Began reading: 29.1.2016
Completed reading: 31.1.2016
Overall raing: 3.6 stars
Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is a little aloof, Gabe is shy, and it looks like they are never going to work things out.
But something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at the local Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV series. The bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes Lea and Gabe were meant to be together.
A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall is a contemporary realistic fiction novel, incorporating romance that is suitable for young adults. I had so much hope for this novel, as the main characters’ shyness is something I can relate to. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this novel as much as I had hoped.
Hall included some great literary techniques, including metaphors and similes; however, there were a lot of spelling and grammatical errors in the book. This was one of the few things that ruined the book for me. Among the errors, there were a couple of great quotes, including:
‘Sometimes it’s better to say something stupid than nothing at all’ (p. 66).
I did lose some of my wariness and fear as I matured, but I’ve never quite shaken my shyness. When I think about it, it’s like I would have never been able to grow out of it. It’s like the tree and the bicycle. I grew around it and it became part of me (p. 82).
I think that says a lot about a person, the way they treat animals. It tells you how they’ll treat you when you’re not saying a word. That they’ll talk to you even if you don’t say much in return (pp. 233-234).
More quotes from the book can be found here.
As mentioned on the book’s cover, the story is told with fourteen viewpoints. This was way too much for me to handle. Firstly, some of the voices sounded the same, which left me confused. Secondly, perspectives from a squirrel and a bench — completely random and unnecessary. I really couldn’t care less about what a squirrel and a bench thought of the characters. Replacing these perspectives with those of Lea and Gabe would have been far more beneficial, as we never knew what these two thought of each other except through verbal dialogue.
I found the plot to be dull and predictable, which also ruined it for me. Many sections were plain cringe-worthy, and some of the characters’ actions were childish. Nothing major happened, which leads to the topic of the plot’s structure: non-existent. It just plodded along, with a not-so-big reveal regarding Gabe’s hearing impairment towards the end. *WARNING: SPOILER* He was in a car accident! [Sarcastic voice] Wow, I didn’t see that one coming…
There were also some unrealistic things that occurred. For example, people just knowing that Lea and Gabe were meant for each other.
The quick eye contact they shared was good, but the fact that they both picked up on my inadvertent Buffy the Vampire Slayer reference makes me feel like they must be kindred spirits” (p. 8).
That’s just like saying that two people with the same interest in Harry Potter or The Big Bang Theory are soul mates. Another example, the teacher’s hate for a student caused by interrupting her ‘matchmaking plans’:
I didn’t know I could hate the name Hillary quite this much. I am seething with almost as much rage as Victor experiences in this classroom on a daily basis […] This is not over between Hillary and me. She has poked the bear (p. 45).
I can understand if a teacher disliked a student due to bad behaviour, but this? Please. I’m no teacher but even I know that this is crap, to say the least.
Aside from a few good quotes, the only other positive I found was the humour. I let out a chuckle here and there, which I enjoyed. Here are some examples:
I glance back over by the bench and Gabe is sitting by himself and apparently talking to a squirrel.
I’m a little bit concerned (p. 150).
‘Are you spying on us?’ Lea asks.
‘Yeah, just like you spied on Gabe,’ I say with a chuckle.
She scratches her nose nonchalantly. ‘Wow. That was quite the burn’ (p. 211).
I always love a bit of humour in books, as always keeps me turning the page. This was the case with the humour in the book. I might have a horrible sense of humour, but I enjoyed it.
My favourite character was Victor. Although he was a secondary character, I found that I related to him the most. Victor was totally against romance and fluff, and was also sarcastic 99% of the time. It’s strange that I related to a secondary character more than a primary character, but I would have liked to have read more about his personality.
I also related to Azalea/Lea to a lesser extent, as she was quirky and shy. However, as I mentioned earlier, a few of the characters were childish and did some cringe-worthy things. Lea was one of them — getting her friend to spy on Gabe while listening their conversation on the phone, and also stalking him around the campus and library.
Similarly, I thought Gabe was just weird. He was overly awkward and said some very strange things. I understand why he has difficulties with hearing, but in a couple of instances, he just stared at people. How did they not find that unsettling? Also, how could one be so shy that they couldn’t respond to people’s questions?!
Unfortunately, I did not have a favourite part of the novel; however, I did enjoy Victor’s perspectives. He saw this romance from a different angle, and added some interest through the use of humour and sarcasm.
Recommendation time! If you like Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, Signs Point to Yes by Sandy Hall, and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes She’s the Man, Say Anything…, 10 Things I Hate About You and The House Bunny, you will love this book.
Happy reading!
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