by Sandy Hall
Expected release date: August 26th, 2014
Published by: Swoon Reads (Macmillan)
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Format: Paperback, eBook
Format read: ARC from publisher.
SUMMARY
The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common —
they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together.
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 reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out. But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their 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 in their relationship.
Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together.
Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together.
MY REVIEW
An author who can bring together 14 different point-of-views to create a well-written realistic story about how two people meet and how they may or may not end up together is a genius! Seriously, I really thought that there would be complications in keeping track of all the different characters. But, each one brought in a different perspective and positive vibe, it was exhilarating. I was so committed into seeing not only how the 2 main characters would fare, but also, getting to know each personality - how they stood out and grabbed my attention, how easily they all kept the story flowing without missing a single minute of what was happening and what they all wanted to happen...
In this book, all of these characters have one thing in common - whether they want to be or not, they are all within the proximity of seeing Gabe and Lea maybe or maybe not getting together, or quite possibly, falling in love? The perspective jumps from each one depending on where Gabe and Lea are - if they're on the bus, we hear what the bus driver thinks and sees; we also hear from the waitress at the diner, the baristas at Starbucks, the squirrel and bench on the school grounds, and of course, from all their friends, classmates and a teacher too. All very unique viewpoints that clearly want Gabe and Lea to come together and succeed in their own way.
Gabe is very shy, and blushes quite easily, which makes all the girls swoon. But often times, he seems distracted and it becomes obvious that something is not right with him. Gabe is struggling with an incident that occurred last semester and he is not ready to deal with it just yet. A part of me wanted to give him a big hug and let him know that things happen and that it will be okay. But another part of me wanted to smack him on the side of the head and tell him to get over it and go get the girl...
It was easy to relate to Lea in so many ways. She's smart and seems to know what she wants, and definitely does not want to play games. Confident, but not conceded; but like most girls, because Gabe is so hesitant and doesn't seem like he's quite interested like everyone says he is, she starts to second guess herself and hopes that Gabe would just take the lead.
And this happens, many times...
In this book, all of these characters have one thing in common - whether they want to be or not, they are all within the proximity of seeing Gabe and Lea maybe or maybe not getting together, or quite possibly, falling in love? The perspective jumps from each one depending on where Gabe and Lea are - if they're on the bus, we hear what the bus driver thinks and sees; we also hear from the waitress at the diner, the baristas at Starbucks, the squirrel and bench on the school grounds, and of course, from all their friends, classmates and a teacher too. All very unique viewpoints that clearly want Gabe and Lea to come together and succeed in their own way.
Gabe is very shy, and blushes quite easily, which makes all the girls swoon. But often times, he seems distracted and it becomes obvious that something is not right with him. Gabe is struggling with an incident that occurred last semester and he is not ready to deal with it just yet. A part of me wanted to give him a big hug and let him know that things happen and that it will be okay. But another part of me wanted to smack him on the side of the head and tell him to get over it and go get the girl...
It was easy to relate to Lea in so many ways. She's smart and seems to know what she wants, and definitely does not want to play games. Confident, but not conceded; but like most girls, because Gabe is so hesitant and doesn't seem like he's quite interested like everyone says he is, she starts to second guess herself and hopes that Gabe would just take the lead.
And this happens, many times...
"I want to smack their foreheads together. Maybe that will wake them up.
How can they both be so blind?"
- Victor, creative writing classmate
Yes Victor - you, a few others and myself wanted to do the same thing to them! However, if the things that kept happening didn't happen, we wouldn't have had this amazing "Gabe and Lea" story. If things are meant to be, they need to take their own course. And it was obvious that Lea and Gabe needed the hot/cold moments to figure things out and eventually talk and finally get to that point where they can be themselves... see the good and the bad. It was so funny to watch everyone around them waiting on the edges of their seats to see how it will all end...
Overall, this is a sweet quick read to enjoy at anytime - while trying to kill some time, getting over a reading slump, or just looking for few good giggles and eyerolls! I adored it and will definitely be rereading it soon.
How can they both be so blind?"
- Victor, creative writing classmate
Yes Victor - you, a few others and myself wanted to do the same thing to them! However, if the things that kept happening didn't happen, we wouldn't have had this amazing "Gabe and Lea" story. If things are meant to be, they need to take their own course. And it was obvious that Lea and Gabe needed the hot/cold moments to figure things out and eventually talk and finally get to that point where they can be themselves... see the good and the bad. It was so funny to watch everyone around them waiting on the edges of their seats to see how it will all end...
Overall, this is a sweet quick read to enjoy at anytime - while trying to kill some time, getting over a reading slump, or just looking for few good giggles and eyerolls! I adored it and will definitely be rereading it soon.
*An ARC was sent from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Sandy Hall
I'm a teen librarian from New Jersey where I was born and raised.
I have a BA in Communication and a Master of Library and Information Science from Rutgers University.
When I'm not writing, or teen librarian-ing, I enjoy reading, slot machines, marathoning TV shows, and long scrolls through Tumblr.
A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT is my first novel.
This sounds sooo interested! I can't wait to read it
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