Customer Reviews

Same Difference

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

How can you not love Siobhan Vivian? Seriously. I follow both her personal blog and The Longstockings (not to sound creeper-ish), and everything she writes is just so alive and enjoyable. That being said, Same Difference was pretty dang good.

So you know how Sarah Dessen has a kind of trademarked romantic style/plot concept that's present in all of her books? Well for Siobhan, she's got a friendship style. In A Little Friendly Advice, her first book, she focused on the dynamics of the relationships between a group of girls. They were going through a difficult stage in their lives and in their friendship, and they all grew from it and became better people because of their experiences. In Same Difference it's the same sort of troubled friendship plot line but it's different enough that it feels fresh and unique.

In this book, the main character is going through a huge stage of self-discovery. She has to decide whether she wants to become a crazy artsy girl with the help of her new "friend" Fiona or whether she wants to stick with her roots and live a plain dreary life in Cherry Hill. But the book was so much more than that one little decision.

In the beginning, Emily had no idea who she was or who she wanted to be. Throughout the book she learned how to make new friends, create beautiful art, and still stay true to who she was at her core. She even got to have a little forbidden romance.

And that's the part that didn't work for me - the romance. Yates was Emily's teacher's assistant. He was two years older than her and didn't have much of a personality. Truthfully, they didn't have much, if any chemistry at all. It was just so flat. They were able to sit and draw pictures of each other but they weren't able to have a meaningful, colorful conversation. And the fact that he didn't see through Emily and Fiona's fake friendship doesn't do much for him.

Also, I didn't really get why Emily was dumb enough to stick with Fiona for the whole entire story. Fiona made her feel like crap and she was so caught up in her own stupid views that she couldn't take a minute to look around at the rest of the world. Emily seemed like a very bright, and genuine girl and the fact that she was sucked into Fiona's antics for almost the whole story was sort of a let-down.

But other than that, the book was good. The setting was extremely vivid, the conversations were true to life, and all the art lingo seemed really well researched and thought out to me.

And Emily was a very teen-like girl. She made some of the same dumb decisions that I would have if I was in her shoes and yet she still followed her heart. I liked how in the end she learned how to get the best out of both worlds - art land and suburbia. Also, I was super happy that she didn't ditch Meg. Because Meg was sooo cute. As was the fact that Emily's little sister was starting to get all artsy and defiant at the end of the book; she was following in her sister's footsteps. Aw!

There were just so many cute and fun little moments in this book that made me smile. It's such a great feel-good read.

My only advice to Siobhan Vivian would be to steer away from the romance in the future and focus more on the friendships. That's her strong point, I think. Although I do hope that there are some romantic moments in her next book because I want to see what she cooks up next. :)

I love Siobhan and I loved this book. Read it.

Same Difference is one of those books I've been waiting to find. I've for years tried to find a book about the life of a young artist and what it's like to discover your creative potential. I think I've found that in Same Difference.

Same Difference really made me reflect on my life as an artist so far. It exhibits a lot of the struggles people can face. Living up to the potential you so desperately want to have or discovering that you even have the potential or the passion. It's all illustrated through the characters in Same Difference.

The main character Emily, is one of those girls that discovers almost by accident one day that they like art and might not be too bad at it. She is perfectly balanced out by fellow classmate Fiona who has always lived the life of an artist, she knows she's an artist and wants desperately to prove to everyone what a genius she is, there is no other way. I loved seeing the artistic journey through both Emily and Fiona.

I thought it was really honest and real to see Emily struggle over her friendship with best friend from home Meg. Emily changes so drastically while in summer school trying to find herself, she struggles to find any common ground with Meg who is at home spending her summer with her boyfriend. Will they still be able to be friends at the end of the summer?

Another really interesting character is Yates, the student teacher and Emily's crush. He's not only fun to read about because of Emily's longings for him but for his insight into the life of a artist a year or two into school. He has some really interesting ideas about making a name, literally for yourself as an artist.

Most of the action inside of the classroom takes place in the drawing class or during field trips. We see Emily a few times in her Mixed Media class(?) away from the other students like Fiona and her posse. I would have really enjoyed seeing Emily more in that environment to contrast it with when she was with those other students.

I think Same Difference is a wonderfully unique story of finding yourself as an artist and as a person. I would highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in the arts or self discovery in general.

