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A review by forevermorepages
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
5.0
Rating: ***** Suggested Age: 13
Summary: "It's been one year since it happened...
When Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in a swimming accident, she shut out almost everyone. Now Paige has decided it's finally time to rejoin the world, and she has a plan. First on the list: go out with Ryan Chase, her longtime and newly single crush. And last on the list: swim. Terrifying, yet possible?
But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin Max moves to town and recruits Paige for the QuizBowl team (of all things!), her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Starting over isn't easy, but Paige knows the scariest things are usually the most difficult. Can she face her fears and open herself up to life and love again?" (Summary found on Goodreads).
"When it all closes in, there are only two kinds of people: best friends and everyone else." -Paige, page 64
I did not expect this book to hit me like it did. I knew it was going to be said, I mean, I read the summary, but I didn't expect it to make me as sad as it did. I really felt for Paige, even though I've never had a boyfriend die, heck, I've never had a boyfriend. Mainly I was affected by this because she did go through the death of someone, and I have too, and it tested who her real friends were. I understood this completely. Also, her friends were amazing, and they reminded me of my group of friends.
"Because with true friends, no one is keeping score. But it feels good to repay them--even in the tiniest increments." -Paige, page 217
While I did understand Paige, I found her crush on Ryan a little too annoying. Maybe because I've had crushes like that and I recall being annoying myself, or maybe because I just didn't see Ryan as "the one". Probably the latter. I loved Max though. He was special and he also understood Paige. They had so many things in common, especially complete and utter geekiness. I always love when books have characters who also love books. It's amazing.
"The point is that we already know it doesn't work out, but we reread them anyway, because the good stuff that comes before the ending is worth it." -Max, page 124
This book was raw and real. It was hilarious and sad and deep. Everything about it felt real and I loved that. I always love when books seem that realistic because that's what makes me emotional. It isn't the situation that makes me want to cry, but the reaction to the situation, and if that reaction doesn't seem real, then I am not going to even feel a tear at the corner of my eye.
"Grief is slow. It's like wringing out a washcloth. Even after you think it's dry, a few more drops will form." -Paige's mom, page 296
This quote; the one above. It's raw. It's real. It's beautiful. This is one of my favorite quotes now because I understand it. What I also loved about The Start of Me and You was the family element. Paige comes from a complicated family with divorced parents, but it's different from the usual teen angst story. I loved that with the large elements of plot, there are small parts too that may not play as large of a role, but still affect the storyline. It's not just a simple plot and I liked that.
I don't read contemporary, not often at least, but I highly recommend you try this. I loved this book, it was beautiful.
-Book Hugger
Check out my blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com for more reviews like this.
Summary: "It's been one year since it happened...
When Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in a swimming accident, she shut out almost everyone. Now Paige has decided it's finally time to rejoin the world, and she has a plan. First on the list: go out with Ryan Chase, her longtime and newly single crush. And last on the list: swim. Terrifying, yet possible?
But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin Max moves to town and recruits Paige for the QuizBowl team (of all things!), her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Starting over isn't easy, but Paige knows the scariest things are usually the most difficult. Can she face her fears and open herself up to life and love again?" (Summary found on Goodreads).
"When it all closes in, there are only two kinds of people: best friends and everyone else." -Paige, page 64
I did not expect this book to hit me like it did. I knew it was going to be said, I mean, I read the summary, but I didn't expect it to make me as sad as it did. I really felt for Paige, even though I've never had a boyfriend die, heck, I've never had a boyfriend. Mainly I was affected by this because she did go through the death of someone, and I have too, and it tested who her real friends were. I understood this completely. Also, her friends were amazing, and they reminded me of my group of friends.
"Because with true friends, no one is keeping score. But it feels good to repay them--even in the tiniest increments." -Paige, page 217
While I did understand Paige, I found her crush on Ryan a little too annoying. Maybe because I've had crushes like that and I recall being annoying myself, or maybe because I just didn't see Ryan as "the one". Probably the latter. I loved Max though. He was special and he also understood Paige. They had so many things in common, especially complete and utter geekiness. I always love when books have characters who also love books. It's amazing.
"The point is that we already know it doesn't work out, but we reread them anyway, because the good stuff that comes before the ending is worth it." -Max, page 124
This book was raw and real. It was hilarious and sad and deep. Everything about it felt real and I loved that. I always love when books seem that realistic because that's what makes me emotional. It isn't the situation that makes me want to cry, but the reaction to the situation, and if that reaction doesn't seem real, then I am not going to even feel a tear at the corner of my eye.
"Grief is slow. It's like wringing out a washcloth. Even after you think it's dry, a few more drops will form." -Paige's mom, page 296
This quote; the one above. It's raw. It's real. It's beautiful. This is one of my favorite quotes now because I understand it. What I also loved about The Start of Me and You was the family element. Paige comes from a complicated family with divorced parents, but it's different from the usual teen angst story. I loved that with the large elements of plot, there are small parts too that may not play as large of a role, but still affect the storyline. It's not just a simple plot and I liked that.
I don't read contemporary, not often at least, but I highly recommend you try this. I loved this book, it was beautiful.
-Book Hugger
Check out my blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com for more reviews like this.