The Beginning of Everything

by Robyn Schneider

Robyn Schneider's The Beginning of Everything is a witty and heart-wrenching teen novel that will appeal to fans of books by John Green and Ned Vizzini, novels such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and classics like The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye.

Varsity tennis captain 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 unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe.

As Kirkus Reviews said in a starred review, "Schneider takes familiar stereotypes and infuses them with plenty of depth. Here are teens who could easily trade barbs and double entendres with the characters that fill John Green's novels."

Funny, smart, and including everything from flash mobs to blanket forts to a poodle who just might be the reincarnation of Jay Gatsby, The Beginning of Everything is a refreshing contemporary twist on the classic coming-of-age novel—a heart-wrenching story about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult Contemporary, Coming Of Age

335 pages, Hardcover

First published August 27, 2013

About the author

Robyn Schneider grew up in Southern California, where she spent her childhood reading fantasy novels and searching for secret passages. She’s a graduate of Columbia University, where she studied creative writing, and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, where she earned a Masters of Bioethics. Robyn is the bestselling author of The Beginning of Everything, Extraordinary Means, Invisible Ghosts, and You Don’t Live Here. Her work is available across the world in over a dozen languages. Her newest novel, The Other Merlin, will be published in September 2021. She lives in Los Angeles with her TV producer husband, their tiny puppy, and far too many books. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @robynschneider

Reviews

[Keertana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 1.5 Stars

I almost feel like laughing, but not quite. The Beginning of Everything is majorly over-hyped, but I suspect that's because of the nature of YA. We've come to expect a very standard, happily-ever-after-esque, unrealistic portrayal of life from YA. We assume the end of the book is the end of these characters lives and don't bother to think about them breaking up with their "true love" in three months or rushing off to college and possibly creating another screwed up parental relationship. Which is why I think this book is so well-liked; because its ending forces you to recognize that bittersweet reality and accepts that people are not always meant for relationships with certain people or at certain time periods.

And this saddens me because I feel as if this should be a given. Life isn't about people healing each other from tragic moments with New Adult sexy times; it's about things not working out and rejection. It's about moving on and finding yourself. While I think this book really tries to do a lot and utterly succeeds in its incredibly honest ending, I don't think that makes this a good book. Just because The Beginning of Everything does something most books should do, doesn't necessarily mean it's fantastic or deserves quite this much hype.

As I said, The Beginning of Everything really does try to be an incredible, inspirational kind of novel. When you take its bare-bones outline, it’s nothing short of brilliant. Ezra, the Golden Boy of his high school, shatters his knee in a car accident and quickly finds himself saying goodbye to his jock clique and popularity as he knows it. Ezra is quickly forced to find himself – true him that lies beneath all the false smiles and tennis backhands – and although he attributes much of his change to Cassidy, the new girl who is different and turns his life around, he eventually learns that his growth was all his own. And that idea, of realizing that your personal change is due to you and your decisions, not those of someone else, is a wonderful concept. And yet, it is one that has been done before and, sadly, much better.

Moreover, this book reads too familiarly. It has elements of Life in Outer Space with nerdy references and movie buffs. It has traces of North of Beautiful with crazy outlandish activities like geo-caching. And it has a whole lot of not-quite-good-as-John-Green moments. I have nothing against Manic Pixie Dream Girls, but Cassidy read all too transparently with dialogue I'd heard before and a shabbily covered up "secret". Ezra, while undergoing a fantastic journey, is the only strong character in a novel filled with strangely absentee (and conveniently rich) parents, stereotypical jocks, empty-headed blondes, and under-developed secondary characters.

For a book that dares to explore finding your place in the world, The Beginning of Everything is surprisingly black-and-white. Ezra, in fact, is the only character whose portrayal I found to be even remotely realistic. Not only was he complicated, but he was intelligent. In some instances, I really love the dialogue in this novel, in others, however, it feels as if this book is just trying too hard. You know all those tumblr posts with words in different languages that mean so many things that the English language doesn’t capture? Well, that list is basically in this book. Among other “creative” and “cool” and “wacky” and “different” tid-bits that all basically fail to impress.

You see, as much as Schneider doesn’t talk down to her audience with her out-there topics, she doesn’t talk up to them either. Just take Charlotte, Ezra's ex, for example. Not only is she a blonde cheerleader who invites guys to secluded areas, thrusts out her breasts, and has no ambitions except popularity, but her presence only makes Cassidy appear to be a better person. And, frankly, I am fed up of seeing girls portrayed like this. Why must Charlotte be empty-headed in order to explore her sexuality? Why must Ezra look like a hero for denying Charlotte while she herself is portrayed as a harlot for wanting him? Why are Charlotte’s string of boyfriends frowned upon but not Ezra’s string of girlfriends? I hate the double standards placed on girls and with The Beginning of Everything, these don’t even end with Charlotte. Cassidy, as I mentioned, is like a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, complete with that classic “secret” and “tragic past” that excuses her strange behavior. Excuse me, but why do girls need to have a tragic past to excuse their behavior? Why can’t Cassidy just be moody and upset if she wants to be? When Charlotte is moody she’s basically a bitch, but if Cassidy is moody it’s okay because she has a tragic past. I hate how this book conveniently places characters into tidy little boxes. No. I am a teen and I am a girl and I cannot be placed into a tidy little box nor will I. And I hate to see that representation in YA.

I’m not picking on The Beginning of Everything. I avoid books like this one precisely because of these issues, but I gave this a chance because of the hype surrounding it. It wound up being such a disappointing read, though. Ezra’s high school is so stereotypical, not only with their cliques and taunts of “faggot” or “dork” but also with the personalities of their secondary characters. Every clique in this book is straight out of "Mean Girls" and the football jocks spray paint children's playgrounds when they're drunk, but Ezra can stop them, no worries. Even Ezra’s best friend, Toby, manages to remain flat on the page as he is quick to welcome Ezra back to his circle and acts as a medium to introduce Ezra to Cassidy and glean more information about her. Ezra’s parents, though mentioned, are simply…strange. Ezra has no relationship with them at all. Although his mom calls him regularly and is worried sick about his condition, he never seems to care for her or carry much of a relationship of any kind with her. Schneider introduces a lot of different characters and concepts with this book, but so many of them are under-developed that I wish they were just excluded instead.

Ultimately, I can’t recommend Schneider’s latest. While I loved its concept and am all for finding-yourself-esque novels, I felt this one had too many flaws to stand-out. It was an unfortunate mix of too many books and movies, mashed together, and the impact of the story is only felt in those last five or ten pages, which only barely manage to redeem this in my eyes. I’ve read far better and more realistic coming-of-age novels, but if you haven’t, then I don’t doubt for a second that The Beginning of Everything will be a delight. While I’ll still be looking out for Schneider’s work in the future – her writing flows perfectly – I’ll be regarding it all with the eye of a skeptic from now on. You’d think I’d have learned by now not to succumb to the hype, but I guess some lessons just need to be re-learned.

[Emily May]

No rating because I didn't make it very far with this. No real review either but I'm going to share a few thoughts on my initial impressions, mostly because I want you to tell me if I'm wrong. I just got the feeling almost straight away that this wouldn't be my type of book. The first chapter starts very well, great male narrator's voice and a rather shocking opening with Toby. Then the next few chapters reminded me of a Taylor Swift music video. And I don't mean that in a general way, I mean it actually reminded me of the music video for You Belong With Me which, as you'll know if you've seen it, is a three and a half minute summary of many teen romantic comedies. If you have finished the book, please feel free to inform me that I got it all wrong.

Anyway, this is the way it goes in those first few chapters. Hot guy starts out with an equally hot, mean, bitchy and shallow girlfriend who doesn't appreciate him and cheats with another guy because she's such a slut.



Guy is...



And wants a nice, well-behaved girl who is nothing like all the others with their "blond hair, lots of makeup, stupidly expensive handbags". Enter Cassidy, aka Ms Girl Next Door.



Okay, minus the blonde hair. But she's sweet and innocent and most of all she doesn't knoooow-oh-oh, she don't know she's beautiful!



I really do hope I got this all wrong and please tell me if I did. Maybe I'll even come back to it. We shall see.

[Giselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was waiting in line and happened to have this book with me, and after only 10 minutes I was already hooked. The first few pages recount a horrifying situation that is bound to shock anyone, and already I could put myself in their shoes and feel it changing these boys for life. Then shortly after, we're brought into the second shock of the book: the accident that changed Ezra's life.

The Beginning of Everything is narrated by Ezra, a one-time golden boy who's now feeling out of place with his cane and worthless self image. I loved this boy from the get go. His voice is brilliantly depicted as a teenager who used to have it all - or so he thought. You can not only feel his pain, but you also come to understand how hard it is for him to accept that he's not who he was anymore. Throughout this book Ezra searches for himself, and finds what he needs to find in the most realistic, though not easiest, of way. The start may be shocking, but it's a pretty mellow read for the most part. Robyn gives us a real teenage boy with genuine insecurities and flaws. Obviously I've never been a teenage boy myself, but I found him to be perfectly portrayed with a convincing - and refreshing - personality.

This is another of those plots that aren't necessarily about anything in particular; at least nothing cut and dry. We have Ezra who was once the most popular boy in school with tennis championships and prom King crowns in his back pocket, and, of course, the prettiest girlfriend, but after the accident his life takes a 180. All in all, this book is about ever changing life; or in Ezra's case, a life changed by tragic force. But, is it really the worst thing that could have happened? We see him question who he really is, if he really belongs anywhere at all. The book also has friendship as a major topic; he finds out who his true friends are. It's bizarre how sometimes it takes a tragedy to change people for the better; to make them see what they took for granted.

Romance is another large aspect of this novel, which is where Cassidy comes in. I adored this girl just as much. I found she brought a lot of energy to the book. She's intelligent and confident, but there's also something underneath her bright surface that is weighing her down. In a way, this made her perfect for Ezra's love interest. They bonded with this inseparable connection that you can sense through the pages, born from shared brokenness - even though they're good at hiding it. The mystery behind Cassidy's past becomes fairly predictable, however - at least I thought so - especially after her sudden change of heart. It was made obvious by the immediacy following a certain conversation if you pay attention. I knew then exactly what had happened, though not right away who exactly it involved. As for the ending, I think it's one that readers will easily love or hate. I fall more on the love side for how incredibly realistic it is. Life doesn't end neatly wrapped up with everything we expected and/or wanted, it just goes on. I appreciate realism over anything in these types of books.

Compelling characters, a strong narration, and great writing fill the pages of this book. The Beginning of Everything is sad, funny, hopeful, heartbreaking; it's about dealing with what life throws at you. Lemonade, anyone?

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think it’s possible for someone who didn’t really look at this book too critically to be tricked into wholeheartedly liking it. Otherwise, I can’t imagine someone actually thinking this is a good novel.
I read a review where the writer said this is the perfect book for the average tumblr user, and that is just so completely accurate (this also makes sense when you consider the fact that in the author's biography it describes her as an “internet personality”…).
This story caters to “nerds” by writing a main character who goes from being a textbook example of a Popular Guy to a textbook example of a Cool Nerd. The story romanticizes not being a part of the popular crowd by displaying how superior the uncool kids really are in comparison, with their constant witty banter and crazy, quirky adventures. The book is chock-full of nerdy pop culture references and there are entire conversations that have nothing to do with the plot or a deeper message, but just exist to display the vast intelligence and cleverness of the characters. I understand the message the novel was getting at, about finding yourself and all of that wonderful, coming of age junk, but it just tried too hard. Plus the fact that the message rested on the shoulders of unoriginal and snooty characters and a plot that fizzles out instead of actually wrapping up. I can’t help but imagine someone trying to shoot a target with an arrow and pulling on the bow so hard that it zoomed towards the target in a perfect shot only to overshoot it by a hundred feet.
The characters, man. I was not a fan of a single one of them, except maybe Toby. Maybe. I tried really hard to not find Ezra insufferable, but oh my gosh, what a superiority complex on that one! Was there anyone he didn’t think he was better than? First he was literally too cool for everyone, by being a star athlete and class president and prom king, and then he was too cool for everyone by being clever and dark and nerdy. He actually felt that he had to hold back his witty comments from his old friends because no one would get them, his intelligence was that vast. And then Cassidy… I tried to like her too, honestly I did. But she was just as high and mighty as Ezra. She makes me think of the quote by John Steinbeck, “Do you take pride in your hurt? Does it make you seem large and tragic?” She was so ~unique, with her vintage clothing and philosophy quoting ways. And she was abstinent! Can someone tell me why this was relevant? Why did we need to know that she was saving herself for marriage? I can only see this as another way Cassidy is superior to the girls Ezra used to surround himself with, who, when described, were always depicted as wearing little clothing or doing something to garner a boy’s attention. Gag. Fuck your slut shaming. Your virginity doesn’t make you an inherently good person. Cassidy also tries to sidestep the manic pixie dream girl title by outrightly stating, in an oh-so-eloquent way, “Ezra, the girl you’re chasing after doesn’t exist. I’m not some bohemian adventurer who takes you on treasure hunts and sends you secret messages. I’m this sad, lonely mess who studies too much and pushes people away and hides in her haunted house.” Okay. Denying exactly what you are doesn’t mean you aren’t it. And stating all the ways you’re too tragic to be loved doesn’t help. Ughhhh. I can’t with these characters.
And what is this plot? We basically have Ezra whine about how he no longer knows who he is without the labels he used to define himself, only for him to somehow worm his way into a new friend group through which he finds that he has really always belonged not with the simpletons that are the brutish jocks and slutty cheerleaders, but with the self-important nerds, who are too quirky and clever for their genius to be understood in high school. Blah. And the romantic relationship with Cassidy? We’re warned by Toby that Cassidy only toys with guys, and we get the impression that this may be true from the teasing way she flirts with Ezra, only for them to end up in a committed relationship that goes on without a hiccup until the night of a school dance when Ezra happens to comment on the make of the car that caused his accident. (Honestly, how transparent was it that not only was Cassidy's brother dead, but that he was the one who hit Ezra? God). Cassidy then goes missing for a few hours, only for Ezra to find her at a park they went on a date to and have her claim that she’s waiting for her real boyfriend to show up. Apparently we were supposed to believe this, because when it occurs to Ezra that that may have been a lie, it’s supposed to be a huge revelation. I found it to be pitifully obvious and an overdone trope. And then we stumble through the heartache of the break up and Ezra’s subsequent attempts to get Cassidy back, only for it to end in the death of his dog AND his relationship. And then the story is over. What??? I’m sorry, could you direct me towards the point of this book? I think I took a wrong turn somewhere, because I really can’t find it.
The only praise this book really garners from me is the voice. It was a really great teen male voice, not too contrived or over the top. But really, that’s mostly it. Which is a huge bummer, because I was really expecting to like this book. Oh well. I would recommend this book to people who proudly boast of being a nerd and think they’re superior for it as well. You’ll get along swell with the characters.

