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Something Else
HE ESCAPED HIS PAST ... BUT THE DARKNESS ISN'T DONE WITH HIM YET.
Something Else is the anticipated sequel to the award-winning novel, Something I Am Not, and continues the story of small town quarterback hopeful, Billy McQueen, stolen as a child, raised in a barroom, and sold by his illegitimate father. Now, he is reunited with his real family, married to his best friend, and works to set others free. But a note from his past sends him spiraling back into the world he fought so hard to escape, and Billy comes face-to-face with not only the evil that put him there but the ever-present darkness inside him.
"I never understood why my nights brought me here. Why I would ever want to relive my years at TKO. The club. The apartments upstairs. Maybe I came here looking for answers. Maybe I wanted to understand something that might put right the broken pieces within me. If I could find a reason, an explanation, then I would know why God let it happen. How I could have been taken from my home as a little boy and stripped of everything good, until nothing was left.
Maybe the rubble of the warehouse, charred from the fire of my fabricated death and plastered with half-hung For Sale signs, painted the most accurate picture of what I felt like on the inside.
Maybe that's why I came."
Something Else is the anticipated sequel to the award-winning novel, Something I Am Not, and continues the story of small town quarterback hopeful, Billy McQueen, stolen as a child, raised in a barroom, and sold by his illegitimate father. Now, he is reunited with his real family, married to his best friend, and works to set others free. But a note from his past sends him spiraling back into the world he fought so hard to escape, and Billy comes face-to-face with not only the evil that put him there but the ever-present darkness inside him.
"I never understood why my nights brought me here. Why I would ever want to relive my years at TKO. The club. The apartments upstairs. Maybe I came here looking for answers. Maybe I wanted to understand something that might put right the broken pieces within me. If I could find a reason, an explanation, then I would know why God let it happen. How I could have been taken from my home as a little boy and stripped of everything good, until nothing was left.
Maybe the rubble of the warehouse, charred from the fire of my fabricated death and plastered with half-hung For Sale signs, painted the most accurate picture of what I felt like on the inside.
Maybe that's why I came."
- GenresContemporary
426 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 15, 2025
5 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 13, 2025
I was sucked in on the first page—and not spat out until the very last page. Every page in between carried me forward on an emotional journey even deeper, higher, more harrowing, and more beautiful than the first book.
My heart broke. Multiple times. For Billy, for his family, for the people of his past now back in his present and shaping his future. For the realities of a dark, evil world that sucks in the broken-hearted and never spits them back out.
My heart also soared. Time and time again. For Billy, for his family, for the people around him. For the realities of a brilliant, transcendent hope and an unconditional love that rescues the broken-hearted from the world and never lets them go.
Like a dog with a chew toy, this story set its jaws in my heart and wrenched from one side to the other, back and forth, until finally, gently setting it down at the end. The way there hurt, but the gradual restoration leading up to the ending, and the sweet ending itself (though a touch bittersweet), made up for the rough treatment of my emotions.
I thought I knew everything from the first story. Wrong. Something Else unearths the story beneath the story, bringing to light new connections, secrets, and powers without uprooting everything that happened in Something I Am Not. Kudos to Cher Gatto for following up such a powerful original with such an original sequel.
And the message. While this second book doesn’t carry the same specific allegory as the first book, it is spiritually symbolic—and generally allegorical—in a similar way, drilling deeper into the lies we tell ourselves and the truths of Scripture, with the purpose of communicating the foundational reality of who we are in Christ and His victory.
On top of that, the more local messages of the book’s Christian content communicate a rich tribute to God’s power to heal, forgive, and restore, and His people’s potential to find—and give—that same healing, forgiveness, and restoration among each other.
Like its precursor, Something Else deals with topics of prostitution, trafficking, and abuse both physical and sexual, along with organizational corruption, a marriage relationship, and illegal fighting. You get the full dose of reality—the people, the places, the events, and some of the language—delivered honestly but not graphically. No abuse is shown “on camera,” and the few married-couple scenes stay above the details.
Because of this mature content, however, I give a word of caution to sensitive readers, young readers, or readers who may be easily triggered. While Something I Am Not is geared toward mature YA readers, the main character being married now bumps Something Else more securely into adult fiction, though still accessible to the more mature YA reader.
