Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers
I’ve never been that girl that was like, oh, mmm, musicians. I’ve never been into the rock god books or genre. I can handle a book in the series but it’s like I gravitate to them. In all honesty, I kind of stay away from them.
However, this book really appealed to me. I was super eager for diversity and I kind of loved the irony. A deaf girl falls in love with a man who’s judged for his music? Talk about a love story – and I was into it…until, well I wasn’t.
Ali Collins used to be an upcoming classical musician. I would tell you what instrument she played, but I really can’t remember and I really don’t think it matters. Anyway, she is hot new player in the classical music scene, until a brain tumor causes her to lose her hearing. She’s now stuck in a physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive household with her strict, police father, until she meets Jace, the lead singer of her best friend’s favorite band. He’s a super jerk to her at first, but as they spend more time with each other – him essentially playing Prince Charming in guyliner – they learn that first impressions aren’t everything. And now with her dad on the hunt for Ali, things are about to get even more complicated. Will they overcome?
I’m really not sure what to do with this book overall. It started so ridiculously strong for me, and I found myself so enraptured with it. I absolutely loved the writer’s writing style, since there was just a natural flow to it and it was sooooo easy to binge read. I will definitely be on the lookout for another of her books, simply knowing that this girl has the ability to writer and craft a story.
I also applaud the author’s inclusion of diversity. So many times people with disabilities are thrown to the wayside in a novel or used as the token “different” person so the author can say that they had some diversity. However, I found it fascinating to have the ability to go into the mind of a soundless girl but also a great thing have a girl showcasing the deaf community in a positive light.
However, I had some major issues with it. Like, I felt like it was…too much at parts. Oh, the main character’s in an abusive home? Guess what, let’s make the other main character come from one too! Oh, Ali’s deaf? Let’s have Jace’s parents both be deaf!
Don’t get me wrong: Olivia Rivers handled all of these subjects with care and did so well. The story was just…so Wattpad it kind of hurt. It had all the elements of a Wattpad story, and I honestly felt like I was reading it off there…which wasn’t necessarily a good thing for me, since I had some bad memories from that site.
By the time I got to around page 247, I just couldn’t do it anymore and had to give up and skim the rest of the way, which was really disappointing since I felt it was soooo strong in the beginning. You also have to suspend belief a bit to make this thing fall into realistic fiction. I was also very angry about Jace’s treatment of his fans.how did he get to be where he is now by that? I guess he is the Bieber of the music world, but it made me angry that he would ever feel that way about his fans and we still had to like him because he was the main characters.
By the way, the lyrics were beautiful in this novel. Just wonderful. I could hear the songs Perfectly in my head.
I ended deciding on a three star rating. I really do believe Olivia Rivers has all the makings of a great writer and me – the pickiest about my writing styles ever – really enjoyed her ability to handle words. However, I struggled with some of the concepts presented in this book. Perhaps it was because of my negative experiences with Wattpad which led me against stories like this where everyone has to have some sort of brokenness and be some kind of special. I do really appreciate Ms. rivers for showcasing a diverse group of characters, though.
Interesting novel, just…a bit too much for a an effective follow through.
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