[♛ may · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Sometimes I think that everyone has a tragedy waiting for them, that the people buying milk in their pajamas or picking their noses at stoplights could be only moments away from disaster. That everyone's life, no matter how unremarkable, has a moment when it will become extraordinary.


So, I picked up this book intending to escape into the cute little world of contemporary where the sun shines and daisies bloom and people live with bright smiling faces.

. . . and then I got this.



The Beginning of Everything, is the story of Ezra Faulkner (my precious baby) who had his particular tragedy at the end of his junior year when a reckless driver shattered his knee. Ezra finds himself plunging from the social ladder and landing with a group of misfits, his previous best friend from kindergarten, Toby, included.

There, he meets Cassidy Thorpe, a bold and adventurous girl no one can seem to keep track of. As the year goes by, Ezra will have to contemplate whether his huge life tragedy has already hit him or if there’s much more misfortune in the nearby future.



Robyn Schneider did an excellent job on creating this book. The characters are so fun and entertaining to read about, the setting and plot are ingrained into the book so effortlessly, and the writing style is so easy to fall into.

I loved the characters a lot, especially Ezra, that poor precious child. Schneider was really able to pick his brain and offer us a character that was real and witty and tragic and an-all-around-goof.

Throughout the entire book, I was just waiting for another tragedy to strike. Yes, it was all so fun to read about debate club slumber parties and silent flash mobs and good-hearted cafeteria bickering but it’s almost like you can feel a shadow of a disaster about to take form.

And let me say, it was very unexpected. ;-;

Although this book was hella enjoyable to read, that’s what it was for me; just a really enjoyable read. I kinda wish I could give it another star but really, this isn’t the sort of book that shakes my convictions and makes me contemplate it years later.

It’s just a really nice read.


“I pictured her tragically; it never once ocurred to me to picture her as the tragedy.”


3.5 stars!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Need a contemporary to lighten my heart and bring back the sap in my life

PLEASE LET THIS ONE BE GOOD!!!

[emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is the least readable, most snooze-worthy, cliché-iest book with the most stereotypical snoozefest 100% good or evil characters ever.

i read it 7 years ago and i still regard it with hate in my heart.

part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago

[JTony · Rating 1 out of 5]

I pretty seriously hated this book. Loathed it actually. I really only finished it so that I could write a scathing review because I really hated it that much.

The characters are barely more than cardboard cutouts made from restroom gender icons with pithy words scrawled on them in red sharpie. Not a lot of substance but indicators as to what we're supposed to think of them. I didn't think much of them, I can tell you that. They are shallow, immature, emotionally crippled and selfish with little to no care about any of the other characters. I hated them all.

Very little happens in the plot. Basically there is only one real event in the whole book, followed by one fake event later on that is emotionally way more stomach turning than the first one. Neither really ended up making me care about the characters, but the second one made me hate them.

I got this book in order to give me something like John Green, and it has been compared to his works a lot. If you like John Green, don't read this. This is John Green as interpreted by the CW and the writers of the film "Clueless". Also, if you hate John Green, you will also want to avoid reading this. It echoes JG just enough to make it really, really annoying.

It didn't help that I read the audio version. The reader, Dan John Miller, was unconvincing as a teen boy, and annoying as a teen girl (picture Frank Zappa trying to do the Valley Girl voice in the 80's song instead of his daughter, Moon Unit). I wanted to reach out and slap my iPhone each time he switched genders.

I really wanted it to be fun and emotionally charged. It wasn't. It was painful and emotionally stunted and not worth your time.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm...can't decide between 3.5 or 4 stars...but in that range somewhere.

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

For former golden boy Ezra Faulkner, his tragedy is in the form of a reckless driver one night. In one night he loses his girlfriend, has his knee shattered in the accident, taking away his aspirations to be drafted to play tennis in college, and learns that his so-called friends really aren't all that great. At the beginning of his senior year of high school, he meets new girl Cassidy Thorpe, who helps to turn his world upside down.

This book is about Ezra's journey to discover who he is. He's spent years being the jock, the popular guy, homecoming king material...to have it taken all away in the aftermath of the accident. I really enjoyed seeing how he grew along with his new set of friends and hobbies ( loved his old but rediscovered best friend Toby :D ). While the book did focus a lot on Ezra and Cassidy and their relationship, it had a deeper meaning as well, about how people respond to their personal tragedy's. They can either let it overcome them and dictate their life or they can rise above it and learn to embrace their life, despite the bad that may happen. I also really enjoyed the fact that Ezra didn't get a " traditional " happy ending. I was satisfied with the ending, but I really liked that it was different from what you normally see, especially in YA. Glad I got to experience Ezra's journey with him!

Upon reflection, I'll put the rating at a solid 4 stars, because there were numerous Harry Potter references throughout. And anything Harry Potter just wins my heart <3

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider is a book about a boy named Ezra Faulkner. He's the definition of a parents wet dream; that is until his world comes crashing down on him... Well its not the world it's more like a car. Ezra use to be a star tennis player, the most popular guy in school, had the most popular girl in school as his girlfriend, and makes pretty good grades. He's living the high school dream until he walks in on his girl friend cheating on him at a party; where he gets in his car to leave and then immediately gets into a car accident. The crash shatters both his knee and dreams. His friends don't seem to get that he can't be the person he use to be. He can't play tennis, can't keep up with the wild pranks, and parties they go too... Oh and on top of all that his now ex girlfriend is dating the his replacement and friend... Sounds like the end of the world right? Well then you should know it's just the start of it. Ezra meets the mysterious riddle talking new girl Cassidy. Ezra is thrown into a world where he no longer knows who he is. He throws himself into school work, a debate team, and an old friendship. Thankful to have Cassidy to distract him from the accident and life in general by dragging him around on her endless adventures he soon realizes she might just be what he needed to get out of his accident funk. He'll soon learn that life isn't always about living up to others expectations it's about living up to your own.

I would like to thank the book gods for this book, because after reading so many fails in the contemporary ya field finally one has stepped up and won my heart...

