Review: The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

By: unknown on Tuesday, December 24, 2013

The Beginning of Everything by
Robyn Schneider
Published by Katherine Tegen
Released: August 27th 2013
Hardcover, 335 pages
Reviewed by Angela

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.

Review: 

This book practically radiates "mixed feelings" off of it, I'm not even kidding. Initial reaction to finishing was "wait, whaaaaaaat?" then "wtf." then "whaaaaaaaat?" I just can't excatly make up my mind about this.

For those who like contemporary, Merry Christmas! because you just found yourself the perfect book for the holidays. If you liked Eleanor and Park especially, read this. Because then you can be like "asdfghjkl what even is that ending why Eleanor/Cassidy" with me. Oops, was that a spoiler? Well she's not exactly like Eleanor. I liked Eleanor better. Go away Cassidy.

 In all honesty, The Begining of Everything is a coming-of-age-book-that makes-you-discover-yourself-along-the-messed-up-ways-of-life type of book. As I was reading this, I felt like the shallow people that you were not supposed to sympathize with. I guess I need to work out some kinks in my brain and how I look at the world. It deals with the obnoxious popular jocks and their slutty girlfriends, the nerdy nerds and their debate club and a lot of other stereotypes. It's about figuring out who you are, where you belong, the long run in life, and first luuuuurve. Except it's not really first. Just the speed bumps-on-highway type of love. 

I'm starting to keep my reviews short now, who's got time to read long ass reviews anyway? In conclusion, (this brings back memories of first learning how to write paragraphs, well that helped in the long run I suppose) this really was a great read. It's not that predictable, hence my confusion and madness at the end. The characters are well developed, no seriously. They change and reform and have tons of depth that I need a ladder. Cassidy was one of the most complex characters of them all, and basically, I'm just caught in her maze of thinking. Sometimes, I really I wanted to be like her. But it's just too dang hard yah know? The amazing life lessons cramped into a 300 page book are pretty impressive. Well, I'm just waiting for my own tragedy to strike. Though I'm starting to think that my whole life is already a tragedy. Oh goody, at least I need not to wait anymore. Not.

4.5/5 STARS