What beautiful writing! The Right Kind of Fool by Sarah Loudin Thomas picked me up out of my armchair during an Iowa winter and plunked me down into a West Virginia summer. I felt the heat and humidity, the dirt beneath my nails as we dug for ginseng plants on the mountain. I loved this story of one family, broken into three pieces, coming back together again. Creed, Delphy, and Loyal each have their own character journeys, and it was a joy to watch them converge. Fourteen year-old Loyal, who is deaf, makes a charming and sympathetic protagonist. I'd highly recommend this for readers who love family stories, Appalachia stories, young protagonists, unique protagonists, or anyone who enjoys historical fiction in general.

Loyal is a boy who lost his hearing at a young age due to an illness. Since then, his mother has been very protective of him, while his father has been distant. Both parents hold guilt at what happened. It isn't until Loyal stumbles upon a dead body that his adventure really begins and he has an opportunity to prove to his parents that he is more than what everyone thinks of his disability. This is a story of a boy's right of passage. Seeking the help of a father that's been absent for years, relationships begin to heal and the family that was once separated are drawn together. This is a really good mystery with excellent writing, great story setting and time period. This is also the first story I've read where the main character is deaf. It worked well, down to the descriptions of the signing. The Right Kind of Fool is a great read, especially if you enjoy mysteries. I received a copy from the publisher. The honest opinions in this review are my own. I'm looking forward to sharing this book with my friends.

Author Sarah Loudin Thomas kept me totally immersed in this moving look at a family's efforts to do what is best for their hearing-impaired son in 1934 West Virginia. Loyal's mother and father have totally different views about their son and Creed Raines chooses to live alone in the mountains while Delphey and Loyal remain in their Beverly, West Virginia home. A murder in this small town changes all of this and Creed finally realizes that his perceptions of his thirteen-year-old son and his choice to abandon his family have been foolish, to say the least.

I loved the Raines family and the author's beautiful depiction of their emotions. Loyal's desire to simply belong. Delphey's desire to protect him from being hurt by other people that results in her being overprotective. Creed's feelings of guilt and his efforts to stay distanced from his boy. And then, as a tragic mystery enters their lives, Loyal's joy that his father is with him and they are communicating together!

There are so many reasons for me to love this book. A West Viriginia setting that is so similar to my own Kentucky roots, the coming-of-age story of an extraordinary young teenager, a husband and wife trying to mend their marriage, and a mystery that kept me fully intrigued. I can't say enough good things about this amazing book and I would love to see it as a movie!

I received a book from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

A poignant tale of family, growing up, friendship, and forgiveness.

The summer of 1934, 13 year old Loyal Raines discovers a dead body, disrupting his small town community as accusations fly and tensions rise.

Loyal is a 13 year old boy kept on the outside looking in, deaf from a young age, he can see things that others can't hear. I loved how he grows in confidences and courage under the guidance of a father, and opening his silent world to others by teaching them sign. He is clever and intuitive, eager to please and fit in with the hearing world. One of my favorite parts of this book was his friendship with Rebecca, a girl similar in age who has a speech impediment, I loved how she embraces Loyal as he is, seeing all the things that he can do rather than the things he can't.

The book also follows Loyal's parents Delphy and Creed as they are forced to confront the things that fractured their relationship. I loved how Creed comes to admire his son, as he sees him connecting with others, and courageously protecting his friends and fighting for truth.

This is a beautiful story of family and forgiveness, coming alive against the backdrop of the West Virginia Mountains during the Depression. Loyal is an incredible young man, not shying away from the challenges of the hearing world. Compelling and mysterious, with well developed characters and a grippingly poignant plot, with strong themes of faith, forgiveness and courage. This was well worth the read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sarah Loudin Thomas' The Right Kind of Fool took me right to that hot day in Beverly, West Virginia in 1934. I could feel the heat and desire to shed my shoes and dip my feet in that cool water with Loyal Raines, a young deaf teenager by my side. He was exploring that delicious feeling we all feel when we are 14 and escaping the strictures of rules that keep us indoors when we just know we should be out having fun. Only Loyal got more than he bargained for.

True to her fashion of hooking the reader into her pages, this author had me reading once more into the wee hours of the night. I can't recall any book written by Sarah Loudin Thomas that didn't intrigue me from the start. Loyal is a formidable hero who is bright for his age, able to see things many overlook and with the knack of remembering what is laid out before him. He stumbled upon a murder, saw things that could or could not be true and the fact that he was deaf had a profound impact on all that unfolded. I particularly liked reading his thought process throughout the book. Whether he reasoned through the clues about the murder, his parents relationship. his desire for friendships or to prove himself to his father, he was wise beyond his years.

This story is definitely a murder mystery, and it is a good one. It is also much more. It is about pulling people together by one young man who, when finally allowed, touches the lives of his community. His courage is inspiring and his love is a gift. The events of the story are almost secondary to the master weaving of a family back together. This is an inspiring story of hope, set in a time when deaf children were not seen for their precious worth. They were different and often overlooked. Loyal was not going to be overlooked. Things are much improved these days, yet all of the modern conveniences pale in comparison to seeing the smiles of a group of children playing where one of them just happens to be deaf. Many thanks to #BethanyHouse and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions