Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything

Martha F.

I was not a fan of this book. Early on, when the love interest, Cassidy) mentioned the steam tunnels and secret parties at her old boarding school, I thought immediately of Frankie Landau-Banks, one of my absolutely favorite heroines from one of my favorite YA books I've read this decade (The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E Lockhart). But then when Cassidy revealed her obsession with the Panopticon, it felt too coincidental to be a coincidence. But I do love Frankie, so if this was derivative, I figured I'd stick with it. Unfortunately, where Frankie is a kick-ass independent heroine, Cassidy was a manic pixie dream girl to the max. So I felt slighted that my favorite book teenager had been reduced to a foil for a boy.

Beyond that, though, I found a lot of the dialogue unrealistic (Has a teenager ever said "outercourse" in a serious and sexy way?) and found the transformation of Ezra to also be quite a stretch. His old life and his old friends were utterly terrible and one dimensional, and somehow, he had never realized this at all before his accident? The Ezra we are given is deep, insightful and self-reflective -- how did he miss the fact that he was hanging out with the extras from She's All That?

I finished the book (with the predictable twist) because I always finish books. But I was mad while I was doing it.

Alecx Motus

This book was alright for me, nothing too memorable. The story is a heart wrenching one once you get to the end where Cassidy's tragedy is revealed but I found that the start and middle had some lulls that were just dragged out way too long. I thought it was a little bit overhyped as I had expected a great story line, which I guess is a problem in itself, having expectations. I think younger readers (I'm 22) may enjoy this a little more, but for me, it was a passable book.

☆ // it’s like reading Looking for Alaska but with a different set of characters.

Ally

Lara Engle

At first, I thought this book was pretty John Green-ish (ya know?). The characters seemed pretty stock, the social groupings were pretty predictable, the teenagers were often glib. But then it changed: the characters grew while the situations and interactions were more nuanced and complicated than they first seemed. The use of The Great Gatsby as a symbol reflects this increasing depth. At first, they just talk about the surface, but slowly Gatsby's symbolism sneaks in without introduction: the flowers, the pile of ashes, and more. This book is a surprisingly realistic and touching take on the modern coming-of-tale, where you can have a happy ending without it being what you wanted, where relationships are good and bad, and where you become who you are (and who you like) through tragedy you wish you'd never experienced.

Rachel Kanyid

I really liked it! thought the ending was great, and did not see it coming in the slightest, though I should have!

Nicole Goldstein

I fell in love. Not just with the book as a whole, but with Ezra. He was flawed and many times I wanted to yell "What are you thinking?!" but that was the beauty about it. Really enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Nicole Dykeman

Wowowoww I loved this one! Funny and heart-wrenching at the same time.

Bea R.

“But we’re the ones who choose, in the end, how people see us”

Alex

Wow. this book is awe-inspiring, perfectly witty, and incredibly tragic all at the same time. I was hooked in the first page, and will be hooked for days more.
Schneider took an ordinary boy and an ordinary girl in the most basic world, and created an incredible tale and adventure of life and love that we all wish to even amount to. 

It's one of those books that you will continually think back on without even realizing your mind has gone, and I couldn't be happier for it to wander off to this read.

Therefor, I tip my hat off to Robyn Scheider. I fell hopelessly in love with Ezra Faulkner, and tore my heart out for Cassidy Thorpe, making this a jaw-dropping read that I will never forget.

Savannah Bird

I would give it five stars if it did not break my heart at the end. I am definitely not an emotional person and I sobbed at this book ugh. 

Molly Sheerer

I have been re-reading this book since the first time I read it in middle school. 

Immediately from the first page I was hooked. It started off strong and dark. I was a little shocked and also intrigued where this was going to go.

I loved the concept of this book so much because it’s so true. No matter what, everyone in life will get a tragedy that will completely alter their life. Whether is happens while they are still living or if death is that life altering event it will happen.

This book was told so well and super easy to follow. It didn’t drag at all. If you are looking for a quick read this is definitely a good choice.

There are so many beautiful quotes in this book and if you are in need of a good cry this book is definitely for you.

Amanda Kordeliski

Really enjoyed this one. Fans of Looking for Alaska will enjoy this one. Schneider nails the manicpixiedreamgirl character and I loved all the literary references.

