The Start of Me and You
Author: Emery Lord
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Summary:
It’s been a year since it happened — when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident on the river. After shutting out the world, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school… and she has a plan and true to her type-A tendencies, she has a plan:
1. Date a boy: Her old crush Ryan Chase is the perfect path to normalcy.
2. Attend parties: With her friends by her side, doable.
3. Join a club: Simple, it’s high school after all.
4. Swim: Terrifying. Yet possible?
Armed with her plan and the endless support of her three best friends, Paige is ready to rejoin the realm of normal high school. 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. Starting over doesn’t always happen smoothly, but the scariest things are usually the most difficult. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live and the love she deserves to feel?
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.
First Sentence: Of all the places to have something memorable happen to you, Oakhurst, Indiana, had to be one of the worse.
My Review:
Before The Start of Me and You, I haven’t read any of Emery Lord’s books before. Yes, I do have Open Road Summer in my bookshelves and yes, Emery Lord was super cool and awesome when I met her (we are totally bringing denim jackets back in style), but I just haven’t had the time to read any of her books yet. Now that I’ve read The Start of Me and You, I can definitely say that I’m pushing up Open Road Summer wayyy higher on my to be read list. Guys, The Start of Me and You is just SO good! I strongly recommend you pick up the book when it hits shelves and here’s why.
“Did you intentionally inhale the scent of high school?” Kayleigh asked, laughing.
I shrugged. “I know it’s not a good smell, but it smells like…possibility.”
“Possibility has a smell?” Morgan asked, teasing me. “What else does? Happiness?” (ARC 25)
First of all, the friendships. I constantly admired and adored Paige’s friendship with Tessa, Morgan, and Kayleigh – they were always there for each other, supported one another, and got each other out of trouble when they needed it, which is exactly what friendships should be. Then Emery Lord adds Ryan and Max into the mix, turning their group into a boy and girl group, but nothing has changed – the awesomeness is still there. I do wish that all the characters in The Start of Me and You was real so I can join their group, be friends with them, and bask in all their awesomeness.
And don’t get me started on the romance. The romance in The Start of Me and You was a perfectly slow-burn romance that constantly had me wanting more, even after that perfect ending. What also made me happy was that The Start of Me and You didn’t focus entirely on the romance, but also on the friendships and Paige’s goals.
“I like your friends,” Max announced.
…
I eyed Max. “Um. I like my friends too.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “No, I mean…I guess I’m surprised by how much I like being around a group of girls.”
“Yes. That is shocking, teenage boy,” I said, and Max laughed. (ARC 155)
The Start of Me and You also made me tear up, something that I didn’t expect to happen at all. I mean, nothing in the synopsis of The Start of Me and You hinted that I would cry. When I first felt the tears coming, I was all like WAIT WHAT. WHY AM I CRYING?! I NEVER THOUGHT THIS BOOK WOULD MAKE ME CRY AT ALL AND NOOOO STOP CRYING KELLY. Nevertheless, I still felt the tears coming. Thank goodness the guy across the subway didn’t notice all the tears in my eyes that I “casually” brushed away.
Overall, I want more. Believe or not, I am hoping for a sequel to The Start of Me and You, or at the very least, a companion novel, since there is this one thing Emery Lord left not fully explored. Anyways, there is absolutely no doubt that I’ll recommend The Start of Me and You to EVERYONE and ANYONE. I mean, who wouldn’t be interested in a book with great friendships, a fantastic romance, and just everything you’ll ever want in a book?
Yay! (Denim jackets went out of style/?) Love emotional books with female friendships so will look out for this one!
I loved OPEN ROAD SUMMER! I hope you read it soon! I absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on my copy of THE START OF ME AND YOU once it’s released this coming week. So excited! I’m glad you enjoyed it. :)
Amy M. recently posted…Friday Weekend Round Up (57)
I’ve been meaning to check out Emery Lord since everyone’s been raving about her books! Happy to see that the sophomore book is doing just as well as the debut! I love a book with awesome friendships and the romance sounds great in this!
Thanks for the review!
Cyn recently posted…Sunday Post (109) / Stacking the Shelves (89)
If The Start of Me and You is anything like Open Road Summer, I know I’m in for an amazing read. I loved Emery’s writing style in ORS, so I’m really excited for this one to finally come out.
Anatea recently posted…Review ~ The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
Aw, yay :D I am so so happy that you loved this book so much Kelly. I have heard a lot about it :) Though now you are making me want to read it.. hmph. So glad you loved the romance :D It seems so sweet. <3 And aw, this book made you cry. I really love when books make me cry, hih :) Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this book. <3
Carina Olsen recently posted…The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
good to know there’s a sequel; not a fan of cliffhangers
And I’m SOLD! I already wanted to read this book ever since I heard about Open Road Summer, but now I REALLY want to read The Start of Me and You! And this book sounds like so much fun! I don’t think I’ve read another book where a group of guys and girls get mixed up and becomes friends with each other…I need to see how that goes. And I’m so glad you liked this book. Though from what I heard before, Open Road Summer didn’t get a lot of raving reviews. I’m hoping you’ll like it more when you get a chance to read it.
