The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider
Release Date – August 27, 2013
Publisher Website -  Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages -  330 pages
My Rating- 4/5
**obtained for review from publisher via BEA**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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.

Some events are life altering. There is only the before and after. Sometimes those events are literally the beginning of a new path that will be the rest of your life...the beginning of everything some would say. Robyn Schneider uses heart, whit, and an amazing main character to show that life is filled with surprises, both the good and bad.

Sometimes it's the storyline, characters, or writing that shine in a novel. It's the truly great ones that offer a mix of them all. In The Beginning of Everything, it's Ezra's voice that resonates the most deeply. He, and by an extension the novel, works himself into your heart. I connected with him almost immediately, and found him endearing. He's intelligent, broken yet hopeful, and has a sarcastic sense of humour. Robyn's writing is quirky, and filled with humour. It's a reflection of the character, and just another way she lets us into Ezra's world.

Cassidy Thorpe is a force of nature. She changes the people she comes into contact with because she is so refreshingly herself. She opens Ezra's eyes in a way that reminded me of 80's movies. There is a certain nostalgia factor to their courtship, relationship, and the problems that arise. She is a big part of why it feels this way. She's a throw back to the girls next door, who are amazing, unique and naturally effortless.

The characters grow throughout the novel, especially Ezra. He's had, what he perceives as, his life ripped away from him. In picking up the pieces and figuring out 'what next' he begins to find himself. It's this self discovery, and journey that people will relate to. Teens especially will see themselves in Ezra. The expectations of others weigh heavily on him, and yet he just wants to learn how to be this new (and maybe improved) version of himself.

This novel is as heartbreaking as it is hopeful. A story about the places we fit, finding our true selves, and living each moment in the here and now. The Beginning of Everything shows that something can profoundly change your life, but you're the one to decide how the 'after' is going to look.