The Start of Me and You: Emery Lord

This book has everything in for me. Romance,laughter and friendship. Really good that takes you through all the emotions. Loved the main character. Even tho there is loss the book had a happy ending.

I didn't really expect to like this book as much as I did but somehow it happened. The themes in The Start of Me and You were very well explored in different ways, the standout ones being grief and love which are two emotions which are often very closely linked. The way in which Emery Lord conveyed the feelings of the main characters in the context of these two feelings brought me to tears quite often, particularly towards the end. A book that makes me cry for this reason is always a good book in my opinion. The characters were also developed to a great degree, especially Paige and Max, but the others in their group of friends were also explored in a similar way but in a more subtle manner. I loved Max from the start because I could relate quite a bit to him, although I'm not brave enough to be in a competition like Quizbowl because I'd probably melt from embarrassment on the spot. Surprisingly, I really liked the parental figures in this, namely Paige's parents whose story was a nice addition despite it happening in the background for much of the plot. Paige's grandmother was also very endearing and though she was a relatively minor character she represented much of the themes being explored. My edition also has an extra chapter which was a much appreciated added bonus because in the main novel I would have liked the ending to be a bit less rushed. All in all, I loved this book and the literary references within it made me adored it that much more. I wouldn't, however, say that it is a strictly fluffy read because as I said some strong emotions were explored and I cried a few times!

This is the first book I read of Emery Lord but by far one the best books I have read. With twists and turns I couldn’t put it down. Always something else happening to keep you gripped. ‘The start of me and you’ was a complete page turner and I would definitely recommend to everyone. I would definitely give this book five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Read this in just a few days. I had read When we collide and really enjoyed it so I decided that I would see what other books Emery Lord had to offer. This one didn't disappoint. For me, I felt like what was going to happen was pretty obvious but I still enjoyed reading it and seeing everything unfold.

Good. A bit childish.

This was a truly uplifting and heartwarming book. I devoured it in one day. The tale addressed a variety of topics and emotions. It was the perfect balance of sadness and love. I found the end to be rather predictable but in this case I didn't mind...!

This book was heartbreaking and amazingly exiting at the same time I loved it and will probably read it again.

Amazing book!! Totally tugs on your emotion strings!! Great emotive language! I would totally recommend! I got this from the zoella book club

I KNOW THIS TEXT SEEMS LONGV BUT YOU SHOZLD REALLY READ THIS IF YOU THINK ABOUT BUYING THIS BOOK!So I think the book was actually well written (but I can not really say that cause 'm a 12 year old(honestly) austrian whose motherlanguage is german and this may be my 5th book i read in englisch ) So why only two stars ? I think the story is a litte common you know?I mean a teenage girl whose friend (or relative)has died and wants to move on .But thats okay cause it was okay to read ,not super boring but not that exciting either. But that is not the reason for 2stars so far.The thing that really bothered me is that the whole last hour i spent reading this book were just e-mails (you may be confused now ,but look ,its easy,the two main charakters are paige and max and tghey spend their summer break seperadet so they wrote e-mails for each others and the were more than 30 .No lie.) So spent your time and money on a better book!-K

a beautifully written book that portrays grief and explores love. a must read for anyone who likes romance, I highly recommend it !!

