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Signs Point to Yes

Sandy Hall (Goodreads Author)

3.51 · Rating details · 2,959 ratings · 548 reviews

If only Jane’s Magic 8 Ball could tell her how to get through the summer. With her “perfect” sister, Margo, home for her “perfect” internship, Jane is not going to be able to spend the summer writing fan fiction, as she had planned. And her emergency babysitting job requires Jane to spend the whole summer in awkward proximity to her new crush, Teo, a nerdy-hot lifeguard wi ...more

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Paperback, 265 pages

Published October 20th 2015 by Swoon Reads

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· 2,959 ratings · 548 reviews

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Jan 28, 2015 Aimee ♥ | Aimee, Always rated it liked it

Shelves: adorableeee, insta-love-lust-attraction, covergasm, eye-roll, let-me-gouge-your-eyeballs-out, this-is-hilarious-stuff, oh-the-fluff, ha-ha-not-funny, arc, i-am-not-pleased-with-that-cliffie

Fans of John Green and Adi Alsaid will want to get their paws on Signs Point to Yes, with its quirky characters and witty-in-an-awkward-way writing.

Personally, I'm not really a fan of said writing style, and that was the main thing that stopped me from fully enjoying this book. There were times when the dialogue was just too stiff and unnatural--and so were the characters in general. They just had this really rough flow that made me awkward as a reader.

Despite that, I can say that the characters Fans of John Green and Adi Alsaid will want to get their paws on Signs Point to Yes, with its quirky characters and witty-in-an-awkward-way writing.

Personally, I'm not really a fan of said writing style, and that was the main thing that stopped me from fully enjoying this book. There were times when the dialogue was just too stiff and unnatural--and so were the characters in general. They just had this really rough flow that made me awkward as a reader.

Despite that, I can say that the characters all had pretty distinct personalities. They may have made some pretty idiotic, questionable and shallow decisions at one point, but at least each character shone, which is a fantastic thing, considering this book is written from three different points of view.

First of all, we have Jane, who's a sarcastic and insecure fangirl. I found myself really enjoying her chapters, since I could really empathize with her character. She's incredibly passionate about her fandoms (like us!) and feels pretty lame compared to her older sister, the family favorite. I'm sure many readers will be able to relate to her and enjoy her witty voice.

Then we have Teo--holy crap, this guy is just adorable. He's sweet, awkward, and adores his three sisters--total dream-guy material. He doesn't make the best choices all the time, but he manages to accept his mistakes and learn from them.

Margo, Jane's older sister, is the third narrator. She's bisexual, and I honestly couldn't see the point of her POV. She didn't really add anything to the story, and it felt like her struggle to come out was just there for added drama, and served no real purpose.

Character relationships were pretty spot-on, though. We have a nicely paced romance between Jane and Teo, which is basically represented by this math equation:
Awkward + Awkward = Adorableness!

The family relationships were wonderful as well, which is not something that's always a big deal in YA. It was nice seeing how close Jane and Margo were, and the same goes for Teo and his three younger brothers.

Teo also had an awesome friendship with his best friend Ravi. Their relationship showed how, no matter how asshole-y your best friend can be, you'll still stick by them... After you tell them that they're an asshole. (Although I kind of hated Ravi as a character. He was just too quirky and unnatural for my liking.)

Overall, I'd recommend this for anyone looking for a quick, cute contemporary read! It may not be the perfect book, but it'll be enough to bring smiles to your faces on a rainy day.

Deadly Darlings | The Social Potato | The Book Geek | Twitter | Instagram

...more

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Jun 06, 2015 Ylenia rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2015-reads

More like: Signs Point to Meh.

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Feb 07, 2018 Fenia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fluffiness

FANGIRLING ABOUT THE FANGIRL PROTAGONIST!!!!!! I'm simply blown away. Jane was a fandom gal like us and i cant even. i relate to her in so many levels.
i loved this book so much. fluffy and funny and lovely. ♥ ...more

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Nov 02, 2015 Jeann (Happy Indulgence) rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-contemporary, review-copy, young-adult, pan-macmillan-australia

This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews!