First off the cover of this book is beyond perfectly witty (Once you read it you'll know why). Second, again, I can't believe I liked a contemporary read. Third this book was like eating a handful of Valentine's Day candy; it was so sweet. TBoE will have your sides splitting and you hooked within the first few pages... Don't believe me? Well feast your eyes on this snippet from page four:

“What the news reports didn't say was how the kid's head sailed backward in its mouse-ear hat like some sort of grotesque helicopter, and how Toby Ellicott, on his twelfth birthday, caught the severed head and held onto it in shock for the duration of the ride. There's no graceful way to recover from something like that, no magic response to the "getting head" jokes that everyone threw in Toby's direction in the hallways of Westlake Middle School.”

Think I made my point. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE...
The characters in this book felt way more realistic than I could have imagined. Ezra's character development is off the charts along with his amazing level of sarcasm. I almost felt like a proud mama bear watching Ezra become a man over the course of this book. TBoE is full of razor sharp wit and took me by surprise with how compassionate it is. I imagine it's hard for a writer to really make a character develop so much in one book but Robyn Schneider makes it look effortless. Her writing style mirrors that of John Green's and definitely has the same tear jerker effect on people. Character development isn't the only thing that is strong in this book... The overall writing style and silver tongue that Robyn uses throughout this story is insane. The debate scenes and childhood flashbacks will have you dying of laughter. Oh and if you like vampires, witty comebacks, and Harry Potter you'll enjoy this story as well.

The only downside(s) of this book was a rather predictable ending. I figured it out about half way through, but it still didn't stop me from getting teary eyed or enjoying the story till the

end. The only other thing was Cassidy... She wasn't my favorite female character. I did like her and Ezra's relationship; it was truly loving and sweet...but I found myself being annoyed with her. She keeps telling Ezra to be himself, to learn who he is, to tell her who he wants to be, but then gives nothing back in return. I guess I was just hoping she'd have as much development as he did. Basically by the end of the book I wanted to throat punch this B. As far as the sub characters in this book, they are as amazing as Ezra especially Toby. (Oh Toby you cutie you! I just wanted to pinch and kiss his cheeks!)



This book has a great pace, and is a nice new spin on a coming of age novel. I wont give away what happens at the end, even with its predictability, I was still happy with how she left the characters and the stories. TBoE is a perfect rainy day-cuddle in a snuggie-drinking hot coco book. This was a light and fun read, and something that if you haven't had the chance to pick up you should definitely set aside and afternoon to do so.

[Sophia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

overall, I feel this book tries too hard. it tries to be meaningful and moving but, ultimately, it feels like a subpar imitation of a john green novel. the main character Ezra is an all right boy. he's relatable but nothing special. the love interest, Cassidy Thorpe, is so cliche. she strives too hard to be different and she consistently irritated me. she loves going on adventures and weaves flower crowns and dresses in vintage dresses--the same as any other girl who is meant to be depicted as "different." the plot was on the boring side and proved to be ridiculously predictable. on a positive note, the writing is lovely and the secondary characters are great (particularly Toby and Phoebe). also, there were lots of pop culture references sprinkled throughout the prose as well as witty dialogue.

[Warda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing, quirky read this was.

I can’t even begin to explain the premise of the story. But it’s about friendship, and realising who your true friends are, that it is much more valuable to be true to yourself rather than trying to fit yourself into a mould, that love really does assist in fixing things but that ultimately, the love you give yourself is what’ll allow you to truly live life to the fullest.
That you are enough.

[Jaime Arkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

Ezra Faulkner thought he had everything. He was the Golden Boy of Eastwood High. Star tennis player hanging with the popular crowd and dating the popular girl. Everyone knows him.

Then the accident happened and his life wasn't the same.

This story is told from Ezra's point of view and I absolutely fell in love with him. From the very first chapter, Schneider gives us this unique and wonderful character with an incredibly interesting outlook and voice. The dialogue was wonderfully written and so completely high school to me at times. I found myself laughing quite often.

How can you mistakenly think something is porn?" I asked, halfway interested at this turn in the conversation.

"It's porn if you use a self-timer," she explained, as though it was obvious.

"Right," I said, wishing that she'd been smarter, and that her answer had impressed me.

Ezra has the suffering in silence thing down to a science when he returns to school for his senior year using a cane and trying to blend in with everyone else. He's spent most of his life doing what was expected of him... preparing to go to college where his parents expect, never really looking at anything from the 'this is what I want' perspective. No longer able to be on the tennis team and avoiding his regular 'friends', he finds himself drifting to a table of misfits that includes someone from his past. Toby and Ezra were best friends but as years passed they drifted apart... (wait until you hear about his big tragedy!) Ezra to the popular table and Toby to the debate team. Seeing them reconnect was a wonderful treat.

But he also meets Cassidy, a new girl who seems to be a mystery and doesn't quite fit in with everyone else either. The debate team knows her because she used to debate for a private school but they don't know any details of her disappearance from the debate scene or why she's now in their school. Ezra begins to fall for her despite the warnings from Toby.

She tasted like buried treasure and swing sets and coffee. She tasted the way fireworks felt, like something you could get close to but never really have just for yourself.

I'm not sure what specifically I loved the most about this book, as one of my updates says... this has been added to my all-time favorites after reading. Maybe it was the first person narrative, maybe it was the dialogue, maybe it was the characters themselves, which even though I finished this book early yesterday, I'm still thinking about.

The best part of this story though for me, is definitely Ezra. He brings this story to life with his sarcasm and unique sense of humor. Seeing the rise and fall of his relationships and the growth his character experiences was wonderful. There were times when I wanted to shake him and say 'stand up for yourself' and 'do what you want to do', and 'don't put up with that crap' ... but he needed to find the strength to do that within himself. When all Cassidy's secrets are finally revealed I think you'll be as surprised as I was in the end. But when you turn that last page you'll realize what a captivating and incredibly lovely story you just read.

If you're looking for something that has moments of sadness, moments of laughter, moments of romance and just a wonderfully told story, then I think you're going to really enjoy Severed Heads, Broken Hearts. Like I said, this book has gotten a spot in my permanent all-time favorites.

Make sure you run out and get this one as soon as it's released in August!

This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess I’m a sucker for happy endings. I like it when life works out in a neat little package wrapped in red ribbon and blue paper, and I find the warm, gooey center filled with sugar and jam. But sometimes life kicks you in the ass, staples your forehead to the living room carpet, and then swipes your lunch money.

While it would have been easy to call this novel cheesy, and then add a bit of sap and honey for good measure, I don’t feel as though that truly sums up THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING. Of course, if that’s how you would like to view it, and then move on with your life, I can understand where you are coming from, and respect your decision. But I do think you have to dig a little deeper on this one, and pull out your backhoe (that you just happen to have lying around) instead of your shovel.

When I did this, I discovered a world where Ezra Faulkner had a big head on his shoulders, and brushed off all the folks who could have helped him make a difference. But then his leg was shattered in a tragic accident, and he was forced to reinvent himself. Rather than crying over his iPhone, and watching House reruns, he got his shit together, and took the racket off his shoulder. And I respected and admired his decision.

Cassidy Thorpe might have more than a few pairs of boy shorts and button down shirts in her possession, but she’s beautiful on the inside and out, even if she has a slightly different perception of herself in the bathroom mirror. And, yes, I may have looked at her with a bit more than just fond affection.

