Following her pitch-perfect debut Open Road Summer, Emery Lord pens another gorgeous story of best friends, new love, second chances.
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.
It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. 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. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?
(Summary from GoodReads)
A huge reason I was drawn to The Start of Me and You was because of its gorgeous cover, but I’ve also read Emery Lord’s debut, Open Road Summer, and enjoyed it. I had a feeling that she’d step it up a notch in this one, and I was definitely right. The Start of Me and You is filled with great female friendships, exceptional prose, and a ridiculously swoon worthy romance.
Paige reminded me a great deal of myself. She can be a little uptight and is focused on her future, but also loves to be with her friends and pursue nerdy interests. While she is not at all perfect, she is introspective, loving, and compassionate, and has a character arc that is simultaneously believable and touching.
I loved that we got to see so much of Paige’s relationship with her three close friends. It can be so easy to get caught up in drama that I love seeing friendships depicted positively. However, what I enjoyed even more than that was her friendship with Max. I loved that their relationship was playful and romantic.
Emery Lord’s prose here was also much, much better than in Open Road Summer. It wasn’t bad earlier, but here there were a lot more things that stood out to me as poignant and lovely. I hope her writing only gets better as she publishes more books.
The Start of Me and You is an exceptional sophomore novel. I definitely want a Max of my own. Lord is becoming a contemporary author whose books I can depend on, and I’m eager for more from her.
Disclosure: I received an electronic galley of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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