Siobhan's books are amazing and always focus on Friendship instead of love. When I read A Little
Friendly Advice, last year, I knew this was an author to watch.
Same Difference is about a girl, Emily. She lives in Cherry Grove, New Jersey. Her best friend, Meg lives across the street and summers are spent with going to the pool and Starbucks. That is before, Emily gets accepted to a summer art program in Philadelphia.
Emily feels lost in these arty and hip teens. She soon becomes friends with Fiona, Adrian, Robyn. Fiona is obsessed with her "shadow art", Robyn's parents own a gallery, and Adrian is good with comics. There is also very helpful andcute, Yates that happens to be her teaching assistant. Emily still feels lost. They go to art show and concerts. On the other hand, Meg and Rick react wrong to Emily's art. Emily will have to figure out who her real friends are and does she want to be.
I loved Emily, she made the same desicion that I would have. The setting was also really well done. I liked that it was based on Siobhan's own expercence and I think that it made it more Realistic. I also though Meg was cute. Yates was awesome, but was a bit lacking in the personality. This is a novel of self discovery, friendship, and the choices that we make. I loved this book and I hope that you check it out for it's awesomeness.

After you encounter a work of art, you are your same self, but different. This book is an artistic masterpiece, and the best book about art I've ever read.

For 16 years, Emily hasn't known much more than life beyond her hometown of Cherry Grove, New Jersey. But change is in the air the summer before her senior year in high school.

Emily and her best friend Meg have always spent the summers together. They live right across the street from each other in the gated community of Blossom Manor. Typical summer days are full of trips to pools or visits to Starbucks for frozen peppermint mochas. But this year is different. For the first time, Emily won't be around every day. Instead, she'll be traveling by herself to a prestigious art school in Philadelphia to take classes. This summer, the girls --- whose "names are always mushed together in conversation around school, like MegandEmily" --- will be split. Emily believes Meg will be just fine. She has a popular boyfriend, Rick, to occupy her time anyway. Emily thinks, "I needed a break from it all, and taking some art classes in Philadelphia a few times a week was as good an idea as any I could think of. Meg got a boyfriend and I got a hobby. That's just the way things worked out."

But in Philly, Emily feels completely out of her element. The other kids in her program are all arty and hip and not quite as suburban looking as she is. One of the girls, Fiona, is obsessed with "shadow art" and loves sketching chalk outlines of shadows all over the sidewalks. Fiona's art statements are as outlandish as her personality. Robyn aka "Pixie Girl," and Adrian, a freakishly skinny comic book-loving boy, instantly become friends with Fiona. Meanwhile, Emily feels left out and alone. To make matters worse, Fiona isn't very nice to Emily and even mocks her because of where she's from. And then there's Yates, a cute teaching assistant in his freshman year at the school, who Emily makes a surprising first impression on.

Despite her initial cruelty, Fiona decides to warm up to Emily. Along with Robyn and Adrian, they go to Philadelphia art shows and concerts. Emily's world has been broadened, and she starts to see herself differently --- not as Emily from Cherry Grove, New Jersey, but as someone else. And when Meg and Rick react to her sketches in a not-so-nice way, Emily begins to wonder if she wants any of her former life anymore. But as the summer unfolds, friendships new and old are put to the test and it's up to Emily to decide who she really wants to be.

SAME DIFFERENCE is a realistic young adult novel about the struggle for identity and self-discovery. Author Siobhan Vivian has created a likable protagonist who finds herself in a tug-of-war between her old life and her new one. Readers will enjoy seeing how Emily deals with crazy Fiona, loveable Yates and best friend Meg. The Philadelphia College for Fine Arts setting is authentic and an enjoyable backdrop for a summer filled with a lot of learning about both art and life.

--- Reviewed by Kristi Olson

When I started reading this, I was just expecting a mediocre "the summer that changed everything" novel. In essence, it is a "summer that changed everything" novel but it's really so much more than that.

The characters are what drive this novel. I've read hundreds of books and have yet to see a set of characters as unique and realistic as those in this novel. Emily is your typical teen, trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs in the world. She's having trouble with her family and friends. Maybe that makes me sound cliche, maybe you're saying "well, that's what all girls in the books are going through", but there was something in the novel that made it different, that made her one of the most realistic characters and not at all cliche.

Fiona was a character that was so important to the novel. She was slightly hard to figure out but I'm sure everyone will see a little bit of themselves in her and be able to relate to her actions. She was probably my favorite character because of that. Yates was...well, he was Yates and that pretty much explains it all.

The romance (or perhaps non-romance) was done particularly well. You know it's going to happen but when it does, it's in a way you don't expect. And, of course, drama ensues. I felt my heart breaking at certain parts which I always a sign that the romance was done well.

The ending was unexpected but I loved it. It worked so well and made me smile.

I highly recommend this book. Since finishing it I have gone back to reread certain parts and have started shoving it off on anyone I know. Definitely suggest you pick up a copy ASAP!

