Same Difference

I did like reading this a lot more than A Little Friendly Advice. It’s not an absolutely stunning book, but I was able to get into the story more and relate to the characters more in here.

I really liked Emily, as she felt like a normal, average girl who just wants to try something different for the summer. There’s no tragic backstory, no missing parents—Emily’s just average. I even liked the fact that while she’s a good artist, she recognizes the fact that she’s not “OMG SO SUPER SPECIAL” and has a long way to go to being truly great and that she has her strengths and weaknesses in art. It’s a nice added detail that adds to the realism. And I also really related to Emily’s identity crisis of not being “arty” show more enough to fit in with the rest of her classmates and that her suburban life isn’t very impressive compared to Fiona’s or Yates’s life in Philadelphia. And while there’s contrived teenage girl fights, I like that Emily’s more willing to hold the olive branch out and mend her relationships with Meg and Fiona.

I do like Yates, and I think he’s nice. Not so much a fan of him being the love interest. I could buy Emily getting a massive crush on Yates and Yates helping her out during the summer course, but once they move into an actual relationship, I started to get a little squicked out. The one positive thing I do like about the relationship is that it doesn’t go without consequence—even when Emily and Yates both deny having done anything, Yates is still stripped of his position and loses some of his opportunities. Again, it’s more of a realistic touch than most other YA novels would do.

Fiona is a tough one for me, especially with her juxtaposition with Emily’s other friends. I liked that she’s the girl who tries too hard to be mature and worldly, and while that impresses Emily in the beginning, it doesn’t last very long. It is infuriating that Fiona doesn’t learn anything from being torn down in front of her peers, but again, it’s a very teenage reaction. (If anything I’ve picked up on Siobhan Vivian so far, it’s that she grasps the teenage mindset very well: you rarely learn anything quickly as a teenager.)

And I do like the growing distance between Emily and her other friends here. It’s easy to write off a scene like Emily yelling at her friends for drawing obscene pictures in her sketchbook. But I liked that there’s that wall between the two groups, and that Emily definitely didn’t appreciate it. I like that they have to acknowledge this growing apart. The only relationship I didn’t get a good grasp on was with Emily’s family—we really only get to see her mother and sister, and even then, they only pop in and out of the story. I felt that there could have been more done with them, especially toward the end of the book.

Overall, it’s a solid read. I like the bits of realism—some may knock Emily for not being very interesting, but that’s what made me like her in the first place. I’d say it’s worth checking out if you want something different in realistic YA novels. show less

Emily Thompson is getting out of her South Jersey suburb to take art classes at a pre-college summer program in Philly. Detaching herself from her best friend Meg is not easy, especially when Emily has difficulty making friends at art school because she's more J.Crew than vintage. But as Emily's confidence grows in part because of her friendship with the fearless Fiona, and Meg's relationship with her boyfriend deepens, the girls naturally distance themselves from each other. Emily revels in her new persona; crashing art gallery openings and flirting with the teaching assistant. Yet having new friends does not mean giving up the loyal ones left behind, and Emily eventually realizes that not everyone is who they pretend to be. Vivian's show more talent is that she writes about very realistic and relatable teen experiences without being cliche. Teen girls in particular will be able to see themselves in this novel. Whether they identify with the attention-seeking Fiona or the slightly introverted Emily; they will no doubt find company in their own struggles with friendship, love, and self-expression. Vivian (A Little Friendly Advice) writes with intriguing insight, reliving those stressful and often confusing moments of adolescence where everything mattered so much. show less

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 show more 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 show less

