Mini Review Thursday: The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

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Goodreads Blurb:

"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."

Review:

This is a mini review which basically means I don't have a whole lot to say about it.  So let's do this!

I basically loved everything.  I know this makes me a terrible person, but I actually have a lot of issues with writing positive reviews.  I mean, I can only gush for so long.  Hence the mini review.

So, the ending was fabulous, the revelations, were mind-blowing, Ezra's transformations were beautiful, and the twist at the end was amazing.  There were also so many one liners that made me laugh!

The ending was so unexpected... and yet, it seemed so... there  if you know what I mean.  Like, it was meant to be with this book.  I know what you're thinking.  This is one of those cheesy 'person finds themselves again after a life changing event with the help of love!'.  And while it is sort of like that, it isn't really at all.  You'll see when you read the ending.

That crazy bit of info dropped at the end there, OMG.  I had to put the book down and sat for a minute because MAN that's a crazy coincidence.

Oh, and all the messages about school were totally relevant (or at least I connected them to mine).

The Final Verdict:

An amazing storyline filled with revelations, transformations, plot twists, and funny one liners.  I loved it all!

5 stars

Quotes:

“And I realized that there's a big difference between deciding to leave and knowing where to go.” 

“If everything really does get better, the way everyone claims, then happiness should be graphable. But that's crap, because better isn't quantifiable.” 

“You have this maddening little smile sometimes, like you've just thought of something incredibly witty but are afraid to say it in case no one gets the joke.”

“You see? You're just figuring it out now, but I discovered a long time ago that the smarter you are, the more tempting it is to just let people imagine you. We move through each other's lives like ghosts, leaving behind haunting memories of people who never existed.” 

“Still here, Faulkner?" Luke sneered.
"Still doing that terrible impression of Draco Malfoy?" I asked.” 

“It was about being able to dance like Cassidy did, as though no one was watching, as though the moment was infinite enough without needing to document its existence.” 

“Oscar Wilde once said that to live is the rarest thing in the world, because most people just exist, and that’s all. I don’t know if he’s right, but I do know that I spend a long time existing, and now, I intend to live.”