A Quiet Kind Of Thunder by Sara Barnard

Stefanie, or Steffi is a girl whom suffers with anxiety, introversion and selective mutism in her first year of sixth form. We know she likes to read and keep to herself from the start and is seen as invisible by other pupils until she is paired up with new student Rhys, who is deaf but Steffi and Rhys can communicate by sign language and feel comfortable in each other's company unlike the the other student's who haven't been able to really connect with Steffi at all apart from Tem.

Steffi's best friend September or Tem, who is a passionate runner and has grown up like a sister to Steffi as their lives have been interwoven by Steffi's mum helping Tem's family live safely from a refugee crisis center.

Over the course of the novel, we see the challenges sufferers of both conditions face day to day. We also see parental concern over Steffi wanting to go to university to study whilst her mum worries she won't talk to anyone and end up in a more anxious state. There is also the fact that her step brother died and he went off to university meaning he didn't see much of them at times and her dad and Lucy, his new wife missed out on some extra time with him.

The novel was super cute but also very realistic to teenage dating whether it be between Tem and Karam being one sensible, set on a path of dedicated education and one up for a party whilst pondering their future career still. Or, the situation between Steffi and Rhys, especially when want to prove to their families they can go away together on holiday safely which causes lots of concern's and conflict.

Overall, I think Steffi and Rhys are great! They gel throughout everything they go through even the few disagreements can't break these two but they do need to learn they're not burdens to each other as they each believe! We see how they both actually save each other towards the final part of the book and it was done heart stoppingly well, prepare yourselves!