Book Review: The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything
Author: Robyn Schneider
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Contemporary/Realistic Fiction
Release Date: August 27th 2013
Review Source: Harper Teen
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) 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.

This novel has a very powerful opening. Written in first person it truly gives you the impression that great things are in store for the reader. Unfortunately, this novel truly had its high and low points for me. Ezra Faulkner is faced with extreme events in his life that lead to life changing moments. Moments that the most popular student in high school has to deal with. Just when he thinks his final year of high school will be spent alone and be uneventful, Cassidy Thorpe the new girl, takes an interest in the once very popular Ezra. Ezra and Cassidy begin with getting to know one another, however their new friendship blossoms into something more. Cassidy comes with her own secrets of deep emotion as well. She goes through her issues silently and alone without Ezra's support. However, this is her choice. There is one moment in the novel that changes their lives, yet again, forever.

Robyn Schneider provides her readers with meaningful descriptions of events throughout the storyline. I truly found that I connected with Ezra, however Cassidy's role I viewed, more as a minor character. In conclusion, I did a little research and found that that the novel had a cover and name change for US printing. Based on what I know about the power of novel covers and titles, I feel this change will be hurtful in the long run. Nonetheless we have many readers out there that will not judge a book by its cover, (I hope) and pick this one up for a great summer reading experience.