You're Welcome, Universe

This was the first book I've ever read to my knowledge in the POV of someone who is Deaf. From the story I learned there is a difference in d/Deaf, capitalized or not, it was really interesting. I knew that ASL was it's own language with speech patterns for words but I guess I never knew how intricate it was. I enjoyed learning all of that. I've no idea if the book is own voices or not, it never says and I've never read anything saying it was. If it's not I can't say how good or bad the representation in the story, I enjoyed it but that doesn't mean it's not horrible. So if it is please point me to someone who says so, otherwise this review will stand as my opinion for now. I really liked the MC Julia, she is very headstrong and opinionated, but she also keeps her heart on her shoulder. She was very hurt by a friend and decided she doesn't need any friends. Also she has 2 moms who play a huge role in her life, both also Deaf and are very influential in getting her to be who she is. So, Julia got kicked out of her old school and is now in a new school with kids who can hear, it's hard and she doesn't know what to do. She lost her last best friend so has no intention of making new friends and in walks Yoga Pants or YP for short and they hit it off oddly well. The only annoyance I had is the fact she never has another name than YP, like what does everybody call her Bridget? No idea. Well, they start to become friends and Julia opens up to her about the one thing she really loves, art, but the illegal kind, graffiti. So Julia has been going around and tagging random places and soon someone is coming by and changing her work, she feels like she's in a graf war and doesn't know why. I really enjoyed this story, for once it wasn't about love interest and dating the enemy but making friends and figuring life out. I thought there was going to be a love interest at one point but the author really used him as a learning to expect more from the people around you, and especially yourself lesson. I didn't care for that part but it made sense. I also liked how the author was okay showing sometimes you have to burn bridges, people don't always want what's best for you, even if you want it for them you have to learn to step back and move on. Over all it was a really fast read and one I'm glad I read, and have made plans to go look for more books written from this kind of perspective.

You're Welcome Universe is such a unique and beautiful book. It's not a romance, it's a best friends-ance, about that magic when you finally find someone you click with. How you often find that person in the unlikeliest of places. And all the more surprising because the story opens with Julia being stabbed brutally in the back by her best friend, after losing everything to defend her. It's a book with a protagonist who's not defined by her gender, by her culture, by her deafness, by her parents—she's defined by the art that she throws up across the city, and by the fire that burns behind her eyes. Julia feels so real. She can smolder with guilt, seethe with hatred, burn with intensity; she can also make mistakes, hurt people, hypocritically harm herself and those who care about her. The story itself centers around her illicit and secret life as a graffiti artist, where, like at her job and her new mainstream (hearing) school, she tries to remain anonymous, until a mysterious tagger starts following her and painting over her pieces. Another thing that sets this book apart is the art. Every reveal for every big graffiti piece, even in black and white, leaves you slack-jawed. The pieces are just so big, so bold, so detailed. So beautiful. And knowing how they reflect the lives and struggles of their creators, they leave you awestruck. (I don't want to give too much away but there's even a double-reveal which I had to put down the book after, it was so moving.) The friendship that evolves between the two flawed and radically different characters is so touching and the plot is so fast-moving and high-stakes that You're Welcome, Universe becomes very difficult to put down. With some of the most interesting, strong-willed, and multifaceted characters in recent memory, vivid and personal prose, and heartstopping art spreads, this is a truly one-of-a-kind book that defies a simple summary. You owe it to yourself to read it.

I bought this book for an assignment mostly for its Deaf Culture references. In that aspect I think the book is great showing an above average Deaf girl life. Many points ring very true for the Deaf community and it can be very informative to new comers.However, The actually story line and characters are sub par. Julia, Jordyn, and YP all seem like fine characters, but never really had a true path or personality. Many instances had them contradict themselves. The story-line itself seemed to shift in many different ways as well, leaving some seems random and out of the blue I thought they ere supposed to be fantastical dreams but it actually happened. Julia, the main character, herself doesn't actually learn anything in the end. She was just as intolerable as she was in the beginning, which left me with no sympathy for her in any situation.I supposed if I were a young 10 year old again I would have thought this was a pretty good book, but considering the fact that this book has a few explicit terms I assume its geared towards older teenagers. So that leaves me confused as to who to recommend the book to.If you;re interested in a quick read just to learn a bit about Deaf Culture I would recommend, but as a story for people that don't really care about the Deaf aspect, I'd say you could recommend to young kids (if you're comfortable letting them have a bit of rebellion seeing curse words)

I'm torn in my thoughts about this book. Some really great positives but I ultimately came away disappointed.It was great to read a story that portrayed a deaf character with such authenticity (well it seemed that way to me anyway, as I'm not deaf myself I can't be certain). The book opened my eyes to a lot about the deaf world I didn't know.It also has a lot of diversity, which for me is a huge plus - a deaf MC, who is Indian and has two moms who are a involved in her life in a positive way.However I found the writing confusing a lot of times, having to re-read passages thinking I'd missed something and then realising I just didn't understand.I also found the MC way too angsty. Yes she's a teenager and yes her life isn't the easiest but life is hard for a lot of people. There's really no need to be so petty and vindictive to everyone around you. She just annoyed me too much.