Young Adult Review // Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino

Lilah is stuck in the middle. At least, that’s what having a hearing loss seems like sometimes—when you don’t feel “deaf enough” to identify as Deaf or hearing enough to meet the world’s expectations. But this summer, Lilah is ready for a change.

When Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, her plan is to brush up on her ASL. Once there, she also finds a community. There are cute British lifeguards who break hearts but not rules, a YouTuber who’s just a bit desperate for clout, the campers Lilah’s responsible for (and overwhelmed by)—and then there’s Isaac, the dreamy Deaf counselor who volunteers to help Lilah with her signing.

Romance was never on the agenda, and Lilah’s not positive Isaac likes her that way. But all signs seem to point to love. Unless she’s reading them wrong? One thing’s for sure: Lilah wanted change, and things here are certainly different than what she’s used to.

Sometimes all you're looking for is a cute summer romance and then it becomes much more impactful than you expect. I didn't care about Lilah's romance with Isaac because I had envisioned them meeting up after hours. Isaac would be teaching Lilah sign language and they would be slowly falling in love. That didn't happen which is fine. I cared more for Lilah and her thoughts and interactions with the other characters in the story. Her perspective on having hearing loss but not feeling deaf enough or hearing enough was thought-provoking. I wish there was more of a profound dramatic scene with her parents or even Blake's dad (a camper with hearing aids like Lilah) because I felt like there was a lot that needed to be said. There's nothing wrong with being hard of hearing or deaf. It is what it is; if you love someone you should be learning to communicate with them because that's love.

There was one scene that featured the climatic moment that made me think of a boy from High School who was about a year older. Miscommunication can lead to horrible events even worse than what happened in the book. I thought those serious miscommunications being addressed in the book were super important but I wish there was some resolution on the page.

Overall, I was way more interested in reading about Lilah's perspective and experiences than the romance but that worked for me. I rather focus on the important part of the story than the side romance that YA loves to add in. Worth the read.