Signs Point to Yes was centered around a young teenager, Jane, who bases all her life decisions around a magical 8 ball that answers yes or no to questions. It was an interesting concept, but for someone to so heavily rely on this to make her own decisions felt a bit…silly I guess?

Jane seems to be this passive throughout the whole book, with her avoidance of a discussion that matters with her mum regarding college, not knowi ...more

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Jan 30, 2015 Wendy Darling rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbtqi, to-review, read-2015, 2015-publication, too-many-povs, macmillan, realistic-fiction, october, young-adult

Sandy Hall writes the most adorable dialogue and narrative voice, but this one felt overall too scattered and lacking in focus, especially towards the end. She's already mastered the hardest thing, which is unique voice (with cute romance and delightful humor)--it'd be nice to see what a dedicated editor could do to help her shape her future work into something even better.

Still, I love that voice so much, I still enjoyed the read. And you gotta love a girl who writes Dr.Who + Little Women/Vero ...more

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Dec 12, 2017 Bee rated it liked it

This books was trying to juggle a lot of things, and I'm so surprised that in less than 300 pages Sandy Hall somehow managed to pull it off. I only wish Margot's storyline had more time to develop. I really loved that this book was fun, fast-paced, and full of plot. After all the snow and rain we've been having in the UK, it was lovely to get a glimpse of summer in this book. ...more

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Jun 21, 2015 Gillian rated it did not like it

Maybe 1.5 or 2, but mostly I'm very disappointed. though this book is harmless and sweet, is also flat, rather boring, and lacking conflict. it has no voice or personality, which A Little Something Different had in spades. I found myself wondering what the POINT is this book was--as in, why was it written and why were we paying any attention to these people are this time in their lives--and I hate that. Big MEH, alas. ...more

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Mar 27, 2015 Laura rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-reads-of-2015

What will the future bring? What should I do? What do I really want from life? So many unknowns make up our days, futures, and pasts. How can we know what to do or which way to go? Family and friends can help with communication and trust. But a little guidance from the Magic 8 Ball can’t hurt either. :)

Jane needs to find a job for the summer. A paying job away from her mother’s constant pushing and pressure and “it-would-look-good-on-your-college-application” talk. When a too perfect for words,
What will the future bring? What should I do? What do I really want from life? So many unknowns make up our days, futures, and pasts. How can we know what to do or which way to go? Family and friends can help with communication and trust. But a little guidance from the Magic 8 Ball can’t hurt either. :)

Jane needs to find a job for the summer. A paying job away from her mother’s constant pushing and pressure and “it-would-look-good-on-your-college-application” talk. When a too perfect for words, full time babysitting gig pops up right in town, Jane jumps at the opportunity. Except…it’s with the Buchanans. A family right around the corner with three little girls AND Teo Garcia. Teo Garcia! An adorable-ly awkward hottie with dimples and abs and oolala-ness! Teo and Jane used to spend a lot of time together as kids, but drifted away from each other through the push and pull of high school. They’re not kids anymore! The sparks begin to grow, glow, and sparkle in a hurry. Jane walked into this on her first day on the job...

“For the record, she’d seen him without his shirt plenty of times. He was the kind of guy who would mow the lawn without a shirt on or would whip it off while playing soccer with his friends. He was a lifeguard, for God’s sake, Jane told herself. She’s seen his naked torso on numerous occasions.

But somehow, while he was sleep-mussed and standing in his own kitchen wearing only a pair of basketball shorts, it was a completely different story.”

Can Jane survive the summer babysitting three energetic kids with her crush within sight and maybe reach? Will Jane continue to dodge her mother and the questions about her future? Maybe her Magic 8 Ball will know. Signs point to...jump in and see!