I sucked this novel up through a straw in three days’ time, and the teenager inside of me (and all of us) was more than happy with my decision. The romance was beautiful and thrilling, even if it kicked me in the pants at the end, the dialogue was intriguing and spot-on, the pace proved to be both intriguing and interesting and just about right, and the characters were just odd and awkward enough to help me reminisce my high school years.

If you’d like to rediscover your teenage self, then you might want to take a peek behind the curtain, and see what this particular book has in store for you. You might just be glad you did.

Cross-posted at Robert's Reads

[Chelsea ✨Arielle’s Nebular Ally and Team Acrux✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars*

I thought about the metal in my knee, replacing this piece of me that was missing, that no longer worked. And it wasn't my heart, I kept telling myself. It wasn't my heart.

Ah, okay...so. So. I'm going to venture out and say I have no clue what I want to say. There. Simple. I said it. Except...I had so much to say. I had little notes written here and there and I found some great enjoyment and humor from page one to the end. And then there was so much sadness entwined in each layer of humor, of each dig at his being crippled. It was a very complex book in the aspect that you didn't know if you should be happy or sad sometimes....Like, at times, I wondered why this book focused so much on popularity, like it was almost mockingly downplaying the tragedy of his accident. But then, before I could get too judgmental, the main character kind of snapped out of it-He began to see life for what it really was, what it meant, who he could be...and that's where I found my greatest enjoyment.

Everyone's life, no matter how unremarkable, has a moment when it will become extraordinary-a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen.

I'm sure a lot of teens do go through the motions from day-to-day, taking for granted the fact that they woke up breathing, had many friends, and were a part of whatever tier their little social hierarchy was...I know I did. I never cared or thought twice about who I was or where I ranked. I never had to worry about it-until I did. Life changes. People evolve. You meet your soul mate or whoever you think you should be with, you make career choices or college choices or even life choices, and your friends might no longer be compatible with where you are going. I understand that, because it happened to me. I never thought of my rank...until I met THE one-Yeah, that guy I'm married to, now.

Tennis was like a video game, one that I'd beat a million times, with the pleasure of winning long gone. A game that I'd kept on playing because people expected me to, and I was good at doing what people expected. But not anymore, because no one seemed to expect anything from me anymore. The funny thing about gold is how quickly it can tarnish.

It's funny how quickly people turn on you when you don't want to hang out with endless boys every Friday and Saturday night like they used to ask you to-how quickly I was outcast-It was almost comical. But what happens when you are outcast from the 'awesomest group of friends ever?' You move the fuck on-just like I did. You see, part of who I can say I was (and I still am, really), is that I never was mean to people. I had friends in every clique, group, sports team, whatever. So I just walked to the other side of the hallway to my other friends standing by their lockers, and it was as easy as breathing-except it wasn't. It hurt. It hurt like a mother fucker that my best friend, the girl who had spent the night at my house for a whole summer while we stayed up 'til 4 AM watching scary movies and binge-drinking Mountain Dew (except when we had a game the next day!), had iced me out, was spreading rumors about me, talking behind my back, and generally trying to make my life a living hell-and it was-internally. Keep in mind: One day we were totally fine, the next, people were approaching me saying that my best friend was talking about me and we apparently weren't friends anymore. This was news to me. All because of who I chose to date. It's sick, and there's more to the story, as there always is, but that's the gist of it. We were at pivotal moments in our lives, and she wanted to start rebelling, to start drinking and partying, as most kids do, I realize, but I was never that way. I didn't need anyone to pull me in that direction, my parents aren't/weren't drinkers, so I was never going to take that path. She had started to go out behind my back (I don't know why? I wouldn't have cared...just proof positive of her insecurities-who am I to judge? You're my best friend for fuck sakes...) and fib-Me dating my now-husband was just the final jealous nail in the coffin. It is what it is. My point? While it hurt that my soccer friends and everyone on that social tier was being kind of ridiculous, I held my head high like I didn't care, moved on to my other friends, and walked down the hallways laughing and acting as if my world hadn't changed. Sometimes life takes a direction you never expected-but it makes you a better person for it, in the end.

It was like the part of me that had enjoyed those friends had evaporated, leaving behind a huge, echoing emptiness, and I was scrabbling on the edge of it, trying not to fall into the hole within myself because I was terrified to find out how far down it went.

And believe me when I say that I had no intention of writing any of that-it never even crossed my mind while reading this book, but, for some reason, when I started this review, that story felt relevant. You know, the lack of similarities as you grow older, the fact that I chose to take a different path, a harder path. Oh, PS, she had apologized a year later-after I was okay with standing on the other side of the field during soccer practice and acting like it didn't bother me at all to hang with other girls on the team. It came in the form of-"Oh, wow *grabs ear* when did you get this pierced? That's cool!" I guess we acted like it never happened...except for a letter of apology. Needless to say, we barely talk now, but we're on okay terms. Sigh. Anyway. I am not comparing myself to Ezra, I think he was a little skewed on his thoughts of who he should hang out with and why...but it felt right to mention that, even when things aren't going the way you want them to, it might not be the worst thing to happen to you, nor is it the end of the world.

He'd grown up into exactly the unabashedly nerdy, quick-witted guy you'd expect from a kid who went door-to-door selling homemade comics to raise the start-up capital for our summer lemonade stand when we were ten. And I'd grown up into a massive douche-with a cane.

My story had a happily ever after....but did Ezra's? His story, even from the beginning, while riddled with his humor, had a dark undertone. His life was tennis, he was popular, he had a girlfriend...then one fateful night he gets slammed into by an SUV-shattering his knee beyond repair. He will never get to play tennis again. His whole life, career path, etc, are gone...or so he thinks. I loved that he was a closet nerd. It made me deliriously happy, actually. I can't say I always loved all the conversations he had with his new found (some old, some new) group, but I loved the sincerity with which he connected with them-how he finally felt like he belonged and that was where he always should have been. I loved Ezra, in the end.

She was achingly effortless, and she would never, in a million years, choose me. But, for the next few minutes, I contented myself with the magnificent possibility that she might.

I had a lot of problems with this book. I can't even tell you why (See blur rating shelf above). But some things I can tell you:

1. The Romance-Fuck that bitch, Ezra, you could do better. I didn't like her-ever. But that's my personal opinion. My heart melted as he fell in love with the mysterious Cassidy Thorpe. He was such a fragile, adorable boy who fell for a girl completely high on herself. Eh, I'm biased, sue me.

As always, she left me wanting more, and dreaming of what it would be like if I ever got it.



*****************



She tasted like buried treasure and swing sets and coffee. She tasted the way fireworks felt, like something you could get close to but never really have just for yourself.

2. The Plot-While a wonderful message, in the end (for a while it seemed a tad clique-y and cliche, maybe it always was, but I stopped seeing it near the end), it was a tad day-to-day activity for me, and I didn't like the people he surrounded himself with enough to love it.

3. The Characters- See above. But I loved Toby and Cooper. More on Cooper here in a sec. I never really believed the character's reactions-not all of them, anyway. Some of it felt false or misplaced and I kind of thought those parts were a little exaggerated. But that's probably just me.

4. The Voice/Humor- I LOVED Ezra's voice. I wasn't sure at first, but as the story progressed, I started to highlight more and more of his hilarious voice. His humor was THE BEST. Perfectly cheesy humor and bad puns-win.

