**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**How to Say I love You out Loud is one of those books that somehow manages to be a really cute romance and read, a tearjerker, as well as something really important and special. I just have so much love for this book. I think everyone needs to read it. It is about Jordyn and her brother Phillip. Phillip is autistic and for unforseen circumstances, he has to start going to Jordyn's school. Make no mistake, this book is aout Jordyn and her personal journey but Phillip defines Jordyn. (at least she feels that way.) How to Say I love you Out Loud at first glance is a book about Jordyn and her crush Alex, but once you start reading, you realize it is so, so much more than that. It is a really beautiful story.

Just recently, I have come to have a special relationship and better understanding of families with special needs kids. (my firm does a lot of special need trusts, and planning, so I have learned a lot in that arena.) And let me tell you, the amount that I have learned about everything these families go through, is staggering. From all areas of life, the financial commitment, the time commitment, the set backs, the patience, the stress, and the happy milestones. I was reading How to Say I love You Out Loud through these new lenses, and so I thought Karole Cozzo did an amazing job describing Phillip and what it is like to live a day in his life. (Of course, he is just one person on the spectrum, so any number of other individuals will be affected in different ways.) I loved so many things about Phillip. Sure readers may want Phillip to be something different at the end of the story, but I loved that Phillip was still just Phillip in that sense. (and thing else would have felt unrealistic.) But this book is not only accessible to people that have some degree of exposure to people like Phillip. Karole Cozzo 's writing invites the reader in, and explains everything in a powerful but easily understood way.

I dare anyone to read this book and not be able to put themselves in Jordyn's shoes. Whether you think she was being selfish, immature, or acted perfectly, you will be able to relate to her and what she is going through. And yes, I thought all of those things about her while I was reading this story. Sometimes, I thought she could have handled things differently, and sometimes I thought she should give people more of the benefit of the doubt, but I could always see where she was coming from. And that is what makes a good character. Everyone in this book felt read.

And not only does How to Say I love You Out Loud, have an excellent message and deals with complicated issues in easy and accessible ways, but it has a cute romance to boot. I loved the playground Alex was creating, and I plain just loved Alex overall. Who wouldn't? I just want to hug it so much. I am recommending How to Say I love You out Loud to everyone in my life. It is one of the best books I have read this year. And I have never read another book like it. In my life.


This review was originally posted on Book Briefs