Sam@WLABB
Written on May 16, 2019
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College students Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class and have the same interests, but it looks like things are never going to work out between them because Lea is a little aloof and Gabe is a little shy.
- ISBN10 1250061458
- ISBN13 9781250061454
- Publish Date 26 August 2014
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Swoon Reads
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 272
- Language English
Reviews
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mrs_mander_reads
Written on Jan 31, 2017
I read this book for my 2017 Popsugar reading challenge, and used it for the unreliable narrator prompt.
Leah
Written on Jun 11, 2015
It's one of those reads where you're just so desperate for the two to get together, and it was surprising to me how shy both Gabe and Lea were. I mean, freakishly shy, but it was so sweet to see them tiptoeing around each other and to see that everyone else was rooting for them so bad, and that they could see there was something there, even if Gabe and Lea were somewhat oblivious.
It amused the living daylights out of me that the book had a squirrel and park bench perspective. AMAZING. Kudos to Sandy Hall and her publishers for keeping that in because it was freaking awesome.
This was such a fun, cute read. It was exactly what I wanted - a short and sweet book, and the untypical narrative was amazing. Sandy Hall is a super talented storyteller, to be able to tell a story from 14 different perspectives (although it never seems like it's that many, and you soon know who's who). I can't wait for her next book!
nightingalereads
Written on Jun 4, 2015
bumblingbookworm
Written on Feb 13, 2015
This was another reread for me this week, and I picked it up because I was in the mood for a swoony read which wouldn't disappoint. What can I say, it lived up to its promise! This book follows Gabe and Lea, but you never see the story from their POV - it's told entirely from 14 other POVs. These POVs aren't limited to people who know Gabe and Lea, they also include strangers they interact with and a squirrel and a park bench of all things! I particularly adored the POV of the squirrel, it was so cute :)
This book is super cute and I couldn't put it down. It's sweet, fluffy and just what I needed! The diversity rep is pretty great, with Lea being Chinese and Gabe being hearing impaired. As a hearing impaired person myself, I particularly felt for Gabe having to experience this as a young adult and coming to terms with being hearing impaired. The whole being fitted for hearing aids thing was completely unrealistic though! You don't just have them sent out to you, it takes a lot of time to have them fitted to your specific needs! Despite that, this book hit the spot and I adored it - 4.5 stars.
Check out the rest of my review here!
Joséphine
Written on Nov 1, 2014
Kelly
Written on Oct 9, 2014
Every once in a while, a book comes along that is the epitome of what a young adult romance should be. Affectionate, tender and endearing. A Little Something Different was incredible and captivated my attention from the very first page. Uniquely told from fourteen different points of view, everyone except Lea and Gabe, the storyline begins at that tentative first meeting and follows the should be couple as they navigate their feelings towards one another. What makes the storyline so unique, is that the reader isn't thrown into the action, but swept up in the romance of simply being a voyeur through the interactions of fourteen seperate characters. It was incredible.
Both Lea and Gabe are in college, but the innocence of both characters, both socially awkward, are both about to endear the campus to their love story of glancing, blushing and half conversations. And along with all the secondary characters, you'll find yourself mesmerised. This isn't a story of instant love or physical lust, both Gabe and Lea are realistic and I can't recall two characters that I've ever found so utterly perfect for one another.
I don't swoon often, but I was smitten. With Gabe and Lea, their story and felt as though I was part of something incredibly special. It's beautifully written. Amazingly so. Fluffy, romantic and heartwarming. It's akin to sleeping on a cloud or surrounding yourself with puppies. It's simply joyful.
nitzan_schwarz
Written on Oct 4, 2014
As Ryan Gosling so wonderfully put it, this book was Adorable. With a capital A. If you're looking for a cute story that will make you AWWW out-loud, grin stupidly, and generally make you forget all your worries (worries? What worries?) A Little Something Different is a safe bet.
Seriously, I spent the majority of this book smiling goofily, be it at the couple in question, or merely from the interactions between everyone, because they were all funny, and witty, and real. Like, those were conversations I could see myself having with my friends. I could see myself being their friend.
The greatest achievement in this book, for me, is how Hall managed to make me invested in all the characters. Be it Lea and Gabe, whom--yes, I got into big time. Like, screaming-"KISS-ALREADY"-in-harmony-with-the-rest-of-the-cast into--or the Squirrel, or even Victor (Which is really something, cause the guy was pretty annoying).
