Signs Point to Yes by Sandy Hall

Yesterday, I finished reading A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall and was, for the most part, disappointed by the unique fourteen viewpoint style and the clichéd plot.  However, I was not about to let one subpar reading cloud my entire judgement of an author’s work.  I began reading Signs Point to Yes early this morning while the children I nanny were in their sports classes (the perfect time to start a book, in my opinion). 

                                                                                                                  

Signs Point to Yes follows Teo and Jane, both seventeen year old high schoolers, as they navigate their summers.  The two used to be friends way back in their elementary days, but they have not spoken in years, in part due to Teo’s best friend, Ravi, who absolutely despises Jane (the feelings are mutual).  Teo is working as a life guard this summer while Jane is hired as the nanny to Teo’s half-sisters.  Suddenly the two of them are spending much more time together than they had ever expected.  All Jane wants is to waste her summer writing fanfiction with her trusty Magic 8 Ball by her side, but now she’s using her Magic 8 Ball for purposes she never expected: navigating her crush on Teo, and maybe, possibly helping him track down his biological father. 

Honestly, I enjoyed this book more than her debut novel, which only proves to me that it was more the specific style of the novel than Hall’s writing style over all that turned me off of A Little Something Different.  I finished the book in around four hours (the reading went rather quickly once I was able to put the children down for a nap). Overall, Signs Point to Yes was a cute, simple read.  I found myself routing for the characters at times, and there were a few moments where I may have said “aw” audibly to myself.  I, also, liked the Magic 8 Ball twist as it brought me back to my childhood when all my questions were answered by a simple shake of a magic ball.

Still, the book had quite a few flaws.  For one, I felt that Hall was trying to cram a lot of drama into the book.  Teo’s search for his biological father was more than enough mystery for me.  I did not feel that the Ravi/Jane animosity added to the story in any way (and by the way, the resolution was unrealistic and childish), nor did I feel like Margo’s whole “situation” (I am trying not to post spoilers) was important in any way.  The added troubles only detracted from the romantic relationship between Teo and Jane and their quest to find his father.

Was Signs Point to Yes a particularly thought-provoking novel?  No.  Was it the sort of book I might recommend to someone who is looking for a romance novel that will make them blush?  Not in the least.  Did the book thrill me and leave me wanting for more?  Nope.  But, if you want an easy, PG way to pass the time, perhaps in an airport or while waiting for a friend to show up to lunch, then this book would be right up your alley. 

2.5/5 stars.

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

The local bookshop where I work part-time often receives shipments of ARCs (advanced reader copies, i.e. books that have not yet been published that publishers want us to read, like, and recommend to our customers).  Unfortunately, it is a rare day when any of those books are romance novels, or even books with romantic undertones.  Last Saturday my manager opened a package and discovered, much to my excitement, three romantic novels by Sandy Hall.  Two of the novels were her previously published books, A Little Something Different and All Signs Point to Yes, and the third was her newest book, not yet published.  Knowing my obsession with romance, my manager thrust the books into my hands and told me to have fun.

The covers of the books are absolutely beautiful, a total flip from my usual covers with half-naked men and women on them.  I read the blurbs of bother book and decided to begin my reading with A Little Something Different.  The book follows the romantic entanglements of Azalea (Lea) and Gabe, two shy, awkward college students enrolled in the same creative writing course.  The overall story sounded like your typical young adult novel, but there was one striking difference.  Rather than being told from the viewpoints of the two main characters, Hall chose to tell the story of Lea and Gabe through fourteen other individuals.  These individuals include friends, family, baristas, professors, annoying classmates, a bus driver, a squirrel and a bench (yes, you read that right, a squirrel and a bench).

I was eager to begin this book, so I was disappointed to discover, at only page thirty-five, that I was ready to throw in the towel.  In that short number of pages I already had so many issues with the story that I was finding it increasingly difficult to continue. 

The first thing that really bothered me occurred on only page four when the author described the creative writing professor’s first-day-of-school outfit as “a slutty Little House on the Prairie” and later included the following sentence from the professor’s point-of-view, “I hop up on the desk, making sure my Laura Ingalls mini-skirt doesn’t ride perilously high”.  As someone who graduated from a university, and even took a creative writing course, I found that description of the professor completely unprofessional, for one, and also unrealistic.  It was one of many roll-my-eyes moments that this book drew from me. 

