A Super Emotional Queer M/M Romance with Mental Health and Atypical Therapy
The Buzz
After reading an excerpt I loved the idea of atypical abilities and having to deal with them through therapy. And Caleb is such a sweetheart. It became clear really early this is a queer story.
The cover art isn't quite to me taste BUT it totally fits The Infinite Noise! I loved how Caleb was yellow and Adam blue. That was run through the entire story! And you totally get what The Infinite Noise meant from the cover once you get a little ways in. The title is mentioned in the story which is something I always appreciate. It's neat when an author and publishing company connect over a title and pull it right from the story.
The Premise
Caleb has been having some trouble controlling his anger... turns out its not because of hormones at all! Nope, according to his new therapist it's because he's a hyper empath. He literally feels the emotions of everyone around him. And what a neat ability this is!! Well for me to read about anyway. Lauren Shippen goes out of her way to describe the empathetic exchange Caleb feels so accurately as to how it might happen that you feel like you sink into Caleb's skin. It's THE best way I've ever read hyper empathy to be like. And this is a topic I seek out whenever I can!!
Then we have Adam. Clearly a queer boy with a crush, his emotions seem to fit Caleb's and help him deal. This is the start of a friendship that yearns to become more. I really related to Adam so much!! First Adam deals with extreme depression. Like the worst kind ever! It felt real and the description of it was a powerful teacher for others to understand what it feels like. There was also a merging of social anxiety that was present in a supernatural way with Caleb and a normal way with Adam. I deal with this everyday and was so, so accurate!!
I adored Dr. Bright and how well she controlled her emotions around Caleb. This is the kind of therapy positivity that we need more of!! She really shows readers how a therapist can help someone who really considers what the doctor suggests and tries to see how their suggestions can fit in their like.
As a therapy book The Infinite Noise rocks! As a queer romance The Infinite Noise rocks!
But in the premise we get hints that there is more to the atypical world... "his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be." So there is that word dangerous... *shakes head* There is no danger in this novel. I was quite underwhelmed with any plot to do with other Atypicals and the Atypical world was very... bare. While I would certainly read more Bright Session novels to learn about other Atypicals they seem to be centered firmly around that book's Atypical experiences (which for Caleb are extremely limited).
My Experience
I loved and adored The Infinite Noise up to the last 100 pages. I was writing questions for my review and loving on Caleb and Adam hardcore. Then we hit paydirt about their relationship and the story fell apart. Basically the therapy and romance were closely intertwined. The plot was the romance. The therapy activities were the romance. So once the romance tied up there wasn't any story. So an end was tacked on. At least that is how it felt.
This is what I said when I was done with the last 27% of The Infinite Noise... "Woah that was amazingly boring and drawn out! The little bit that the other Atypicals spent in the story was so minor. Nothing happened! I wish they had been spread out from the beginning and the mystery about them worked into the boys' budding relationship. To tack it on the end... yeah it didn’t work well."
Then there is the fact this is based on a podcast by the same author. The book didn’t make me want to check out the podcast. Sure Caleb’s ability made the romance different and rather special but ultimately this was just a contemporary M/M romance. Is that what the podcast is about a gay romance? This was confusing to me. There should have been plot to mine from the podcast for the story in The Infinite Noise! Thus there was a disconnect between The Infinite Noise and the podcast.
Questions to ask yourself as you read The Infinite Noise
-Caleb's Ability to Capture Emotions.
Have you ever felt “That free, high-soaring feeling when you’re laughing with someone, doubled over, abs aching” that Caleb feels with his mom? Does remembering these moments of feeling light, strong and untouchable help you get through your problems? Conversely we learn Adam feels a dark pit of nothingness that scares him and yet he also feels like it would be a relief to cease to exist. How can we combat these feelings? How does Caleb help him?
-Social Anxiety and the Effect of Others.
Adam says he’s good at talking... “if it’s in front of a class or an auditorium and not the terrifying one-on-one conversations where you’re expected to have a normal emotional response and give normal social and emotional cues.” Do you ever feel you don’t have the right feelings? Can you relate to the numb, pressed down feeling that Adam feels at times? Are you like Caleb before his atypical ability popped able to shake off what others say to you or are you like Adam who is pierced through but the negativity of others?
-An Atypical Ability.
Would you like to have an atypical ability like Caleb? What would it be? What would be the negative side effect (similar to him being swamped by other’s emotions)? Do you sometimes lose sight of your emotions due to all the opinions and emotions of those around you? How do you touch base with them again? Do you feel others emotions and thoughts over power you at times? Is it an abuse of power to use your ability to sense other’s emotions to connect with them? Do you think of Caleb's ability as a gift or a curse?
-Powerful Emotion Descriptions.
The Infinite Noise has some stellar descriptions of emotions. They are quite specific and detailed and I instantly related to them. Did you relate to any of these descriptions? Were they the positive or negative emotions or both? Which descriptions were related to mental health? Could you relate to Adam's depression? Do you ever shut down in big groups like Caleb did?
-The Strength of Therapy.
What did you think about Dr. Bright? Could you appreciate how she helped Caleb deal with his atypical ability? What do you think about Caleb's technique for dealing with all the emotions that don't belong to him? What did you think about her and his parents asking him to keep it a secret? Should he have told Adam sooner? Would you be scared to tell close friends and loved ones?
The Infinite Noise is a stellar queer M/M romance that comes together through an atypical therapy suggestion due to a jock's extreme ability as a... hyper empath! We experience a friendship, dark mental health and a boy exploring his sexuality. We get a look at all the emotions... and it's a beautiful thing.
