Friday, October 4, 2013

Book Review: The Beginning of Everything

The Beginning of Everything

"Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything is a lyrical, witty, and heart-wrenching novel about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings."


Author: Robyn Schneider
Year of Release: 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Genre: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Book Version: Hardback
Where did you get the book?: Library
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Warning: There are major spoilers in the last paragraph of this review

ReviewThe Beginning of Everything is quite a bit different from most books that I usually read. I am glad that I do not limit myself to books of certain genres. I would be missing out on very interesting stories.The Beginning of Everything really made me think about life in a different way than I ever have before. It had some very deep messages that could be interpreted any way the reader wants and I liked that about this novel.

Even though the book didn't really seem to have a main dilemma that most books have, I still enjoyed this book. The story and the way it was written reminded me of John Green's books, especially Looking For Alaska. It's kind of funny because I didn't even like Looking For Alaska, but I liked this book quite a bit. However, they were similar in a few ways which I won't go into for those who haven't read Looking For Alaska.

The characters and the story seemed very authentic and genuine, like I was reading about real people in high school. I felt as though Ezra was talking right to me. Schneider used words that any teenage guy would use when telling a story about a significant time in his life. I really liked that. I also liked Toby a lot. He was quite hilarious and I liked his relationship that he had with Ezra. I also liked Cassidy somewhat, but she seemed a bit mysterious and I didn't like some of the decisions she made. I still thought Ezra's relationship with her was cute, real, and authentic. It wasn't a perfect relationship the way many relationships are portrayed in books, and I liked that.

Overall, this story was quite good. I enjoyed it. I liked how the ending wasn't a happy or sad ending, but a realistic ending. I really, really liked that. It is very rare for high school relationships to last, but it seemed as though Ezra's relationship with Cassidy opened his eyes a bit and made him realize some things he hadn't before.

  

1 comment:

  1. Ok, I didn't read the last paragraph because of spoilers (thanks for the warning) but I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I've been on the fence a bit with this one (I don't read that many contemporary but I've been reading more and more lately) but I think I'll add this one to my TBR list. Great review! ~Pam

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I love comments! Thanks for taking the time to comment. It means a lot. Just please do NOT post spoilers in them. Thanks!!

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