The Start Of Me And You by Emery Lord // Book Review

Title: The Start Of Me And You
Author: Emery Lord
Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary
Page Count: 416
Purchase: Amazon ~ Kindle

Synopsis:
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?

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My Review

The Start Of Me And You is a story about a girl named Paige who's boyfriend died in a swimming accident. It's mostly about her trying to move on with her life. She's tired of all the pity stares she gets and all the empty apologies. She makes a list of things she wants to accomplish. Things she wouldn't have done while she was mourning. Things like: dating, swimming, being more social and attending events. We follow Paige as she scratches items off her list.

I really enjoyed my time reading this book. I honestly wasn't expecting to like it... I picked it up about two or three days ago and almost automatically put it back down. This book has been sitting on my shelves since about 2016. I thought it was going to be super cheesy. I thought it was going to be boring. Well, I was absolutely wrong.

This book really centers around friendship. That's what I really love most about this book. You don't get a lot of YA contemporaries that focus on friendship. Paige's friends are just so freaking amazing. Not one of them is self absorbed. They all equally care about each other's problems as if it were their own. I love books that show strong friendships.

Throughout this book, Paige is trying to get noticed by Ryan Chase. Ryan has been her crush for a long time. While trying to get him to notice her, she befriends his amazingly nerdy cousin, Max. Max is the type of person you'll root for during the entire book. And surely, I did. Don't get me wrong, I liked Ryan. A lot. I just didn't think he was perfect for Paige. He's a great friend to her and that's all I really care about.

Max was by far my favorite character in this book. He is so genuine and even flawed. He's not perfect and I love that. I love that he's not the "hotty" that everyone fawns over. I love that he's himself and doesn't care if people thinks he's a nerd. I love that he brings out Paige's inner nerd and makes her feel more comfortable about herself.

The Start Of Me And You is a cute read. It hurt my heart at times and it healed it. I'm really glad I read this book and didn't put it down. I definitely recommend this book to those who have lost a loved one. Whether it be a spouse or a family member. This book deals with both kind of losses. This book is amazing in so many ways. Can't wait to read more by Emery!

4/5 Stars