In conclusion, Something Else provides a visceral reading experience rivaled only by its precursor. Cher Gatto’s writing offers a master class of creativity, with a study of clever motifs, multi-level coherence, and satisfying full-circle effects. Together the deep themes and relevant topics of this book strike hard at the dark side of society many of us don’t know about and reveal the dark side of our own hearts, while also glorying in the brilliant hope and light of restoration God offers to every one of us.
Something Else by Cher Gatto is the literary equivalent of an earthquake. Get ready for your soul to be moved.
My heart broke. Multiple times. For Billy, for his family, for the people of his past now back in his present and shaping his future. For the realities of a dark, evil world that sucks in the broken-hearted and never spits them back out.
My heart also soared. Time and time again. For Billy, for his family, for the people around him. For the realities of a brilliant, transcendent hope and an unconditional love that rescues the broken-hearted from the world and never lets them go.
Like a dog with a chew toy, this story set its jaws in my heart and wrenched from one side to the other, back and forth, until finally, gently setting it down at the end. The way there hurt, but the gradual restoration leading up to the ending, and the sweet ending itself (though a touch bittersweet), made up for the rough treatment of my emotions.
I thought I knew everything from the first story. Wrong. Something Else unearths the story beneath the story, bringing to light new connections, secrets, and powers without uprooting everything that happened in Something I Am Not. Kudos to Cher Gatto for following up such a powerful original with such an original sequel.
And the message. While this second book doesn’t carry the same specific allegory as the first book, it is spiritually symbolic—and generally allegorical—in a similar way, drilling deeper into the lies we tell ourselves and the truths of Scripture, with the purpose of communicating the foundational reality of who we are in Christ and His victory.
On top of that, the more local messages of the book’s Christian content communicate a rich tribute to God’s power to heal, forgive, and restore, and His people’s potential to find—and give—that same healing, forgiveness, and restoration among each other.
Like its precursor, Something Else deals with topics of prostitution, trafficking, and abuse both physical and sexual, along with organizational corruption, a marriage relationship, and illegal fighting. You get the full dose of reality—the people, the places, the events, and some of the language—delivered honestly but not graphically. No abuse is shown “on camera,” and the few married-couple scenes stay above the details.
Because of this mature content, however, I give a word of caution to sensitive readers, young readers, or readers who may be easily triggered. While Something I Am Not is geared toward mature YA readers, the main character being married now bumps Something Else more securely into adult fiction, though still accessible to the more mature YA reader.
In conclusion, Something Else provides a visceral reading experience rivaled only by its precursor. Cher Gatto’s writing offers a master class of creativity, with a study of clever motifs, multi-level coherence, and satisfying full-circle effects. Together the deep themes and relevant topics of this book strike hard at the dark side of society many of us don’t know about and reveal the dark side of our own hearts, while also glorying in the brilliant hope and light of restoration God offers to every one of us.
Something Else by Cher Gatto is the literary equivalent of an earthquake. Get ready for your soul to be moved.
November 1, 2025
After the masterful (and heartwrenching) Something I Am Not, I knew the sequel would be a hard read, but it was worth it.
On the outside, Billy’s story looks like a miraculous happily ever after. Despite his hellish childhood, he is now reunited with his birth family, is newly married, and works as an investigator to save other young people from the sex trafficking industry.
But the demons from his past are still whispering in his ear. When the woman who raised and abused him shows up at the local shelter, Billy is furious that she is being given a second chance at life. He wants nothing to do with her. But she holds answers to the truth about the nightmare that was 16 years of his life. And when Billy finds himself in over his head, spiraling back into the life he left, she might be the only one he can trust.
Pros: Just like Something I Am Not, when you get to the end of the book, you realize you have been reading two stories at once. Cher Gatto delivers an incredible parable about God’s love and dying to self, while also bringing awareness to the tragedy of sex trafficking and abuse. This book is gritty and gripping, and once you get going, impossible to put down.
Cons: While the subject manner is highly disturbing, it is handled with discretion. That said, this is not a book for immature readers. The sex trafficking/organized crime industry is real, and as painful as it was to read about it in a work of fiction, the knowledge that there are people living in that hell is even worse.
Bottom Line: A heart-wrenching parable set in the convoluted world of modern human trafficking.
On the outside, Billy’s story looks like a miraculous happily ever after. Despite his hellish childhood, he is now reunited with his birth family, is newly married, and works as an investigator to save other young people from the sex trafficking industry.
