Release Date: August 26, 2014
Book: A Little Something Different
Author: Sandy Hall
Number of Pages: 272
Source: Bookshop

The Basics: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....

My Musings:

So I've heard nothing but good things about this book. I've heard that it was insanely cute. I was recently made fun of for saying that this book was so cute I could die of cuteness. I mean the amount of fluff and sheer cuteness is too much sometimes lol.

The whole idea of reading about a love story from outside viewpoints is so original and cool, that I was instantly invested in this. In some ways it's like reading a fanfic about your OTP and wanting desperately for them to end up together. The plot was great and even though it was slow moving (because the romance was slow moving) I was never bored. Frustrated, maybe,but I never wanted to put the book down! The writing was amazing as well. Due to the fact that the plot was entirely character driven, and the romance was a painfully slow development, the writing had to be good, and it was. It was funny, cute, deep, and different. I loved the mentions of ships and feels and fangirl vocab. Like I got some serious weird looks because I was laughing out loud in public areas, but trust me when you read this, you'll understand.

You don't really get to understand or delve into the minds of the different characters in the novel, but you do grow to like them, or in some cases tolerate them. Most of the characters save for maybe Hilary, are really relatable people that I would probably hang out with. I just really don't like Hilary, for more reasons than I care to rant about, but she just is so annoying and VAPID. I love all the different viewpoints. I think my favorite were Inga, their creative writing teacher, and Charlotte, the starbucks barista, oh and Victor, their classmate. It's nice to see people who are just part of day to day life learn to ship and root for two complete strangers, even if you don't like them.

Okay the root of this entire book is romance.As cute as this book is it's not that cheesy. There are so many unconventional things about Lea and Gabe that make their shy romance anything but icky cheese. I think being able to see them from outside P.O.V's is such an advantage because you get to see the characters in ways they would never see themselves. You get to see them and their feelings grow through unbiased and biased eyes. Plus these two are so cute that's it's just awesome to meet fellow shippers even if they are fictional people

Overall this is a great book and it's just so worth reading. It's a nice cute read that will definitely make you smile and laugh and fangirl.

My Rating:

Coffee for this Book: A Dirty Chai Latte, you will want coffee to finish this book and have energy to fangirl!

Book Talk: The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenburg

Release date: February 21, 2012
Book: The Catastrophic History of You and Me
Author: Jess Rothenberg
Source: The library :)

The Basics:Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after. With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

My Musings:

     When I first picked up this book I have to admit I was hesitant to read it. The idea of a girl dying of a broken heart seemed really whiny to me. I thought i wouldn't like the main character because just the idea of dying of a broken heart made her seem really weak and desperate to give up.And if I don't like the main character I won't like the book. Granted I thought all of this BEFORE I read the book, but now that I have read it I have a different opinion of the book. So if any of you were like me and thought this book was whiny give it a shot, because trust me it’s so much more than just about a girl who died of a broken heart.

    Character wise the book was pretty good. I like how the characters all had secrets and "dark sides". The were real, or at least felt real to me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong about Brie being a weak person, although I will admit she did get annoying sometimes. I found that throughout the book Brie matured a lot. I loved watching her grow from a very spiteful girl, to a person who had learned to accept the cards she was dealt and made the most of it.

     I liked the plot for the most part. Part of the story line is moving through the phases of grief, and i felt that in some stages the plot lacked momentum. However, I have to say one of my favorite components of the book were all the plot twists. I have to say this book left me shocked during multiple occasions. I had several inklings as to what the plot twists were, but I still felt shocked. Which of course lead to the reason of why she died of a broken heart.Trust me there are cheesy moments in the book and plot, but it doesn't overwhelm the book and is done tastefully. Also i loved how the beginning of every chapter started with different song lyrics. 

     I think my favorite character by far in this book was Patrick. I loved his budding romance with Brie. It was just TOO CUTE!! I shipped them right from the start. I thought it was cute the way they acted around each other and the fact that Patrick was there for her almost the whole time. Throughout the novel we find out a lot about Patrick’s past and about his life. I thought that the way he died and why he died was extremely sad, and I couldn't help but want to give Patrick a hug after what he had been through.

     Overall the story line was good and the characters felt real, two components that are mandatory in making a good book. I loved the humor and the over all feel of the story. I definitely recommend this if you like romantic, cute reads, or just contemporary novels with some fiction.