5. Nostalgic References- If you were a child of the 90's, or even remotely aware of any happenings, toys, shows, etc. in the 90's, the nostalgic ramblings, conversations, and throw backs were epic. I was smiling SO big about stuff I had long forgotten. Wow.

6. Cooper-Cooper the dog was by far my second favorite character. The way he talks to him and the bond they have breaks my heart. He had read The Great Gatsby over the summer and had a ton of those type of references, imagining the dog referring to him as 'old sport' on more than one occasion. I LOVED this dog-he is loyal, fun, and a total badass....I absolutely adored this aspect.

7. I cried-That is all. Out of nowhere. Right in the feels.

We move through each other's lives like ghosts, leaving behind haunting memories of people who never existed. The popular jock. The mysterious new girl. But we're the ones who choose, in the end, how people see us. And I'd rather be misremembered.

So, without further adieu, I will wrap this up. I never meant for this to be long. It was actually supposed to be short because I both loved and hated this...but sometimes, as my friend just said, the review decides for you. I think there was a lot of stereotype stuff in here, but the message was clear: It wanted to be stereotypical. It wanted the message to pop out at the end for all to see, and I get what the author was doing. I just wonder if people with this dislike in books will be able to get past that and the somewhat slow pace to actually get to the message at the end. I don't know. Either way, I had a fun time with this one-for the most part.


**PS, there were literally so many quotes I wanted to use that I couldn't-if nothing else, this book had a million quotable parts. I am sad I didn't have enough room, lol.




For more of my reviews, please visit:








***

This one hurt, Guys-really, truly, deeply. Ouch.



But not for the reasons you'd suspect....Or maybe exactly for the reasons you suspect. Who knows.

Review to come.

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 to 4 stars

I liked it as much as I liked Looking for Alaska. I think both books seem to be talking about similar themes and even some of the patterns and characters are a bit similar though I would have to say that reading this book is a bit lighter than reading LFA maybe because of the more familiar high school cliches in this book. But despite mentioning the existence of high school cliches in this book, I still liked this. This is another young adult novel that implicitly helps or teaches readers how to go through and move past unpleasant realities of life.

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. This ended up being such a disappointment. For the first 2/3rds of this book I was cruising steady at 4 stars, but it just totally fell apart at the end. I have no idea what even happened or why. So unsatisfying.

[Kels · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book solely off of my love for Robyn Schneider's latest novel, Extraordinary Means, aching to see if her other works were just as good. Unfortunately, The Beginning of Everything failed to impress me, and I had to force myself to finish it.

What started off, at the very least, as an intriguing premise, quickly turns into a tedious and unimaginitive story that is laughably predictable. Ezra is in the center of the school's spotlight when a car crash leaves him suffering from a crippling injury. From there, he loses his girlfriend, his dreams of being a tennis all-star, and his tier one friends. He struggles with accepting his new affliction, reconnects with old friends, and then meets a mysterious and humourous new girl, Cassidy, who is hiding a big puzzle piece of past that suddenly and dramatically effects their relationship.

Cliches, cliches, cliches...

Seriously, this book is filled with them! The storytelling lacks flair and originality, and the dialogues are so over-the-top and ludicrously pretentious (even his dog responses--because his dog apparently talks--were so outrageously bombastic). The narration had such an overblown and unnatural flow to it that made it impossibly hard for me to get into the story and invest my interest in the characters. There were some sparse moments where I enjoyed Robyn Schneider's wit, but that eventually became too strained and contrived. The whole time reading this novel I wondered, Where exactly is this going, and why is it taking so long to get there? I couldn't help but feel like there was no point to Ezra's story--certainly there was no excitement to it--and by the time the text reached a crest (which was pages from the end), I was too bored to care about it. And that ending was so crappily wrapped up. Smh. I'm just sad at the wasted hours that I could have been reading something better.

The Beginning of Everything should have been more aptly titled The Start of Nothing Remarkable. This is a novel that is enough to past the time by if you have a great deal of patience, but it is also easily forgettable and mediocre in every other way.

[Amelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne

Erwartet hatte vor allem ein Buch, das anders ist. Das lag an den vielen Bewertungen, die genau dies versprachen. Vermutlich war das der Grund, warum ich zu Beginn etwas enttäuscht war. Der Protagonist Ezra war zu Beginn des Buches beliebt und hat diese Beliebtheit auch genossen. Seine "Freunde" waren alles andere als das, besonders seine feste Freundin war einfach furchtbar. Ezra hat das nicht bemerkt. Ich bin jemand, der sich sehr schwer damit tut, meine einmal gebildete Meinung über Charaktere (übrigens auch über Menschen im Real Life) wieder zu ändern, weshalb Bücher dieser Art meist gar nichts für mich sind. Before I Fall ist ein anderes gutes Beispiel dafür. Allerdings war es hier nicht so, dass es Ezra gewesen wäre, der mir so extrem unsympathisch war, sondern sein komplettes Umfeld. Das ändert sich nach Ezras Unfall. Was ich hier so gut fand, das war, dass die Veränderung, die stattfand nicht von Ezras Umfeld ausging, sondern eigentlich von Ezra selbst. Ihn hat der Unfall verändert und nicht die Meinung seiner Mitmenschen. Das ist generell etwas, das in Romanen oft falsch dargestellt wird. Man nimmt der schüchternen Maus die Brille ab und TADA alle mögen sie. Die Beliebte der Schule bekommt einen Eimer über den Kopf und Voila alle finden sie furchtbar. Im wirklichen Leben funktioniert das nicht so. Die innere Haltung ist viel entscheidender, als uns Romane und oft glauben machen wollen. Das hat dieses Buch sehr gut eingefangen.
Ebenfalls gut eingefangen hat die Geschichte den Coming-of-Age-Faktor. Generell sprühte dieses Buch von dem Gefühl, das das Jugendalter ausmacht. Die Zukunftsängste, das Gefühl, dass alles möglich ist, die Freiheit, Verantwortungslosigkeit, die Wankelmütigkeit, einfach alles, was das Genre ausmacht. Der Schreibstil schafft es super, gerade auch die Liebesgeschichte glaubhaft herüberzubringen. Ich mochte beide auch sehr gern.
Leider ist es trotzdem so, dass das Buch Längen hatte. Zu Beginn habe ich mit den Freunden von Ezra gekämpft, die bis zum Ende auch sehr blass und klischeehaft blieben, aber im Laufe des Buches gab es auch sehr viele Stellen, die schlicht langweilig gewesen sind. Da hätte man meiner Meinung nach einiges von weggkürzen können.
Und dann ist da das Ende. Ein mutiges Ende, das sehr gut ausgeführt worden ist und dadurch sehr lebensnah blieb. Wenn ich nur das Ende bewerten würde, würde das Buch fünf Sterne bekommen. Aber ein Buch besteht leider nicht nur aus seinem Schluss. Wenn die Geschlechterrollen vertauscht wären, würde ich das Ende noch 100 Mal mehr feiern. Aber auch so war es beeindruckend wahrhaft wirklich und vor allem anders.

