A Little Something Different

by Sandy Hall

[jnikkir]

This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved...

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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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There were books involved...