Review: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

the lowdown

Paige Hancock is that girl. The one who’s boyfriend drowned in a tragic swimming accident. Though she and Aaron weren’t together for long, his death has cast a shadow on her life. Everywhere she goes in her small town, people give her that look. Tired of the misplaced sympathy and ready to begin moving on, Paige decides that this school year things will get back to normal. To do so, she commits to joining a club, getting her longtime crush, Ryan Chase, to go on a date with her, and to get past her fear of swimming. But then Ryan’s cousin Max transfers back to their school and convinces Paige to join the Quiz Bowl team, and her plan isn’t quite what it seems.

I really liked Open Road Summer, Lord’s debut novel, so I was excited to read this, but also skeptical because sophomore entries rarely have the same sparkle as someone’s first novel. Lord lives in Cincinnati, where Laura and I both went to college and where we bought our (signed!) copies of Open Road Summer at the local bookstore. Couple that with the fact that this book is set in a fictional suburb of Indianapolis but with lots of references that Hoosiers will get, and I was in hog heaven and definitely a little homesick! I read this book really quickly, I devoured it, actually. This was deeper and more emotional than I was expecting, to the point where I was ugly crying pretty hard at the end of it. If you’re looking for a YA read with a little more substance, but which doesn’t sacrifice the classic YA elements, The Start of Me and You is a good pick.



the good

• The way that Lord handled the grief that Paige was experiencing was appropriate and not trite, as I feared it might be. While Paige has lost an important person in her life, she is the first to admit that they were only together for a few months, and that her grief has a lot more to do with what could’ve been than what they had. My heart broke for her every time she woke up from the terrible nightmares about drowning that plagued her sleep far too often.
• I’ve made no secret of how much I love well-written, smart female friendships. The Start of Me and You delivers on this front, and delivers it well. The foursome of girls, who quickly become friends with Ryan and Max, adding them to the group, are supportive and understanding. They support and complement each other in all the best ways. I wish that there had been more depth to some of their story lines, but overall they were a highlight.

the bad

• While I appreciated the tact with which some of the more complex issues were dealt with in this book, it definitely had some of the more saccharine and predictable moments that YA books are prone to. Certainly the storyline was predictable, but it was still enjoyable to read. If you’re looking for something groundbreaking, though, you won’t find it here.

the quote

“In friendship, we are all debtors. We all owe each other for a thousand small kindnesses, for little moments of grace in the chaos.”

skip it/borrow it/buy it

 This one is worth a trip to your local bookstore to buy it. I borrowed it from my library and plan on purchasing a copy. I really enjoyed this book, and definitely see myself reading it again in the future.



overall score:8/10

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