Author: Robyn
Schneider
Publisher: Katherine
Tegan
Date: Now available
Source: Publisher via
Edelweiss
My grade: A+
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.
Initial Reaction
::wipes eyes::
Remember the very first time you ever fell in love? Like, real love??? And how it broke your heart?
Cover Story
Thank God they changed the title and cover on this one. When I first got this review copy it was
called “Severed Heads and Broken Hearts” and had the most butt-ugly cover
ever! Who came up with that title? I hope they got fired! But “The Beginning of Everything” is a GORGEOUS
title and I like the cover. It’s bright
and eye-catching without being cheesy or too teen girl. I would proudly read this book in the
doctor’s office with no fear of judgement.
What’s the Story?
Ezra was the popular jock boy on campus. Then he did something dumb. Really dumb.
He drove drunk one night and had a wreck. One girl was hurt pretty badly and he completely
smashed his knee. Now, he can’t walk
without a cane and his sports career is over.
He basically spends all summer in his house along, ignoring all the
phone calls and only leaving to go to physical therapy.
Fast forward to the first day of school. Ezra arrives late and is offered a seat by
the kid he used to be friends with in middle school, but who is not really his
friend now. So he and Toby reconnect and
Ezra finds himself avoiding the jock table at lunch in favor of the Misfit
table. And he discovers that he actually
“speaks geek” really well and he completely fits in with this little group of
high school misfits.
Enter Cassidy, the free spirit girl who seems to be the
antithesis of the popular girls that Ezra has dated. She’s mysterious, she’s philosophical and she
seems to get Ezra. He is totally taken
by her and she becomes part of the group.
One of the things that made this novel so remarkable is the
really likeable cast of characters. I
really liked Ezra, even though at times he was a total, well, dumbass. He was such a typical teenaged boy and I
think that Robyn Schneider did a fabulous job of capturing the teen boy
voice. I never once found myself thinking
that a man would have written his voice differently, so bravo Robyn! I also found myself wanting to sit down at
the lunch table with the rest of the characters and just hang out with
them. Toby was especially fun!
This is such a beautiful coming-of-age story. I loved watching Ezra trying to find
himself. He struggled in many ways and
he sometimes made the wrong choices, but I feel like he had such a strong
character by the end of the novel. And
even though it wasn’t exactly a happy ending, I closed the book knowing that
Ezra would grow up to be a wonderful man.
He really did find his true voice, or at least he began the process very
well.
This story didn’t really have a lot of action. It was much more character driven than
plot-driven, but it totally worked. The
plot was Ezra’s search for who he is and where he fits in and how he decides
what sort of man he wants to be. I
laughed with him and cried with him and in the end, I was just so damn proud of
him.
I loved this book. I
loved Ezra. I loved Toby. I can’t wait to recommend this book and see
how many of my students love it too.
The Soundtrack
Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson
Life Is Beautiful by The Icarus Project
A Beautiful Mess by Jason Mraz
We Belong Together by Gavin DeGraw
Skinny Love by Bon Iver
Can’t Make You Love Me by Bon Iver
The Final Grade
My final grade for this book is an A+. This is a poignant, bittersweet coming-of-age
novel that will both break your heart and make you smile. It doesn’t get much better than that!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in
exchange for my honest review. I was
given no compensation, financial or otherwise, for this review, especially not
a hot geeky guy.