But the demons from his past are still whispering in his ear. When the woman who raised and abused him shows up at the local shelter, Billy is furious that she is being given a second chance at life. He wants nothing to do with her. But she holds answers to the truth about the nightmare that was 16 years of his life. And when Billy finds himself in over his head, spiraling back into the life he left, she might be the only one he can trust.
Pros: Just like Something I Am Not, when you get to the end of the book, you realize you have been reading two stories at once. Cher Gatto delivers an incredible parable about God’s love and dying to self, while also bringing awareness to the tragedy of sex trafficking and abuse. This book is gritty and gripping, and once you get going, impossible to put down.
Cons: While the subject manner is highly disturbing, it is handled with discretion. That said, this is not a book for immature readers. The sex trafficking/organized crime industry is real, and as painful as it was to read about it in a work of fiction, the knowledge that there are people living in that hell is even worse.
Bottom Line: A heart-wrenching parable set in the convoluted world of modern human trafficking.
February 14, 2025
Compelling. Riveting. Hard to put down. Just words? But words that describe Something Else by Cher Gatto. I am hooked by her writing. In this sequel to Something I Am Not, Billy, now a police officer, must come to terms with not only PTSD remnants from his lived abuse, but new developments in his search for “self”. The rise of old enemies and betrayal plunge him back into the dark world of his past. Cher Gatto’s writing once again touched my heart at a deep level. She plunges the reader deep into the mind and heart of her characters. She has become my new favorite author.
Highly Recommended.
Highly Recommended.
January 16, 2025
Cher Gatto is one of my favorite authors, and this book did an amazing job tying up the journey of Billy McQueen. I cried for him more than I'd like to admit while reading this book, but the ending, and the hope, shall forever stick with me.
March 3, 2025
Recommend reading book one first, as the story is captivating throughout - you won’t be disappointed. Everyone will be able to relate directly or through acquaintances that life is not always perfect or how we plan for it.
May 24, 2025
So well-written. Great story with lots of twists. Kept me turning the pages. Cher is top-notch Christian author.
January 22, 2025
Cher Gatto certainly never wastes ink on paper with meaningless words. Every word has a purpose. Billy's story is so sad and so dark, with what seems like endless layers of darkness. Until. God shines His light so brightly that the darkness is chased away. Sure there are some lingering shadows at the far edges, but there is redemption. And HOPE.
February 19, 2025
Didn't want to put it down. I couldn't concentrate on my own life until I saw how this book ended! Lots of suspense and twists. There was a point in the middle of the book where I wanted to give up because I was so disgusted with the actions of some of the characters, but the ending made it worth it.
Faith and righteousness before God are prominent themes, along with parallels to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Religious elements were incorporated naturally. This is a beautiful story of love, faithfulness, redemption, and forgiveness as Billy not only struggles with believing he's righteous in God's eyes but also faces some of his past abusers.
I adored the love story between Billy and Jersey.
This is the sequel to the YA novel Something I Am Not (which you definitely need to read first in order to understand this one), but note that it is not a YA novel itself and I would only recommend it to mature readers. Contains brief language and violence. Also several fade-to-black sex scenes and numerous illicit sexual encounters. Nothing graphic but still something to note. Sex slavery, sexual abuse, and marital faithfulness are addressed. An abortion is mentioned.
All in all, this has amazing writing and contains lots of twists readers of the first novel in the series would never expect. It was a beautiful and gritty continuation of Billy's story.
Faith and righteousness before God are prominent themes, along with parallels to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Religious elements were incorporated naturally. This is a beautiful story of love, faithfulness, redemption, and forgiveness as Billy not only struggles with believing he's righteous in God's eyes but also faces some of his past abusers.
I adored the love story between Billy and Jersey.
This is the sequel to the YA novel Something I Am Not (which you definitely need to read first in order to understand this one), but note that it is not a YA novel itself and I would only recommend it to mature readers. Contains brief language and violence. Also several fade-to-black sex scenes and numerous illicit sexual encounters. Nothing graphic but still something to note. Sex slavery, sexual abuse, and marital faithfulness are addressed. An abortion is mentioned.
All in all, this has amazing writing and contains lots of twists readers of the first novel in the series would never expect. It was a beautiful and gritty continuation of Billy's story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews