Weekend Writing: Reviewing Sandy Hall's "A Little Something Different"

"They have a story. I'm telling you, there's no way they don't have a story." - Sandy Hall, "A Little Something Different" 

Sometimes, two people meet and it's obvious to everyone else that they belong together before the couple realizes they're meant to be. They flirt, have undeniable chemistry, and all signs point towards them being a couple. However, it takes them forever to confess their true feelings. 

That's the premise of Sandy Hall's 2014 novel, A Little Something Different. A cheesy romance, the novel transformed into a fun, lighthearted story that will make you want to fall in love. The story follows Lea and Gabe, college students who meet in a creative writing class. From the first day, they connect on a deeper level than what you usually find in a classmate. They understand the same pop culture references. They're both shy and awkward. Their professor is determined to find a way to make their relationship happen, but it isn't easy. 

Sandy Hall's A Little Something Different.

Their love story is told through the perspectives of 14 different characters. Readers meet Gabe's older brother, his best friend, Lea's roommate, the Starbucks barista who notices their chemistry, a Chinese delivery boy who is puzzled on how they order the same food, a waitress at a diner who loves their budding romance, a bus driver, a fellow creative writing classmate who can't stand them, a squirrel, and even the bench Gabe and Lea sit on. To the narrators, it's obvious the two should be together. They wonder, "What's taking so long?" 

"I want to smack their foreheads together. Maybe that will wake them up. How can they both be so blind?" - Sandy Hall 

The novel is utterly adorable. It's basically my fantasy coming to life in the form of a book: meeting your soulmate in a creative writing class. Sign me up, please! Gabe is shy and he has a secret about an incident that happened to him the previous year. It's the primary reason he's scared to approach Lea, even though he has a crush on her. At the same time, Lea is quirky and too awkward to make the first move. 

As you read their story, you want them to get together because you can identify with both Gabe and Lea. You want them to fall in love because you would want the same thing to happen to you if you were in their shoes. Who doesn't love a good romance story? 

Sandy Hall's A Little Something Different (photo/Reads for Keeps)

Reading the book from 14 different perspectives was an interesting change from my usual reading pattern. I enjoy reading books with different perspectives, but I must admit that I also wish I could have read directly from Gabe and Lea's perspectives. Readers learn enough about Gabe and Lea from their mutual connections. You feel like you know the two characters from how they interact with everyone else around them, but I was also curious to read about how Gabe and Lea felt from their own voices. Yes, they told everyone else how they were feeling, but I missed their perspectives. I wanted to read about their private interactions. I missed that in this book. 

"They sit there in the window of the coffee shop for almost an hour, not talking much, but looking at each other over the tops of their books, flirting somehow even without words. It would be gross if it weren't adorable." - Sandy Hall 

Gabe and Lea are supposed to be the main characters of the book, but are they? As I review the book, I wonder if Gabe and Lea are merely secondary characters and the 14 different perspectives are the main roles. We read their thoughts and understand their voices. We learn about Gabe and Lea only from how the 14 narrators interact with them. Our opinions on Gabe and Lea depend on how the narrators feel about the characters. We root for their relationship because everyone else is pining for them to get together. 

It's a unique concept for a book that lives up to its title: a little something different. However, a part of me still wishes I could have read Gabe and Lea's thoughts, as well. 

Overall, I enjoyed this fun, romantic, and humorous novel. There are plenty of hilarious moments, as well as cute scenes when you feel bad for Gabe and Lea. You want them to get together so badly, and it's fun to wait for their relationship to evolve and form. This is an enjoyable, quick read that I recommend if you're in the mood for a light, fluffy book. 

Besides, we could all use a lighthearted, romantic story every now and then. 

Read on. 

-KJL-