Giulia's Reviews > Qualcosa di molto speciale

“Sometimes it’s better to say something stupid than nothing at all.”

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall is exactly what the title says. After constantly seeing it on my Goodreads page, I finally caved and bought the hardback on Amazon a few months ago. I couldn't resist it.
I read it in two days, but it could have been easily read in a few hours. All I know is that I had heart eyes and manic "oh-please-kiss-already" interjections while reading this. The story is a cheesy romance turned into an epic retelling from the perspectives of others. I am not sure I would have liked it this much if it was written in the protagonists' perspectives. Now, onto the actual story.

The story follows Gabe and Lea. They go to the same university, attend the same creative writing class together and they even live in the same dorm. They like each other, but they don't know it yet. Their friends, their professor, the driver of the bus they always take together, the waitress at the Starbucks they always go to are even too aware of what is going on. The attraction between the two isn't a secret for no one but them. Everyone is ready to do what needs to be done in order to make the two understand they are perfect for each other.

“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.”

What makes this book unique and what made me like it the most was the change of perspective. There are 14 different point of views from different characters linked to the two protagonist in some way. They are the ones showing us the story while we don't actually see it. Does it make sense? The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks barista, their best friends, brother, the college bench and the squirrel. They are the narrators of this adorable story and this demonstrates just how much this book is a little something different. The POVs are insightful, funny, sensitive, acute, sweet and everything else in between.

“...their voices are quieter than the other groups around them, but their body language speaks volumes.”

Now, let's comment on the cover. How cute is it? I know it's pink with hearts, flowers and a cuteness overload, but I can't help but love it. I have to admit I was actually firstly really drawn to this book because of the cover. And I am happy to report they haven't changed it in the translated edition. *high five to the editors for once* Also, I love the coffee cups, books and take out box being added to the cover as a way of symbolizing the story as a whole.

My rating for this book would be a 3.75 stars. It is completely and utterly adorable. Seeing two people fall in love from their perspective is cute enough, but see it happen through other spectators' eyes and you have utterly cute! However, these aren't the only good points. We see and get to know Gabe and Lea through 14 people, meaning we learn about them and almost become friends with the characters.
The book is not fully concentrated on romance: it has hilarious moments, which I admired and loved as a whole. At times I found myself giggling simply because of the conversations and little things. I have to admit the bench and squirrel perspective being presented made it extremely hard not to be amused.

Another point I would like to make is how much we are connected to other people. Wanted or not, everyday we come across someone, even just for a second, and we might do not know it, but what if we made an impact on their lives? How about all the times we think about that person we accidentally bump into that day in the street? I think we all have thoughts about each other, even though we don't admit it and this story is a great example of that. Maybe the waiter at the bar we always go to has made up a story in his mind about you and that cute boy/girl who sits alone.
Maybe I am saying something totally stupid but, how cool is that we all have a mind of our own with thoughts, building castles in the sky? How could we make an impact on other people' lives with the power of our actions, even if it is just the smallest thing?
Well, these were some of the thoughts I had while reading this book, I thought I could awkwardly share them, because why not? Maybe someone else has had the same considerations.

Anyway, I found this book an enjoyable, quick, and easy read, which I would recommend to anyone and everyone wanting a light and fluffy read. Even if at times I am sure you will end up like:






Now, let's go it some Chinese food, shall we?