting to distance themselves from an association with her. Similarly,
Other characters view her parents treatment of her as just and even commendable. There is something particularly infuriating about abuse perceived as normal or accepted, and I would say this is true of both the characters and the author. I expect that later in the book some if not all of her parents treatment towards her would be seen as either harmful or misguided when it is revealed that she's really
The love interest and presumably the author are also clearly anti-abortion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape
Some of these warnings relate to things that the narrative fails to present as wrong or harmful.viscountess_black's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5/5 stars
It's a lovely story of a deaf girl, finding not only love, but also a home.
This might not be the best of love stories/novels but it has great meaning to me since it brought me out of a heavy depression years ago. Don't ask me how. The mind tends to work in curious ways.
I can only say, I love this book dearly and I hope other readers enjoy it too.
It's a lovely story of a deaf girl, finding not only love, but also a home.
This might not be the best of love stories/novels but it has great meaning to me since it brought me out of a heavy depression years ago. Don't ask me how. The mind tends to work in curious ways.
I can only say, I love this book dearly and I hope other readers enjoy it too.
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse and Rape
ivegotyourpaperback's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. The slow burn development of the romance between our hero Alex and heroine Annie was just beautiful.
The book does start out with some circumstances that are very hard to read about (please check the content warnings before going into this story), but I think the author handled it extremely well. What Annie is forced to endure instantly bonds the reader to her - I felt so invested in her life after just a few short pages. The tragedy of her life, due to the many people who continuously failed her, only fuelled my desire to keep reading because I knew she would eventually get her happy ending, and that there was no one more deserving of it than her.
While Alex did seem at times to be too good to be true, I loved his devotion to Annie so much that I could forgive him for being too perfect. Also, the dark romance lover in me wished Alex had handed his brother over to the authorities and seen Douglas hanged for what he did to Annie.
I felt the conflict between Alex and Annie was believable and the instances of miscommunication were justified.
While this book has become one of my favourites of all time, that’s not to say it’s without its faults. I do think the love scene was ill timed and probably shouldn’t have happened on the night she was reminded of one of the biggest traumas she’s ever experienced. I know I said Alex is pretty much perfect but I highly doubt he has the magical ability to screw PTSD away.
I listened to the audiobook of this story and felt the narrator did an excellent job. It was a true performance rather than just a flat reading of the text. The passion and emotion in the narrator’s voice shone through. The only problem I had was that the narrator sounded like a middle aged woman which I didn’t feel matched up with the youthfulness of Annie.
Tropes:
👰🏻♀️🤵♂️Marriage of convenience
🦻Deaf heroine
🗣Miscommunication
Content warnings:
⚠️Rape
⚠️Abuse
⚠️Victim blaming
The book does start out with some circumstances that are very hard to read about (please check the content warnings before going into this story), but I think the author handled it extremely well. What Annie is forced to endure instantly bonds the reader to her - I felt so invested in her life after just a few short pages. The tragedy of her life, due to the many people who continuously failed her, only fuelled my desire to keep reading because I knew she would eventually get her happy ending, and that there was no one more deserving of it than her.
While Alex did seem at times to be too good to be true, I loved his devotion to Annie so much that I could forgive him for being too perfect. Also, the dark romance lover in me wished Alex had handed his brother over to the authorities and seen Douglas hanged for what he did to Annie.
I felt the conflict between Alex and Annie was believable and the instances of miscommunication were justified.
While this book has become one of my favourites of all time, that’s not to say it’s without its faults. I do think the love scene was ill timed and probably shouldn’t have happened on the night she was reminded of one of the biggest traumas she’s ever experienced. I know I said Alex is pretty much perfect but I highly doubt he has the magical ability to screw PTSD away.
I listened to the audiobook of this story and felt the narrator did an excellent job. It was a true performance rather than just a flat reading of the text. The passion and emotion in the narrator’s voice shone through. The only problem I had was that the narrator sounded like a middle aged woman which I didn’t feel matched up with the youthfulness of Annie.
Tropes:
👰🏻♀️🤵♂️Marriage of convenience
🦻Deaf heroine
🗣Miscommunication
Content warnings:
⚠️Rape
⚠️Abuse
⚠️Victim blaming
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse and Rape