J’ai découvert ce livre en regardant une vidéo d’une youtubeuse anglophone, de plus comme la couverture faisait ambiance cosy, je me suis laissé tenter alors que ce genre d’histoire me sort complètement de ma zone de confort. C’est donc curieuse mais un peu perplexe que je me suis plongé dans ce récit. Tout d’abord, j’ai été agréablement surprise par le niveau d’anglais (américain) exigé. Il est très abordable et se lit tout seul. Ensuite, par l’histoire. On pourrait s’attendre à quelque chose qui se rapproche des standards young adult / teenager que l’on connaît tous mais ne vous attendez pas à ça. Ici on suit Paige qui décide de reprendre sa vie en main. Cela fait un an que son petit ami Aaron est décédé dans un accident de noyade. Et donc, on explore avec elle et d’autres personnages. Le deuil mais aussi la reconstruction de soi après un drame comme celui-ci. Comment vivre sans se sentir coupable par rapport à la personne disparue. J’ai aimé cette ambiance feutrée, douce et sans drama stéréotypé. J’ai également apprécié l’évolution de la relation entre Paige et Max qui m’a semblé très naturelle. L’esprit de groupe des amies de Paige est un point fort de l’histoire. Dans cet ouvrage, on a le sentiment de voir le vrai quotidien de jeunes de 17 ans et non toutes ces choses un peu tirées par les cheveux que l’on peut lire souvent. Dans l’ensemble, j’ai bien aimé ma lecture. Parfois cela fait du bien d’aller voir ailleurs et de ce lancer des défis comme Paige. Ce fut une lecture cocooning, fraîche et agréable.

Book was in good condition, the storys a gem, loved it!

Emery Lord nails it again with her sophomore novel by blending serious issues with a light feel that will make readers beg for more. The Start of Me and You includes themes of friendship, self-discovery, and healing, and it is perfection at its finest. You need to add this to your TBR lists right now because it's just so emotionally powerful without being too overwhelming. I'd call this book 2015's Feel Good Book of the Year if I had that sort of power, but I don't, so I'm just telling you that it's a "feel-good" kind of book that you won't want to miss. Emery Lord is the author that I wish would have been around when I was in high school. Girls in the 13-18 (and beyond) age range should be reading Emery's books, especially The Start of Me and You because she includes such wonderful and positive friendships, and the friendships in this one are stellar. Personally, I feel like friendships kind of get brushed aside in a lot of contemporary YA novels to focus more on the romance, but Emery makes sure that Paige and her best friends are center stage throughout most of the novel. I loved reading about these four lovely girls (Paige, Tessa, Kayleigh, and Morgan), and I'm sure many teenage girls will be able to relate to them. Ms. Lord also tackles the very difficult subject of grief in this novel, and she does it flawlessly. It's hard to lose anyone when you're at a young age, especially to tragedy because it's just confusing. There are so many highs and lows that come with losing a loved one or a friend, and Lord captures that grief, heartbreak, and confusion and bottles it up in Paige to create a completely realistic character and plot. Yes... there is romance in this novel, and I adored how Emery wrote planned and wrote it in this book. The reader knows something is eventually going to happen, but they don't know when. I was anticipating how things would develop the whole time, and I was completely satisfied when the big moment happened. I had a huge grin on my face, and I couldn't have asked for anything more adorable. What I Loved: ☻ Paige's personal history - She's intelligent but she's also very pop-culture savvy (like Lorelai and Rory Gilmore), but she's very aware of her problems and how they might affect the people around her. ☻Paige's circle of girlfriends - They are all so different and unique, but they are always there for one another. ☻Max Watson - He'll make you swoon, but that's not all he's good for. He's a truly remarkable character, and one that will be hard to forget. ☻Cameron - I'm a sucker for books with sister relationships, and Paige and Cameron have a rocky, but still loving (and realistic feeling) relationship. ☻Ms. Pepper - I'm an English teacher, so I love it when English teachers are pretty big characters in a book. Ms. Pepper is pretty awesome, and I loved her. ☻One surprise reference - Emery alludes to something in her previous book in The Start of Me and You, and I almost melted. ☻The pop culture references - The Start of Me and You is full of pop culture references that will make any pop culture or trivia junkie geek out. Would I recommend this book? Absolutely and to any and all fans of contemporary YA! It's just one of those books that all teenage girls should and must read, and I would tell any YA/school librarian to order it and display it immediately! I even tried to pass it off to my sister as soon as I finished reading it so she could experience Emery's wonderful story of finding yourself and beginning again. This book deserves more than just five stars because it's just beautiful.