The Beginning of Everything

"There's a big difference between deciding to
leave and knowing where to go."

Title: The Beginning of Everything

Author: Robyn Schneider

First Published: 2013

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary, Coming-of-age

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook

My Rating: 9/10

Goodreads Summary:

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?

Ezra Faulker? The popular guy, tennis champion, prom king. Well, that was all in the past. A twist of events leaves Ezra back to square one. No friends, no nothing. Not even the teachers are as fond of him as before.

Then, enter Cassidy Thorpe: the wild, crazy, unique girl- everything Ezra needs to pick up his life and continue living. But of course, not everything turns out as planned and maybe Cassidy will teach Ezra more than he could ever learn in a lifetime.

The Beginning of Everything is told from Ezra's perspective, giving us a clear view of his thoughts, and what goes on in his mind of his. It's a Teen-Fic, if that's what you call it. Ezra slowly develops a crush on Cassidy, hanging out with her group of friends and doing all sorts of crazy stuff together. Cassidy teaches Ezra a lot about life and all the great possibilities it brings. Then, boom! Here comes the tragedy. Ezra finds out (keeping this as vague as possible to avoid spoilers) something that links him to Cassidy, something not so great.

It really depends on how you look at it, but this book does have a happy ending. Well, Romeo and Juliet may not end up together, but sometimes, love may not be the most important thing at this time of your life.

Cassidy, as a character, is like an idol for Ezra. She is the person he believes he can trust whole-heartedly and without limits. But as we progress through the book, we eventually see that we don't know a whole lot about Cassidy and her life before. The mystery just defines her as a character, especially the fact that she is hiding something. She wants to live in the moment, something we should all learn to do.

My Chosen Quote:

“Life is the tragedy,' she said bitterly. 'You know how they categorize Shakespeare's plays, right? If it ends with a wedding, it's a comedy. And if it ends with a funeral, it's a tragedy. So we're all living tragedies, because we all end the same way, and it isn't with a goddamn wedding.”