Oh, my goodness. This book is just the cutest!!! In a YA scene that's growing increasingly sexual and profane, The Start of Me and You is like a breath of fresh air.
It's been one year since it happened...
When Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in a swimming accident, she shut out almost everyone. Now Paige has decided it's finally time to rejoin the world, and she has a plan. First on the list: go out with Ryan Chase, her longtime and newly single crush. And last on the list: swim. Terrifying, yet possible?
But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin Max moves to town and recruits Paige for the QuizBowl team (of all things!), her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Starting over isn't easy, but Paige knows the scariest things are usually the most difficult. Can she face her fears and open herself up to life and love again?
But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin Max moves to town and recruits Paige for the QuizBowl team (of all things!), her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Starting over isn't easy, but Paige knows the scariest things are usually the most difficult. Can she face her fears and open herself up to life and love again?
A year after her boyfriend's death, Paige is tired of being "the dead guy's girlfriend." The pitying looks, the overprotective mother, the self-imposed social exile. As her junior year begins, she's ready to start living again, and her chief goal is to go out with Ryan Chase, her longtime crush. But when she forms a friendship with Ryan's cousin Max, she begins to realize that what she thought she wanted might not be what she needs.
Paige and Max have such a sweet relationship, and it's so fun watching them fall for each other. (Let's pause for a moment to remember their first almost-kiss. Oh, my ...) However, The Start of Me and You is so much more than just a romance. It's also about making friends who become family, navigating family drama, and finding your place in the world. While my own teen years were quite a while ago, the characters and situations felt very true to life (or at least true to my memories!). Basically, this novel is so worth the read! 5 stars.
Content note: A few mild profanities are scattered throughout the novel. There are also mentions of teenage drinking and a game of spin the bottle/seven minutes in heaven. There is no sexual content beyond mild kissing, and those kisses never become heated. This is easily one of the cleanest YA novels (that isn't Christian) that I've read. There is some bonus content at the end of the Kindle version that deals with more mature themes, but it never progresses beyond a mild PG-13 level.
Buy the book.
Emery Lord is the author of four Young Adult novels. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two rescue dogs.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I won this book in a giveaway and chose to review it. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Paige and Max have such a sweet relationship, and it's so fun watching them fall for each other. (Let's pause for a moment to remember their first almost-kiss. Oh, my ...) However, The Start of Me and You is so much more than just a romance. It's also about making friends who become family, navigating family drama, and finding your place in the world. While my own teen years were quite a while ago, the characters and situations felt very true to life (or at least true to my memories!). Basically, this novel is so worth the read! 5 stars.
Content note: A few mild profanities are scattered throughout the novel. There are also mentions of teenage drinking and a game of spin the bottle/seven minutes in heaven. There is no sexual content beyond mild kissing, and those kisses never become heated. This is easily one of the cleanest YA novels (that isn't Christian) that I've read. There is some bonus content at the end of the Kindle version that deals with more mature themes, but it never progresses beyond a mild PG-13 level.
Buy the book.
Emery Lord is the author of four Young Adult novels. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two rescue dogs.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I won this book in a giveaway and chose to review it. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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