Samantha 

Ana Ignat

ADD THIS TO THE LIST OF MY FAVOURITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME OHMY

Alejandra

totalmente y siendo sincera, insustancial.

b.andherbooks

Ezra thought he had it all until a car accident smashed his knee and ended his varsity tennis career. His status as his high school's golden boy now done, Ezra finds himself drawn into a new world of geeks and misfits, a world that may actually help him start living his life instead of just existing in it. It doesn't hurt that new girl Cassidy is there to spark him into questioning his former life. But, will their budding relationship leave him just as broken as that car accident?

This book was a wonderful stand-alone contemporary. Very fresh, surprising, and never cliche. Ezra's struggle to find a place and himself at first irked me. Oh the poor rich boy can't play tennis anymore, but I soon fell in love with him as he awkwardly and sweetly found his way. 

I especially loved the supporting cast of friends Ezra re-discovered, especially awesome Toby, the severed-head catching crazy guy. Love him. Not to mention the sixteen year old standard poodle who has Great Gatsby-esque inner dialogue. Too cute.

As for the romance aspect, there was the proper amount of sexy-time that felt authentically showed the male POV (as far as I know) but still tasteful enough to keep it YA. I also was totally shocked at the ending, almost a classic "Looking for Alaska" moment there. Wow. However it made me feel though, it was totally the right way to go. Bravo!

Nadia Leontescu

I found the story and romance to be alright, but the book was pretty gripping! And I liked the idea of finding yourself after tragedy, as well.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

This is one of those stories where I can honestly say I was hooked from page one. Here, let me give you a little looksie at how this story begins:

“Sometimes I think that everyone has a tragedy waiting for them, that the people buying milk in their pajamas or picking their nose at stoplights could be only moments away from disaster. That everyone’s life, no matter how remarkable, has a moment when it will become extraordinary – a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen.”

Yep, completely and utterly hooked.

The Beginning of Everything is told from Ezra’s POV. Ezra has suffered a huge tragedy that has forever changed his life. As the future tennis superstar and prom king, with the prettiest girl in school on his arm, Ezra, the Golden Boy, had it all. He was the most popular guy in school, and he knew it. After the horrific event he’s forced to reevaluate himself and his future life, and accept the fact that things will be forever different.


“The way I see it, everyone has a tragedy.”

This story really made me think. It’s true… everyone seems to have something, a life-changing incident or “tragedy”, that really makes you who you are. I know mine. It’s nothing like what Ezra went through, but it’s a form of “tragedy” that I went through that shaped me into who I am today. Because of that, I really connected with this story on a personal level.

I absolutely adored the characters in this story. Ezra, as our MC, immediately melted my heart. I felt for him, for both his loss physically and mentally. That’s a lot for a teenager to go through, and the way his feelings and his thinking were displayed through his conduct and dialog was perfect. He was so strong, yet vulnerable. He was a prime example of suffering in silence.

Cassidy, the debate team star from another school, was so different from the other girls at Ezra’s school. There’s a mystery surrounding her, which really helped carry the story in a great direction. Toby, which we discover in the first chapter also suffered a horrifically graphic tragedy himself several years ago, proved that you can learn and grow when bad things happen, and become better because of them.

The fact that this story was told from Ezra’s POV really brought it home for me. He had such a sarcastic and witty nature about him, I couldn’t help becoming attached to his character. His mere demeanor was laugh-out-loud funny! I wish I knew Ezra in real life… we would definitely be friends. :)

I enjoy “real” stories. Everything’s not always rainbows and butterflies. And because of the realistic nature of this story, I loved it until the bitter end. It had all the feels. A coming-of-age story about personal growth and learning to make good things out of the bad. Fair warning – grab a few tissues!

(Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Milana Marie Waller

You see, this book wasn’t absolutely terrible . At some points, I mildly enjoyed it. But I just never wanted to pick it up. Ever. I really struggled to plow through this thing. I loved the cover, mainly because I’m obsessed with roller coasters. But this book really didn’t do anything for me. At all. The twist ending was alright, but this book could’ve been condensed to like 200 pages total . I found it kind of pointless. The author was trying to go he John Green//Jerri Sponelli Stargirl way but then somewhere throughout the book realized it was working for her and changed Cassidy’s character completely. Like I said, the covers great and will look great in my “finished” library in my basement. But that’s about the best thing this book did for me. I don’t recommend it

bianca

Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with new girl Cassidy Thorpe.

The Beginning of Everything

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