The Beginning of Everything, by Robyn Schneider

(4.5/5 stars)

So contemporary romance is really popular in YA right now, right? And to be honest, I'm not the world's biggest contemporary fan, but I make exceptions. The Beginning of Everything is most definitely a well made exception. I hate comparing authors to John Green (mostly because you tend to get a big backlash if you do that, ugh, it's annoying) but this book had that feel to it. You know the feeling: the profound, maybe a little bit pretentious, but comical and intelligent and issue related feeling. It makes you think about life and love and friendship, and those are the contemporary books that I always end up enjoying. 

What I liked: Let me start off by saying that Ezra's friend group is full of the people I wish I was friends with in high school.  They constantly make references to Harry Potter (so many references!) and Doctor Who and I absolutely love it. They're quirky and unique without trying too hard. Basically, they seem like a lot of fun. Ezra is a great character, his tragedy and depth make him very real and relatable. He's interesting and flawed. He has tunnel vision in the extreme. But he's so human and you can't help but love him. Cassidy is something else. There's so much mystery surrounding her, and I know people are going to go ahead and call her a manic pixie dream girl (don't even get me started), but there's even a point where she calls Ezra out on it--refusing to believe in that title and character role. The writing is beautiful and makes you think, all while making me laugh out loud. To put it simply, I loved this book because it's about self-discovery at a time when Ezra has lost all his identity. He has a need to belong somewhere and he takes a fun/emotional/serendipitous journey to find that place. 

What I didn't like: The end. For as long and beautiful as the book was, the end felt a bit rushed and unsatisfying. After everything Ezra went through, I refuse to believe it just ended the way it did. There was no resolution for Cassidy' character, it was almost like Robyn Schneider wanted her to be a manic pixie dream girl--all I wanted was for this girl to get the credit she deserved as an awesomely written character. So that was a bit hypocritical considering the big speech Cassidy gave Ezra in the end about their relationship. 

This book really was everything though (no pun intended). The pop culture references were right on par, and the voice was individualistic and made you fall in love with Ezra Faulkner. It was deep without being over the top and light enough that you didn't feel like it was trying too hard. I loved this book.

-Annie