There are fourteen points of view in this book, y'all. Fourteen. That's, like... a ton. But I never felt one was unnecessary, or too much, or confusing. I loved each POV, and I honestly think each and everyone of the supporting characters deserve his/her own story, even though Hall has managed to sneak in a bit of their story (or at the very least, their romantic prospect), into the mix through their interactions alone.
A Little Something Different is different. It's unique. It's a love story when the couple doesn't narrate a single part. You have parts where a bench tells the story. And I actually wished there was more of Mr. Bench.
I think it's worth reading just for the freshness of it, even if you don't want the unfortunate side effect of suffocating your pillow due to massive overdose of cuteness. Luckily for me, A Little Something Different was exactly what the doctor ordered!
Originally posted on my blog!
jnikkir
Written on Aug 7, 2014
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I don't know if I'll ever be able to explain how wonderful this book is, except to say that, for almost the entire time I was reading it, I had the biggest, silliest grin on my face. Look at me, I'm smiling right now just thinking about it!! ...And now a happy sigh. This is getting out of hand. So let's get down to business.
A Little Something Different was so flipping adorably wonderfully good. Which is really saying something, considering how... well, different this book is. But it's all good-different.
The Main Characters
The most unique thing about this book is that it's told from 14 different perspectives - none of which are those of either our leading lady or leading man. So, going into this, my main concern was that we wouldn't get a complete, solid picture of our protagonists - that, seeing them filtered through so many different viewpoints, their characters might be obscured or blurry. But my worries were for nothing. I have no idea how she did it, but even through all the filters, Sandy Hall was able to make Gabe and Lea into immediately vibrant characters. There are never any issues getting a clear picture of who they are and what they're feeling. I could feel their spark and connection from the first moment they interacted, and it was maintained flawlessly through the whole book. I believed them, I believed in them... it was fantastic.
And not only are Gabe and Lea both wonderfully believable, but they're also incredibly relatable. I loved that their problems and issues were realistic and not overly dramatic. We've all seen the guy (or girl) who becomes closed off because of horrible things that happened to him/her, or to their family, or to a close friend, or whatever. But what about people with less terrible issues, who are still deeply affected by them? I feel like A Little Something Different certainly did something different and important in this regard, because instead of characters who are dealing with such dramatic stuff in their pasts, they're battling things that might seem less tragic but are still really life- and outlook-altering.
The Multiple Viewpoints
I loved the multiple viewpoints. Loved. Adored. Could Not Get Enough Of. Not only are Gabe and Lea great leading characters, but all of the characters who act as the narrators of their story - the teacher, her wife, Gabe's brother and friends, Lea's roommate and friends, a squirrel, a park bench (not kidding!) - are all great characters themselves. Well, the squirrel and bench less so, but you get what I mean. ;) I felt like each and every character was given a unique voice and felt like real people, because of all their quirks and little details about their lives that we learn in the course of their interactions with Lea and Gabe. All the characters just had that spark, that something genuine, that makes a character believable, and I loved it.
Some stand-outs were Inga: the teacher who ships Lea/Gable Like No Other, and who is sneaky and adorable with all her subtle plans to make them get together. The bus driver: "Maybe one day the bus will be really crowded... and she could fall into his arms" (A Little Something Different ARC, pg 75). And Victor: a student in Lea and Gabe's class who hates their cuteness with a fiery passion and would rather stab himself in the eye with a fork than watch them dance around their attraction for one another (aka, he ships them because he can't stand their not-yet-together-ness). And, of course, the squirrel! Who loves acorns, breadcrumbs, and when Lea and Gabe smile at each other. XD
The Seriously Unique Perspective
Obviously, having 14 viewpoints is pretty unique enough, but one thing that these multiple viewpoints facilitated was the fact that, as the reader and a fellow-Lea-and-Gabe-watcher, I felt like I was participating in the story, too. It was super cool. The audience is just as big of an outsider as every single narrator, and we're participating because we're rooting for this couple, too, and we're on the same side as all the characters whose perspectives we're getting glimpses of. So unique and so much fun.
In conclusion...
A Little Something Different is a little something different -- and I wouldn't have it any other way. The multiple viewpoints, the characters with relatable issues, that feeling of participation in the story... *happy sigh* It was so, SO good. This is a book I can see myself coming back to again and again when I need a pick-me-up read.
Recommended for: Shippers who live to smush their OTP's faces together. (Also, literally anyone and everyone looking for an adorable, light, feels-filled romance.) But seriously, if you love your OTPs and want a book that basically encapsulates what it feels like to be invested in a ship/OTP/whatever, read this book.
PS: Squirrel power!! XD
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