Emily is not happy with her life the way it is, but her discontent lurks beneath the surface. In her attempt to sweep away her dissatisfaction, she slowly becomes immersed in this new artistic world, letting go of her life in Cherry Grove little by little. I think her reaction to the vastly different worlds she travels is a common one. It’s the old adage that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Because things are getting difficult in Cherry Grove, she teeters to the other side of the spectrum, somehow convinced that things will be better if she leaves her past behind her. But problems creep in, and instead of dealing with one set of problems, she’s forced to deal with two. Her story is about her figuring out show more that she needs to balance who she was with who she is becoming, and discovering how to do just that.
Emily is fairly passive, afraid to really speak her mind for fear of not being understood or upsetting someone. Because of this, the book is powered by her internal reactions and perceptions. As the story progresses Emily slowly finds her voice. She doesn’t make a radical personality change; she’s still low-key and quiet. But she’s grown as a person and come to a greater understanding of who she really wants to be.
Meg and Fiona, her friends representing Cherry Grove and Philadelphia, respectively, both annoyed me, to be honest. I don’t mean that they were written poorly, but the characters themselves were annoying. Meg was whiny and clingy; I could see why she would be hurt by Emily’s absence and changes, but she was pretty selfish herself and wasn’t willing to listen to Emily until she yelled loud enough to be heard. Fiona was overbearing and arrogant; even though Emily found her to be inspirational, I think Emily’s personality was too weak for Fiona and she’d always feel somewhat inferior and submissive to Fiona. Vivian does a good job of exploring the reasons behind both her friends’ behavior, and I think the way the relationships stand at the end of the book fits the story well.
Because, for better or worse, I was a lot like Emily when I was sixteen, I found the story to be a quick and attractive read. The development of Emily’s talent for art over the course of the book gave me something to grab onto. However, I can see how others might find the pacing to be too slow. There is a romantic subplot to the story that I thought was a sweet addition, but Emily’s struggle to find herself was the real draw for me. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Reviewed by Angie Fisher for TeensReadToo.com

How many of us can truly say we know who we are, especially as teenagers?

Emily is no different. Sure, she has had the same BFF forever, will graduate from high school next year, and her family seems pretty together. Take away those three things, and she has no idea.

That is, until her art teacher recommends her for an invitation-only summer program in Philadelphia. Though she has never thought seriously about her artistic ability (like everyone else, she only took the class because it was an easy A), Emily decides a couple days a week taking some art classes in the city is a perfect way to take a break from all the blah.

What follows is Emily's journey between her hometown, where everyone is show more trying to fit in, and her new surroundings in the city, where the struggle is in trying to stand out. Attempting to navigate both worlds isn't easy, and Emily will lose herself before she can truly find the self-discovery, and the self-confidence, she will need to become the person she is meant to be.

As in all life lessons, there are losses as well as gains along the way.

Those living through adolescence and their teen years, as well as those of us who have actually made it through the experience, however scathed, can truly appreciate Siobhan Vivian's SAME DIFFERENCE. Though we would never choose to go back and live it all again, Ms. Vivian has given us a gift in allowing us to follow Emily in her effort to answer the question many go through life never having the strength to ask: Who am I? show less

Emily is searching for something: her true self. Summer in her hometown of Cherry Hill isn't as fun as it used to be since her best friend, Meg, got a boyfriend. Every time they hang out Emily feels like the third wheel. Finally, she finds something just for her. A two month summer art program at a nearby college in Philadelphia. She has always seemed to excel at drawing so she decided to give it a try.

Little did she know that all the kids attending are way ahead of her. Most of them know exactly what they want to do with their lives after high school and most of their choices involve their art. The only reason Emily really liked art was because it was the one thing she was good at.

As Emily is drawn deeper into her art and the lives of show more the students in her art class she starts to discover that she isn't the same person she always was. But is the new Emily the real Emily, or even the girl she wants to be?

Sadly, I was a little disappointed in the main character of the book. The story was amazing but it seemed like Emily was lacking in maturity and her own sense of self. As the book begins Emily seems to be imitating her best friend Meg and as the book progresses she seems to begin to imitate her new friend, Fiona. She never really seemed to develop her own personality.

I did enjoy this book and I would still recommend it because I still really liked the story. It's a very real portrayal of how you can get caught up in what others want you to be and put aside your true self to be something you're not. show less