I loved everything about this book. The pace, romance, kids, and dilemmas. It all felt real and alive to me. Jane and Teo had this “I-know-you” feel to them. You can tell they hold a history together, but they’re still surprised and so alive with their new feelings for each other. The sparks are electric and cute and awkward! Shoulders and hips bump. Hands shoved into pockets. And plenty of shrugs and blushes to go around! They make me smile just thinking about them. Jane would say something embarrassing and Teo would come right back with a grin or a line. They fed off each other’s fumbles and blushes and looks. I loved it! Then throw Margo (Jane’s sister) and Ravi (Teo’s best friend) into the mix! The chemistry and energy was spot on with everyone in this book for me. The way they all talked, listened, and helped each other made me proud and so over-the moon-happy. I adored them all by the end. Yes, even Ravi. :D

And the words! I can’t leave without praising the word glory here. A word can brighten my whole day or even stick with me for weeks. Ms. Hall throws down some word magic in this story! Some words were warm and wonderful. Others just a pure joy to see on the page. Some of my favorites were---“fart nugget”, conundrum, loopy, pummel, cooties, and serendipity. I just loved saying those words out loud with a grin across my face.

But my favorite part of this story is the ending. Ms. Hall has the patience and courage to just let the ending happen. Much like what we have to do in life. Sure we make decisions and moves, but life can truly take us anywhere. Good places and bad. Not every problem or question can be answered and solved with a simple “yes” or “no”. I like when an author recognizes that fact. Hall allows the love, support and friendships to shine filling Jane’s future, Teo's history and my heart with hope. Huge hope!

There is so much to love in this book! I found smiles, pinky promises, adorable drunkenness, Dr. Who/Veronica Mars shouts out, cinematic serendipity, and so much more.

Come see what shakes out in the Magic 8 Ball for you!

Highly recommended read.

...more

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Sep 06, 2017 Yoda rated it liked it

Shelves: on-the-shelf, young-adult, read-2017, feel-good

Cute but not my favorite. It was adorable in the middleschool kind of way.

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Jan 29, 2015 Danielle (Love at First Page) rated it it was ok

Shelves: genre-young-adult, contemporary, arc, disappointing, own-no-copy, read-in-2015, very-vanilla, cover-love

This one hurts! I was very much charmed by Sandy Hall’s debut, A Little Something Different, and had high hopes that her sophomore book would have me once again grinning, shipping, and internally screaming, “JUST KISS!” Unfortunately, signs were not pointing to yes.

The beginning wasn’t too bad. We meet Jane, a superstitious fangirl who agrees to a babysitting job over the summer. Her mom has been hassling her about college applications, but Jane is not even sure she wants to go to college, let This one hurts! I was very much charmed by Sandy Hall’s debut, A Little Something Different, and had high hopes that her sophomore book would have me once again grinning, shipping, and internally screaming, “JUST KISS!” Unfortunately, signs were not pointing to yes.

The beginning wasn’t too bad. We meet Jane, a superstitious fangirl who agrees to a babysitting job over the summer. Her mom has been hassling her about college applications, but Jane is not even sure she wants to go to college, let alone where. So, while she’s dodging her mom’s incessant nagging, she’ll be spending time with her neighbor’s children, who happen to be half-sisters to the love interest, Teo. He’s not exactly on easy terms with his mom and step father, either, and one of his favorite hobbies is to try to find his dad through online searches. He has never had any luck… until Jane comes along. The two of them used to be childhood friends, but they drifted apart and now run in different social circles. They don’t not like each other, they’re just indifferent. At first, I was completely down with this set up, because usually in romances sparks fly immediately or there’s some shared romantic past. Not so with these two, and I was excited to see how their relationship would change over time.

After a few chapters, though, it was pretty clear to me this book and I weren’t going to click. I could best describe it as awkward. Awkward dialogue, awkward character development, awkward handling of the romance. Jane and Teo read really young for me, and rather than feeling giddy over their budding feelings, I was cringing during most of their interactions. I buddy read this with Nicole and we were so annoyed by how many times Jane and Teo thanked each other. It was an explosion of appreciation and repetitive praise, and I didn’t find it endearing at all. They didn’t inspire me as individual characters, either. Mostly I was "meh", but Jane's laziness and Teo's immaturity grated on me.

I was hoping Sandy Hall’s distinct humor would at least balance things out, because it’s obvious even here that’s where her skill lies, but those moments are too few and far between. In the second half, especially, the story goes downhill. It turns into a far-fetched and uninteresting plot line involving Teo’s missing father, and I just couldn’t bother to care about the outcome. I appreciate that the author once again writes about more down to earth problems that teenagers face, but Signs Point to Yes is missing the refreshing quirk of the first book.

I’m disappointed I didn’t like this book more. I was expecting to fall in love all over again! I will definitely give Sandy Hall’s future books a try and cross my fingers and toes that they will charm me like her first did.

Note: I received an ARC of this book at BEA, but that did not affect my review in any way. ...more

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May 14, 2017 Ashley Daviau rated it liked it

I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as my first Sandy Hall, A Little Something Different, but I did enjoy it nonetheless! I needed a quick fluffy read after all the heavy books I've been reading and this one definitely provided that!

I think the reason I enjoyed it less than A Little Something Different is that I just didn't enjoy the characters as much. I enjoyed seeing them grow throughout the story but I felt no particular attachment or connection to any of them. There was nothing about them t ...more

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May 31, 2017 Misty rated it liked it

This was a quick, cute, and fluffy read to start off the summer season. 🙂

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Jan 29, 2015 Catherine Tinker rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-most-anticipated, swoon-reads

How do I feel about Signs Point to Yes?

Mostly

Honest to goodness, imagining Ravi with Aziz Ansari's voice just takes this book to a whole new level of delightful.

There is so much cute and flirting that just had me like

Seriously,

to an afternoon curled up with Signs Point to Yes.
-----------------------------------------
Inspired by Sandy Hall's mention that Aziz Ansari inspired one of the characters, and this tumblr exchange we had:

I will be reviewing this book entirely in Tom Haverf ...more

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Sep 25, 2016 rachel ☾ rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, rep-bipoc, 3-star, rep-queer, romance, young-adult-lit

2.5 stars

Like Hall’s Been Here All Along, I found Signs Point to Yes to be a sweet, endearing and entertaining read - in a mindless sort of way - but one which didn’t really make much more of an impression than that. The characters and the romance lacked depth and the plotline was a little bit all over the place. What made this a truly meh read, however, was its sheer awkwardness. I concede that in contemporary romances, especially ones that attempt to be as modern as Sandy Hall, there’s a fine ...more

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Jan 28, 2015 Rhea Dsouza rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Win a Paperback Copy of Signs Point To Yes by Sandy Hall!

Without ado, I’m going to talk about my favourite character first, and that’s Teo. The book is a dual POV (yay I seriously love those) and that kept me engrossed in the book wholeheartedly. SPtY is a type of book that deserves all its characters to have a say. And Teo Garcia, like I mentioned, was my absolute favourite. This guy is the principle love interest in the book, but he is so much more than that! He’s smart and driven, but thi Win a Paperback Copy of Signs Point To Yes by Sandy Hall!

Without ado, I’m going to talk about my favourite character first, and that’s Teo. The book is a dual POV (yay I seriously love those) and that kept me engrossed in the book wholeheartedly. SPtY is a type of book that deserves all its characters to have a say. And Teo Garcia, like I mentioned, was my absolute favourite. This guy is the principle love interest in the book, but he is so much more than that! He’s smart and driven, but this is a real guy, a boy so unlike other fictional boys in the way he thinks and acts and is. It’s something that’s very difficult to explain without giving away something major from the book, but one example would be in the way he loves his three younger sisters. They’re all a little crazy—as kids usually are—and the way he is with them is adorable. But he also takes up their responsibility in a way that reminded me more of a parent than an older brother.

Jane Connelly is our MC, and admittedly, it took me a while to warm up to her. She is the type of girl that grows on you, meaning she’s an acquired taste. She kind of grated on my nerves in the beginning and her woe-is-me attitude was tiring, but it’s really a matter of getting to know her as a girl who can’t get along with her mother, no matter how hard she tries. Her obsession with the Magic 8 Ball, though, was the funniest thing ever! She is a tad bit (meaning a lot) superstitious, and almost all of her endeavours need the blessing of the Magic 8 Ball. But it doesn’t always bode well for her and her reactions to this were the cutest :D

I loved the fact that there was absolutely no insta-love where it came to Teo and Jane’s romance. They were friends first and their friendship only got deeper once Jane took up a babysitting job for Teo’s sisters. They went through this crush stage that was just charming to witness, and only after a badly-aimed kiss and a few fights did they actually develop real feelings for each other. Friendship was the main theme of the book and it was damned good to see that despite the funny circumstances that they found themselves in, more often than not, their friendship remained intact.

