The Beginnings of Everything

Review:

Title: The Beginnings of Everything

Original Title: Severed Heads, Broken Hearts

Author: Robyn Schneider

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Format: Library Copy

Genre: YA, Contemporary; Romance; Tragedy
Rating: ✎✎✎

*This cover looks hideous online, but in person the colors are gorgeous!

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? 

If you haven't read this book I hope that now you are intrigued or want to!  But to avoid spoilers please stop reading HERE! :)

My Thoughts and Reflection:

This book seemed to get a lot of hype after it was re-released with a new cover and title.  In my opinion the new title defiantly fits the book better, but I'm sort of indifferent about the covers... 

Anyway, now for the actual book.  Ezra was a wonderful narrator.  He is open about his opinions and his personality is quickly established.  

The other characters... They were quirky and interesting... But they didn't have enough of lives themselves.  There are a couple of instances were events happen that don't directly involve Ezra, but the lack of substantial subplots was obvious.  

Immediately after Cassidy was introduced as a character I knew two things; she was the romantic interest and that she was going to be trouble.  Her tendency to hold things back made her extremely suspicious and I honestly didn't think she was all that.  She didn't come across as someone that I would want to be friends with, so I disliked her from the beginning.  

After thinking about this book for a while it has become apparent that there are two separate plots in this novel; the extremely dull relationship of Ezra and Cassidy and Ezra's self evaluation as a person after his accident.  Cassidy May have been the mysterious new girl in the beginning, but she and Ezra didn't have a lot in common.  Ezra's self evaluation added depth to his character and was actually interesting to read.

At the end of the book things actually get exciting.   Cassidy reveals that she was just using Ezra as a toy and that she actually has a real boyfriend.  If this had actually been the reason that she broke up with him I would have been all "This is amazing!  Her character actually has some motivation in this story."  But nope.  It turns out she won't stay together with Ezra because her dead brother (which we didn't know about) was the one who hit Ezra and caused his injury.  And get this, Ezra is even willing to move past all these facts but Cassidy is just like "It's too hard for me."  Ugh. Ugh.  Yuck yuck yuck.  

I was not that impressed with this book.  It wasn't extremely horrible, but Cassidy ruined it for me.  Even though those last few chapters had excitement that I failed to predict from page one, it still wasn't that great. 

However, because this book had quite a lot of potential, and just wasn't executed quite so nicely, I'll be willing to give another book by this author a chance.  Maybe.  

~Remy

P.S.  This somehow didn't register on my radar but the cover was released for the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children!  Review here.

Isn't it beautiful?!?