Review: Emotionally Beautiful and Touching
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 13, 2012
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading All Things Different.  This is labeled as a YA Contemporary and I don't tend to read a ton of books in this genre.  It took me a couple chapters to settle in to the writing and the story but I was really pleasantly surprised by how I felt about this book.I think I mostly enjoyed learning to love Sara through Jake's eyes.  It is a process and involves all sorts of complications and emotions.  As Jake learns more about Sara and her struggles he feels protective and responsible to help her.  His feelings of love evolve over time and I really felt like I was a part of that journey with him.This book is beautifully written.  I could picture the scenery of the book so clearly.  The lake, the house, the forest surrounding them.  It was beautiful in my mind's eye.  I love when a book can provide me with such clear pictures.One of the things I loved in this book was how these two men accept and draw Sara and her mother into their family circle.  While things seem to fall apart for Sara, I never had a completely hopeless feeling because I really believed in Jake and his Dad.  They were solid and trustworthy and I knew they would be there for Sara.  I guess it's the real feelings in this book that I connected with.  All Things Different was a pleasurable read and a happy surprise for me.I love the quote at the beginning of the Goodreads description because I feel like it helps sum up the book so well and explain the title.  :)"I know that the night is not that same as the day: that all things are different, that the things of the night cannot be explained in the day, because they do not then exist." ~ Ernest HemingwayContent wise, there was some swearing and Sara and Jake sleep in the same bed together for most of the book.  That "sleeping together" evolves into more than sleeping over time but it is never mentioned in the book or talked about.  Sara has been abused so there are many difficult issues dealt with in this book.