Ravi, Teo’s best friend was fantastic. From the beginning of the book I had a little inkling as to why he hated Jane so much but when I came to know of the real reason behind his loathing? Priceless! Absolutely priceless! You just have to read it! Sure, in the beginning he as a dick to Jane, but I never felt like he really meant the insults—nor did Jane seem very offended to me. They had a rivalry, but one that had more comic value then anything. Margo, Jane’s sister was the other character in this book I really liked. She’s Jane’s older sister, and a bit of the family favourite. And yet, Margo seemed to be having her own set of troubles that summer…that you’ll have to read to find out al about. She was great with the bickering Ravi and Jane, and gahhh. All three of them together was so <3 <3

Signs Point to Yes is a cute, absolutely adorable novel, made all the more entertaining by a host of witty characters and a message underneath all the fun. Sandy Hall has created this entire universe of characters that were so fun to read, I can’t even imagine how much more fun they were to write :) I haven’t read anything by her before, but rest assured I’ll definitely be trying her work now, especially if its as heartwarming as this one :)
...more

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Oct 12, 2015 The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, arc, blog-tours, young-adult, netgalley, 2015-releases

Full Review on The Candid Cover

Looking to hold onto summer for just a while longer? This book is one that is not to be missed! Signs Point to Yes is the kind of book that will make the reader long for summer days with its perfect fangirl of a main character and an amazing dramatic rivalry.

The story line for Signs Point to Yes has it all! A road trip, a cute summer romance, a search for a long lost father… This is the perfect book to kick back and relax with. While reading, I was totally wishing ...more

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May 26, 2015 charlotte, (½ of readsrainbow) rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbt, ya-or-mg-lit, 2-point-5, f-lgbt-side, romance, i-put-the-b-in-lgbt, let-s-talk-diversity, ya-or-mg-contemporary

She knew she needed to get home before anyone noticed her absence, but each of her limbs felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, and her brain was clouded with worry. She sat on the bench a little longer.

Rep: female bi side character

More of a 2.5 star book than 3

I've seen pretty mixed reviews of this book, and I can see why. The writing isn't great and the characters are maybe bordering on one-sided, but the book is cute and the relationships are pretty good.

I had a few issues with this book ...more

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Jul 19, 2015 Karla Mae (Reads and Thoughts) rated it liked it

Shelves: owned-physical-books, cover-love-love, young-adult, 2016-reads

All signs point to ---->> Yes! Yes! Yes! Read this book.
Sandy Hall is really amazing. After reading her really different book - A little Something Different - I'm eagerly waiting to read this new novel of her and I loved it just as much as I love the first one.

I love Theo and Jane, they are just lovely together. *insert hearty emoji here*

This is the type of story that would make you relax and just enjoy what's going on with the story, there are hassles and complications but overall its still a f ...more

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Dec 16, 2016 Radwa rated it really liked it

Well, that was incredibly cute!

I was already excited for this author and her sugar-coated novels after reading her first overly cute love story "A little something different", and while I can't tolerate such cuteness and fluff too much in my reading, this was a nice breeze of fresh air.

This is your typical love story between two neighbors, each with their own dreams and high school issues, I loved the diversity and the little (somewhat not-so-convincing) adventures. The cast of characters was ni ...more

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Apr 25, 2018 Emily (Obsessed Reader) rated it really liked it

OMG SO CUTEEEEE. Sandy Hall’s books are adorable! I love books that allow me to fall in love with the characters and just smile and laugh throughout the books because of is cuteness. Sorry, I’ll stop talking about how cute it is now. I will read anything Hall comes out with from now on!

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Oct 30, 2017 Nina rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adults, romance

Signs Point to Yes rekindles my love for teenlits and reminds me of how I used to love reading them in my younger days. Many things happen and I was intrigued what would happen next. Frankly I enjoy this more than ALSD eventhough ALSD has gathered more reviews in number and mostly they are positive.
It's still about romance but at least the development isn't too slow and there are many interesting issues.
This is the third time I read #sandyhall books. ...more

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Dec 04, 2017 Abi (The Knights Who Say Book) added it

Shelves: did-not-finish

cool so this isn't happening

DNF at 2% in. Literally 2%. The writing is awkward and stilted, like an author who usually writes for children attempting to write for teens. ...more

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Jun 03, 2015 Paige (Illegal in 3 Countries) rated it did not like it

Shelves: arc, bea-15

See more of my reviews on The YA Kitten! My copy was an ARC I got from the publisher during BEA 2015.