I started out completely disliking this book. The main character came off as completely shallow, describing and judging peoples' clothing obnoxiously, discussing her rich kid life as if it was no big deal. It was only later that I found out that the book is designed to make you hate her, and in a way, to make her hate herself, setting up for all the big changes she goes through. One thing that struck me from the beginning was the setting--an art camp. I believe I've read other books set at art camps, but this is the first that actually describes their exercises and not just life at camp. It's written in a way that both experienced artists and complete novices would understand what is going on in her art world. It's just incredibly unique as a book. The characters, too, are extremely three dimensional. I have jotted down in my notes "Fiona would have been a good main character", but going back, I don't know, I kind of feel like she already was. The book was more about her than anything, and I love that. This is why I was disappointed by the ending, where Fiona, the character that so much revolved around, got no resolution whatsoever. The book clearly has its ups and downs, but overall, it's one worth picking up.

Rating: 4/5

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I had quite a few problems with it and am split on a lot of aspects, for example the main character, Emily. At times, she was so easy to relate to and understand, but at others I just wanted to shake her and make her stop imitating others and start being herself. Her journey was portrayed well, but in my opinion, Emily's progress in finding who she is happened too late in the book. At first, she imitates her friend Meg, and later, after going to art-school by herself, she imitates her new friend Fiona. That imitating Fiona instead of Meg was portrayed as progress, though, seemed wrong to me. Only in the very end does she try to be herself only.

I personally don't mind extremely self-conscious characters, but I've heard a lot of others say they're annoyed by main characters who are whiny and doubt themselves too much. If you don't like those kind of characters, this book isn't for you - there's a lot of whining and a lot of self-doubt. I don't usually mind that, though, as it's something I can relate to.

The other characters were okay. They were really well-written, but as people, both Meg and Fiona got on my nerves. How both of them blamed Emily and tried to manipulate her was annoying, especially from Fiona - she's supposed to be so different, but she can only be different if those around her like how she's different. I appreciated her character more, though, when we learned about her insecurities towards the ending.

The writing was great and vivid - it was so easy to imagine I was there with Emily, and teenage life was described realistically, both in her home-town and at the art-school. I loved how art was used to show Fiona's growth, and the aspect of the art was interesting in general.

The romance between Emily and Yates was okay. I loved Yates as a character, but I didn't like the romance as part of the main plot all that much. I would have preferred if Emily didn't have a love interest, as this would have helped her be only herself and not try to impress others as much.

Another problem I had with this novel was the predictability of the plot. From the first few chapters on, the reader knew (well, at least I did) how the storylines with Meg, Fiona, Yates, etc. were going to go, and except for the very end, there were no unexpected twists, which left me a little bored with some of the storylines.

Overall, this was an okay read. The writing was great, but the plot too predictable. If you like reading about insecure, self-doubting characters, you should read this one, but if you're easily annoyed by those characters, I don't recommend this one for you.

I find it hard to review Same Difference. There is nothing wrong with this book except that within a few days I will probably not remember I ever read it.

Same Difference is your standard coming-of-age story. The main character - Emily - feels a little blue, her best friend has a new boy-friend and Emily feels left out. To break the routine of being the third wheel, she decides to pursue her newly found artistic aspirations and attend a summer arts program in the big city nearby - Philadelphia. Although originally Emily just wants to improve her drawing skills, very soon all her Philadelphia experiences become focused on fitting in with her new pink-haired/wrist-cutting/fishnet-wearing pretentious artsy classmates. Suddenly Emily's old life - her old friends, her caring family, comfortable home - becomes too vanilla and she is too willing to reject it all. As you can guess, the rest of the story is Emily's journey to find her place in relation to these two very different worlds.

Same Difference is a very inoffensive novel, dull even. There is no edge or excitement to it, the conflicts are resolved almost painlessly. The romance is lukewarm at best. While carefully written, the characters do not stand out in the crowd of the ones I've read about in YA fiction. Emily's journey to self-discovery is moderately compelling, but her final self I am not pleased with. She becomes a better artist but a much worse friend and daughter IMO. In fact, I still fail to understand her rage against her best friend and family who have been nothing but supportive of her artistic aspirations.

Who I think this novel will appeal to are readers interested in art. Siobhan Vivian does a great job describing Emily's experiences both in her arts school and in the artistic environment in general. Unfortunately, such details tend to leave me cold in literature unless written very well.

This book was an extremely pleasant surprise. Emily is a girl who lives in a suburban cookie cutter town. She has her best friend who is bubbly and happy, and who has a boyfriend, and Emily just feels out of place. So she goes to an art school and begins to make a different set of friends, including the very vivid Fiona. What drew me into this book was the excellent characterization. This is what can make a plot that seems like it's already been done have new life breathed into it. I read this and didn't want to put it down!