I, also, took quite an issue with the sheer number of viewpoints.  I was hesitant from the beginning about reading a story from fourteen different people, but my concern was validated as I read.  The author really did not take the time to create different personalities and writing styles for each character introduced.  At times I found myself having to backtrack to remember whose section I was supposed to be reading, also a symptom of simply having too many different characters to keep track of from the get-go.  Hall, also, tended to switch between viewpoints a little too quickly for my taste which only resulted in my not getting to know the characters as well as I would have liked.

By far my largest issue with book, however, was the viewpoints of the squirrel and the bench.  It seemed as though Hall was trying to add some sections of the book that were purely for comedic relief, but A Little Something Different was not suffering from a lack of funny moments.  In fact, the squirrel and bench viewpoints felt too forced and silly, when what I really wanted was for the book to feel a little more serious.

Despite my complaints with the book, I managed to finish it without feeling like it was too much a waste of my time.  There were certainly sections of the book where I felt connected to the characters and where I felt vested in their relationship, despite the overwhelmingly cliché nature of the book. I think I might have enjoyed the book much more had the book simply been from the viewpoints of Lea and Gabe, but I can see why the author might have tried to spice up what would have otherwise been your typical teen romance story.  I plan to read Sandy Hall’s other novels because I need to determine whether it is Hall’s writing style that I dislike or whether it was simply the fourteen different viewpoints that made this book a more difficult read for me. 

Pros: cute main characters, relatable love story, quick & simple read.

Cons: too many viewpoints, clichéd, and occasionally annoying, secondary characters, & the occasionally unrealistic plot.

2/5 Stars

Let Me Introduce Myself

Welcome to Romantically Inclined: Reviews for the Romance Lover,

My name is Kate.  I am an avid romance novel reader and I have been since I was very young.  It all started in junior high when I discovered that I had read every possible romantic book in my, not so extensive, library's young adult collection.  At thirteen years old I had begun to feel romantic feelings and needed a way to feed my curiosity without having to converse with my mother about them.

I ventured out into the adult fiction section of our library.  I, having never heard of romance novels, was concerned that all adult books were pretentious works, like the ones I was studying in my English class.  Scanning the book shelves I looked for a book that might have, even the smallest bit, of romance in it.  My gaze fell upon a book with a bright pink binding and I thought to myself, "If this book doesn't have romance in it, nothing will."

The book I had selected was Absolutely Positively, by Jayne Ann Krentz and it absolutely changed my world.  At thirteen I was probably a little young to be reading torrid love scenes but my mother never once tried to stamp out the flame that was brewing inside of me.  Within a couple weeks I had used my hard earned money to start the beginnings of my romance collection and purchased eight of Krentz's novels.

My freshman year of high school I would bring books to school to read during lunch or between classes.  This most definitely proved to be a mistake because my friend Dan found it absolutely hilarious to snag my novels and read them aloud, in a pirate accent, to our entire lunch table.  I refused to be shamed for my reading choices, and instead started bringing two books to school: one for Dan to read aloud, and one for me to read, undisturbed.

Now that I am twenty-four I am the proud owner of nearly six hundred romance novels, as well as other books (I do enjoy expanding my horizons from time to time).  I am a nanny, which gives me the opportunity to read many a children's picture book (also, a love of mine), and I am, also, a part-time bookseller at a local, independent bookstore in my town.

Our bookstore has a decent romance collection, which greatly impressed me when I started my work there because I have been to many an independent bookstore looking for romance novels only to be given a look.  If you read romance novels then you know this look.  It's the look of someone who thinks your choice of reading is garbage.  It's the look of someone who thinks they're above romance novels and their romanticized idea of relationships and sex.  It's the look of someone who wants to laugh at you, but is refraining because society dictates they have to try to be polite.

It's the look.

Our bookstore respects every person's choice of book.  We don't care what you're reading, only that you're reading.  Still, the number of romance readers we get in our store is almost zero.  In the six months I have been working there I have never, personally, sold a romance novel to anyone other than myself.  I want to stand on the sidewalk and shout, "COME IN, YOU WON'T BE JUDGED HERE." I refrain, because that would be weird.

There's a quote, "Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."  I think that quote is bullshit (pardon my french).  I think you should read something that, should you die in the middle of it, you will only regret not being able to finish it.

My hope with this blog is that I might reduce the stigma of being a romance reader... even if it's only for one young woman with a fear of stepping into that aisle at the bookstore.  My other hope is that I might be able to suffer through the drivel for you, so that you do not have to waste your time on poorly written books.