When Ellie’s boarding school for the Deaf closes, Ellie (white) must finish high school in her hometown of Cincinnati. Jackson (white) is another senior at Ellie’s public high school. His recent puzzling health issues have scuttled his soccer season and his relationship with his former teammates. Assigned to show Ellie around school, the two slowly hit it off. Ellie, who has a hearing aid and a cochlear implant, is most comfortable with sign language, but one of her new interpreters doesn’t always convey Ellie’s thoughts accurately. Ellie is also viewed skeptically by her new classmates, who’ve heard her speak and wonder if she’s truly deaf. At home, Ellie’s parents have never bothered to learn sign language and get upset when she removes her hearing aid and cochlear receiver, compounding Ellie’s frustration. Jackson, working to learn signs, is one bright spot in all the change. Romance is just beginning to blossom when Jackson’s health takes a dramatic turn, and he’s diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). As Jackson adjusts to this new reality and learns more about life with MS, Ellie gains new confidence and independence as she finds Deaf community. Each is figuring big things out but also realizing that they don’t want to give up on their relationship. This compelling novel illuminates dimensions of disability experience, including the frustration of ignorance and importance of community for each of the main characters.

A hopeful novel about love, disability, and the inevitability of change by the author of Give Me a Sign.

“Poignant, romantic, and deeply heartfelt.” —Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be

Ellie’s Deaf boarding school just shut down, forcing her to leave the place she considered home and return to her hearing family. But being mainstreamed into public school isn't exactly easy. So her guidance counselor pairs her with Jackson, a student who’s supposed to help her adjust. Can the boy who tries to say the right things, and gets it all wrong, be the lifeline Ellie needs?

Jackson has been avoiding his teammates ever since some numbness in his legs cost them an important soccer match. With his senior year off to a lonely start, he’s intrigued when he’s asked to help the new girl, initially thinking it will be a commendable move on his part. Little does he know Ellie will soon be the person he wants most by his side when the strange symptoms he’s experiencing amount to a life-changing diagnosis.

Exploring what it means to build community, Anna Sortino pens a story about the fear of the unknown and the beauty of the unexpected, all wrapped up in a poignant romance that will break your heart and put it back together again.

"Tender, honest, and utterly human." —Adib Khorram, award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay