Review: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

The Start of Me and You

by Emery Lord

March 1, 2016

376 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Following her pitch-perfect debut Open Road Summer, Emery Lord pens another gorgeous story of best friends, new love, & 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 a year, 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?

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.

Review

Emery Lord and her contemporaries always receive lots of love and it's more than obvious why. I enjoyed her debut, Open Road Summer and after reading The Start of Me and You, I'm in love with her stories.

I was fully prepared for tears to flow reading The Start of Me and You but I'm glad it turned out to be more of a cute read than sad. The general vibe of the story was warm and hopeful. I liked that a lot. There is also a low amount of drama which is much appreciated.

Paige is a girl trying to fit herself back into society after experiencing a tragedy. I thought her characterization was done beautifully. Throughout the story we see her fears and her insecurities and how she slowly rights her thoughts to finally become sure of herself and know who and what she wants. "I walked toward him- because this was never about getting there fast. This was about being sure of my steps forward. They always call it falling in love, but for me? It was also a choice." (p. 371-372). Also, Paige's love and patience for her grandmother warmed my heart.

The romantic relationships were predictable however I'm very pleased Ms. Lord didn't complicate the story by throwing the friendship dynamics off. I was waiting for it to happen but thankfully that moment never came. It would've made me cringe since the friendships in The Start of Me and You were the life of the book. Paige had the utmost support from her three best friends while Max's cousin, Ryan, always had his back. No one mess with them!

The Start of Me and You could've used a lot more kissing. That is my one and only gripe with this book. Paige and Max had really sweet interactions but I also was selfishly hoping for more intimate scenes. Not sexy times but maybe a little more hand holding, longing looks and swoony kisses?? Max really was the perfect book boyfriend.

Loaded with sweet relationships and relatable self-discoveries, one cannot go wrong with The Start of Me and You. The story ends on a really wonderful quote that I think everyone should read so just pick this book up already!