Diversity Rating: 1 – Tokenism

Racial-Ethnic: 1 (Teo is Puerto Rican, Ravi is Indian, Asian girl in the background)
QUILTBAG: 1 (Margo is bi and her LI Kara is either gay or bi)
Disability: 0
Intersectionality: 0

Funny thing: most of my friends fell in love with Hall’s debut novel A Little Something Different (I did not for girl hate-related reasons) and most of these same friends have been left unimpressed by Signs Point to Yes. So why did I bother with that kind of reputation? Because main character Jane reads/writes fanfic. That’s it. Don’t be me and make a decision on reading a book due to something so small because reading this was a horrible mistake.

The characters start out as bland and stay bland with no real growth happening. Jane’s love of fanfiction is really all that distinguishes her from a wet towel, and attempts to set up Margo as a narrator scared of coming out as bisexual to her family are abandoned after a handful of chapters in favor of Teo and Jane’s flat-soda romance. It’s not adorkable or even awkward-cute. Just lifeless.

Don’t even get me started on the fact Teo’s best friend Ravi hates Jane because a diorama they had to make for a groupwork activity got a B in junior high. That’s 0% funny and 100% stupid–and I say that as someone who despises science in part due to that being the only subject I ever got a C in and that was in fourth grade. Teo’s troubles with his stepdad? Told more than they’re shown.

But what can you get me started on? Jane saying at one point she knows the pain of finding fanfiction for one’s fandom and then it turns out her thing is Doctor Who crossovers. ‘SCUSE ME? I normally ain’t one for fannish snobbery, but when any Doctor Who fan acts like they can’t find fanfic, I get mad. They make me want to shove them face-first into my tiny fandoms and show them how hard it is to find any fic at all, let along good fic.

Anyway, the book overcomplicates itself and lets too much rely on coincidence. Jane just happens to have a brochure with a Teo-looking guy in it and his last name is Rodriguez just like Teo’s dad. Never mind Rodriguez is a very common last name and even unrelated people can look like they’re related. Then instead of saving money, time, and potential embarrassment by emailing the man first, Teo wastes a good chunk of money to fly out to the man’s college and leads to Jane, Margo, and Ravi’s’ road trip. The characters don’t indicate why the complicated route has to be chosen over the obvious solution. It seems more like Hall had to manufacture a conflict and didn’t write a way for the characters to believably end up in that mess, so readers get characters being shoved into a contrived conflict.

I really should know better by now considering my history with Swoon Reads imprint titles, but I’m either a glutton for punishment or an idiot. You won’t need your Magic 8 ball to tell you Signs Points to Yes is a big fat NO. ...more

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Mar 29, 2015 Romie rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult

This book really stroke a chord.
I really liked Jane and the way she's trying to deal with her life, with her mom's expectations; she's trying to grow up, but at her own pace. She's kinda lost in her life, thinking that she's not as smart as her entire family, not knowing what the future holds, but she's willing to do what's best for HER, not for anyone else. And that's important.
I got along with Margo, with her dealing with how she's going to come out as bisexual to her family, how she's discov ...more

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Oct 22, 2015 Patricia Crowther rated it it was ok

*Actual rating 2.5*

Wow, this was just so disappointing! Thankfully it was a very quick read otherwise I would not have finished it.

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Jul 10, 2015 Kris rated it did not like it

Shelves: never-touch-these

Simplistic. Shallow. Unnatural. There's good potential, but this needed to be heavily rewritten and polished before it reached ARC stage. I was torn between one and two stars.

There's no real conflict in the beginning to intrigue the reader. And the conflict that is forced (between Jane and Ravi) has no good motivation behind it. The plot is slow, and the interactions between Jane and Teo are contrived, pointless, and bland. I understand that the premise of this romance is that it's two young, aw Simplistic. Shallow. Unnatural. There's good potential, but this needed to be heavily rewritten and polished before it reached ARC stage. I was torn between one and two stars.

