The Start of You and Me

This is close to a five star book for me. Maybe if there was a dragon or two in it I would be there (lol). Note: I did NOT read the emails at the back of the book. I loved the ending and wanted it to just stop there; with all the unknown future ahead.

 

Title: The Start of You and Me
Author: Emery Lord
Genre(s): Young Adult, Teen
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

“The Start of Me and You” is a young adult book that appears to be the same old, same old story of some tragedy and the teen overcoming it. You may be (at least I was) excepting some in-depth comments or statements on life similar to those made in “The Fault in Our Stars”. You know the ones the outrageously philosophical one-liner that it’s very unlikely a teenage would ever think it. Or perhaps you are expecting a typical shallow girl YA book that uses tragedy as a crutch. In both cases you would be wrong. I surprisingly adored this book with its high school culture and awkward moments. 

I laughed, cried and felt joy with every moment of this book. And the best part is that the ending isn’t ‘all perfect’, it’s obvious it will be subject to the same ups and downs of any one person’s future. I can’t say much more about this book without giving things away. What I can say with absolute certainty is I know 20 years ago when I was a teenager I certainly had many of the same emotions, thoughts and experiences of our characters. And this book brought me back to that time and my emotions then. While difficult in some way to revisit my own experiences of: losing a grandparent when I was fifteen, watching an amazing friend slowly die one year later (from CF), and being a part of a high-school romance that was as tumultuous as it was endearing; I’m glad I could look back on those moments and realize that what I was reading was so similar to my own story. I validated in how I felt at the time. If any part of me was feeling like I did something wrong back then I am confident that Emery Lord has dispelled all doubt from my mind by showing that humans young and old all deal with tragedy in their own way. No one of us is right or wrong necessarily and eventually we all have to get through the firsts and lasts of those times in order to allow ourselves to move forward.  

If you lost anyone at all close to you as a teenager, or are a teen dealing with death, this is the book for you. Alternatively if you just want to read a realistic teen, no literary nonsense or bloating of situations book then pick this one up as I do believe there is something for everyone in “The Start of Me and You”. 

I believe in the future this book will hold a special place in my heart as a bittersweet reminder of my teenage friend Scott. I plan to purchase a printed copy of this book to add to my library.