Review: An emotional read from start to finish.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 8, 2012
All Things Different is the story of Jake and Sara. 15-year-old Jake is laid back, independent, and enjoys the quiet life he lives with his father. 14-year-old Sara is a damaged girl with terrible secrets.The book opens up to Sara and her mother moving in next door to Jake and his father. At first, Jake isn't too thrilled. Sara seems too clingy and irritating for him to handle. Eventually, though, Sara manages to break him down and work her way into his daily life (as well as his heart).In time, Jake helps Sara move on from things that happened in her past. Life is going great for their makeshift family - that is, until someone shows up to ruin everything.- - -I have to say, this book surprised me. I honestly had no idea going into it that it was really about a very serious subject. It was much heavier than I ever imagined. I think the book was written very well and the story was beautifully told.Dislikes:* A lot of the dialogue between Sara and Jake was sort of lackluster. I think Jake was the problem here. He gives way too many one-word answers. Maybe this was done to demonstrate the difference between he and Sara's personalities? Even so, it made Jake seem too monotonous and bored with all the conversations they were having.* There were a few parts that seemed a bit sexist to me; things Jake would be thinking that truly bugged me. I wish I'd highlighted some specifics to quote, but I did not. It basically boils down to Jake making assumptions about Sara simply because of her gender. She's a girl so she must automatically only care about clothes, make-up, shoes, and shopping.Likes:* The characters were fantastic. Multidimensional, lovable, and real. The author did a great job of letting us get to know both Sara and Jake thoroughly. I also adored Jake's father. He was a truly inspiring character for a plethora of reasons.* The romance is age appropriate. Sara is only 14, you know? The romance aspect of this book could have ended up being icky. Instead, it was perfection. Jake and Sara start of a little shaky, but quickly become friends. Friendship blossoms into an innocent and beautiful tale of first love. It's pure and it's sweet.* Male POV. Like I always say, I love a YA with a male POV. This book was no exception. :)* Underhill's descriptive writing is magnificent! I mean, it felt like I was right there with the characters. The setting was beautiful and the words used to describe it all were just lovely. Fantastic imagery.Overall:This is a book you shouldn't go into lightly. It isn't a fluff piece, and it's not a happily-ever-after in every way. It's about love and loss. Pain, suffering, sadness. It's about letting go of the things that hold you down. It's about moving on. The characters are wonderful and easy to relate to. The story moves along at a great pace. The author's writing is descriptive and beautiful. The setting is magical. The plot is filled with twists and turns, until everything wraps up almost-perfectly at the end. I think this is a great book and I definitely recommend it. It's serious. It's captivating. It's inspiring.