[Nicay · Rating 3 out of 5]

“There’s a big difference between deciding to leave and knowing where to go.”

Honestly, I don’t know what to feel about this book. It doesn’t really make an impact for me as I expected. The story revolves when Ezra Faulkner had an accident that made his other leg disabled. From a famous tennis player and a heartthrob to a simple student now. Everything changes the day he became incapacitated, the popularity, parties, the tennis team, and even friends. Until Cassidy “The Mysterious” Thorpe came, and it made his life worthy again.

As I wrote earlier, the story has no impact on me from the beginning until the end. It didn’t give anything from what I expected. Here are the reasons why:

1. The story doesn’t seem to grow from the start until the end. Yes, the words and how Robyn describes the story was okay. But as a reader, it didn’t leave any mark to me. I know you will agree with me, books that will turn your world into extraordinary will leave a special place in your heart. And that’s what the book ‘The Beginning of Everything’ lacks. I am positive that this book has the potential, but it lacks a little dig.

2. The characters were so plain. No impact made, both main characters or not.

3. No emotional attachment found. I tried to put my emotions to the story especially with the characters. But it seems that I found it really hard. Am I having a stone heart? Just kidding.

Anyway, even though I have issues regarding in this book, there were still some positive about it, the main lesson of the story - is to love and accept yourself even if others were not.

I know this book will turn into a great book, but it turns out to be a plain story that eventually after reading will not remember at all.

Ratings: 3 stars
Date finished: January 23, 2017

Wordpress┃Instagram ┃ Twitter ┃ Tumblr┃Facebook ┃ Youtube

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars





---

This one took awhile to pick up for me... I considered throwing in the towel a couple times but kept going,hoping it would get better.The beginning is shocking horrifying with Toby... nice opening section to pull your readers in hmm?

The characters and story grew on me but I never got fully invested in the story. There'a plenty of wit, humor, and sadness sprinkled throughout with some drama in as well. A couple scenes did have me tearing up and everything coming together at the end with Ezra's accident surprised me... didn't see that coming.

Cassie grew on me some after awhile, it felt like we never got to know her fully... which makes sense later on when certain things come to light.

Ezra could be frustrating at times but I loved him and his group of friends... where were these people when I was in high school?:)

It's one of those reads that flies by quickly... it was a fun visit but one I wouldn't re-read personally. The ending wasn't picture perfect and fit nicely with who Ezra had become so that won it a few points as well :).

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

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars
This was a really enjoyable read! I enjoyed it.
At the beginning it felt a lot like it was trying too hard, and there were parts of the book that felt like that it was trying to be a really deep and meaningful book. Overall, though, it was a really enjoyable contemporary and I liked the characters a lot! I would probably read it again.

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robyn Schneider's novel underwent a title change from Severed Heads, Broken Hearts to The Beginning of Everything. Both titles I think are fitting for the story within, though I must say I feel a certain affection for the original, which conveys both the humor and the darkness of Schneider's witty, brilliant debut.

Ezra Faulkner theorizes that no one's life really begins until they go through a personal tragedy. This may seem an odd sort of belief, but it makes sense. Tragedy has a way of putting things in perspective. The loss of a family member, of mobility, or of social standing has a way of forcing a person to reevaluate life and decide what is really important. Realizing how tenuous and random life can be, it's crucial to spend what life you have being who you really are and with the people who really get you.

Ezra and Toby were best friends until they were fourteen. That friendship came to a halt after a tourist stood up in the row in front of them on a roller coaster at Disney, the tourist's severed head landing in Toby's arms for the rest of the ride. For the rest of high school, Toby will be that kid with the severed head. Meanwhile, Ezra grew up well, attractive and athletic, and became friends with the popular kids. He partied, dated hot girls, and planned to get a college scholarship for tennis. Then, at a party one night, a driver hit his car, leaving him crippled.

As school starts up for his senior year, the former Homecoming King doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere. He walks with a cane, his girlfriend has hooked up with his former best friend, and his plans for the future are shot. In his life's nadir, he finds a sort of freedom, though. He can now admit to being intelligent and nerdy, rediscover his friendship with Toby, and cultivate a spot with some of the school's nerds. Tragedy serves as a bridge to help him realize how unsatisfying his life up to then truly was.

Schneider's writing is fantastic. First of all, she completely captures an authentic male voice. Ezra never read like a girl to me, but neither was his narrative over the top in an effort to sell his maleness. Secondly, Schneider peppers the narrative with literary references, which, admittedly, might be alienating to some teen readers, but that I loved. Finally, there are the puns. If you do not appreciate finely tuned wordplay, you might find The Beginning of Everything pun-ishing. However, if you deem puns fine humor, you may well laugh your head off (don't worry; Toby will catch it for you).

The romance in The Beginning of Everything falls a bit into manicpixiedreamgirl territory, but it works. Ezra is taken with Cassidy immediately, with her mystery, her intelligence, and her vibrancy. She appreciates his puns and can give them back. They have great chemistry, but she always keeps her walls way way up. Why this worked for me is that Ezra falls in love with her, but in a totally high school first love sort of way, and not in a true love forever sort of way. Also, there's a realization of how little she actually was the perfect girl of his dreams.

The only aspect of the book that left me wanting was the ending. The climax that leads to the spilling of Cassidy's secrets was unexpected, despite the foreshadowing that lead up to it. That scene did not rub me the right way, and just felt a bit out of place in the novel. Plus, Cassidy's sudden opening up didn't seem fitting with what went down either. Without explaining what happened, it's hard to put this clearly, but I found what happened a bit puzzling and melodramatic.

Robyn Schneider's novel is highly intelligent and full of black humor. Fans of John Green, particularly Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns, will most definitely want to read The Beginning of Everything.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this book was misleading. The first 3 chapters were really good but after that, I felt like the plot shifted and focused too much on Ezra and Cassidy's relationship. Also, I did not like Cassidy. She didn't seem like a believable character to me. I couldn't figure out why Ezra was so intrigued by her? I wanted to hear more about Ezra's strained friendship with his childhood buddy, Toby. This book just never got "off the ground" for me. Very draggy and disappointing. Robyn Schneider's writing-style saved me from rating this book lower. Overall, I don't hate this book but it's not what I thought it was going to be. Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations. :(

[Leahxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly liked this more than I liked any John Green book. Not that I don't love his books, but I just thought this book was so special, I guess. It really spoke to me and made me feel all kinds of things. And the characters were amazing and brilliant and it was a great representation of wasted potential in high school found in stuck up populars. It's about a classic jock that doesn't have any real ambitions outside of sports and popularity and the struggle of overcoming that by becoming a social outcast. I thought this book was absolutely beautiful and very well written. I loved it a lot.
And the thing is that it wasn't just a cheesy teen romance novel. It was so much more than that. It was about self discovery and recovering from something horrible. It was about leaning to be stronger than before and was so much deeper than it sounded on the back cover. It wasn't what I expected at all. I just thought it was going to be a stereotypical teen drama, but I was so pleasantly surprised. There were twists and turns and wonderful moments and heart wrenching confessions and it was all just so wonderful to read

[Jess | FairyTale Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

"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 spent a long time existing, and now I intend to live." - Ezra Faulkner

Wow. So this book surprised me. I REALLY, really enjoyed Robyn Schneider's writing. She really knows how to create really realistic, witty, amazing characters. I definitely related to most of them and loved all of the Harry Potter and Doctor Who references. If I was to compare this book to some other contemporaries I've read this year, I would say it reminded me of Paper Towns by John Green, Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, and maybe even a hint of The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I REALLY enjoyed Ezra's development throughout this book and finished this book with a feeling of contentment. Definitely recommend this book to lovers of contemporary fiction!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

Thank you Simon and Schuster Australia for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.