There's no real conflict in the beginning to intrigue the reader. And the conflict that is forced (between Jane and Ravi) has no good motivation behind it. The plot is slow, and the interactions between Jane and Teo are contrived, pointless, and bland. I understand that the premise of this romance is that it's two young, awkward people -- and sometimes that interaction works, and other times it doesn't. Most of the time it doesn't.

None of the side characters are fleshed out and given depth. The adult characters come in and out of the only as needed, to serve a single purpose. Jane's mother is only there to pressure Jane to go to college. Margo is only there to struggle with sexual identity (fulfilling that trend in YA nowadays). Teo's mother serves no purpose, other than to hire Jane, and perhaps hide information from Teo. Buck is there only to add to the awkwardness, with no end in sight. Even Ravi has no legitimate incentive for his hatred of Jane (the reason that is given is not nearly strong or realistic enough).

So much of the dialogue is cheap and pointless. Either it does nothing for character development, or nothing to further a scene. It's too superficial, oversimplified, fruitless, aimless... any of the above. See this golden bit of dialogue for example...

"So did you save me any cookies? Teo asked, gesturing to the empty plate in font of her.
"No," Jane said seriously. "But I did hear that your mom made you a plate of leftovers and put it in the fridge."
"My fridge?"
"That's the rumor."
"Want to come and watch me eat?"
"Only if I can bring more cookies."
"What about brownies?" Teo asked, looking over at the dessert table. "Or maybe that apple pie no one has even touched yet."
"It's hard to say no to pie," Jane said.
They stood up and walked over to take the pie.

No emotion, no conflict, no character development, no new information, no connection to the setting... it can't even count as witty banter. This dialogue could have been completely crossed out, and never missed. Other things are spelled out in simplistic, unnecessary ways. Take these for example...

"Teo punched a stop sign because it seemed like a better idea than going home and punching Buck. But punching a stop sign was a terrible idea, and it hurt like hell."

"Monday arrived faster than it usually did, as if Jane had blinked and it had gone from Sunday afternoon directly to Monday morning."

Plus lots of random shoulder patting and awkward staring into each other's eyes. Plus lots of bad language that's out of place in the innocent high school setting. (I mean these kids have curfews and squeal about getting kissed, yet they're throwing around offensive language and making sexual references just out of earshot of their parents?)

I received a free copy of this ARC from Book Expo America in New York City in May 2015. And then I gave it away.
...more

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May 19, 2015 Jordan (The Heart of a Book Blogger) rated it really liked it

This review and more can be found at The Heart of a Book Blogger.

I adored A Little Something Different. ADORED it! I didn’t think Sandy Hall’s next book could live up to the cuteness and little heart flutters that was A Little Something Different, but I was wrong. Signs Point to Yes is just as cute and adorable even if it does only have three POVs this time around.

The book begins with Jane frantically trying to find a job so she does not have to take the internship her mom set up for her. She an This review and more can be found at The Heart of a Book Blogger.

I adored A Little Something Different. ADORED it! I didn’t think Sandy Hall’s next book could live up to the cuteness and little heart flutters that was A Little Something Different, but I was wrong. Signs Point to Yes is just as cute and adorable even if it does only have three POVs this time around.

The book begins with Jane frantically trying to find a job so she does not have to take the internship her mom set up for her. She answers an online ad for a babysitting gig to find out that the job is in her neighborhood and that it is to babysit her childhood friend’s younger half sisters. Jane’s mother used to babysit Teo when he was younger. Jane and him grew up together. Now, years later, they don’t even speak because Teo’s best friend hates Jane. When he finds out that Jane is the babysitter his mom hired, he is less than thrilled. However, once Jane starts working, they grow closer to each other and a friendship (maybe even something more) blossoms.

Jane’s personality was fun. Although I don’t completely agree on her decision about college, I could see where she was coming from and happy that her family did in the end too. During the book, Teo is frustrated with his step dad and tries to search for his real father. When Jane finds out, she does her best to track him down.

