Review: The Start Of You And Me

I received this book for free from FTC: Exchange for honest opinion, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Start Of You and Me by Emery Lord
Series: Stand Alone
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on March 31st 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Young Adult-Contemporary/Romance
Pages: 384
Source: FTC: Exchange for honest opinion, Publisher
Goodreads

Following her pitch-perfect debut Open Road Summer, Emery Lord pens another gorgeous story of best friends, new love, & second chances.

Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

I honestly thought that when I started this book that I hand it pegged. It started pretty typical and everything seemed to be going as planned. But then the author did something brilliant. It all changed.

Plot: This is about a girl who is doing her best to move on with her life. After tragedy has struck, she is simply learning to move on or rather let others move on. I like that this plot is surprising. I honestly didn’t expect certain events to occur and yet when they did, it made me happy!

Relationships: This is what caught me by surprise. When I first began to read it, I thought,” Sweet! This is what I’m looking for.” All opportunities came about for her to fall for “the” guy but then a new guy sneakily (yes sneakingly) came into the picture. As the chapters wore on, once there was this guy in the background and is now front and center! How in the world did THAT happen?  Even I who was hooked onto the book was shocked by how this guy just showed himself in the story. It was like, as each chapter went by he became clearer and clearer. Why didn’t I see him before?

Ending: Like Paige, I thought I knew what I wanted. I had a plan. I would read this sweet contemporary story and dream on blissfully. So not what happen. Things change. And I wondered if I like this change. I did. So I kept reading and kept thinking things through. I found myself in the mist of the story completely taken away.

Overall, this is a very good read. I look forward to reading more from this author. Everyone should go read this book now!