Review: The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything 
By Robyn Schneider
Expected Release Date: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: BEA 2013
Reviewer: Jenn
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / IndieBound

My rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars

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 but, 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.

           The Beginning of Everything was a really surprising read for me when I realized that it was in a male’s point of view. I knew of the synopsis but it didn't really click until I started reading. However, Ezra is a really interesting character and I really enjoyed being in his head.

We all know people like Ezra; the one who have everything going for them and seems to lead a perfect life. However, in the course of night, everything changes for him. His girlfriend cheats on him, and he was hit by a car which ends up shattering his leg. He now has the struggles of coming to terms with what has happened. He can no longer play tennis, he lost his girlfriend, and is no longer the homecoming king. He is lost as to who he really is and what person hasn't experienced that?

However, things slowly begins to change for him. He becomes friends again with his old best friend, Toby. Toby and Ezra were best friends all through elementary school but it changed when Toby goes through his personal tragedy and they slowly drift apart. He also meets Cassidy Thorpe, the new girl, who Toby and his friends seem to know. While I like Cassidy, I can’t help but not be a fan of her. Yes, she helped Ezra into believing that there is more than to life than sports and popularity but I always thought that she was this know-it-all that was hiding something. She’s one of those characters that hides a dark secret but get everyone, in this case, Ezra, to spill their secrets. But when it comes to her, everything is off limits.

Once everything comes to fruition, and the secrets are revealed, I wasn't as surprised as by what Cassidy was hiding but I was surprised by what happens afterwards. However, I did like that it ended the way it did because it took Ezra to the place where he needed to be. He went through a tragedy, as he puts it, and he figures out what it is that he needed to do.

She was right, though, in the end. I never should have given her so much credit. It all got tangled together, her appearance and Toby coming back into my life and the first time I ever read a book that spoke to me, and the question of who I wanted to be in the aftermath of my personal tragedy. Because I made a decision that year, to start mattering in a way that had nothing to do with sports teams or plastic crown, and the reality is, I might have made that decision without her, or if I’d never fallen in love with a girl who considered love to be the biggest disaster of all...

...She lent a spark, perhaps, or tendered the flames, but the arson was mine.

I really enjoyed this book because I feel like there aren't many like it at the moment. Yes, there are many coming of age stories but this was so well done that I just can't compare it to anything else. The way Robyn Schneider writes is sort of lyrical and Ezra is such a well written character that I became invested in his story and I hope he gets his happily ever after.

All in all, this was very good read and I really enjoyed Robyn Schneider’s words and can’t wait to read more from her.