I think I love reading 5(ish) star reviews as much as I love writing them. :)) Your love for The Start of You and Me really kept right off he screen at me — so of course I’m pushing this one way up my TBR as well! Everything sounds so promising, from the friendships to the romance. But I think it was your quotes that really sealed the deal for me, they’re just so cute and funny and I just want to nod my head along to both of them!
Lina recently posted…Review: “The Walled City” by Ryan Graudin
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one. I’m in the middle of it right now and I am really loving it. Emery Lord writes the most beautiful friendships
Great Review!
Michelle @ Book Briefs
MIchelle @ Book Briefs recently posted…{#Review } Finding Mr. Brightside by Jay Clark @jaypatrickclark @MacKidsBooks @HenryHolt
I love the cover of this one! I’m thinking I might have to pick it up from the library when I can! :)
I can’t wait to get my copy of this. I have been eyeing this for quite some time. I am relieved that this one lived up to your expectations :) Now i can look forward to this even more!
By the way love your new blog design.
I just finished Open Road Summer and I am really looking forward to reading other books by Emery Lord! Awesome review!
I really want to read this book! Great review!
I read Open Road Summer when it first came out, but I think that I am going to like this one even more! I LOVE books where friendship and the goals of the character are alongside the romance! This definitely is something I am going to read! Thanks for the review :-)
I read this one and while the friendships were good and the romance was cute, I just didn’t love it like I thought I would. Which is really sad because I really really wanted to like it!
I saw this at work the other day but didn’t pick it up because I just wasn’t ready to spend the money on it yet. XD I know SO many people rave about Emery Lord’s books but I just haven’t gotten around to them yet. :(
Lovely review though, Kelly! This sounds absolutely adorable. <3
Sydney recently posted…Review: I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
I have this book on my TBR list and I’m anxiously waiting to read it. I haven’t read anything by Emory Lord yet, but she is on my list of authors to read, especially since I’ve hears so many good things about her and her books. This one sounds amazing and I really can’t wait to read it and Open Road Summer, which I have, just haven’t read yet.
April @ Between the Pages recently posted…March Monthly Wrap Up
To be honest, this is not a book I would typically be interested in because the cover makes me think it’s going to be too much of a romance for me. I have to say that your review made me rethink this a bit. I like that you said that there was more to this story than just the romance and that part definitely appeals to me. I like a book that has a bit of everything without too much of any one thing. Great review!.
Aww, this sounds just right. I love any book that will make me tear up! I’m sure this will be perfect for summer :)
Irene recently posted…Måneden i tal #3
This cover is absolutely amazing! Will have to check it out!
I don’t know that this is my type of book, but I do love the quotes you’ve shared, they are very humorous and fun to read! Great review.
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Review: All the Rage by Courtney Summers
I’m sooo going to read this book soon! This book just sounds fab! The quotes you chose are perfect. AND OMG THAT COVER IS SO FREAKING GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!! <33 Great review, Kelly ;)
Maisha recently posted…Blog Tour & Excerpt: Love, Lucy by April Linder
Oh that is super cool that you met an author, I want to meet an author. I guess that it could help if you exsisted in the same time zone as said author. Anyways I just got my hands on this book, and I was a bit wary because I couldn’t remember if I liked Open Road Summer, but this review totally makes me wanna read more of Emory Lord.
denim jackets need to be brought back. I’ve heard really good reviews about this book, but this sold it for me. this is exactly the kind of read I’ve been looking for!
Hey! Another member of the Blue Jean Jacket Brigade! I wear my husbands old Levi’s jacket. It is about 22 years old! I love it! Anyway, I ADORED Open Road Summer, and I am picky to the extreme with contemporaries. So this one is an absolute MUST, and reading your review only helped push it higher on the TBR!
Jaime Lester recently posted…Between the Spark and the Burn
my love for contemporaries led me to The Start of Me and You as Goodreads recommended this book. I also have Open Road Summer but wasn’t able to read it yet. So Emery’s writing style is unknown for me. It’s good to see good reviews about a book written by an author whom you’ve never read yet a single work. This book will surely do for me. Thanks for sharing your review.
Oh man, I can’t wait to read The Start of You and Me! Leading up to its release there was a ton of hype so I went out and bought Open Road Summer and then finished it in about 3 hours – it was freaking fantastic :D I love the sound of the slow-burn romance and have heard great things about the friendship too. I am definitely grabbing a copy of this as soon as possible :) Awesome review!
Zareena @ The Slanted Bookshelf
Zareena @ The Slanted Bookshelf recently posted…Stacking the Shelves #65