The book was written in third person but focused on a certain person. Most of the book was focused on Jane, but there were also a few sections for Teo and Margo. Margo’s storyline seemed forced at times. It was also kind of weird how it was stated at the beginning that the sisters weren’t really that close but became so all of a sudden. Another part that was weird was why Teo’s best friend hated Jane so much. When it finally came out at the end, I was surprised that it was for that reason.

The book was still great, though. I loved watching Jane and Teo’s relationship progress and was definitely rooting for them to get together the whole time. Their interactions were so cute and awkward and adorkable that I was left majorly swooning. Exactly what I was expecting from a Swoon Reads book!

I did like Jane and Margo’s relationship. They were very support of each other and there for each others’ crises. I guess they grew closer to each other because of the secrets they shared, but it definitely happened very fast.

Overall, I was in the mood to read a light romance and this was the perfect fit! I ended up reading the book in less than a day. If you’re a fan of A Little Something Different, you’ll definitely love Signs Point to Yes.

*I received this ARC from the publisher, which in no way affected my review.* ...more

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Aug 30, 2015 Genesis Sheli (Whispering Chapters) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: earc, netgalley

Jane is looking for a summer job that pays and she finds one as a babysitter for a family she knows very well. Teo’s family needs a babysitter for his step-sisters and he doesn’t mind that it’s Jane who will be doing the job but his best friend really despises her so he has to deal with that along with trying to find his birth father so he can live a simple and quiet life.

This is the first book I read by Sandy Hall and my expectations weren’t but it was a good and some-what entertaining story. I Jane is looking for a summer job that pays and she finds one as a babysitter for a family she knows very well. Teo’s family needs a babysitter for his step-sisters and he doesn’t mind that it’s Jane who will be doing the job but his best friend really despises her so he has to deal with that along with trying to find his birth father so he can live a simple and quiet life.

This is the first book I read by Sandy Hall and my expectations weren’t but it was a good and some-what entertaining story. I would have probably given this book a higher rating if it had wowed me. While it is a very good story, it lacked depth and character.

Margo was my favorite character. She wants to come out to her parents about her being bisexual but doesn’t know how. While figuring that out, she starts getting close to her sister once again and I really loved the relationship between the two even though it was not fully explored and I wish it had. Teo was a really nice guy but he got me mad at times. He would let his best friend Ravi be mean to Jane and he wouldn’t stand up for her and arrrrgggghhh, that got me so mad. Ravi got me extremely upset by how mean he was really being towards Jane and the reason is completely stupid. View Spoiler »

Jane’s character was really nice and I liked that she would do anything for the people she cared about. She cared about Teo a lot so she decides to secretly help him with the search of his birth father. Even though I’m not a superstitious person, it was fun to read about her obsession with her Magic 8 Ball and every decision she had to make, she would first consult it with the Magic 8 Ball. It wasn’t to my biggest of liking but as I said before, it was fun to read about.

I would have liked if the author had gone in-depth with each character since I feel the story focused more on the search and journey for finding Teo’s father.

I really liked the story but the characters were lacking a lot. In some ways, I wish this book had been made longer so that it had more to each character. It is still a nice, light-hearted story that can be read in one sitting. ...more

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Feb 18, 2015 Nicole rated it it was ok

Shelves: realistic-fiction, 2-stars, arc-or-first-reads, read-in-2015, standalone

As seen on The Quiet Concert

Well, color me surprised. I don't think I could have had a more opposite reaction to two works by the same author. Having LOVED A Little Something Different, I went into Signs Point to Yes with eagerness and an expectation to finish this book feeling just as smitten. However, as you can tell by my rating, that is not what happened.

Signs Point to Yes was, sadly, not what I would consider a strong contemporary. The story itself - the search for Teo's father being a cent ...more

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Jul 27, 2015 Dahlia added it

Shelves: 2015-releases

This book was a fun, sweet read, full of deadpan banter that's basically exactly how I talk to my friends, and I loved it for that. There's a lot in the construction I don't think quite works - Margo's POV is an obvious tool I have mixed feelings about (more on that in a sec) - there's no real start-to-finish story arc, and claiming Ravi as part of the main plot when he's a fairly typical secondary was an odd choice to me - but I love the fun voice so much that all that stuff is more "FYI, futur ...more

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