Double Review: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall & Adrenaline Crush by Laura Crompton

Title: A Little Something Different 
Author: Sandy Hall
Publisher: Raincoast 
Publication date: August 26, 2014

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary/Romance)

Source: Publisher

Format: Finished Copy 

Pages: 272

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The distinctive new crowdsourced publishing imprint Swoon Reads proudly presents its first published novel—an irresistibly sweet romance between two college students told from 14 different viewpoints.

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 ment to be together....

This book was cute cute cute! I was having so much fun reading it and I loved all the different point of views. I especially loved the squirrel's (YES SQUIRREL!) POV. It was so cute that I ended up reading passages of it to my sister. I like this new imprint at Feiwel and Friends because if this is an indication on what is to come, I'm excited to pick up their books. 

This is a love story.. told from many people's (animals, objects) POVs except the two people implicated in the love story, Gabe and Lea. We have the brother of Gabe, his friend, Lea's friends, a Starbucks barista, their writing professor, a bench, the squirrel, a bus driver, and so on. It is a long list however it really worked for this book. You didn't need any character depth from each POV because this story isn't about them. You're just watching Gabe and Lea's story unfold and progress from different people's eyes. In terms of the romance.. it was excruciatingly slow. We are talking about a super super super shy couple.It took them months to finally utter a single word to each other. Everyone was pretty much pushing them towards each other but it still took months (imagine if no one was pushing them?). It frustrated me a bit, I have to admit. Also, the book is super short. 272 pages? I really wanted more complexity and not them getting the happily ever after once they finally get together. 

Title: Adrenaline Crush

Author: Laurie Boyle Crompton

Publisher: Raincoast 

Publication date: September 23, 2014

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary/Romance)

Source: Publisher

Format: ARC 

Pages: 192

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When a daredevil teen pushes herself too far, she must choose between two boys: the one who wants to keep her safe, and the one who dares her to return to her old self.

Seventeen-year-old Dyna comes from a family of risk takers and is an avid thrill-seeker herself, until the day she splinters her ankle in a terrible fall. Her whole life goes from mountain biking and rock climbing to sitting at home and attending group sessions at the bizarre alternative healing center that her hippie mother found. The boy who witnessed Dyna’s accident believes her injury is a wakeup call and he encourages her mild new lifestyle, but a young Afghanistan War veteran she meets at the healing center pushes her to start taking chances again. Forced to face the consequences of her daredevil impulses, Dyna finds herself in danger of risking the one thing she’s always treated with caution—her heart.

Adrenaline Crush was a very quick book. I had my doubts in regards to any character development with a book so short. When I started reading, I honestly wasn't a fan of the main protagonist, Dyna. Dyna seemed such a stereotypical adrenaline junkie. It's all about getting that rush rush rush. That is all that went in her head. Once she ended up splintering her ankle from a fall that she could have avoided if she didn't think she was indestructible, that is when the book became more interesting for me. Dyna starts going to a rehabilitation center and goes to group therapy. She meets a young war veteran with an amputated leg and they click. The only problem I had is that Dyna just recently got into a relationship with a guy. This wasn't even a love triangle, this was a cheating triangle. I do not condone cheating of any kind. How was I supposed to root for their relationship when Dyna is hurting her current boyfriend (even though he doesn't know at that time, he will). However, ignoring that, I did like the healing process for Dyna and all the other people she met during the group therapy. It was an interesting breezy quick book for me. I do think Dyna had some character development which was a pleasant surprise. I also really liked her parents and even though they were painted as stereotypical incompetent parents (tattoos, harleys, etc), they cared so much for Dyna and wanted the best for her. I do recommend this book for a quick fun contemporary read.