After reading an excerpt I loved the idea of atypical abilities and having to deal with them through therapy. And Caleb is such a sweetheart. It became clear really early this is a queer story.
The cover art isn't quite to me taste BUT it totally fits The Infinite Noise! I loved how Caleb was yellow and Adam blue. That was run through the entire story! And you totally get what The Infinite Noise meant from the cover once you get a little ways in. The title is mentioned in the story which is something I always appreciate. It's neat when an author and publishing company connect over a title and pull it right from the story.
The Premise
Caleb has been having some trouble controlling his anger... turns out its not because of hormones at all! Nope, according to his new therapist it's because he's a hyper empath. He literally feels the emotions of everyone around him. And what a neat ability this is!! Well for me to read about anyway. Lauren Shippen goes out of her way to describe the empathetic exchange Caleb feels so accurately as to how it might happen that you feel like you sink into Caleb's skin. It's THE best way I've ever read hyper empathy to be like. And this is a topic I seek out whenever I can!!
Then we have Adam. Clearly a queer boy with a crush, his emotions seem to fit Caleb's and help him deal. This is the start of a friendship that yearns to become more. I really related to Adam so much!! First Adam deals with extreme depression. Like the worst kind ever! It felt real and the description of it was a powerful teacher for others to understand what it feels like. There was also a merging of social anxiety that was present in a supernatural way with Caleb and a normal way with Adam. I deal with this everyday and was so, so accurate!!
I adored Dr. Bright and how well she controlled her emotions around Caleb. This is the kind of therapy positivity that we need more of!! She really shows readers how a therapist can help someone who really considers what the doctor suggests and tries to see how their suggestions can fit in their like.
As a therapy book The Infinite Noise rocks! As a queer romance The Infinite Noise rocks!
But in the premise we get hints that there is more to the atypical world... "his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be." So there is that word dangerous... *shakes head* There is no danger in this novel. I was quite underwhelmed with any plot to do with other Atypicals and the Atypical world was very... bare. While I would certainly read more Bright Session novels to learn about other Atypicals they seem to be centered firmly around that book's Atypical experiences (which for Caleb are extremely limited).
My Experience
I loved and adored The Infinite Noise up to the last 100 pages. I was writing questions for my review and loving on Caleb and Adam hardcore. Then we hit paydirt about their relationship and the story fell apart. Basically the therapy and romance were closely intertwined. The plot was the romance. The therapy activities were the romance. So once the romance tied up there wasn't any story. So an end was tacked on. At least that is how it felt.
This is what I said when I was done with the last 27% of The Infinite Noise... "Woah that was amazingly boring and drawn out! The little bit that the other Atypicals spent in the story was so minor. Nothing happened! I wish they had been spread out from the beginning and the mystery about them worked into the boys' budding relationship. To tack it on the end... yeah it didn’t work well."
Then there is the fact this is based on a podcast by the same author. The book didn’t make me want to check out the podcast. Sure Caleb’s ability made the romance different and rather special but ultimately this was just a contemporary M/M romance. Is that what the podcast is about a gay romance? This was confusing to me. There should have been plot to mine from the podcast for the story in The Infinite Noise! Thus there was a disconnect between The Infinite Noise and the podcast.
Questions to ask yourself as you read The Infinite Noise
-Caleb's Ability to Capture Emotions.
Have you ever felt “That free, high-soaring feeling when you’re laughing with someone, doubled over, abs aching” that Caleb feels with his mom? Does remembering these moments of feeling light, strong and untouchable help you get through your problems? Conversely we learn Adam feels a dark pit of nothingness that scares him and yet he also feels like it would be a relief to cease to exist. How can we combat these feelings? How does Caleb help him?
-Social Anxiety and the Effect of Others.
Adam says he’s good at talking... “if it’s in front of a class or an auditorium and not the terrifying one-on-one conversations where you’re expected to have a normal emotional response and give normal social and emotional cues.” Do you ever feel you don’t have the right feelings? Can you relate to the numb, pressed down feeling that Adam feels at times? Are you like Caleb before his atypical ability popped able to shake off what others say to you or are you like Adam who is pierced through but the negativity of others?
-An Atypical Ability.
Would you like to have an atypical ability like Caleb? What would it be? What would be the negative side effect (similar to him being swamped by other’s emotions)? Do you sometimes lose sight of your emotions due to all the opinions and emotions of those around you? How do you touch base with them again? Do you feel others emotions and thoughts over power you at times? Is it an abuse of power to use your ability to sense other’s emotions to connect with them? Do you think of Caleb's ability as a gift or a curse?
-Powerful Emotion Descriptions.
The Infinite Noise has some stellar descriptions of emotions. They are quite specific and detailed and I instantly related to them. Did you relate to any of these descriptions? Were they the positive or negative emotions or both? Which descriptions were related to mental health? Could you relate to Adam's depression? Do you ever shut down in big groups like Caleb did?
-The Strength of Therapy.
What did you think about Dr. Bright? Could you appreciate how she helped Caleb deal with his atypical ability? What do you think about Caleb's technique for dealing with all the emotions that don't belong to him? What did you think about her and his parents asking him to keep it a secret? Should he have told Adam sooner? Would you be scared to tell close friends and loved ones?
The Infinite Noise is a stellar queer M/M romance that comes together through an atypical therapy suggestion due to a jock's extreme ability as a... hyper empath! We experience a friendship, dark mental health and a boy exploring his sexuality. We get a look at all the emotions... and it's a beautiful thing.