The Beginning of Everything

by Robyn Schneider

• ISBN10: 0062217143
• ISBN13: 9780062217141
• Publish Date: 29 July 2014 (first published 27 August 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Bianca]

And she would never, in a million years, choose me. But, for the next few minutes, I contented myself with the magnificent possibility that she might.

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Review coming soon.

[Sam@WLABB]

Almost everyone has experienced that moment in their life, when they stopped to take personal inventory and reflect on themselves. Ezra's moment came in the form of a car accident. He had been BMOC: dating one of the prettiest girls in the junior class, class president, varsity tennis, honors and AP classes, with a BMW. When leaving a party at the end of junior year, a black SUV rams into his roadster and never looks back. When Ezra returns to school in the fall, he is left with a sense of identity theft. He no longer understands who he is or where he fits in. This was the beginning to everything, which would shape his character and help guide him on his path to self-discovery.

I loved this book. It is filled with so many colorful and interesting characters. Ezra, our poor struggling narrator, who is trying to move on with his life and deal with the loss of who he thought he was. Cassidy, the mysterious new girl, who ignites a flame in Ezra, encouraging him to function outside of other people's expectations. Toby, his estranged childhood friend, who understands that our real friends are the ones who are there for us at our lowest points.

This book was honest, funny, sad, tragic. I felt all sorts of emotions. The book is filled with philosophical musings, literary discussions, mock debates and heart-to-heart discussions. I kept wanting to find out what was going to happen next and at the end, I wanted more.

[inlibrisveritas]

The Beginning of Everything is a story of friendship and growing up. I feel like the original title “Severed heads and Broken Hearts” fit the book a bit more than the current one. The story is quirky and unique, full of laughs and heart break. The characters are witty and completely realistic, and a I appreciated the romance between Ezra and Cassidy. There was a palpable chemistry between the two, but it was wholly unexpected and I think that made me appreciate it more.

Overall it was one of the more realistic contemporaries I’ve read. It was full of heartbreaking scenes, but it wasn’t all happy-go-lucky either. It was a mix of the two that left me wanting more.

[Jyc]

☆ // it’s like reading Looking for Alaska but with a different set of characters.

[lizarodz]

I’m not going to lie and tell you that this is a cute romance with a happy ending. If you want that type of story, this is not for you. In contrast, The Beginning of Everything is a bittersweet story about tragedy, how to rise above it, friendship and love.

It has been difficult for me to seat down and write this review because I have ambivalent feelings about the book. On one end I loved Ezra’s voice. He is a bit lost at the beginning of the story. He goes through a terrible tragedy and he feels abandoned by his group of popular friends. He needs to learn how to adjust and come to terms with his new physical limits and how to act around his former friends and ex-girlfriend. I think he makes some terrible decisions, both in the past and during the story; pretending to be someone else and adapting your personality just to fit is never sustainable. True friends love you and accept you for who you are.

The overall characterization is done rather well. Cassidy is very flighty and almost manic in her behavior. She does help Ezra a lot in his road of self-discovery, but at the same time she was cagey, secretive, and distrustful, which is no way to behave with friends or in a relationship. Of course, there is also the fact that she hurt Ezra rather badly. My favorite character (after Ezra) is Toby; his childhood friend. He is a true friend and is there when Ezra needs him the most; he forgives him for his prior abandonment and refuses to fade into the background when things go bad between Ezra and Cassidy.

On the other hand I didn’t particularly like the ending. Yes, I know that The Beginning of Everything is about Ezra and his evolution and the beginning of his life AFTER. I’m not so naïve that I expect a happily ever after in every young adult book that I read, but it felt incomplete and too open for me.

Scheneider’s writing style reminds me a lot of Sara Dessen’s; what is to say that it’s beautiful. They are both full of self-discovery, introspection and unadulterated beauty. The plot had plenty of conflict and a few unexpected turns. Overall, I liked The Beginning of Everything

P.S. – I love all the Harry Potter references!

Some quotes for you:

“And that was when I saw what Cassidy had done to herself: the gold and red ribbing on her sweater-vest, the matching stripes on her tie, the gray uniform skirt, and the navy blazer draped over her arm...
"Is that a Gryffindor tie?" I asked.
"And an official Harry Potter Merchandise sweater-vest," she confirmed smugly.”

“There's a word for it," she told me, "in French, for when you have a lingering impression of something having passed by. Sillage. I always think of it when a firework explodes and lights up the smoke from the ones before it."
"That's a terrible word," I teased. "It's like an excuse for holding onto the past."
"Well, I think it's beautiful. A word for remembering small moments destined to be lost.”

“She tasted like buried treasure and swing sets and coffee. She tasted the way fireworks felt, like something you could get close to but never really have just for yourself.”

About the cover: To be honest this cover is vaguely relevant to the story but I don’t really like it.