Same Difference - Siobhan Vivian
Book Synopsis: Sometimes, a girl just needs a change.
The last thing sixteen-year old Emily wants is to pool hop and tan her way through another summer in Cherry Grove. Now that her best friend has a boyfriend, everything feels... different in a way Emily doesn't quite understand. So when offered a spot at a prestigious art program in Philadelphia, Emily jumps at the chance to leave her hometown for a few hours a day.
But it takes more than a change of scenery and a new group of friends to discover yourself. As Emily bounces between a suburb where everyone tries to fit in and a city where everyone wants to be unique, she struggles to find her own identity. And while the rules may change, the pressures remain the same. Friendships can be hard to navigate. Boys are both deeply mysterious and utterly predictable. And the line between right and wrong is always a little blurry.
In Same Difference, acclaimed author Siobhan Vivian paints a realistic and detailed picture of what it's like to be a teenager - including the joy, thrill, and heartache we all experience when we're figuring out who we really are.
Artfully made, pun intended. Emily is my kind of girl, a little nobody from New Jersey that hopes to shed her shy-girl skin and be an artist this summer... well at least an art student.
Honestly, I cannot draw to save my life, I'll try and stick with reading. I really related to Emily, I enjoyed her realness and connected with her on a deeper level. Her friendship with her best friend Meg reminded me of someone I shall not name. Here's what this book should have been titled as: Boys Suck.
Seriously. Boys ruin everything, especially friendships between the tightest of friends. From the second Fiona was introduced I knew in my heart that she was a big fake. I didn't like her at all and I was rooting for Meg the whole time to stay Emily's one true friend.
I can say that I got my wish, and I did a mental happy dance when I got the ending that I wanted. In a way we are all Emilys. We have a piece of her in all of us. Maybe you've been a shy person, but there's really a rebel in you, waiting to awaken. Get it? Star Wars.
Anyway, wow that joke was really bad. I apologize.
This book was a quick read and the story progresses pretty fast, from fast friendships to broken and burnt bridges in a matter of a page turn.
If you like books about girls from Jersey going to Philadelphia (the city of brotherly love) to find herself and expand her art horizons, then by all means, pick up this book. However, if not, I think you'll enjoy Emily's escapades in the city and the character transformation.
Rating: ★★★★☆