About Books #17: A Little Something Different

As you’ve all probably noticed by now, I have a certain love for any romantic story. Add in a couple of different point of views, a nice obstacle that can be overcome, and I’m all for it. As it appears, though, even for me, there is such a thing as too much fluff. And A Little Something Different might just have reached it!

Plot

As per the usual, let’s go to Goodreads for this one:

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….

Characters

So Lea is basically the most ordinary girl to ever live – and that’s about all we get to know about her. Oh, and she really likes Chinese food and sometimes she talks to squirrells. It’s also insinuated that somewhere “in the past” she’s been really hurt by some guy, which is why she doesn’t just want to keep waiting around for Gabe, but for some reason that’s never really further explained.

Gabe, on the other hand, gets everything: the semi-tragic backstory, the difficulty at getting over that… And while I can appreciate that his future was changed quite drastically by that “car accident we must not mention”, by the time the grand reveal came around? I was almost hoping for something a bit more dramatic. I mean, you know, nobody died, his problems can (at least partially) be fixed – if he would just ask for help, rather than mope around. And it can’t be easy to have trouble hearing when you’re already pretty shy, he seems to be taking all of that to the extreme.

Narration

This is basically why I still really liked this book.
You see, not once during the entire story, are we offered the actual main characters’ POV. Instead, we get to see how everybody around them perceives their constant hesitating. My personal favourite was probably their professor. I mean, she teaches creative writing and she’s basically trying to get a story to happen in her class every single term.

The way everybody seemed to be rooting for them – even a squirrel and a freaking BENCH can feel that their two butts belong together. (In the case of the bench, that’s literally what he concludes, btw)

Probably what bugged me the most about this story, was also what made it into such a pleasant read. And that’s just plain old that basically nothing happens. I mean, seriously, even I wanted to just slam their heads together by the end of this one.

Overall: 3/5

There wasn’t really anything wrong with this book there just wasn’t anything that spoke to me either. Sure, I love me some fluff, but there is a reason even the most romantic (or slashe-est) of novels still needs a plot. And on that account, A Little Something Different seemed to be slightly lacking…

What did you think about this one? Or have you not read it yet? In that case, you can find it at thebookdepository! (affiliate link)

-Saar