“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.”

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts (or The Beginning of Everything) was one of my most highly anticipated novels of 2013. So when going into this, I had high expectations. And for what seems finally, my expectations were fulfilled. Before I go into this review I'd just like to point out that I much prefer the old name, Severed Heads, Broken Hearts which also happens to be the UK/AUS title, I mean it describes this book perfectly in the most direct and indirect ways.

Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes he has just encountered his worst tragedy ever. And he is relatively correct- his life basically did a 180 spin. Now not-so-golden-boy Ezra with a shattered knee finds himself falling lower down the social ladder with his passion for tennis disappearing as well. Severed Heads, Broken Hearts is all about finding yourself, finding true love and friends, as well as learning from old mistakes. Robyn Schneider does a remarkable job at creating such a credible male voice that will and have moved readers significantly.

Being a fan of Pretty Little Liars, my main concern when going into Severed Heads, Broken Hearts was the characters. Ezra and Toby, two of the main characters in Severed Heads, Broken Hearts also happen to be two of the leads in Pretty Little Liars. I was quite afraid for my prejudice to kick in and paint them with my natural instincts towards the PLL personalities. However, this was totally not the case. Robyn Schneider's characterisation was glaringly distinct and strong, I was utterly enthralled into the story no prejudgement issues. Ezra's character arc was a momentous leap, after giving up his passion for tennis and old 'friends'- ones on the highest peck of high school no longer talking to him; he was lost, with his growing self-consciousness. Faultlessly portrayed and created, Ezra's flaws, blemishes and mistakes were just more reasons to love and empathise him.

Relationships seem to be one of the main orbiting themes in Severed Heads, Broken Hearts. We have Toby, sweet and humorous just like Ezra. He can see through the slightest of lies. Toby's part in this novel was quite compelling. Once upon a time best friend, who had a bad history with Disneyland- the result of a severed head. I loved Toby for his reacceptance towards Ezra, who had left Toby after the Disneyland tragedy. Romance is another element that was focused on. I wasn't awfully convinced with it for majority of the novel but at the end I was shipping Ezra and Cassidy hard. I wasn't too convinced with the romance mainly due to Cassidy's mysterious behaviour which I began to figure out a while into the novel. Her personality was energetic, intelligent and defiant in the sense that she didn't care what other's thought of her. Therefore, a perfect match for Ezra who was failing to feel comfortable with a cane all the time.

Like nothing I have read before, Severed Heads, Broken Hearts is a strong, cogent novel about finding your true self, and picking up from where you fall no matter how hard it is. It's about love, friendships and trying new things. It's about people like Ezra, whose narrative so conceivable can face new and unexpected realities. Life is hard, but like so many characters in this novel do, they keep going, head held high.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

Ezra Faulkner had everything going for him – prom king, tennis star, hot girlfriend, etc., etc., but a tragic accident has left him broken – both physically and mentally. Without his status as a top athlete, how will he fit in with his old friends Senior year? Does he even want to? When new girl Cassidy enrolls at his high school and an old elementary school pal pops back into his life, Ezra begins to realize maybe he wasn’t the person he has pretended to be all these years.

In what I thought was going to end up as yet another failed attempt at finding a book that would make me get all feely-feely, I began to believe my issue might be worse than I thought. I had been thinking I could possibly be a robot, but then I wondered “what if the problem is even worse than that?”???




The first 10% of The Beginning Everything had me ready to throw in the towel. All I could think when I started this book was “good God Ezra is vapid”.



I don’t know, Kanye. I just don’t know anymore.

But . . . I am not a quitter, so I kept reading and then????



I slapped out of it. I got over the idea that I was going to find this novel “heartwrenching” like the blurb told me and just tried to accept it for what it was: a perfectly sweet tale of first love and first loss that make up the high school experience. And guess what? I more than liked it. (Ezra’s lack of self-awareness still grated, but he made up for it with Harry Potter references.) The saving grace that made me turn my frown upside down was how much I fell in love with all of the characters. So, instead of ranting with a 1 or 2 star rating, this one is getting a 4, because at the end of the day (although I didn’t cry) it made me have some good feels. Much like a John Hughes’ movie : )

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book.

The Beginning of Everything was a pretty realistic book. In it, you will meet Ezra and Cassidy. At first, they were kind of cute. Unfortunately, Cassidy became unbearable rather quickly. Especially towards the end, so I wasn't the least bit unhappy with where this book or their relationship was heading.

Besides the two main characters, pretty sure my favorite character was Toby. He was just something special that this book needed. He was sweet and probably the only friend that Ezra had. Well, the only good one in his life. I was glad that he was with him when he was spiraling down the rabbit hole. It was the swift kick in the ass that this guy needed.

Then there's Cassidy - oh lord, she gave me a migraine. I hated her voice (well the narrators voice for her but I'm sure I would've hated her no matter what). She didn't deserve Ezra and definitely deserves to be alone for the rest of her life.

Overall, it was cute and relatable.

[Gökçe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yazarın dilini çok beğendim. O kadar güzel alıntılar, zekice planlamış espriler vardı ki. Aynı zamanda hayatın içinden alınmış gibiydi. Özellikle karakterler çok gerçekçi geldi. Hiçbiri mükemmel değil, her birinin kusurları var. Ama bunlar sizi rahatsız etmiyor. Dediğim gibi onları daha gerçekçi kılıyor. Ezra’nın hayata bakış açısının değişmesi, kendini bulması bir noktada bize de yardımcı olucak türden. Eğer içten, sevimli, aynı zamanda hem hüzünlü hem de komik bir kitap arıyorsanız, bir şans verin derim. Zaten yazarın dilinden dolayı bir gün içerisinde bitebilecek bir roman. Kapak hakkında zaten konuşmaya gerek yok <3

[Abida's Book Adventures · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really hoping to give this book five stars... but I just couldn't. The beginning of the book was amazing. Full of humor and high school problems everyone faces. Then in the middle of the book went the other direction and wasn't that exciting anymore (but I it had hope in this book... until the end). The end of the book broke my heart. I was hoping it would leave me breathless or happy at least. Instead it sort of left me hanging with a hole in my heart. I was really hoping that Ezra(awesome main character) would have a better ending. Yeah sure he moved on and decided what is was going to do with his life. But he still never forget about Cassidy (Evil Witch). Then there's Cassidy who messes up Ezra's life and then just tells him that they can't be together ever ( while they are in the vet waiting to see if Ezra's dog survived and then leaves him and never comes back) , right after they had a great time going out. Overall I really liked how the author wrote this book, but wish there was a better ending to this book.