amor_j_daino_600390's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lissajean7's review against another edition
5.0
Truth and beauty
The relationships in this story are absolutely beautiful and true. I am struck by each one, so profoundly. Grammy might be my favorite, but Max is a close second.
The relationships in this story are absolutely beautiful and true. I am struck by each one, so profoundly. Grammy might be my favorite, but Max is a close second.
tiffyofthemonts's review against another edition
3.0
I'm sad to say that Emery Lord's books are just not for me. I had heard great things about The Start of Me and You and was hoping I'd enjoy this one as much as others seem to have (or that I'd at least like it more than I did Open Road Summer) – but unfortunately I just thought it was really boring. The storyline was predictable and stale. It felt like every stereotypical teen flick – or the plot of every Sarah Dessen novel, minus pregnancy and jail time – rolled into one.
The characters never really came alive for me, either. I could visualize them all but I didn't connect with any of them or find them compelling enough to really feel invested in their lives. Even now I'm still forgetting the main character's name. (Is it Lucy? Sara? Megan? No. I just checked – it's Paige.)
All that being said, there are two things I really did like about The Start of Me and You. The first is Emery Lord's portrayal of a really strong, loyal group of friends – Tessa, Morgan, and Kayleigh, and eventually Ryan and Max. I didn't have friends like Paige's when I was in high school so I was happy to see (and fascinated by) that solidarity and support.
The other thing I loved is the PostSecret scene toward the end of the book. Aside from the fact that I don't love name-dropping of contemporary works (it pulls me out of the story and back into real life – and she does this a lot throughout the book, calling out John Green, Gilmore Girls, Firefly, among others), I loved the way it made everything come together. It made the story feel a little tighter, less slapdash. And it was just a sweet, romantic moment. Special, in a way that the rest of the story wasn't.
The Start of Me and You is a light, easy read. I love contemporary novels but I don't usually go for light, easy reads so this is probably why it didn't gel with me – however, there are some passages and moments and lines in the book that are lovely to read and think about, so for that reason alone I'd say it's worth checking out.
For me, this book feels like the equivalent of eating ice cream on the boardwalk in the summer, or drinking pumpkin spice lattes and wearing chunky knit scarves in the fall: so typical, expected, maybe a little basic (that's not a bad thing, but let's be real – it's basic), but enjoyable enough.
The characters never really came alive for me, either. I could visualize them all but I didn't connect with any of them or find them compelling enough to really feel invested in their lives. Even now I'm still forgetting the main character's name. (Is it Lucy? Sara? Megan? No. I just checked – it's Paige.)
All that being said, there are two things I really did like about The Start of Me and You. The first is Emery Lord's portrayal of a really strong, loyal group of friends – Tessa, Morgan, and Kayleigh, and eventually Ryan and Max. I didn't have friends like Paige's when I was in high school so I was happy to see (and fascinated by) that solidarity and support.
Spoiler
And I was really glad she didn't throw in any unnecessary best friend drama with Tessa – no girl hate, no love triangle (not in the obvious, expected way, at least) – she kept this one thing pure and untainted, thank the (Emery) Lord.The other thing I loved is the PostSecret scene toward the end of the book. Aside from the fact that I don't love name-dropping of contemporary works (it pulls me out of the story and back into real life – and she does this a lot throughout the book, calling out John Green, Gilmore Girls, Firefly, among others), I loved the way it made everything come together. It made the story feel a little tighter, less slapdash. And it was just a sweet, romantic moment. Special, in a way that the rest of the story wasn't.
The Start of Me and You is a light, easy read. I love contemporary novels but I don't usually go for light, easy reads so this is probably why it didn't gel with me – however, there are some passages and moments and lines in the book that are lovely to read and think about, so for that reason alone I'd say it's worth checking out.
For me, this book feels like the equivalent of eating ice cream on the boardwalk in the summer, or drinking pumpkin spice lattes and wearing chunky knit scarves in the fall: so typical, expected, maybe a little basic (that's not a bad thing, but let's be real – it's basic), but enjoyable enough.
aimxxgarcia's review against another edition
4.0
Paige has the best friends anyone could ever ask for.
ashleeh93's review against another edition
5.0
Not just a cute teen love story, but a beautiful teen self-love story.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
I will say it…Emery Lord knows how to write great friendships. The Start of Me and You had me loving not only the developing relationship/friendship between Max and Paige but I loved how close the group of girls was in this book.
Paige lives in a small(ish) town in Indiana and is officially known as “the girl whose boyfriend drowned”. But it has been a year since Aaron died and Paige is determined to move forward. As she starts her junior year in high school, Paige makes a list of things in her planner that she is determined to accomplish. All are tied to her moving back to a normal teenage life and getting beyond what happened in the past. What she didn’t count on was the nerdy cousin of her long-time crush, Ryan to catch her attention.
