Give Me a Sign follows Lilah, a teen who is struggling with being stuck in the middle of not feeling “deaf enough” to identify as Deaf or hearing enough to meet the world’s rigid expectations. Lilah is ready for change and applies to be a counselor at Camp Grey Wolf, a summer camp for deaf and blind youth. Here, she hopes to brush up on her ASL and find community. Shortly after arriving, Lilah meets Isaac, a dreamy deaf counselor who is eager to help her with her signing, and though romance is not in her plan, Lilah is looking for change, and life at Camp Grey Wolf is definitely not what she expected.  

If you are a fan of Jenny Han, Kasie West, or Sandhya Menon, I think you will absolutely love Give Me a Sign, a joyful young adult romance that highlights Deaf pride and culture while tactfully shining light on some of the traumas that Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals face. Full of emotion, summer camp nostalgia, and found community, this coming-of-age story is bound to hit you in all the right feels.  

Reading this for the second time, I enjoyed it even more. I feel like this is a truly original story and something we need more of. I love traveling back to summer camp and spending time with the campers. 

Though the romance was fast-acting, I still thought it was cute, especially for a YA romance. The show-stoppers for me were the amazing representation, the brutal truth of police interactions for folks with disabilities, and MacKenzie. I thought the way Anna Sortino used MacKenzie's character to show privilege, harmful arrogance and allyship, and growth was fantastic. 

Overall, this is a book that will bring readers back to summer camp with a cute romance, tough topics handled in an elegant and age-appropriate way, and ample self-growth from all characters.