ARC Book Review | The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

Posted on Monday, March 9, 2015 12:00 AM
Format: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: March 31, 2015
My Rating: 3.5 Stars


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?

Review



Something to Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Why Did I Want To Read The Start of Me and You: I wanted to read The Start of Me and You because I read and loved Lord's debut, Open Road Summer last year and I couldn't wait to read more of her books.

The Characters: While I really liked most of the characters, I did have a hard time connecting with Paige, the main character.  I get that she has been through a lot with her first boyfriend dying, but she often seemed clueless, especially when it came to Ryan and Max.  If I had been one of her friends, I would have knocked her upside the head and told her to get a clue.  When she finally opens her eyes, I think I actually screamed "Finally!" but of course, other things happened after that, which just added to my frustration because I felt like it was something that could have been resolved if there was a little communication going on.

However, in the end I was really rooting for Paige and I wanted her to be happy, I just wish she would have opened her eyes a little sooner, but I guess we all go at our on pace, and hers was just a little slower than I was hoping for.

Moving on, I actually LOVED Max, he was the sweet nerd that everyone overlooks, but he grabbed my attention from the moment we met.  I also really liked Paige's friends, Tessa, Morgan and Kayleigh, and Ryan wasn't so bad once we got to know him.

My Overall Thoughts: I know it may seem like I didn't enjoy this book at all from my comments on the MC, but that isn't the case at all.  Sure, I would have enjoyed it more if I felt more of a connection with her, but in the end this was a really cute story and I'm glad I read it.

I loved the fact that Paige had such amazing friends, they were the type that were there for each other no matter what, and no questions asked.  They dropped everything if the other was in need of a friend, and I loved that so much. I also loved the fact that there were parents present, and they were good ones at that.
  
One Line Wrap Up: A cute story about friendships, overcoming your fears, and learning to move on in the face of tragedy.

I Would Recommend For Fans Of: Open Road Summer, Golden, and Nantucket Blue

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Christy

Christy is a 27 year old wife, mother, nursing student and self proclaimed book addict. When she's not busy spending time with her family or learning to save lives, you can find her with a book in her hands, and a smile on her face.

Comments (10)

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Hmm, this sounds like angsty and frustrating read. But I like nerdy characters so Max is making me very interested in this book :) Great review, Christy!
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I love the cover of this one.. I hope it's as good as it sounds, I'm reading it next :) Fantastic review<3
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Haha, yeah. Communication, surprisingly, you get that a lot in YA, if there were better communication a lot of stuff would not happen. But yay for Max and the side characters. Is it bad I'm jealous of best friends in YA? Mainly because I didn't have any friends like that, boooo. :( I've been wanting to read Open Road Summer for a while (but I'm waiting for the paperback, which I'veonly just noticed it out now, oops.)
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Pam@YA Escape · 522 weeks ago

I've heard mostly good things about this book so I'm definitely reading it even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Open Road Summer. And it was because I didn't like the MC. That usually keeps me from really liking a book. I'm a little concerned since you mentioned that you didn't connect with Paige….I do like the fact that friendships are so important, and I like that the love interest (I"m assuming he's the love interest) is a sweet nerd…not enough of those in YA!
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I haven't read either of Lord's works, sadly. I was trying to get a copy of this one, but unfortunately, it just didn't happen :(

I've heard amazing things about Open Road Summer too! I felt like I would be able to connect to that one more than this but I'm definitely interested in giving both a chance :)

Great review :)
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I've heard so many good things about this book! I'm glad it highlights friendship; I love those types of books. Even though I'm worried about connecting with the MC, I'll definitely be picking this one up!
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I remember a lot of readers had issues connecting with the MC of Open Road Summer as well but still liked the book. It sounds like that was the case with this one as well. Glad it still turned out positive for you.
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Well, I'm glad to see you didn't dislike this one, but that stinks about the MC driving you crazy. Lack of communication is a bit of a peeve for me, so I wonder how I will feel about this one! I have it up for review soon, so I'll have to let you know! Thanks for your honest review!
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Sounds interesting!I normally am not a huge fan of cute stories,but I had a week of reading really dark and intense books,so I think I need a book like this right now.
Great review Christy!
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I really enjoyed this one, especially the tight-knit friendship. I completely understand about how frustrating it was with the whole Max/Ryan thing. I was waiting for something... anything to happen with her and one of them to jump start her final step of moving on. In the end, I was glad that it took a while because it kept me reading and waiting.

Emery is definitely an auto-buy for me now. I just love her.
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