I liked Paige. She is definitely smart and I loved that she was so close with her group of girls. The things that made her unique (her love of grammar, her relationship with her grandmother, and so much more!) were the things I liked most about her. The other part I loved was her relationship with her friends. Tessa is Paige’s best friend and Morgan and Kayleigh are best friends but as a group, they all love and support each other. As with any group of friends, there are disagreements and points in life where other things (like boys or music or something else) grab their attention but regardless, they all stick together and do what they can to be there for each other when needed.
As the new school year starts, Paige finds some new additions to her group of friends in the form of Ryan Chase and his cousin Max Watson. Her original plan of dating – specifically Ryan Chase – is eventually completely changed and she realizes that although she has feelings for Max, she isn’t ready to just announce them. I loved seeing them as really good friends and the “friends to more” stories are some of my favorites so the development of the whole story had me flipping the pages to see what was next for them both.
I also thought Max was a great character. He isn’t the popular guy in school but that is what I liked about him. He likes the show Firefly and he loves airplanes and science and reading…He also listens to everything that Paige says and knows what she likes and what things are going on in her life. It is very clear he cares about her and if there was anything I wanted more of in this book, it was the swoon.
I also enjoyed that this book was about more than just the relationship between Paige and Max. Paige shows some growth through this entire book both in how she copes with the challenges in her life to the way she interacts with her parents. I thought it was an interesting twist that Lord threw in that she wasn’t dealing with a “typical” parental issue and it added a different feel to the story…in a good way.
As Paige is slowly working through her plan, something happens between Paige and Max that threatens the friendship they have developed. She has to figure out what to do and how to get things back - at least to the way they were and when she digs a bit more into what happened – she finds out there was a little more to the story than she originally thought. I would like to add here that I KNOW this is vague but I don’t want to tell you what it is…mostly because I don’t want to ruin any part of the story for anyone.
So take my word for it. If you enjoy contemporary romance, stories where characters are learning about who they are, and great friendships, definitely check this one out. I have to agree with Max’s statement, my type might be “nerd” and I am completely okay with that.
Thank you to Bloomsbury for the review copy!
Paige lives in a small(ish) town in Indiana and is officially known as “the girl whose boyfriend drowned”. But it has been a year since Aaron died and Paige is determined to move forward. As she starts her junior year in high school, Paige makes a list of things in her planner that she is determined to accomplish. All are tied to her moving back to a normal teenage life and getting beyond what happened in the past. What she didn’t count on was the nerdy cousin of her long-time crush, Ryan to catch her attention.
I liked Paige. She is definitely smart and I loved that she was so close with her group of girls. The things that made her unique (her love of grammar, her relationship with her grandmother, and so much more!) were the things I liked most about her. The other part I loved was her relationship with her friends. Tessa is Paige’s best friend and Morgan and Kayleigh are best friends but as a group, they all love and support each other. As with any group of friends, there are disagreements and points in life where other things (like boys or music or something else) grab their attention but regardless, they all stick together and do what they can to be there for each other when needed.
As the new school year starts, Paige finds some new additions to her group of friends in the form of Ryan Chase and his cousin Max Watson. Her original plan of dating – specifically Ryan Chase – is eventually completely changed and she realizes that although she has feelings for Max, she isn’t ready to just announce them. I loved seeing them as really good friends and the “friends to more” stories are some of my favorites so the development of the whole story had me flipping the pages to see what was next for them both.
I also thought Max was a great character. He isn’t the popular guy in school but that is what I liked about him. He likes the show Firefly and he loves airplanes and science and reading…He also listens to everything that Paige says and knows what she likes and what things are going on in her life. It is very clear he cares about her and if there was anything I wanted more of in this book, it was the swoon.
I also enjoyed that this book was about more than just the relationship between Paige and Max. Paige shows some growth through this entire book both in how she copes with the challenges in her life to the way she interacts with her parents. I thought it was an interesting twist that Lord threw in that she wasn’t dealing with a “typical” parental issue and it added a different feel to the story…in a good way.
As Paige is slowly working through her plan, something happens between Paige and Max that threatens the friendship they have developed. She has to figure out what to do and how to get things back - at least to the way they were and when she digs a bit more into what happened – she finds out there was a little more to the story than she originally thought. I would like to add here that I KNOW this is vague but I don’t want to tell you what it is…mostly because I don’t want to ruin any part of the story for anyone.
So take my word for it. If you enjoy contemporary romance, stories where characters are learning about who they are, and great friendships, definitely check this one out. I have to agree with Max’s statement, my type might be “nerd” and I am completely okay with that.
Thank you to Bloomsbury for the review copy!
theinkdoe's review against another edition
5.0
This has been a personal favourite for me. The writing is too beautiful and emphatic. Though the main theme is young love, the story also deals with loss and friendship. How the main character paige is able to overcome or deal with the loss of her ex, how her best friends are always there for her and how her family supports her are the intricacies of the novel.
Sweet love, romance, friendship, nerdy dialogues have made the book relatable. Highly recommend!
Sweet love, romance, friendship, nerdy dialogues have made the book relatable. Highly recommend!