The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord Published by Bloomsbury on March 31, 2015
Genres: Contemporary YA, Relationships, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: a fellow blogger (thanks for sharing!)
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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?
Friends, I’ve got a backlog of books to review right now—been slacking in favor of reading in my spare time—but I think getting back on the reviewing wagon with THE START OF ME AND YOU by Emery Lord is as good a place to start as any. Because, HELLO ADORABLE. I loved this book. Paige and Max are the super cutest, even in the face of Paige’s hesitancy and (misguided) determination to snag Max’s cousin, Ryan, instead. Emery Lord really knows how craft not only wonderful, touching romantic relationships, but also endearing characters and AMAZING friendships. There’s so much to love about THE START OF ME AND YOU.
Paige Hancock’s life has basically been on pause for the past two years since her boyfriend died in a drowning accident. She’s been on autopilot, but like the sort of bad kind where you’re driving and all of a sudden you’re home and you don’t remember getting there. Her best friends have been there for her—of course—but she’s finally decided to get back into the swing of high school life, and in order to do that, she falls back on the thing that comforts her—making lists. On top of Paige’s list? Getting together with her old crush, Ryan. Despite Paige’s efforts, it’s Ryan’s cousin, Max, who Paige finds herself growing closer to. All thanks to Quiz Bowl, and Paige’s awesome, supportive besties. (Because awesome, supportive besties are ALWAYS to be thanked.)
I’m a big fan of Emery Lord right now, guys. I’ve loved both of her books because they both had vibrant characters, dealt thoughtfully with varied and sometimes difficult feelings, and had great humor. THE START OF ME AND YOU mirrors OPEN ROAD SUMMER in this, but it was a little different in that—to me at least—the romance between Paige and Max took a little bit of a backseat to Paige herself: working through her feelings about the death of her boyfriend, trying to achieve her dream of becoming a screenwriter, nurturing her relationships with her best friends, and trying to shake off her own funk. HOWEVER. I LOVED Paige and Max, and the way that they become such great friends and the way Max lets Paige move at her own pace. THE CHATS. I CAN’T. Their foundation is SUPER STRONG, and full of warm fuzzies.
As I mentioned earlier, though, Max isn’t the initial target of Paige’s affections. Ryan, Max’s cousin, is a goddamn doll, you guys. One of my favorite, FAVORITE things about THE START OF ME AND YOU is that there is no jerk. There’s no “good guy” or “bad guy.” There are only two “good guys.” Even though Paige and Ryan are really destined to just be friends, he doesn’t string her along, treat her like crap, manipulate her feelings, or take advantage of her grief. He’s kind of adorably clueless, to be honest with you, and he’s such a sweet friend. The total absence of The Douchebag character in THE START OF ME AND YOU makes me indescribably happy. I loved Ryan, but I also loved that it’s clear always that he doesn’t have the same butterfly feelings for Paige that she’s hoping he does. TWO HANDS FULL OF THUMBS UP, EMERY LORD.
I know I keep talking about how all the characters in THE START OF ME AND YOU are such great friends, and it’s true. The friendships in this book are paramount. To me, it was the highlight of THE START OF YOU AND ME. Paige’s long-time, deep, humor-filled relationships with her bffs were so excellent. They made me laugh and feel all the love. But it wasn’t just the friendships with her girls that made me so happy—it was all of the friendships between everyone. Paige and Max had a wonderful friendship full of long talks and the sharing of secrets. Paige and Ryan were supportive and caring of one another. Ryan and Max were very close. Even Paige’s best friends and Ryan and Max all got along so well. They became this awesome clan of people.
If I had to point out one thing that suffered in THE START OF ME AND YOU, it would probably be Paige’s dreams of becoming a screenwriter. Not that this dream is far-fetched or anything. Rather that I wished we could’ve gotten a little more out of it, especially because it was very closely connected with Paige’s grandma and their relationship. I loved seeing that.
I can’t tell you guys enough how much I loved THE START OF ME AND YOU. Emery Lord just gets it right all the time. The characters, the feelings, everything. I can’t wait to get my hands on whatever she has coming up next.
I absolutely adored The Start of Me and You! It’s lovely to see Emery’s touches on the story, the characters and the relationships, because she does real life SO well in her novels. So glad you loved it too!
Your review is perfect! Hits all the same notes that I felt while reading the book. I loved the friendships and omg adorably clueless is the best descriptor for Ryan! I really really liked that he wasn’t a bad guy either, he just wasn’t the right guy. And nothing grabs me fast than friends becoming best friends becoming something more! Their chats, those bookstore dates, THAT PARTY killed meeeee. So good. I really connected with Paige’s relationship with her grandma also. I was so close with my grandma and she died from cancer the week I graduated from high school. It was really rough and it was a faster, different kind of illness from Paige’s gma but… I connected with it. The I Love Lucy part too 🙂 I liked Open Road Summer a lot but I loved this more, which surprises me in some ways. It was so wonderful, I can’t wait to read it again. Glad you loved it too!